Page 138 of Through the Storms
“Several times, but if you don’t want to, it’s okay.” Riley reached for the flash drive.
There was something Riley wasn’t saying. “With you here, I think it’ll be less frightening.” Chloe inserted the drive.
They watched in silence as dramatic music boomed from the speakers, and the title page flowed across the screen.Two Trees Tornado Adventure for Chloe Crawford.
Chloe smiled. “Nice touch.”
The first footage was of her carrying her luggage into the building.Damn.She’d not remembered a cameraman being there. While capturing the trip, he’d truly been a ghost.
She watched in stunned silence as reel after reel showed her adventure. In most of the shots, Riley was right beside her. It wasn’t the amount of time she’d spent with Riley that took her aback, it was something else.Chemistry?Their connection sizzled on the screen.
Chloe thought back to the dark place she’d been when she’d arrived at Two Trees, but what she saw on the screen told a different story. In most of the frames, she was smiling or laughing. Her eyes were full of life.
The video rolled, but the speed slowed. It was shot during the night of the Oakanator celebration. The night they’d slept together. In slow motion, the camera did a three hundred sixty-five-degree panorama. It started on Riley’s face. The fire in Riley’s eyes caused Chloe’s heart rate to rise. Surely, it was a trick of the lighting. As the camera circled to Chloe, she gasped. Her cheeks burned. She’d never seen a look like that on her own face. She pulled at the collar of her shirt. It had suddenly gotten extremely warm.
As the image and music faded, Chloe swallowed hard. It must have been Photoshopped. No way could she have had such hunger in her eyes. Sure, since less than two hours later, she’d thrown herself at Riley and had the most incredible sex of her life.
After the screen went black, Riley said, “Brings back memories.”
A bittersweet pain gripped Chloe. Her first reaction was to bolt from the room, but instead, she closed the laptop, stood, and took several steps away from the couch. “Good memories?” Chloe asked, knowing it wasn’t a fair question.
The line in Riley’s forehead deepened, and pain filled her eyes. She rose from the couch and faced Chloe. “Yeah, mostly good.”
“And the bad?”
Riley shook her head. “No. There was nothing bad.”
“I hurt you.”
“I hurt me,” Riley said immediately.
“What does that mean?”
“I met this incredible woman.” Riley gave her a half smile.
“Oh.” Chloe’s heart dropped. Riley had met someone else. The pain in Chloe’s chest nearly took her breath away. The reaction was stronger than she would have believed possible.
“I met her during a tornado chase, and I haven’t been the same since.”
Chloe’s heart raced as she absorbed Riley’s meaning. “What do you plan to do about it?”
“I don’t know. I’m not sure what she wants.”
“What do you want?”
Tears welled in Riley’s eyes. “If I say it, I’m afraid my heart might get ripped out again.”
“I think she’d be gentle.” Chloe stepped toward Riley.
“But how will I know what she feels?” Riley moved a step closer.
“She feels terrible.” Chloe took a half step.
“But how does she feel about me? About that night in the hotel?”
Could Chloe tell the truth? She closed her eyes, knowing it was the only way she could do it. “It was one of the best days of her life. But she’s scared.”
“Scared?”
