Running for Love (The Armstrongs Book 10) Page 2

  “Told you so.” The feisty girl smirked at him. “Now stop being stubborn and do as I say.”

  Secretly he admired her strong character, but he wouldn’t let her boss him around.

  “You really think I’m putting my life into your hands? Haven’t you done enough damage already?” With satisfaction he observed her flushing bright red. Does she think she can just bat her eyelashes at me and I’ll forget about the accident?

  “Look, I am sorry. How often do you want me to repeat it?”

  With that adorable look on your face? A million times. Or more. “You think that’s enough to excuse your irresponsible behavior? Haven’t you learned that—“

  “Are you going to lecture me or do you want my help?” Vivian said with a quivering lip.

  Rock had no idea why he acted so aggressively in her presence. Probably the shock. Or the adrenaline coursing through his veins. It reminded him of the tension he always felt before an important race.

  Vivian looked at him with the frightened eyes of a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car, but then she grabbed her bike and wheeled it over to him. “Come on, Rock. We need to get you to a doctor. Your ankle is turning purple.”

  Rock looked down and nodded. We? Since when are we a pair? But for some reason he liked the notion of we.

  “Please? Let me do something to help make this right?” Vivian asked him quietly.

  “Okay, we’ll give it a try,” he agreed with a smile. She was too cute to be angry with her for long. And the visible guilt on her face tugged at his heart strings. Rock was an expert at feeling guilty and blaming himself. It’s what he’d been doing for years.

  Vivian’s face lit up with her relieved smile. “Okay. I’ll steady the bike and you climb on the seat.”

  She held the bike up and Rock lifted his injured leg across the middle bar, gritting his teeth against the stabbing pain every movement inflicted. He almost laughed out loud at the ridiculous situation, but another sharp lance of agony wiped the smile from his face.

  “Okay, I’m on the bike. Now what?” he asked, while he inhaled the floral scent of her shampoo and wondered whether the hair that flowed out from under her helmet would feel as soft as it looked.

  “You steer and I push,” she said, capturing her lower lip between her teeth.

  He wanted do that same thing.

  “You okay?” Vivian asked him as he lowered his torso to grab the handlebar. Then she put one hand on his and the other on his hip. The tingling in his hand and hip almost rivaled the one in his ankle.

  Vivian walked next to her bike, pushing him along with her as they headed up the small cross street. It took them fifteen minutes until they finally reached the urgent care facility.

  “Here we are,” she said with the sweetest smile he’d ever seen and he was happy and sad at once to have reached their destination. Vivian helped him to hobble inside.

  “What do we have here?” the receptionist inquired as Vivian helped him into the waiting area.

  “Bike versus human. Unfortunately for this man, he was the human in the equation,” Vivian answered.

  Rock nodded, “My ankle got banged up.”

  “Well, let’s get you into an exam room and have a look. Shall we?” the receptionist called someone and moments later, a nurse appeared pushing an empty wheelchair.

  Rock gratefully sat down, but then he immediately missed having Vivian’s arms wrapped around him. He looked up at her from the corner of his eye and saw her struggling to keep herself together. Her genuine concern tugged at his heartstrings and he reached up to squeeze her hand. “I’m going to be fine.”

  Vivian nodded and gave him a tight smile. “I know.”

  The nurse wheeled him into an exam room with curtains to offer some privacy when needed. She snagged a stool with his foot and removed Rock’s shoe.

  Rock groaned when the nurse’s movements tweaked his ankle. Vivian had followed them inside and lingered near the door, guilt written all over her face.

  “Sorry about that.” The nurse said, “I better call the physician on duty.” The doctor arrived a few minutes later and probed around Rock’s ankle and then shook his head saying, “Based upon the bruising, I’d say it’s probably broken.”

  “Broken?” Vivian gasped from the foot of the examine room.

  “That’s just a guess,” Rock answered.

