Page 75 of Insatiable Park Avenue Prince

“East.” I reached for my vodka soda and drained the rest of the contents. Then I gave a slight nod, letting him know I had this.

I pushed to my feet and looked down at Kelly, an apology in my eyes, before I turned to Atticus, who was waiting for me to acknowledge him.

“Atticus.”

“Van. Looking good as always.” His cold, dark eyes swept over me, and while I figured I would be repulsed or horrified by running into him again, I felt nothing.

It was funny what a year apart and dating a sex god could do for one’s clarity. Add in the alcohol running through my veins, and what I’d thought would be an uncomfortable moment for me turned out to be one where I pitied him.

Kelly got to his feet, a towering figure of a man, and as Atticus lookedupat him, I took Kelly’s hand.

“Kelly, this is Atticus Dumas. Atticus, this is my boyfriend, Kelly.”

Kelly’s eyes widened on me. Yeah, we hadn’t discussed beingboyfriends, but I wasn’t stupid—I knew the way Atticus worked, and could see the way he was eyeing Kelly. So if I had to piss a circle around him, then I would.

Atticus held his hand out. “Kelly, huh?”

Kelly took his hand, and even that amount of contact was too much for me.

“Yeah, that’s right.”

Ilovedthe surly tone from my guy, and if I’d been worried about throwing out the wordboyfriend, Kelly didn’t seem to be in the slightest.

“That’s what I thought you said.” Atticus nodded, his eyes flicking between the two of us, and I would’ve done anything for the floor of this ballroom to open up so he could fall in it.

“I thought you were in London these days,” I said.

“I am, but Father asked me back for this event. He wanted the twoheadsof the family business to be seen.”

“Pretty sure they could see yours from London,” Gavin muttered from across the table.

“Oh look, it’s Tiny Truitt. Almost missed you there. Nice to see you still haven’t found any friends of your own.”

I gritted my teeth, about to tell Atticus to back the fuck off, when Daire called out, “Yeah, well, everyone knows better than to be a friend of yours. Dumass.”

“It’sDumas.”

“Is there a reason you came over here?” I asked, wanting Atticus to move the hell along. What I ever saw in this guy was beyond me.

“I just wanted to say hi, and meet your new”—his eyes flicked back to Kelly—“boyfriend. You look so familiar to me.” Atticus pursed his lips, lowering his gaze over the perfectly tailored tuxedo Kelly wore. “Are you sure you only go by the name Kelly? You’re so hot it’s almost…sinful.”

Fuck.He knew. Of course Atticus hadn’t come over here to see me. He hadn’t even wanted to see me when we were together. Why would I think that had changed?

Kelly dropped my hand, clearly about to do or say something. But before he could, I stepped forward, leveling Atticus with a look that should have cut him off at the knees.

“Hey, asshole. I know you’ll use anything to get in the headlines. But if you say one word to anyone at this event tonight, we’ll know where it came from. Do you hear me?”

“Aw, still so sensitive, Van. But I hear you, and I’veseenyou.” Atticus’s lips curled as he looked past my shoulder at Kelly. “You’ve upgraded from photos to video—that’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

I whipped my hand out before I could stop myself, grabbing his lapel and hauling him in so we were toe to toe. Then I said in a menacing voice I didn’t even know I had, “You fuck with him,Iwill fuck with you? Got it?”

Atticus’s jaw bunched as someone behind me—probably Travis—added, “And we’ll help him. Get lost, snake.”

I let go, shoving him back a step, and Atticus looked past me to the rest of the group.

“Sogood to see you all again.”

“Bye-bye,” East called out, as I glared Atticus a path away from us and he turned to walk away.

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