Janelle Denison - Too Wilde to Tame

An eternity later he finally lifted his head, and they were both breathing hard. Her lashes fluttered open, and she stared into his hot green eyes, her lips wet and swollen from his generous kisses and her legs as weak as a newborn colt's. Luckily, his solid, male body offered all the support she needed.

Making out with Cameron was like enjoying a piece of Godiva chocolate, she decided dreamily… the kind that melted on your tongue, yet the pleasure lasted long after the candy was gone.

"God, that was almost better than sex," she said, amazed at just how much sensual enjoyment this man had given her with just his kisses.

He chuckled. "Mmm, that was nice," he agreed huskily, then sighed. "I should go."

"You don't have to," she said, much too anxiously.

He withdrew his hands from beneath her top, and she instantly missed the warmth of his touch. "I know, but I have a long day tomorrow and it starts early."

"All right." She was definitely disappointed, but she understood and she had to work in the morning, too. "Thanks for taking me to your parents' today. I really had a good time. Your family is wonderful." And after meeting everyone, it was easy to see why he was such a great guy.

Smiling, he slid his thumb along her jaw. "They enjoyed having you there, too."

Just as Cameron had promised, there had been no pressure from his siblings and no speculation about their relationship, which had made it easy for her to relax around them. Then she thought about next Saturday, when both she and Cameron would be at her cousin Steve's for his son's one-year birthday party, and wondered how they were going to pull that off with everyone believing they were still adversaries.

She expressed her concerns. "Today was easy enough being your friend , but how are we going handle next week with my family?"

He leaned his forehead against hers and grinned. "Very, very carefully."

MIA knocked lightly on her brother Scott's office door, then walked inside as Scott and her other brother Alex were discussing an upcoming restoration project they were interested in acquiring.

"Sorry to interrupt," she said as she came to a stop in front of Scott's desk. "Here are those contracts you needed, along with the typed-up estimate for the Franklin Building project that's going to bid tomorrow."

"Great." Scott reached for the stack of paperwork and set it down in front of him to review. "Thanks."

Alex, who was sitting in one of the two chairs in front of the desk, cast a sideways glance at Mia. "I've been meaning to ask you all morning. What's with the button-up suit you're wearing?"

Mia would hardly call her short cutaway jacket, constructed of a soft mint green tweed with braided trim along the lapel, buttoned up . Sure, the matching skirt hit her at the knee instead of inches above it, and the jacket only allowed a small glimpse of her cleavage, but the outfit was casual and comfortable. And most importantly, sophisticated and fashionable.

"What, a girl can't wear a suit to work every once in a while?" she asked.

"Well, sure," Scott said cautiously. "But that one you're wearing is just very…"

The right word seemed to allude her brother, but not Alex. "Nunlike," he supplied for Scott and laughed. "At least for you, anyway. That's more along the lines of what Dana would wear," he said, referring to his wife of a few months.

Scott leaned back in his seat. "I guess we're both used to your more… colorful outfits," he said, and Mia knew "colorful" was his way of softening what should have been termed as flashy or outrageous . "This nice suit just surprised us both."

She gave the hem of her jacket a tug. "Well don't get used to it, because I'm not changing my entire wardrobe." She'd worn the two-piece designer suit today because she had a meeting with Amy at her gallery and she wanted to look her professional best. She hadn't thought about how her brothers might react to the more reserved look.

"Mia…" Scott's tone was tentative, even a little concerned. "Is everything okay?"

"Everything is fine." She went on alert, wondering what, exactly, her brother was getting at. "Why do you ask?"

"I don't know." He shrugged, but he was wearing a slight frown, as if he was trying to figure out what was bothering him so much. "You just seem so much more… subdued lately."

"It's called maturity," Alex cut in. "I think our baby sister is finally growing up."

She stiffened. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Stop bristling," Scott said, smoothing things over between her and Alex before a war could ensue. As the oldest of the family, Scott had always been the peacemaker. "It's not an insult, Mia, but a compliment. We've just noticed some changes in you the past week or so. Good ones. And you seem happy, too."

"I've always been happy," she said automatically.

"No, this is different. Your overall mood, your personality…" His voice trailed off as he narrowed his gaze on her, as if he couldn't quite put his finger on what had changed. "Is something going on that we don't know about?"

"Or that we need to know about?" Alex added, suddenly Mr. Concern.

She immediately recognized the protective glint in her brothers' gazes, and she thought about everything going on in her life that would undoubtedly set them off. Her affair with Cameron. Being stalked by an unknown person. Her appointment today with Amy and the possibility of exposing her very intimate artwork no one but Cameron knew about.

Scott and Alex would come unglued if they had any clue what she was currently dealing with, and she wasn't about to enlighten them. "Look, there is nothing going on you need to worry about. And as for this suit, I bought it because it was a helluva good deal and it looked good on me."

Scott grinned. "Can't argue with you there."

"So stop reading so much into every little thing." Then she deftly changed the subject. "Is there anything else either of you need today?"

Scott thought for a moment and then shook his head. "I think this is all the important stuff I needed."

"I'm good, too," Alex said.

"Great." She turned around and headed for the door. "I'm taking the rest of the afternoon off."

"What?" Scott said in surprise.

"Why?" Alex asked at the same time, equally startled by her unexpected announcement.

She stopped and pivoted back toward her brothers, her chin lifting a fraction. "Because my work is done and I deserve the time off, that's why," she said matter-of-factly.

"I won't argue there," Scott said. "But it's all so last minute."

She stifled an exasperated sigh. Her brothers were so damn nosey, and it was clear they were waiting for more of an explanation. She debated telling them it was none of their business, but she didn't want to rouse their suspicions in any way. And she wasn't ready to tell them about the possibility of her artwork being displayed in a gallery, just in case it didn't work out.

"I'm going to lunch with a friend and then shopping." It wasn't a lie. She was meeting Carrie for lunch and then she wanted to find a new outfit to wear this weekend. She just failed to mention her appointment with Amy. "And I might just buy something shocking to wear to work tomorrow so the two of you will quit spending all your time speculating about everything I do."

Scott shook his head and chuckled. "Okay, now there's the Mia we know and love."

Alex nodded his agreement, grinning. "Yep, full of sass and smart-ass comebacks."

"And don't either of you forget it," she said and left the office before she was late for her meeting with Amy.

MIA was lucky enough to find a parking spot on the street two spaces away from the storefront of the Brennan Gallery. She turned off the engine, closed her eyes, and inhaled a deep calming breath to still her jittery nerves.