Chapter 12

Rock showed up at Vivian’s apartment five minutes before the agreed upon time. He took a deep breath, forcing his hand to knock on the door.

“Hello Rock,” she said, flinging the door open with her brightest smile and all he could do was hold the flowers into her face.

“Hello Vivian, I hope you like them.” In spite of his thirty-four years he suddenly didn’t feel like the well-versed sophisticated man he was, but like a schoolboy.

“They’re beautiful. Come on in,” she said.

And again he was left feeling stupid. Should he kiss her? Or not? Good lord, since when had dating become so difficult? Usually the women went after him and all he had to do was say ‘yes’.

While Vivian finished getting ready, he glanced around the small, but homey place. Bold colors and unique things made the apartment different and totally hers. She’d decorated the corners of the room with colorful pots of flowers and greenery, and a small bear statue sat beside the door, welcoming visitors.

Instead of paintings, she’d hung a huge piece of copper representing the sun on the wall. The patina finish caught his attention and he grinned at the novelty of it all. It fit her personality. Sassy. Feisty. And stubborn as hell.

Moments later Vivian returned and his jaw fell to the floor. He’d seen her in cycling gear, jeans and T-shirt, a bathing suit, but this…wow.

“You look gorgeous,” he said, admiring the low-cut royal blue blouse, just giving him a glimpse of the rosy flesh of her breasts hidden beneath. His eyes wandered down to a black leather mini skirt that hugged her curvy hips and left most of her legs bare to his gaze.

“Did you have a good day?” She sauntered up to him, the light of mischief in her eyes.

“Just boring business stuff, and putting my feet up,” he answered, amused at the look of guilt in her blue eyes.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

“Don’t be. Ready to go?” Rock asked, taking charge of the situation.

When she nodded, he put his hand on her lower back and escorted her outside. Into safety. If they lingered one moment longer inside her apartment, he might attack her and they’d never leave. But he had different plans. Tonight he wanted to make a good second impression.

“Looks like I chose the matching color for your blouse.” He grinned at Vivian as he opened the passenger door of his royal blue Mercedes SL convertible for her.

She cocked her head and slid inside. Then he walked around to the driver side and took his seat, eloquently handling his crutches.

“You’re moving pretty good,” she commented as he got behind the wheel.

“Thanks. I have to admit I practiced half the day, because I wanted to impress you.”

Her answer was a bubbling laugh that tugged at his heartstrings. He quickly looked away and started the motor, thankful he’d chosen the automatic transmission when buying the car. He wouldn’t have been able to drive a stick shift with his cast.

Rock stole glances at Vivian, enjoying the wind in her hair as they drove with the top down. About fifteen minutes into their drive Vivian asked, “Where are we going?”

“Up to the lookout on the cliffs. I’ve packed everything we need for a picnic.”

“Really? I don’t know that anyone’s ever taken me on a picnic date.” She tugged some unruly strands of hair behind her ear.

“Sit back and enjoy then.” He drove them right up to the edge and then parked at the small parking lot. On weekends this place was crowded with tourists, but not this evening.

She jumped out of the car and raced around to open his door, before he knew what happened.

“Hey, that’s my job,” he protested.

“Normally I’d say yes, but not with that cast of yours.” Her genuine smile warmed his insides and he pondered foregoing his initial plan to make a good impression and instead pull her down on his lap and kiss her senseless.

He could still do that later. First things first. Rock reached into the back seat with one arm and pulled out a large basket with a blanket folded on top.

“Hey! Let me carry that,” she said taking the basket from his hands.

“Thanks. Now I’m feeling somehow useless.” Useless and absolutely elated.

“That looks like a perfect spot,” Vivian said, pointing. He couldn’t help but imagine that tapered finger trailing down the length of his body.

He followed her gaze and smiled. “It does. Let’s go.”

She spread out the blanket and Rock maneuvered himself down without incident. Together they removed the goodies from the basket. His housekeeper had done an excellent job.

There were several bowls of fresh fruit, two salads with all of the fixings, seasoned chicken strips, and a loaf of crusty bread. For dessert, she had included small cheesecakes, and he’d thrown in a bottle of his favorite wine. Real wine glasses, china plates and real silverware gave the picnic an upscale quality.

“This is amazing,” Vivian said as they began to eat.

“My housekeeper does a good job putting a picnic together. Another skill I didn’t know she had.”

Vivian raised her eyebrow but didn’t insist and soon they were engrossed in a conversation. After packing away the uneaten food, they settled on the blanket with their backs against the rock, looking out over the ocean stretched below them.

