Born to Be Wilde

woman's anatomy should look.

She captivated him with the graceful sway of her hips. Fascinated him as she swung her long, dark brown hair over her shoulders. The strands looked silky and shiny beneath the overhead lights, and the rich color accentuated her beautiful, and striking, green eyes. A slight smile curved her lips as she glanced his way, and there was just enough come-hither in her gaze to make a slow, simmering heat settle deep between his legs.

Undoubtedly, he wanted this woman, but acting on his desires wasn't an option. Instead, using their attraction to lure her in and keep her close so he could protect her was his ultimate goal. And having her finally agree to see him outside of work was a huge step in that direction.

'You're finally in,' Jon said, his loud voice rising above the music and mayhem in the bar.

His friend made it sound like a mission, which Joel supposed this assignment kind of was. And Lora had been tougher than most to crack. More reserved. More cautious. The opposite of her brother, who acted first, then thought about the consequences later when it was too late to do anything about his poor judgment.

'Here's hoping I can stay in and keep her close on a regular basis.' One night out together for coffee didn't guarantee him anything where Lora was concerned. He took a drink of his beer, then leaned his forearms on the table. 'I know the other guys are getting tired of taking turns watching her place at night.' Until Zach was in the clear, he had Lora under twenty-four-hour surveillance.

Jon grinned. 'Hey, you gotta sleep sometime.'

'Well, I appreciate the help.' And the time off from ESS he'd been able to take in order to watch over Lora. Everyone understood that this was a personal issue for Joel, and something he felt compelled to see through because he owed Zach at least that much.

'We're all a team, Wilde Man,' Jon said. 'And we were all friends with Zach in the service. He might have asked you to watch over his sister, but we're all in this together, in whatever way you need us.'

Joel nodded, knowing he'd do the same for Jon, Ben, or Kevin. They might have all started Elite Security Specialists together, but they were more like brothers than co-workers. They'd watched each other's backs in the Marines, and they still did, even now.

Jon pushed his chair back and stood. 'That said, I've got a blond beauty sitting at the bar who's been eyeing me for the past half hour, and I'm not about to let a hot babe like her go to waste.'

Joel chuckled and tipped his beer toward his friend. 'Have fun.'

'Oh, I intend to,' he drawled, then headed off in the direction of his evening's pursuit.

Joel spent the next hour nursing his beer while waiting for Lora to finish her shift. He kept a keen eye on everyone she came into contact with, knowing that a customer could easily be a potential threat sent by Zach's bookie. The evening passed without incident, until Lora was finally off the clock and he was escorting her toward the front entrance of The Electric Blue.

Once they were outside, Lora visibly shivered as the cold night air washed over them. 'You can certainly tell it's mid-October,' she said, and slipped into her lightweight coat as they walked along the sidewalk. 'The temperature keeps getting cooler and cooler.'

He reached out to smooth down the collar of her coat, which was flipped up in the back, and his fingers brushed against the side of her neck. Her skin was incredibly soft to the touch, and he could have sworn he heard her suck in a quick, startled breath at his unintentional caress.

Dropping his hand back to his side, he made as if that brief contact hadn't affected him, too. 'Then a cup of coffee is just the thing to warm you up.'

Smiling, she adjusted her purse strap over her shoulder and pushed her hands into her jacket pockets. 'I'm looking forward to it, actually.'

Even though it was after ten in the evening, there were still plenty of people on the streets, though no one paid them any attention. A block later they reached The Daily Grind, and Joel opened the door for Lora to walk in, then followed behind her.

'Hey, Joel,' a young, pretty girl behind the counter greeted him enthusiastically. 'It's been a while since you've been by.'

'I was in the neighborhood tonight, and I thought I'd bring a friend in for a drink.' He glanced at Lora, who wore an amused expression, and he knew why. The girl, who was barely out of high school, obviously had a crush on him. 'What would you like, Lora?'

She perused the menu for a quick moment. 'I think I'm going to splurge and have a cafe mocha, with whipped cream.'

'And I'll have a cappuccino.' He pulled out his wallet and paid for the drinks.

Once their orders were up, he grabbed both large paper cups and led the way toward a vacant table against a large window overlooking the street outside. Considering the chilly weather, The Daily Grind was busy and there were only a few available places to sit. He would have preferred one of the more comfortable couch setups where he could talk to Lora with more privacy, but at this point he wasn't about to be choosy.

'Hi, Joel,' another worker called from across the place, loud enough that he had no choice but to acknowledge the perky cafe manager.

'Hi, Kate,' he said with a friendly smile. 'Is Liz around tonight?'

'No, she left a few hours ago with Steve,' the cute girl replied.

'That's good to hear. Steve needs to be sure she doesn't overdo now that she's pregnant again.' Joel placed their drinks on the table, then shrugged out of his black leather jacket before helping Lora out of her coat-this time without touching any bare skin.

The humorous glimmer in her eyes and the fanciful smile curving her lips was unmistakable. 'What's with that grin on your face?' he asked, already suspecting he knew the answer.

Shrugging lightly, she sat down at the table. 'Judging by the enthusiastic reception you just received, I'm thinking that you must come here frequently.'

'It's been a few weeks, but I do stop by when I get the chance,' he said, and settled into the seat across from her, which also gave him a clear view of the front door and anyone who walked through. 'Not only does The Daily Grind make some of the best coffee drinks in Chicago, the owner, Liz, is married to my cousin Steve.'

She took a sip of her coffee. Her lashes fell half-mast, and an appreciative moan escaped her as she savored the warmth and flavor. 'I have to agree with your assessment of the drinks. This is the best cafe mocha I've had in a long time.'

He watched her lick a dollop of whipped cream off her upper lip, and felt his entire body tighten with the urge to taste her for himself. Clearing his throat, he shifted in his seat and focused on business, with the pretense of getting to know her-which would hopefully lead to yet another date between them. Time was of the essence since he had no idea when Mendoza's men planned to show up and follow through on their threats against Lora, and getting as close to her as possible, and quickly, was his top priority.

'So tell me something. You mentioned having to work in the morning. I know the bar isn't open during the day, so I'm guessing you have a second job?'

'My day job, which is my main source of employment, is at the St. Claire Hotel.' She wrapped both her hands around her cup, as if to absorb the warmth of the drink. 'I'm a masseuse at the spa.'

He stretched back in his seat and let a lazy smile tip up the corners of his mouth. 'Which means you must be very good with your hands,' he teased, then took a drink of his cappuccino, which was strong and rich, just how he liked it.

She rolled her eyes at the double entendre encompassing his comment. 'Oh, please.'

He chuckled. 'Okay, I'll admit, that was cheesy.'

'Definitely cheesy,' she agreed wholeheartedly, though she was smiling in amusement. 'It's a pickup line I hear much too often from the businessmen that stay at the hotel and are interested in after-hour, off-the-clock company, if you know what I mean.'

He dropped his gaze to the slender fingers holding her cup of coffee. 'Well, your hands do look incredibly soft and smooth.' Reaching across the table, he gently grasped one of her hands and caressed his thumb along her silky palm. 'They feel that way, too. Not at all like a cocktail waitress who has her hands in water all the time and spends her evenings cleaning up after customers.'

Heat and awareness kindled in her gaze as he continued to stroke his fingers along her hand and fingers, but she didn't pull away. 'It's the lotions and oils I use all day long. I suppose that outweighs the manual labor of working at The Electric Blue at night.'