who know my real name. And here's the phone number you need to call.'
'Sindee it is.' He grinned, accepting the business card she handed him, with THE ULTIMATE FANTASY emblazoned in bright red, and a prefixed number followed by the appropriate call word
She nodded and sighed, the soulful, weary sound affecting him on a basic emotional level. She had a load of concern weighing on her conscience, and he'd even seen flashes of guilt in her eyes today that he didn't fully comprehend. Steve hated that Liz's irresponsible cousin had her so upset. He hoped Valerie knew how damned lucky she was to have such a caring family member who was willing to go to such lengths to find her, to ensure her safety.
He wished he could make Liz promises to ease her worries, wished he had the right to tell her everything was going to be okay, but he wasn't one to offer false hopes. And no way was he going to bank on his gut instincts with Valerie's frivolous behavior until he had more evidence to back up his theory.
Startled by the sudden urge he experienced to reach out and comfort her, he opened the driver's-side door to dispel the sensation. 'Come on, I'll walk you to your car,' he said, and exited the vehicle.
She followed, and side by side they silently made their way to her silver Celica that was at least ten years old and in need of body work and a paint job. Obviously not a priority for her. Once they were there, she turned to face him, and he caught a barely perceptible flicker of nervousness in her eyes before she blinked it away. 'I guess I'm all set for tonight, then.'
Sensing she was overwhelmed by the true realization of what she was getting herself involved in, he gave in to that impulse to reach out and skim his knuckles down her cheek in a reassuring caress. 'I'm sorry that you have to go through all this crap.'
She visibly relaxed, and a small smile turned up her too-tempting lips. 'I would have done it without your help, but I have to admit that I'm grateful that we were able to work something out. It's nice to know I'm not going into this situation alone.'
'No, you're not.' Withdrawing a business card from his wallet and asking her for a pen, he jotted down his home phone beneath his cell and pager numbers. 'If you need me for anything, day or night, I'm only a phone call away.'
Accepting the card, she tucked it into her purse, then adjusted the strap over her shoulder. 'Thank you.'
'No thanks necessary. It's all part of my services.' He wasn't about to tell her that he'd never given his home phone number to a client before. 'And I'm sure you'll do just fine tonight.'
'Thanks for the vote of confidence.' A good amount of her initial worries seemed to have faded away, though some concerns still lingered. 'I'm not used to talking about down-and-dirty sex to just anyone, and I have to do better than fine if I want to stay hired on long enough to ask around about Valerie.'
'Just take it one step at a time and do whatever feels right.' Taking off his sunglasses, he tucked them into the collar of his shirt. 'And when it comes to fraternizing with your coworkers, act open to anything. Also, it's important that you dress and look the part of someone willing to play around.'
'I guess I'll be raiding Valerie's closet, because my wardrobe is a bit outdated when it comes to looking like a sophisticated party girl.' She touched her hair, as if considering how to transform her sleek, conservative look into something wilder as well. 'So, where do you come in on all this?'
'I'll call in at about eleven-fifteen, and the best part is, you get to talk dirty to me.' He bobbed his eyebrows teasingly, doing his best to keep things light, to keep her anxiety about her new job at bay.
She laughed and shook her head, amusement dancing in her vibrant green eyes. 'Oh, I can't wait.'
'Neither can I,' he said, and meant it. While her lip service was for the sole purpose of finding her cousin, there was no reason why he couldn't use their phone sex conversations to his advantage by sharing their own personal fantasies.
Seconds passed, filling the air between them with subtle expectations and deeper desires. He stared at her, enthralled by the way the sun behind her highlighted her shoulder-length blond hair with gold streaks and kissed her smooth skin with a glowing warmth that he wanted to skim with his mouth and taste with his tongue. If he hadn't had a few cases he needed to follow up on, he would have persuaded her back to his place for a lazy afternoon of hot, satisfying sex.
Instead, he decided he'd have to settle for a kiss to get him through the long hours until they were together again-and alone, so they could indulge in something far more intimate and satisfying.
Slowly stepping toward her, he backed her up against the driver's-side door and braced his palms on the edge of the low roof on either side of her shoulders, securing her between the heated metal of the car and the hard, muscled length of his body.
She didn't seem to mind being trapped. With her gaze locked brazenly with his, she countered his move with one of her own. Hooking her fingers into the belt loops on his jeans, she pulled him closer until their bellies, hips, and thighs were intimately aligned and his thickening shaft found a home at the welcoming notch between her legs.
A blissful sigh escaped her, and she whispered silkily, 'I like the way you feel against me. We fit perfectly together.'
'Damn,' he murmured, singed to the core by her honest admission and inflamed by a reciprocating need he couldn't hold back. He rubbed himself against her mound, which made him even more painfully erect, with no relief in sight. 'Imagine how good it'll feel when we're both naked.'
'I already have,' she divulged, her candid words and soft, dreamy expression sending his libido straight into orbit. 'You've been a fantasy of mine for the past month.'
Upon that shocking revelation, her lashes fell to half-mast, and a pale pink color swept over her cheeks, as if she wasn't used to being so sexually outspoken with men but liked the power and control that came with being forthright in what she wanted.
Sliding her hands from his waist to his lower back, she splayed her palms against the muscled slope of his spine, the heat of her touch seeping through his shirt. Her chin lifted in an amusing- and arousing-display of daring. 'You know that hot, frenzied buildup you mentioned earlier today?'
He groaned, realizing that she somehow intended to use his own seductive words against him, which was nothing less than he deserved. 'Yeah, I remember,' he managed around the knot that seemed to have tightened his vocal chords.
Her lips skimmed his jawline, teasing his senses. 'Well, just so you know, a month is a very long time to lust after one particular person, and my anticipation level is already near to bursting.'
His breath left his lungs in a tight exhale. Scorching heat curled inside him at the thought of her body primed and ready for his. The notion threatened his restraint, making him
God, she was so damned sexy, she made his insides ache and his palms sweat-a feat no other woman had ever accomplished. She was a beguiling witch, a temptress who would undoubtedly hold her own when it came to fulfilling his sensual and erotic demands in the bedroom.
Lifting one of his hands to her face, he cupped her cheek in his callused palm, dragged his thumb along the curve of her jaw, and addressed that anticipation problem of hers. 'I guess we'll just have to make sure we do something about all that pent-up desire of yours,' he drawled.
Unable to hold back the rampant male instinct firing his blood or to resist the hot female invitation in her eyes, he lowered his head, and she eagerly met him halfway. Her lips parted beneath the coaxing pressure of his, and his tongue swept inside, slow and teasing, then gradually taking possession of her mouth in a deep, wet, ravenous kiss that was unmistakable in its carnality and sexual intent.
The distinctive, familiar rumbling sound of a sports car pulling into the parking lot penetrated the mind-numbing pleasure of the moment. Reluctantly he pulled back, preparing himself to deal with the consequences of putting his relationship with Liz on public display.
'Shit,' he muttered, and at her startled, wide-eyed stare he explained, 'It's my partner, Cameron. And I apologize ahead of time for putting you in the middle of an embarrassing situation.'
