Riding the Storm (3 page)

She
remembered
another
time
their
gazes
had
connected
in
such
a
way.
It
had
been
last
year,
when
the
men
at
the

fire
station
had
given
her
father
a
surprise
birthday
party.

She
distinctively
remembered
Storm
standing
across
the
room
talking
to
someone
and
then
suddenly
turning,
locking
his
gaze
with
hers
as
if
he
were
actually
seeing
her
for
the
first
time.
The
episode
had
been
brief,
but
earth-tilting
for
her
nonetheless.

“Your
father
was
a
very
special
man,
Jayla,
and
he
meant
a
lot
to
me,”
he
said
softly
before
releasing
his
grip
and

taking
a
step
back.

She
nodded,
putting
how
intense
Storm’s
nearness
made
her
feel
to
the
back
of
her
mind
while
holding
back
the
tears
that
always
flooded
her
eyes
whenever
she
thought
of

losing
her
father
to
pancreatic
cancer.
He
had
died
within
three
months
of
the
condition
being
diagnosed.

Although
while
growing
up
she
had
thought
he
was
too

authoritative
at
times,
he
had
been
a
loving
father.
“And
you
meant
a
lot
to
him,
as
well,
Storm,”
she
said,
through
the

tightness
in
her
throat.
“You
were
the
son
he
never
had.”

She
watched
him
inhale
deeply
and
knew
that
her
words
had
touched
him.

“Promise
that
if
you
ever
need
anything
that
you’ll
call
me.”

She
sighed,
knowing
she
would
have
to
lie
to
him
for
a

second
time
that
day.
“I
will,
Storm.”

Evidently
satisfied
with
her
answer,
he
turned
and
walked
away.
She
watched,
transfixed,
trying
to
ignore
how
the

solid
muscles
of
his
body
yielded
beneath
the
material
of
his
shirt
and
pants.
The
last
thought
that
came
into
her
mind
before
he
stepped
into
the
elevator
was
that
he
certainly

did
have
a
great-looking
butt.

When
the
elevator
door
swooshed
shut,
Storm
leaned
back
against
the
back
wall
to
get
his
bearings.
Seeing
Jayla

Cole
had
had
one
hell
of
an
effect
on
him.
She
had
been

cute
and
adorable
at
sixteen,
but
over
the
years
she
had

grown
into
the
most
breathtaking
creature
he’d
ever
set
his
eyes
on.

“Jayla.”
He
said
her
name
softly,
drawing
out
the
sound
with
a
deep,
husky
sigh.
He
would
never
forget
the
time
Adam
had
invited
him
to
dinner
to
celebrate
Jayla’s
return
to

Atlanta
from
college.
It
was
supposed
to
have
been
a
very
simple
and
quiet
affair
and
had
ended
up
being
far
from
it.
He
had
walked
into
the
house
and
felt
as
if
someone
had

punched
him
in
the
stomach.
The
air
had
miraculously
been
sucked
from
his
lungs.

Jayla
had
become
a
woman,
a
very
beautiful
and
desirable
woman,
and
the
only
thing
that
had
kept
him
from
adding

her
to
his
To
Do
list
was
the
deep
respect
he’d
had
for
her
father.
But
that
hadn’t
kept
her
from
occasionally
creeping
into
his
dreams
at
night
or
from
being
the
lone
person
on
his
Would
Definitely
Do
If
I
Could
list.

He
sighed
deeply.
She
had
the
most
luscious
pair
of

whiskey-colored
eyes
he’d
ever
seen,
medium
brown
hair
that
shimmered
with
strands
of
golden
highlights
and
skin
the
color
of
creamy
cocoa.
He
thought
the
entire

combination
went
far
beyond
classic
beauty.
And
he
hadn’t
been
able
to
ignore
just
how
good
her
body
looked
in
the
shorts
and
tank
top
she’d
been
wearing
and
how
great

she’d
smelled.
He
hadn’t
recognized
the
fragrance
and

he’d
thought
he
knew
them
all.

She
had
actually
trembled
when
he’d
reached
out
and

touched
her
hand.
He’d
felt
it
and
her
responsiveness
to
his
touch
had
given
his
body
a
jump-start.
It
had
taken

everything
within
him
to
pretend
he
wasn’t
affected
by
her.
Since
he
was
thirty-two,
he
calculated
that
Jayla
was
now
twenty-six.
She
was
now
a
full-grown
woman.
All
woman.

But
still
there
was
something
about
her
that
radiated
an

innocence
he’d
seldom
found
in
women
her
age.
It
was
her
innocence
that
confused
him
most.
He
was
an
ace
at

figuring
out
women,
but
there
was
something
about
her
that
left
him
a
bit
mystified
and
he
couldn’t
shake
the
feeling.

But
one
thing
he
was
certain
about—as
far
as
he
was

concerned,
Jayla
was
still
off-limits.