Big Girl Panties by Stephanie Evanovich Read Free Book Online Page A

still supremely uncomfortable with his overly personal line of questioning.
    â€œAs long as you don’t shoot me up with weird stuff that makes me all blotchy, like whatever happened to your neck,” Holly remarked caustically, anxious to draw the attention away from herself, even if only for a moment and at his expense. She knew exactly what had caused the mark on his neck, although she couldn’t recall having seen one since Tommy first started dating Tina.
    Logan’s hand immediately shot up, as it had countless times during the week, to cover the faint remnants of his last encounter with Natalie. Holly had seen it. Hell, everyone for the last three days had seen it, except she was the only one ballsy enough to say something. Thank goodness he had a shirt on. He shuddered to think what she might have come up with if she saw that his back still looked like something out of a Freddy Krueger movie.
    â€œThat’s very clever,” he replied offhandedly. “People usually wait until after the workout before trying to antagonize me.” He smiled at just how wide her eyes got and how quickly she shut her mouth. Score one for Hickey Man.
    They started out slow, strolling on twin treadmills. Casually, they talked of simple things, all the while Logan observing her stance, her breathing, just how in or out of shape she really was. He smiled to himself. She was relaxed, lucid; she was going to be fine. He stopped his walking, turning his focus solely on her. He gradually kicked up the intensity and her treadmill’s incline until he saw the sweat start to bead around her neck and her breathing become labored. He wound the treadmill back down and she rehydrated. Then he moved on with some weight lifting on machines that had pulleys, which seemed innocuously easy to Holly. They threw around a medicine ball, and by the time they were done, almost an hour later, she was sweating clear through her shirt and her hair was all but dripping. He handed her a towel and a fresh bottle of cold water he pulled out of a nearby refrigerator.
    â€œYou did good, kid. Have I scared you away?”
    She took a huge gulp and a deep breath. “Do I look scared? I can’t wait to try those.” She pointed to the row of free-weight curling dumbbells and barbells racked along a mirrored wall.
    â€œYou look soaked,” he replied, feeling the rush that came with seeing a client through a good workout, appreciative that she wasn’t the type to give a thought to what she looked like. That would only rob her of the focus she needed to get into the zone. He, of course, hadn’t even broken a sweat. “We have an extra ten minutes before your session’s over. I was going to cool you down. If you like, we can do some dead lifts and skull crushers instead.”
    â€œHell, why stop with dead lifts and skull crushers? Let’s add some vein rippers and lung collapsers while we’re at it,” she said, smirking. “What’s with all the scary names?”
    Holly Brennan was a real smart-ass. This might be fun, Logan thought, and smiled with satisfaction. “It’s only going to get harder.”
    Holly held up her water bottle in a toast, subtly looking him up and down. “Here’s to hoping.”
    â€œCome with me.” Logan took a step away from all the equipment, waving his arm for her to follow. He walked over to a small alcove in the corner of the gym where thick blue cushy mats replaced the black waffled rubber carpet designed to absorb impact. When she joined him, he took her towel and pointed to the mats.
    â€œLie down,” he said. “On your back.”
    â€œBeg your pardon?”
    â€œI’m going to stretch you out,” he told her.
    â€œFor a minute there I thought we were taking this relationship to another level.” Holly laughed uncomfortably. She wasn’t sure what he was talking about, but it sounded like something that happened in a