Chapter 5: The Warm-Up Ends
We didn’t talk about it right away.
The “next time” she’d whispered kept dancing in the back of my mind, lingering in quiet smiles and glances that held just a little more meaning than they used to. It was like a secret between us, something that wasn’t quite said, but we both felt it hanging in the air.
A few days passed. Same gym routine, same casual exchange of smiles. But now there was something else—a little spark, a little tension that played between us whenever our eyes met.
Then one evening, I was finishing up my workout, ready to leave when I saw her still in the yoga room. She was stretching alone, gliding through her movements with that focused, graceful intensity of hers.
She glanced up and caught my eye, a slight flush coloring her cheeks. “Done already?” she asked, her voice soft but with that teasing edge she sometimes had.
“Yeah. Just about to head out,” I said, glancing at the door.
But something made me pause.
Maybe it was the way she was looking at me—something in her eyes said she wasn’t quite done yet.
“You can stay,” she said casually, but there was a little shift in her tone, almost like she was daring me to stick around. “I’m not using the whole mat.”
I raised an eyebrow, a grin tugging at the corners of my mouth. “Is that an invitation?” I teased, stepping into the room.
Her eyes flicked to the floor, and I could see a little smile tugging at the corner of her lips. “Maybe,” she muttered, the playful lilt in her voice making my pulse pick up just a bit.
I walked over to her, leaning against the wall. The room was quiet except for the soft sound of our breathing. The glow from the emergency lights made her skin look soft and warm, and for a moment, I just watched her.
“Not gonna lie,” I said, stepping closer, “I’ve got other things in mind than stretching right now.”
She glanced up, her expression a little shy, a little uncertain, but there was something else there. A flicker of something daring.
“Like what?” she asked, voice barely above a whisper, but it was teasing, like she already knew where this was heading.
I reached for the hem of her shirt, my fingers grazing the fabric lightly.
For a brief moment, I let the anticipation build, watching her eyes as she held her breath.
Then, with a slow and deliberate motion, I lifted the shirt off over her head.
Her chest rose quickly, and she froze for just a moment, her eyes wide, before a faint blush crept up her neck. She bit her lip, but didn’t pull away.
“Is this okay?” I asked, my voice quieter now, soft and slow, making sure she knew she could stop me at any time.
She nodded, her eyes still locked on mine, the vulnerability in them making my heart race. “Yeah… just…” she trailed off, her cheeks flushed. “Just be careful.”
I smiled, my fingers lingering at her waist as I let the fabric slip away, making sure to move with a slow, deliberate touch.
Every part of me was focused on her, on the way her breath seemed to quicken, on the way her eyes never left mine.
“You know,” I said, stepping a little closer, “you’re not as shy as you pretend to be.”
She gave a soft, almost reluctant smile. “I’m not... trying to be anything,” she said, her voice almost teasing now.
“But you're really not subtle.”
“Well,” I said with a wink, “subtlety isn’t exactly my strong suit.”
With a grin, I stepped even closer, letting my hands rest at her sides, not pushing, just waiting.
She didn’t pull away. Her hands were at her sides, nervous but not stopping me, and that was all the answer I needed.
I leaned in and kissed her, slowly at first, savoring the shape of her lips, the faint salt on her skin, the way she pressed into me like she’d been waiting for this since our first late-night glance.
My hands found the small of her back, then beneath her thighs, lifting her off the ground in one smooth motion.
Rae gave a soft gasp and locked her arms around my neck, laughing lightly.
“You’re really making a habit of carrying me.”
I grinned. “Maybe it’s a kink.”
She giggled, burying her face into my neck as I pressed her against the wall of mirrors.
With one arm supporting her and the other guiding myself, I slowly eased into her—our bodies aligned in a rhythm that felt both new and incredibly familiar.
Her breath hitched, and her fingers tightened behind my neck. “Zach…”
I kissed her shoulder, then her collarbone, tasting her skin as I began to move.
The feeling of her wrapped around me, her body clenching with every motion—it was overwhelming. She was light in my arms but heavy with desire, her quiet moans echoing softly around the room.
She clung to me, cheeks flushed, hair damp at the edges. “God,” she whispered, “this is insane…”
“Good insane?”
“The best kind,” she breathed, eyes fluttering shut.
After a while, my legs began to burn from holding her up—not that I’d ever admit it.
With a teasing grunt, I turned and carried her to the center of the mat, slowly lowering her down, our bodies never separating.
Rae giggled, breathless, as she lay back and welcomed me between her thighs, wrapping her legs around me again.
“I thought we were cooling down,” she teased.
“Still warming up,” I whispered, and began to move again, this time slower, deeper.
She arched beneath me, soft gasps and whispered encouragements spilling from her lips.
I kissed her neck, then down to her collarbone, and across her chest—lingering there, feeling her body respond with every flick of my tongue.
The slick heat between us, the way she gripped my arms, the sounds we tried to keep quiet—it was electric.
I was close. Too close.
“I’m gonna—” I groaned, trying to hold back.
I pulled out at the last second, stroking myself as I released across her stomach and chest, a hot splash catching her breast—and a stray streak landing near her cheek.
She gasped softly, surprised, then laughed through her breathlessness.
“Oops,” I muttered, reaching for my shirt to wipe it off.
She smirked, wiping a drop from her cheek with a finger. “You really need to work on your aim.”
I chuckled, lying beside her. “Blame the view. I got distracted.”
After a moment, Rae turned her head toward me, cheeks still glowing, hair slightly mussed. “You know… I usually come here to sweat. This might be my new favourite workout.”
I laughed softly, brushing a strand of hair from her face. “We might need a cooldown round.”
She smiled, tucking her head against my shoulder. “Next time, I want to finish too.”
I kissed the top of her head. “Next time, you will.”
And in the quiet of the yoga room—bodies tangled, hearts still racing—we didn’t say much more. Just lay there, content, in the afterglow of something real.