Chapter One (15 page)

Whatever scent he wore, whether it was cologne or just He leaned against the machine she was playing and him, sailed into her senses like a shot to her pheromones. It picked at his cuticle, a habit that always annoyed her. “I’m screamed hot and sexy, which didn’t surprise her in the least.

gambling, darlin’. And you?”

“You ready?”

I’m scrubbing the floors, jackass. What do you think
Oh yeah. She was ready. Her body was primed to take
I’m doing
? “I’m on a date.”

off like a rocket.

“Seems as if your date has deserted you since I don’t The casino crowd was light since it was a Monday, so see him around.”

they wandered, stopping at tables here and there. She learned
Stay calm, Abby. He’s trying to irritate you on purpose
.

about craps and roulette, even played a few hands of blackjack, She offered a smug smile. “Actually, I know exactly where he which she quickly discovered was not her game at all. The is.”

most fun she had was playing the slots because she could stay

“Which is?”

there the longest without losing all her money.

“Craps table. Right over there.” She inclined her head Though Mike was very generous, she refused to toss to the outer table, where Mike was standing at the end. Mike money down the drain gambling. That’s why she liked playing looked up at the same instant she gazed in his direction. He the quarter slots. He was involved at the craps table for awhile winked at her, then threw the dice.

and seemed to be amassing quite a bit of chips, so she found a

“Ah. Nottingham.”

quarter slot machine and dumped in a twenty. And she was

“Yes.”

winning, which amused her enough that she continued to play.

“I saw you the other night at the club with him.”

“Having fun?”

Chad was at the club the other night? She hadn’t seen She whirled around, thinking it was Mike, and grinned.

him, but then again after the first five minutes she’d been so

“As a matter of fact—”

wrapped up in Mike and Seth she wouldn’t have noticed him if It wasn’t Mike. Her smile froze, then died as she looked he’d stepped right on her toes. “Really.”

into the dark gaze of her ex-husband. Chad.

“Yeah. You were with Nottingham. And Seth Jacobs.”

Her heart slammed against her ribs, her pulse skittering Ah. So he had seen her. She wondered how much he’d along her nerve endings. A wash of memories, all unpleasant, seen. A small flame of triumph began to flicker inside her. “So rushed back to her, and suddenly she was the mousy housewife I was. Funny, I didn’t see you there. Then again, I was rather again. Tall, dark, handsome Chad, the boy of her dreams.

busy with my dates.”

Yeah, right. The worst mistake she’d ever made. All the Chad’s eyes widened. “You were there with both of excitement and fun she’d been having dissolved in an instant.

them?”

Talk about a buzz kill. “What are you doing here?”

She punched the button on her machine, ignoring him.

“As a matter of fact, I was.”

68

Jaci Burton/
Wild, Wicked & Wanton
/Unedited Advance Reading Copy Berkley Heat/May, 2007

“Kind of slutty, isn’t it, Abby?”

She walked away without looking back, sidling up to She didn’t even look away from the blinking lights on Mike and leaning against his shoulder. He threaded an arm the slot machine. “Kind of like the pot calling the kettle black, around her waist and planted a scorching kiss on her lips.

isn’t it Chad?”

She hoped Chad was still watching.

“You used to be such a good girl.”

“I saw you talking to your ex over there,” Mike said The disgust in his voice was evident, but he no longer after she broke the kiss. He gathered his chips and stepped had the power to hurt her. She finally tore her gaze away from away from the table, leading her to the cashier’s booth.

the screen in front of her and arched a brow.

“He’s a prick,” she said, handing the cashier her ticket.

“Oh, I’m still a good girl, Chad. A very good girl.”

“Give you any trouble?” Mike asked, pocketing the

“I can’t believe how you’ve changed from the sweet sizable amount of bills the cashier handed him.

girl I married.”

Abby handed him back the money she’d won in the slot She snorted. “Please. And where did that get me, Chad?

machine, despite Mike’s attempts to prevent her from doing so.

I was faithful, I stayed home every night waiting for you.

“No trouble at all. I handled him just fine.”

