Running for Love (The Armstrongs Book 10)

by Jessica Gray

  “About that…there’s been a change of plans.”

  Tommy swallowed and then asked, stonily, “Change of plans? What are you talking about, man?”

  “I had a small accident earlier today and busted my ankle.” Rock grimaced at the memory of the impact and moved sideways to put his foot up on the couch. The throbbing decreased.

  “What? You ‘busted’ your ankle? What ‘bout the race man?” Tommy’s voice spiraled into panic. He had the annoying habit of taking things too seriously.

  “Calm down. Everything will be fine,” Rock said.

  “Fine? Are you running, or not?”

  “Doctor said no.” Rock grinned. Things never were as bad as they seemed – at least most of the time.

  “Then nothing’s fine. Sponsors expect you to participate—”

  “Come on. It can’t be that important. I’ll still be there, supervising and giving my name to the race.” The skin beneath his air cast itched like hell. Rock leaned over to the coffee table and grabbed a pencil to scratch inside the cast. “Besides, I have a stand-in.”

  “A stand-in?” Tommy seemed to be somewhat appeased and his voice returned to its normal timbre. “How in the world did you find someone to run in your place in such a short time?”

  “The gal who ran me over with her bike offered to run in my place.” Images of Vivian’s auburn hair, surrounding her beautiful face with the most intense blue eyes raised his blood temperature.

  “Who is she? A well-known racing cyclist? A track star?” Tommy demanded to know.

  “Her name is Vivian Armstrong.”

  “Vivian Armstrong? Never heard of her. What’s she doing for a living?”

  “I don’t know.” And I don’t care. Rock had been too busy with his broken ankle and admiring her beauty to ask such mundane things. Having her name and phone number had seemed enough. He didn’t care whether she was some famous Hollywood actress or a cleaning lady. Actually he did, because he was done with actresses. Too self-centered and shallow, while Vivian…

  “Are you still there?” Tommy asked into the phone.

  “Yep.”

  “You sure you didn’t fall on your head during the accident? You seem to have lost your fool mind. She’s a nobody. Some random girl. How can you even consider having her run in your place?”

  “She offered and I thought it was cute.”

  Tommy groaned into the phone. “Cute? Don’t think with your cock. This is business. We need to find a high profile name to race. Someone who’ll pull in the crowds. You know how important this fundraiser is for the foundation.”

  “Yes, but…” Rock leaned back on the couch and closed his eyes.

  “No buts. I’ll ask around. There must be some sports star willing to run for a good cause... or even better, what about a Hollywood actress? Someone who’ll look stunning in tight workout clothes and needs a boost to her floundering career. It would be great publicity. A win-win for both sides.” Tommy’s voice went up an octave as he talked himself into elation.

  “No! We’re not going to turn the fundraiser into a media circus.” Rock opened his eyes and sat up in protest, just to grit his teeth against the stabbing pain of his ankle protesting against the sudden movement.

  “Rock, you need someone to attract the masses.”

  “The foundation can stand on its own merits.” The last thing Rock wanted was a bunch of celebrities drawing attention away from the men and women he was trying to help, and turning the focus on themselves.

  All of his past relationships with more or less famous celebrities had turned into complete disasters. He was sick and tired of self-centered and shallow women, whose biggest concern was the length of their eyelashes.

  “As your manager I have to disagree. This is our biggest fundraiser of the year, if we blow it, the planned rehab center will fall through. You know that. We aren’t even close to having the funds needed for construction.”

  Rock sighed into the phone. Tommy was right. There was no way around it.

  “I’ll put out my feelers and get back to you,” Tommy said.

  “Yeah. I’ll talk to you later.” Rock hung up the phone, his mood going from bad to worse. He managed to get on his feet and hobbled on his crutches into the bedroom. There he slipped a plastic bag over the cast, grimacing at the blue and purple discoloration and the swelling he could see in his toes.

  He hobbled into the bathroom and looked in the mirror. Instantly the vision of Vivian, crouched over him on the sidewalk, entered his mind and his body hardened in response. Beneath the shower he turned the water to cold, trying to force his body to behave. Hobbling on crutches and having a hard-on wasn’t a good look.

