"Would you like to sit down and have a drink with us?" Kevin offered, eager to accommodate Mia. "We can pull up another chair for you, if you'd like."
"No, thanks," she said, dashing the other man's hopes, only to raise them all over again with her next comment. "Actually, I came up here looking for a dance partner. Anyone here interested?"
Cameron kept quiet, while both Kevin and Ben glanced at Joel as if to gauge his reaction Should they accept Mia's invitation. Luckily for them, Joel was once again distracted by the waitress who'd ensnared his attention earlier.
"Hell, why not," Kevin said and stood before Ben could beat him to the punch. "I came here to have a good time, so let's do it."
"That's certainly my motto." Mia laughed, a sultry, husky sound that tied Cameron's insides into a heated knot of desire.
As Mia led the way to the dance floor and Kevin followed behind, Cameron blew out a harsh breath. He knew her flirtations with Kevin and Ben were all an act, knew she was trying to pretend all was normal and Cameron didn't have carnal knowledge of her body-and they hadn't agreed to a brief affair. But it was still difficult to watch her go off with another man and move that lithe, centerfold body of hers all for Kevin's viewing pleasure.
Cameron kept both Ray and Will in his sights, while keeping an eye on Mia as well. She was having a great time with Kevin, and if that wasn't torture enough, when the two of them returned to the table after enjoying a few songs, Ben was quick to offer himself up as her next dance partner, and Mia was happy to oblige. She looked so damn sexy up on the dance floor, with her dark tousled hair, flushed face, and that seductive, body-hugging dress. And those sexy boots… Cameron had no doubts they'd star in some very erotic fantasies for a long time to come.
"You know, if you don't like anyone else dancing with her, then you ought to speak up."
This came from Kevin, and Cameron couldn't believe he'd allowed himself to be so transparent around men who were trained to be just as perceptive as he was. Still, he tried to brush it off. "I'm not interested in dancing with Mia."
From across the table, Joel gave an inelegant snort. "Sure you're not," he drawled, then explained to Kevin, "Cameron and Mia have this love-hate thing going on between them."
"I don't hate her." Far from it, Cameron thought. Mia inspired many emotions from him, but none that even came remotely close to disliking her.
"Okay, hate is a strong word," Joel conceded as he rubbed his fingers along the condensation gathering on his bottle of beer. "You want her, but you don't want her. She annoys the hell out of you, and you still want her. Bottom line is, you want her."
That pretty well summed up his feelings for Mia, not that he was going to admit it out loud and give Joel the satisfaction of knowing how badly his sister affected him. "Don't worry, it's not going to happen," he reassured Joel, the lie slipping too easily from his lips.
Joel studied him for a long moment, and Cameron tried not to squirm under the scrutiny of his stare.
Finally, Joel spoke. "That's probably for the best, considering the two of you would end up strangling one another within a few days of being together."
Cameron could think of a dozen other things he'd rather do to Mia with his hands and fingers, rather than wrapping them around her pretty neck. Still, for Joel's benefit, he played along. "Yeah, you're probably right."
Much to Cameron's relief, Kevin and Mia came back to the table, which put an end to his awkward conversation with Joel. Ben sat in his chair, and Mia sidled up to Cameron.
"Whew," she said, breathing hard from the workout she'd gotten while dancing with two different men back to back. "I sure am hot… and thirsty."
Before anyone could offer to get her a drink, she picked up his bottle of beer and lifted it to her mouth. Cameron watched in fascination as her lips closed over the tip and her tongue dipped inside the opening. Then she tilted the bottle back and moaned deep in her throat as she finished off the last little bit of cold liquid left inside.
Cameron nearly groaned right along with her as images filled his mind of her soft warm mouth sucking on him in the same erotic way-which he knew had been her intent all along. To deliberately arouse him when he couldn't do a damn thing about it, the minx.
With a soft sigh of satisfaction, she set the empty bottle down on the table and met his gaze. Her lashes fell half-mast, and she slowly licked the excess moisture from her lips. "Mmmm, that tasted good."