  The physician shook his head. “Not really. I’ve been practicing medicine for almost forty years. I can usually tell if a bone is broken, and this one definitely is. You’ll need x-rays to make sure it’s not a splintered fracture, but my machine is down. I’ll stabilize the ankle for you and then you should visit the hospital emergency room.”

  Vivian nodded, jerking her phone from the band on her arm and whispering into the phone. When she hung up, her eyes caught Rock’s and she flushed. Her guilty face was too cute.

  “I called a taxi for us,” she explained.

  “What about your bike?” Rock asked.

  Vivian looked at the physician. “Would it be okay if I left my bike chained up outside your office?”

  The man nodded. “Sure. All done,” he announced a moment later and Rock looked down to see his ankle encased in an air splint. “Now, they’ll take x-rays at the hospital and then probably give you a walking boot. Make sure you follow their instructions. Don’t be a smart guy and try to do too much too soon.”

  Rock looked uneasy and then asked, “Doc, what’s the healing time from something like this? I have a triathlon to run in two months’ time.”

  “Sorry to say, but that’s off the table for you. Even if you were walking by then without a brace, running that far could cause the fracture to spread,” the physician said with a serious voice, wheeling Rock into the waiting area and then addressing Vivian. “Get your boyfriend to the hospital and make sure he rests his ankle. You can leave the wheelchair besides the entry door. I’m sorry, but the next patient is waiting.”

  “Thanks for fixing him up,” Vivian answered, but Rock hadn’t missed the light in her eyes at the physician’s assumption they were a couple.

  As they waited for the cab to arrive, Rock leaned his head back and looked at the ceiling. He’d founded the charity Rock Solid several years back when he’d retired from his active sports career – riddled with guilt over the death of his best friend, Tristan. The foundation helped amputees adapt to normal life and become independent again. This triathlon was the most important fundraiser of the year, and without a crowd puller, the financial success would be meager at best.

  He’d already signed contracts for the construction of a huge state-of-the-art rehab center on the outskirts of Los Angeles and the entire project was doomed if he couldn’t raise enough money.

  “It’s a catastrophe if I can’t participate in the triathlon race.” Rock started at the sound of his own voice. Had he actually said it aloud?

  “Let me run in your place,” Vivian said and looked at him with pleading blue eyes.

  “You?” Rock couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

  “Yes, please. It’s the least I can do.” She sat by his side, kneading her hands, and trapping that seductive lower lip between her teeth again.

  The offer was ridiculous. “You…” he stuttered, noting the tension in her body, the guilt, and wanting to ease it away, “…you can run a triathlon?”

  “Sure,” she answered with a confident nod of her head.

  Rock looked at her, the idea that she would run in his place was more than just ridiculous, it was idiotic. A nobody taking the place of an Ironman Winner? But then again, she was so cute, standing there silently pleading with him.

  If you decline, you might never see her again. His entire body tensed at that prospect.

  “You’re on.” Rock held out his hand and they sealed the deal with a handshake. A handshake that sent zings of electric pleasure though his body. He started to like the idea of Vivian racing in his place, as long as it meant he had a reason to see her again
.

  “Thanks,” Vivian gave him her cutest smile.

  “No problem—“A honking horn interrupted him.

  “Our taxi. I’ll wheel you outside,” she said and swiftly pushed the wheelchair toward the idling taxi. The cab driver helped him settle into the seat, while Vivian returned the wheelchair. Then they drove to the nearest hospital.

  Once they were on their way, she looked at Rock, but he made an effort to keep his eyes closed. Rock could feel the tension rolling off of her, but right at this particular moment, he needed to regain control of his libido. Or he would be prone to tear off her clothes right here and now.

  Chapter 3

  Vivian squirmed in her seat as the reality of what she’d just agreed to do sank in. While she was in fairly good shape, she definitely wasn’t a sports buff. Unlike some of her family members, she’d never participated in a competition.

  River, her younger brother, lived for sports. Her cousin Evan was an Olympic ski racing champion, and a cousin by marriage, Chase Paxton, was a professional kite surfer.

