Tell Me You Need Me (Search and Seduce #1)(7)

Which gave Chloe and Gage a moment alone, and the stare down was on. Not that she cared if East heard. She wasn’t ashamed of what she wanted with Gage.

Gage leaned in and put his arms on the counter. “I want a date, Chloe. Romance. And you’re going to give it to me.”

“Romance?” She almost dry heaved around the word. “Why is this so important to you?”

He stilled for a moment. “Because I want your time. And I’m a romantic guy.”

She looked over him. He was a lot of things, mostly hard muscle and sex on a stick. But romantic? If he was serious, she was in trouble, because there wasn’t a romantic bone in her body.

“Why are you fighting this?” he asked.

“Because I want your body.” It was the first honest thing she could blurt out.

He raised a brow and sat back with a hint of a smile. “So you’re using me for all this?” He gestured over his impressive chest encased in a black T-shirt and…oh God…camo pants. She had a thing for his tactile gear. Just the sight of him donning his big boots, butch watch, and macho swagger was enough to make her wet.

“Don’t think too long, sweetheart. Would hate for the drool on the side of your mouth to get any worse.”

Her face flushed. “Shut up.”

“Now, I’m going to try to not take too much offence about your unwillingness to go out with me. I’ll chalk it up to you being difficult.”

“Well aren’t you sweet,” she said sarcastically.

“But I’m not about to let this slip. Because I think you kind of like me.” He tossed her a wink, and damn him, she did kind of like him. That wasn’t a secret—between the hours of sex in the past, they’d lain in bed and talked and laughed. But those were brief moments in the bedroom, and they only lasted a weekend. She could play it cool for a few hours, but a few weeks was different. All the baggage, emotions, and stuff she didn’t like to think about had more time to fester and come out.

Deep down, she knew what she was capable of. She could get sucked in to all this…intimacy crap. And she didn’t want to even toe the line with a guy like Gage. She’d get caught up in his smile, his body, and she’d end up wanting him in a way she couldn’t. A way she shouldn’t.

Nope. No way she’d ever show that side of herself to anyone. The only time she gave up her prized indifference was when Gage took it in the bedroom, because he knew exactly what she needed. He tapped into every desire and fantasy she had. She could be bound, at his mercy, completely taken over and totally powerful all at the same time.

She wanted—no—needed him to take over her body. Except he was holding his seduction hostage.

“I’m free tonight,” she said. “My place. Eleven?”

He raised a brow. “Why Chloe, are you asking me over for a booty call?”

“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.