Too Wilde to Tame

Chapter Twelve

AS soon as Mia slid into the chair across from Carrie at the café where they'd agreed to meet for lunch, her friend immediately picked up on Mia's ecstatic mood.

"So what are you so excited about?" Carrie asked once their meals had been ordered and their drinks delivered. "You're actually glowing."

"I'd rather not say just yet," Mia replied, trying to be as gentle as possible with her answer so as not to hurt Carrie's feelings. "I don't want to do anything to jinx what's going on."

"You think I'm a jinx?" Carrie sounded affronted anyway.

"That's not what I meant." Mia sighed and stirred her iced tea with her straw. "I just want to be sure this… thing pans out before I start talking about it."

"Does it have anything to do with that guy Cameron?" Carrie asked directly. "You know, the one you left The Electric Blue with the night you entered the wet T-shirt contest?"

Mia was surprised Carrie remembered. She was even more shocked that her friend would bring it up now when no one but Gina knew she was seeing Cameron. "No, it doesn't." That much wasn't a lie.

Carrie crossed her arms in front of her on the table. "Are you still going out with him?"

Mia began feeling slightly uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation, along with Carrie's persistent questioning about Cameron and her as a couple. "We're not going out," she insisted. "He's just a friend."

"A friend with benefits?" Carrie smirked.

Before Mia could recover from the shock of that remark, their waiter delivered their lunch, saving her from having to find a reply. Which was a good thing, because she had no idea how to address Carrie's question.

Their server was young and cute and had been flirting with Mia since the moment she'd sat down. Even now he was giving her all the attention at the table, making sure she didn't need any ground pepper on her Caesar salad or a refill on her iced tea. He gave Carrie a cursory glance and asked a quick, polite, "Do you need anything else?" before smiling at Mia again and moving on to the next table.

"God, I hate going places with you," Carrie said as she stabbed her fork into her pasta dish. "It's as if I blend into the woodwork when you're around."

She couldn't tell if Carrie was joking or serious, but she felt bad just the same. As a redhead with a smooth complexion and hazel eyes, Carrie was pretty enough, though she didn't do much to enhance her features or figure. Mia knew she'd be a real knockout if she'd just make the attempt to put more time and effort into her appearance.

"I'm sorry about that," Mia apologized, trying to smooth things over. "I wasn't trying to encourage him."

Carrie waved a hand toward Mia's chest, her lips pursed. "Your breasts alone are enough to encourage any man to flirt with you."

Mia blinked at Carrie. "Excuse me?"

Carrie shook her head, set her fork down on her plate, and released a long sigh. "Sorry, that was uncalled for."

Mia's first inclination was to agree, but there was no sense in aggravating the situation further. Besides, Carrie's tone held an edge of frustration, and Mia wondered if maybe her friend was just having a bad day.

"Is everything okay?" she asked, genuinely concerned, and also wanting to give Carrie the opportunity to talk about whatever might be bothering her.

Carrie offered up a tight, almost pinched smile. "I'm fine."

Mia went back to eating her salad and didn't push the issue. Carrie had every right to keep things to herself. The thing was, she and Carrie were friends, and had been for more than a year now, but they'd never been close in the way best friends were-the kind who'd push for an answer until the other person finally opened up and spilled her guts.

So instead, Mia changed the subject and made sure Carrie was the focus of the discussion, not her. "So what's going on with you?" She reached for a piece of warm bread from the basket on their table and slathered butter on it. "It's been a while since we've really had a chance to spend some time together and talk. That's why I thought having lunch together would be nice."

"It's the same old thing with me," she said as she pushed her food around on her plate. "My job at the travel agency still sucks. My car's in the shop again. And my mother invited her newest boyfriend to move into our already-cramped apartment. Glad you asked?"

Mia laughed, though there was nothing remotely funny about Carrie's situation-it was just her way of breaking up the tension and negativity surrounding Carrie. Especially when it came to her mother's latest love interest invading their living space.

From snippets of conversation Mia had had with Carrie over time, she'd learned that Carrie's mother's need for the attention of men had been the reason why her parents had divorced when Carrie was just a little girl. Carrie had always claimed her mother had the morals of an alley cat, and she hated the constant parade of men that came through their home, yet even at the age of twenty-seven, Carrie had never made any attempt to move out on her own and seemed to depend on her mother to support her for the most part. All in all, it wasn't a great situation.