  Ten minutes later he sank down onto the mattress, accidentally bumping his ankle against the frame of the bed and groaning as renewed pain lanced through his entire leg. ”Damn it!”

  Rock hadn’t bothered to put on clothes and lay stark naked on top of his bed. As soon as the stabbing pain subsided, he mind wandered back to Vivian and he sported another hard-on. “Damn it!”

  This woman had him strung tight and she didn’t even know it. He’d acted purposefully arrogant towards her. He didn’t need another irresponsible, egocentric woman in his life. Been there. Done that.

  Lying around thinking of her did nothing to improve his mood and after a while the throbbing in his ankle was replaced by a growl in his stomach. Oh yes, he hadn’t eaten since a light breakfast this morning, before leaving for his run.

  A deep sigh escaped him. Alexa, his housekeeper, was off for the weekend, and he’d have to fend for himself. The crutches became his best friends and by the time he arrived in the kitchen, he grinned at the versatility he’d developed hobbling along on them.

  The fridge contained neatly labeled Tupperware for each meal of the weekend. He removed the one that said “Dinner Saturday” and stuffed it into the microwave. Cooking definitely wasn’t one of his fortes, but he was a pro at reheating.

  While Rock waited for his dinner, he popped two of the painkillers the nurse had obtained for him before leaving the hospital and gulped them down with a bottle of cold water.

  He ate quickly, his mind occupied with Vivian. How come he couldn’t get her out of his thoughts? It wasn’t at all like him to drool over a girl. Usually they drooled over him.

  Back in bed, he placed a pillow beneath his leg and turned on the television, flipping through the channels. After his third round through all channels and still nothing but old movies and bad reality TV, he switched it off and tossed the remote to the side.

  “Damn it!” He wanted to see Vivian again. On a sigh, he decided he might as well call her and picked up his cell phone. The line rang once, twice… his heart sank… three times…he cursed at the stupid idea…then she picked up.

  “Hello?” Her husky tone stirred his groin.

  “Vivian? It’s Rock Martens.”

  There was a brief silence and then she murmured, “Rock, is everything okay?”

  “Everything’s fine. I’ve got my leg elevated and am icing it as we speak.”

  “Oh! Okay. Uhm…did you need something…”

  “I’m calling to schedule our first training session,” Rock said.

  She gasped into the phone and then she stammered, “You still want to…”

  “Yes. What are you doing tomorrow morning?” There was no way he’d let her off the hook. And a successful athletic career had taught him to hit the iron while it was hot.

  “Uhm…well, it’s Sunday, so nothing, I guess.” She stammered into the phone.

  Sweetie, I know you’re trying to find an excuse. Not with me. “Perfect. How about nine o’clock my place?”

  “Nine? Isn’t that kind of early?” Vivian asked him.

  “No. Mornings are best for training if you’re serious about it.” Rock bit back the laugh that threatened to burst forth. She was such a fun target to tease and rile up. His entire body hardened at the memory of how sexy she’d looked when she was shooting
daggers at him. He gave her the address and then said, “Don’t go to bed late,” before he hung up the phone with a huge grin.

  Chapter 5

  Vivian stared at the phone. What was that?

  She shook her head and finished doing her makeup and getting dressed because she had to meet her best friend Gwen at a local bistro in half an hour. She arrived with only a few minutes to spare and waved at Gwen as she weaved her way through the small dining space to the table where Gwen already sat.

  Gwen was three inches taller than Vivian, with long blond hair and baby-blue eyes. She was the proverbial sun-kissed California girl.

  “Hey!” Vivian greeted her with a hug.

  “Hey, Viv! What’s that silly grin on your face?”

  Vivian balked. “Just happy it’s finally the weekend.”

  The waitress approached and she ordered an orange juice and they both ordered seafood salads.

  “So, what’s the big surprise? You’ve had me on tenterhooks for days.” Vivian grinned at her friend.

  A huge smile light up Gwen’s face as she exclaimed, “I’m pregnant!”

  “Congratulations! That’s awesome news, ” Vivian gasped with joy.

