Her skin, a warm cinnamon, glistened with a fine sheen of sweat. She moved like water, every shift of her body as natural as breathing. In my mind, I was already bending her over, spreading her wide, finding new ways to bury myself deeper inside of her. Heat pooled low in my belly, and I had to fight the urge to adjust my aching dick. I wasn’t some untested teenager, but damn if this woman didn’t drag something primal out of me, a hunger I wasn’t sure I could keep at bay.
I cleared my throat. “You still have time for that tour?”
Her head snapped up, and for a second, vulnerability crossed her face before she slipped back into a calm smile. “Oh, yeah sure. I’ve got some time before my afternoon session. Let me show you around.”
She led me along the winding paths that connected the cabins and common areas. As we walked, she shared the stories behind the art, the inspiration for the cabin names, and the intention woven into every part of the retreat. It was more than just a job for her—this place was a heartbeat, and she moved in rhythm with it.
“The three of you seem to handle a lot,” I said as we passed a small garden filled with medicinal herbs. “How do you manage it all?”
“We stick to our roles and take care of what needs doing. Between us, the housekeeping staff, and the groundskeepers, we get it all done. It’s not always easy, but it’s worth it.”
Her honesty drew me in. She wasn’t trying to impress me—she was just telling it how it was. It was refreshing, a cold drink after years of swallowing the dry truth of corporate greed.
We ended the tour by the fitness studio I’d be doing my sessions out of. It was smaller than I expected, with worn mats and older equipment. But it had character, like everything else here.
“It’s not the latest and greatest, I know,” she said. “But it gets the job done. Selena ordered some new equipment that we'll help you set up before your sessions begin."
“It’s got character,” I said, meaning it. “Sometimes too much polish takes away from the real work. When it boils down to it, it’s all about you and the steel.”
She gave me a playful look. “I bet you’re all muscle, no flexibility. Most trainers are.”
“Is that a challenge?”
She shrugged. “Only if you’re up for it.”
I kicked off my shoes and rolled out a mat for us both. “Show me what you got.”
Naima flowed into a pose, her body stretching and bending, every move graceful and controlled. I mirrored her, feeling the pull of muscles that weren’t used to moving this way. I could only hope I didn’t pull a damn muscle trying to impress her. She didn’t laugh at the obvious strain on my face. Instead, she moved behind me, her hands brushing my hips as she adjusted my stance, and a spark shot straight through me and landed at my dick.
“Not bad,” she murmured, her breath warm against my ear. “For a rookie.”
Wanting to reveal something very real about me, I told her, “I’ve done this before. After my mom died, I started using yoga and weight lifting, most lifting, to clear my mind. My dad thought it was a waste of time, but it helped.”
Her hands stilled, resting against my sides. “I’m sorry. That must’ve been hard.” I tried my best not to think about how hard I would get if she kept touching me.
“It was. Still is. But the gym gave me a way to breathe when I couldn’t find air anywhere else.”
She shifted, moving around to face me. Her expression was soft and open and something else—intimate. “That’s why we started The Three Bears. To help people find that breath again.”
I wasn’t sure what passed between us, I only knew I wanted more. She made me feel a calm I hadn’t felt in years. Here, in this room with her, there was no expectation but to be who I was. And even if she didn’t entirely know who that was, the parts of me I loved the most, connected with her.
5
NAIMA
Iknelt by the raised bed in the garden, my hands buried in the cool earth as I pulled at the stubborn weeds threatening to overtake the rosemary. There was something soothing about nurturing these plants—proof that with a little care, life could thrive even when the world felt uncertain. Uncertain as the future of this retreat.
I glanced toward the main lodge, where Lennox spoke with a few guests that were interested in scheduling the first session he would be providing this week.
His presence at the retreat still felt new, like a note that changed the melody. I hadn’t expected him to adapt so quickly, to move through this place as if he’d always been here. There was a calmness about him, a natural ease that I recognized from years of guiding meditation classes. But with Lennox, it didn’t feel rehearsed. It seemed to just be …him.
Over the past few days, we’d been growing more familiar with each other—each interaction increasing my awareness of him. I kept telling myself that I was overthinking things. That this man didn’t come all this was to toil in the garden of some woman in the Poconos. But his smile, the one he gave me andnot my girls, it was… different. Softer. More of something that made me feel things I knew I shouldn’t.
I bit my lip, brushing dirt off my hands. It wasn’t just his energy that drew me in. There was a magnetism to him that made my skin buzz—a pull I couldn’t shake. His deep golden brown skin, the way his locs framed his beautifully masculine face, the strength in his broad shoulders and capable hands—large hands that made me wonder about the rest of him. Everything about him stirred something in me.
And his eyes. Those amber-brown eyes seemed to see straight through the walls I’d built. I hated how easy it felt, how quickly I found myself drawn to him. I was supposed to be stronger than that, more centered. But it had been a long time since I’d let myself feel anything beyond the safety of my own space. A long time since I’d been with a man. And no amount of sage, meditation, or crystals could quiet the thump in my pussy his presence induced. Let’s be real.
There was too much at stake to get lost in my own head. The retreat required me to focus. We were barely breaking even, and the fear of losing this place gnawed at me. It wasn’t just a business—it was home. A sanctuary where I could pour all the love and healing I had into something real.