  She was none of those things and usually participated in sports or athletics of any kind in small doses. Why the hell had she offered to run a triathlon for a stranger? It couldn’t be simple guilt, it must have to do with the way his virile presence clouded her mind. The way she wanted to take his pain away and make him smile. His awesome panty-melting smile, that had her all giddy.

  How dumb can I get? A triathlon and me? That’s asking for trouble. She didn’t even know what exactly was involved in a triathlon. Sure, running, biking, swimming. But how far? One mile, ten miles or – God forbid – one hundred miles?

  No. No. No. She had to get out of that disaster waiting to happen.

  The taxi arrived at the hospital’s emergency entrance and Vivian was jolted back to the present as the vehicle braked hard to a stop underneath the awning marked “Emergency.”

  Before she could venture inside to secure some help, a scrub-clad nurse came out with a wheelchair. “Dr. Steele over at the urgent care facility called ahead. They’re ready for you in x-ray.”

  Vivian was stunned at how efficiently things were working, as she’d had other bad experiences in the past that included bad coffee and screaming, snotty kids in ER waiting rooms. She followed along as they were ushered into the building and into an elevator.

  They exited the elevator on the second floor and were told to sit in the small waiting area in front of the closed doors to the x-ray department. Another first.

  Rock tried to put on a brave face, while he leaned his head against the wall. But she could tell from his pursed lips and the pained look in his eyes, that his ankle was hurting.

  Vivian was so fixated on him and her guilt that she didn’t notice several hospital employees approaching them whispering.

  “Rock Martens. I’m such a fan. May I take a picture with you?” The nurse produced a cell phone and held it out.

  “Sure,” Rock said, nodding and his face transformed from pained into a carefully practiced smile.

  Vivian admired the way in which he interacted with everyone. He smiled and made small talk, posed for pictures and gave autographs. But when he wrapped his arms around two pretty nurses, one on each side, and smiled into the camera, a stab of pain slashed through Vivian’s body. Why couldn’t he just do the pics without holding them tight?

  She scowled and moved to the other side of the hallway, but nobody noticed her. That arrogant playboy! Who does he think he is? When there was a break in interruptions from his ever-growing fan club, she asked, “Are you some kind of celebrity I’ve missed?”

  Rock grinned at her, his brown eyes sparkling with mischief. “Not that I know of; just a normal guy running a triathlon once in a while.”

  “He’s anything but a normal guy,” a young blonde doctor said. “Rock Martens has won the Hawaii Iron Man competition more times than anyone else and he still holds the world record.”

  Vivian gasped and then inwardly groaned. Iron Man Winner? And I just offered to run a triathlon in this man’s place? God, how stupid can I be?

  “Rock,” the blonde doctor said in a honeyed voice while she all but shoved her boobs into his face. “I’ll take you to the x-rays.”

  Vivian grabbed his wheelchair, but the doctor gave her a stern glance and pointed at the warning sign on the door. “I’m afraid you have to wait outside. Restricted area.”

  Off course, now that DD-woman would swoon over Rock, keeping her breasts firmly in his view. Should he have fun with his groupie, Vivian was outta here. That brazen woman could run in his place.

  “Vivian. Don’t run away, okay?” Rocks deep voice thwarted her plan to bail.

  “Okay.” She was trapped. It was her responsibility that his ankle was broken.

  Fifteen minutes later Rock was wheeled back by the same blonde doctor and the sound of her honeyed voice had the bile rising in Vivian’s throat.

  “I just love that latest campaign you have running. And the way you’re so willing to help those men is adorable.”

  “And women,” Rock reminded her softly. He cast Vivian a seeking glance and she had the impression that he wasn’t very impressed by his newest fan. Or maybe that was wishful thinking.

  “Oh! Of course…women. But it’s those men…I just tear up every time I see pictures of them and think about how strong and manly they used to be…”

  Rock shook his head. “Every one of them is still very strong and manly. Losing a limb as a result of being in a war or some terrible accident doesn’t diminish one’s manliness or ability to contribute to society.”