Mia kept the rest of their conversation as light as possible as they finished their lunch. She also deliberately kept her interaction with their waiter to a minimum, because she was now self-conscious about his flirting and how it made Carrie feel.

"Do you have time to do a little bit of shopping?" Mia asked after they paid for their bill and walked out of the café, thinking maybe the fun distraction would take Carrie's mind off of her problems for a while. "I have a party to go to this weekend for my nephew, and I'd like to find something new to wear."

"Sure, I'll go with you." Carrie glanced at her wristwatch. "I have about forty-five minutes before I need to be back at the agency to meet with a client."

They were on Michigan Avenue and within walking distance of Bloomingdale's, so they headed toward the department store. It didn't take Mia very long to find an outfit she couldn't resist-a flowing, calf-length gauze skirt and a matching blouse in blues and tans that would go perfectly with the beige lace-up boots she planned to wear. As an added bonus, the ensemble was on sale, which left enough in her budget to splurge on something pretty and ultra-sexy to wear beneath.

In the lingerie section she found a bra and panty set made of sheer stretch lace and embellished with delicately embroidered flowers in blue and beige tones. She imagined Cameron discovering the tantalizing, seductive underwear and how he'd react, and a slow smile eased up the corner of her mouth.

"That lingerie set is kind of trampy, don't you think?" Carrie said from behind Mia.

Mia turned around, startled by Carrie's comment, not to mention the descriptive word she'd used-one she was too familiar with lately. "Trampy?"

Carrie shrugged, though there was nothing in her expression to indicate she knew about the photos Mia had received recently. "It just reminds me of the kind of trashy stuff my mom wears, and it makes it her look like a tramp."

Tramp. Mia told herself Carrie's word choice was a coincidence, that her friend was still feeling raw from the discussion about her mother and her latest boyfriend. Obviously, some of that bitterness was lingering-and she was inadvertently taking her grudge out on Mia.

Besides, Carrie hadn't been at The Electric Blue the second night to take those other photos or to vandalize her car. And that was enough to convince Mia she was overreacting.

"Well, it's not as though the panties are crotchless underwear from Frederick's of Hollywood or anything like that," Mia said, a teasing inflection in her tone.

"It might as well be," Carrie said in disgust. "You can see right through them… everywhere."

Mia decided Carrie had to be a simple cotton type of girl and hadn't learned to properly appreciate pretty, intimate undergarments. Or maybe she just hadn't met the right guy to inspire her to be daring and adventurous with her sexuality.

"Well, so long as no one looks under my skirt, I think I'm okay." Mia flashed her a smile.

Done shopping, Mia carried her items to the register, and despite Carrie's disapproving frown, she purchased the panty and bra set, figuring it was Carrie's problem if she didn't like sexy lingerie, not her own.

CAMERON followed Irish's car at a discreet distance, wondering where in the world she was off to on a late Friday afternoon. He'd ruled out the restaurant she'd met Margot at the past few times, because they were heading in the opposite direction. All Cameron could do was sit tight and wait for Trish to arrive at her destination.

His cell phone rang, and he glanced at the hands-free unit in the company truck. Seeing Mia's number, he immediately connected the call.

"Hey there," he said with a smile. "How was your day?"

"Outstanding," she replied, her enthusiastic voice filling the cab of the vehicle. "I just got off the phone with Amy at the gallery, and you'll never believe what she just told me!"

It had been such a long, busy week for Cameron that he hadn't had any spare time to spend with Mia-just phone calls in the evening. And even though he looked forward to those intimate and amusing discussions they inevitably had, he had to admit that he missed seeing her in person and being with her. But hearing her voice, like now, was enough to make his entire day.

"So what did Amy tell you?" he asked.

"You know those erotic pieces I left with her during my meeting with her on Tuesday? Well, she had such a phenomenal response to the stained-glass art, and so many of her clients were interested in purchasing the pieces, that she decided to put them up for auction!"

Her excitement was infectious, and a huge grin spread across his face. "Mia, that's incredible!"

"I know! I'm just stunned. And that's not all," she went on breathlessly. "Amy wants to schedule a gallery show, just for me and my stained-glass artwork. Can you believe that?"