His blood rushed hot and molten through his veins. God, she was so brazen and bold!
She smiled at him, a heady, come-hither curve of her lips that told him she wasn't done teasing him just yet. "So how about you, sugar?" she asked as she leaned in close and skimmed the tips of her fingers along his tensed jaw. "Care to take your chances with me?"
She meant out on the dance floor, but there was a wealth of meaning and innuendo behind her words. It took every bit of strength Cameron possessed to pretend indifference to her, when all he could think about was wiping the table clear in one clean swipe of his arm and taking her right then and there, with those fuck-me lace-up boots wrapped tight against his hips.
"I'll pass," he managed, just barely, in a bland tone of voice.
A disappointed sigh escaped her parted lips. "I guess I'll just have to find someone who will."
She turned to go, and something within Cameron snapped-mainly, his normal ability to keep a tight rein on his emotions. He understood that for Mia this was all a performance for her brother and his friends, even if she was enjoying herself a tad too much at his expense. But he'd had enough of her dancing with other men, and he wasn't about to watch her with yet another guy while he sat on the sidelines and stewed about it.
Abruptly, he stood up and started after Mia, with Kevin and Ben encouraging him on. Cameron glanced back at the trio and found Joel watching him quietly with an unsettling kind of speculation that made Cameron feel uneasy.
Dismissing the feeling for the time being, he caught up to Mia before she could find herself another dance partner, grabbed her hand, and led the way. Once they were up on the stage, he merged the two of them into the middle of the crowded dance floor, away from the prying eyes of Mia's brother, and then whirled around to face the woman who tempted him beyond reason. She was only a foot away, but he wanted her closer.
Much closer.
Wrapping the end of her chain belt around his fist, he pulled her to him until their bodies were touching intimately. Awareness sparked in her smoky gaze, as did a glimmer of heat he recognized as a direct challenge. She wanted this, and she was silently daring him to be bad, to throw every bit of caution to the wind and give in to some reckless, shameless kind of fun. With her.
He let a wolfish grin emerge, and her eyes widened with a bit of surprise and excitement. Grasping her hips in his hands, he wedged his leg between hers so the hem of her dress was hiked up and she was riding his thigh. From there, their eyes met and held as they moved to the beat of the music in a way that mimicked the act of hot, grinding, down-and-dirty sex. Cameron grew thick and hard as each seductive move was countered by another, in ways that would have gotten them arrested for public obscenity if anyone could have seen what they were doing.
Fortunately, they were surrounded by a crush of people who weren't paying any attention to them or their dirty dancing. They didn't care mat his hands were on Mia's ass, and they couldn't see the slow, provocative way she arched and rubbed against his erection again and again.
It was the most erotic form of foreplay Cameron ever had the pleasure of indulging in, and he planned to get even with Mia tonight, when they were alone. He had a score to settle with her-for tempting and teasing him earlier in front of her brother and his friends, and for driving him to the brink of sexual frustration now.
The song ended, and he and Mia agreed to part ways for a while: Cameron was grateful for the cooling-off period, because after that encounter, he had no idea how he was going to survive the evening.
But somehow, he managed. Befo
re long Gina and Ray left for the night, followed by Mia's neighbor Will and his friends. Soon after that, Joel, Kevin, and Ben decided to head off to Nick's Sports Bar, which was their normal hangout.
Once Cameron was certain that Joel and his buddies were long gone, he made his way across the room to Mia and lowered his mouth to her ear.
"Let's get the hell out of here."
"Your place or mine?" She grinned up at him, her face still flushed from their dancing.
That all depended on a key factor. "Is Gina going to be home tonight?"
She shook her head. "No. She'll be at Ray's."
Perfect. "Your place, then." Because what he had in mind for Mia, he wanted her to be completely comfortable and relaxed, and being in her element would accomplish that.
