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Gage, however, hadn’t stopped smiling.
“What’s up with you?” Dex asked.
“Just a good day.”
Dex wanted to punch his friend. Must be nice being so on top of the fucking world. Clearly he’d need more caffeine if he wanted rainbows to shoot out of his ass like his buddy over there.
“Well, then I’ll let you get back to your day. Just need my recertification signed by you,” Dex said. Then he could get back to doing what he loved. Getting out in the woods. Being with his team. Searching, training, and all things that didn’t smell like lilacs or require purses.
“Sorry, buddy, can’t sign off on your recertification.”
“Why the hell not. I did your class bullshit.”
“Yeah, you did. For twelve hours. You need eighteen of training a ‘new recruit’ to count.”
“You’ve got to be shitting me. Dealing with that woman counts for time and a half, so that’s eighteen hours.”
“Sorry,” Gage said with a smile, not sorry at all. “You need six more hours. So I suggest you get on that before your papers are due in the next two weeks.”
Dex clenched his teeth because technically he’d already “gotten on that” when it came to Michelle. Now he had to go to her and spend another six hours training her? No. Not a good idea. Mostly because all he could think about was that damn list of hers. She was clearly on some kind of self-reliant explorative mission of sorts. And he was wondering how many fantasies she’d gotten to check off after last night. He also wanted to see what was left on this list… Maybe he could help her check off a few more…
No! Bad idea.
One night was bad enough. Two? She’d just walk away again. And he’d be left alone in his sleeping bag, nothing to hold on to but his own dick.
“I can train someone else,” Dex said.
“Great,” Gage agreed. “Since they’d be considered a new recruit, you have to start over. So eighteen hours it is.”
“What?” Dex snapped. “It’s either six with the woman or start from scratch?” Christ, he didn’t know which one would be more difficult, but he didn’t want to toss the hard-earned hours he’d already put in with Michelle. She’d be a challenge in a totally different way.
“What the hell am I supposed to teach her that I didn’t last night?” His words hit him, and he choked back a grin. He had taught Perfect-Ass Barbie a thing or two last night, and damn, those memories were still fresh. His skin was buzzing from where she’d touched him. And he knew he was a fibbing son of a bitch because he could damn well teach her a lot more.
That list will haunt me for the rest of my days…
“You’ll figure it out,” Gage said. “Surely you couldn’t have taught her everything you know in one night.”
Again, Dex held back a grin. Yeah…he had a few more things he’d like to show the uptight, classy woman about getting dirty. As if Gage could read his face, he finished with, “About wilderness survival.”
“Of course. Wilderness survival,” Dex repeated innocently.
Six hours.
Oh, the things he could teach her in that time.
But first, he had to find her.
Michelle had showered, taken extra time getting dressed, had a much needed cup of coffee, and now was getting ready to head to her boutique. Thank goodness she ran the shop, because she was going to be two minutes late at this point.
Last night had been surprising. And this morning had been cold. But she’d been awake since four a.m., and even though she’d taken an extra few minutes in the shower, it had done nothing to warm her. She hadn’t been warm since she’d left Gage a few hours ago.
She fastened her hair back and looked herself over in the mirror. She looked the same. Except the flush in her cheeks and the sparkle in her eyes over the knowledge she’d done something…adventurous. Something the old her never would have done.
But the man was a one-night kind of guy. He’d made that clear.
And hell, she was a one-night kind of girl now. Wasn’t that the point? Getting tied down to a man would just lead to her repeating the same mistakes.
She flipped her notebook straight to the sexy list. She’d crossed off a few fantasies. Thanks to G.I. Joe, she’d had sex outside, in positions that were new to her. Now her imagination was going. She grabbed a pen and scribbled down some more fantasies and ideas. Not that she was going to chase these wants with Dex. No, he was brooding and cocky, and she’d finished her training. She’d completed the first step in her independence and was not interested in hanging out with anyone who would tie her down—
