Janelle Denison - Too Wilde to Tame

Instead, he moved away, cleaned up, and refastened his jeans. "I'll go downstairs first. You can arrive a few minutes later."

Giving her one last quick kiss, he stepped out of the bathroom and started down the hallway and toward the stairs, only to come up short when he saw Mia's brother, Joel, waiting there. He was leaning against the railing, arms crossed over his massive chest, looking way too intimidating in his black T-shirt and black jeans.

Cameron wasn't about to give anything away and tried to act casual, though he had a sinking feeling in his stomach that didn't bode well at all. "What are you doing up here?"

"The downstairs bathroom is occupied." Joel pushed off the railing, but before he could head down the hall, Cameron stepped in front of him, blocking his path.

Shit . The gig was so up with this Wilde brother. "You can't go in there."

Joel lifted a dark brow. "Why not?"

Cameron knew Joel wasn't going to make any of this easy on him. Joel knew , and now he was going to use every tactical maneuver he'd learned in the military to kick his ass just as soon as Cameron admitted the truth. And then Joel was going to tell his brothers and cousins what was going on, and the entire family was going to castrate him.

Ignoring the twinge in his groin, Cameron 'fessed up, because lying to Joel wasn't an option for him, not if he wanted to earn the man's respect in the end. "Mia is still in there."

Joel smirked. "I didn't realize you needed someone to hold your dick while you took a piss."

Cameron cringed at the sarcasm edging the other man's words, because it was so obvious that Joel was baiting him. Cam kept waiting for a spark of outrage, but Joel remained calm, and that actually worried him more than an outward show of anger.

He'd come this far, so Cameron figured he might as well spill everything. "Mia and I… we've been seeing each other privately."

"I can't say I'm surprised."

"You're not mad?" Cameron asked cautiously.

"Why in the hell would I be mad?" Joel looked genuinely perplexed. "It's about damn time the two of you hooked up. We all knew it was bound to happen. Besides, I'd rather see my sister settled with someone like you than some schmuck who can't handle her."

Except Mia wasn't looking to be "settled," and therein lay the rub to their relationship, and the situation.

"By the way," Joel said, an amused grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. "When I made the bet earlier that Mia would get the best of you before the day was over, I didn't mean like this . However, a bet is a bet, and the way I see things, you lost."

Cameron wasn't about to argue logistics with Joel. Reaching into his back pocket for his wallet, he pulled out a twenty dollar bill and slapped it into Mia's brother's hand, hoping the payout would work as hush money, as well. "Look, I'd really appreciate it if you didn't say anything to anyone about Mia and me just yet. She's still playing hard to get about all this relationship stuff, and I've learned that she's got to come around in her own good time." Never mind that she was being stalked and he'd yet to find out by whom.

"Fine," Joel said, nodding in understanding as he tucked the cash into his front pocket. "I'll keep this to myself for now. However, if you hurt her in any way, I'll be the first in line to rip your nuts off."

Cameron didn't doubt that for a minute.

LATER that same night, Mia unlocked her apartment door and turned to Cameron, who was standing behind her, his hands tucked into the front pockets of his jeans. Because it was Saturday night and neither one of them had to work tomorrow, she really didn't want to spend the rest of the evening alone. Not after the wonderful day they'd had together at her niece and nephew's birthday party.

"Care to come in for a little bit?" she asked, smiling up at him. "I wouldn't mind having the company. We can watch a movie or just talk," she said, wanting him to know she wasn't inviting him in for the sole purpose of jumping his bones. She honestly, truly, just wanted to be with him tonight, without any ulterior motives in mind.

"Sure, I'd like that," he said and followed her inside the apartment.

She set her purse and keys on the foyer table. "Are you hungry?"

He laughed lightly. "I can't believe I'm saying this after everything I ate today at the party but yeah, I am kinda hungry."

"You're a big boy with a big appetite," she teased, her voice laced with a sexy underlying innuendo. "Come on, let's go see what we can find to fill you up."

She led the way into the kitchen, with Cameron following behind, and was surprised to find that Gina was there. She was standing by the stove making herself a cup of hot tea. As they walked into the kitchen, she cast them a quick, cursory glance.

"Hi guys," she said but didn't turn around as she stirred cream into her tea.

"Hey there." Mia was glad to see Gina was safe at home, instead of at Ray's for the weekend, which had been the norm for the past month. "I didn't realize you were here."

Gina shrugged and lifted the collar of her long-sleeved terry robe so it covered her neck, which immediately tipped off Mia and put her on alert. "I came home from Ray's early," Gina said and finally faced them. "He had some things to do this weekend, and I didn't want to stay at his place by myself."

Mia noticed right away that Gina had been crying. Her eyes were puffy, and her nose was pink. And Mia didn't care for the way she was clutching the thick material of her robe at her throat, as if Gina was trying to cover up something she didn't want them to see. Like new marks or bruises courtesy of Ray.

Gina picked up her mug of tea, and her hand trembled slightly. "I'll just take this into the bedroom so the two of you can be alone."

"You don't need to go," Mia said quickly, hating the thought of Gina sequestering herself in her room when it was obvious something was wrong. "We were just going to make something to eat. Why don't you sit out here with us?"

"It's okay, really." Gina forced a smile. "I'm really tired. I'm going to drink my tea and then go to bed."

Mia watched Gina go, and as soon as she heard her bedroom door close, she released a frustrated sigh. "He's still manipulating and abusing her."

"I agree. All the signs are definitely there." Cameron came up to her, his gaze searching her face. "Do you want me to leave so you can talk to her?"

"No. I've said everything I can, and most of the time she doesn't want to hear what I have to say, anyway." Mia dragged her fingers through her hair. "I'm just grateful she's here at home, where she's safe. I'll spend some time with her tomorrow, just the two of us. Maybe take her to a movie."

"Okay, if you're sure you want me to stay."

"I do." She opened the refrigerator and grabbed the lunch meat, mayo, lettuce, and tomato, and set everything on the counter. "Besides, I just don't trust her excuse that Ray was busy this weekend, and I feel much better having you here. At least for a little while."

"Not a problem, then." He helped her make his sandwich, spreading the mayo on the bread and then layering on the sliced ham and turkey while she rinsed off the crisp lettuce leaves. "If I don't find out something on Ray, and soon, I'm going to have to set up surveillance on the guy."

She cut up a small tomato and added those slices to his sandwich. "I hate for you to have to do that. I know how busy you've been lately."

"It's gotten to the point that I'm determined to find out who and what he is, and what's in his past that he's trying to hide from."

"I can only imagine." She opened a can of chilled fruit cocktail and poured it into a bowl and then filled two glasses with lemon-lime soda. "Come on, let's take this into my bedroom where we can watch TV and talk while you eat your snack."