Текст книги "Tell Me You Need Me"

Автор книги: Joya Ryan

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Текущая страница: 3 (всего у книги 10 страниц)

Her ass came off the table, but his mouth was right there to catch her clit, lock down, and suck the little bundle while thrusting a finger in and out.

She wiggled and trembled. Her hands slapped on the table, and she threw her hips up to rub even harder against his lips. And right then, Gage was teetering on the brink of losing himself.

Fire.

Chloe was certain Gage had replaced her blood with fire.

Every stroke of his tongue and pump of his hand had her burning up from the inside out. She was so close, yet so far. She was getting what she wanted…sort of. She loved sex. Loved feeling him inside her, and he knew it. He could make her come so easily, and he would. But she always wanted the extra feeling of his naked body against hers, inside hers. Loved feeling his skin, his cock, his muscles.

What was that called? Connection?

No, no, surely not. And even if it was, she wouldn’t admit it.

This was an even exchange, pure and simple. She had to say things to get what she wanted. Sure, everything she’d told him was true, but that didn’t mean she wanted to embrace anything beyond a few sweet words. Certainly not “the romance” he kept demanding.

A burst of pleasure jolted through her body when he sucked harder and buried another finger deep, curving it to rub continuously over the sensitive spot inside her.

Those flames erupted and roared, flooding her body like a tidal wave that grew and swelled until finally—

Raw pleasure surged and slammed into her like pulsing water crashing into the shore. “Yes!” she screamed.

He drank her down, working his tongue a bit slower, as if savoring her release on his fingers and lips. Her whole body shook, and the table against her back squeaked as she convulsed.

More. She needed more. The bad thing about Gage was every time she was with him, she never felt sated, only more crazed. As if the first orgasm had only awakened a deeper need only he could satisfy.

Chloe got up, slid off the table, and straddled his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him hard. She needed to feel him. Experience him. She’d waited so damn long, and now she had him right where she wanted him. She reached between them and fumbled with his belt. Unzipped his pants. In one quick move, she’d have his cock free and inside her—

“Easy there,” he growled. He pulled on her hair until it stung, thrusting her chin in the air before he claimed her mouth with his.

She grabbed his hair, too, pulling him into a deeper kiss, and went for the glory. She pushed her hands into his underwear—

He pulled her hand back out and meshed her fingers with his.

“Ah, ah. This was a fair exchange. No full sex until I get full romance. My demands stand. You ready for our dinner date?”

She growled and glared at him. He was right there, so hard he was pulsing.

Gage tugged her hair a little more, and she gasped. “Don’t go being a poor sport because you didn’t get your way.” He nipped her chin.

“I still want to make you come.” She looked at him while his grip held firm in her hair. She was at his mercy. They both knew it. She might not be able to get into his pants the way she wanted, but maybe she could work around them.

She slowly sank her hand into his open fly and gripped his rock-hard shaft through his boxers. His jaw clenched.

“Looks like the vote is two”—she squeezed his cock—“to one. Me and this big guy here are all for some fun. You’re the only one playing coy.”

He breathed deep, as if trying to gain composure, but she had him. With his fingers still in her hair and her hand on his cock, she maneuvered her way off his lap and hit her knees between his spread legs. Halfway down, his grip on her hair tightened. Tough guy wanted to come as badly as she wanted him to.

And God did she want to make him come. The sooner she felt him surge from her touch, the sooner she could slake this aching need.

One thing she liked about Gage was how he made her feel different. She could be honest. Give in to her fantasies and let passion rule. There was no overthinking, because the time they shared never lasted long enough to really overthink.

Until this recent stunt of his with the whole three week sticking around thing. Too much time led to too much thinking and too many opportunities for the fantasy to dwindle. She wanted to stay in suspended bliss with him. Was that so much to ask?

Truth was, she’d rather be a momentary fantasy than a heartbroken reality.

A spike of anger hit her at his insistence on breaking through the boundaries that kept her safe and satisfied enough to keep moving forward.

She pulled his pants low on his hips and tugged his cock out. Finally, she had all the access she needed. He was driving her crazy by denying her what she wanted, but maybe it was time to turn the tables.

Sex for romance? Nope.

But oral for oral? He had no idea what he was getting himself into.

“So now that you’ve gotten your sweet nothings, time for the dirty talk,” she said. “And since you’re in the spirit of an even exchange, you’re going to sit there and take it. Because I have you at my mercy now.”

