Janelle Denison - Too Wilde to Tame

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. Before 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.

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.