Tell Me You Need Me (Search and Seduce #1)(16)

Gage crossed his arms. “She won’t even go on a date with me. You want me to tell her she was my last thought when I was about to die?”

“Sincerity wouldn’t be the worst idea.”

Gage looked away. Maybe he’d tell her his secret one day, but now? He wasn’t an idiot. He couldn’t open up to her like that.

Better to focus on what they were good at and build from there. They already did the coming and going thing so well. Taking their relationship to the next level wouldn’t be so bad, would it?

A date with her would be the start of something real. Because no matter how many places he’d traveled, Chloe felt the most welcoming. The warmest. The most like home.

East raised his eyebrows. “So basically, you want some kind of commitment.”

Yes! A commitment was exactly what he wanted—but Gage shrugged. “I’m open to it.”

“Ah, but guess who hates commitment?” East teased.

And they were back to square one.

East’s phone pinged with a text message, but he didn’t answer it. Instead, his friend looked him dead in the eye. “Trying to convince a woman who hates commitment to wait around for you isn’t going to go over well. But hey, I’m not a romantic like you.”

Gage shook his head. His plan was solid, he just had to stick to it. Staying in one place too long made him restless. He was meant to move, to search and seek out, which was why he was so good at his job. But he wanted to come back to Chloe. That counted for something, didn’t it?

“Chloe knows I move around a lot,” he said. “She’ll be fine if I’m upfront about what she’s getting into.”

“So let me get this straight.” East scratched the side of his jaw. “You can commit to a woman but not a place, and she can commit to a place but not a man?”

Gage’s eyes shot wide. If that wasn’t the f*cking shit of it. Beaufort was Chloe’s hometown. The few times they’d talked in the past, she’d mentioned her mother had lived here…and died here. That one thing alone gave Chloe a connection to this place Gage had never experienced.

For this to work, he’d have to convince Chloe to give him a more committed long-distance relationship. If she was okay with him coming and going, surely, in time, he could convince her to take their relationship to the next level. Right?

Mission accepted.

“I still think this could work,” Gage said, liking this renewed vigor for convincing Chloe to date him. “It’s a matter of showing up and proving the benefits.”

Either way, it was a win-win. No matter how he spun it, it all boiled down to getting to know her wants and needs better. He just wanted to know when he came back from each mission, she’d be there ready to welcome him home—and not as a booty call. He wanted to be near her. Have a connection. Someone to have dinner with and wake up to every morning.

East chuckled. “The benefits to a committed-sporadic-long-distance relationship. But in the meantime, you’re going to continue your recon mission on Chloe whether or not she’s willing to give you a commitment.” He punched Gage’s arm. “Good luck.”

Gage’s eyes widened. Christ, when East said it like that, it sounded terrible. All he was trying to do was gather information and get the best outcome possible. “It’s not like that…”

East adjusted his pack on his shoulder. “You know there’s another way to go about this.”

Gage lifted a brow in question.

“You could be the one to adjust. Take a training job—which you’re good at—and stay. Prove to Chloe you want her whether you’re hanging out here or not.”

Gage frowned. “Are you seriously back to that already?”

“Judging by your grumpy face, I’m assuming you’ll think about it,” East said lightheartedly. “But in the meantime, use what you have to your advantage.”

“What do you mean?”

East shrugged. “You want to know Chloe more? Then use what you already know. Get her to break by playing on her weaknesses. It’s no secret she has a thing for guys in camo.”

Camo? Come to think of it, she did give him extra-long glances whenever he was donning his gear…

“Are you saying I should parade myself in front of her like a damn pageant queen?”

“Depends on how badly you want her.”

Gage shook his head. East did have a point: Chloe was no stranger to adjusting the rules of this game to benefit her. Why shouldn’t he do the same? He’d use what he had to his advantage.

“Why are you helping me out?” Gage asked.

“Because,” East said, “I think you and Chloe are great and terrible for each other. If your plan works, great. If not, you’re going to be knocked on your ass, and I’m not going to miss an opportunity to say I told you so when she hands you your nuts.”

“Noted,” Gage grumbled. But this was the best plan he had at the moment.

“By the way,” East said, finally checking his text message. “Our mock victim canceled. He has the flu.”

Shit. Gage checked his watch. He had one hour to get into position before the men showed up to start their mission. Where was he going to find a new mock victim on such short—

This was either the best or worst idea he’d had yet.