Wild - Jaci Burton Page 0,46
and left a withered, dried-out stump in her wake. After that, he used women for sex and nothing more.
He’d done a pretty damn good job of it, too. Mike was a good teacher in that area, and he’d watched and learned from the master.
But somewhere along the way, he’d left the door open. And over the past year, Abby had crept in.
Now he’d have to close it again.
Maybe he’d have that second drink after all.
When the doorbell rang, he frowned. Shit. Who the hell would come over this time of night? He went to the door and looked out the peephole, shocked as hell to see Abby. He opened the door, regarding her warily.
“Hey,” she said, a wash of color covering her cheeks.
“Hey yourself. I thought you were out with Mike tonight.”
That color on her cheeks deepened. “I know. He told me that you knew. He just dropped me off.”
“Why?”
“Can I come in, or do you want to do this out here?”
“Oh. Sorry.” He moved aside to let her in. Damn, she looked hot in a tight black skirt and skimpy little halter. Her hair was partially up with little blonde tendrils escaping a jeweled clip. He clenched his fingers into a fist to keep from reaching out and touching her. “Have a seat. Would you like a drink?”
“No. Thanks.” She sat on the sofa in the living room. Balanced precariously on the edge like she might fall off any second was more like it.
And she looked profoundly uncomfortable.
Which meant only one thing. She had come here to tell him she didn’t want to see him anymore.
How nice of Mike to let her do this alone. Then again, maybe she’d wanted to do it without him being here. That would be Abby’s way. She wouldn’t want Mike to stand around smiling victoriously while she let Seth down.
“Why are you here, Abby?”
Her head shot up, her eyes wide with something akin to abject terror. “I . . . I need to tell you something.”
He supposed he could be a gentleman and make it easier for her, but he wasn’t feeling particularly chivalrous at the moment. Instead, he took a seat on the sofa across from hers. “Sure. Shoot.”
He stretched his legs out, resting his arms on the back of the sofa. No fucking way was he going to clue her in that her dismissal bothered him. When she told him, he’d just brush it off as no big deal and send her on her way. Mike was probably waiting outside in the car.
Just say it and get it over with, Abby.
“You have something to say?”
“I’m in love with you, Seth.”
He drummed his fingers on the top of the sofa, looking bored. “So?”
She arched a brow. “So?”
But as her words sank in, his fingers stilled and he leaned forward. “What did you just say?”
She swallowed, and he watched the movement of her creamy throat. “I said I’m love with you.”
That wasn’t at all what he’d prepared himself to hear. Not at all.
Holy fucking shit!
abby watched the play of emotions crossing seth’s face, resisting the urge to grin. She gathered he had been prepared for her to say something else entirely.
“You love me.”
“Yes.”
“Goddamn.” He blinked, then jammed his fingers through his hair and looked up at her again. “You love me.”
“Yes,” she said, this time laughing. “I love you.”
He stood and took the two steps toward her, then grabbed her hands and pulled her up.
“You love me.”
She nodded.
He shook his head. “I thought . . . fuck it. It doesn’t matter what I thought.” He bent and pressed his lips to hers. His kiss was achingly tender, filled with so much emotion and heart it brought tears to her eyes. His fingers splayed over the bare skin of her back, drawing her closer.
She wanted to crawl right inside him.
He pulled away, his gaze dark, filled with emotions she couldn’t name.
“I’ve been falling in love with you every day since you first came to the clinic, Abby. I didn’t want to fall in love. I swore I wouldn’t. And after this weekend with you and me and Mike, I wasn’t sure what you wanted, but I sure as hell knew what I wanted. I wanted you. Not to share you. Never, ever to share you again.”
Her heart soared with every word. “I’m a one-man woman. This weekend was the experience of a lifetime, a fantasy come true. I won’t deny that I enjoyed the hell out of it. But I don’t ever want to