He laughed, resisting the urge to remind her he was the reason her art was on display at the Brennan gallery-because he'd seen the potential in her art, and her mass appeal. "Of course I can believe it."

She grew quiet and then said, "I guess at some point I'm going to have to tell my family about all this, huh?"

He followed Trish into the city, keeping his distance as she started traveling on surface streets. "I think they'd be hurt if you didn't."

"I know." Her soft sigh drifted through the phone. "It's just that they don't know about the erotic pieces, and I have no idea how they'll react to them. I mean, I've done many things over the years to shock my family, but this is just so… public. And personal."

Hearing the barest hint of insecurity in her voice, he sought to reassure her. "How can they not be anything but proud of what you've accomplished? A showing is not something every artist gets, so this is a huge testament to just how amazing your work is. And just for the record, I'm very happy for you."

"Thanks," she said, and this time he detected a smile in her tone. "Care to celebrate with me tonight?"

God, it had been too long since they'd seen each other. It had been nearly a week since they'd spent the day at his parents, and even longer than that since they'd been together intimately. And he honestly and truly missed being with her, in every way.

Unfortunately, he wasn't going to see her this evening, either.

"I'd love to celebrate with you, but I can't tonight," he said regretfully. "Right now I'm tailing Irish to some unknown destination, and after this surveillance I have to head back to the office to go over some open cases with Wes. Then, I'm meeting with a new client this evening, and I have no idea when I'll be done."

"I understand," she said, but he knew she was disappointed. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow at Steve's."

See, but not touch because their affair was a secret, he thought in frustration. "Just insult me a few times, and everyone will think things are normal between us."

She laughed huskily. "Oh, I plan to do more than just insult you tomorrow, sugar."

That tempting, teasing note to Mia's voice aroused more than Cameron's curiosity. He had no idea what she had in mind, but he wouldn't put anything past her and had no doubt it was something that would include tormenting him in some way.

They said their good-byes and Cameron disconnected the call, though his thoughts remained on Mia and their affair. After spending the past few weeks with Mia and discovering the deep, emotional layers hidden beneath her wild ways and outrageous personality, he already knew he was in over his head with her. Way deeper than he'd ever intended to fall for the sexy, raven-haired vixen. And he was beginning to hate the fact that he couldn't openly date Mia and let everyone know they were a couple and see if they had any chance at a future together.

That thought made his palms sweat and his heart race. He'd never thought of himself and Mia in terms of the future. But somewhere along the way, he'd come to realize that the decision to have a hot affair with her to get her out of his system had given way to something far more intimate. For him, it wasn't just about sex anymore. It was about wanting this woman, despite how opposite they were. It was about viewing her as someone he could possibly have a strong and lasting relationship with because she excited him and made him feel things no other woman ever had.

Unfortunately, he knew Mia wasn't ready to take their relationship to an emotional level, and maybe she never would be. He was well aware of her past with men and her inability to sustain anything long term. And for as much as she'd shared with him, and he'd learned about her, there were still a few barriers left for him to scale. He planned to do his damndest to tear every one of those walls down before they were through.

But for now he'd let her believe she was safe with him, that he posed no threat to her heart and emotions. He'd go to the party tomorrow and pretend as though they'd never slept together, that he didn't know how funny she could be, or that she created erotic stained-glass art her family didn't even know about. But once they found out who was stalking her, they were going to have to face what was happening between them-even if it meant forcing her to do so.

He continued to drive a few car lengths behind Trish until she turned her vehicle into the circular drive of the St. Claire Hotel to valet park her car-leading him to believe she had a late-afternoon date with her lover. But who was the million-dollar question he'd yet to find the answer for.

Cameron opted for the regular parking lot so he'd be able to see Trish when she left the hotel-hopefully with whomever she was meeting there. He was lucky enough to find an empty space in the first row and took it, though he didn't have enough time to take any pictures of Trish entering the hotel since he needed to stay close behind her. As soon as she disappeared into the lobby, Cameron made his way inside as well, just in time to see her step into one of the elevators with a few other people, effectively putting an end to him following her.

Hands on his hips, he watched in frustration as the elevator stopped on four different floors, making it impossible to figure out what level she'd gotten off on. He swore beneath his breath, seeing yet another dead end to the investigation unless she ended up leaving the hotel with her lover and finally gave him some substantial evidence to report back to her husband.

