Wes appeared a moment later, his swim trunks covered in big red Hawaiian flowers on a white background contrasting with his tanned skin—all that tanned skin wrapping his muscles.

He crouched in front of Rodie again, taking his face in both hands. “He looks good. Is he eating okay? Drinking water?”

“Yes,” she said, shooting him a lightly disgusted look. “Little faker perked right up when your name was mentioned.”

The concern vanished from his expression, replaced by a wide grin and a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. “Told you he’d love me.”

Rubi returned her gaze to the screen with a smirk.

He rounded the sofa to stand behind her and pressed his hands to her shoulders. With her upper body clad in only a bikini top, his palms were hot and slightly rough. The sensation flashed her back in time, to the feel of his fingers inside her. God, he’d known just where, just how to touch her. Warmth spread low in her body.

His fingers flared over the back of her neck, exposed with her hair in a loose, messy twist. She closed her eyes and let out a long breath of relief.

“Baby, you’re all knotted up.” His voice registered guilt. “Have you been working on this all day?”

“Had to. We need time to test it. And, honestly, Wes, this is a total experiment. I don’t know if it’s such a great idea to use it on someone who just had surgery.”

“Everything in the world starts as an experiment.” He rubbed her shoulders. “The physical therapist knows all about the rig, and she’s consulted with Wyatt’s surgeon. But I didn’t realize it was going to be so time-consuming for you. I know when someone needs a break, and someone recently taught me all about getting rid of this tension.”

His thumbs made small circles, spreading relief down her neck. She let out a breathy moan and sank back on the sofa. Wes pressed a thumb to the knot. Rubi’s moan transitioned to a whimper.

“Don’t tense against me.” He repeated the words she’d said to him when she’d massaged the knots from his neck, but added a thick layer of suggestion. “Let go,” he murmured, leaning close to kiss the back of her neck. “Let your body respond to me.”

She sighed and let more tension out of her muscles. Within seconds, the knot melted beneath his thumb. Rubi groaned with relief. “Oh my God. You’re a quick learner.”

Her computer pinged, signaling the completed transfer. “Done. Shall we give it a try?”

“You’re incredible.” He came around the sofa and took the rig she handed to him. As he swung it around his hips, Rubi lowered to her knees and reached for the straps.

“I added a few variations in the program with the exercises you sent me.” She pointed to the e-mail he’d sent earlier that day. “Go in order. But don’t expect much. It’s on the lowest power setting.”

She shifted to sit on the coffee table while Wes stretched out on the sofa. He pulled his knees to his chest. Did a few leg lifts. A few stretches. “I can barely feel it.”

“Good. He’ll use this setting later in his recovery, when his muscles are strong and he doesn’t need as much help. Roll to your side, and I’ll put in the strongest program. He’ll use this one first.”

Wes rolled away from Rubi. She opened the compartment near his spine where she’d had a friend insert a special relay and port for the micro discs.

“I’m a little worried about this one,” she said as he lay back again. “Move very slow and don’t put much effort into your muscles.”

He laced his fingers behind his head and watched his right knee as he pulled it into his body. With barely more effort than the tension of his muscle, the rig responded. The motor revved, hinge turned, straps lifted his leg.

“Whoa.” His eyes widened, and he grinned.

“Is that a good whoa or a bad whoa?”

“It’s…powerful.” He tested out more movements. “It’s like…man, like I’m not using any muscle at all. Like the rig is doing all the work.”

A flash of excitement made Rubi squeal. She clapped her hands. “That’s exactly the way it’s supposed to work.”

“Christ, you’re adorable.” Wes sat up, reaching for her.

Rubi gasped and put a hand to his shoulder. “No, Wes—”

The rig reacted to the use of his muscles, the sensors reading his effort and multiplying it according to the program. The rig took over, jerking his legs. His knees bent and knocked him back on the sofa hard.

“Oh my God.” Rubi lunged toward him, reached behind his back, and hit the Power button. Her shock ebbed into fear, and her heart hammered. All the tension drained from the rig, and Wes’s legs relaxed onto the sofa. She ran her hands over his thighs where his muscles spasmed beneath her fingers. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

“I’m…okay. But, shit.” He laughed the word but immediately grew serious. “Good thing we tried this out. I can’t have that happening to Wyatt.”

“It wouldn’t,” she said, massaging the flinching muscles. “It was just reacting to your sudden movement. I can’t imagine he’d move like that, but…” Concern seeped in. “Maybe I should program in some safety levels. Or create some noise filters, to guard against the rig responding to muscle spasms.” Her eyes searched out his. “Wes, you’re going to have to be with him when he uses this. It’s not like anything on the market. The physical therapist won’t know how to use it or control it. Christ, I don’t want this to hurt—”

He reached up and cupped her face. “I’ll stay with him whenever he uses it.”

