Chapter Three
Apparently, Holly had jumped right into the deep end without looking. She hadn't meant to kiss Brody the night before, hadn't meant to keep kissing him until they were both breathless and pressed together like there was super glue involved.
Holly leaned her head against her bathroom wall and blew out a breath. She needed to take a quick shower and head over to Maya's, but all she wanted to do was curl up back in bed and have more dreams about a certain motorcycle-riding mechanic who happened to send her body into overdrive.
Going out on a date with a man who was practically a stranger, getting on the back of his motorcycle, and making out with him under a blanket of perfect stars wasn't like her.
And maybe that was the point, hmm?
She'd wanted a little change, a little adventure, and boy did Brody deliver in spades. But, as always, Holly worried. It was what she did. She fretted, she chewed her lip, she made pros and cons lists, and she inevitably backed away from things or people that could not only hurt her but end up hurting themselves. She couldn't help it, considering how she'd been raised, but no matter how hard she tried to change that, she couldn't seem to make it stick.
Brody had said he'd show her a few things, and as soon as her mind had pulled itself out of the gutter, she'd figured he might actually be telling the truth. Her friends trusted him and had actually pushed her to say "yes" in the café. He knew the crew of Montgomery Ink, and they kept letting him back in, so that had to count for something. If Maya or Austin or any of the others didn't trust him or felt as if he wasn't a decent person, they wouldn't work on him. They had enough business to be that picky, and apparently, Brody had passed muster.
So maybe hanging out with him wasn't as dangerous as she'd thought at first. As long as she didn't fall for him or get any grand notions of something far more serious than him showing her how to let loose, she'd be fine.
Only Holly didn't do casual, and she was afraid she'd end up being an idiot in the end.
"Crap." She pulled away from the wall and stripped out of her pajamas. She was going to be late to Maya's, and she really wanted to avoid the wrath of the Inked One.
Holly quickly showered, knowing after they were finished with their plans for the day, she'd require another shower anyway, but she really needed to at least get the sleep out of her eyes. One day, she'd be able to sleep in until noon, and that day would be glorious. But for now, she wanted to make sure her days were filled with plans with friends since she didn't get to see them often during the school year.
Once she was clean, she pulled on her workout gear and grabbed her prepacked bag of regular clothes and other things she might need, as well as a water bottle. Maya was still trying to lose the last of her baby weight, and Holly wanted to eat cake later, so they tried to work out together at least once a week. She worked out on her own a couple more times a week, too, but these sessions were a little more fun because she and Maya weren't as coordinated as most people thought, and tripping in front of each other had become a new form of entertainment.
She just hoped Maya's husbands, Jake and Border, weren't there this time. Last time had been humiliating when she'd fallen right on her butt in front of them as they played with baby Noah.
Her phone buzzed on her way out the door, and she stopped to look at the incoming text.
Brody: Tomorrow still work for you?
She bit into her lip as she answered. She might as well keep jumping in. She'd gotten this far. The whole point of him even asking her to do these things was because she'd needed a change. She couldn't back out now.
Holly: Yes. Are you going to tell me what we're doing?
Brody: It's a surprise. But bring a swimsuit.
Holly frowned. A swimsuit. Really? What on earth had she signed up for? And while they might have kissed-a lot-the night before, that didn't mean she was ready for him to see her in her suit or for her to bare so much skin.
Brody: I promise I don't have any evil purposes in mind. You can wear a cover-up if you want.
She let out a breath. She wanted adventure, right? A change? For things to be … more. So she should just jump right in and say yes.
Holly: See you then.
She paused before smiling like a cat who ate the cream. She could do this. She could flirt and be the vixen she knew she had inside, even if she covered it in a cardigan and masked it with a soft smile.
Holly: And I might not bring a suit with me at all. What if I like to be … bare?
Brody: I just groaned so loud that the guys in the garage think I'm jerking off under this car. Thanks for that. See you tomorrow, thrill seeker.
Holly: Tomorrow.
She tucked her phone back into her bag and got into her car to head to Maya's. She could be making a huge mistake, but she might as well have fun while doing it.
