by Joya Ryan
“I need you, sweetheart…” He took another step closer. “To be my victim.”
She frowned. “What? Is this one of those kinky sex games?” Because if so, sign me up.
“You wish.” He grinned. “But sadly, no. The team is doing a mock search and rescue. I want you to be my victim.”
That’s it? He’d called her out here, looking all hot and manly, only to ditch her in the woods? She was hot, bothered, and he’d barely touched her. Now he wanted her to play victim? And not in the cool, sexy way? Eff that.
“No thanks.” She crossed her arms. “I’d likely actually get lost and—”
“I’d stay with you the whole time.”
That perked her up. “Really?”
They’d be in the woods. Together. She could pull out her best seductress skills and see what he was packing under the camo.
He nodded. “Time is kind of an issue here, so if you’re in, I’ll take you now.”
Please take me now.
Chloe shook off the thought and tried to focus. She didn’t have much going on other than burning another attempt at crab cakes and ruining a perfectly good pan, so playing victim wasn’t such a bad idea. Especially if there was a chance she could lure him to her side of sex-induced-thinking.
“All right,” she said.
And he didn’t waste any time. He grabbed her hand and led them through the forest, walking with her for what seemed like forever.
At first, her seduction skills didn’t have a chance to work since he was tugging her quickly through the damn old country. She could barely breathe normally, much less speak.
“I thought this was a drill?” she said with a few panting breaths.
But he looked back at her, and damn him, he hadn’t even broken a sweat. Fuck cucumbers, Gage was as cool as the air-conditioning she’d left back at her place. Nope, Mr. Army of One was hiking this terrain like it was just another day. Which, for him, it probably was. His boots were steady even when walking on the uneven ground. He obviously knew what he was doing, which made her like him even more.
“It is a drill. But we have to make it count.” He glanced back at her and stopped. “Why don’t we take a quick break?”
Oh, thank God. She stretched and scanned the area.
“Good girl,” Gage said. “You’re taking in your surroundings. That’s a good sign that you’re a survivor.”
“Are you reading me now or just offering up lessons on survival?”
“Maybe both. Although, I’d like to think I have a good read on you already.” He winked.
She rolled her eyes, but he wasn’t wrong. Gage had her number and they both knew it. But this was a chance to dig deeper into his world. And honestly, she wanted to stay in the moment with him, especially since he was in all his sexy gear.
“Well then, why don’t you give me a lesson? If we have time, anyway…”
He smiled, but a serious look crossed his face. “There’s always time. Let’s start by testing your instincts.” He pulled out a black bandana from his pocket and tied it around her eyes.
Her world went dark. Gage’s breath hit her mouth. She wanted to inhale deeply and bring his mouth to hers, but he kept himself just out of reach.
“I’m going to walk a few yards away, and I want you to use your senses to try to figure out which direction I’m in.”
“You said you wouldn’t leave me alone,” she said quickly.
“I’d never leave you. I’ll have eyes on you the whole time. But I want to know if you can figure out a threat.”
“You’re not a threat,” she whispered. But that wasn’t totally true—he threatened her sanity and her stance on “casual-only encounters.” But she also trusted him so much that she was standing in the middle of God knew where, blindfolded and nodding like an idiot as he walked away from her.
Man…she was either really hard up or delusional. Or I like him.
No, definitely not. She was just hard up.
“Imagine you’re lost out here. You have to use your senses to survive. Your gut tells you when you’re not alone—listen to it. Now count to five, and then when you think you know where I am, take a step toward me.”
She nodded, but this felt like more than a standard drill. If she could figure out where Gage was, trust her gut, then move toward him…maybe it’d be a sign that the connection they had was more than casual.
Deep breath.
She couldn’t hear him, but Gage had promised he’d stay close. Part of her liked the idea of him watching her. He wouldn’t let anything happen to her.
Another deep breath.
He was near—the tingle of his stare prickled her skin. He was right, instincts could tell a lot—and hers were screaming to reach out for Gage.
On a heavy exhale, she took one…two…three steps toward the direction she thought he was in.
Silence.
Oh no, what if she was wrong? What would it mean? That her gut was lame and was pulling her in the wrong direction? This was stupid. Did she really think she could magically find her way to him in the dark? She should yank off this blindfold and—
“Well done, sweetheart.” Gage’s voice was thick, laced with pride, and right in front of her. He undid the bandana, and she blinked until he came into focus.
She’d done it. And his lips hovered over hers.
“You should listen to your gut more often. And we should get moving.”
He backed off and started walking again.
Gage was messing with her. And the next chance she had to get her hands on him, the claws were coming out. But first she had to catch him, which took a while since she was trailing behind him the rest of their hike.
Finally, after what felt like forever, Gage stopped near a patch of dense trees about fifty yards from the cliffs.
She looked around and inhaled deeply. Sun filtered through the thick trees, lighting the leaves like emeralds swaying around them. The low whistle of underbrush dancing along the ground in the distance added an illusion that felt like real magic.
“I hope I didn’t rush you too bad.” He handed her his canteen, and she took a few sips. “I wanted to get you out here as quickly as possible.”
She handed the water back to him. “Well I got my exercise in for today.” Granted, she would have rather burned calories riding Gage’s body. Instead, she was stuck in the woods with him looking beyond sexy, but with him acting so professional that she doubted she had a chance in hell of getting him to drop his pants and let her take care of him in the best way she knew how. Her seductress skills didn’t stand a chance. Or did they?
She started making her way to the nearby creek.
“Where you going there, sweetheart?”
