Free Total Temptation by Alice Gaines Page A

the belt stopped, Bobby held the towel to her again, and this time she took it. She wiped her face, then the back of her neck and her chest.
    Her legs wobbled but held her as she hopped off the treadmill. Bobby caught her in his arms.
    She pushed at his chest. “I’m sweaty.”
    â€œI don’t care.”
    â€œI do,” she said, but she didn’t work too hard to get away from him.
    â€œWell . . .” he said. “We can always hit the showers again.”
    â€œYou’re nuts.”
    He kissed her, not the sort of intense caress that would lead to another sexual encounter, at least not yet. But the contact had its own intimacy, as if they’d earned the right to reach for each other whenever they wanted. She could feel comfortable with him now.
    After a few seconds, he released her. “You looked great. You’re really strong.”
    â€œI work out all the time,”
    â€œWant to try some weights?” he asked.
    â€œTry? Ffft. Who needs to try?” She went to the racks holding barbells, skipped over the tiny, pastel things, and picked up a pair of eight pound weights. Not as impressive as the ones Bobby had used, but substantial. She did some curls, breathing out with each lift. The exertion warmed her again, creating the euphoria that always came with rhythmic movement. Again, Bobby watched her, this time with his hands on his hips.
    â€œOkay, show off,” he said after a moment. He went to her and took the barbells from her hands. “Let’s see how good you really are.”
    After setting the barbells onto their rack, he bent and picked up what looked like a leather ball. Ah, medicine ball. Right.
    He stood a few yards away from her, hefted the ball to his chest, and used both hands to toss it at her. She caught it, letting out an oof . When he gave her a smug smile, she launched the ball back at him as hard as she could. It hit him solidly enough to make him reel back, and his eyes widened in surprise.
    â€œAll righty, then,” he said, as he heaved the ball back to her. “So, tell me about the stepsons.”
    â€œThey’re contesting the will.” She threw the ball back to Bobby with a bit less force. “They claim I coerced my husband into signing it.”
    â€œYou coerced someone?” He laughed.
    â€œAccording to them, I’m a devious woman of questionable morals.”
    â€œLittle pricks.”
    â€œThey’re actually rather tall.” The ball went back and forth.
    â€œSo, they’re big pricks.”
    â€œThat they are. Big fucking pricks.”
    They went at it for a while. She was a bit out of her league with the heavy ball, but she’d be damned if she’d let him see that. He probably could have knocked her over, if he’d wanted to. Instead, he didn’t send her more than she could handle, and she continued giving back as she got. Her arms would ache in the morning.
    He gave up first, dropping the ball to his side. “So tell me . . . who was the creampuff I met upstairs in the suite?”
    â€œI beg your pardon.”
    â€œYou’re the strongest woman I’ve ever met,” he said. “Why don’t you act that way outside of the gym?”
    â€œI don’t know. What happens in the gym stays in the gym?” She retrieved the towel from where it had fallen on the floor, went to the bench, and sat down.
    Bobby took a seat beside her. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
    She rubbed the towel over her shoulders. She would need another shower later. “I started exercising to lose weight.”
    â€œAs if you need to. You eat like a bird.”
    â€œI found out I enjoy working out for its own sake,” she said. “I like feeling strong.”
    She did, damn it. She’d never considered the fact outside of the context of physical strength. Everything had always been taken care of for her, first by her parents and then by Howard. Now