Right?
"I'm going to die," Maya panted. "Cake had better be worth it."
Holly would have answered the other woman, but she could barely breathe.
"Left foot, right foot, slide. We're ready for the lunge, squat progression. Luuuuunge, squat progression."
"I hate Shaun T." Maya's voice was more of a cough, but Holly understood. She hated the man and his perfect abs, too.
When they got to another move where it was more of a stretch than a cardio workout, Holly sucked in air, knowing her lungs were trying to escape her chest. She could just picture the suckers holding on to her ribcage screaming at her, "Help! We're being kidnapped!"
Evil, evil lungs.
"Why do we do this?" Holly asked. "We're not even doing this on the right cycle. You're supposed to work out to this pain-laden monstrosity like six days a week. Twice on Fridays!"
Maya wobbled in her stretch and glared at the perfectly toned woman on the TV. Shaun T might be the one speaking, but he had four helpers-two of them gorgeous women jumping around in spandex. "Because we're working our way up to that. The guys are already on the last cycle of this, you know. Border and Jake didn't even need extra rows on their abs, and yet they're all sexy and muscly, and they end up sweaty and high on endorphins after the workout."
Holly snorted. "So you're using their workouts for your own kind of workout?"
Maya grinned. "And let me tell you … we can last a whole lot longer than the twenty-five minutes it takes to do one of these."
Holly laughed so hard she tripped over her own feet and ended up on her butt. Again. "Graceful, thy name is Holly," she mumbled.
Maya laughed as well before plunking down on the floor. Thankfully, the workout was over, but Holly wasn't sure she would be able to get up to cheer.
"Maybe we should have started with a workout that's a bit easier?" Maya asked before lying down on her back.
"What would be the fun in that?" Holly wheezed. Somehow, she gained the strength to crawl her way to Maya's side and lie down next to her. It was easier to speak when she didn't have to do it over such a long distance. You know, like the two feet that had separated them before.
"Is this one of the things on your list of thrills? I mean, while I love that you're stepping out of the box and having fun with it-or at least plan to-I don't know if my lungs and thighs can take it. Holy God, the man likes squats."
Holly rubbed her butt and winced. "I hate squats, but I want a backside like Autumn's. It's not fair that she has such a perfect butt."
"My brother's wife is perfect in every way, and I hate her. I mean, I love her and would do anything for her, but she's just so freaking gorgeous and perfectly taut, it's annoying."
Holly glared over at Maya. "Excuse me, Mrs. All the Right Curves. Don't talk to me about butts since you have a nice one and mine is flat as a pancake. I can't even hold up jeans with my derriere. It's my hips and tummy that do it for me."
"My butt is a product of all the cake I ate while pregnant with Noah." Maya paused. "And damn it. I want cake."
Holly's stomach grumbled. "If it's that zucchini cake with all the fruit, that could be a post-workout snack."
Maya turned and narrowed her eyes. "So we're just going to ignore the cream cheese frosting?"
Holly nodded. "We do what we have to do in the name of cake."
Maya laughed and rolled herself up. "Ow. My abs hurt, and this wasn't even the core workout. I'm going to die when we get to that one."
"I realize eating cake probably isn't the best answer for that, but it is an answer." Holly stood up on shaky legs and grabbed her water bottle. She chugged it down as they walked like baby deer on new legs to the kitchen. Maybe if she filled herself up with water, she wouldn't eat that much cake. That never actually worked, but whatever. She wanted cake, and damn it, she was going to have some.
As soon as the two of them sat down on the couch with their average-size slivers of cake, the door opened and in walked the men of Maya's life.
Border took one look at them in workout gear, a bit sweaty and gorging on cake, and shook his head. Noah, their eight-month-old, was asleep in his big arms, and Holly sighed at the sight. There was really nothing better than seeing a big, bearded man holding a child. And Maya had two.
If Holly didn't love Maya, she could really hate the bitch.
Jake closed the door behind him and let out a laugh before checking to make sure Noah was still conked out. The kid usually slept through anything, and today was no different.