04 - Born to be Wilde.txt (24 page)

He nibbled softly, gently, on her bottom lip, and an impatient noise escaped her throat. The man was destined to drive her absolutely crazy with need, and there wasn't a damned thing she could do about it except let him saturate every one of her five senses with his slow, leisurely kiss.

By the time he was done and finally lifted his mouth from hers, Sydney's entire body was thoroughly aroused, from the sensitive tips of her breasts to the insides of her thighs, and everywhere in between. And he hadn't even used his hands, since they were still tucked into his jean pockets.

Judging by Daniel's triumphant and too-smug grin, he was well aware of his affect on her.

"Good night, Sydney," he said huskily.

Knowing there was nothing she could do to persuade this man who possessed such iron-clad willpower to stay, she dug her apartment keys from her purse and unlocked her door. "Yeah, well, thanks for what's certain to be a long and restless night for me," she said wryly.

He chuckled humorously. "Me, too."

One quick glance downward at the erection clearly outlined against the fly of his jeans told her that he'd been just as affected. A part of her admired that impressive restraint of his, but she knew it wouldn't last for long.

She'd make sure of it.

Chapter Twelve

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"WOULD you stop fidgeting already?"

Joel grunted in response and shifted in his seat once more, wishing like hell that one, Lora would stop fussing over him, and two, she wasn't standing in between his wide-spread legs, her full breasts right at his eye level. The pink bra top she wore, encrusted with faux jewels, lifted those full mounds like an offering, and his mouth watered just thinking about how all that creamy skin tasted, and how her nipples could pucker so sweetly against his tongue.

He swallowed back a groan and tried not to move again as she cuffed the sleeves on his stark white T-shirt, which seemed so glaring in comparison to the black shirts he preferred. He hadn't so much as touched her since the night she'd gotten attacked, but his awareness of her couldn't have been more keen, and the reality of that made him cantankerous and easily provoked.

Just like with every other woman he'd slept with over the years, he would have thought that after making love to Lora and slaking that lust and need that had been riding him hard since the moment he'd met her, that maintaining his distance and keeping his focus on protecting her would be a cinch. No such luck, because this woman had the opposite effect on him. Now that he'd had her warm and soft and willing beneath him, now that he'd experienced how she came alive when he was deep inside her, he craved her even more.

And now, it didn't help matters, or his unruly libido, that she was currently scantily clad in a genie costume for The Electric Blue's Halloween bash, and all he could think about was asking this particular genie to grant a few of his most erotic wishes.

He exhaled a rough, serrated breath as she began applying gel to his hair, to slick back the long strands and make him look more like one of those greasers from the 1950s. "Is all this really necessary?" he asked grumpily, enjoying way too much the feel of her fingers running against his scalp.

"Yes, it's really necessary," she mimicked him, laughter in her tone. "If you don't dress up for the Halloween bash, you won't be allowed inside the bar. No exceptions. Not even for you, so stop being such a grouch about it."

"I'd prefer that we not go at all," he replied gruffly.

"Sorry, but that's not an option, either." Finally, she moved away to wash her hands in the kitchen sink, giving him some much-needed breathing room. "Besides, tonight is going to be a great night for tips, and right now money is a priority."

Despite their discussion about her enabling Zach, Joel knew Lora was driven to save as much cash as she could to hand over to her brother to help pay off his debt. Except Zach had made himself very elusive and unreachable lately. He wasn't answering the daily messages that Lora left on his cell phone asking him to call her, and while that didn't bode well for the entire situation, Lora refused to believe that anything bad had happened to Zach.

Joel wanted to believe that, too.

So far, there hadn't been any other attempts against Lora, but that didn't mean those men weren't out there lurking, watching, and waiting for the perfect chance to strike again. But between Lora being more cautious and aware of her surroundings and Joel making sure she was protected at all times, there hadn't been any opportunity for those thugs to get her alone to assault her, or worse.