"Hey, stranger."

The soft, husky female voice was a familiar one, and Cameron turned around to find Ashley St. Claire, now Wilde-heiress to the St. Claire Hotel and Scott Wilde's wife-standing behind him. Even though she'd married Scott, she still worked for the family's chain of hotels managing the boutiques. She looked beautiful as always, sophisticated and chic and everything you'd expect from someone of her social stature-but very down to earth despite her wealth and family name.

"Ashley," he said with a smile and then dropped his gaze to the small bump showing beneath her skirt. It had been a while since he'd seen her, and he was surprised to find she was expecting, though that explained her glowing complexion, which he'd seen many times on his own sisters' faces when they'd been pregnant. "Looks like you and Scott have been busy."

Laughing, she placed a hand on her protruding belly. "A honeymoon baby. I'm about five months along. For months I had a nice, flat belly, then about two weeks ago I woke up and nothing in my closet fit because my waist had expanded a few inches. Literally overnight," she said wryly.

"Well you look great. And happy," he said, knowing she and Scott had gone through a lot to be together. But everything had worked out for the two of them in the end, despite their issues. "I'll have to congratulate Scott when I see him at Steve's tomorrow."

"Ah, yes, Cody and Tara's birthday party," she said lightly. "It should be quite a gathering, considering how many family and friends are going to be there."

"Cody and Tara?" Cameron was aware of Steve's son's one-year celebration, but hadn't known the party included Eric's daughter as well.

She nodded. "Steve and Eric decided to go ahead and have the kids' parties together this year, because they were born on the same day and the family will all be there. It's like having twins I suppose, even though Cody and Tara are cousins. They'll be sharing the same birthday for a lifetime, and I'm sure as they get older they'll want individual parties."

"No doubt." But at a year old, they didn't know the difference, and it made sense to have their birthday party on the same day.

"So what brings you here?" Ashley asked curiously. "Business or pleasure?"

"Business," he said, remembering Trish's swift getaway. "Which is pretty much over at this point."

Then he had a thought, that maybe Ashley might be able to help him out as far as Trish's visit to the hotel was concerned.

Maybe find out if Trish had been a registered guest for the day, and with whom. At this point, he'd take whatever information he could get.

Except it wasn't a discussion he wanted to have with her in the middle of the hotel lobby. "Can we go somewhere private and talk? I have a favor to ask."

"Sure. Come on over to the boutique." She started in that direction with Cameron following beside her as she said, "I need to relieve my salesgirl for a half-hour break. The shop has been pretty quiet and slow all day, so we can talk there."

Of course slow and quiet wasn't the case once Ashley let her salesgirl leave the boutique for her break. As soon as the young girl was gone, an older woman walked in, wanting to find a new pair of comfortable shoes to wear because the strap on her current sandals had snapped apart. So while Ashley helped her customer, Cameron strolled through the boutique, taking in the expensive items and designer-end accessories on display.

A long thirty minutes later, the woman finally left the shop, happy with her purchases-because of course once she found new shoes she'd needed a new purse to go with them and that had been an ordeal as well.

Ashley came back to Cameron, her expression apologetic. "It figures that would happen, right after I claimed how quiet it was today. I'm so sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for," he replied easily. "Business is business, and I completely understand."

"So what kind of favor can I do for you?" she asked with interest.

Knowing he could trust Ashley, Cameron briefly explained his current case, how he'd ended up at the hotel today, and how he needed to find out the name of the person Trish Shelton had met up with.

"If there's anything you can do in terms of finding out if she's a registered guest here for today, or who she hooked up with, I'd appreciate it." Cameron wasn't holding out much hope for that, though, considering her lover had most likely paid for the room.

"Sure. I'll find out what I can and let you know."

"Thanks."

He chatted with Ashley for another fifteen minutes, and just as he turned around to head out of the boutique to wait in his truck for Trish to leave the hotel, he caught sight of her stepping off the elevator-alone.

He cursed beneath his breath. "There she is," he said to Ashley so she could get a good look at Trish as she walked across the lobby. "Have you ever seen her here before?" he asked hopefully.

Ashley shook her heard. "I can't say I have. There are just so many people who come through here on a daily basis. I'm sorry."

It was just his luck, or lack thereof, when it came to this case. He'd just spent an hour and a half tailing Trish, and he had absolutely nothing to show for it.

