Big Girl Panties (18 page)

With supreme effort, he forced himself to enter her slowly, watching as inch by inch his rock-hard member disappeared within her willing, wet cavern. He felt her thigh muscles tighten when he reached his hilt, and she began to writhe beneath him. She reached out, desperate to touch him, feel him, pull him closer, and she moaned as he held her in position, denying her unspoken demand. Unable to, and with no desire to, escape, she dropped her hands and dug her nails into the couch's leather. He watched himself start to withdraw from her and drove into her again, this time quicker, with more purpose. She moaned again.

“Tell me, Holly,” he commanded from above her, moving his gaze from her luscious junction, where he was still fully sheathed, up to her flushed face, holding her legs securely against him. “Tell me what you want.”

“I want you, Logan,” she responded feverishly. “Harder.”

He thrust into her with vigor, watching her bite into her lower lip.

“Faster.” She swooned, her head shaking from side to side.

He began moving within her, faster and persistently, to fulfill her request.

“All of you.” She began to speak in breathy broken sentences. “I want you,” she repeated on a sob as with orchestrated movement he drove into her repeatedly and brought her to the brink of ecstasy, and then neatly pushed her over it.

She cried out his name one final time before incoherent cries took its place and she began to stiffen and then shudder uncontrollably. He held her legs tightly as she wildly bucked against him, firmly entrenched in the sweet creaminess that was her essence. Before she was finished, his own unavoidable release spewed forth and he held fast as he climaxed, reluctant to leave her until no other option was possible.

He exhaustedly joined her on the couch, shifting her so that she lay directly on his torso and his arm rested on her back, his fingertips gently massaging her soft shoulder. They sat in silence for several long moments until their heart rates and breathing returned to normal.

“At least we don't have to worry about someone walking in on us,” he finally remarked, astounded that the woman in his arms could make him deviate from his plan of leisurely exploration so efficiently, and with no effort. He'd pounced on her right in her living room like some high schooler with only minutes before her parents got home.

“And I will say this much,” she told him languidly, loving the feel of his warm muscles pressed up against her. “You are getting us closer to the bedroom.”

“The night is still young, sweetness,” he rumbled suggestively into her ear, then tightened his arm around her and looked down at her flushed, smiling face. “And I'm just getting started.”

Chapter Sixteen

H
olly woke up the next morning alone. Safely nestled in her bed, like countless mornings before, she patiently waited for wakefulness to fully take hold. She rubbed her face, then glanced at the clock. It was late, after nine. She had overslept. It wasn't until she stretched that she began to remember . . . vividly. She struggled to sit up, her aching muscles voicing their protest, and looked at the pillow next to hers. A faint indent on the pillow remained, signifying that indeed someone had been sleeping beside her. It was the same someone she vaguely remembered kissing her forehead and tucking the covers around her when leaving just before dawn.

Logan Montgomery had made love to her, literally all night long.

She was sore everywhere. She had done things with him she had only read about. Positions she was sure only yoga masters were privy to. She was sore down
there,
from his insatiable desire to ravage her. And when he wasn't inside her, he held her, closely. They giggled and teased each other until the wee hours of the morning before finally drifting off into sated slumber.

“Wow. He certainly got me to the bedroom,” Holly said out loud, falling back onto the bed. She briefly debated staying there all day, pretending the night hadn't ended. She rolled over and grabbed the pillow he used, bringing it up to her nose. His scent faintly remained. It was an intoxicating mixture of his sweat and hair gel plus the slight remnants of his cologne. She breathed it in and sighed. Last night was every dream she'd ever had come to life. She felt sexy and beautiful and even a little bit dirty. He brought all those feelings out in her, the minute his lips touched hers.

And then Holly's mind began racing. What happens now? Logan was not the kind to make commitments; that was abundantly clear. Certainly he would've had his fill of her after a night like that. But how was she supposed to forget about all the things he did to her, the intimacy they shared? How would she ever be able to remain unaffected by him once she saw him again? She'd have to. She was grateful she wouldn't have to see him until tomorrow, her next training day. What if he told her he couldn't train her anymore, citing some breach of contract? The “Naked Pretzel Clause,” perhaps?

The phone rang beside her bed, making Holly jolt. She stared at the phone as if touching it would poison her. What if it was Logan calling to break the bad news, give her the brush-off after the wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am? He never called her house phone, always opting for calling her cell. Maybe it was Amanda. Holly could use talking to Amanda now, even if she didn't know exactly what to say.

Holly looked at the caller ID. It was Tina. She hurriedly picked up the receiver.

“Perfect timing,” Holly said into the phone.

“Morning,” Tina replied before saying their standard, “How's tricks?”

