Wilde Thing (17 page)

“Cameron has been a friend of mine for years, and he’s known Mia since she was a teenager. Mia has three older brothers, and she’s always been a handful. She seems to like the thrill of the chase when it comes to men, and it drives her nuts that Cam is immune to her. But he’s not, as you saw earlier.”

“Which only makes her more determined to get his attention.” That much was easy to figure out.

“Exactly.” His tone was succinct as he filled a cup with ice and poured lemonade from a big barrel. “Honestly, she needs someone like Cameron, who isn’t threatened
by her aggressive, forward nature, but Cam is resisting big-time.”

“Aggressive and forward, huh?” She grinned up at him as she took the cup from his fingers. “Sounds like a normal Wilde trait to me.”

He cocked his head toward her. “Are you complaining?”

The man was entirely too confident, and she hid her smile around the rim of her cup as she took a quick drink. “No, just so long as you know where your real place is.”

“In your bed?” he guessed wickedly.

In my heart.
The thought jumped automatically into her mind, and her heart stuttered in her chest. “Yeah, you do real well for yourself in my bed.”

He leaned close, slid an arm around her waist to pull her close to his side, and nuzzled near her ear, which sent a series of shivers skittering down her spine. “I do believe the pleasure is mutual.”

And temporary, she reminded herself. As were her presence at this party, Steve’s affection, and her place in his life. It could be no other way.

Steve’s mother, Angela, appeared beside them and helped herself to a refill on her soda. She looked slightly frazzled but happy with the party’s progress so far. “I’ve been so busy with all the other guests, I haven’t had much time to talk to the two of you.”

“We understand,” Steve said, completely at ease with his arm around Liz, with his mother and fifty other people looking on.

Angela smiled at Liz, her eyes just as blue as her son’s, and her sable hair cut into a trendy style. “Are you enjoying yourself?”

“I’m having a great time,” Liz assured the other woman, and meant it. She was glad that Steve had convinced her to come along.

“Good.” Angela sounded pleased. “Did you get enough to eat?”

“Plenty.” Barbecue chicken, baked beans, and potato salad. “Everything was delicious.”

“There’s plenty more for seconds, so don’t be shy about helping yourself to the buffet and desserts.”

Steve’s father, Paul, appeared next to his wife, a plate of birthday cake in his hand. “Be careful; she’s raised three strapping boys—four if you count me—and she likes to make sure that everyone eats—
a lot.”
To back up his claim, he patted his stomach, which was still lean and trim despite his sixty years. “Even now that the boys are grown and gone, she cooks enough for a small army.”

Angela drew herself up to her full five-foot-six height and gave Paul a very wifely look. “I like to cook, and I never know when one of the boys might stop by, and they enjoy my ‘CARE’ packages.”

“Well, it appears that Jill is feeding Eric quite well, because his dinner visits are few and far between.” Paul eyed his other son speculatively. “And I have to say that Steve hasn’t been by as much the past month, either.”

“I’ve been busy at work,” Steve said as an excuse, though Liz wondered if his reasons for spending less time at his parents’ for dinner was due to the increased amount of time he’d spent at her café the past month.

“Besides,” Steve went on pragmatically, “you can always count on Adrian to help out with the leftovers. His stomach is like a bottomless pit.”

“Hey, are you talking about me when I’m not here to defend myself?”

Liz turned toward the deep voice and found herself looking at another Wilde brother. There was no mistaking that pitch-black hair, blue eyes, chiseled good looks, and especially that bad boy demeanor he wore
as easily as his tight black jeans and sage green knit shirt.

“Ahh, the daredevil son finally arrives,” Paul said jovially. “Glad to see you survived another expedition and could join the celebration.”

“I wouldn’t miss your party for anything. Happy birthday, Dad.” Adrian gave his father a warm hug, then kissed his mother on the cheek. “Hi, Mom.”

“Have you eaten dinner yet?” Angela asked, and before he could reply, she added, “I’m sure you haven’t eaten anything decent all day long, and the food’s still warm over at the buffet.”

“I’ll head over there in a little bit,” he promised, dazzling his mother with another flash of a smile.

She patted his arm. “Be sure that you do.”