SHE'D worn those lace-up, fuck-me boots on purpose.

Cameron took a long drink from his bottle of beer, not doubting Mia's wicked intentions for a moment. He'd taken one look at her simple but pretty outfit she was wearing when she'd arrived at Steve's and then saw those sexy leather boots with the ties up the side and had known she meant to torment him today and keep him on the razor-sharp edge of wanting her.

It worked. More than two hours into the celebration and he'd already entertained half a dozen fantasies about Mia in those heeled boots. Even now, as he watched her from across the backyard where she was mingling with her family on the porch and playing with her one-year-old niece and nephew, he was thinking about having her legs wrapped tight around his waist and imagining the feel and friction of that soft, supple leather against his skin. If he wasn't careful, he was going to be sporting a perpetual hard-on for the rest of the day.

She'd already managed to insult him a few times and provoke him with mat smart mouth of hers, enough to make her family think everything was normal between them. He went along with the act, issuing a few gibes of his own, though he wanted more than anything to grab her, pull her body flush to his, and kiss her senseless in front of everyone to stake his. claim.

Mia stopped to talk to her cousin-in-law Chayse, who'd married her cousin Adrian Wilde a year ago. Just a few weeks ago Chayse had given birth to their first child, a baby boy they'd named Brandon who was currently cradled in his mother's arms. But that didn't last long, because Mia gently scooped him up and cuddled him close to her breast. She spoke to Chayse while looking down at her newest nephew adoringly, the longing on her face so tangible Cameron felt the same emotion deep in his gut.

Then Mia's stepmother, Amelia, joined them to fuss over the baby, too. Recalling the conversation he'd had with Steve about Mia losing her mother at such an early age, Cameron watched with interest at how Mia and Amelia interacted around one another-and learned more than he thought possible.

Though Mia and Amelia conversed easily, something about their body language told him they didn't share the kind of close-knit bond most mother and daughters did. True, they weren't blood related, but it appeared they'd never developed a strong, secure relationship throughout the years. In fact, there was a definite reserve between them-mostly on Mia's part, as if she'd never let those walls of hers down far enough to let her stepmother get close.

"Hey there," Ashley said, approaching the table where he was sitting at out in the backyard. "What are you doing sitting out here all by yourself?"

He shrugged and smiled at her. "Just taking a break. Steve had me flipping hamburgers at the barbecue earlier, and I just want to be sure I'm nowhere near when he needs someone to pull the pinata cord for the kids."

"If you ask me, that sounds like a job for one of the uncles, and there's plenty of them here." She sat down in the chair next to him. "Well, because I finally caught you alone, I thought I'd talk to you about that woman you wanted to get some information on."

"Anything?" he asked and finished off the last of his beer.

She shook her head. "No. I'm really sorry. The front desk had nothing listed under her name."

"It's okay. I honestly wasn't expecting much anyway. I appreciate you trying."

"I'm going to go help Jill and Liz cut the birthday cake." She stood again, her hand automatically coming to rest on the curve of her belly. "Can I interest you in a piece?"

"No, I'm stuffed." He rubbed his own stomach. "I ate two of those hamburgers and way too many servings of all those delicious side dishes you girls made."

She laughed, her green eyes sparkling. "The Wilde gatherings have turned into a huge potluck, which certainly helps since the family seems to be growing by leaps and bounds these days."

Ashley left him alone once again, and Cameron's gaze automatically drifted back to Mia. He was surprised to find she was watching him, too, with a sexy, sinful smile curving her lips. She glanced away again, and as she spoke to her brother Alex and his wife Dana, she lightly touched her fingers to her throat in a way that made him wish he was caressing her there.

She tossed her head back and laughed at something her sister-in-law said, the husky, sensual sound arousing his senses. And when she casually reached down and skimmed up the hem of her long skirt, he wondered what the hell she was up to. She rubbed her fingers along the exposed skin above the top of her leather boot, right where the lace-up ties were.

To anyone else nearby, it appeared Mia was scratching an itch, but Cameron saw right through the pretense. She was flashing those provocative boots his way, tempting him from afar and teasing him with what she knew he wanted but couldn't have.

A low, frustrated growl rumbled up from his throat before he realized he'd let it escape.

"She's getting to you, isn't she?"

