He inclined his head in acknowledgment, imitating her motion. “Okay, what about before me?”
She covered his hand to guide him a bit, ignoring the sudden awareness that came from touching him again. “Some have tried, none have succeeded.”
“Wow, a challenge.”
&nbs
p; “You would see it that way. But nope, a futile endeavor is more like it.”
He looked up. “Throwing down the gauntlet.”
She met his gaze. “You’re too incapacitated to bend low enough to pick it up.”
“But not for long,” he replied with a wicked glint.
“Now we’re going to try the stationary bike,” she announced, ignoring him.
Jordan raised his eyebrows. “I’m going to be biking already?”
“Your good leg will be doing all the work.” She was relieved they were moving to the wide-open gym. Verbally tangling with Jordan Serenghetti while they were alone was like walking a tightrope—it took all her focus, and she needed a break.
He followed her over to the gym on his crutches, and she helped as he gingerly got on the bike.
Because he exuded so much charisma, Sera could almost forget Jordan was injured. She refocused her attention and instructed him in what to do.
He slowly pedaled backward and forward with his right leg, his left knee bending and straightening in response.
“How’s the pain?” she asked.
He bared his teeth. “I’ve had worse in training sessions with the Razors.”
“Good. You want to push but not too hard.”
“Right.”
She watched him for a few more minutes until she was satisfied with his effort. “Good job.”
“Effusive praise from you,” he teased.
“We’re not done yet,” she parried.
After several more minutes, they returned to the treatment room, where she instructed him on how to do straight-leg raises while resting on his back. She followed this up with having him do raises from the hip while he was lying on his side. Then she helped him sit up to do short arc quads, raising his leg from the knee.
As he was finishing up his last exercise, she glanced at the clock and realized with some surprise that their time was up.
She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and exhaled. “Okay, that’s it for today.”
He raised his brows. “I’m done?”
She nodded. “You’re making excellent progress. You’ve gained some more motion in your knee since the surgery, and that’s what we’re going to continue to work on.”
He smiled. Not mocking, not teasing, just genuine, and Sera blinked.
“Glad things are working out,” he said.
That made two of them. For her peace of mind, Jordan couldn’t get well fast enough.
Four