A crooked grin canted his mouth. "It's called foreplay, sweetheart."

"It's called cruel and unusual punishment." She couldn't resist poking him in the chest with her finger for extra emphasis.

He grabbed her wrist before she could jab him again, humor glimmering in the depths of his gorgeous green eyes. "It's torture of the sweetest kind."

She jutted her chin out stubbornly. "Well, there's a cure for what ails me if you won't finish what you started."

"Oh, I plan to finish you off," he murmured wickedly and brought her fingers to his lips so he could nibble on the tips. "But not tonight. And in the meantime, don't you dare take the edge off all this sexual tension I worked so hard to build up. I want to be the one to make you come, not some battery-operated device."

She opened her mouth to issue a smart-ass retort but lost her voice when his soft, wet tongue slid down between two fingers and flicked at the sensitive webbing connecting the two. She squirmed as if he'd just licked her intimately. "Oh, God, I can't wait that long."

"Yes, you can." He placed an infinitely sweet kiss in the center of her palm, a direct contrast to the ripples of heat and awareness arcing between the two of them. "You might be calling the shots about me being the one to handle your case, but I'm the one in charge of how and when you come."

Her jaw nearly dropped open. "That's ludicrous!"

"Yeah, probably so," he agreed unrepentantly. "But you'll do as I ask."

Every one of her instincts rallied at her to object to his assertive and cocky attitude, as well as his arrogance in taking control of how and when she achieved her own sexual gratification. If it was anyone else, she'd tell them to take a hike. But much to her chagrin, she found herself swallowing back a scathing reply and once again playing the game his way.

Because, as she'd discovered last Friday night, Cameron Sinclair and his sexual expertise were worth waiting for.


CAMERON'S surveillance on Irish Shelton was turning out to be a complete bust, not to mention it was putting a major crimp in his Friday evening plans to meet up with Mia at The Electric Blue.

After a solid five days with no action, Trish had placed a last-minute call to her husband claiming she'd forgotten about a dinner meeting she had with a client. It was definitely cause for suspicion, and Doug Shelton had immediately called Cameron to let him know his wife's plans had abruptly changed.

Seeing it as a prime opportunity to catch the woman in action, so to speak, and put an end to the case, Cameron had grabbed the keys to the company's unmarked Ford Excursion, which was fully stocked with surveillance equipment, and had followed Trish from her office to a nearby restaurant where she was supposed to meet up with her "client."

After parking across the street, Cameron had entered the restaurant, scanned the dining area for Trish, and was lucky enough to find a seat at the bar that afforded him a view of her table. He nursed a bottle of beer and waited for a man to arrive to contradict what she'd told her husband. He was sorely disappointed when a woman showed up instead, shook Trish's hand in a professional manner, and sat down to discuss what appeared to be business over dinner.

So much for wrapping up this case, Cameron thought irritably. Once he'd finished his beer, he'd headed back out to the truck to wait for Trish to leave the restaurant so he could take a few pictures of her with the other woman, to show to Doug Shelton that his wife's business dinner had been completely legitimate.

He could have just taken off for the night when the other woman had arrived and written up a report for his client, but Cameron prided himself on being thorough in his surveillance and his investigations. Especially because there was no telling where Trish might be heading once her current business was concluded for the evening.

So in the meantime, he made some calls on his cell phone that he needed to return and set up the camera with the zoom lense so he could capture the evidence on film when the opportunity arose. Time slowly dragged on, and he grew restless and eager to be on his way.

Finally, Trish and the other woman walked out of the restaurant together, enabling Cameron to get the shots he needed. The two ladies went their separate ways, and he tailed Trish from a discreet distance all the way to her house, while placing a call to Doug Shelton to give him a quick update. Once Cameron was assured she was home for the night, he turned around and made his way back into the city.

By then it was nearly eight p.m., a good hour later than when he'd promised Mia he'd be at The Electric Blue. He'd called her earlier to let her know he'd be running late, but he didn't like the thought of Mia being alone at the bar, where someone was possibly watching her and waiting for an opportunity to do something more nefarious than just taking a photograph of her. And he definitely didn't like the thought of other guys hitting on her, dancing with her, or touching her in any way whatsoever.

