“Mmm, mmm, mmm.” Colleen clucked softly. “Aren’t we just the butch.”
“Col.” Kerry rolled her eyes.
“C’mon, Ker. In a minute, she’ll be giving the Small Soldiers over there pointers. You see tha… Ooo, look, he dropped his dumbbell on his foot.”
Kerry laughed. “Oh, that’s not funny.” She watched the overly muscular man hop around, then overbalance and go crashing to the floor. She half expected him to bounce, he had such a rubbery, bulging figure.
Hearing the commotion, Dar had hitched herself up on her elbows and was just sitting there, watching in amusement.
“We’re going to…pump. You. Up,” Colleen whispered. “God, have you ever seen anything so self-absorbed?”
“Hmm?” Kerry tore her eyes from Dar’s relaxed body, which was intriguing her with its gentle ripple of muscle just barely visible under the skin, so different than her burly neighbors. “Sorry, what did you say?”
The redhead rolled her eyes. “Talk about absorbed…”
“Sorry.” Kerry blushed. “Um, looks like he’s ready to start again.” She tugged Colleen back over to where the instructor was gathering them, and forced her attention to the man.
It isn’t hard, she decided. He’d started them with simple, repetitive motions, which at first felt awkward, but after a few repetitions, seemed to come more naturally to her. She found her balance and worked through the movements, more successfully than the rounder Colleen and a good deal more so than one of the two boys.
He’s growing fast, she realized, and is completely uncoordinated because of it.
He tried, but he just couldn’t get the motions, his arms and oversized feet getting into his way and frustrating him. Kerry moved over and made gentle suggestions, receiving a pathetically grateful look in response.
“No, look. He’s gotta do it himself,” the teacher objected, motioning her 306 Melissa Good away. “C’mon, fat boy, take your head out of your ass and watch where your feet are going.”
Kerry gave him a dour look. “Insulting people doesn’t help them concentrate.”
“Look, honey, I didn’t ask for a critique, okay? Just get back over there with your roly-poly friend, and let’s get through this.” He half turned, then found himself being hauled around to face icy green eyes and an angry, set face.
“You listen, you horse’s ass…”
“Look, either get over there and do this, or get out of here and go to wimpaerobics, all right?” He gave her a shove. Or he tried to, anyway, but he found his arm held in a grip from behind that made him spin around. “What in the hell?”
Dar just tightened her grip. “You know, big, ugly bullies with delusions of competency really piss me off,” she commented calmly. “You’re supposed to be teaching these people a martial art, not using them as your personal venting post.”
“Don’t you fucking tell me what to do. Who in the hell do you think you are?” the bearded man barked in her face. “Let go of me or I’m going to kick your ass.”
Dar smiled at him and leaned closer. “Jackass, you couldn’t touch me if your life depended on it.” She suddenly jerked him closer, then whirled him around and dumped him on the ground by sweeping his legs out from under him with a powerful kick.
“Bitch.” He scrambled to his feet and came at her, shifting to one side with moderate skill, then reaching out for a hold. She caught his arm and ducked under it, sliding past him, then whirling and pulling him over her shoulder to be dumped on the mat again.
He bounced up and tried a kick. She blocked it, then returned the favor with a sideways spinning kick that slammed against his chest and knocked him back. Then they were at it full-out, and she was mixing holds with powerful blows, dodging his best efforts and ending by nailing him on the jaw with a thrust of her elbow in close, sending him to the mat in a stupor. She bounced a little in place, waiting to see if he was going to get up. I shouldn’t enjoy this as much as I do, Dar reflected ruefully, aware of Kerry’s rapt eyes on her.
“Hey, what’s going on here?” A short, bandy-legged man pushed his way through the crowd that had gathered, glancing at the gasping man on the mat, then up at Dar. “What the hell happened?”
Dar glanced at him. “I took exception to his teaching style,” she answered, deadpan, her eyes taking in the newcomer’s lithe, graceful physique. “It tended to the abusive.”
The man cursed in a fluid language. “Frank, get outta here. I’ve had enough of your damn troublemaking self.” He nudged the man with a toe.
“G’wan, I’ll see what I can do for you later.”
With a venomous look at Dar, the bearded man got up and stalked off, shoving people out of his way. The short newcomer looked up at Dar, setting his hands on his hips as he regarded her. “You know what you’re doing.”
Tropical Storm 307
Dar dusted herself off, and shrugged lightly. “Used to dabble in it,” she admitted, noting the intent and interested look she was getting from him. “I would guess you do yourself.”
“Could be, could be.” The man sighed, then faced the class, who were watching in fascinated interest. “Listen, sorry, folks. I’ll try to get you in a different instructor next week and give you a credit for an extra lesson.”
The crowd broke up, leaving the two of them standing there. Dar met Kerry’s eyes as she was moving away, and winked, getting a mouthed,
“Wow!” back from her.
She and the newcomer studied each other, and the man held out a hand.
“Ken Yamamura.”
“Mmm, you took the state championship two…no, three years ago.” Dar took his hand and gripped it. “Last round, took out that bruiser from Orlando with the red hair.”
He blinked. “Wow. Yeah, I sure did. Um…”
She smiled. “Dar Roberts.”
His jaw dropped and his eyes lit up. “Holy Buddhist Monk in a bottle…I thought you looked familiar!” He told her with delight. “Son of a… Man, I was there when you won the National. I never saw anything like that final bout.”
Dar ducked her head in acknowledgment. “Long time ago,” she said.
“Nice to meet you finally, though.”
“Wow, check this out—just any Wednesday and I have Dar Roberts show up to beat the crap out of my god-damned useless piece of crap brother-in-law.” He sighed. “I gotta get someone else now. I know he’s not worth much, but I thought he’d at least be able to show these newbies some of the basics.”
Dar took a breath, her eyes flicking to where Kerry was waiting, leaning against a towel rack and watching her. “Listen, if you want, I’ll teach the class.
I was going to make Wednesday my regular night here anyway.”
He stared at her. “You’re kidding, right?”
“No, I’ve just been doing some casual stuff the last few years, I could use the practice.”
“Whooo, I’m not gonna turn that down. Maybe…I haven’t been keeping up the last year either. I pulled a knee out after that last fight, never really set right after that, but if you want, we could work together a little. I could at least give you more of a challenge than these kids.”
Dar considered. “Yeah, all right, that sounds like a deal to me.” She nodded. Her sparring mate on the island was a beginner at best, and she had felt a lot of things slipping lately. Maybe she needed a challenge—knock the rust off a few skills. “I’d like that. Sign me up.”
“Great.” Ken gave her an enormous grin, transforming his elfin face. “I’ll put you on the payroll.”
Dar waved him off. “No, thanks, I’m fine. Use it to get some basic equipment for these folks, okay?”