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Perfect Rivals...
Amy Ruttan
A match made in Hollywood!When a movie star is rushed to The Hollywood Hills Clinic, Dr Flo Chiu immediately clashes with arrogant New York doctor, Nate King. But an unexpected kiss creates a media storm, and the two rivals are forced to pretend they’re the perfect couple!Only Flo, with a kidney transplant behind her, is determined to live life to the full, while Nate learned the hard way never to take risks. Now they face the greatest risk of all – falling in love for real!The Hollywood Hills ClinicWhere doctors to the stars work miracles by day—and explore their hearts' desires by night…
Dear Reader (#ulink_4f324862-9d6b-5fa0-9ac7-d9ada32c2881),
Thank you for picking up a copy of Perfect Rivals …! I can’t believe this is my tenth book for Mills & Boon Medical Romance. It seems like only yesterday I sold my first book.
I was absolutely thrilled when the Medical team approached me about joining this continuity series—a series that is full of my favourite authors. I was excited and nervous at the same time.
Dr Florence Chiu is a character I instantly connected with. Her character absolutely gutted me repeatedly over the course of writing her story. I haven’t had much experience in transplant surgery, but I know what an amazing gift donor organs can be, and for my heroine it means a second chance at life.
My hero is no stranger to Dr Chiu’s world. He’s lost someone very dear to him, and because of that he’s guarded his heart and devoted his life to medicine. Having a fake relationship is the riskiest thing he’s done in a long time.
I hope you enjoy Flo and Nate’s story.
I love hearing from readers, so please drop by my website, amyruttan.com (http://amyruttan.com), or give me a shout on Twitter@ruttanamy (http://www.twitter.com/ruttanamy).
With warmest wishes,
Amy Ruttan
Born and raised just outside Toronto, Canada, AMY RUTTAN fled the big city to settle down with the country boy of her dreams. After the birth of her second child, Amy was lucky enough to realise her lifelong dream of becoming a romance author. When she’s not furiously typing away at her computer, she’s mum to three wonderful children who use her as a personal taxi and chef.
Perfect Rivals…
Amy Ruttan
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
This book is dedicated to my agent, Scott, for telling me to take this chance and write this continuity story.
Thank you to Elisa, who patiently answered my questions while I was researching this book.
Thank you so much for all your help!
And a huge thank you to the Medical team for assigning me Flo and Nate’s story. They were an amazing hero and heroine and I loved every second in their world.
Praise for Amy Ruttan (#ulink_7561c96b-a95d-5ee5-8e7e-b4472a46c76e)
‘Amy Ruttan delivers an entertaining read that transports readers into a world of blissful romance set amidst the backdrop of the medical field. Sharp, witty and descriptive, One Night in New York is sure to keep readers turning the pages!’
—Contemporary Romance Reviews
Contents
Cover (#ue72da0b7-b62c-5649-b303-5febded5cbc9)
Dear Reader (#ulink_a06cae7a-3baf-5d01-ab58-15918390dc51)
About the Author (#uebe3ea55-dd8d-5f62-aaa0-985ac9926332)
Title Page (#uf5a39933-8bac-59ec-b285-65aeebcf2e82)
Dedication (#ue9a1480a-347e-5197-abe8-d68b6fa4ab08)
Praise for Amy Ruttan (#ulink_5cd3a79d-01bd-5618-9df5-999cac946757)
CHAPTER ONE (#ulink_b9af616b-a373-5859-b186-e722e64a8a66)
CHAPTER TWO (#ulink_dae41a10-2374-50f0-890a-7b4ce3870953)
CHAPTER THREE (#ulink_885fc18d-9178-5f32-8ac6-ed2b6296b609)
CHAPTER FOUR (#ulink_5e70ff5b-805d-5b92-97e4-259badf49ca1)
CHAPTER FIVE (#ulink_99cfee8e-36dd-5da9-8077-785b42f2614b)
CHAPTER SIX (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER SEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER EIGHT (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER NINE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER ELEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWELVE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER THIRTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER FOURTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
EPILOGUE (#litres_trial_promo)
Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER ONE (#ulink_59d68e68-a76e-5a2a-aa07-fac166effee6)
THIS TAKES ME BACK.