He stepped on the gas and increased the speed of the Excursion, wishing he was in his power-charged Porsche instead. God, he was getting so sucked in by Mia, and even though she'd managed to manipulate him into helping her, he had to admit he'd agreed for purely selfish reasons, too. Having sex with her again was certainly an incentive, but the woman intrigued him on too many levels to count, and the two mixed together proved to be a dangerous combination not only to his unruly libido, but emotionally as well.

Beyond the scorching heat and attraction the two of them generated, he was drawn to her and all the different facets of her personality: the good qualities, her vulnerable side, and even her way of goading and annoying him. He'd always enjoyed unraveling mysteries, and Mia was one big giant puzzle he was determined to solve. It was all a matter of peeling away the different facades she hid behind and discovering the real woman beneath. Having her and all that fire, energy, and passion in his bed was merely a bonus he had every intention of enjoying to the fullest.

And hopefully, once he figured out her allure, he could get her out of his head and system and move on. Just another case closed.

The ringing of his cell phone pulled him from his thoughts of Mia. He glanced at the hands-free unit display, saw that the call was from his mother, and hit the connect button.

"Hi, Mom."

"Hi, Cameron," she said, her soft, cultured tone filling the cab of the vehicle. "How have you been?"

He winced, knowing his mother's question held a deeper meaning, but she was too polite to outright say he'd been remiss in calling or stopping by lately. "I've been good, Mom." And then he wondered if maybe something was wrong. "Are you and Dad okay?"

"We're fine, honey, though your father has mentioned he sure has missed having a golf outing with his son the past few months."

Another sting of guilt he couldn't avoid. "Yeah, I know. Work's been crazy. I'll have to set aside a Sunday morning for a game."

"Your father would absolutely love spending the time with you," she said, and he could hear the satisfied smile in her voice. "But I didn't call you for that. Your sister, Claudia, is turning forty next week, and I'm having her birthday dinner at the house next Sunday for her and the family. I want to be sure you keep the evening free."

Claudia was the oldest of his three sisters, and as each kid had left home and started lives of their own, his mother had made it a ritual to have birthday dinners for each one of them to be sure there were at least a few family gatherings that brought them together throughout the year. Over the years, their birthday dinners had grown in size, because each one of his sisters was married with children of her own.

"I wouldn't miss it, Mom," he promised and made a mental note to add the date to his PDA so there was no way he could forget, since his schedule had been so hectic the past few weeks.

"I also wanted to let you know, you're welcome to bring a friend."

His mother's subtle comment made Cameron smirk. "So I can bring Rick, then?" He knew damn well that's not what she meant, but he hadn't been able to resist contradicting her just to see how she'd respond.

"Well, I was hoping you'd bring a friend of the female gender. You know, someone you might be dating?"

Cam turned into The Electric Blue's parking lot as images of Mia immediately filled his mind, with her innate sensuality, wild ways, and smart mouth. She was so different from any woman he'd ever brought home to meet his family, and it had been a long time since he'd even done that. He could only imagine what Mia would say or do to shock his refined mother and equally straitlaced sisters and found himself smiling at the thought.

Finding an open space a few slots away from Mia's flashy red Celica, he parked the truck and turned off the engine. "Sorry, Mom, but I'm not dating anyone right now."

Her disappointed sigh drifted through the intercom. "And that's such a shame, too."

Cameron rolled his eyes, having heard the "you need to settle down like your sisters have" lecture many times before. He would, when the right woman finally came along.

"I hate to cut you short, Mom, but I need to go," he said before she could launch into her speech. "I promise to be there next Sunday for Claude's dinner."

After a quick good-bye he ended the call, clipped the cell phone onto the waistband of his jeans, and got out of the truck. A minute later he was entering The Electric Blue, and it was just as loud and jam-packed as it had been the previous Friday night. At the moment, the waiters and waitresses were dancing up on the bar and tabletops, which had the riled-up crowd whistling and cheering them on. He half expected to find Mia up there doing a few shimmies and shakes of her own, but much to his relief, she wasn't part of the evening's entertainment.