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. ”