Head Over Heels by Jill Shalvis Read Free Book Online Page B

the bag. You’re looking soft, Thompson.”
    Sawyer smiled. They both knew Sawyer was in top fighting shape himself; he made sure of it. He let out a sound mimicking a chicken clucking.
    Matt smiled, one of the few people in Lucky Harbor not intimidated by Sawyer’s size. With good reason, since Matt was an ex-cop from Chicago, and deceptively laid-back. “Having a bad day?”
    “Yeah, I broke a nail.”
    Matt grinned. “Pussy.”
    They beat the shit out of each other for the next thirty minutes before finally dropping to their backs on the mat, gasping for breath.
    “You going to tell me what crawled up your ass?” Matt managed to ask.
    “No.” Wheezing, Sawyer studied the ceiling while he waited for his heart to stop drumming in his ears.
    “I know it’s not a woman,” Matt said. “You don’t have one. You’ve scared them all off.”
    “Fuck you.”
    Matt chuckled. “Not my type, man. I like ’em soft and pretty.” He paused. “Is it work?”
    It was his life, Sawyer thought wearily.
    “I’d try to beat it out of you some more, but I can’t feel my legs,” Matt said.
    “So who’s the pussy exactly?”
    Matt snorted and managed to get to his feet. “I’m hitting the shower.”
    Sawyer lay there for another moment. He’d definitely gotten rid of the excess energy and adrenaline. His body was letting down now, or so the level of pain indicated anyway. Dripping sweat and holding his sore ribs, he staggered to his feet and came face-to-face with Chloe.
    She was dressed for a workout in black, cropped yoga pants and a yellow sports bra that he needed sunglasses to look at. Not that that stopped him.
    “You got your ass kicked, Sheriff.”
    “Fuck if I did.”
    “I don’t know.” She cocked her head to look him over. “Your hot friend got to his feet much easier than you.”
    “Hot?”
    “Mmm-hmm. Your lip’s bleeding, Sheriff.”
    Sawyer swiped at his lip and resisted the urge to grab a ridiculous amount of weights and do an arm curl. “I’m fine.”
    “Okay,” she said doubtfully. “If you’re sure…”
    Jesus. A minute ago he’d doubted that he could drag himself to the shower, but now he sat heavily on a weight bench and reached for the weights.
    Chloe raised a brow but said nothing more as she put in her earphones and sat on a weight bench facing away from him.
    “What about your asthma?”
    “This isn’t cardio. I’m good as long as I go slow.” Then she began to work her arms, moving that taut, curvy body to some mysterious beat.
    Sawyer watched her. He couldn’t help himself. She’d piled her glorious mass of red hair into a ponytail that swung back and forth with her every arm curl. Her shoulders were straight, the lean muscles in her back sleek and feminine. She had the best ass he’d ever seen. Sure there were other cute butts in the gym, but Chloe’s was right there in front of him, drawing his gaze. He was very busy attempting to see as much of it as he could when she turned her head and caught him.
    He hurriedly pushed up the weights and was relieved when his arms obeyed and he didn’t totally humiliate himself.
    Chloe was watching him, something new in her eyes now, something hot and lethal and dark.
    And just like that, as if she’d let out a mating call, the matching hot, lethal, dark place inside him reared its head. Good thing he’d long ago beaten that part of him back, trading it in for a different kind of life. One he could depend on, no matter what obstacles he faced. Which, of course, didn’t stop him from pushing the weights up again. He would have decapitated himself for sure if two big hands hadn’t appeared to stop him.
    Matt.
    Hair wet from his shower, he looked down at Sawyer and smirked as he pulled all but twenty-five pounds of the weights off. “There,” he said patronizingly. “ Now you can go ahead and show off for the pretty lady.” He shot a warm smile and a quick wink Chloe’s way.
    Chloe smiled back.
    And Sawyer wished he’d