Wilde Thing

warmth seep inside her and take away the chill that went bone deep. Unfortunately, there was no antidote for the ache in her chest or the tight squeeze of her heart.

The rattling of a key being inserted into the front door lock pulled Liz out of her troubling thoughts and had her bolting anxiously across the living room to wrench open the door.

Valerie, standing on the other side of the threshold, surrounded by shopping bags and luggage, gasped in startled surprise, then glared at Liz. 'Jesus, give me a heart attack, why don't you?' Her gaze traveled the length of Liz in one single sweep, and then she smirked. 'You certainly look like hell.'

Liz shook her head in disbelief at her cousin's greeting. No 'Hello, how are you doing?' Or 'Gee, I suppose I should have let you know that I was going to be out of the country for a week and a half.'

Instead, Valerie was more concerned with Liz's appearance. Amazing.

'I guess compared to you, I do look like hell.' Liz certainly felt like it. Her hair was a mess from repeated finger-combs, she had no makeup on, and she was dressed in her rattiest jammies. Her cousin, on the other hand, looked incredibly chic with a new hairstyle, an impeccably made-up face, and a cute little outfit that showed way too much skin.

Valerie picked up a brand-new designer suitcase and sauntered into the apartment. 'Grab a few bags, would you? I nearly killed myself trying to get all this stuff up to the apartment.'

Gritting her teeth, Liz dragged two of the bigger pieces of luggage into the living room, just to help speed up the process, while Valerie handled the shopping bags. Though Liz did wonder why Rob hadn't been gentleman enough to see her to the door. Probably because Rob was no gentleman and was undoubtedly just as selfish as her cousin. Which made them a perfect pair, Liz realized.

Valerie flopped down on the couch and released a dramatic sigh. 'I'm absolutely exhausted.'

'And I've been half out of my mind worrying about you,' Liz replied, no longer able to keep a rein on the frustration that had been stewing for the past twenty-four hours. 'Where have you been?' She knew the answer but needed to hear it from her cousin.

'In Paris, having the time of my life,' Valerie said with a satisfied smile, apparently oblivious to Liz's concern. 'And the best part of the trip was that it was all-expenses-paid.'

In exchange for sleeping with Rob, no doubt, Liz thought, but kept the rude comment to herself. Instead, she crossed her arms over her chest and pinned her cousin with a direct look. 'Did it ever occur to you that you could have let me know where you were?'

Valerie's shoulder lifted in an uncaring shrug. 'I left you a note.'

'A very vague note that said you were going to a weekend work party with some guy named Rob, not that you were going to be out of the country for a week and a half.' Liz's voice rose with exasperation.

Valerie studied her French-manicured nails and picked at a cuticle. 'My plans changed. So sue me.'

Irritation welled inside Liz as she stared at her self-centered cousin, her upset so strong it nearly overwhelmed her. 'Since you bought luggage and applied for a passport before this trip, you obviously knew you were going to be gone longer than a weekend, so don't give me any crap about your plans changing. You knew about this trip in plenty of time to let me know, and considering you're living with me, it would be basic common courtesy to let me in on where you're going and when you're coming back.'

'You want to know why I didn't tell you about my trip? Well, here's the truth,' Valerie said, bitterness vibrating in her tone. 'If I told you where I was going, and with whom, I'd get a lecture, just like you're starting to do right now. And I didn't want to listen to it. You've never approved of what I do anyway, so what's the point of telling you ahead of time?'

'Because I care about you.'

There was no reply from her cousin, no warmth or reciprocal words of affection. And knowing that Valerie resented her so much hurt Liz to the very core of who she was-a woman who ached for acceptance, even from a cousin who so openly harbored ill feelings against her for stealing away half of her parents' attention and love.

'Damn it, Valerie, at the very least you could have called me from Paris or left some kind of message to let me know you were okay and safe. I was worried sick about you, whether you want to acknowledge that or not.' Her cousin continued to stare at her from the couch, cold and unresponsive. 'Your mother has called more than a few times since you've been gone, and I've already had to lie to her once. I wasn't about to do it again.'