Shit. He tried not to wince as Joel appeared from behind him. Cameron had no idea just how long Mia's brother had been watching their exchange or what he'd witnessed. But Cameron wasn't about to admit to anything.

"Who?" he said with an air of nonchalance.

"Don't give me that crap," Joel said, calling his bluff with amusement. He set a fresh bottle of beer in front of Cameron and then took the seat next to him. "You know exactly who I'm talking about. Mia. You've been watching her the entire afternoon, as well as deflecting her remarks, and I'm just waiting for you to snap and jump her already."

Even though Joel's comment surprised Cameron, he managed to maintain a bland expression. "Not likely."

"Want to bet on that?" Joel lifted his own bottle of beer to his lips, a challenge glinting in his gaze.

"Bet on what?" Cameron asked, not completely sure what Joel was getting at. "That I'm going to give into your sister's taunts?"

Joel grinned. "Yeah."

"Not a chance, buddy," Cameron said with a firm shake of his head.

"If you seem so determined to resist her, it should be easy money for you." Joel thought for a moment, glancing from Mia and back to Cam. "Twenty buck says she'll get the best of you before the day is over."

"Yeah, sure. Whatever," Cameron said, agreeing for the sake of putting an end to the issue, especially because Mia was heading their way. "Speaking of which, here conies trouble right now."

Mia stopped at the table, holding a plate with a large piece of birthday cake. "What is this, the singles' table?"

"Yep, the last of a dying breed when it comes to our family," Joel joked. "Care to join us?"

"That all depends," she said with a mischievous twinkle in her slate gray eyes. "Will I look as pathetic as the two of you do?"

Cameron held back a laugh, and instead thought up an appropriate taunt so Joel would think all was normal between him and Mia. "Girls never look pathetic, even when they're old maids."

She set her plate on the table and sat down next to her brother and across from Cameron. "Just for the record, I'm not an old maid, sugar," she drawled sweetly. "I choose to be single, whereas an old maid is a woman who can't get herself a guy at all. I do just fine in that department."

"You know just how to get them to eat out of the palm of your hand, don't you?" Cameron said, sparring right back.

"Only the ones I want eating out of my hand." She dropped a small piece of the cake in her palm and held it toward Cameron. "Care for a bite, sugar?"

"Oh man," Joel said on a chuckle. "You are so down for the count, Sinclair."

It took a huge amount of effort for Cameron to resist Mia's outrageous dare, along with the urge to grasp her wrist and nibble and lick the scrap of chocolate cake off her palm until she was squirming and just as hot as she was making him.

When Cameron refused to take the bait, or in this case, the cake, Mia popped the crumb into her mouth and ate it herself. "Can you believe all the babies this family is going to have this year?" she said, glancing at Joel. "Chayse just had Brandon, and Ashley is due in a few months. And Dana and Alex just announced earlier today that they're pregnant, too. God, I hope it's not contagious," she said with an exaggerated shudder.

"What, you don't want to have babies?" Cameron asked before he could censure the question.

Her gaze shot to his, and it was clear he'd startled her. "Well, I haven't given it a whole lot of thought, being an old maid and all."

She was trying to be cute and funny and dismissive, but Cameron was thinking about it now. Having babies. With Mia. "I'd like at least three or four," he said.

She lifted a brow as she dipped her fork into her cake for another bite. "Sounds like you want a wife you can keep barefoot and pregnant."

Cameron grinned. "Yeah, I like that image."

Mia rolled her eyes and licked away a crumb from the corner of her mouth. "And I suppose you'd expect your little woman to stay at home with the kids, keep the house clean and spotless, and be sure you had a hot meal on the table when you walked in after a long day at the office."

"What man wouldn't?" he said, admitting as much. "But only if that's what my wife wanted to do."

"What if she wanted to work?"

Somewhere along the way the conversation had taken an interesting twist, and while Joel probably thought they were arguing, Cameron was fascinated with Mia's questions and answers, which said a whole lot about how she felt about having a family of her own.

"I'd like to consider myself a contemporary kind of guy." He leaned back in his chair as he absently swiped his fingers along the condensation gathering on his bottle. "I'd have no problem if my wife wanted to pursue a career, just so long as the family didn't suffer."

"Ahhh," she said, gaze narrowed and her fork pointed in his direction. "So your wife would have to juggle her job and also be sure everything at home ran smoothly, too?"

