Forever My Love: A Contenporary Romance (The Armstrongs Book 2) (4 page)

Ryan awakened to a warm sunny day. He stretched and then pushed himself up against the headboard, his brain still fuzzy as he tried to think straight.
What the heck was wrong with him?
He couldn’t seem to get that woman off his mind!

As he climbed from the bed and headed for the coffee pot, he groaned at the pain in his shoulders and arms. Even his hands were sore this morning.
You overdid it yesterday trying to work Kendra out of your mind! Not that you were successful at all. Who did you just spend the night dreaming about?

It was evident that working her out of his system had been a complete failure. Glancing out at the beautiful day, he decided to give sports a try. Maybe a day spent at the lake, playing some basketball would do the trick. Something needed to work, and soon!

“Hey, Trevor,” Ryan said as his brother answered his phone call. “What are you up to today?”

“Not much at the moment. Nicole’s busy this morning, so I’m at loose ends. Wanna meet?”

“I thought of spending the morning at the park. You up to let me stomp you in a game of basketball?”

“Dream on! Remember what happened last time you challenged me to a game of one-on-one?”

Ryan laughed into the phone, “Yeah! I do. I won!”

“No, no! I was thinking about that other time…”

“…when I also won?” Ryan laughed again. He loved the camaraderie he shared with his brothers. Especially Trevor.
This is exactly what you need to get Kendra out of your head. Basketball with Trevor in the park.
“How about I meet you there in fifteen minutes?”

“Make it twenty. Court nine?” Trevor asked.

“Sure. See you there.” Ryan hung up the phone, heading for the bathroom and grabbing workout shorts and a t-shirt on his way. He took a quick shower, ignoring the fact that he was headed to get all sweaty. Somehow he had a hard time leaving the house in the morning if he hadn’t showered first. Even though he knew he'd be taking another one as soon as he got back from the park. It didn’t matter, and he only had to please himself, so…

A few minutes later he arrived at the court, surprised to see Trevor already bouncing the ball and shooting free throws with another guy. Coming nearer he recognized his youngest brother.
Evan? I thought he's somewhere in Europe.

“Hey,” Ryan called to them as he tossed a towel and his keys on the bench next to Trevor and Evan.

Trevor said, "Evan just called and I dragged him along. Hope you don't mind."

Ryan hadn't seen his youngest brother in quite a while. As a professional ski racer he spent the winter traveling the world with the world cup series and the summers training for the next seasons somewhere up in the mountains.

"Hi Evan. I believed you somewhere in Europe."

"No. The season doesn't start for another two weeks. So I came here to visit mom and dad before I leave."

"Great to see you!" Ryan had missed his youngest brother. They'd been the closest when they were young. Even though Patrick was only one year younger than him and Evan three, he'd always gotten along much better with Evan.

“You ready to lose?” Trevor asked, tossing the ball over his shoulder and then raising his arms in a victory dance when the ball swished through the hoop.

“Lucky,” Ryan told him.

Trevor shook his head, “No, that was all skill. Prepare to lose, baby brother.”

“Who you calling a baby? Evan’s the baby, not me.”

“You are almost six years younger than me, and I helped change your diapers once upon a time. That makes you both my baby brothers. Forever!”

"I'll show you who the baby is!" Evan protested.

Ryan shook his head at Trevor’s joking, “Well, let baby brother take you to school and show you how the game is really played.”

The three squared off and played a fast paced game. Since no one else was using the court, they played the full length of the enclosed space, trying to outdo each other and laughing a fair amount in the process.

An hour into the game, several other men showed up, and they pulled their game back to half-court.

"So what about a girlfriend?" Ryan asked Evan.

"No way. Not my style. Why restrict yourself to just one woman if you can have all of them?"

They all laughed. Evan had been the worst of them all, changing his girls like other people changed their underwear.
I was the same, but only because I couldn't have Kendra.

Trevor said with a serious tone, "Once you meet the right woman, you won't need or want any other one. Ever. Again."