“Maybe you should keep it with you. I wouldn’t want someone else to try it….” Suddenly this was sounding problematic. “God, Wes, I don’t know…”

He ran his thumb over her cheek, his eyes warm and reassuring. “I’ll keep it with me. No one else will use it with him until I train them. And I’ll train Wyatt. It’ll be fine.”

Still, panic fluttered in her chest. “Maybe…maybe this isn’t such a good idea… I mean, it’s a great concept and an awesome rig, it’s got a hell of a lot of potential, but, maybe it’s not ready for—”

Wes pressed his thumb against her lips. “Rubi, it’s going to be fine. It’s going to be amazing.” He paused, and thought drifted through his eyes. “Hey, why don’t you come with me?”

The words didn’t immediately sink in. When they did, the panic in her chest ignited in flame. She pulled back. “What? No—”

“No one knows how this works better than you,” he said. “You could supervise. You could work with the therapist—” He stopped suddenly, his gaze clouding over. But it cleared a second later, refocusing on her. “Or just me and Wyatt after I talk to the therapist.”

“I can’t go, I’m working—”

“You can work anywhere, and you know it.”

“I have a deadline, Wes, and your family…” Oh God, yeah—there was a red flag. His family. “No,” she said, steadfast. “Thank you for offering, but no. You can handle it.”

She unstrapped the rig from his thighs, once again tense and uncomfortable. Pulling the disc from the unit, she slid it into a baggie with the others. “They’re labeled according to which he should start with. He needs to start with the strongest power and work backward, which is not intuitive. So, please, Wes, if you don’t remember that or explain it to others—”

He rested his hands on her shoulders. She couldn’t read his eyes now, as if he’d closed off. “I get it, Rubi. I’m not stupid or careless.”

Pain zinged across her ribs. “I never… I don’t mean… I know you’re not. I’m just…worried.”

“Which is why you should come with me. We don’t have to stay with my parents. We’ll get a hotel nearby.”

“Stay with your— What are you thinking? I can’t even manage a decent relationship with my only relative. You can’t expect me to jump into your family as if I know what I’m doing.” She held up her hands, palms out. “Look, I trust you with the rig. You can handle it.”

“Fine, fine.” He released her, but frustration filled his voice and disappointment tightened his expression. “Relax.”

She sat on the edge of the sofa, closed her laptop, and rested her head in her hand, rubbing her temple. “Sorry. The whole family thing just… I don’t understand it, and I’m not… I just don’t do family.”

“I get it,” he said, curving an arm around her shoulders. “I’m sorry too. I’m not thrilled with this change of plans, and I’m going to miss you. Come on. We should get over to Jax’s before he calls looking for us.”

Fifteen

Wes stood still while Rubi unsnapped the rig’s straps—again.

After that bizarre shock to his thigh muscles, she’d insisted on bringing the computer and rig to Lexi and Jax’s so she could add some safety measures to the program.

He was zero for two with Rubi today. He’d really stepped in it when he’d sprung his schedule change on her earlier. The look on her face when he’d told her he’d be leaving in a day instead of a week or more had shot an icy cold streak through him. The dismay and hurt had lasted only an instant before she’d expertly shut off her emotions like a light. But that moment had given him a glimpse of what she must have looked like as a kid, receiving word her father had left town again without notice. She’d denied caring when he’d tried to explain the schedule change, but he could tell she was still out of sorts. Then he’d gone and done it again when he’d asked her to go to Missouri with him.

He hated knowing he’d upset her. But what really bugged him was that both incidents were minor, everyday, normal events—a schedule change and an invite to meet the parents. But for Rubi…obviously trigger points. On the other hand, she could climax on a crowded dance floor without pause, get caught giving him a blowjob and grin.

He was trying to understand—he was—but he just didn’t get it.

“It’s not something someone who’s had a normal upbringing would understand.”

Lexi’s words drilled into him, making him even more frustrated. How did he cope with something—or help Rubi cope with something—he couldn’t understand?

“Are you okay?” Rubi’s concern drew him out of his daze. She had that one vertical line of worry between her brows as she looked up at him, her hands unhooking the bands from his thighs.

He ran a hand over her hair and nodded.

She pulled the rig off his hips and swung it clear of his body, pushing to her feet. Without heels, the top of her head just cleared his chin, and as he looked down at her now, she seemed so much smaller, somehow more fragile than he’d ever thought of her before.

Her hand lifted and cupped his jaw. “Hey,” she said, voice soft, so much real emotion in her eyes it made his stomach clench. “Really. Are you okay? You’ve been…I don’t know… distracted since we got here.”