Wild - Jaci Burton Page 0,13

exactly work out. But Seth definitely worked on his body. And for the love of God he smelled so damn good her knees nearly buckled. Not cologne, either. Just . . . man.

She really needed sex. If it felt this good just to have a man wrap one arm around her, she might not live through a night of really good fucking.

When he pulled back, he gave her a look unlike any look he’d ever given her at work. “You look . . . damn, Abby. I’m speechless.”

She felt the heat rise up her neck at the compliment. “Thank you. You look great, too.”

“Let’s go party. And who are your friends here?” He glanced away and offered up the friendly Seth Jacobs smile to Blair and Callie.

Which meant she had to find her voice. “These are my best friends, Blair Newcastle and Callie Jameson.”

He shook their hands. “I’m so glad you came tonight. I’m not sure Abby would have come without you two.”

“Oh, I think she would have,” Callie said.

“Party’s in full swing. Can I escort you lovely ladies into the ballroom?”

“Honey, you can escort me anywhere you’d like.” Blair winked and slipped her arm in Seth’s, nodding at Abby to do the same on Seth’s other side. She did, and grabbed Callie’s hand for support. They walked into the ballroom, which was wildly noisy, since a band was playing.

And dark. Good thing Seth was leading. Abby was having a hard enough time walking on the stupid high heels Blair had insisted she wear because they “made her legs look a mile long.” Whatever. Her legs wouldn’t look sexy when she broke one and ended up in a cast.

The ballroom, which doubled as the dining room, was packed, individual tables set up for people to enjoy dinner with their families and friends. White tablecloths, elegant china, multiple forks. Everything screamed class and money. Abby looked around to see if she knew anyone—okay, she was looking for Chad. But she didn’t spot him, and she was simply too awed by her surroundings to keep searching.

“We’ve got a corner spot set up a little bit apart from all this,” Seth said, pointing to several tables near the double doors by the balcony.

She nodded, smiled, and tried to focus on remembering how to walk in heels.

Most of the staff from the clinic had made it, greeting her with congratulatory hugs. She was really going to miss working with these people. They had helped her more than she could ever tell them. She wound her way through the crowd, making sure she stopped to individually talk to and thank every one of them. The one person she didn’t see was Mike.

“Where’s Mike?” she asked Seth after she’d finished visiting with the staff.

“Doing his hair, probably,” Seth replied with a cocky grin.

Abby snorted. She seriously doubted Mike had to do anything other than step out of the shower and look like a god. He was probably busy doing something else. Maybe he wouldn’t even come tonight. It’s not like he was required to be there. And why was she obsessing over this, anyway?

She wondered if Blair and Callie would feel out of place, but by the time Seth had put a glass of champagne in her hands, her friends had wandered off, mingling with some of the staff members and laughing their assess off at a joke one of the vet techs, Dave, was telling.

Ah, yes, Dave, teller of ribald jokes. No wonder they were laughing. She should have known not to worry about her pals. They could find their own amusement.

“Hungry? There are plenty of hors d’oeuvres.”

Seth’s voice over her shoulder sent chills down her spine. “Not really.”

“Good. Let’s dance.” His hand slipped around her waist, and she felt the burn of sensual heat singe straight through her clothes. He turned her around and reached for her hand, leading her onto the dance floor.

Don’t fall on your ass, Abby. Kicking her shoes off in the middle of the dance floor at Silverwood Country Club would probably be unseemly. This wasn’t exactly Whisker’s Bar, and she wasn’t in jeans.

Seth pulled her close and rested his hand at the small of her back, pressing in with an intimate gesture that put her pelvis in contact with his thigh. Her pussy responded with a twitch of recognition. Oh yeah—man. Something she hadn’t been around in far too long. He twirled her around to the melody of one of her favorite slow songs. Though other couples were dancing,