Page 27 of Finding Chloe

It took everything in me not to let out a moan.

She wanted this.

“What was it like growing up here?” I asked, swallowing the lump in my throat. “I know you can ride. Did you ever compete or did you just ride for pleasure?” I needed to get us talking about something else.

“This almost feels like twenty questions.”

“Twenty questions?” I tilted my head.

“Hunter.” That one word was all she had to say. He’d told me this was how their first interaction went, and I loved that I was getting the same chance with Chloe.

“He loves his games,” I nodded. “So let’s play then.”

“Okay, but the questions have to be good. Nowhat’s your favorite color.” She pointed at me with her fork.

“Sounds fair. Ladies first.” The corner of my mouth ticked up.

She rubbed her hands together and smiled. “What was your first horse?”

“Hmm, getting into the juicy stuff,” I laughed, caught off guard. “My first horse was a massive off-the-track thoroughbred. His name was Gladiator. Way too much for a ten-year-old to handle, but my father didn’t care. He pushed me hard, especially after my mom died. That horse nearly killed me more than once.”

I immediately noticed the expression of horror on Chloe’s face.

“Kyle…”

“Don’t worry. It all worked out in the end. It was what brought me here—the drive and push to be the best for him.” I shrugged. “It also gave me the urge to get away. Sometimes he pushed too hard, and no matter what I did, it was never enough. I miss Gladiator sometimes, but Casper was the one I started competing on. He was my favorite.”

A soft smile stretched across her face. “Your turn.”

I thought about my question. I wanted to choose something that gave me a better insight into Chloe.

“What did you want to be when you grew up?” I rested my elbow on the table, setting my chin in my palm.

“A champion barrel racer. Travel the country to different rodeos and win buckles. My friends Holly and Lacey had their own horses, but I couldn’t compete on my grandparents’ horses, so I never got further than messing around. Once we hit high school, things changed. Less time for riding and more studying.”

My heart broke for the young Chloe. “Do you think you’ll ever get your own horse?”

“I’d love to get one, but that may never happen.” Her eyebrows furrowed, and she looked at her nearly empty plate.

“Well, I hope you eventually have one of your own.” I placed my hand over hers, running my thumb along the back of it.

Chloe trembled beneath my touch and leaned closer to me.

We finished the last of our dinner and asked each other more questions. She once cheated on a test but then felt so bad about it, she told her teacher. The only thing she liked about New York was Central Park, because it was the “tiny piece of green heaven in the concrete world.” And she once had a crush on Caleb and Andrew growing up. That one didn’t surprise me as much as I thought it would.

I cleared our plates and returned with brownies, but instead of sitting across from her, I took the bench next to her. I slid the gooey, chocolatey dessert in front of her. She shifted a little toface me, brushing her leg against mine. The heat from her body seeped through my jeans, surprising me with how comforting it felt to be with her like this.

Chloe pinched off a chunk of her brownie and lifted it to her mouth. I watched as it disappeared, leaving a crumb on her lip. When her tongue swiped to catch it, my cock jerked.

“Mmmm.” Her moan had me sporting a semi until she sucked and licked her fingers clean of all chocolate.

And I went rock hard.

“Sorry.” Chloe caught me staring and blushed. “I love Jessie’s brownies. I made her teach me the recipe, so I’d know her secret ingredients.”

“Umm.” I was lost for words.

Chloe smiled and reached for my face. Her thumb swiped the corner of my mouth. I wanted to grab her hand and lick the crumb off her thumb, but I couldn’t do that. We’d had a great dinner, talking and enjoying each other’s company. I was too nervous to do anything. It’d been too long since I’d had physical interaction with a woman and I feared I’d mess everything up.

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