Riding the Storm (24 page)

to
start
building
a
defense
to
the
passion
she
aroused
in
him.
He
pulled
on
his
pants
and
did
his
best
to
reorder
his
chaotic
thoughts
and
unruly
emotions.

He
heard
a
sound
and
turned
around.
Jayla
was
standing
in
the
doorway
wearing
one
of
the
hotel’s
complimentary

bathrobes.
His
heart
fluttered
as
he
assessed
her
from

head
to
toe.
She
looked
refreshed.
She
looked
incredible,
blatantly
sexy.
With
a
steadying
breath,
he
asked,
“Why

didn’t
you
call
me
when
you
were
ready
to
get
out
of
the

tub?”

She
smiled
and
his
pulse
kicked
up
a
notch.
“Because

although
I
was
tempted,
it
wouldn’t
be
a
good
idea
to
start
becoming
dependent
on
you.”

For
him,
it
wasn’t
an
issue
of
dependency.
He’d
known
she
could
manage
on
her
own
but
he
had
wanted
to
be
there
to
help
her
anyway.
There
was
something
about
her
that

pulled
at
his
protective
instincts…among
other
things.
“Do
you
feel
better?”

“Yes,”
Jayla
said,
blowing
out
a
ragged
breath
as
her
gaze
roamed
over
him,
noticing
that
he
had
put
his
pants
back
on.
What
a
shame.
She
was
beginning
to
get
used
to

seeing
him
naked.

She
met
his
gaze
again
and
couldn’t
help
but
notice
that
his
eyes
were
dark,
very
dark,
and
her
body’s
reaction
to
it
was

spontaneous.
“I,
ah,
need
to
get
a
nightgown
out
the

drawer,”
she
said
in
a
voice
that
sounded
soft
and
husky
even
to
her
ears.
She
swallowed
deeply
when
he
slowly
crossed
the
room
to
her.

“Have
you
ever
slept
in
the
nude?”
he
said,
reaching
out,
opening
her
robe
and
sliding
his
hands
over
her
bare
skin,
beginning
with
her
waist,
moving
to
her
hips
and
then

reaching
around
to
cup
her
bottom.

“Ah,
no,”
she
said,
barely
getting
the
words
out.

He
gave
her
that
killer
smile.
“Would
you
like
to
try
it?
I
can’t
think
of
anything
I’d
like
better
than
to
have
your
naked
body
next
to
mine
all
night.”

A
small
purring
sound
left
Jayla’s
throat
when
he
leaned

forward
and
his
tongue
licked
the
area
underneath
her
right
ear,
then
the
left.
A
sensuous
shudder
ran
all
through
her,
and
she
thought
that
a
woman
could
definitely
become

dependent
on
his
kind
of
treatment.
And
then
she
ceased
to
think
at
all
when
he
stopped
messing
around
with
her

ears
and
shifted
his
focus,
opening
his
mouth
hotly
over

hers.

Images
of
how
intimate
they’d
been
less
than
an
hour
ago
flooded
her
mind.
They
had
been
together
in
bed
with
him
on
top
of
her,
their
legs
entwined,
their
bodies
connected
while
making
love
the
same
way
they
had
done
numerous

times
in
her
dreams.
But
this
was
no
dream;
it
was
reality.
And
the
scent
of
his
body
heat
and
the
sound
of
his

breathing
while
he
was
kissing
her
did
more
than
stir
up
her
desire;
it
was
stroking
her
with
an
intensity
that
shook
her
to
the
core,
forging
past
those
emotions
she
kept
tightly

guarded.

The
thought
that
Storm
was
seeping
through
the
barriers

she’d
set
around
her
emotions
disturbed
Jayla,
but
she
was
too
absorbed
in
the
way
his
tongue
was
stroking
the

insides
of
her
mouth
to
worry
about
it.
This
kiss
was
so
full
of
greed
and
sensuality
that
she
could
feel
the
air
crackling
around
them,
and
she
was
returning
with
equal
vigor

everything
he
was
putting
into
their
kiss.

And
then
slowly,
reluctantly,
he
pulled
back
and
his
gaze
locked
to
hers.
“So,
do
we
get
naked?”

She
swallowed.
The
huskiness
in
his
voice
made
her
want
to
do
a
lot
more
than
get
naked.
“Yes,”
she
managed
to
get
out
in
a
shaky
breath.

“Good,”
he
murmured,
then
reached
up
and
pushed
the
robe
off
her
shoulders,
letting
it
fall
in
a
heap
at
her
feet.
“Let’s
go
back
to
bed.”

Taking
her
hand
into
his,
he
lifted
it
to
his
lips
and
placed
a
warm
kiss
against
the
center
of
her
palm.
And
then
he

picked
her
up
in
his
arms
and
carried
her
to
the
bed.
He