“So how are things with Nicole?” Ryan asked, referring to the love of Trevor’s life.

“I’m almost afraid to answer for fear I’ll jinx it.”

“That good, huh?”

“Wonderful. Since she moved in, I can’t remember ever being this happy.”

“What happened to my workaholic brother, who barely remembered what color his couch was because he spent so little time at home?”

Trevor thumped his chest, “You’re looking at a new man. I’ve stopped my workaholic lifestyle. To tell you the truth, there are days I don’t even want to leave for the office.”

“What?” Evan asked in disbelief. “But you love working.”

“I still do. But I also love spending time with her. I can’t wait to get home to see her at the end of the day.”

Ryan was stunned. And jealous. He wanted what Trevor had with Nicole for himself. With  Kendra!

If he’d been thinking straight, he'd have tried to mask his expression, but he wasn’t and he didn’t. He realized that when Trevor asked, “Spill it!”

He glanced up and met Trevor’s eyes. It was too late. He'd been caught. The expression in his brother's face told him he was in for the inquisition, so he decided to come clean and stated baldly, “I’ve met Kendra again.”

“Kendra O’Neill? The girl you were drooling over in high school?” Evan and Trevor both said it at the same time.

Ryan nodded his head, “Yes, and she broke my heart.”

Trevor agreed, “She sure did. You walked around like a wounded puppy for months after you two broke up.”

“You noticed?” Ryan asked. Somehow he’d believed nobody had noticed how upset he’d been.

“Everyone did.”

“And you didn’t say anything?”

“Well, what did you want me to say?” Trevor asked, holding the ball and looking at his younger brother.

“Don’t know.” Ryan shrugged his shoulders, “Something. Anything.”

“I figured you’d forget her one day. Who hasn’t had some heartbreak in their lives? And I was in the process of moving out of our home at that time.”

When Ryan didn't answer, he added, "Wanna talk now?"

"No. I want to get her out of my head."

Evan said, "See. That's the reason why I prefer not to have a girlfriend. Never lose a night's sleep over a woman."

Trevor tossed Ryan the ball. "Stay put or you gonna lose."

When Trevor’s phone buzzed half an hour later, he rushed over to the bench to answer it. He glimpsed at the caller ID and a big smile broke over his face, “It’s Nicole.”

Ryan had never seen his brother happier. And he was really happy for him, but still that gnawing feeling came back. He nodded his head, “Say hello from me.”

Trevor took the call while Evan and Ryan continued to toss a few balls. A few minutes later Trevor informed them that Nicole was done with her errands and needed him to come pick her up.

“Go ahead,” Ryan told him.

"Can you give me a ride to our parents' house?" asked Evan.

"Sure. But we gotta hurry up." Trevor grabbed his stuff and then turned back to Ryan, “You going to be okay?”

“Sure. I’ve got some stuff to do this afternoon. I’ll head out in a few minutes.”

"Evan, do we see you for mom's birthday?"

"Yep. I managed to change my schedule and travel early the next morning."

"Great. See you guys there."

“Okay,” Trevor gave him a look and then shook his head. Ryan watched them jog off towards his car and then turned his attention back to the lake.

A few yards away a concrete path ran around the shoreline, and a number of people were using it to either jog, roller blade, or walk their dogs. A few mommas were even pushing strollers along the path.

He sat back, his arms stretched out along the back of the bench and just people watched for several minutes. It was a beautiful morning.

He was preparing to leave, when he saw her.
Kendra? No way!
His first reaction was to get up and run in the opposite direction. But his legs wouldn’t obey him. All he could do was sit there and watch her.

His eyes narrowed as they took in the tired way she was moving. She was still elegant, and gliding along effortlessly, but she was definitely tired.

Ryan remembered back to high school when they'd sometimes raced each other. She had loved roller blading, and her long legs had given her a definite advantage. Her awkwardness in other activities disappeared completely when she had her blades on.

His eyes took inventory of her body as she approached his location. Her ass was firm and tight, and her legs…they went on forever. He imagined her long legs wrapped around his hips as he…
Damn it! I’ve got to stop this or do something about it!