They sat in companionable silence as the sky changed colors from blue, to white, to yellow and orange, and finally red, just before the sun dipped below the horizon. It was a spectacle too beautiful to describe with words and Rock was thankful that Vivian didn’t disturb the serenity with constant chatter.

As soon as the sun disappeared behind the horizon, it became chilly and when a gust of wind whipped across the top of the lookout, he sensed the beautiful woman at his side shiver.

“You’re cold,” he said and slipped his jacket off to wrap it around her shoulders.

“Thanks,” she murmured, her wonderful big eyes so soft he wanted to dive into them and never resurface.

“Better?” Rock wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close against him.

“Much.” Vivian nodded and snuggled into his embrace.

The silence hung between them, interrupted only by the crashing of the waves onto the sand and her breathing. With every ragged inhale, her chest heaved up and down. An admirable sight. Rock battled with his need to touch her, when she raised her voice.

“My brother’s girlfriend has been following the news about your rehab center. She’s pretty excited about it.”

“She is?” he asked with pride swelling in his chest.

“Yes. Linda works with therapy dogs and wants to open her own practice. She said your new center was the best countrywide.”

“That’s a lot of accolades for a place that doesn’t even exist yet.” Rock shrugged it off. But while he certainly appreciated the praise, he also felt the weight of the expectations – and the need to raise the required funds.

“Linda is terrific. I’m sure you’d like her. And her dog. Courage is such a darling. She’s doing such terrific work him and other therapy dogs. You should definitely meet her.” Vivian snuggled tighter into his arms and his heart melted.

“Are you out to get her a job?” he teased.

“Oh, no.” Vivian turned to look into his eyes and he almost lost it right there. “But she is awesome.”

Her lips were mere inches away from his and he wanted to kiss her so badly. But their last kiss was still branded into his memory. There was no way he would be able to stop.

She seemed to notice his inner turmoil and asked, “Tell me more about your foundation and the rehab center.”

Rock grew silent for a moment. It was something he was passionate about and usually he loved talking about his cause. The cause. Not the reason.

“Please,” she pleaded and how could he say no to her?

“I founded the charity after seeing how inadequate the current services were for the military men and women returning from war, missing arms and legs, sometimes both…it was appalling to me that we as a society couldn’t offer them anything better. I decided to do something about it.” Rock rehearsed the mission statement he’d crafted for the Rock Solid Foundation, but left out his true motivation.

Tristan.

The grief about his friend’s suicide was buried deep down in his soul. A place where it would stay.  It was too painful to deal with it.

“It was personal for you?” she asked, her voice indicating she knew there was more to the story.

He finally nodded, “Yes. I had a good friend lose a leg and an arm in an accident.” Which was my fault. And then he committed suicide, which again was my fault. “That’s what first alerted me to the problem, and the more I researched it, the more I discovered the gross deficiencies that exist in this type of rehabilitation. I wanted to help.”

“That’s very noble and must be very satisfying at the same time.” Vivian smiled at him, but he couldn’t decipher whether she believed there was more to his story than he divulged.

“I’m making a difference. That’s why this year’s fundraiser is so important. We need money to start building the rehab center.”

“I’m glad I’m getting to be part of it,” Vivian answered with honesty in her voice.

Rock squeezed her shoulder again. “Me too.”

And then he kissed her. Soft and caring. He traced her luscious lips with his tongue, tasting wine and chocolate on them. Her mouth opened and he explored every crevice of it. Taking his time to discover, tease, lick, and nibble. He sensed her breathing becoming ragged and her pulse ratcheting up and intensified the kiss. His mouth became demanding and rough, crushing her lips until they were both panting for air.

Meanwhile the night had fallen, the city behind them casting an orange glow at the sky that turned into black far away over the ocean.

“We should return,” he said. “You have to work tomorrow.”

Vivian nodded and helped him get up and carry the picnic basket to his car. On their drive home she was very quiet. Rock hoped she didn’t regret their kiss.

“I should warn you. My brother, Chuck, he’s a private investigator and has threatened to do a background check on you,” Vivian announced.

Rock grinned. She’s told her family about me. “That’s a sensible thing to do, don’t you think so? I could be some pervert.”

Vivian boxed him in his side and groaned. “What? Are you on his side? Those are the exact same words he used.”

“Well, this is L.A. And I’d do the same thing for my sister. If I had one.”

“You have only brothers?” Vivian asked.

“No, I’m an only child. I take it you have more siblings?”

“I’m the only girl in a family of six children. Even though I dearly love all my five brothers, I wish they didn’t watch over me all the time.” She giggled. “Let me know if you ever want to borrow, one or three. I’ll send them your way and they can boss you around for a change.”

“No thanks. But seriously, I think it’s nice that your brothers are looking out for you. That’s how it should be.”