Where were you? Out with another woman, fucking her instead

“I figured you could.” He slipped his arm around her of me. Well now I’m fucking other men instead of you.” She and walked outside. He’d parked his Navigator at the end of pressed the cash out button, waited for her ticket to print and the parking lot. Isolated, within a semicircle of trees snatched it out of the machine. “And let me tell you, I’m surrounding them, and it was dark. The second they reached his having the best damn sex of my life right now. All those car he whirled her around and pushed her against the door, his wasted years on a minute man like you. If only I’d known what mouth descending on hers.

I was missing.”

Her breath left her body as he plunged his tongue She waited for a comeback, but he only stared at her, inside, devouring her lips in a hungry kiss. She reached for his his face turning red. Then she realized he was speechless. For arms, feeling the heat, the lean muscle through his shirt. He the first time in her life, she’d rendered the bastard unable to parted her legs with his knee, insinuating his thigh between speak. Time to zero in for the kill. “All those girls you fucked them.

while we were married—what did they see in you, anyway?”

Her body responded with an instantaneous explosion, He looked like he wanted to strangle her. Triumphant, her pussy moistening, her nipples tightening as they brushed she waved her ticket in front of his face. “I’d love to stay and against his chest. She couldn’t help her reaction to him. He was chat with you longer, Chad, but I have a life now that doesn’t damned overpowering and she was helpless to do anything but include you.”

let her body answer.

Did she want him? Hell yes. But while his hands were roaming her body, caressing her breasts, pinching her nipples, 69

Jaci Burton/
Wild, Wicked & Wanton
/Unedited Advance Reading Copy Berkley Heat/May, 2007

making her crazed with desire for him, part of her recognized He lifted his head and looked at her, a confused frown what she was experiencing was a pure and simple physical lining his brow.

reaction to him.

And in that moment, she knew exactly why. Because She lusted for Mike. Oh, God did she ever lust for him.

she was panting, her breasts heaving against his chest, her body But that’s all she felt. That’s all she would ever feel. On shaking all over. And though his cock was hard as he rocked it some elemental level she realized that Mike Nottingham was against her thigh, there was something in his eyes that told her way, way too much for her. That while he was gorgeous and he wasn’t as invested in this as she was. A detachment she’d desirable and exciting as hell, he wasn’t the kind of man she noticed before.

could ever have a relationship with.

Something that wasn’t there when she looked into Not the kind of relationship she craved.

Seth’s eyes. With Seth there was sex, but she could look into Not the kind of relationship she wanted.

his eyes and see clear down to his soul. When he was with her Like the kind she wanted with Seth.

he was wholly engaged in the two of them, in the experience.

Oh, God.

Mike felt no emotion in this. It was pure lust and Seth.

nothing more. He and Abby didn’t have the emotional Mike moved his mouth from her lips to her neck, connection she and Seth did.

licking her pulse point and making goosebumps pop out all

“What’s wrong Abby? You’re so damn close I can feel over her skin. He inserted his hand and slipped down the front you trembling.”

of her skirt, cupping her pussy. She damn near came.

“I know. God, I know. I’m sorry. I can’t do this.”

This had to stop. She felt guilty!

“We can go to my place if it bothers you. I wasn’t She palmed his chest and pressed against him, subtly at thinking about the lack of privacy here.”

first, then a little harder.

She shook her head. “It’s not that. I…I don’t even know

“Mike, stop.”

where to start.”

He rocked his palm against her clit, and she fought the Mike blew out a breath and stepped back, putting sensations. She was close, so damn close she almost thought distance between them. He tilted his head to the side and about coming, of tossing aside her convictions and letting it all studied her. “It’s Seth.”

loose.

Her eyes widened. “How did you know?”

But she couldn’t. Goddammit, she couldn’t. Damn

“He said as much the same about you last night.”

scruples.

“He did?” She couldn’t help the smile that crept onto

“Mike, please stop.” She grabbed his wrist and pulled her face. She didn’t mean to, really. It just appeared. And she his hand out of her skirt.

felt really shitty about it and tried to wipe it off, but she couldn’t.