“How's tricks? I'll tell you how tricks are. I just spent the night having wild sex with my trainer.” Holly tried to sound cool, but excitement prevailed.

There was a long pause, followed by a disbelieving, “No way.”

Not the reaction Holly had hoped for. “Oh yes way.”

There was another pause. “You had sex with that guy from the picture?” While she didn't have actual access to Logan's Facebook page, Tina was able to see Logan's profile picture in Holly's friend list. From that moment on, Tina had called him “that guy.”

“Yes.”

“I want details,” Tina said flippantly.

“I'm not giving you details.” Holly giggled, feeling the afterglow wash over her again. “But I will say this . . . holy shit, it was amazing. I'm not sure I'm going to be able to walk today.”

“Well, that didn't take long. I guess what they say about trainers is true. Holly, how could you let this happen?” Tina's voice rang with reproach.

Holly felt the sting of it. “I don't even know how it happened. And what do you mean by that? Forget it, don't answer that. I don't want to know. But you know what? I thought you'd have the decency to be happy for me, if for no other reason than I got the cobwebs cleaned out of my fun place.”

“I am happy for you, if this is what you want. But you just went to that place you can't get back from.”

“Who says I'm not ready to keep moving forward? I didn't throw myself at him, you know,” Holly said defensively. “Whose side are you on here?”

“I'm on your side. But guys like that . . .” Tina's words trailed off.

“Guys like that
what
?” Holly demanded. “Don't go for girls like me?”

“They're single for a reason.” The response was flat and monotone.

“I can't believe you just said that,” Holly snapped. “We've been spending a lot of time together. He told me he's been attracted to me for a while. Why are you trying to make me feel so lousy? Unless you think he's lying or I don't deserve him?”

“No. I think it's all great. But I've heard about this stuff. Why wouldn't he want to see how far you'd go? You've been his trained seal for months,” Tina said, her words measured and deliberate. “But I also don't think you should get carried away. You had sex; that's it. I just think if you're looking at this as having a future, you're heading for trouble. You've told me all about the crowd this guy runs with.”

“I never said anything about a future. I'm not stupid. And he has a name.” Holly swiped at the tears of exhaustion and disappointment that appeared in her eyes. “It's Logan.”

“Okay. Logan. You've told me all about Logan and all his überfamous friends. How he's been taking you to ball games and fancy dinners. How you're practically joined at the hip with Amanda Walker. Now that he's gotten what he wanted, just don't be surprised if all that comes to an end.”

“I'm already operating under that assumption, but thanks for the vote of confidence.” Holly tried to make the comment sound like a joke. “And you're wrong about Amanda.”

“What's next, you're going to trade in your loafers for stilettos?”

“That would be a stretch, even for me, but so what if I am?”

“Don't you think it's all a bit out of your realm?” There was an infuriating edge to Tina's tone that Holly had no choice but to recognize.

“How would you know? All your relationship knowledge comes from reality TV. What are you, jealous?” Holly asked. “Am I having too much fun for you? Not quite depressed enough for you anymore?”

“Jealous?” Tina's laugh was harsh. “Jealous of what? Jealous that you just got used up by a horny personal trainer? How very ethical of him. He's a real class act.”

“You don't even know him!” Holly was close to shouting.

“I don't need to know him,” Tina responded with surprising calm. “But I know you. You're not the one-night-stand sort of girl and just not the caliber this guy is used to. He's going to hurt you, and it's going to piss me off, and you're too far away for me to do anything about it.”

Holly brought her tone down to match Tina's, only with an underlying coolness to try to mask the hurt. “There's nothing for you to do, Tina. I'm not always a problem that needs fixing. You're always saying you want me to be happy, and the morning I am, you shoot it all down.”

“I know the truth hurts and I'm sorry. I have a rotten feeling about this, like he somehow took advantage of you. What else do you want me to say? ‘I promise not to rub it in your face when he breaks your heart'?”

“You won't have to worry about that. Thanks for nothing. I have to go.” Holly quickly pushed the
OFF
button on the telephone and threw it on the bed.

