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

by Gray, Jessica

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!

  Chapter 8

  Ryan held his tongue as the young orderly helped Kendra into the car. He watched her buckle the seatbelt and then carefully shut the passenger door. “Thanks,” he tossed towards the hospital employee who was already backing away from the car.

  At least she stopped fighting me and lets me drive her home!

  Kendra lived in a modern high-rise apartment building, located in a fairly nice section of downtown Chicago. He’d looked at the apartments when the building had first been put up and he knew that each of them was a two-bedroom, with a modern open concept feel that made them appear more roomy, and yet functional in a variety of ways.

  Given her love of roller blading, it was conveniently located only a few blocks from the park. It had a great view of the lake, depending upon which side of the building one lived, and as he looked at the parking situation, he guessed that each unit came with covered parking and security.

  “Where should I park?” he asked her, glancing at her and then observed as she tried to decide what to answer. When she sighed and directed him towards the parking garage, he mentally threw his hands in the air. One point for me!

  He parked in the space she indicated, and then went around the car to help her out.

  “I can walk. Maybe.”

  Ryan wanted to argue, but he could see she was serious about trying to get to her apartment under partially her own steam. Part of him admired her for being so resilient. Even though he wanted to care for her, he still appreciated her will to be strong. “Here, lean on me.” He took her arm, wrapping the arm closest to her around her slim waist and lifting her as much as she would allow.

  Each step caused her breast to brush up against his chest, and by the time they reached her door, he was more turned on that he could remember ever been. It was as if his body had a mind of its own and had reverted back to being a teenager all over again. He held back a rueful grin as he propped her up so she could dig her key out of the sling pack she’d insisted wearing on her back.

  He let his eyes take in her appearance. Her figure was worth admiring. Toned legs. A great ass. His fingers itched with the need to touch her someplace besides her waist. He let his eyes drift upward, and he could make out the hard tips of her nipples as they pushed against the confines of her sports tank. Get ahold of yourself! She's injured you idiot!

  Once she had the door unlocked, he didn’t wait to be invited inside. He simply helped her over the threshold and supported her as she made her way to the couch sitting in the middle of the large open space. He didn’t want her putting too much weight on her ankle, and would have preferred to carry her, but he figured it wasn’t worth the fight that would ensue.

  “Are you hungry?” he asked her as she pushed his arm away from her waist and d
ropped heavily onto the couch.

  “Yes. Starving.”

  “How about we order in?” Ryan suggested, pulling his phone from his pocket and bringing up the list of delivery restaurants in the area.

  “Sounds good.” Kendra was leaning back against the couch cushions with her eyes closed, and she looked beat.

  Ryan knew he should order her something and then leave. He was so turned on, he wasn’t sure how much longer he could be in her presence and not act on what he wanted to do to her. The woman has power over me that I didn’t even know existed!

  Shaking his head, he dialed the number for his favorite Thai place, “Do you Thai food?” he asked while the call was connected. He watched her nod, but she still didn’t open her eyes. His heart filled with love for her. The constant pain in his chest whenever he'd thought about her during the last years, slowly transformed into another emotion. Love? No way!

  After ordering two of their special Thai curry meals, he turned back to Kendra and let his eyes take in her appearance once more. She looked exhausted and the sharp lines around her mouth indicated she was still in pain. He’d gone by the local drugstore after leaving the hospital and had her pain prescription filled, but a glance at his watch told him she couldn’t have a pill for at least another hour. They’d given her something at the hospital and had warned him to make sure she didn’t take another pill too soon.

  “The food is going to be a while coming. Why don’t you go take a bath and try to ease some of the pain out of that ankle and your sore muscles?” he softly suggested, walking over to squat down in front of her.

  “I’m fine,” she answered tiredly, opening her eyes and pushing herself up into a more upright position with a grimace of pain.

  “Yeah. I can see that. You need to soak for a while.”

  Kendra looked at him as if she intended to argue, but then waved her hand in the direction of the hallway, “Whatever.”

  Ryan hid his grin as he stood up and headed down the hallway. Finally, she's got to her senses.

  In the bathroom he fought hard to keep his mind focused on the task at hand. Start the water running in the tub. Find bath salts to relieve stress. Dump a good portion into the tub. Checked the temperature.

  The bath salts filled the room with a relaxing scent of lavender. Thoughts of Kendra and him lying in the grass, kissing entered his mind. He quickly shook his head and went into the living room, where he silently picked her up and carried her back to the bathroom. She felt so perfectly in his arms and he thoroughly enjoyed carrying her around. I could get used to having her in my arms.

  She was already half asleep and he wanted her fed and comfortable when she finally crashed for the night. He helped her balance in front of the sink and then backed away, even though every part of him wanted to stay with her, “Are you going to be okay in here?”

  Kendra looked up at him with a raised brow, “Looking for an invitation?” When he didn’t answer, she waved him off, “I’ll be fine. I can manage to get into and out of the tub by myself.”

  Ryan watched her for another moment, trying to decipher the look of disappointment and hurt that had flashed in her eyes after her flippant question. Had she wanted me to stick around? What if I’m just misreading what I thought was desire in her eyes? That would be embarrassing. But there was chemistry between us. There is chemistry between us.

  He decided to stay on the safe side and backed out of the room, pulling the door shut behind him. He paused in the hallway, closing his eyes and striving to find his control. What he really wanted to do was go right back inside the bathroom and help her pull her clothes from her luscious body. But that wasn’t something he could do.

