Janelle Denison - Too Wilde to Tame

She was wearing the hottest, sexiest, most arousing pair of dress boots he'd ever seen on a woman. Made of supple beige leather, they reached just below her knee, and it wasn't just the spiked heel that had his temperature, and other parts of his anatomy, rising. No, it was the way they laced up the side of her leg and showed glimpses of skin between the criss-crossing of ties, prompting erotic images of her being a bit of a dominatrix in the bedroom-which suited Mia's personality very well.

He groaned and shoved those images right out of his head as she came to a stop at the side of the table between himself and Kevin. She slid her hip to one side, the one nearest him , and the chain on her belt jingled temptingly.

"Hi there, boys," she greeted them with a sexy smile that encompassed them all. "Fancy running into the four of you here."

Ben grinned at her, and it was obvious to Cameron that the other man could be very interested in Mia, given the chance and Joel's approval. "We were just saying the same thing about you, Mia."

She shrugged, and Cameron hoped to God he was the only one who noticed how her firm breasts bounced oh-so-provocatively with the gesture. Unfortunately, Ben and Kevin were all male, and their gazes strayed accordingly.

"It's a fun place," she said, fingering the end of her chain belt. "And where's there's fun, I'm there."

Joel crossed his arms over his massive chest. "You shouldn't be here alone," he said gruffly.

"Don't go and get your feathers all ruffled, Joel," she said and rolled her eyes at her brother's protective statement. "Gina is here, too, so I'm not alone."

"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.