It wasn't the first, last, or only time Holly and Tina angrily hung up on each other, although it had been years. There was little doubt in Holly's mind that Tina was lashing out at least partially in envy. Tina had never liked when Holly got too much attention, even when they were in school. Not that Tina ever had to worry about it much back then. Holly always seemed to be in the background while Tina soaked up her position as the extroverted popular girl. As long as Holly wasn't too happy, Tina could act as her biggest supporter. Holly had repressed that realization, reminding herself that no one was perfect and afraid of losing the only real friend she ever had besides Bruce. However, this felt different. Whether Tina liked it or not, Holly was changing, and she had no intention of going back to the place she came from. Holly had begun to look at life as an adventure again. She wanted Tina to be happy for her, even if she was heading for disaster. Holly lay back on the bed and hugged Logan's pillow to her again. Holly had felt the resentment building up in Tina from the moment Holly told her about that first baseball game Logan took her to, although Holly downplayed it. Tina was always peevish and quick to point out that Holly and people like Logan and the Walkers were worlds apart and that she couldn't understand what Holly had in common with any of them. Eventually, Holly had stopped talking about her new life altogether. But last night had changed that. Holly needed her friend, and her friend had failed her.

But Holly couldn't ignore the nagging feeling that there was truth behind Tina's words either. Whether Tina had just zeroed in on Holly's weakness and exploited it, Holly couldn't be sure. She was certain of one thing though. What happened last night was likely nothing more than temptation overruling common sense. Holly would have to be careful to navigate her way through the aftermath of her night with Logan. She already felt like she'd lost a friend. The thought of his completely leaving her life was upsetting.

Holly went downstairs and found her cell phone on the kitchen counter. When she saw the text from Logan suggesting she come into the gym later for some cardio, she smiled with relief. He was right back to the status quo. She put down the phone and went back to bed.

She was taking the day off from Logan Montgomery.

T
he next day, Holly found herself stalling outside of the building, much like the very first day she entered it. The nervousness felt the same but the reasons behind it couldn't have been more different. Once again, she didn't know what awaited her at the top of the stairs. But she knew who was waiting, and now she knew him in a biblical sense. She hadn't heard anything more from Logan after his single text. No flirtatious follow-ups or sexy pillow talk. He didn't even call her to see how she was doing. Convincing herself that their relationship would return to business as usual, Holly tried to curb the disappointment that accompanied the conclusion. She wasn't so sure she would be able to hold up her end of that bargain. Damn him for being every bit as wonderful in bed as she thought he'd be. Not wanting to be late and refusing to give in to her fears, she opened the door and began the climb to the unknown.

Logan was in his small office on the phone, casually leaning on his desk, his back to the door. Not unusual. He never answered any calls while training and often used the time in between sessions to conduct a few minutes of business. As soon as Holly saw him, heard his baritone in muffled conversation, she felt her knees grow weak. She tried switching to automatic pilot, dropping her car keys in the holder next to the door and got onto a treadmill to begin her warm-up. Concentrating on the music was an epic fail. All she could hear was the bass throbbing, pulsating in time with her now-pounding heart.

The next thing she knew, he was standing beside her, placing a bottle of water in the treadmill's cup holder.

“Hey there.” Logan greeted her with a small grin and checked how much time she had left on her warm-up.

“Hey yourself,” she replied, striving for nonchalance, and attempted to take her hands off the sides of the treadmill, now more concerned with experiencing cardiac arrest.

“I was surprised I didn't see you yesterday. I sent you a text to come cardio.”

“I was pretty sore yesterday,” Holly said without thinking, and then cringed.

Logan raised an eyebrow and the killer dimples appeared. “Really now?”

“I had cramps,” she blurted, wishing her water bottle contained arsenic. It was like telling him she had her period. At least he'd be relieved, although he already knew she was on the pill.

He tilted his head slightly to one side, clearly amused. “Sorry to hear that.”

“In my legs! I was mowing the lawn.” Perfect. She could cross becoming a poker player off her list.

Logan nodded, keeping a straight face. “That certainly would qualify as cardio; you have a lot of grass. I'll bet your landscaper will really appreciate it.”

“I—I mean I was tired,” she stammered, giving up and feeling her cheeks flaming.

“Perfectly understandable,” he replied easily, pushing the stop button on the treadmill. “You should be all rested up for today. Or in five minutes, your quads will seize up. Let's work out.”

He seemed perfectly normal, professional as always. Holly was relieved and not surprised. If nothing else, he was intending to keep her as a client. As long as she shut up and didn't start prattling about how splendid he looked nude or how positively delicious he tasted. Following his lead, she met him at the chest press. He had already placed a towel over it. She sat down, and her session began.

Neither of them spoke, aside from his gruffly telling her what exercise she was doing next. After a while, it became unnerving. Logan seemed intent on behaving as if nothing had happened between them. Holly fought it by channeling it into extreme focus, and the end result was strength she didn't even know she possessed. Adrenaline poured out of her like sweat and fatigue never seemed to set in.

“Guess all that rest paid off, or the grass cutting,” Logan finally mused after she pumped out the third set of box squats with a forty-pound barbell balanced across her shoulders. “Nicely done.”

He took the barbell, then handed her two ten-pound dumbbells.