Page 74 of Through the Storms

CHAPTER 28

Riley let the coolwater rush over her. She should get out of the shower, but that would mean being around Chloe, and she wasn’t sure if she was ready for that. Was this starting to be a problem?

She’d not enjoyed being around someone this much in forever. Their interactions were easy and fun, yet they held a depth that she didn’t share with her other friends. Most of the people she hung out with were other EMTs, so everything revolved around the job.

Reluctantly, she turned off the water and stepped from the shower. With Riley being in the shower so long, maybe Chloe had fallen asleep. After all, they’d had a full day.

Riley toweled off before she brought the towel up to her hair and vigorously rubbed. With her short hair, she never blow dried it, but she liked to get it as dry as possible.

Once she put on her boxer shorts and tank top, she sat on the toilet lid. She put her head in her hands and sighed. Theconversation she’d had with her neighbor Gary had played in her mind while she showered. She’d told him she was waiting for theright oneto come along. This sucked. Why did she have to be having these feelings for a straight woman? One she’d never see after this week.

What was that saying?FML? Fuck my life.Riley shook her head.No.That wasn’t how she rolled. Her life was good. She had a great job, good friends, and a family who loved her. No way did she have the right to feel sorry for herself.

With renewed conviction, she stood. She would allow herself to enjoy Chloe for the rest of the week and forget the attraction that bubbled just under the surface. It was creepy and wrong to be secretly lusting after Chloe. Chloe deserved better.

Riley blotted her hair one last time before she stepped from the bathroom.

“I thought maybe you’d drowned.” Chloe smiled and lowered the book she’d been reading. She was stretched out on her bed, wearing the shorts and T-shirt she’d put on after her shower.

Riley returned the smile. “The water felt good. I didn’t realize how tense I was.” For emphasis, Riley circled her shoulders. “Watching someone drive into a tornado makes for tight muscles.”

“Come here.” Chloe patted the bed in front of her and pulled her legs up under her.

“There?” Riley pointed and hoped her panic didn’t show on her face.

Chloe laughed. “You’ll have to be here if I’m going to get those knots out.”

Riley hesitated. “Um, you don’t have to.” She kneaded her own shoulders. “They’re tight. I don’t want to strain your hands.”

Chloe steepled her fingers and wiggled them. “I work on computers all day, so my fingers are nimble, and my hands are strong.”

“Uh, okay.” Riley tentatively sat on the bed several feet away from Chloe.

“How long do you think my arms are?” Chloe reached out and playfully pushed Riley’s shoulder.

“Oh, sorry.” Riley slid closer to Chloe.

“Keep coming.”

Riley moved closer.

“Perfect.” Chloe put her hands on Riley’s shoulders. “Wow. You are tight.”

Riley tried to relax, but Chloe’s warm hands on her shoulder was making it difficult. She closed her eyes and pretended this was just like a trip to the spa.

“Do you always get so knotted?” Chloe asked.

“Unfortunately.” Riley winced when Chloe pushed on a lump.

Chloe lightened the pressure. “Sorry.”

“No, it’s okay. When I go for a massage, I swear the guy drives his elbow into my back with all his body weight.”

“Ouch.” Chloe pushed a little harder but not as hard as she had been. “I’ll work them out a little more gently than that.”

This was a bad idea, but Chloe’s hands on Riley’s shoulders felt too good for her to stop it.

“I bet you get tense like this a lot, considering your job,” Chloe said.