70

Jaci Burton/
Wild, Wicked & Wanton
/Unedited Advance Reading Copy Berkley Heat/May, 2007

“You’re people who fall in love. It’s sickening the way Which kind of annoyed him. Okay, it really hurt, it’s written all over your face.”

goddammit. And he hadn’t gone into this to get hurt again. But He was teasing her. She saw it in the half curve of his didn’t it just figure it had happened anyway? He’d closed his lips, the way he tilted his head a certain way.

heart to loving a woman after his ex had stomped all over it

“I’m sorry, Mike.”

and left a withered, dried out stump in her wake. After that, he

“Don’t be.” He pulled her to him and hugged her, used women for sex and nothing more.

pressing a kiss to the top of her head. He paused for a few He’d done a pretty damn good job of it, too. Mike was a seconds, then whispered, “I envy your ability to love.”

good teacher in that area, and he’d watched and learned from She was going to ask him what he meant, but he pushed the master.

her back and grinned. “I’m going to drop you off at Seth’s. I But somewhere along the way, he’d left the door open.

might have mentioned to him that you and I had a date tonight, And over the past year, Abby had crept in.

and he’s probably tearing his house apart in jealousy right Now he’d have to close it again.

now.”

Maybe he’d have that second drink after all.

“You didn’t.”

When the doorbell rang, he frowned. Shit. Who the hell Mike shrugged. “Hey, I’m a prick. Everyone knows would come over this time of night? He went to the door and that.”

looked out the peephole, shocked as hell to see Abby. He unopened the door, regarding her warily.

Seth paced his living room, downing the last of the rum

“Hey,” she said, a wash of color covering her cheeks.

and staring down the wet bar, contemplating another drink.

“Hey yourself. I thought you were out with Mike Bad idea. He had surgery early in the morning. Besides, tonight.”

the alcohol hadn’t even touched the irritation burning inside That color on her cheeks deepened. “I know. He told him all night. Screw all night—try ever since earlier today, me that you knew. He just dropped me off.”

when Mike had casually mentioned on his way out of the clinic

“Why?”

that he was picking up Abby tonight.

“Can I come in or do you want to do this out here?”

Which meant she’d no more left his place last night, left

“Oh. Sorry.” He moved aside to let her in. Damn, she his bed last night, than she’d gone home and agreed to a date looked hot in a tight black skirt and skimpy little halter. Her with Mike tonight. Maybe she’d even called Mike when she’d hair was partially up with little blonde tendrils escaping a gotten home.

jeweled clip. He clenched his fingers into a fist to keep from Either way, he knew what it meant. She didn’t care reaching out and touching her. “Have a seat. Would you like a about him.

drink?”

71

Jaci Burton/
Wild, Wicked & Wanton
/Unedited Advance Reading Copy Berkley Heat/May, 2007

“No. Thanks.” She sat on the sofa in the living room.

She swallowed and he watched the movement of her Balanced precariously on the edge like she might fall off any creamy throat. “I said I’m love with you.”

second was more like it.

That wasn’t at all what he’d prepared himself to hear.

And she looked profoundly uncomfortable.

Not at all.

Which meant only one thing. She had come here to tell Holy fucking shit!

him she didn’t want to see him anymore.

How nice of Mike to let her do this alone. Then again, Abby watched the play of emotions crossing Seth’s maybe she’d wanted to do it without him being here. That face, resisting the urge to grin. She gathered he had been would be Abby’s way. She wouldn’t want Mike to stand prepared for her to say something else entirely.

around smiling victoriously while she let Seth down.

“You love me.”

“Why are you here, Abby?”

“Yes.”

Her head shot up, her eyes wide with something akin to

“Goddamn.” He blinked, then jammed his fingers abject terror. “I…I need to tell you something.”

through his hair and looked up at her again. “You love me.”

He supposed he could be a gentleman and make it

“Yes,” she said, this time laughing. “I love you.”

easier for her, but he wasn’t feeling particularly chivalrous at He stood and took the two steps toward her, then the moment. Instead, he took a seat on the sofa across from grabbed her hands and pulled her up.

hers. “Sure. Shoot.”

“You love me.”