“Chloe…”

“You asked me the other night what I thought of?” she purred in her best seductress voice while keeping a tight grip on the base of his cock. “I’ve thought of this…” She ran her tongue along the crown, and he hissed. “I thought of how good you taste. How good you feel.” She closed her mouth over the head and sucked hard, then delivered a little kiss to ease the sting. “I’d make myself come just picturing sucking you. I’d think of every detail I could remember, every ridge and inch of you.”

She licked down the entire shaft, then up the other side. His hips subtly flexed, coaxing her for more.

“So good…” he murmured.

“And you want to hear a secret?” She hovered her mouth over where he wanted it most. “I’d suck my own fingers, imagining it was you, while sinking the others inside of me.” She put her free hand between her legs. “Like this.” She took his entire length into her throat while matching the action with her own finger disappearing inside of her.

“Jesus, Chloe.” He moved his hips with her, matching her intake with a thrust upward.

She stole glances at his expression. His head fell back, but his gaze never strayed from her for long. Holding her face, he ran his thumbs along her cheekbones and over her hollowing cheeks as she worked him up and down with her mouth.

“I’ve thought of this so many damn times,” he said. “But my imagination is never as good as the real thing.”

That made her want to preen. The sexy, sinister man could easily break her, consume her, and he was clutching her like he needed a place to fall. She loved this power she had over him, but she wanted more. Always more. It was a need she wasn’t sure would ever pass, so she’d take what she could. It was the basis of what made their casual relationship work.

Just taking what I can, while I can…

She’d repeat it over and over if she had to. There was a time cap, because she couldn’t do weeks of dating and romance with him. But this? She sucked him deeper, pumped the base of his cock. This she could do. Feeling him tense and hum beneath her mouth was what she wanted. To make him feel pleasure like no one else could, and for him to do the same to her.

But still, getting in too deep with him was dangerous, which was why brief interactions were best.

She pumped faster. Sucked hard at the tip, then drew his entire cock into her mouth, in and out, in and out, again and again. A low groan escaped his chest as she licked the big vein that climbed up his shaft.

Her only complaint was his clothes. They were still on.

It was a crime for anything to cover his impressive muscles. All she could see was the hint of his powerful thighs showing. His naked body put Adonis to shame, and she couldn’t even get more than a glimpse. That needed to change.

She removed her hand from between her legs and went to lift his shirt. But he caught her wrist and brought that finger to his mouth and sucked it.

“Mmm, fuck, I could eat you forever.” He licked her finger clean and delivered a little bite. She grazed her teeth along his flesh as his balls drew up. “I’m there, I’m going to come.”

She bore down, sucking faster and faster. With a tight grip on her wrist, he bit down on the fleshy part of her thumb as his release hit the back of her throat.

She swallowed him down and continued sucking until he shuddered and collapsed backward, saved only by her grabbing his shirt and holding him in place. When she let him go, he slowly sat up and planted kisses along her knuckles and fingertips.

“You can’t make this easy, can you?” He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

She clung to his open pants resting low on his hips, and she looked up into those intense eyes. “I want you to stay. I want to feel you inside me. Want you to take me hard and slow, then rough and fast. Stay tonight and I promise I’ll be extremely easy.”

He kissed her lips lightly and whispered, “Have dinner with me. One date. And I’ll be easy right back.”

She looked up into those eyes and her knees swayed. But she had to stay strong. Gage was dangerous for her heart—she’d known that from day one. Time wasn’t on her side—the more she fell, the more it would hurt. And she knew better than to expect too much. They had a powerful, explosive sexual relationship. Pretending they had anything more was a disaster waiting to happen.

He knew that. She knew that. It was only a question of how long he could resist her. But sooner or later, he’d give up this crazy scheme of his. She just had to be hot, tempting…and patient.

She gave a small tug on his pants and fastened them.

He glanced down and nodded. Her answer was clear.

“This isn’t over.” He kissed her hard and quick. “Not by a long shot.”

He turned and stomped out and her body broke out into goose bumps. She knew very well she was poking a bear, and yes…this wasn’t over by a long shot.

Chapter Four

“God, this sucks so bad.” Chloe tossed her spatula on the counter. She’d woken up early to try to make her mom’s famous crab cakes and test them out as a specialty appetizer for next week’s twentieth anniversary of the restaurant.

