Chloe blushed again. “Nothing is going on between us,” she said. Her flaming cheeks were giving her away, though, and by the ladies’ looks, they knew she was lying.

“You’ve been here for a bit over two weeks, right?” Stormy said, throwing her off track. Chloe tried to find hidden meaning but couldn’t, so she decided to answer honestly.

“Yes, almost three weeks, working on his knee,” she said, to remind the women she was a professional.

“And you’re sleeping here?” Lindsey questioned, though she obviously knew the answer.

Her cheeks most likely matched the red towel Stormy was drying her hands on. Chloe abhorred how easily her face could be read. If she didn’t prepare carefully before telling a fib, there was no chance of her getting away with it. Since she and Nick had just warmed the sheets the night before, and Chloe hadn’t known his family was coming over, she wasn’t at all prepared. These women were going to eat her alive.

In Chloe’s field, she worked with a lot of men. She didn’t easily make girlfriends, except for Dakota, who was really more of a sister than a friend. She wasn’t used to the gossip circle, and she was becoming more and more uncomfortable by the second.

“I should go and check on the equipment for our session later,” Chloe said, thinking of any excuse to get away.

“Not a chance, woman. It’s more than clear you’re trying to hide something from us. We are masters at getting information,” Stormy told her with a wicked smile.

“Well . . . um . . .” She stopped trying to find another reason to get away and slumped onto the stool. She’d offer to help the women, but her hands were trembling so badly, she was more likely to cut off a finger than prepare food.

“You’ve been here for nearly three weeks, and you’re going to tell us nothing at all is going on?” Stormy pushed. Chloe’s cheeks stayed heated. “With all the sexual energy flashing between you and Nick, I don’t buy it for a moment.”

“He could barely keep his eyes off you while we were standing here. That’s not like Nick at all. He has always been a flirt, but he’s also known to lose attention with the opposite sex pretty dang quickly. I didn’t see any of that today. He looked as if he were about to devour you right in front of us,” Lindsey told her.

“Yeah, I was getting all hot and bothered just being in the room with the two of you,” Stormy added as she fanned her face.

It was more than obvious that she’d better talk or they were going to continue grilling her. She shifted on her seat, feeling increasingly uncomfortable, but also feeling the need to share with someone. Her mouth opened before she could think twice about it.

“Some things might have happened-very recently,” she said. The girls grinned at her. “But it’s not going to continue. I’m a professional and I’m only here to get him back into top shape so he can get on with his career. I’ll be gone within the month and we won’t ever see each other again.”

She felt conviction in her words, even if she did feel a pinch of regret at saying them. She wasn’t exactly sure how she felt about never seeing Nick again. He wasn’t who she’d originally thought him to be, but that was only because she didn’t know a lot about him. She enjoyed his company, and really enjoyed his touch. But it was so wrong. She had to remember that. Until she knew for sure whether he was guilty of killing her brother, any sympathy or love she felt toward the man was a betrayal of Patrick.

Even as she had those thoughts, though, she looked at his sisters-in-law and wondered how bad a man he could be, how bad the entire family could be, when they inspired such loyalty. The two brothers were married to what seemed to be intelligent, kind, beautiful women. Could they be as evil as she’d been told they were and still have such sweet wives? It was beginning to not make any sense at all.

“You totally want him, don’t you?” Stormy said, her attention fully focused on Chloe. “Don’t worry, I won’t go and tell him. Just be honest with me,” she coerced.

“We promise what happens in the girl circle stays in the girl circle,” Lindsey said, holding up her hand as if she were under oath. Chloe let out a sigh and couldn’t help but smile at the two women as they waited for her response.

“It might have been the best sexual experience I’ve ever had,” she admitted, much to the glee of the two women who smiled huge grins. “But he also drives me insane. He’s bossy, and cocky, and flirts nonstop while I’m trying to do my job. If my body would learn to listen to my brain, I wouldn’t be in such a mess right now.”

Stormy and Lindsey laughed, and Chloe sent them a stern look, which only made them laugh that much harder.

“Okay, okay, sorry, but you’ve only just met our husbands,” Lindsey said in between giggles. “Trust me, that attitude runs through all the Armstrong men. But underneath all their chest-puffing lay truly amazing men who would rather die than let someone they love get hurt.”

Her words sent a pang through Chloe’s chest. If what she was saying was true, then there was no way Nick could be responsible for the crash that had taken her brother’s life. But did Stormy and Lindsey know Nick as well as they were professing to?

“What’s wrong?” Lindsey asked, stepping up to her and taking her hand before Chloe knew what she was doing. “We’re just giving you a hard time and maybe a little bit of advice. I will tell you that Mav was there for me in my darkest hours. His brothers were right by his side. I would trust those men with this baby I’m carrying, with my own life, with the lives of all the people I love. The boys are a pain in the butt sometimes, but they have hearts the size of Texas. If you’re afraid of being hurt, don’t be. Nick is a lot of talk and no real bite.”