“I don’t want to stay away from him, I just don’t want to hang out with him,” Chloe said.

“Well don’t hold back, sweetheart,” a gruff voice said behind her. Chloe turned and found Gage standing at the end of the bar. His dark eyes stared holes right through her, and she fought the urge to blush.

He was the only man who ever made her come close to feeling giddy. He had a pull on her emotions, and she needed to get them under control real quick. Because she did want him—as long as it was on her terms. Question was: how would she get it?

Normally she might have grabbed him and shown him how she really felt, but Easton Ambrose, the resident search and rescue EMT, had come with him. East was built like Gage, tall, strong, and good-looking. But East was the local town charmer with a playboy reputation.

Chloe knew a wingman when she saw one. Gage had come here to seduce her into romance. Well, fair was fair. If he wanted to play, she’d beat him at his own game.

“You should know by now I’m not shy about much.” Chloe handed menus to both men. “Hungry?”

“Yes,” Gage replied quickly. There was so much emotion in his voice. His words felt like his tongue against her skin. “I’m starving.”

“Uh…me too…but I’m going to go with a burger.” East leaned back in his seat like he was waiting to see the show. “And I’ll also take a cupcake,” he said to Natalie. When he reached for it, Natalie slapped his hand.

“Back off, Easton, this is a work of art. Not to be pawed on.”

He rolled his eyes. “Seriously, Nat?”

She looked over her cupcake, smiling and turning it to admire its perfection. “Yep.”

It was no secret Natalie and Easton kind of irritated each other. Had since they were all young.

East groaned. “Why the hell do you frost them out here then if they’re not for eating?”

“To drive you nuts.” She smiled.

“Tempting a man with something he wants but can’t have isn’t very nice, you know?”

Though East might be talking about a cupcake, Chloe knew the feeling. She glanced at Gage in all his super hotness and wanted to strangle him for sitting in front of her. With all this talk about cupcakes, she wanted to steal Natalie’s frosting bag and decorate her favorite dessert. Then she’d lick it off and—

She huffed out a breath and glared at the opposite wall. No point in fantasizing about what she couldn’t have.

“Well, I’m off to get this in the case with the rest of them,” Natalie said. “You want a cupcake, Easton? You’ll have to come to my shop and buy one like everyone else.” Then she pranced off with her miniature edible artwork.

“That woman needs to lighten up,” East grumbled.

Now it was Chloe’s turn to roll her eyes. Even though they went way back, there was no way her sweet but strictly organized rule-following BFF would lighten up anytime soon.

“Well, if you’re done whining…” Chloe glanced at Gage. “You going to order something?”

“I’d like to order you to go to dinner with me,” Gage said.

She straightened her shoulders and placed her hands on her hips. Former sergeant Gage McGraw issuing an order kicked her pulse up a notch. His dominance made her want to salute and say, “Yes sir.”

No! She needed to stay strong until she got what she wanted—Gage without the commitment.

“No dinner. But how about a nightcap?” she countered.

“I’m going to go put different music on the jukebox,” East said. “Purely to get away from this conversation.” He got up and walked across the bar to the machine.

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.