"I'm parked two cars away from yours," he told her, wanting to be careful about the way they left The Electric Blue, just in case they were being watched. "I'll walk out first, and you follow about a minute after me so I can keep an eye on you."
She nodded in agreement. He headed out of the bar and crossed the parking lot to their vehicles. As Mia's Celica came into his sights, a sick feeling of dread twisted through him, followed by a jolt of outrage at what someone had done to Mia's car. He swore a string of expletives as he tried to figure out a way to spare Mia from having to see this latest attack.
Unfortunately, he didn't think fast enough. Her audible gasp of shock had Cameron spinning around, and his stomach cramped when he saw her face. Mia's eyes were huge, her complexion drained of color, and her expression was etched with disbelief and horror as she stared at her vandalized car.
"Oh, my God!" she wailed.
Chapter Seven
SLUT. Tramp. Bitch. Whore.
A distinct chill slithered through Mia. The vile, cruel words someone had written all over her car's windows in a thick, white paste swam before her eyes. Her legs felt weak, as though they were going to give out on her if she tried to take a step in any direction. She folded her arms around her middle, but it was Cameron's strength that held her upright as he wrapped his arms around her in a secure embrace.
"You're trembling," he said gruffly and rubbed his big hands up and down her bare back in an attempt to soothe her.
Closing her eyes, she leaned into him and buried her face against his neck, wishing she could make all this ugliness go away. She inhaled the scent of his cologne and the warmth of his skin, taking comfort in the fact that Cameron was there and she didn't have to deal with this latest assault alone.
She wasn't used to relying on anyone for anything and had spent years striving to prove to her family that she was an independent woman who didn't need protecting or sheltering.
Yet here she was, clinging to Cameron like a damsel in distress. Geez, she was so pathetic.
Inhaling a deep, calming breath, she pulled back, and he gradually let her go. "Sorry about that," she said, hating that he'd seen her in such a vulnerable state.
"You're entitled to be upset," he said as he swept a hand angrily toward her car. "This is bullshit."
She couldn't bring herself to look at her car again, or the offensive phrases mocking her. "I can't believe someone would do such a thing."
He exhaled a disgusted breath and shoved his fingers through his hair. "I'm sorry, Mia."
She heard the apologetic tone of his voice and was stunned that he'd feel responsible for what had happened. "Cameron, this isn't your fault."
His expression was a glowering mask of barely suppressed fury. "I'm just pissed that I didn't come out here in time to catch the creep who did this to you."
Actually, that person was very lucky Cameron hadn't caught them in the act. Judging by the fierce look in his eyes, there was no doubt in Mia's mind he would have beat the living daylights out of them.
She shivered again and wondered if the culprit was watching them now, taking a sick delight in shaking her up so badly. That possibility sent a frisson of unease rippling along her spine. "Well, it's done and over with, and I want to go home."
"I have some rags in the truck," he said, his gaze gentling with understanding. "Let me try to get this mess cleaned up as much as possible before we go."
She waited while Cameron did his best to wipe away the vulgar words and clean her windows of the white gunk, which he suspected was toothpaste. Her car would definitely have to be washed thoroughly, but she appreciated not having those words emblazoned on her windows for everyone to see on the drive home.
Once they reached her apartment building, she parked her Celica in her carport and because Gina wouldn't be home until the next day, Cameron went ahead and took her spot. Together they walked to her place. As she entered the apartment, she turned on the living room light and tossed her purse and car keys on the table.
Cameron came up to her, touched the tips of his long, warm fingers beneath her chin, and brought her gaze to his. His stunning eyes, she noticed, were bright with concern.
"Are you going to be okay?" he asked.
She refused to admit just how upset she really was, and even a little frightened by the intensity of an unknown person's wrath against her.
"Yeah, I'm fine." She summoned a smile and caressed her hand along his jaw. The slight stubble abraded her palm in a very arousing way, and that's what she focused on… her desire for Cameron. "I'm glad you're here."
"Me, too," he murmured.
