Janelle Denison: Wilde Thing

Even though she wasn't used to playing such impulsive sexual games with a man, she was determined to be as bold and confident as he was. After all, if she intended to become a phone sex operator, didn't she need to become a brazen, fearless vixen?

Slipping one arm around his neck, she splayed her other hand on the soft cotton T-shirt covering his wide chest and met his gaze. This close, she could see flecks of gold in his hot blue eyes, could smell the heady warmth of his own arousal, could feel his deep, even breaths beneath her palm.

He countered her advance by placing his big hand just below where the hem of her skirt ended. The heat of his long fingers branded her flesh while his callused thumb swept slowly, tantalizingly across the smooth, sensitive skin of her inner thigh.

"Kiss me," he said simply, and left the next move up to her.

She'd instinctively known he wasn't a man who'd let her go on her way with a politically correct, chaste handshake. Not after they'd brought their attraction out in the open and she'd all but told him she wanted his hands on her. It appeared Steve was a man who enjoyed the chase, as well as issuing outrageous dares. And right now, he apparently expected her to put her money where her mouth was and give him physical proof of her desire for him.

Surprisingly, she didn't feel as though she was compromising her virtue-or anything else, for that matter-because she wanted him, too. After three years of being sensible, practical, and celibate, she was beyond ready to indulge in a little excitement and adventure-a sexy, temporary fling that would end as soon as they tracked her wayward cousin.

Lowering her head, she touched her lips to his warm, firm mouth-soft, slow, and sweet. He didn't seem inclined to deepen the kiss, and confusion and uncertainty made her draw back to assess his expression.

He appeared unimpressed by her initial attempt to seduce him. "Is that the best you can do?" A lofty smile quirked the corner of his mouth.

She should have been insulted, but she saw his taunting comment as the direct provocation he meant it to be. He was testing her to see how far she'd go with him, how willing she'd be to satisfy his every whim. She'd craved him for so long, she was eager to experience whatever he had to offer. And she intended to demonstrate that she was game for anything and everything he tossed her way, and that she wasn't about to be a passive partner to his more assertive nature.

Threading her fingers through the thick, silky hair at the nape of his neck, she curved her other hand along his strong jawline and pushed his chin down with her thumb so that his lips parted for her. This time when her mouth met his, she bypassed all slow, coaxing preliminaries and went straight for hot and devouring. Her tongue swept into his mouth and tangled with his, and she tasted the pure, unadulterated sensuality that was so much a part of him. She shivered, unable to stop the slow, sultry ache spreading through her belly, or the slick moisture settling between her thighs.

Certain she'd given him more than enough proof of her enthusiasm, she started to pull back, only to have him thwart her attempt. He cupped the back of her head in his palm to hold her in place, and with a low growl she felt rumble up from his chest, he slanted his mouth across hers and took control of the embrace.

Presumptuous and dominant, he kissed her with potent male heat. Branded her with the strength and depth of his passion. Excited her with the heated stroke of his hand on her bare thigh, and the promise of forbidden, illicit pleasures to come.

His unmistakable erection pressed against her hip-long, hard, and thick, fueling her imagination of what it would feel like to have that impressive, solid length filling her. Stretching her. Pumping deep inside her in a grinding, full-bodied rhythm.

She shuddered at the thought and groaned. Oh, God, it had been so, so long…

Her breasts swelled within the confines of her bra, and she shifted restlessly on his lap, wanton and needy as his lips and tongue continued their lush, hungry assault on her mouth and senses. Knowing their relationship was nothing more than a temporary diversion and purely for the sake of mutual pleasure gave her the freedom to let go of inhibitions. To give generously and take greedily. To grasp and enjoy one last provocative fling with an untamable bad boy before she turned her sights on a man more straitlaced and ordinary. A steadfast man who'd make her aunt and uncle proud of her choice and make up for the huge disappointment Travis had turned out to be.

With that thought filling her mind, and her body desperate for a more physical contact, she released three of the buttons on her blouse, then reached for the masculine hand still on her thigh. Lifting his long, warm fingers to her neck, she flattened his hand against the erratic pulse in her throat and brazenly skimmed his palm down to the slope of her breast, silently telling him what she wanted. What she needed.

He effortlessly took over from there, slipping his fingers into her stretch-lace bra and molding them to her feminine curves. A delightful sigh escaped her as he cupped and kneaded her soft flesh in a firm, sensuous caress.

The hand at the back of her head pulled her closer, and he continued to kiss her, damp lips melding and silky tongues mating intimately. He plucked at her sensitive nipple, rolled the stiff crest between his fingers, and she moaned into his mouth and shamelessly arched into his touch, begging for more.

Abruptly he ended their seductive interlude and buried his face against her throat, his breathing coming as fast and ragged as her own. "Christ," he muttered in awe, the one word summing up just how fiery and intense their attraction was.

She laughed huskily, understanding just how dazed he felt. "I need to go," she said, trying to hang on to a semblance of rational thinking.

He lifted his head from the crook of her neck, his lashes half-mast and a sinful grin in place. "Yeah, you do, before you end up sprawled on my desk with your skirt up around your waist and me between your thighs." He gave her breast a possessive squeeze.

Her cheeks warmed at his blatantly sexual statement, and while temptation beckoned, other more immediate responsibilities demanded her attention-the kind of duty and obligation that took precedence over her desire for Steve.

"I don't want to be late for my interview at The Ultimate Fantasy," she reminded him.

"You're right. We'll have plenty of time to finish this later." Slowly he withdrew his hand from her breast, buttoned up her blouse, and lifted his gaze to hers. "And just for the record, your second attempt was much better than the first, sweetheart. I like a woman who isn't shy or modest about taking what she needs-or giving me what I want. You do both quite well."

The compliment boosted her confidence in a way nothing had in a long time, and she couldn't resist flashing him a quick grin. "Thank you." She slid from his lap and straightened her skirt, doing her best to smooth out her appearance and regain her composure.

He stood, too, and grimaced as he adjusted the noticeable bulge straining against the fly of his jeans. Then he grabbed the keys on the corner of his desk and started for the door. "Come on, let's go."

Confused, she caught his arm as he passed her, forcing him to stop. "What do you mean, 'Let's go'?"

"Since I'm officially on this case, I'm driving you to the interview," he replied simply.

She frowned. "Steve, I don't need a chauffeur. I'm more than capable of driving myself."

In a split second, his demeanor turned commanding, his expression reflecting a compelling amount of authority that made it clear who was in charge. "Look, in order for this partnership between us to work, when it comes to your involvement with The Ultimate Fantasy, you need to trust my judgment and reasons without questioning them. I need to stick close to your side whenever possible, especially where this case is concerned. I also need to know where the offices for The Ultimate Fantasy are located, and while you're in your interview I can get a gut feeling for the establishment and decide whether or not I need to put the place under surveillance."