Page 78 of Through the Storms

“Screw them.” Chloe’s eyes flashed. “You should never be ashamed of your story.”

“Thank you.”

“But how did your dad become your dad?”

“Oh, yeah.” Riley laughed. “I suppose I left that part out. When my mom went into the hospital, I had to go to foster care. She didn’t have any family, and they weren’t going to put me withhisfamily. The universe was smiling on me. My dad’s mom, who later became my grandma, did foster care, so he pulled a few strings to get me in her care.”

Riley smiled at the memory. “Like I said, he’d taken a liking to me. I always tease my mom that he fell in love with me before he did her.”

“He ended up with your mom? I thought maybe you just called him your dad.”

“Nope, he’s my dad. I’ve got the adoption papers to prove it.” Riley winked. “And my mom has the marriage license.”

“Tell me the rest?”

“He told us that he couldn’t get either of us from his mind. Of course, he saw me at his mom’s, but about two weeks after it happened, he began visiting my mom in the hospital. He wasthere for her every step of the way while she went through rehab.”

“Aww. This is like a Hallmark movie.”

“Might be a tad violent for Hallmark. Maybe Lifetime.” Riley smirked.

“Oh, yeah, you have a point.” Chloe cocked her head. “But I thought you told me you grew up on a farm, so I figured your dad was a farmer.”

“He is. About a year after everything happened, he quit the force and bought a farm. He swears he was called to be a cop just to find us. But afterward, he found he couldn’t do it anymore. Every time he went on a call, it’d bring back the day he found my mother lying in a pool of blood on the floor. The pain and fear in her eyes, and he had to quit.”

Chloe stared into Riley’s eyes for several seconds before she spoke. “Thank you. Thank you for sharing your story with me.”

“Thank you for listening,” Riley said. “And more importantly, thank you for making me feel that there’s no shame in my story.”

“May I hug you?” Chloe asked.

“I’d like that.” Riley stood and opened her arms.

CHAPTER 29

Chloe ran her handover the firm muscles in Riley’s shoulders. No doubt she spent countless hours in the gym to have arms like this. What was wrong with her? She was supposed to be comforting Riley after Riley’s heart-wrenching story, but instead, Chloe was ogling her physique.

Riley’s strong arms engulfed Chloe. As the embrace continued, their bodies pressed firmly into each other, and Chloe’s much larger breasts pushed against Riley’s chest.

Maybe she should let go, but she didn’t want to. She allowed her hands to move down Riley’s body to her lower back. Riley let out a soft moan as Chloe rubbed the area just above the waistband of Riley’s shorts.

No, that couldn’t have been a moan, could it? Maybe Chloe had accidentally hit a sore spot.

Riley’s hands had remained stationary until Chloe’s had moved lower. Now Riley’s hand had snaked under Chloe’s hair and caressed Chloe’s neck.

No.It couldn’t be caressing. Riley was simply rubbing her neck to loosen the tension.

Chloe fought the urge to let her hand go any lower, despite wanting to feel what she believed would be Riley’s firm buttocks. She left her hands where they were and focused on the rest of her body.That was a mistake because now she was aware of her own rock-hard nipples.Focus.She couldn’t think of her body or Riley’s. She turned her thoughts to her head that rested against Riley’s shoulder.

She opened her eyes and took two deep breaths. Her face was turned toward the wall, so she couldn’t see Riley, but she needed to. She closed her eyes, pulled back slightly, and twisted her head. When she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was a vein throbbing in Riley’s neck.Oh, god.Since when could a vein be sexy?

Chloe stared at the vein, and her breath came out more rapidly. Riley stiffened.Oh, shit.Was her warm breath assaulting Riley’s neck? By the way the vein throbbed harder, Chloe suspected it was.

Chloe should step back and let go, but the tiny vein had her mesmerized. She wanted to touch it. Touch it with her tongue. With her lips.Oh, good lord.What was wrong with her?

Jesus.Riley’s thumb brushed the indentation right behind Chloe’s ear. Did Riley know that spot drove Chloe crazy? No, she couldn’t possibly know, but Riley’s finger continued its slow seductive circles.

The sensation increased Chloe’s heart rate. She needed to do something, anything. She couldn’t just stand here with all her nerve endings firing at once.