Wilde Thing

of foul play to warrant an investigation, and all I could do was file a missing-persons report on her behalf.'

And with every day that passed without a word from her cousin, Liz's concern grew. So far, she'd been able to keep Valerie's vanishing act from Val's parents, Liz's aunt and uncle, who'd moved from Chicago to Southern California almost a year ago. Ben and Sally Clark were wonderful, kindhearted relatives who'd raised Liz from the age of twelve after her own parents had died. The two of them had always treated her like a second daughter, which Valerie, as an only child, had resented at times. Thus her cousin's penchant for being excessive and irresponsible, and much too self-centered.

If Liz hadn't promised her aunt and uncle she'd watch out for Valerie as well as keep her out of trouble, she'd probably write this scenario off as one of her cousin's eccentric antics. But she had agreed to look after Valerie, even going so far as to share her apartment with her cousin. Liz had taken on the request as an opportunity to prove that she was reliable and responsible after her disappointing fiasco with Travis. She'd desperately wanted to please her aunt and uncle and earn back their respect.

Guilt and frustration drove her, and this situation with Valerie certainly wasn't going to earn Liz any extra brownie points. Especially since she'd had to lie to her Aunt Sally, who'd called on Monday evening to talk to her daughter. While Liz had told her that Valerie was out of town for a few days with a 'friend,' it was only a matter of time before her aunt phoned again. Liz hated covering for Valerie, yet she had no choice for now.

'So what are you going to do?' Mona asked as she stirred her straw through her thick, icy drink.

Not wanting to shell-shock her aunt and uncle with the news that Valerie indulged in phone sex for a living unless she absolutely had to, Liz had opted to pursue her cousin's absence herself, in the only way she knew how. She bit her lower lip and gathered the fortitude to spill her secret to Mona.

'I applied at the same phone sex company where Valerie was working,' Liz said. 'I have an appointment for an interview at The Ultimate Fantasy tomorrow morning at eleven.'

Concern creased Mona's dark brows. 'Do you think that's safe or smart?'

Liz didn't want to respond directly to that question, because she knew the answer would be a resounding no, and she wasn't about to give up on the idea. 'It's the only way I can think of to get inside information on Valerie or where she might be. Someone there has to know something, even if they just saw her at the party.'

Mona shook her head, her expression adamant. 'I don't think this is something you should do on your own.'

Liz dragged her fingers through her hair and sighed. 'The police aren't willing to get involved, so I don't have much of a choice.'

Her friend was quiet for a few moments while she considered Liz's idea, her gaze focused on something out in the lounge area. Then a bright smile spread across her face. 'Why don't you hire Steve Wilde?'

Liz frowned in confusion as she filled a basket with scones and another tray with gourmet cookies. 'Who?'

Mona pitched her empty plastic cup into the trash and hooked her thumb toward Liz's fantasy man. 'Steve Wilde. The guy you've been lusting after for the past month. And don't bother denying it. I've been watching the two of you, and when you're not ogling him, his eyes are following you. And from my astute observations, that lingering gaze of his is hungry for more than just your pastries.' She gave Liz a playful but encouraging wink.

Wilde. God, even his last name insinuated trouble of the most sensual variety. Her gaze strayed back to the lounge just as he unfolded his big, lean body from his chair and shrugged into his well- worn leather jacket, causing the muscles in his arms and across his chest to shift temptingly as he moved. Her pulse quickened with female appreciation. He was so compelling, his magnetism so potent, she couldn't help but respond to his stunning good looks.

He picked up his book and keys from the coffee table and glanced up, his disarming gaze locking with hers-as bold, direct, and unapologetically sexual as the man himself. He tipped his head in acknowledgment, causing a lock of unruly sable hair to fall across his brow, accentuating his rakish appearance. The private, sinful grin he graced her with literally stole her breath and sent her hormones into an overwhelming frenzy of sexual longing. Her breasts swelled and tightened, her nipples tingled, and a surge of liquid desire settled in intimate places.