  Gwen was a probation officer and had recently fallen in love with one of her probationers. Vivian remembered the whirlwind romance between them. Against all odds – moral, ethical and legal – they’d managed to work it out. Fernando had secured a job as head of security at a logistics company after helping the police to capture his former gang members. And six months later they’d gotten married.

  Vivian sighed. She wanted someone special, too. But not some arrogant jerk trying to boss her around.

  “I’m so happy; I can hardly stand it. Now, tell me what put that smile upon your face when you walked in here.” Gwen had the annoying habit of seeing straight through to her soul.

  “I might have met a really hot guy. But unfortunately that comes with a side of arrogant and bossy.”

  “So why the smile,” Gwen raised her eyebrows.

  “I’m not smiling. In fact I should probably cry instead.” Vivian said, taking a big sip of her orange juice.

  “Cry? I’m afraid I’m not following.” Gwen pierced the air with her spill-it-or-I’ll-grill-you glance.

  “It’s a long story.”

  “I have plenty of time,” Gwen answered and leaned back to allow the waitress to serve their seafood salads. When Vivian had finished her story, Gwen squirmed in her seat. “Rock Martens. Ohmygod! I’m such a fan! Is he as hot in reality as he is in photos? And is he as friendly as everyone says?”

  “Friendly? I’d say arrogant. Obnoxious. Bossy. And irritated that I broke his ankle.” Vivian sighed. Despite her attempt to not like him, her girlie parts woke at the pure mention of his name.

  “You didn’t?” Gwen gasped the question.

  “I did. Yeah. But now comes the worst part. I offered to race a triathlon in his place.”

  Gwen almost fell of her chair laughing.

  “Hey, what’s that?” Vivian prodded her friend in the ribs.

  “You? A triathlon? Do you know that involves running six point two miles?” Gwen was still laughing, the deep guffaws alternating between gasps for breath.

  “Six point two miles? Are you sure?” Vivian paled. The longest she’d run in her life was one mile. In high school.

  “Yeah. The Olympic distance, which is considered short. I mean, you didn’t offer to race an Iron Man distance, right?”

  Vivian felt all her blood leaving her head and leaned back to fight the rising dizziness. She whispered, “I’m not sure. How long‘s the Ironman distance?”

  “I don’t know the exact distances, but around two point five miles swimming, more than a hundred miles biking and after all that fun and frolic, running a marathon,” Gwen answered and finally stopped laughing as she stared at Vivian’s pale and shocked face.

  “A marathon? No. No. Can’t be. Rock said he’d train me and two months would be enough to get in shape for the race,” Vivian’s said, her voice a strangled whisper.

  “He’ll train you? Girl, he must have a crush on you. Do you know how many women would sell their right arm to be trained by him?”

  “They can gladly have him. As I already mentioned, he’s bossy and arrogant. Not my type of guy.” Vivian scowled and dug into her seafood salad.

  “Well then I don’t know why your eyes light up every time you mention him,” Gwen teased.

  “They don’t. You’re imagining things, just because you want to match me with someone.” Vivian knew it wasn’t true, but this Rock was so not her type. And if her stupid body didn’t realize it, she had to keep telling it.

  They both dug into their food until Gwen took up the topic again, refusing to let it die the quick death it deserved. “How is he supposed to train you when he’s on crutches?”

  “I have no idea, but I’ll find out tomorrow morning.”

  “Tomorrow morning?” Gwen asked.

  “Yes, at nine.” Vivian furrowed her brows.

  “He managed to make you get up early on a Sunday morning? To do sports, no less? I need to meet that extraordinary specimen of man?“ Gwen teased her with the barrage of questions.

  “No you don’t… there’s nothing about him. He’s totally overrated. Other girls might find him sexy as hell, not me. I’m only doing this because I feel kind of guilty for his broken ankle.” That was only half a lie. Just who are you trying to convince, Vivian? Gwen, or yourself?

  Gwen giggled. “Sure. But, hey look on the bright side. That man has been voted sexiest man alive three years in a row and you’re going to have him all to yourself. I wouldn’t say no to that kind of eye-candy…”

  Fernando, Gwen’s husband, chose that very moment to arrive. As he bent down and kissed her, he asked, “Talking about me, sweetheart?”