Ryan realized that no matter what he did, he was doomed. He needed that woman like he needed his next breath of air. That revelation was still buzzing through his brain when suddenly a small dog rushed across the track, its owner frantically chasing after it.

In slow motion, he watched Kendra swerve to avoid hitting first the dog, and then the owner. She tried to brake at the last second, but she was going too fast. She fell to the track. Hard. When she didn’t immediately try to get up, Ryan felt his heartbeat race and before he could think about his actions, he found himself running across the park to get to her. He had to help her. There was no other option or thought in his brain. Kendra needed help!

Out of her peripheral vision, she saw the little bundle of black fur bolting for the track, at the same time she turned her head and heard the owner yell for the dog to come back. She knew that there was no way she was going to avoid the little mutt, or its owner unless she changed her course. But she was going too fast to maneuver quickly, or to stop!

Kendra saw herself falling in slow motion, and the only thought in her head was
“This is really going to hurt!”

She felt her ankle give, and the breath swoosh from her lungs as she hit the hard track. She laid there for a moment, trying to get her breath back and take stock of her injuries.

“Kendra!” a familiar voice called to her.

She lifted her head enough to see if her mind was playing tricks on her, and then groaned.
Of all the people in this city who could have come to her aid, why did it have to be him? He was the reason she was out here punishing her body in the first place!

Kendra used her bruised hands to push herself up to a sitting position, valiantly trying to gain her feet before he reached her. He was running, very quickly, and even though she had the desire, her body just couldn’t find the strength to obey.

She tried turning to her side, thinking she could get to her knees, and then back to her feet, but the movement sent horrible pain shooting up her leg.
God that hurts!
Her ankle felt like a knife was being driven into it!

Abandoning any attempt to rise on her own, she sank back down to the track and watched Ryan’s quick approach. He looked ridiculously gorgeous in his gym shorts and a plain white t-shirt. The light color intensified the tan on his arms and his legs…

“Kendra! Sit still until I can help you,” he called to her.

Like I have a choice in the matter!
She took a breath and tried to contain her attitude. He was coming to her aid, and whether she liked it or not, she really needed his help right now.

“That was quite a fall you took.” Ryan squatted down in front of her and looked into her eyes. “Are you hurt?”

“Besides my pride?”

Ryan gave her one of his melt-your-panty smiles and nodded, “Pride heels. Any sharp pains?”

Kendra nodded and then bit her bottom lip, “I think I did a number on my ankle.”

She watched as Ryan’s smile fled and he turned to observe the injured joint for himself. They were still in the middle of the track, forcing other park goers to move around them, and with her blades still on, there was no way for him to assess the damage. “Let’s get you over to a bench.”

He took her arms and attempted to help her stand, but her good foot kept slipping out from under her. Her legs were like jelly and totally uncooperative now that they’d been given a chance to rest.

Kendra blushed and shook her head, “I don’t think I can….” Her voice broke off as she suddenly found herself being lifted into his strong arms and carried off the track. She was so embarrassed that he had to carry her, but at the same time she reveled in the feel of his strong arms around her once again. Closing her eyes, she inhaled his scent and gave into the sensation of having him so near to her after ten long years.
I missed this so much!
She hadn’t realized how much until this very moment.

He strode to the nearest vacant bench and then set her down upon it gently. She noticed a bottle of water and a basketball sitting on the corner of the bench and asked, “Yours?”

Ryan nodded, “Yeah. Trevor and I just got done playing when I saw you fall. The owner of the little dog needs to be more careful.”

Kendra nodded, gasping as he picked her injured leg up and placed it over the top of his own thigh. He was sitting a respectable six inches away from her, but she could still feel his body heat across the distance. And her own body heating up in reaction to his presence.

“Hold on,” he cautioned her as he undid the laces on her blade and then carefully removed it from her injured foot.

“Shi…I mean…Ow!” Kendra wasn’t normally given to using expletives, but her ankle was throbbing with pain. Looking down, she realized it was also swollen.

