Page 11 of Finding Chloe

“Really?”

I nodded. “I’ve been trying to find you since that day. I never even got your last name, kitten.” I couldn’t hide the hurt in my voice. Overwhelmed with all the emotions racing through me, I rested my forehead on hers so she couldn’t see it on my face. I hated that she didn’t trust me, but the fault was entirely mine.She was right. She didn’t know me well enough after one night. But I also didn’t know I’d fall for her so hard so fast.

“It’s Greene. My last name is Greene,” Chloe said softly.

“Chloe Greene. I like the sound of that. Now, I need your phone number.” I slipped my cell from my pocket and handed it to her. Her fingers flew across the screen as she typed in her number and handed it back, where I promptly saved it asKitten.

“How about we get something to eat?”

“I can’t. I have dinner with the girls tonight.” Her lips turned down at the corners.

“Tomorrow, then.” I wouldn’t let her walk away before making sure I had firm plans to see her again.

“Hunter…” She paused, her face lined with worry. “I need you to know something. I’m kind of… casually seeing Matt.”

My stomach dropped, but I shook it off the best I could. This wasn’t news.

“What would happen if you were casually seeing me too?”

Her eyes flickered in surprise. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

“That kiss said otherwise. How about you think on it, and I’ll see you for dinner tomorrow?”

“I don’t want to hurt him.” She worried her lip between her teeth.

“It’s just dinner.” It wasn’t, but I needed to ease her into this, and I respected her honesty.

“Okay. Just dinner. Tomorrow.” Chloe smiled, and my heart soared. I was going to make this work.

MATT

Seriously, how many Hunters were there in the world and why was the Hunter Chloe dreaming about the one I worked with?

I hadn’t thought anything of it when she’d moaned his name at night. I knew she didn’t have a boyfriend, but I didn’t know who this Hunter guy was to her. Only that this imagined guy made her hot and bothered. And I was the one who got to take the pleasure of it when she woke up.

Now I knew he was real.

I couldn’t fucking believe the Chloe Hunter was going on and on about since September was my Chloe. Except she wasn’tmyChloe. We were having a good time while she was in town just like always, but lately… I’d realized I wanted something more.

I watched Hunter unload his tack from his trailer. He and Kyle were talking with Liam, and I could see him glance toward the big house every few minutes.

My face ignited, heat rolled from the top of my head to my chest, and my heart started to race. The pounding in my ears drowned out everything else.

He could wait all he wanted, but Chloe was with me. I was the one who had the right to be waiting for her to return. I shouldbe the first to hear her news about her meeting and how it went. She’d been sleeping in my bed for days now… and on and off for the last few years.

Jealousy had a hard grip on me. It didn’t matter that I wasn’t her boyfriend. I still had boyfriend-status expectations. I needed to let her know how I felt sooner rather than later. I’d been taking my time, knowing she had to finish school before I approached her about wanting more. I was letting us progress casually, wanting to be sure about us before we jumped into a relationship.

My time had run out.

“Why do you look like you want to hurt someone?” Caleb and Andrew casually leaned against the side of the barn, one on each side of me.

“I can’t even tell who he’s staring at.” Of course the two of them would find me. It wasn’t like I was hiding or anything, and they were my friends.

“Do you think Thomas would hate me if I kicked Hunter’s ass?” I hadn’t meant to say it out loud, but now I had the twins’ undivided attention. They turned to face me, stepping in front of me to block my view.

“What happened?” Caleb asked.

“Explain,” Andrew demanded.

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