Steve’s mom and dad moved on to mingle with their guests, and Adrian turned and trained those vivid blue eyes on Liz. A slow, appreciative grin lifted the corners of his mouth. “And who do we have here?”

“This is Liz,” Steve said, his fingers tightening just the tiniest bit against her waist. “Liz, my other brother, Adrian.”

She extended her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Instead of shaking her hand, he picked it up and brushed his lips across her knuckles, the gesture gallant and incredibly flirtatious. “No, believe me, the pleasure is all mine.”

His gaze flickered down the length of her, then back up to her face before he glanced at his brother. “Wow, she really does have a great set of…” Liz felt Steve stiffen beside her before Adrian finished with “eyes.”

Adrian winked at her, and Steve blew out a taut stream of breath, clearly annoyed at his brother for a reason Liz couldn’t phantom. It appeared that Adrian’s compliment was attached to some kind of private joke between brothers.

“I’m sure you could use a cold beer.” Steve hitched his thumb toward the long line waiting to order a drink. “The bar’s right over there.”

“Actually, why don’t you get me the beer, and I’ll take Liz for a spin out on the dance floor.” He took the cup of lemonade from her hand and gave it to Steve to hold, despite his brother’s sudden frown. “I’m still working on an adrenaline high from the climb today. You don’t mind, do you?”

Steve looked like he wanted to crush the cup that Adrian had just given him in his fist, and Liz was surprised by the undercurrents of sibling rivalry between the two—though she knew that Adrian was completely harmless. It was Steve’s possessiveness she found so entertaining, as if he couldn’t stand the thought of his brother’s hands on her.

A muscle in Steve’s jaw ticked, but he showed remarkable restraint and managed a gracious albeit tight smile. “Of course I don’t mind.”

“Great.” Adrian tucked her hand in the crook of his arm and whisked her off to the patio, where the guests were enjoying the band’s lively music.

In a smooth, fluid move, he had her in his arms, with his warm fingers resting lightly on the curve of her waist, her other hand held in his, and him leading her into a two-step along with the rest of the crowd. The man certainly knew how to dance, and judging by Steve’s narrowed gaze from the sidelines as he watched the two of them together, Adrian knew how to provoke his brother, as well.

Green-eyed monster aside, Steve had nothing to worry about. Adrian might be drop-dead gorgeous and quite the ladies’ man, but he didn’t send her pulse soaring the way Steve did, and he did absolutely nothing for her hormones or her heart. All of the above belonged to his brother, it seemed.

But she did enjoy Adrian’s easy-going personality, and she felt comfortable with him even when he was doing his best to charm her.

She smiled up at Adrian and called him on his incorrigible behavior. “Why do I get the feeling that you did that on purpose?”

He blinked at her, his not-so-guileless blue eyes sparkling with feigned innocence and mirth. “Did what on purpose?”

Oh, he was good, and she imagined that many women had fallen for that playful, sexy grin of his. “You deliberately riled your brother by insisting on dancing with me.”

He chuckled as he smoothly maneuvered them around a couple dancing slower than they were. “Guilty as charged, though don’t doubt for a second that my scheme is giving me double the pleasure.” His hand casually slid from her hip to her lower back, bringing them another few inches closer. “I always enjoy having a beautiful woman in my arms, and it’s not often that I can ruffle Steve’s feathers. You’re obviously a hot button for him, and I can’t help but press it, because his reaction is just so damn comical.”

She caught another glance of Steve, who was watching them intently from his line at the bar. He also looked as though he’d cheerfully strangle his brother for making their dance position more intimate, though her body wasn’t even touching Adrian’s. “You call that scowl of his comical?”

“Yeah.” His tone was low and indulgent. “I can’t remember the last time he was so possessive about a woman.”

That was something that scared her to hear, no matter how much it thrilled her. “I think you’re misreading his signals. Steve and I are just working on a case together, which should hopefully be wrapped up soon.”

“Uh-huh.” He twirled her in a quick circle and caught her around the waist again. “I know my brother, Liz, and I can assure you that his radar is tuned in on you and no one else. He’ll never admit to being territorial, of course, but I’m enjoying the hell out of it. And you,” he added with a quick wink. “Now that I’ve met you, I can see why Steve’s so attracted to you. You seem very down-to-earth and genuine, yet open and fun, and that’s exactly what Steve needs in a woman.”