Ryan gently probed the swelling, “Does that hurt?”

Instead of an answer her mouth formed a hissing sound of pain. She closed her eyes as he continued to run his fingertips around her ankle and over the arch of her foot. His touch felt so good…she dreamed of him holding her like this, only they weren’t in the park, they were on a couch, with a fire going behind them…

“I think you need to go to the emergency room and have this checked out.”

Well, that put an end to her delightful daydream!  “I’m sure some ice and elevation will do the trick…”

“What if it’s broken? The only way to know that is with an x-ray.”

“I don’t…”

“You don’t what?”

“Look, I’ll be fine.”

Ryan dropped his hands from her ankle and leveled a stare at her, “Can you stand?”

Kendra could see the challenge in his eyes and her temper kicked in. She pulled her leg from his lap and gingerly tried to put some weight on the foot, only to feel tears fill her eyes at the amount of pain involved in that little movement. Lowering her gaze, she slowly shook her head.

Ryan huffed a breath and then stood up, “I’m taking you to the hospital.” He didn’t give her another chance to protest. He handed her the basketball and then picked her up again and started striding towards where he'd parked his car.

She wanted to protest, but her foot was hurting, and being in his arms wasn’t exactly a hardship. It just gave her ample opportunity to admire his strong biceps and shoulders up close and personal.
I definitely could get used to being in his arms.

At the emergency room, he carried her inside and then procured the paperwork from the receptionist. She filled it out, answering all of their questions while Ryan sat patiently by her side. “You don’t have to wait around. It will probably take a while.”

“I’ll stay. Are you finished with that?” he asked, indicating the clipboard on her lap.

“Yes.”

“Good.” He delivered it back to the receptionist with a smile. Returning, he nodded his head towards the soda machine in the corner, “Can I get you something to drink?”

Kendra eyed the machine and shook her head. “No. I’m fine.”

“You looked like you’d been out there for a while. You at least need to drink some water. I’ll be right back.”

She watched as he went back to the receptionist desk, and then trotted off down the opposite hallway with a younger woman.
Why does he have to smile at that woman?

When he came back a few minutes later with two bottles of water in his hand, and a smile for the young hospital worker, Kendra didn’t miss the gleam in the young woman’s eyes. He sure was good-looking and any woman in her right mind would be attracted to him.
Hands off!
She wanted to scream it out, but knew she had no right.

“Here you go. They’re very busy right now, so it might be a while.”

She took the bottle of water with a nod. The first sip of the cool liquid ran down her throat and she gulped down the rest of the bottle.
Wow! I sure was thirsty!

Ryan pulled up a small table and lifted her injured ankle up onto it. The young woman who’d shown him where to get the water came over with a towel and a bag of ice, which he thanked her for before turning and wrapping it around her ankle. She loved the way he took care of her. He was so thoughtful and didn't even wait for her to voice her needs.
I could definitely get used to being pampered by him like that.

“That should help,” he commented, leaving Kendra at a loss for words at how efficiently he was handling everything.

“Thanks,” she murmured, the ice already making her sore ankle feel a teensy bit better. “You really can go now. There’s no reason why you should…” She broke off when a finger was placed against her lips.

Looking up she met his eyes, “I’m not going anywhere so quit trying to get rid of me.” He held her gaze until she finally nodded, in acceptance and resignation.

“So, you’ve been back in Chicago for a while now?” he asked, taking the seat next to her and trying to ease the awkward silence that had settled between them after he touched her.

“Yes.”

“Working for Percy’s the entire time?”

Kendra nodded, realizing he was trying to start a conversation here and she was not doing her part. “What about you? I’ve had several of your pieces come through the auction house.”

“I’ve done pretty well with the jewelry. Now I’m trying to do just as well with my sculptures.”

They continued to talk about their lives. Both of them made sure to steer clear of anything that might lead them back to their previous relationship and how badly it had ended.
I’m not ready for a conversation about that! I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready to discuss how much I loved him and how much his betrayal had hurt me!

