Page 9 of Adoring Ink

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.”