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 through 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.”