“It’s not so bad…” Natalie looked over her shoulder in the big back kitchen of the restaurant. Chloe didn’t have to turn around to feel her frowning. “Are they supposed to be black?”

Chloe shook her head. “No.”

What would her mom think if she could see the restaurant now? They were making do, sure, but they were nowhere near the level of perfection her mother had achieved. She could imagine her restaurant ending up on a show like Kitchen Nightmares. Once great, now in steady decline, soon to vanish from the face of the earth.

No, she’d die before she let that happen. This wasn’t just a great restaurant—it was all she had left of her mother. People came and went, but this? Just this once, Chloe would get it right.

Which was why she’d hired a chef. It was also why this twentieth anniversary event needed to have her mother’s old recipes reinstated—and furthermore, why she had to be the one to bring them back.

The other foods set to go on the menu were close to perfect—thanks to said amazing chef—but Chloe wanted to make this one dish herself. Crab cakes had been her favorite thing to eat growing up, comfort food when her dad had left, a bittersweet solace when her mom had gotten sick.

Her mom had insisted on making them for her even when her health had declined and she should have been resting in bed. Chloe had never been able to recreate their uniquely delicious flavors¸ but she was determined to try. It was the one thing she wanted to make and present. Anything to feel closer to her mother and prove that to herself she was a part of her goodness.

“The anniversary party is next week.” Chloe scraped the pan, and it spit oil at her. “And these aren’t going on the menu until they’re right.”

Natalie gently patted Chloe’s shoulder. “Keep trying.”

Chloe spun to face her. “You’re a chef. Can’t you help me? Teach me something? Anything.”

“Whoa, I bake. Big difference.” Natalie shoved her glasses up her nose, then peered back at the pan. “Besides, don’t think I forgot you telling me to leave you alone and let you do it yourself.”

Oh, right, that. Last week she might have snipped at her best friend. She’d never meant to, but frustration was running high, and if there was one thing Chloe hated, it was being so close to something and not finishing.

Her mind briefly turned to Gage.

Talk about frustrating.

But this dish had to be right, and she had to do it. No failing. No “coming close.” Nope, this had to be perfect. Her mother was dead, and honestly, Chloe had watched her die in more ways than one over the years. First, she’d watched her soul slowly wither after her father left them. Then she watched cancer slowly take her body. The two things in her life she’d never been able to control…death and being left.

On a deep breath and rapid batting of her lashes to keep the sting away, she looked at her friend.

“I’m not saying make the crab cakes for me. I’m saying maybe give me a hint or two.”

Natalie raised an eyebrow. “Snap my fingers and turn you into Gordon Ramsay for a day?” She chuckled. “I don’t think it works that way.” She hugged Chloe, then stepped back and held her shoulders. “You have to believe you’re capable of something more. Trust yourself. The anniversary will be great and the restaurant will be packed.”

Yeah, it would be. And she hoped her mother would be proud. It’d only been two years since she’d passed away and it still hurt. She’d been the kindest woman in the world, and her spirit had never broken—except when it came to Chloe’s father. He’d crushed Mary Franklin in a way no one and nothing else could. She’d waited for him to return until her dying breath.

Chloe had met Gage right after her mother had passed, and he’d been the best distraction. But with the anniversary of the restaurant coming up and Gage in town, her mother’s presence and all the sadness and joy that came with it lingered in her mind. She tried to stay positive, but lately she was sure she was failing her mother’s memory. Failing her business. Failing to live up to the legacy her mother had left behind.

“Did the article come out yet?” Natalie asked.

The local newspaper had done an article featuring Honey’s and a retrospective on how her mother had turned her own home into the bar and grill twenty years ago. The journalist had promised the article would run this week, but still nothing.

“No. I’m keeping an eye out for it.”

Natalie nodded and hopped up on the counter, dangling her legs against the cabinets. “So…are you going to tell me about last night with hottie McSearchy?”

Chloe grabbed a potholder and hustled the sizzling pan to the sink. “It was fine.”

“Uh-huh. Is that why you look equal parts mad and happy?”

She sighed. “I got some of what I wanted.”

“Some? Tough cookie to swallow when your heart is set on the whole batch.” Natalie winked. “So he didn’t give up the man meat, huh?”

“Jesus,” Chloe said around a smile. “Did you seriously say ‘man meat’?”