  Vivian hid her smirk as the doctor appeared to be taken aback by his impassioned speech. It was clear that she was mainly interested in Rock’s delightfully sexy appearance and couldn’t give a damn about his cause – something that seemed to light a fire within him.

  His face lit up when he talked about his foundation and that made him even sexier. Vivian caught herself ogling him again. But there was much more to the man than his attractive physique. His passion. His drive. His purpose.

  His arrogance. She grimaced at the memory of how he’d brushed her off repeatedly since they’d crashed into each other. Hot and cold. Caring and arrogant. She had no idea what to make of him.

  The doctor told them to wait for the results and tottered off.

  Oh yes. The Race. Vivian cleared her throat. “Rock, I’ve been thinking…about the race…”

  “Don’t even think about backing out.” Rock said in a commanding voice and his expression hardened.

  “Well, actually, I do. There’s no way I can run in your place…”

  “Sure you can.”

  “No, you don’t understand, it was a silly idea. I would make a complete fool of myself.” Her palms became sweaty.

  “What makes you think so?” he asked with a voice so soft, she wanted to caress it. Her heart beat faster at the genuine concern he showed.

  “Do you even have to ask? You’re an Ironman winner and I can’t remember the last time I ran.” And I offered only because I felt guilty for your broken ankle and your presence makes me babble.

  “You can do it.” Rock cast his signature mega-watt grin and the spot between her thighs tightened. She hadn’t been worked up like this by a guy in – forever.

  “I’m sorry, but there’s no way I can run that triathlon. I can’t do this.”

  “So, you aren’t a woman of your word?” Rock raised his thick eyebrows and his tone was pure arrogant disgust.

  Vivian sputtered and shook her head. “Off course I am. But…” She paused, controlling her urge to continue arguing with him.

  “Well, then I guess that’s that. You can’t run a triathlon. Got it.”

  Instantly, Vivian’s hackles rose. Who does he think he is, telling me what I can and can’t do? I could run a triathlon, if I wanted to. He thinks he’s so superior… “I can do anything I want to…”

  His complacent smile told her she’d been had. She wouldn’t be able t
o get out now. She scowled at him, but he laughed it off.

  “I’ll train you. You’ve two months.” Rock’s offer was promise and menace at once.

  “Two months?” Vivian questioned him, her defenses broken.

  Rock nodded. “More than enough time to get ready.”

  Another physician came in before she could respond and she was left to ponder while Rock was wheeled away.

  When he came back, he boasted an air cast, brand-new crutches and a devastating grin. “All set.”

  Vivian pulled out her cell phone and called a taxi for him. The she escorted him out of the hospital and helped him get into the taxi.

  “I’m really sorry about this,” she said, trying to ignore the heat caused by the intense gaze he raked over her body.

  “Don’t be sorry.” Rock was back to being Mr. Charming and lulled her into believing he might be a nice person. “I’ll make a training schedule. You must follow it to the T to be in perfect shape for the race.”

  Vivian nodded and shut the taxi door. Nice person? No way. Just another arrogant self-centered jerk trying to boss her around. She sighed and then waved down another taxi, returning to the urgent care to fetch her bike.

  Back at home, she took a shower, washed her hair and tried to get the most sexy – and most arrogant – man in the world out of her mind. She wasn’t looking for a boyfriend, but if she were, theoretically speaking, she’d look for a nice, romantic man who bent over backwards to make her happy.

  If I want to be bossed around, I can have that with any of my five brothers. Thank you very much.

  Chapter 4

  Rock arrived back home, a modern-day mansion with an Olympic-sized swimming pool. He loved living here. It was his retreat from the world. An oasis of peace that had shielded him from the pressures of his athletic career.

  He plopped down on the oversized couch and leaned the crutches against the side. Then he took out his phone.

  “Tommy?”

  “Rock! How’s everything?” his friend and managing director for the foundation asked. “Things are coming together nicely for the fundraiser.”