Dr. Flo Chiu remembered all the times she’d been raced to the hospital as a young girl. The familiar whir of a chopper coming in for a landing. Followed by the bump as the chopper landed, causing her to become nauseous. Even now, watching the helicopter, her stomach did a little flip. Everything reminded her of that moment. Something she hadn’t thought about in a long time. The gray haze tinting the sky, as if it was promising rain, but this was Los Angeles. The haze was just smog. In Seattle, it would mean rain, and the day she’d flown in her own helicopter to a hospital helipad it had been raining.
Hard.
And that was all she remembered of her emergent helicopter ride over Seattle. That, and her father screaming out orders in Mandarin to a helicopter pilot who only spoke English, but, then, when her dad was frightened he often put aside his second language of English for his native tongue. And when her dad was mad, the beautiful language she loved to listen to was quick and hard to follow. It had frightened her to hear him talk like that.
She took a deep breath and wrapped her arms around herself, trying to shake the thought away. Usually she wasn’t this nervous about another surgeon coming in to The Hollywood Hills Clinic, but this was not just any other surgeon. This surgeon was her competition. This surgeon had been brought in specially from New York at the request of her patient. And her patient happened to be the world-famous, award-winning actor Kyle Francis. An actor she’d always admired and had had a bit of a crush on when she’d been fourteen.
She’d watched a lot of movies when she’d been younger. Of course, there hadn’t been much else to do when you were confined to a hospital bed. And Kyle Francis had been the perfect twenty-something rising star and heartthrob of her youth.
On the outside Kyle had aged well. His heart and lungs, on the other hand, hadn’t. Which was why he was now a patient.
He’d collapsed at a press conference in Los Angeles and had been brought straight to The Hollywood Hills Clinic, where it had quickly been established that Kyle Francis was dying.
And that’s where Flo had stepped in.
She was, after all, a world-renowned transplant surgeon, and that’s just what Kyle Francis needed. Actually, what he specifically needed was a heart and lung transplant.
It was right up Flo’s alley. She’d done many, and on worse cases than Kyle, but if they let it go much longer, Kyle would be a worst-case scenario and it would make the job harder.
She had been wheeling Kyle into the operating room to help stabilize him until she had been stopped.
That was when Freya had dropped the bombshell on her that another surgeon was coming.
“Another surgeon? Why was another surgeon called, Freya? I’m a damn good surgeon. I can do this surgery on my own. You’ve seen me do one.”
“I know, but this is out of my hands, Flo. Mr. Francis’s management team has called in Dr. King from Manhattan. Dr. King’s the one who has been treating his failing heart and lungs for some time. There’s no negotiation. You’ll have to work with Dr. King.”
Flo couldn’t really argue with that.
So that’s why she was here, huddled in the elevator, waiting for the helicopter to land and deposit this Dr. King in her lap. He was probably some old-money type of surgeon, and she only hoped that he would be willing to work with her. Some of these big-city surgeons were a pain in the rump to deal with. They didn’t think someone who was only thirty had the skill to be an excellent or extraordinary surgeon and a transplant specialist to boot.
The chopper landed and Flo ducked down, holding back the wisps of black hair that were escaping from her long braid as she headed out onto the helipad to greet this new doctor.
Please, don’t be a jerk. Please, don’t be a jerk.
She could deal with almost anyone but a jerk. Other surgeons tended to look down on her because of her size and her gender. That, and she looked a lot younger than her age. Even though she hoped this surgeon wasn’t a jerk, she’d been warned about his arrogance so she braced herself for it.
The door of the chopper opened and her mouth almost dropped open in surprise. Dr. King was not at all what she had expected. He wasn’t old at all. Probably in his mid-thirties. Tall, tanned and muscular. His blond hair was tousled and short. His face was chiseled, and the well-tailored gray suit molded his broad chest and thick muscular thighs almost perfectly. He was an all-American high-school hottie. The kind of man who had probably got through med school on a football scholarship. The kind of man who would have ignored a perpetually sick, geeky wallflower like her at school dances. The kind of man she’d always secretly wished would look her way.