“What? I’m just asking.”

“We messed around,” Chloe said. “But no main course.”

“Ah, rough.”

Tell me about it.

That ache to feel Gage’s skin against hers—to lock her legs around him as he buried himself inside her over and over—was becoming overwhelming. She was getting cranky waiting for him to give up on the romance thing and give in to the lust that’d gotten them this far.

“I mean, the other stuff is good and last night was great.” Her face warmed—one recollection of his tongue and feeling him deep in her throat was all it took to get her worked up. “I just want sex. Is that so wrong?”

“You’re preaching to the caterer,” Natalie said.

Chloe raised a brow. “Really?”

“What? It’s so hard to believe I want a fun sweaty night of…of…” She frowned at the ground, searching for the word.

“Passion?” Chloe offered.

Natalie snapped her finger, her big eyes wide. “Yes! Passion.”

Oh boy. Maybe Chloe should stop bitching, because the one thing she had with Gage was passion. So much it freaked her out.

“He wants romance. A date.” Chloe shuddered.

“But until he gets his romance, he’s not putting out?”

“Yep.” Chloe sighed. After last night, it was clear Gage would only give her as much as she gave him. The longer she was hell bent against romance, the longer she’d go without sex. Unless there was a way to break him.

“Well, while you’re busy not having sex, I’m going to my shop to not have sex either. Wanna do girls night later this week and we can drown our celibate sorrows in some Rocky Road while watching a Nick Sparks movie?”

“Sounds like a date,” Chloe said, which was the most hypocritical thing she could have said. There she stood, not having sex with a man she wanted to have sex with while the smell of burned food and irritation crept in around her.

She was not caving. Not developing feelings. Not giving in.

Nope…she was perfectly fine.

The pan hissed at her as if sensing her mood. So she scowled back and crossed her arms.

“Perfectly fine.”

Gage zipped his pack and glanced out the window of his temporary office—a rustic cabin in the forestry department. The team was waiting on him so they could continue their training. But all he could think about was the other night with Chloe.

She was going to send him to his grave with a permanent hard-on and enough cold showers under his belt to start a drought in North Carolina. She was smart and sexy, and out of all the women he’d met, she was the only one who challenged him on a level that made him stand up and take notice.

He knew what she was doing. She was stringing him along, hoping he’d give up and give in. Little did she know that the more they played this game, the more determined he was to win.

A little distance from her, however, had given him enough space to think. After all…what in the world would he do if she ever gave him what he wanted? He wanted to try the romance thing with her for at least a night to get an idea of what it’d be like.

And if she did agree to something where they expected more than hot sex whenever he happened to come through town? Then he just hoped she’d agree that a long-distance relationship was best. He couldn’t give up the independence that let him rescue anyone wherever duty called him. He had to be able to go wherever someone needed him.

The glimpse he’d gotten into her mind all the times he’d been here before left him wanting more. He wasn’t a fan of the no-sex thing, but one meal, one date to look at her and see her in a new way wouldn’t be so bad. Maybe then they’d both know if this was worth pursuing.

Yet she pushed back at every attempt he made.

She had said sweet things to him, though. Score one point for him.

The woman was irritating at worst and sexy as hell at best. And that was just scratching the surface. There was a lot more to Chloe Franklin. And that was what Gage was trying to get to.

He knew her mom had died a couple of years ago, and he knew that they’d been very close.

He replayed the first few times he’d been with Chloe. She’d clung to him, and there’d been a sadness in her. He’d felt it in her every touch, in every plea she gave him to be touched back. He’d only found out later that her mom had died so soon before Chloe had hooked up with him, and it had been then that he realized why she’d been so hungry to lose herself in his arms. Why she’d consumed him and begged to be consumed in return.

He’d tried asking her about it the next time he came into town, but she’d shut him up with a kiss on his mouth and a hand on his cock.

So he had come up with unique ways to get her to open up without her knowing. Asking basic, simple questions that gave insight to her deeper feelings. Like how she loved chocolate but only ate it when she was stressed or sad. She’d eaten a lot of chocolate after her mother had died. But still, she’d never opened up to him about it. Or about her life.

He’d had women open up to him from day one in a ploy to pin him down, but it was the one who wouldn’t let him in who’d hooked him from moment one.

And he was sure now that she liked him. And damn it, he liked her—she was perfect for him. Well. Almost. He had to break past her aversion to romance first.