Unfortunately, Joel had to let Lora out of his sight when she was at the spa, because he couldn't follow her from appointment to appointment and stand in the corner of the room while she gave a client a massage or facial. Because Lora had been adamant about working at the hotel spa, he'd called his sister-in-law, Ashley St. Claire, to request another huge favor. Since Joel was unable to be by Lora's side during those daytime hours, he'd asked Ashley to make sure that Lora was only scheduled guests of the hotel, preferably women, and no one from off the street. That, at least, reduced the possibility of one of those men getting to her through the spa.

After drying her hands on a paper towel, Lora turned back around and headed toward where Joel was still seated on a kitchen chair, his gaze drawn to the enticing sway of her hips and the veils of fabric fluttering all around her half-naked body. The genie outfit exposed all of her soft stomach, and the waistband of the pants, if you could even call them that, rode way below her navel. Other than the bikini-type shorts she was wearing, the rest of the bottoms were sheer and slit down the sides to her ankles. The flowing, gossamerlike material swirled around her bare legs when she walked and made him think of an Arabian harem girl. And that thought made his mind spin off into more provocative scenarios that included her as his private love slave.

His groin tightened and he gritted his teeth, "You have way too much skin showing."

The corners of her pink, glossy lips twitched with an amused smile. "It's just a Halloween costume, Joel."

One he wanted to rip right off her body so he could have his wicked way with her. Right here. Right now. And if he was having those kinds of depraved thoughts, there was no doubt that other guys at the bar would be contemplating the same thing. The very idea sent a possessive streak surging through him.

"I'm sure there will be more scantily clad women at the bar than me." She picked up his black leather jacket, which he'd draped over the back of a chair earlier. "I'm not going to change or cover up, so deal with it."

Stubborn, independent woman! "Fine," he bit out irritably.

Satisfied that she'd won the argument, she snapped open his leather jacket and held it out for him. "Now stand up so we can complete your costume."

He did as she ordered and let her slide his jacket up his arms to his shoulders. She fussed with the collar, smoothed a hand down his plain white shirt and made sure it was tucked nice and neat into his blue jeans. With his hair slicked back and looking like a throw-back to the '50s, Joel couldn't help but feel ridiculous, and was eternally grateful that his friends weren't going to be at The Electric Blue to see what a fool he looked like.

Just as he'd had enough of Lora touching him, which was starting to arouse him all over again, there was a knock on the front door, then it opened and from the other room a young girl's voice called out.

"Aunt Lora, it's me, Cassie," she announced.

"Come on in, sweetie," Lora replied. "We're in the kitchen."

Right after Lora's attack, Joel had made it very clear to everyone close to Lora that her front door would remain locked twenty-four/seven, and that Sydney and Cassie were to use their keys to get in. And also to make sure they made their presence known right away so Joel didn't end up scaring the crap out of them thinking they were an intruder. So far, his rules had been very effective.

Cassie walked into the kitchen, looking literally like an angel. She wore a pretty, white, ankle-length dress with long flowing sleeves that gave her the appearance of an ethereal heavenly creature. Gold cording crisscrossed at her slender waist, and the iridescent wings attached to her shoulders fluttered as she walked. Completing the ensemble was a golden halo set atop the auburn hair she'd left in loose curls instead of straightening as she normally did. With her green eyes lined in a soft shade of kohl, and her lips a shiny peach hue, she easily looked eighteen years old, instead of the young fifteen that she actually was.

Lora had told him about the dynamics between Sydney and her daughter, and since he'd spent the past week at Lora's apartment and Cassie visited her "aunt" on a regular basis, he'd gotten to know the teen fairly well. Tonight they were dropping Cassie off at her party on the way to The Electric Blue, since Sydney had gone to the bar earlier that afternoon to make sure everything was stocked, set up, and ready for the huge crowd she was anticipating for the Halloween bash.