"No, my wife and I would find a balance to be sure the kids didn't suffer because of our dual careers and we had someone we trust to watch the kids when we couldn't. So there would definitely have to be some compromising to make things work."

She stared at him incredulously. "You're willing to help with the cooking and the cleaning and the diaper changing?"

"I cook and clean for myself now, so I can't imagine changing a diaper is that difficult."

"You're a better man than I," Joel said with a shudder. "Diaper changing is so not my thing."

"Spoken like a true macho man," she said and laughed.

"Hey, at least I'm honest." Joel drained the last of the beer in his bottle. "I think I need another drink. This conversation is giving me the hives since I have no intentions of getting married or having any kids. I'm out of here." Standing, he gathered the empty beer bottles and looked at Cameron. "Can you handle being alone with Mia?" he asked, his tone infused with meaning and amusement.

"Don't worry about me," he said, waving Joel away. "I can handle Mia just fine."

As soon as they were alone, a sultry smile curved Mia's full, sensual lips. Lips he was dying to taste and kiss. "So you can handle me, huh?" she murmured as she slowly, oh-so-provocatively ate another bite of her cake.

While Mia's back was facing everyone up on the porch, Cameron was still in full view, which meant he needed to monitor his actions and reactions to Mia's current attempt to seduce him. "I think I've proved a few times just how well I can handle you."

"Mmmm. So you have." Her lashes fell half-mast, and her voice dropped to a soft purr. "I wouldn't mind you manhandling me again. It's been a while, you know."

"You've made me well aware of that." Reclining, he clasped his hands over his stomach. "Especially today, with you wearing those lace-up boots. You wore them deliberately, didn't you?"

"Of course I did," she admitted shamelessly.

Beneath the linen-draped table, the sole of her boot scraped along the inside seam of his jeans and then continued up his thigh until the toe of her shoe was pressing very insistently against his crotch. Heat and lust rushed straight to his groin, and he clenched his jaw to keep a low, tell-tale groan from escaping.

Bracing her elbow on the table, she propped her chin in her hand as she played with the frosting on the cake with her fork, as if she didn't have her booted foot between his legs, rubbing against him in a very arousing way, making him harder and stiffer than he already was.

"If I remember correctly," she said huskily, "You told me they did it for you, in a major way."

"So I did." She was enjoying exploiting that particular weakness of his to her advantage. And because they were surrounded by her family, he had to act blase, which was one of the most difficult things he'd had to do.

She slowly licked the white, creamy frosting from her fork, a sinful gleam in her eyes. "And judging by the erection you're currently sporting, they're doing it for you, right now, in a major way. Aren't they, sugar?"

He reached down and grabbed her ankle, effectively putting a stop to her foot stroking along his shaft. "You're playing with fire," he warned in a gruff tone. "You have been all afternoon."

"Maybe I'm looking to get burned," she whispered back.

Sitting up straighter in his seat, Cameron leaned toward Mia, using the position to strum his fingers along the sensitive skin at the back of her knee, right where the top of her boot ended. She visibly shivered, offering him a smidgeon of satisfaction that he was able to get under her skin in some small way.

His smile was calm for the sake of anyone who might be looking their way. "If you're not careful, sweetheart, you're gonna end up on this table, with your skirt tossed up over your head, and with me having my way with you right here in front of your family."

Undeniable desire darkened her eyes. "How about you meet me in the upstairs bathroom in a few minutes while Cody and Tara are opening their gifts, so no one will miss either one of us, and you can have your way with me there?"

He released her leg, unable to believe what she was suggesting. "You're kidding, right?"

"Actually, I'm absolutely serious. And I'll even keep the boots on just for you." Standing, she licked the last smudge of frosting from her bottom lip, the glimpse of her soft, pink tongue reminding him of how well she could use that mouth of hers. "Don't make me wait long, sugar, or else I'll have to take matters into my own hands."

As he watched her sashay toward the house, he rubbed a hand along his slack jaw, his mind still reeling from her very risqué proposition. God, she was so bold. So daring. And he was beginning to love those things about her, because all that brazenness was directed solely at him.

Oh, yeah, he'd meet with her in the upstairs bathroom. Just as soon as he could walk across the backyard without his erection announcing his intentions.