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“Yes, sir, I am.”
“Romantic dinner first. Seven o’ clock.”
She inhaled deeply. This was going to be more difficult than she thought. “Sorry, no dating. And definitely no romance.”
He shrugged. “Then no sex.”
“What?” she snapped, louder than she meant. Chloe cringed as people glanced in their direction. She leaned forward, lowering her voice. “You can’t be serious.”
“I’m completely serious, sweetheart. You give me what I want, and I’ll give you what you want.”
She gritted her teeth. “That’s blackmail.”
“It’s only blackmail if you really need something and I’m withholding it for my own gain… So yeah, I guess you’re right.” He smiled. “It is blackmail.”
He was being cute now because he knew how badly she needed his body. It’d been four months, and last night’s welcome back had only awakened her need. And now he was right in front of her—her own personal gourmet cupcake—teasing her with terms she wouldn’t fulfill.
Cheat at his rules or make your own…
She eyed him and raised her chin. “You wanna play, city boy? Looks like we’ll see who will outlast whom.” She ran her eyes over his impressive body—he was looking her up and down right back. “Seems I’m not the only one with a drooling problem.”
His eyes darted to hers. Finally, she had some kind of upper hand. Yes, he wanted romance, but he also wanted her. And she knew enough of his ticks to tempt the roughened man into seeing things her way.
She leaned over the bar, her cleavage all but spilling out over the top of her tank—Gage’s gaze dropped right where she wanted it—and she grinned.
“Like it or not, we both know last night wasn’t enough,” she said. “You want more, like I do. You want to blackmail me? Fine. But don’t think I won’t retaliate.”
He leaned in until his mouth was hovering over hers. “I expect nothing less.”
That stubborn, sexy woman was driving him insane. It was only his third day back in town, and he was already busting at the seams of both his patience and his damn pants.
“Here is an example of stomped-on underbrush,” Gage said to the team of search and rescue volunteers. East—his closest friend, besides Chloe—was at his side, helping him educate the new volunteers for basic training. The fun stuff would come later in the week, when they’d take the main team to the next level of Sartec training. He had to get his shit together quick or he wouldn’t be able to do his job.
Yesterday at the bar, Chloe had made it clear she was going to fight him on this romance idea. She knew what she was doing to him, and part of him liked the challenge. He wanted to know her more, and not just because she was different, sassy, and equipped with enough attitude to whip him so hard he could taste it. But when the rope had loosened and his grip had slipped—when he’d started falling—he’d thought of her.
Her eyes. Her face. How she looked so damn beautiful in the early morning light before sunrise. He’d spent hours watching shadows play over her face as she slept, and he always hated watching the clock count down to the end of their amazing weekends.
Did she miss him? Were the few details they knew about each other enough for her? It wasn’t enough for him—not even close. He wanted more of her, in every way—and he wanted her to know him back. Because she was the closest thing to an honest-to-God connection he had.
He needed to know if a relationship was even possible. Sure, it’d be long distance, but he’d come back here whenever he could if he had Chloe to come home to.
He didn’t want to think about what he’d do if this gambit failed. When it came to an S&R, he was prepared for the worst. When it came to being rejected by the one woman he’d ever wanted? He didn’t know what he’d do. Fortunately, he had a group of trainees to take his mind off Chloe.
He pointed to the shrubs and the ground. “The prints and the broken bushes show someone came through here.”
The volunteers nodded, and East looked them over while Gage gave his lecture. The local team was a damn fine one, but with the new recruits coming in, they needed to get up to speed quickly. There were a lot of acres in the area to cover, and Beaufort’s S&R team handled the greater Carolina area. As soon as an S&R call came in, he’d be out there saving people, but in the meantime, he’d be damned if he didn’t make sure these new recruits were beyond ready for duty.
“Let’s call it a day,” East said.
Gage didn’t argue. It was broaching sundown, and he was ready for dinner…which he’d be having alone, apparently. He hadn’t stopped thinking of Chloe for a damn second. She was right, he wanted her. Bad.
“You all right?” East asked. “You look like someone pissed in your Wheaties.”
Gage scoffed. “Nope, just a certain woman pissing me off is all.”
East nodded.
“Yeah, I’ve known Chloe for a long time,” East said. “You sure you know what you’re doing? She can be vicious when she wants something.”