Almost an hour passed, and she tried several more times to send him home, but he wasn’t having it. Secretly, she was relieved not to be sitting in the emergency room by herself. It was agonizing enough as it was, but at least she had Ryan to lean on.

As they continued to discuss everything but their high school years, the sexual tension between them grew almost unbearable. Out of sheer desperation Kendra concentrated on the pain in her ankle. Everything in order not to think about having wild sex with him.

“So, you still blade a lot?” he asked.

“When I can. Mostly I use it as a way to get rid of stress and clear my head. What about you?”
And to get you out of my head, but I'm not going to tell you that.

Ryan shook his head, “I kind of stopped a few years ago. I've been playing basketball and squash a lot, though. How far were you planning to go today?” He recalled she'd loved doing distance blades when she was younger.

“I was coming back. I have done around sixty miles.”

“Sixty miles?” he asked with a raise of his eyebrows. “That’s quite a distance.”

She shrugged, “I didn’t set out to do that much, it just kinda happened.”

“Kendra O’Neill?” a young man called out.

“Here” Kendra made to stand up, but once again, Ryan was there before she could even say a word. He lifted her into his arms and followed the young intern back to the examine room. The doctor already waited when Ryan sat her down on the table and he quickly looked at her ankle. "Does that hurt?" he asked while examining it.

"Ouch!"

"Ok. I can't feel anything, but the ankle is quite swollen. You need an x-ray."

Kendra was amazed at how quickly things were moving now that they’d actually gotten to see a doctor. A few minutes later, a mobile x-ray unit was wheeled into the room. Ryan had to wait outside, and she was given a lead apron to wear. Ten minutes later, the doctor returned and she looked at the radiologic images of her ankle.

“Well, nothing is broken. You just have a nasty sprain.”

Kendra watched as he reached back to the cart he’d brought into the room with him and handed her a small tube of cream, “This will help alleviate some of the soft tissue pain. I’m also going to give you a prescription for some heavier pain meds. I want you to take them for the next few days and stay off this ankle.

“I’m going to put an ace bandage on now, and I want you to take it off every four  to six hours, gently rotate your ankle so it doesn’t get too stiff, and put more of that ointment on it before wrapping it up again.”

“What about heat or ice?” Ryan asked, interjecting his way into the conversation.

Kendra looked at him and then sighed.
I should have asked that same question myself!

“Heat for the first twelve hours would be good, but it’s going to make the swelling much worse. That will require loosening the bandage more frequently to maintain good blow flow to these injured tissues.”

She nodded her head, “No ice?”

“After this evening, switch from heat to ice.” The doctor looked over her shoulder to Ryan, “Make sure your girlfriend takes it easy for a few days at a minimum. I don’t want her walking if she doesn’t have to.”

Ryan nodded and Kendra blushed.
What did you expect? You didn’t clarify to anyone that Ryan wasn’t your boyfriend.
She was slightly uncomfortable knowing that everyone treating her assumed they were a couple, but in a strange way, it was also a good feeling.

The nurse prevented Ryan from carrying her out of the hospital by arriving as she was discharged with a wheelchair. The young nurse even insisted it was hospital policy that she deliver her back to her mode of transportation.

Ryan said nothing, simply following along and then opening the car door for her. Once they were away from the hospital, he offered, “I’ll take you home.”

“Thanks.” Kendra had given up trying to fight him. He wouldn't have listened to her anyways. And it was the sensible thing to do.
Who are you kidding girl? What is sensible about Ryan bringing you home?

All the while she tried to figure out a way to get him to just drop her off outside her apartment building. The doctor had suggested she rent some crutches, but she had declined, knowing there were a perfectly good pair somewhere in her closet at home.
Now, I just have to figure out how to get to my apartment without having Ryan carrying me again.
Based upon his earlier actions, she was going to have a fight on her hands.
There’s no way he’ll drop you off at the curb and drive away. He’s going to insist on carrying you to your apartment and making sure you have everything you need. You might as well prepare to give in gracefully!