She glanced over her shoulder. “Just want to enjoy this water over here. Don’t worry, I know you’ve got eyes on me.”
And yes he did—his gaze was smoldering, and she had to look away before she got caught up in it. She bent over to run her hands under the clear, chilly water. With wet, cold hands, she gripped the back of her neck and sighed. God that felt good. But her sigh brought a big, rough man her way, and she hid a smile—her seductress skills were working.
“You really should be careful.” Gage’s raspy voice was directly behind her.
She shifted a bit on the big rocks beneath her feet to look at him. “Why?”
The minute the words came out, she shifted her balance and tilted sideways, jerking toward the creek—
Gage clamped her hip and pulled her toward him. Her heart crashed against her chest, but she couldn’t have staged it more perfectly if she’d tried. In less than five minutes she’d gone from across the clearing to pressed against a hard man’s muscles and soaking in all of his delicious scent.
“This is uneasy ground you’re walking on,” Gage said.
“No kidding,” she mumbled. Everything about Gage was like feeling her way through something she had no idea how to deal with. And the outdoors weren’t helping. She was muddling throu
gh her personal life pretty pathetically already—she didn’t need the smell of pine and the blister on her toe reminding her how out of her element she was.
She looked into Gage’s eyes. She had to take some power back here—being this close to him was awakening that need again. That ache for more.
“Well Mr. Search and Rescue.” She ran her hand down his chest while he held her tightly. “If I were your victim and I slipped and fell, how would you treat me?”
He raised a brow, and a slight grin tugged his face. Oh yeah, he knew what she was going for. And all Chloe could do now was pray he played along.
Please, please play along.
“Well for starters, I’d take you to a secure area.” He hoisted her up and walked her over to an area of soft, even ground near a large tree. “Then I’d assess your body.”
“I like the sound of that.”
“For injury.”
Damn it! Pretty soon she’d have such a bad case of “hard-up-itis” she’d start shaking. Or begging. Why did he have to look so hot?
Gage rested his big palms on her shoulders, then slid them up and cupped her neck. The way he angled her head left then right, it was an erotic massage of sorts, and her eyelids were getting heavy.
“Then I’d say, ‘How do you feel, ma’am?’”
“Mmm, pretty good,” she purred.
He pressed and rubbed his thumbs along the outside of her ears, down her jaw, then back up into her scalp.
“You do feel good,” he said lowly. “So no head injury.” His hands slipped down to her chest and subtly grazed her breasts. Her nipples perked instantly—she was seriously going to beg any second.
“No head injury,” she murmured.
“Any injury in this area?” He rubbed down her sides, feeling her ribs.
He was being professional during their game, but that didn’t mean she had to play by the same rules.
“Actually, I’m really aching.”
He frowned but waited for her to continue.
“I’m hot.” She arched a little further until the U between his thumb and first finger were right beneath her cleavage. “I’m so hot and so, so achy. Won’t you help me with this pain, sir?”
Gage cupped her breasts fully. “Right here?”
She nodded. “Yes, but I can barely feel you. Maybe harder—”
He massaged her breasts slowly, deliberately, until her eyes rolled in the back of her head. His hands on her made her crazy and desperate for more.
Thankfully, she didn’t have to ask for more, because he stopped his seductive petting to pinch her nipples.
“Ah! Yes.”
“Better, ma’am?” he asked, playing back right along. “I need to make sure you’re really okay.”
“I appreciate your thoroughness,” she breathed. He was so good that she was getting off being felt up. And she didn’t give a damn. His hands were magic, and her body was calling out for them.
She couldn’t wait. Couldn’t hold out anymore. She reached down and gripped his belt.
“How long until they find me?”
“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 happ
y?”
“Because,” he snapped, “every time I see you, it’s better than the last. Because like it or not, I am getting to know you and reading you better. And the kind of passion, the moans and screams and claws you have, keep me hard weeks after I see you. And it just. Gets. Better. I’ll chase that desire all damn day if I get more of you.” He took another step. “Is it hard to believe I could actually like you, Chloe? Want to be with you for sex and you?”
She bit her lip again. Truth was, she didn’t believe it, and even if she did, she wouldn’t give in. Being the hot piece Gage nailed whenever he came into town had clear lines. She knew where she stood, and there wasn’t a chance of getting caught up and hurt because she’d complicated their arrangement with feelings.
This had to stay a casual sexual relationship because she couldn’t risk there being a day when Gage might not want to come back ever again. Her mother had given in to that kind of relationship, and it had ruined her until the day she’d died. She’d pined for Chloe’s father, like she was so lost without him that she couldn’t accept he was never coming back.
Chloe would never let herself open her heart to a man when it meant he could leave her, too, the same way her father had left her mother.
The sex-only relationship she had with Gage was safe. This way she could savor him and let him go each time with no expectations, always ready for the possibility that he would never come back.
She ran her palm up his stomach, slowly taking in every nook and ridge of hardness. He relaxed his shoulders on a sharp exhale. Gage was right, chasing the kind of passion they had was a heady thing. And she’d chase, too, because she wasn’t ready to give up the intensity they shared. She could fake a little romance without getting in too deep if it meant more of him.
“We talked.” She skimmed her fingertips down his stomach, to the edge of his waistband. His pants were tented by an erection he wasn’t even trying to hide. She hovered closer, pressing her mouth against his chest as her fingers dipped to the knuckle into his pants.
His breath was ragged, his skin heated. He was fighting himself. Hopefully he’d see reason and finally give in.
“Give me one thing,” he said. “One honest, true, real thing about yourself.”