Riding the Storm (2 page)

take
in
the
sights.
I
haven’t
been
to
New
Orleans
in
over
five
years.”

He
smiled
and
it
was
a
smile
that
made
her
insides
feel

jittery.
“I
was
here
a
couple
of
years
ago
and
totally
enjoyed
myself,”
he
said.

She
couldn’t
help
wondering
if
he’d
come
with
a
woman
or
if
he’d
made
the
trip
with
his
brothers.
Everyone
who’d
lived
in
the
Atlanta
area
for
an
extended
period
of
time
was

familiar
with
the
Westmoreland
brothers—Dare,
Thorn,

Stone,
Chase
and
Storm.
Their
only
sister,
Delaney,
who

was
the
youngest
of
the
siblings,
had
made
news
a
couple
years
ago
when
she
married
a
desert
sheikh
from
the

Middle
East.

Dare
Westmoreland
was
a
sheriff
in
a
suburb
of
Atlanta

called
College
Park;
Thorn
was
well-known
nationally
for

the
motorcycles
he
raced
and
built;
Stone,
who
wrote
under
the
pen
name
of
Rock
Mason,
was
a
national
bestselling

author
of
action-thriller
novels
and
Chase,
Storm’s
fraternal
twin,
owned
a
soul-food
restaurant
in
downtown
Atlanta.

“So
how
long
do
you
plan
on
staying?”
she
asked.

“My
meeting
ended
today.
Like
you,
I
plan
on
staying
until
Sunday
to
take
in
the
sights
and
to
eat
my
fill
of
Cajun

food.”

His
words
had
sounded
so
husky
and
sexy
she
could

actually
feel
her
throat
tighten.

“How
would
you
like
to
join
me
for
dinner?”

Jayla
blinked,
not
sure
she
had
heard
him
correctly.
“Excuse
me?”

He
gave
her
what
had
to
be
his
Perfect
Storm
sexy
smile.
“I
said
how
would
you
like
to
join
me
for
dinner?
I
haven’t

seen
you
since
Adam’s
funeral,
and
although
we’ve
talked
briefly
on
the
phone
a
couple
of
times
since
then,
I’d
love
to
sit
and
chat
with
you
to
see
how
you’ve
been
doing.”

A
part
of
her
flinched
inside.
His
words
reminded
her
of
the
promise
he
had
made
to
her
father
before
he’d
died—
that
if
she
ever
needed
anything,
he
would
be
there
for
her.
She
didn’t
relish
the
thought
of
another
domineering
man
in
her
life,
especially
one
who
reminded
her
so
much
of
her
father.
The
reason
Storm
and
Adam
Cole
had
gotten
along
so
well
was
because
they’d
thought
a
lot
alike.

“Thanks
for
the
offer,
but
I’ve
already
made
plans
for
later,”
she
said,
lying
through
her
teeth.

It
seemed
that
turning
down
his
offer
didn’t
faze
him
one
bit.
He
merely
shrugged
his
shoulders
before
checking
his

watch.
“All
right,
but
if
you
change
your
mind
give
me
a
call.
I’m
in
Room
536.”

“Thanks,
I’ll
do
that.”

He
looked
at
her
and
smiled.
“It
was
good
seeing
you

again,
Jayla,
and
if
you
ever
need
anything
don’t
hesitate
to
call
me.”

If
he
really
believed
she
would
call
him,
then
he
didn’t
know
her
at
all,
Jayla
quickly
thought.
Her
father
may
have
thought
of
Storm
as
a
son,
but
she’d
never
considered
him
a

brother.
In
her
mind,
he
had
been
the
guy
who
could
make
her
all
hot
and
bothered;
the
guy
who
was
the
perfect

figment
of
a
teenage
girl’s
imagination.
He
had
been
real,
bigger
than
life
and
for
two
solid
years
before
leaving

Atlanta
to
attend
college,
he
had
been
the
one
person
who
had
consumed
all
of
her
thoughts.

When
she
returned
home
four
years
ago,
she
had
still
found
him
totally
irresistible,
but
it
didn’t
take
long
to
realize
that
he
still
wouldn’t
give
her
the
time
of
day.

“And
it
was
good
seeing
you
again,
too,
Storm.
Just
in

case
we
don’t
run
into
each
other
again
while
we’re
here,
I
hope
you
have
a
safe
trip
back
to
Atlanta,”
she
said,
hoping
she
sounded
a
lot
more
excited
than
she
actually
felt.

“And
I
ditto
that
for
you,”
he
said.
He
surprised
her
when
he
grasped
her
fingers
and
held
them
firmly.
She’d
shivered

for
a
second
before
she
could
stop
herself.
His
touch
had

been
like
a
shock.
She
couldn’t
help
noticing
how
strong
his
hand
was,
and
his
gaze
was
deep
and
intent.