But…what if he couldn’t?

He shook his head. No, he still had time. He could wear her down and show her having a relationship built around more than sex wasn’t so bad.

“You about ready?” East walked in, fully geared up, just like Gage was. Camo, painted face, pack strapped to his back, tools and weapons at the ready.

Enough about romance—Gage was looking forward to today. He’d rather be out in the field, but while waiting for the next mission, he’d busy himself taking a new Search & Rescue team through difficult drills. Come hell or high water, they’d be ready. And if they weren’t? He’d be there with them to pick up the slack.

First order of business: take the recruits through a mock rescue. The guys would go out, follow the clues East and Gage had set up, then finally find the mock victim. Gage and East were in camo in order to stay hidden while following and watching the team’s performance. The team in training was in bright orange so they’d be easy to spot while they completed the mock rescue.

“You’re going to cover the first quadrant,” Gage said. “I’ve got the second. Boys should find the checkpoint in a few hours.”

Going into bear country on a ten-mile hike of unforgiving terrain was exactly what he needed. At least he hoped it’d be enough to take his mind off Chloe.

East smiled. “Still thinking about her, huh?”

Shit, was he that transparent?

“Just getting ready.” He gave the zipper on his pack a final tug.

“Uh-huh. So you’re still not getting any.”

Technically he was getting plenty. He just wasn’t getting what he wanted. Which was worse, because it left him wanting a hell of a lot more. Christ, he could still taste her. Feel her smooth skin and the hint of peaches as he ate the most perfect fruit slices he’d ever had.

“You’re her friend. Why is she so damn stubborn?”

East shrugged. “She doesn’t do commitment.”

“I gathered,” Gage grumbled. “But it’s not like I’m asking for a ton of time. Just more than a weekend.”

And if that worked, maybe more. But he couldn’t present the idea of a long-distance relationship to Chloe when she gagged over the notion of a single date. But if she’d go on one date, they’d know how well they worked together in and out of the bedroom.

So fine. He’d wear her down and give her a bit of sex in exchange for romance.

“Anything longer than a weekend could be considered a lot of time to her,” East said. “Besides, what’s your end game here?”

“To get to know Chloe better.”

“Yeah, but you’re leaving as soon as the next mission calls.”

“I always leave.” Gage hesitated. “But I could come back more often. Stay for a bit longer when I do. Circumstances depending.”

East raised an eyebrow. “Yeah? What kind of circumstances?”

“Chloe.”

“Oh, I thought you were going to say you could work here. Like maybe training full-time. We could use a head of S&R for emergency services in North Carolina. You could be stationed here in Beaufort.”

Gage almost laughed. East had never been the subtle type, but he ought to know better than to try to tempt Gage with something he’d never wanted in the first place.

“No thanks.” He didn’t stay anywhere too long—it was in his DNA to be in the field. Physically doing something, helping. As soon as the next mission came, he’d be long gone. What kind of man would he be if he only took missions locally? What if someone needed him four states away? He’d never be able to sleep at night if someone died after he hadn’t gone there himself.

“I’m here until the next mission,” he said. “Don’t get any ideas.”

“Well then why are you trying to date Chloe if you’re always going to leave?”

“People make things work. A lot of couples work around jobs that keep them busy in other states. Just think about military families when someone’s deployed.”

The difference was he could come back to Beaufort—and Chloe—on his down time. He’d have someone to come home to. If she’d ever go for it.

“But none of this really matters right now,” Gage went on. “She can’t seem to stay around me for longer than a couple of hours, so—”

“So you figured you’d use your layover to test it out,” East finished. “And convince her of your grand plan while you’re at it. Tactical approach.”

Why was he saying that like it was a bad thing? It was smart—and yes, tactical. So what?

“Either way, more time equals more commitment,” East finally said. “Staying or going, it all comes back to you asking for something neither of you ever thought was an option. Hell, something neither of you wanted to be an option.”

Until he’d almost dropped off the side of a cliff. “People change.”

“Yeah. You happen to tell her what inspired you to change?”

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 fucking 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.

“I’ll take care of the victim,” he said. “But we have to get going.”

And he was now going to be staying in his camo for longer than he’d thought.

Chloe sighed and walked around the entrance to the state park where Gage had texted her to meet him. All he’d said was: This is not a dinner date. Wear jeans, tennis shoes, and long sleeves.