“Depends on how good they are, but I took us out a little farther than originally planned, so at least an hour or two.”
She looked him over. Her entire body was humming with the need to touch him. Grab on to his strength and revel in it. He was exactly Chloe’s type: strong and badass with a heap of attitude and panty-melting swagger. Everything about Gage made her want to give in to the dark need boiling low in her gut.
Time to see how polished her persuasion talents were.
She arched her back even more, pushing her chest into his palms. “What are you going to do with me for a whole hour? In the woods? Alone?” She traced her finger along the fly of his pants.
He slowed, stepped back, and set his pack down. Her heart sank—the connection was gone.
“I thought we could talk.”
She groaned and rolled her eyes. “Seriously?”
Gage nodded. He’d lured her out there looking way too hot for his own good, but he was still trying to “get to know her better.” This game was becoming a problem—why wouldn’t he give in already?
She crossed her arms. “What do I get?”
“What do you want?”
“You.”
He smiled. “I want you too, sweetheart.”
“Then stop being a brat.” She tugged the hem of his shirt. “Can’t we do what we always do? Don’t you like it? Miss it?”
He cupped the side of her face with one hand and dug his fingers into her hair with the other, then pulled her close until his hard cock pressed against her stomach. “More than you can imagine.”
“Then stop with this romance and dating nonsense and just…” She moved to her tiptoes and nipped his bottom lip. “Take me.”
“I want more of you,” he growled against her mouth.
She closed her eyes for a moment. This was backfiring fast. He was supposed to lose his resolve. Instead it was her body screaming—no, begging for him. Like an addict hit with a bad withdrawal, she was struggling not to give him everything he wanted for one touch.
Get your shit together.
They’d worked out an “even exchange” system the other night. Maybe she could do that again. A little bit for a little bit. Give her body a hit of what she needed so desperately without giving up everything Gage had asked for.
It was worth a shot. Because she was ready to unravel at the seams.
“Fine,” she said. “Five minutes of talking, but you have to do it shirtless.”
He leaned back. “Seriously?”
“Yep.”
She hadn’t gotten to really see him in the last few days, and she was dying to stare at him like the eye candy he was. Plus, the more undressed he was, the easier it was to touch him. Maybe take a few licks.
He tugged on his shirt and yanked if off, then tossed it on top of the pack by his feet.
Her jaw slackened. Lord almighty, he was all hard ridges and defined muscles.
“Got what you wanted?” he asked.
She shook her head. “Not even close.”
He flexed his abs, and his tan skin rippled like fresh caramel being poured. She wanted to lick him from hips to neck. His low-slung camo pants complete with belt and tactical gear were enough to send her into cardiac arrest on the off chance he’d administer mouth-to-mouth.
How the hell did he affect her like this? No other man ever made her swoon at the sight of him. But Gage’s presence alone had her squeezing her thighs together because one look, one move toward her, and she—
“What has you biting your lip so hard, sweetheart?”
“Thinking of sinking my teeth into you,” she answered honestly. Though the words were true, her mind was in a daze. He was all she could focus on, like he’d hypnotized her. “It’s embarrassing, really.”
“How?” he asked.
“Because I know how you move.” She lifted her chin at his arms. “Your shoulders have shifted, and your hands flexed like you’re ready to scoop me up and own every inch of me.”
“That right?” he whispered, stepping toward her.
She nodded. “I’ve felt it. And I want it so bad. I respond before you do anything, because the anticipation is the worst.” Their eyes met. “I know what I’m missing, and I kind of hate you for it.”
He nodded. “I feel the same way.”
She tilted her head. “What do you mean?”
“I’ve caught glimpses of you, and I want more. Don’t think just because I want to know you that I have any less hunger for…” His gaze ran over her body. “It’s taking everything I have not to let you put those teeth on me right now. You’re almost too much for me.”
“Yeah, almost too much. But clearly not tempting enough, otherwise you’d—”
“Give in?” he asked. “Don’t test me, because I fucking want to. But to get what I’m after, I have to stick to my mission.”
Chloe scowled. “Why can’t you fuck me and be happy?”