Free A Darker Shade of Dead by Bianca D'Arc Page B

three ladies.

Chapter Four
    â€œW ouldn’t you rather be working over there with the guys, instead of babysitting us girls?” Sandra asked.
    â€œNot really. I’d hate for one of them to put me back in traction.” Matt gestured to the other side of the mats where the guys were sparring full force.
    â€œTraction?” She looked really concerned. Matt was uncomfortable with the subject but willing to be honest with her. He’d learned early on in his command that if you wanted honesty from your troops, you had to give them the same courtesy.
    â€œMy combat career ended because of an injury. My back is permanently messed up. This is about as good as it will ever get. I spent a long time in traction, and most of the doctors said I would never walk again, so I’m actually very grateful to have this amount of mobility.”
    Sandra shook her head. “I’m impressed. I had no idea you were hiding that kind of injury.”
    â€œNot hiding, exactly. Just dealing with.”
    She looked contrite. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. I’m actually impressed at how well you manage. I had no idea you’d been injured at all. That kind of thing must cause you a lot of residual pain.”
    His mouth tightened just thinking about the spasms he sometimes had to deal with. “It’s manageable.”
    Mostly he ignored the pain. Sometimes it got so bad that he couldn’t disregard it, though. When that happened, he did the best he could to muscle through the pain until he could get horizontal for a while. A few hours of sleep usually suppressed the spasms and let him continue his work.
    â€œWhen I was in med school, I spent some time in orthopedics,” she said quietly. “I even considered making it my specialty before I was selected for a unique molecular biology program. If you ever need anything, I could probably help.”
    Matt was touched by the shy offer. “Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind. I’m doing much better lately. I only have difficulties once in a while. Luckily, this isn’t one of those times.” A small white lie there. He did feel a little strain in the area as they practiced, but it was controllable.
    They spent the next ten minutes working on the combination. Sandra was a fast learner, and he was able to partner her with Sarah, who had also quickly understood the principle of the movement, so he could give Donna another round of instruction. All three women were doing much better than he had expected, in fact. Donna was by far the least talented of the group, but she was doing well, considering. She had a sort of contagious enthusiasm, which almost made up for her lack of coordination.
    The class certainly wasn’t dull with her around. She managed to make them laugh more often than not, and the time sped by as they learned several new moves.
    Matt moved on to a more complex combination, using Sandra as his practice partner. She moved well and had a natural grace that he found enchanting. He’d noticed the feminine sway of her hips before, but feeling her warm body under the thin cotton of her clothing as he helped break her fall was something even more distracting.
    Her fragrance wafted to him like a siren’s call, and the heat of her body radiated through his hands, straight to his libido. He had to step back and get a hold of his response before he embarrassed both himself and the good doctor.
    â€œYou can let go now.”
    Sandra’s soft voice drifted up to him as he knelt over her on the mat. He still had hold of her shoulder with one hand; his other hand was at her waist. He realized his mistake almost at once and let go as if she’d burned him.
    â€œSorry. My mind wandered.” She looked up at him with those sexy green cat’s eyes of hers, studying him as if he confused her. He couldn’t blame her.
    The poor woman probably had no idea just where his mind had wandered