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He glanced between them. Chloe wasn’t interested in standing around. Her eyes stung, and Gage, with his big shoulders and muscly arms, looked too huggable for her to stay. Especially since she needed a hug then. The exact kind of need she couldn’t allow herself to feel.
“Bye,” she said quickly and hustled off. The bar was the beacon at the end of the street, and she was almost there. She had to toughen up. Certain things couldn’t be changed: her mother was gone, her father had long ago disappeared, and she’d missed the paper she was dying to see.
This was why she tried not to care about things…because disappointment usually followed.
“You’re rocking one sour look.” Natalie sipped her milkshake at the bar as the night wound down. “This is delicious. Maybe you should make yourself one to cheer you up.”
“It’s an adult twist on a s’mores milkshake. Marshmallow vodka,” Chloe said. She couldn’t cook for shit, but she could make some awesome drinks.
“So, so good.” Natalie slurped up the last of it through her straw. “But seriously, what’s going on? You’ve been mopey all day.”
“Just a lot on my mind.” Like the article. Like Gage. The more she thought about him, the more she wished she didn’t, because it was consuming. She’d waited for him to show up tonight…and he hadn’t. Of course, she hadn’t invited him to come to the bar. And he hadn’t said he would. Yet here she was waiting for him.
She felt like she had rocks on her chest—God, she was worse than a teen waiting for her crush to call.
Why had she gone out with him? She should have stuck to sex, but no, he’d insisted and she’d given in to the date and romance. And now she was pining.
“I hate this feeling,” she whispered. Hope was a dangerous thing, and so was wanting too much. Chloe had learned early on that people always leave, so it was best not to get attached. Yet right now, the one guy pursuing her was doing what she wanted—staying away. And it hurt anyway.
Truth was, she didn’t want him to stay away—but she didn’t want him too close.
“You thinking about the hottie in camo?” Natalie said.
“Kind of.”
Natalie smiled. “Sometimes admitting what you want isn’t so bad.”
“It’s more complicated than that.”
“Yeah, he wants to spend time with you out of the sack, only to get you back in the sack when you’re done. Isn’t that all…good?”
“You’d think so.” But it wasn’t. Not for Chloe. She wanted to maintain some level of indifference—it was safer, even if she had to fake it. Being the fantasy and a little unobtainable kept people interested longer. And she wanted Gage to stay interested. But if it became too real, all their stuff would come out—emotions. The kind that came with claws and wanted to attach to things.
“What would be so bad?” Natalie said. “You may like him.”
“I do like him,” Chloe countered. “That’s not the problem.”
“Oh, I see. You don’t want to like him too much.”
Chloe nodded. “Something like that.” It was the first time she’d admitted it out loud.
“Ladies.”
Chloe’s heart leaped out of her chest as she turned and saw the owner of the voice. Gage. He was here—he’d come after all. And the only thing that matched her happiness at him showing up was realizing how sad she would have felt if he hadn’t.
Gage walked up to the bar with a small box under his arm.
“You really are stalking me,” she said, trying for mock irritation.
“Hard to call it stalking when everyone knows you work here. Not exactly detective work, sweetheart.” He dropped the box on the counter.
Natalie hopped up and winked at Chloe as she scurried to the bathroom. Her friend wasn’t exactly subtle.
“What’s in the box?” she asked Gage.
He rested an arm over the top. “It’s for you.”
“If it’s a severed head I’m going to be pissed.”
