Page 15 of Marks of Rebellion
I tell him, and he attempts it but botches it up.
I repeat it with him until he gets it.
"Yay! That was a good one."
He rolls his thumb over a knot.
"Ouch!"
"Sorry. Do you want me to work it out or stop?"
Work out whatever you want on me hot stud. Want to explore the rest of my body while you're at it?
"You can work it out."
"If it hurts too much, tell me."
"Okay."
He presses back into the knot, and I close my eyes. "Where are you from?"
"The United States. I have a place in Australia, but I'm never there."
"Why not?"
He hesitates then says, "Work keeps me busy. I travel a lot between missions."
"I imagine you need a break after these kinds of things?"
His voice gets quieter. "I guess you can say that."
He moves his hands on both sides of my head. "I'm going to move your head to each side to try and stretch it."
"You should be a physical therapist."
"I almost did that after my first tour."
"Really? That's what I am."
"You're a PT?"
"Yes. Well, I don't work anymore. I wasn't able to continue after my injury. My body couldn't handle it."
And Carlos wanted me home.
Hunter leans into my ear. "I bet you had some pretty upset patients when they recovered and it was time to say goodbye, didn't you?"
I snort.
"It's true. Your patients loved you, didn't they?"
Sadness creeps in. "Yeah. They did."
Something howls and I jump. Hunter's arms circle me. "It's not close."
My heart beats faster. "No? It sounded nearby."
"No," he adamantly assures me.