'Did I ask you to?' Valerie snapped.

'No, you never asked me to, but what did you expect me to tell your parents?' Liz began to pace restlessly- anything to burn off the extra energy building within her. 'That you're a phone sex operator who dates her clients, attends sex parties with them, and flies abroad with a virtual stranger? Do you really want your mother and father to know what kind of job you have and everything it entails?'

Valerie stiffened defensively. 'You have no idea what my job entails.'

'Yes, unfortunately, I do,' Liz said, her distaste for her cousin's choice of occupation clear. 'I worked for a week at The Ultimate Fantasy in order to find you, and I went to a fantasy party in order to track down Trixie Lane to get information on Rob, who seems to have quite a reputation with most of the party girls there. So I know exactly what your job is all about, and most of it isn't pleasant.'

'Wow, Ms. Goody-Goody I'm-the-Responsible-One actually sullied herself for me?' Valerie drawled insolently. 'It's nice to know that you have a bit of daring and adventure left in you after all.'

Liz dismissed her cousin's sarcasm. 'I did it for you, Valerie. Because you're my flesh and blood and I wanted to make sure you were safe and okay. And I also did it for your parents.'

Valerie stood and closed the distance separating them, until she was only a few feet away and Liz could see the condemnation in her cousin's green eyes. 'Whoever asked you to do anything for me?' Valerie asked. 'I certainly never have, yet you always seem to take it upon yourself to try and control my life, to make sure I stay on the straight-and-narrow. Here's a news flash for you, cousin: I have no desire to be a good girl like you, so why don't you get a life instead?'

Liz opened her mouth, then snapped it shut, feeling as though she'd been slapped upside the head with Valerie's verbal assault. She blinked, clearly seeing the selfish woman Valerie had become. It suddenly became apparent to Liz that she'd always striven to be the opposite of her cousin to compensate for Valerie's frivolous, reckless behavior, and when her marriage to Travis had ended so disastrously, Liz had subconsciously compared her own shortcomings to Valerie's. She'd compounded her disappointment and sense of guilt because she'd wanted her aunt and uncle's approval so badly and felt compelled to please them in any way she could. It had been her way of repaying them for giving her a home and a family when her parents had died.

She'd always be eternally grateful for their raising her, but she no longer had to make choices that they approved of. She was an adult, and while she'd made a mistake with Travis, her cousin had made even bigger ones, and through it all her aunt and uncle loved them both the same.

Valerie's words stung, but boy, did they have a ring of truth to them.

Yes, it was past time that she got a life of her own, just as Valerie had so sarcastically suggested. And that new life was about to begin, right here and now. No excuses, no burdens, no guilt.

She couldn't change Valerie-not who she was or how her cousin felt about her. It was obvious that Valerie would always cling to past resentments, but that was Valerie's problem, not Liz's. She didn't have to put up with her cousin's self-indulgent personality or her contemptuous attitude. They were both grown women, and Liz no longer needed to be responsible for anyone but herself.

It was time that Valerie did the same.

She met Valerie's gaze and pleased herself for a change. 'I think it's time you found your own place to live,' she stated calmly but very seriously.

Valerie looked completely appalled at the suggestion. 'I'm not going anywhere,' she protested.

'Fine. Then consider the apartment all yours, and I'll find somewhere else to live.' Liz knew she'd have to explain things to her aunt and uncle, but she'd deal with them in the same firm, straightforward manner in which she'd just handled Valerie. 'I can't deal with this situation anymore. I won't deal with this, and you, because I don't have to.'

Her cousin's expression filled with absolute shock and disbelief, mainly because Liz had never been so assertive before. But Liz's confidence felt damn good, and so liberating.

She was tired of the guilt and burdens she'd put upon herself. Tired of being alone and so fearful of taking a risk on a man who was everything she'd ever dreamed of and so much more. A bad boy who gave her the kind of