Johnny had been good looking, but not like this, and look how that had turned out. Flo shook her ex from her thoughts. He’d been gone for a long time and there was no place for him in her mind today.
Heat rushed to her cheeks when he turned to look at her. Light blue, almost ice-blue eyes fixed their hard gaze on her, as if assessing her and sizing her up in a matter of moments. It unnerved her, but also excited her. She almost wondered what it would be like steal a kiss from a man like this. And then she kicked herself mentally for thinking about the competition this way.
No matter how attractive she thought he was, he was still the competition.
All-American athletes like him were the kind of guy she’d always wanted to date. At least once in her life, because it wasn’t the type of guy her father or mother would like if she brought him home. They hadn’t been thrilled with Johnny either and he was a lawyer.
Focus. He’s staring at you.
It was then she realized the chopper had already left the helipad and was headed away from the clinic toward LAX.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“Fine. Dr. King, I’m—”
“I don’t have time for pleasantries. You need to take me to my patient.”
Great. He’s a pompous jerk.
Well, an arrogant surgeon she could deal with. Her father was an arrogant businessman in Beijing and Seattle. Flo’s mother, who was American, was the only one who could get him to toe the line, and she’d taught Flo well. She’d taught her not to cower to arrogant men and to stand up for herself. Especially in light of the fact that Flo had been sick her whole life and people tried to walk all over her.
“As I was saying, I’m Dr. Chiu and I’m head of transplant surgery here at The Hollywood Hills Clinic. I’ve been treating Mr. Francis since his collapse last night.”
Dr. King’s eyes widened in shock. “Is that so?”
“Yes. Now, if you will follow me, Dr. King, I will take you to our patient.” She got into the elevator and when he also entered, she pushed the button for the wing that housed Kyle Francis. It was the wing that had the most security to guarantee privacy for high-profile patients.
“Did you say ‘our’ patient, Dr. Chiu?”
“I did.”
“I have to say I’m a bit confused. Kyle Francis has been my patient for a couple of years now. I’m the one who put him on the transplant list. He’s my patient.”
She grinned at him sardonically. “Oh, no. He’s our patient. Mr. Francis’s management team may have flown you in here, but the transplant wing is my wing. I’m granting you surgical privileges here, buster, and don’t you forget it.”
He grinned at her, amused, or at least she hoped so as those ice-blue eyes were twinkling. “Buster? I’ve never heard that one before.”
Flo rolled her eyes, but smiled. “Sorry. Something I picked up from my mother.”
The elevator doors opened up and Flo swiped her security card to open the doors to allow them entry to the high-security wing. Kyle’s large suite was at the end of the hall.
“So, when he arrived he was bradycardic. We got his breathing and rhythm stabilized, but it’s apparent to me that his heart is failing and his time is running out. He needs to be put on a left ventricular assist device.”
“An LVAD?” Dr. King nodded. “I can see why you would think that, but let’s not jump to conclusions. We don’t know what caused the collapse. He was stable when he left New York last week. And putting him on a left ventricular assist device complicates his transplant further.”
“I am aware of that. I’m not jumping to conclusions. I’ve performed a heart and lung transplant before, Dr. King. I know what I’m doing. I know what I’m seeing.”
“Then if you know what it is, why isn’t he on a left ventricular assist device?”
Really?
“I was about to have him prepped for the OR when his management team put a stop to the procedure and insisted on flying you out here, Dr. King.”
“Nate.”
“Pardon?” Flo said as she picked up a tablet to bring up Kyle’s chart.
“My name is Nathaniel, but you can call me Nate. And what can I call you, Dr. Chiu?”
“You can call me Dr. Chiu.” She tried to step past him, but he blocked her path.
“If you knew my patient, you would know that he likes everything to be informal. It puts him at ease. So I think it’s in the best interests of the patient that we address each other by our given names.”
“My name is Florence, but everyone calls me Flo.” She handed him the tablet with Kyle’s chart.