His sincere compliment warmed her, and since there was no sense arguing her temporary relationship with Steve to his brother, she accepted his flattering comments gracefully. “Thank you.”

Adrian’s gaze shifted to somewhere over her shoulder, and the gleeful grin that appeared on his face told her something was up. “Speaking of the devil, here he comes.”

Seconds later, Steve was bringing their shuffling two-step to a halt and cutting in. “Here’s your beer,” he said, pressing the bottle into Adrian’s hand. “Now it’s my turn.”

Without argument, Adrian disengaged his hold on Liz and relinquished her to Steve. “Don’t worry, big brother, I promise she’s unscathed, and her virtue is still intact.”

“And not a moment too soon, I’m sure,” he grumbled.

Adrian laughed and moved on, heading over to the buffet table and greeting people along the way. The band segued into a slow song, and Steve took advantage of the opportunity to pull her body flush against his and splayed his hand at the small of her back to keep their hips pressed close. She was wearing a sarongstyle skirt and cotton top, and the heat of him managed to seep through the layers of her clothes, sending her hormones into a frenzy and accelerating the rapid beat
of her pulse. It also made her wish they were alone, because she was aching to kiss him and let her hands wander. And have him do the same.

So instead of creating a public scandal, she let herself luxuriate in the delicious male scent of him and in being the sole focus of his attention.

Entwining her arms around his neck, which effectively crushed her sensitive breasts against his chest, she smiled up at him. “Your brother is quite the …”

“Pain in the ass?” he finished for her.

Seeing the glimmer of humor in his bright blue eyes, she laughed and shook her head. “I was going to say that your brother is quite the charmer.”

“Hmmm.” He gently tucked her head against his shoulder and stroked his fingers through her hair. “He has his moments, I suppose.”

Content with just relaxing against Steve’s solid strength, she closed her eyes and let him lead her around the patio to the slow beat of the music. It had been too long since she’d let a man take care of her, longer still since she felt so special. Much too soon the song ended, and instead of another one beginning, Eric’s voice came over the speakers to address the party-goers.

“Everyone, I have an announcement to make,” he said into the microphone, and all eyes went to where he stood up on the band’s platform. “First of all, I want to wish my father a very happy birthday. Steve, Adrian, and I made sure we bought him a present he’s sure to get a lot of use out of now that he’s retired, but I have a special gift today that’s for both of my parents. Where are you, Mom and Dad?” His gaze searched the crowd of people in the backyard until he found Angela and Paul waving from a group of guests they were visiting with.

“Pay attention,” he said to his parents with a big grin, and then he crooked his finger toward the table
where Liz and Steve had been sitting earlier. “Jill, can you come up here, honey?”

His girlfriend looked momentarily startled to be summoned up onstage, but she did as he asked, her expression reflecting confusion and the slightest bit of hesitation. She obviously had no idea what he intended. And neither did anyone else—except for maybe Steve, who was looking on with a bit of brotherly pride.

Once Jill was standing by Eric’s side, and with everyone quiet and watching the couple avidly, he picked up her left hand, held her gaze steadily, and said, “I can’t think of a better place to do this, since I’m surrounded by good friends, relatives, and family.” Reaching into the front pocket of his khaki pants, he withdrew a small black velvet box and flipped open the lid, revealing a gorgeous, sparkling diamond engagement ring.

“Jill, will you marry me?” he asked, his voice smooth, clear, and confident.

Jill gasped and slapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes wide with shock and disbelief as she glanced from the ring to Eric’s face.

The silence stretched on, and a crooked grin tugged at Eric’s lips. “What, is the ring not big enough?”

“It’s perfect.” Her voice trembled, as did the hand she reached out to touch the velvet-lined box. “Oh, Eric, are you serious?”

He rolled his eyes at the ridiculous question. “Honey, I love you. Of course I’m serious.”

Her eyes welled up with tears as she gazed at him with pure adoration. “I love you, too, Eric Wilde.”

“Tell him yes and put him out of his misery!” Adrian yelled from across the yard, and everyone hooted and hollered their agreement.

Eric grinned at his sibling’s show of support and returned his hopeful gaze to Jill. “Well?”