Oh, yeah, he was most definitely trouble personified.

He exited the cafe, leaving her with more than enough new, stimulating material to fuel another night of erotic mind candy. She returned her attention to Mona. 'So, tell me, how do you know his name?'

Her friend snagged a biscotti from the glass jar on the counter and munched into the baked treat. 'He's come into The Last Word to purchase a few books, and we've talked a time or two.'

Which essentially meant that Mona knew not only his name but his age, marital status, and occupation as well.

Finishing off her cookie, Mona licked the crumbs from her fingers. 'And knowing the attraction between the two of you is mutual, I'm thinking it's time you took off that gold band you wear on your finger that makes men think you're taken, and take a walk on the Wilde side.'

'Ha-ha. Very funny,' she said, though the idea was one she'd already considered… in her fantasies.

'I'm being completely serious.' Mona's tone reflected just how resolute she was. 'At least about taking that ring off your finger and putting yourself back on the market. There's a time and place to shed everything-your ring, your clothes, your inhibitions…' she added meaningfully.

The lights overhead glimmered off the gold band she'd worn since Travis's death, mocking her solitary, abstinent lifestyle-of her own choosing, she reminded herself. She was still struggling to dig herself out of the financial mess her late husband had left her in when he'd died three years ago, and she didn't want or need the complication of a binding relationship. Not when her focus was on her cafe and seeing her savings account back in the black again.

Feeling useless resentments clawing their way to the surface, she redirected their conversation back to their original topic. 'You mentioned hiring Steve Wilde. What for?'

'Because while he might have all the markings of a bad boy, he's definitely one of the good guys. He's a private detective with his own agency, and I'm betting he can help you out with Valerie.' Excitement infused Mona's voice. 'At the very least, he can offer advice or follow up on your cousin's disappearance without you putting yourself at risk.'

So, he was a good guy with a bad-boy demeanor, a combination Liz found much too intriguing. 'It's not like I have a lot of extra money to pay a private investigator. You know that.' She'd spent the past three years on a tight budget while Travis's debts had drained a huge portion of her savings. 'I could barely afford to have the alternator on my car fixed, let alone a Pi's professional services.'

'Maybe Mr. Wilde would be willing to work out a payment plan of some sort,' Mona offered with a sly smile, leaving no doubt in Liz's mind what her friend meant. 'I have his business card back in my shop if you're interested.'

On a purely business level, Liz supposed an initial consultation with Mr. Wilde couldn't hurt, and any free advice he might impart could only help her in her search to find her wayward cousin.

'I'm definitely interested in Steve Wilde,' she said to Mona, and realizing how those simple words could be misconstrued, she followed that up with a quick, 'I mean, in his business card.'

'Of course.' Amusement and satisfaction flashed in Mona's eyes. 'I'll be right back.'

Liz watched her friend trek across the short distance to her bookstore, anticipation making her heart pound hard in her chest. She swore that contacting Steve Wilde-the object of her fondest, most carnal dreams-had nothing to do with her attraction to him, and that her interest was strictly professional.

Her mind accepted the lecture. Unfortunately, her neglected body wasn't completely convinced.

***

Steve Wilde wasn't a man easily shocked. Yet he couldn't have been more stunned when his secretary, Beverly, announced that Liz Adams was there to see him. Seconds later, the woman who'd occupied too much of his thoughts lately appeared in his office, her vivid green gaze meeting his from across the room.

She looked incredibly sexy. He'd only seen her in her work uniform of jeans, T-shirt, and a bib apron that tied around her neck and waist. Nothing overtly suggestive or clingy, but he'd seen enough of her coming and going to know that she had the kind of full, luscious figure he liked on a woman. And the thigh-length form-fitting cocoa- colored skirt and matching blouse she was currently wearing confirmed a knock-out, head-turning shape he couldn't