Free One Little White Lie by Loretta Hill

book was flung aside as she jerked to her feet. It was a quarter to three!
    She had practically lost the whole day to H. L. Carter. The author who time and time again roped her in and did not let go, even when she’d read the story before! Sitting forward on the couch she put her hands to her keyboard.
    The book seemed to have refreshed her a little because she managed to write three pretty good pages for her thesis all before 6 pm The next two days were also highly productive. In fact, by the time Tuesday evening came around she was almost back to herself again. The nightmare on the weekend, a fading dream.
    Tuesday evening meant it was also time for her yoga class. She was grateful for the time out. A change of scenery and some fresh air was exactly what she was craving. The sessions were located in a community recreation centre just down the road from her apartment building. She made the two-minute trek there and arrived a little early.
    Sitting down cross-legged on a blue mat, she watched the instructor getting ready at the front of the class. Others were moving into the room and grabbing places on the floor around her.
    A shadow fell across her mat as someone walked up beside her. Starting at a pair of well-worn sneakers, her eyes travelled up blue track pants and then to a loose white tank top that flattered a beautiful set of shoulders. She paused, in trepidation, at his neck, somehow knowing she was going to regret lifting her lids any further. But like a fly caught in a web, resistance was futile. Her eyes flicked up that final inch.
    â€˜Hi,’ Henry smiled mischeviously. ‘Is this spot taken?’
    Assessing correctly that she was currently incapable of speech, Henry answered for her. ‘I’ll take that as a no.’ He placed his mat on the floor and sat down, also crossing his legs.
    Kate finally managed to find her tongue though her voice still came out strangled. ‘What are you doing here?’
    â€˜It’s Tuesday,’ he said as if that was explanation enough, but under her incredulous gaze added, ‘ We do yoga classes on Tuesday, remember?’
    She choked at his shameless return to a pretence she had thought was well and truly put to bed.
    â€˜Are you crazy?’ she hissed.
    â€˜Just a little,’ he whispered back confidingly, causing her brain to short circuit. Those big brown eyes of his were lethal and they had the mysterious knack of being able to stare right through her – like he knew what she was thinking. But of course that had to be impossible.
    God, let it be impossible.
    With strong effort, she restrained her imagination and focused on his duplicity instead.
    â€˜ I do yoga classes,’ she hissed. ‘You … you …’
    But her harried accusation was cut off by the instructor, who was clapping her hands together loudly at the front of the class. ‘OK, people. Let’s get started. Everyone should be sitting cross-legged on their mats.’
    Kate glanced helplessly at Henry, who stared innocently back, making her stomach flip in panic. What was he doing here?
    Back in her life.
    Wreaking havoc like a fox loose in a chook pen.
    Was this Lisa’s doing? She’d thought after their last meeting that all the subterfuge was over. In fact, she was certain of it. So maybe this was just all Henry.
    The yoga instructor sat in front of a mirror that spanned the entire front wall of the room from floor to ceiling. Kate looked up and met Henry’s dancing eyes in this inconvenient looking-glass and swallowed sharply.
    Yep, it’s all him.
    â€˜Inhale.’ The instructor raised her extended arms off the floor, palms up. ‘Exhale.’ She turned her palms down and moved her arms back towards the floor.
    Kate mimicked her actions, gulping in the breath, hoping it would relax her as it normally did. But the sight of Henry’s beautiful broad shoulders lifting and falling made that wish futile. She could hear his