Balance (Off Balance 1)

Kova propped his hands on his hips. “You are skeptical.”

&n

bsp; Sometimes, just sometimes, I wished he’d use contractions.

“I am,” I said honestly.

“So we will do a little test. Today, we warm up my way and then you start your workout. Tomorrow, and the next couple of weeks, you do it your way and see how it goes.”

I smiled. “I like the sound of that.”

Kova ushered me up and took me to the floor, where I did a split that didn’t quite reach the ground, and a squat where my hips were parallel to my knees, but I couldn’t go any farther. It actually hurt to squat this low without stretching the way I normally did. “Now, remember where you started this morning, yeah?”

I nodded and he took me back to the table. I decided not to question him. Regardless of his unusual training habits, I knew I was limited with my range.

Kova had me lie down, face up, and place my foot on my thigh. My back bowed just a bit and my knee didn’t fall to the side, which meant my hips weren’t open just yet. I did this with both legs. Then brought my knee to my chest again, and this time he stepped up to my side to help, catching me off guard. Kova placed his hand on the back of my bare thigh and my heart did a little somersault in response. He pressed my knee to my chest and used his other hand to hold down the opposite thigh.

The silence was odd. Really, really odd. Kova fixated his gaze on the white wall behind my head. I was curious to know what went through his mind since his eyes hardly moved. He was focused and in the zone. His body was so close I could see a hint of his facial hair growing in, but he smelled amazing. So good I inhaled a little too loud to get a better sniff.

He looked down and instructed, “No. Breathe with your stomach, not your chest and shoulders. Your stomach should come out when you inhale and your ribs will expand. We will work on breathing too, just not today.”

With my eyes locked with Kova’s, I drew in a measured breath. My heartbeat picked up in the silence and I took note of where he placed his hand—way up on my leg near my mini shorts. Okay, maybe it wasn’t way, way up. It wasn’t like I had these long super model legs or anything, he just had large hands that took up a lot of space on my thigh.

I exhaled leisurely and he gave a slight nod of approval. Kova let go and walked around to the other side of the table where he applied the same technique to my opposite leg. He watched me, as I did him, and I wasn’t sure what to think of the dense silence between us. I couldn’t tell if his focus was on making sure I breathed correctly, or to count the freckles on the bridge of my nose.

His hand moved to the back of my thigh and pressed inwardly, deeply massaging my hamstring with his fingers. My stomach clenched, the sensation shot straight to my core, causing a burst of heat to strike through me. I had a notion it wasn’t supposed to feel this good.

“Your hamstrings feel a little too tight. Even with muscle, you should feel soft here, not hard like a rock. Loose and pliable,” he said, voice low, and continued to feel around. “This is probably due to over stretching and overuse. Stiff muscles are not healthy and can cause lack of flexibility in both your hips and legs, which then could result in an injury. Stretching your hips consistently is key and should be done daily.”

The pull inside my leg was tight and the urge to bend my knee was strong. Kova sensed the lift in my leg and firmly said, “No.”

His calloused hand leisurely drifted down my leg and gripped my knee. “Breathe. Feel what your body is doing, what position you are in, what it will help you accomplish. Focus on the movement and what it will do for you.” His hand continued to my calf and he clucked his tongue in disapproval when he prodded the toned muscle.

I closed my eyes and followed his instructions. My body began to relax as I imagined the position I was in, the new way of stretching that would help me in the future. Opening my hips, I counted to ten and then reopened my eyes, only to find Kova immersed in me.

He was close, so close his breath hit my cheek. I knew his eyes were a pretty shade of green, similar to mine, but where I had wide, doe eyes, Kova’s were more prominent and forward. Demanding. The lime green encased by the black circle was remarkable.

“Your eyes...” I whispered, “they’re beautiful.”

The corners of his mouth curled up, his full lips twisting into a grin. My cheeks glowed with warmth and I became innately aware of my surroundings, Kova’s close proximity, and where his hands were, how his fingers pressed into my skin. A flush of heat surged through me and I wondered if he could feel my skin warming. He leaned in just a bit more to press on my leg. The strain was more acute and I fought against a grimace.

Just before backing away, Kova’s mouth opened as if he was going to say something. Only, his eyes hardened and a crease formed between his wide brows. Nothing came out.

Me and my stupid mouth.

The weighty silence was too much for me to handle. “You guys should get a radio,” I suggested, anything to bridge the weirdness between us. Kova looked perplexed, at a loss for words over my idea. As if a radio was such an appalling suggestion.

“We do not need a radio in this room, only in the gym for floor routines and the dance room. You will lose focus with music. Do eight counts in your head.”

This had to be his idea of a joke. A really lame joke. He wanted me to do eight counts, counting to eight over and over to myself...a million times!

My eyes scanned around the room. “I don’t see how that’s possible with you nearly lying on my leg.”

Fuck. Avery would have a field day with me once I told her the stupid shit that came out of my mouth.

“I am not going to acknowledge that sarcastic little comment of yours.” Kova stepped back and took my ankle into his hand. “Put your leg down,” he said. I did, and he placed my ankle over my thigh to lie flat, in a half butterfly position. Standing in front of me with one hand on my knee and the other on my ankle, he applied pressure.

Jesus Lord, did I ever feel the strain in my hips now. This was a different pull compared to the times I stretched, and I was beginning to see what he meant earlier. My chest pushed out and my head angled back. I squeezed my eyes shut to deal with the burn. “Uh-uh.” He lightly slapped my thigh, bringing my attention to him. “Lie flat and breathe correctly. I will let up a little bit.”