  Fernando would easily qualify for the title sexiest man alive with his dark hair, dark brown bedroom eyes and boyish grin. Pair that with well-sculpted biceps and broad shoulders and he received more than his share of admiring glances.

  “No, about Rock Martens.” Gwen flushed and moved aside on the bench to make space for him to sit.

  Fernando wrapped an arm around her and teased, “We’ve been married for less than half a year and you’re already letting your eyes wander? I’m devastated.”

  Gwen turned and whispered something into his ear that Vivian couldn’t understand. Fernando got that disgusting lovesick glance in his eyes and kissed his wife on the mouth.

  Vivian cleared her throat. “Hello. I’m here, too.”

  The pair broke up and laughed.

  “How could I forget? The woman who threatened to tear me into pieces should I ever hurt her best friend.” Fernando hugged her.

  “The offer is still valid,” Vivian answered, air-kissing his cheek. “Congratulations on the baby.”

  Fernando grinned like a kid on Christmas day. “We’re so happy. Gwen couldn’t wait to give everyone the good news, even though she’s only in her second month.”

  The waitress came and interrupted them, taking his order.

  “So why are you two drooling over Rock Martens? That guy’s a hero.”

  “Viv ran him over and broke his ankle. Then she offered to run a triathlon in his place,” Gwen blurted out.

  Fernando was stunned speechless. “Wow.”

  “Yes, unfortunately I did,” Vivian said.

  It took Fernando a minute or two to process the information. Like every one of her friends he knew all too well how much she detested running. After thinking through the situation he offered to ask his friend Ben, the owner of a fitness studio and former MMA fighter for advice.

  “That’s sweet of you, but Rock offered to train me himself.” Vivian tried her best to hide the way her pulse ratcheted up at the mere thought of Rock.

  “He did?” Fernando shared a look with his wife and then glanced at Viv. “That’s a pretty good indicator of a crush on you.”

  “No way
.” Vivian felt a blush stain her cheeks. “He’s only interested in me looking good for the race.”

  “I bet,” Gwen said with a girlish giggle. “He’ll personally see you’re in the best shape possible.”

  Vivian scowled at her friends as they continued to tease her. “I have absolutely no interest in the man.”

  “So why do this? Aside from the fact that you’re attracted to him?” Gwen asked.

  “I’m not. He kind of pushed me into it.”

  “How so?” Fernando asked, raising his eyebrows.

  “He might have hinted that I couldn’t run the race…” Vivian sighed.

  “Ah! I get it. He challenged you and you couldn’t resist rising to the bait. Smart man. I already like him.” Fernando grinned and cuddled his wife.

  “I wouldn’t contribute that to intelligence.” Vivian responded emptying her glass of orange juice in one long gulp.

  Fernando and Gwen shared another look and then both burst out laughing.

  “I’d say he’s smarter than the average man. He’s definitely got your number,” Gwen said, giggling again.

  “Enough teasing now. Or I’ll never talk to you guys again,” Vivian threatened and turned her attention back to her salad.

  She wasn’t the least interested in Rock Martens, despite the way he made her insides queasy with the look in his brown eyes. She didn’t even like brown eyes. Nor beards. And she definitely wasn’t one of those superficial girls to swoon over a hunky male.

  No way.

  Chapter 6

  Rock loved the early mornings when the world was still quiet. The time after dawn when the birds sang loudest and the sun rays gave a foretaste of the hot temperatures later in the day.

  It was his sacred time, where his mind and body were fresh and he was most productive. But not today. The night had been awful, because he’d woken several times from the throbbing in his ankle – and erotic dreams about an auburn-haired, blue-eyed siren.

  He crawled out of bed around seven and finished his morning ablutions by the time the doorbell rang. Who the hell? A glance on his watch indicated that instead of his normal thirty minutes, he’d spent closed to two hours getting ready. Damn ankle! He hobbled to the door and opened it to the most beautiful, yet sleepy, face on earth.