Riding the Storm (13 page)

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Authors: Brenda Jackson

Tags: #Fiction, #Romance, #Contemporary, #Arts&Photography

BOOK: Riding the Storm
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up
after
him.”

She
opened
her
mouth
to
speak,
but
the
words
wouldn’t

come
out.
His
hand
was
still
on
hers,
holding
it
immobile,

and
she
could
feel
the
sensuous
heat
from
his
touch
all
the
way
down
to
her
toes.
She
pressed
her
lips
together
to
fight
back
the
moan
that
threatened
to
escape.
How
could
he

overpower
her
senses
in
such
a
way
that
she
couldn’t
think
straight?

Frowning,
she
blew
out
an
aggravated
breath
as
she
pulled
her
hand
from
his
and
resumed
what
she
was
doing.
“I
don’t
consider
it
as
cleaning
up
after
you,
Storm.
It’s
an
old
habit.
Whenever
Dad
and
I
ate
together,
I
always
cleared
the

table
afterward.
We
had
a
deal.
He
cooked
and
I
cleaned.”

“Really?”
he
asked,
studying
her
intently
as
his
lips
quirked
into
a
smile.
“And
why
was
that?
Can’t
you
cook?”

She
glanced
up
at
him
and
the
deep
dimples
in
his
cheeks
did
things
to
her
insides
that
were
totally
beyond
her

comprehension.
She
figured
it
would
have
been
a
lot
easier
for
her
to
understand
if
she
wasn’t
a
twenty-six
year
old

virgin.
While
in
college
she’d
almost
gone
all
the
way
with
a
senior
guy
by
the
name
of
Tyrone
Pembrooke.
But
his

roommate
had
returned
unexpectedly,
interrupting
things.

For
her,
it
had
been
fortunate
since
she’d
later
discovered
he
had
made
a
bet
with
his
fraternity
brothers
that
he
would
get
into
her
panties
in
a
week’s
time.
She
had
almost

learned
too
late
that
the
name
the
senior
guys
had
given
the
freshman
girls
was
fresh
meat.

“Yes,
I
can
cook,”
she
finally
answered
Storm.
“Dad
loved
home
cooking.
He
thought
food
wasn’t
worth
eating
if
it

wasn’t
made
from
scratch.
He
just
couldn’t
get
into
those
little
microwave
dinners
that
I
was
an
expert
at
preparing.”

Storm
chuckled
as
he
helped
her
gather
up
the
remaining
items
off
the
table.
“Hey,
I
can
understand
your
father’s
pain
since
I
like
home-cooked
food,
too.”

They
walked
over
to
the
garbage
container
and
tossed
in
their
trash.
“You
cook
for
yourself
every
day?”
Jayla
asked
as
they
headed
toward
the
lower
deck
to
depart.

“No.
Since
my
shifts
run
twenty-four
on
and
forty-eight
off,
I
eat
at
the
station
when
I’m
working
and
the
days
I’m
off
I
eat
at
Chase’s
Place,
my
brother’s
restaurant.”

She
nodded,
remembering
that
his
twin
brother,
Chase

Westmoreland,
owned
a
restaurant
in
downtown
Atlanta.
It
was
a
really
popular
place;
she
had
been
to
it
several
times
and
always
found
the
food
delicious.
She
glanced
down
at
her
watch.
“When
we
get
back
to
the
hotel,
it
will
be
nap

time
for
me.”

“Umm,
not
for
me.
There’s
still
more
for
me
to
see.
I
think
I’ll
go
check
out
that
club
on
Bourbon
Street
that’s
located

right
next
to
the
drugstore.
I
hear
they
have
good

entertainment.”

Jayla
lifted
a
brow.
She
knew
exactly
what
club
he
was

referring
to,
since
a
group
of
the
guys
who’d
also
attended
the
convention
had
visited
there.
And
if
what
she’d
heard

about
it
was
true,
its
only
entertainment
was
of
the

striptease
kind.
She
frowned
wondering
why
the
thought
of
Storm
watching
women
bare
all
bothered
her.
Why
did
men
fail
to
realize
that
there
was
more
to
a
woman
than
what

was
underneath
her
clothes?

“Well,
I
hope
you
enjoy
yourself,”
she
said.
Her
tone
had
been
more
curt
than
she
had
intended.

“Oh,
trust
me,
I
will.”

And
she
knew,
just
as
clearly
as
he’d
said
it,
that
he
would.

Three

S
torm
was
having
a
lousy
time,
but
when
he
glanced
over
at
his
cousin
Ian,
it
was
evident
that
he
was
enjoying

himself.
Ian
had
contacted
him
last
night
and
told
him
that
The
Delta
Princess
would
be
making
a
stop
in
New

Orleans
and
suggested
they
meet
for
drinks
at
this
club.

A
few
seconds
later,
Ian
must
have
felt
him
staring
and
looked
over
at
him.
“What’s
the
matter
with
you,
Storm?”

Storm
decided
to
be
honest.
“I’m
bored.”

Ian
lifted
a
brow.
“How
can
you
be
bored
looking
at
women
take
off
their
clothes?”

He
shrugged.
“It
all
looks
basically
the
same.”

A
smile
curved
the
corners
of
Ian’s
lips.
“Well,
yeah,
I
would
hope
so.”

Storm
couldn’t
help
but
return
the
smile.
He
and
Ian
were
first
cousins—their
fathers
were
brothers.
While
growing
up,
they
had
always
been
close.
They
were
the
same
age
and
one
thing
they’d
always
had
in
common
was
their

appreciation
of
the
opposite
sex.
Storm
wasn’t
surprised
that
his
cousin
thought
the
fact
that
his
lack
of
interest
in
women
stripping
naked
was
strange.

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