Cassie grinned as she gave Joel's quick, homemade costume a once-over. "Hey, Joel, you look tight."

Joel raised a brow. "Tight?" He had no idea if that was good or bad.

"Don't worry, it's a compliment," Lora assured him. "It's teen-speak for cool."

"Ahhh." He adjusted the black leather jacket across his shoulders, then zipped it halfway up, still feeling silly despite Cassie's enthusiastic endorsement. "Well, in that case, thank you."

"What do you think of my outfit?" Cassie asked, and did a cute little pirouette in front of them that made the skirt of her dress billow out around her legs. Her angel wings shimmered beneath the kitchen lights, as did her halo.

"Definitely tight," Joel said, testing out the new word he'd just learned.

Cassie laughed, her eyes bright and happy, and Joel knew why. According to what Lora had told him, attending this Halloween party with her high school friends was a big deal for Cassie, and Lora suspected that a certain boy was the reason for the young girl's excitement and exuberance. As of yet, though, Cassie hadn't confirmed Lora's hunch.

"I think you look absolutely gorgeous," Lora said, a bit of melancholy in her tone as she straightened one of Cassie's wings. "You really are growing up way too fast."

Cassie rolled her eyes, then checked out Lora's genie attire. "I wish my mom would let me wear a costume like yours," she said enviously.

"Don't push your luck, honey," Lora said on a drawl. "I think your mother let you choose that angel costume you're wearing for a reason, and as it is, I'm sure you're going to have the boys clamoring for your attention."

Cassie actually blushed, and Joel quietly agreed with Lora's assessment. Cassie was a very beautiful girl, with a pretty face and peaches-and-cream complexion, and a body much too mature for a fifteen-year-old to handle. Undoubtedly, most of the teenage boys at her school weren't able to walk past her without their gazes dropping to her chest. If Cassie were his daughter, he'd keep her dressed in a potato sack until she turned twenty-one, so it was easy to understand Sydney's concerns regarding Cassie.

"I'm glad your mother came to her senses and decided to let you go to the Halloween party," Lora said as she brushed a stray curl back from Cassie's cheek.

"Me, too."

Lora gently grasped the young girl's shoulders in her hands and met Cassie's gaze, her expression both loving and stern. "Giving you permission to go to this party wasn't an easy thing for your mom to do, so don't do anything to make her regret her decision, okay?"

Lora's meaning was very clear, and Cassie nodded her haloed head in understanding. "I won't. I promise."

"Good." With that light lecture out of the way, Lora grinned. "We have a few more minutes before we have to leave. I have some pretty sparkle powder that we can dust on your cheeks and your collarbones, and add a little to your makeup, if you'd like."

"I'd love that," Cassie said eagerly.

The two girls headed off to Lora's bedroom to do some last-minute primping, and Joel went into the living room and sat on the couch to wait for the duo. The cell phone clipped to the waistband of his jeans vibrated, and he checked the caller ID before answering the unit.

"Hey, Mia," he said, greeting his younger sister.

"So, you are alive," came her sassy reply.

Joel grinned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, it's been a few weeks since I've heard from you, so I thought I'd take the direct approach with your cell phone to make sure you're okay."

"I'm fine," he said, not certain what his sister was getting at. He'd gone long periods of time without talking to her, so her comment confused him. "Were you supposed to hear from me?"

"I left you a message on your machine at home, and I sent you an invitation in the mail for my gallery opening next weekend. You're the only one in the family that hasn't RSVP'd yet."

He winced, because he'd known that big day was coming up, and how much it meant to Mia. In the midst of everything with Zach and Lora, he'd honestly forgotten about the opening of her stained glass art gallery.

"Sorry 'bout that," he said apologetically. Since Lora preferred to stay at her apartment where all her things were, Joel hadn't been home in the past week to check his piled-up mail or go through messages. Obviously, he needed to make time for that this weekend. "I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to make it."