Damon thought Haley would be afraid to take off her shirt.
He’d taken off his as if it was no big deal and she’d been glad his back had been turned to her. It gave her a moment to close her mouth and keep herself from salivating. No doubt about it: the photograph of him hadn’t been touched up for the billboard.
He really was that muscular.
That perfect.
He could have been a sculpture of Ultimate Man.
And the big tattoo was real, not added in a graphics program.
Touching him had awakened her, made her want, made her burn for him. It was uncharacteristic for Haley to feel such lust. She hadn’t felt it since Garrett.
But this was just desire. Biology. There was no emotional component to it at all. Her body was doing what it had been built to do in the presence of an attractive member of the opposite sex.
Haley turned away from Damon, blushing furiously despite her rationalization, and tugged off her top. She kept her back to him as she unfastened her bra, then laid down on the towels without him having any chance to see her breasts. She felt exposed and shy and silly for being so modest at her age.
It wasn’t as if she’d never been touched.
It wasn’t as if she didn’t see naked bodies all the time.
But very, very few of them were as perfect as Damon’s.
That made her aware of what she considered to be her own imperfections. She wasn’t tall and sleek, that was for sure. He might think she was fat. She wasn’t, but she wasn’t fighting trim, either. And she was curvy.
She closed her eyes, sure he’d be amused by the way she was blushing.
But he didn’t laugh or even chuckle. He put a towel over her back and she felt immediately better. “We’ve both seen a lot of naked bodies, I’m sure,” he said lightly, echoing her own thoughts. “Relax. I’m not going to try anything.”
Was it foolish to believe him?
Or more foolish to wish he would try something?
He clearly wasn’t going to.
Seduction must have been the last thought in his mind.
That was depressing.
“We’ll start at the beginning again, because I want to teach you some more high pressure moves.”
“You could just direct me,” Haley said, even as his fingers slid across her back. She sighed without meaning to and heard him chuckle.
“I think you’ll be too gentle.”
His hands spread across her back, so warm and large that Haley felt delicate. His fingers curved around her body, cradling her, and the motion of his hands was rhythmic. She felt the contrast and understood that she’d been too tentative. The motion soothed her and she heard her breathing slow.
“It’s almost meditative,” she whispered.
“It’s supposed to be,” he replied in a low murmur. His hands were moving up her back for the second time, pushing the tension out of her body and warming her skin. She was tingling—and it wasn’t just her back that was heating up. She felt her lips part as she imagined what it would be like...
When his hands reached her neck, Haley exhaled with contentment, liking the feel of his fingers upon her. So strong and yet so gentle. He unfastened the clip in her hair and pushed her hair aside, the warmth of his fingers brushing across her nape and sending new tingles over her flesh. Her mouth went dry. His fingers speared into her hair, kneading her scalp lightly, making her feel treasured.
“And once more,” he whispered, his hands sweeping down to the small of her back again. This time, there was more pressure and Haley felt the healing power of his touch. His power was flowing into her, not just awakening her but making her feel stronger. How did he do that? She hoped he wouldn’t stop. “Let’s talk about chakras.”
Haley nodded.
“The chakras are usually shown on the front of the body, but they’re inside, so we can review them this way, too.” Damon’s tone was matter-of-fact, as if she was attending a lecture. “Chakras are power points in the body, linked to specific areas of wellness. Depending who you ask, there are three, five, seven or nine of them, but we’ll talk about nine.”
Haley nodded. She’d read some of this, but hadn’t given it much credit.
“When they’re blocked, massage can help.” Damon’s palm landed on the base of her spine. He began to trace circles there, and Haley could feel the heat of his hand even though her clothes. “The first chakra is the root chakra, below the pubic bone. It’s about survival and basic needs.”
His hand swirled upward a little. “The sacral chakra is next, just below the belly button. It governs relationships with others, of all levels of intimacy, as well as sexual desire.”
Haley’s spine was tight there, as it always was, and she closed her eyes when Damon applied more pressure. The warmth of his touch spread through her, helping that area to relax.
It felt divine.
In fact, Haley was pretty sure her panties were wet.
“A little knot there,” he murmured. “We’ll come back to it.” His left hand moved up her spine, the right staying put. “The solar plexus chakra is under the diaphragm. It governs our notion of self-worth and how we conduct ourselves in the world.” His palms awakened a heat under her skin as he moved higher. “The heart chakra is right where you’d expect it to be.”
“I’ll guess it governs feelings,” Haley said.
“Empathy, too.” Damon’s hands moved higher, circling and soothing, mesmerizing. “The thymus chakra is at the larynx, governing our notions of responsibility and our convictions. It doesn’t always make the list of chakras, but it’s an important one.”
His hands slid over the back of Haley’s neck again, bracketing it this time, the intimacy of his touch awakened a need so raw it made her shiver. “The throat chakra is about communication and expression.” His fingers pushed into her hair again and Haley’s body sent her a clear message about arousal and desire. His touch felt possessive and sexy. She blushed but hoped Damon wouldn’t notice. “The nose chakra is another one that’s often ignored. It’s in the very tip of the nose and is about intuition. The brow chakra is also called the third eye.”
“The pineal gland,” Haley provided.
“Exactly. It’s about imagination, second sight, and following our course.” His hands cupped the top of her head, his fingers moving steadily, tracing circles that made Haley feel on fire. “And finally, there’s the crown chakra, at the top of the head, which is about dreams and inspiration.”
He ran his hands over her again, making circles with his fingertips. Haley wanted to shiver in delight. “All these places are focal points for growth and learning and the pursuit of balance. When there is creation and growth, the chakras turn clockwise.” His fingertips turned in that direction. “When there is destruction, the chakras turn the other way. In Sanskrit, chakra means wheel, and the chakras should always be in motion.”
“But shouldn’t they always be turning clockwise?”
“No one can always be improving or building. Sometimes things have to be taken apart or re-examined to allow for growth.”
Haley smiled. “Like knitting.”
“How so?”
“I tear back my knitting to start it again when there’s something wrong. I might have cast on the wrong size, or not have my tension right or have messed up the pattern stitch.”