“Whatever you want.” He kept his dark eyes fixed on her in a way that made her heart beat faster. “A wink, maybe.” He lifted his attention to her updo. “Or you could let your hair down.” His focus shifted back to her eyes. “I’d definitely notice that.”

With an effort, she restrained a shiver at the thoughts those words ignited. “That would be a bad idea, as I’m sure you already know.”

Behind them, she heard the sliding door open. The noise of the game on the TV and the voices from the house grew louder.

“Then I’ll have to settle for a long, smoldering look,” he told her softly, still speaking for her ears alone. “Once I see that, I’ll have you out the door in no time.”

She wanted to tell herself he was just teasing. Just trying to rile her. But his lingering attention suggested otherwise in the moment before he pivoted to greet Chiara Campagna.

Elena did the same, forcing herself to flip the switch into professional mode. Still, the breathless anticipation of their flirtation didn’t fade.

Not when Gage excused himself to return to the house and give Elena space for her interview. And not when she delved into a conversation with one of her generation’s most sought-after beauty and fashion icons. But no matter how often she found her thoughts straying to Gage Striker, Elena refused to consider the scenarios he’d painted in her mind as anything more than outrageous fantasies that had no place in her real life.

Seated in one of the paired leather recliners in Jonah’s great room, Gage peered out the wall of windows. Chiara Campagna was lifting her phone to take a photo of herself with Elena.

He could only see Elena’s face in profile, so it was difficult to read her mood. He knew he’d caught her off guard when he’d voiced his desire for her, but it wasn’t as if she’d been unaware of it. They’d been sidestepping it since their first meeting at Mesa Falls, circling and taking each other’s measure after all this time. By now, he’d seen enough to know he wanted her as much as ever, no matter how things had ended between them before.

He refused to pretend otherwise.

“She’s still there,” Jonah observed drily from his seat beside Gage, his voice even louder than the TV’s impressive surround-sound audio. “You’ve checked out your date at least five times since we sat down.”

Caught.

“She’s been an unexpected complication at Mesa Falls,” Gage explained, forcing his attention back to the game even as Jonah stabbed the remote to lower the television volume. “I didn’t anticipate having to take a role on-site in Montana, and I sure as hell didn’t expect to have to confront my ex in the process.”