  Taking a deep breath, he headed back for the living area to await the arrival of their food and to find something to help take his mind off the fact that she was getting naked behind the bathroom door.

  Chapter 9

  Kendra watched the bathroom door closed and then she slowly pulled her tight shirt off, letting it drop to the floor. She struggled to rolled her workout pants down her legs, leaning against the vanity so she could pull her pants off her good leg. Getting undressed wasn’t as easy as it had seemed and she was out of breath by the time she finished. She silently cursed Ryan for his idea. Her whole body was aching and dropping into bed without even undressing suddenly seemed like a good idea.

  When she unwrapped the ace bandage from around her ankle, she frowned at the slight bruising just beneath her ankle bone on the outside of her foot. That would become green and blue by tomorrow. She slowly tried to rotate the joint as the doctor had suggested, but even the slightest amount of movement was painful.

  After she'd finally made it into the bathtub, she settled back against the porcelain of the tub and sighed in relief. Ryan had been right. I needed this. Her horribly tight and sore muscles relaxed in the hot water. Ahh! That was good. Sixty miles had been a bit too much. And what had it helped? Ryan wasn't only in her mind, but also in her living room!

  She opened her eyes and slowly lowered herself down in the water another inch in the hope the hot water would also ease her mental pain. She was still very angry at the situation between herself and Ryan. But she was also just as horny. Having him carrying her around the last several hours had jump started her libido and try as she might, she couldn’t ignore the way he made her feel.

  While the water worked wonders on her sore muscles and ankle, it only served to make the fire burning deep inside her more intense. She could hear him moving around in the kitchen, then clicking sounds of opening cupboards and finally plates and utensils placed on the table. He's setting the table for us. He's so sweet. No he's not! He'll dump you again!

  She closed her eyes and her mind immediately brought an image of Ryan into view. He’s so incredibly hot! He kept himself in shape, she’d been able to see that when they met in his workshop. But she hadn’t realized how strong he was. Or how nice being held his arms had felt! And his was tall. At least four inches taller than she was. She liked that. For the first time in a long while, she didn’t have to worry about towering over him. I'm a sucker for tall and strong men. And for him!

  And then there was his smile. That gorgeous smile that had drawn her to him ten years ago like a moth to a flame. That smile was to blame for her falling in love with him. And he still had it, which worried her. She could already feel her resistance towards him evaporating.

  Her thoughts drifted until she heard the doorbell ring and Ryan’s footsteps across the wooden floor as he went to open it. A few words she couldn’t quite understand were exchanged, and then she heard the door shut. “Kendra? Our food is here.”

  “I’ll be right there.” Kendra pushed herself to a sitting position and attempted to get up from the bathtub, but she couldn’t do it. The hot water had made her ankle swell even more and every little weight she put on it, shot tears into her eyes. No way, she couldn't support herself with the bad leg. She was biting her bottom lip as she tried once again to put some weight on it and rise from the tub, only to slip and fall back to the tub, splashing water in all directions.

  Trying not to panic, she took a breath and tried again, with similar results. You’re going to have to try something different. This isn’t working! She slowly sat up, and then attempted to roll over onto her good side, being careful not to bump her injured ankle on the faucet or side of the tub. She didn’t even make it six inches out of the water before hands slipped and she barely caught herself before she crashed back into the tub with a splashing noise.

  On her fourth try to rise from the tub, resulting in utter failure, she became frantic. What am I going to do! I can’t get out of the tub! She tried once again, using both of her hands and pushing with all of her might to get her weight balanced on her one good leg. Shit! She slumped back into the water with another splash.

  “Kendra. Everything ok?” Ryan asked from outside the bathroom door. Off course he heard me crash. Now what? Not gonna tell him.

  “Yes!” Ken
dra hurried to assure him. Her breathing was fast and she was close to tears, barely holding on. She hated feeling out of control and useless.

  “Sure?” Ryan asked, doubt evident in his voice.

  Kendra shivered as she thought about having to stay in the now cooling water.

  “Kendra?”

  Swallowing her nerves, she called out, “No!” Her voice broke and she searched for control, “Everything’s not okay. I can’t get out.”

  There was complete silence from the other side of the bathroom door. Shit! Now what should I do? Biting her bottom lip for a moment, she made up her mind and called out, “Ryan?”

  “Yes?”

  “Uhm…Could you maybe… I mean… could you help me out?” She imagined the eager grin that would be on his face. She hadn’t missed the way he’d look at her before. With admiration and a healthy dose of desire in his eyes. She was so embarrassed, but that wasn’t going to get her out of the bathtub!

  “You want me to come in?”

  “Well… if you don’t look.” The words came out of her mouth before she could think about how silly it sounded.

  She heard Ryan chuckle just before he opened the door and stepped inside.

  Kendra blushed and tried to hide beneath the meager bath foam that still existed. Hopefully, he’ll think it’s the heat of the water that is making my cheeks appear all rosy and red.

  True to form, Ryan said nothing else. He simply walked to the tub and plucked her from the water, lifting her straight up and into his strong arms. He let her slide down his body until she was balanced on her good foot and then let go of her long enough to retrieve her bathrobe, which was hanging on the wall behind the door.

  He handed her a towel, busying himself by gathering up her discarded clothing and the ace bandage while she dried herself off in a hurry. Kendra was almost finished drying off when the towel slipped from her hands.

  Ryan chose that very moment to turn back to her. It took everything within her to not try and cover herself up. He slowly reached out to hand her the robe, and she watched as his eyes slid up and down her body. When a low whistle of appreciation slipped past his lips, her blush intensified tenfold.