The undisguised emotion in his eyes made her heart skip a beat, mainly because it was a rarity for her to see such genuine caring from a man when it came to her-outside her family, of course. She and Cameron had been at opposition for so long, and now that they'd given into their desire for one another, she was coming to realize just how much this man threatened her own heart and emotions.
But allowing herself to need or rely on someone on an emotional level was something she'd avoided since she was a little girl. And she wasn't about to start now, with Cameron.
Pushing those unsettling thoughts aside, she slid her arms around his neck and sifted her fingers though his hair. Lifting her mouth to his, she kissed him, and he was quick to respond. She savored the heat of his lips on hers, the slow, lazy sweep of his tongue as their connection deepened, and the feel of his hands sliding along her shoulders. Hands that were big and strong yet achingly gentle as they glided down her back and then drew her close against a body that was hot and hard and already aroused.
Desperately craving the distraction of something intensely physical to forget about what had happened earlier, she attempted to move things along at a faster, more urgent pace. Except Cameron wasn't giving in to any of her aggressive moves, and she couldn't contain the soft sound of frustration that rumbled up from her chest.
"Slow down, sweetheart," he whispered against her lips, though she could hear a hint of laughter in his tone. "We've got all night, and there's more where that kiss came from."
She pulled back, just enough to slide her hand between their bodies and cup his thickened shaft in her palm. "I want more," she said huskily as she stroked the heated length of him. "A whole lot more."
He groaned, circled her wrist with his fingers, and pulled her hand away. She couldn't help but feel confused and even a little bit rejected by his actions, though she wasn't about to let her hurt show. Instead, she rebounded with a flippant and sassy response.
"What's the matter, sugar?" she drawled as she tossed back her hair. "Not quite up to it?"
A roguish grin slid across his lips, giving her the distinct feeling that he saw right through her act. "Oh, I'm plenty up for it. But we're doing things my way tonight. Do you have a problem with that?"
She almost bristled at his commanding tone until she recalled the sexual promises he'd made to her just a few evenings ago-of how he wanted to take things real slow this time, along with the very thorough way he planned to worship her entire body until she came for him.
That thought alone was enough to make her body quicken with anticipation, lust, and carnal need.
What he was asking for would put him in complete control of her pleasure. It would make him the dominating one and force her to bend to his will, and that was something she rarely did for any man. But he was offering her an invitation she couldn't resist, and just because he was the one calling the shots didn't mean she couldn't find some way to be sure she seduced him in return.
"Take me to your bedroom, Mia."
She didn't hesitate. Slipping her hand into his, she led him down the darkened hallway to her bedroom. Rather than turning on the bright overhead light, she instead switched on the small lamp on the nightstand next to her bed, which cast a soft glow in the room that was far more subtle and romantic. Then she turned to Cameron and waited anxiously for his next request.
"I want you to do something for me. It's a fantasy of mine when it comes to you. One of them anyway," he added with a half-grin as he fingered the chain belt riding low on her hips.
She had no idea what he had in mind, but she'd come this far and she wasn't going to back out now. Besides, she was too intrigued, and she certainly wasn't modest when it came to what felt good to her sexually-no matter if it was his fantasy or her own. "I'll do anything you want."
"Good." He turned away from her and walked across the room. "First, I want you to pretend I'm not here in your bedroom."
It was a bizarre request, but she agreed. "All right."
She had a big, comfortable, cushioned chair in the corner by the window she sometimes curled up on to do her stained-glass drawings or read a book, and he positioned it right at the foot of her bed. Then he sat down, legs spread wide, and his body sprawled lazily.
He continued his instructions. "I want you to get ready for bed like you normally do, as if I wasn't here, then lay down on your bed where I can watch you touch yourself."
She wasn't a prude by any means, but she'd never done anything so intimate with a man watching. And to do so with Cameron, she knew she'd be exposing a private part of herself-not only physically, but the hidden secrets to her body and her ultimate satisfaction as well.
Too Wilde to Tame Page 10
