know what they say about a guy with an attitude?"
"What's that?"
She grinned. "The only way you'll ever get laid is if you crawl up a chicken's ass and wait."
His lips twitched first. Then his shoulders. His head dropped last as a low, sexy rumble rolled out of him. "You have a smart mouth."
"Thank you. It goes with my brain. Now weren't you the one who said this would be painless if we worked together?"
"That I did. Let's get on with the painless."
As it turned out, painless was a misnomer. For the next hour she hurt. Everything hurt. Even parts of her that hadn't been injured. Hell, even her face hurt. He had her using weights, and checking her range of motion in the chair, out of the chair, and on the equipment around the room.
Just when she thought she might pass out from the pain he said, "That's enough for now. Let's head back and I'll put together your training plan based on what I've seen this afternoon."
She sagged in the chair. "You go ahead, I'm gonna just sit here and pass out for a few minutes."
"You're not ready to quit on me are you?"
She leveled him with a direct gaze. "What, and turn out to be the pampered princess you created in your imagination. I'm going to love proving you wrong too much for that. Bring it on." And she meant every word...just as soon as she had a shower and some rest. Fuck the shower, her bed was far more appealing at the moment.
7
I n the morning , Kisima's eyes pricked some more as she braced herself up with her good arm and Derek assisted on her other side. She was not doing well; she could see her own progress. Do not cry. Don't you dare cry in front of Clark Kent , she admonished herself. She could do this.
But a sigh and a sag and too much pressure on her hip and her legs were crumbling underneath her.
Derek caught her of course. Because that's what annoying superheroes did.
"Easy there. Good job for the day, we'll call it for the day, and pick up with this stuff tomorrow."
She stubbornly shook her head. "I can do it." She glared at the marker where she was supposed to stop...five feet away. "Again."
But Derek shook his head. "No. It's up to me to tell you when you've had enough. I know you want to push yourself. That's a good thing, but I can't let you push farther than you're ready for. We'll stop for now. Go have some lunch and then pick up again this afternoon."
She pinned him with a narrow eyed gaze. "Weren’t you the one who essentially told me to stop being a baby and get my lazy ass up out of the chair?"
He pressed his lips together. "That was a...miscalculation. I'd only looked at your charts. I hadn't seen the bruising. And I do want you out of the chair. I just want you to do it safely." Left to him, she'd be in remedial classes. She moved off to the side slightly. "Don't move. I'll get your chair."
Screw him. She was getting to that marker today. The sooner she got to the marker, the sooner she'd be healed and the sooner she'd be back to normal again. Using one arm to brace herself on the bar, she shuffled again. Another inch. Oh, at this rate, it would only take her all fucking night to get to that red line. But by hook or by crook she was getting there—today. Not at some arbitrary date when he said.
When he turned around with her chair, he wasn't pleased. "Jesus, Kisima." He ran to her, determined to support her other side, but she twisted away. "I'm going to do this. You'll see. I can. There is a goal to hit and I'm going to hit it." But she wasn't as strong as she wanted to believe. Nor was she used to being upright on two legs, because her good leg buckled and her bad leg, well, the pain came quick. She was going down.
Derek was quick. Very quick. He wrapped his arms around her and broke her fall with his body. The good news was she didn’t hurt herself any more than she was already hurt. At least she didn't think so.
The bad news was, not only that he'd managed to save the day...again, but, also she lay on top of him. Hip to hip, her
"What's that?"
She grinned. "The only way you'll ever get laid is if you crawl up a chicken's ass and wait."
His lips twitched first. Then his shoulders. His head dropped last as a low, sexy rumble rolled out of him. "You have a smart mouth."
"Thank you. It goes with my brain. Now weren't you the one who said this would be painless if we worked together?"
"That I did. Let's get on with the painless."
As it turned out, painless was a misnomer. For the next hour she hurt. Everything hurt. Even parts of her that hadn't been injured. Hell, even her face hurt. He had her using weights, and checking her range of motion in the chair, out of the chair, and on the equipment around the room.
Just when she thought she might pass out from the pain he said, "That's enough for now. Let's head back and I'll put together your training plan based on what I've seen this afternoon."
She sagged in the chair. "You go ahead, I'm gonna just sit here and pass out for a few minutes."
"You're not ready to quit on me are you?"
She leveled him with a direct gaze. "What, and turn out to be the pampered princess you created in your imagination. I'm going to love proving you wrong too much for that. Bring it on." And she meant every word...just as soon as she had a shower and some rest. Fuck the shower, her bed was far more appealing at the moment.
7
I n the morning , Kisima's eyes pricked some more as she braced herself up with her good arm and Derek assisted on her other side. She was not doing well; she could see her own progress. Do not cry. Don't you dare cry in front of Clark Kent , she admonished herself. She could do this.
But a sigh and a sag and too much pressure on her hip and her legs were crumbling underneath her.
Derek caught her of course. Because that's what annoying superheroes did.
"Easy there. Good job for the day, we'll call it for the day, and pick up with this stuff tomorrow."
She stubbornly shook her head. "I can do it." She glared at the marker where she was supposed to stop...five feet away. "Again."
But Derek shook his head. "No. It's up to me to tell you when you've had enough. I know you want to push yourself. That's a good thing, but I can't let you push farther than you're ready for. We'll stop for now. Go have some lunch and then pick up again this afternoon."
She pinned him with a narrow eyed gaze. "Weren’t you the one who essentially told me to stop being a baby and get my lazy ass up out of the chair?"
He pressed his lips together. "That was a...miscalculation. I'd only looked at your charts. I hadn't seen the bruising. And I do want you out of the chair. I just want you to do it safely." Left to him, she'd be in remedial classes. She moved off to the side slightly. "Don't move. I'll get your chair."
Screw him. She was getting to that marker today. The sooner she got to the marker, the sooner she'd be healed and the sooner she'd be back to normal again. Using one arm to brace herself on the bar, she shuffled again. Another inch. Oh, at this rate, it would only take her all fucking night to get to that red line. But by hook or by crook she was getting there—today. Not at some arbitrary date when he said.
When he turned around with her chair, he wasn't pleased. "Jesus, Kisima." He ran to her, determined to support her other side, but she twisted away. "I'm going to do this. You'll see. I can. There is a goal to hit and I'm going to hit it." But she wasn't as strong as she wanted to believe. Nor was she used to being upright on two legs, because her good leg buckled and her bad leg, well, the pain came quick. She was going down.
Derek was quick. Very quick. He wrapped his arms around her and broke her fall with his body. The good news was she didn’t hurt herself any more than she was already hurt. At least she didn't think so.
The bad news was, not only that he'd managed to save the day...again, but, also she lay on top of him. Hip to hip, her
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