Free One Little White Lie by Loretta Hill Page A

breath flowing in and out of his body. The steady rhythm as intimate as the sound of a sleeping lover, which didn’t help her cause at all.
    â€˜So how was your day?’ The question was inane but his tone was tender, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.
    â€˜Fine,’ she said shortly, hoping the curt response would make him lose his appetite for small talk.
    It didn’t.
    â€˜So did you work on your thesis?’
    She hesitated. ‘Yes.’ He knew too much about her. She didn’t like it.
    â€˜When’s the deadline?’
    She ignored the question. ‘You shouldn’t be here,’ she said through her teeth. ‘How did you even get in? This class was full.’
    â€˜I bribed someone to drop out.’
    Her face turned to his in astonishment. ‘ You didn’t .’
    â€˜OK, I didn’t. But I would have if the teacher hadn’t been nice enough to let me in … just this once.’
    â€˜I’m beginning to regret that.’ They both looked up and caught the eye of the yoga instructor, who was now standing in front of their mats, hands on hips, and an irritated expression on her face. ‘You two are disrupting my class. Yoga is supposed to be a meditative exercise. I would prefer it if you spoke later or took it outside.’
    Kate reddened. ‘Of course, sorry.’
    Was there no end to her humiliation? With a will of iron she resolutely ignored Henry for the rest of the lesson. This was actually much harder to do than it should have been. There was something decidedly intimate about being with someone for a full hour and not talking to them at all. The synchronized movement, the gentle breathing, the rise and fall of every exercise. Trying to block Henry’s vibes, which she was sure he must be tossing at her on purpose, she threw herself a little too eagerly into the next exercise, The Downward Facing Dog.
    â€˜Hips in the air, push the heels towards the floor. Inhale. Exhale,’ the instructor called encouragingly.
    She positioned herself in the tent-shaped exercise and made herself rationally consider the facts.
    Henry was an attractive man. Physically, he was just her type. It was only natural that she should feel a little flustered around him. However, looks were only skin deep. Mark had certainly proved that. She didn’t want to be hurt again. It had taken her long enough to recover the last time.
    As she came out of the stretch she looked across at him. He flushed red before glancing away. Had he been checking her out? The thought gave her a dangerous buzz. One thing was for sure, she couldn’t have this guy showing up in her life whenever he damn well felt like it. But how on earth was she supposed to stop him?
    As the class ended, he spoke before she did. ‘Are you free for a coffee after class?’
    She sighed. ‘Wasn’t I plain enough at Lisa and Andrew’s engagement party? I don’t want to date anyone at the moment.’
    â€˜I know,’ he nodded. ‘But I have a proposition for you.’
    â€˜A proposition?’ she repeated faintly.
    Here was the crux of the matter. How had she not seen this coming? After all, why does a random guy who doesn’t know her agree to pretend to be her boyfriend? There had to be something in it for him.
    Her mouth twisted. Of course there was something. And now he’d come to collect. She shuddered. Her best friend shouldn’t have naively believed that drawing a perfect stranger into her diabolical little plot would leave them both unburned.
    As everyone else picked up their mats and headed to the back of the room, Kate stood resolutely, eyes narrowed on her quarry. ‘OK, I think there’s something you should know.’
    Henry raised his eyebrows. ‘What’s that?’
    â€˜I don’t have any money.’
    â€˜Huh?’
    â€˜Don’t play dumb!’ She tossed the words at him like discarded scraps.