Park Avenue Prince(48)

Angie swallowed her water. “No, not at all. I’ve never seen him like that before or since. But there is so little he cares about in this world—I think he’d throw himself in front of a train for the things that matter to him.”

I may not have known Sam long, but Angie was describing the man I knew—loyal and protective. Why the hell was I spending my birthday among all these people when I just wanted to be curled up on Sam’s couch next to him? I ached for him, was lonely without him, even though he was just three feet away.

Angie excused herself from the table, and as she got up, Sam turned to find me staring at him. “You okay?” he asked quietly.

I leaned toward him, resting my hand on the warm leather of Angie’s seat. “I’m sorry I didn’t sit you next to me.”

He tilted his head to one side. “Don’t be sorry. I’m fine talking to Harper.”

“No, I mean I’m sorry for me. I miss you.”

He cocked his head, and narrowed his eyes. “You’re not enjoying your conversation with Angie?”

“Oh yes, of course. She’s so nice and clearly adores you. I just miss you.”

“I’m here, Princess,” he said, curling my hair behind my ear. “With you.”

And he was. I felt him in my heart.





Sam





Grace telling me she missed me when I was two feet away made me want to grab her hand and pull her out of there so the two of us could be alone. But part of me enjoyed seeing her with her friends and family. It was confirmation of who she was—kind and generous. Funny. Sexy. Gorgeous. She wasn’t a different person with them. The fact that she was a little uncomfortable with all the attention made sense, too. I liked being able to observe these things about her from a distance.

I also liked being able to talk to Grace’s friends—they were such a reflection of her. Harper was sitting next to me and was feisty and charming. Her husband, Max, clearly worshipped her.

“So, are you serious about Grace?” Harper asked.

“Excuse my wife,” Max said. “She’s a total pain in the ass. Harper, don’t pressure the poor guy. They’ve only been dating a few weeks.”

I chuckled. “It’s fine. You can ask me anything. If I don’t want to answer, I’ll tell you.”

Harper turned to Max as if to say See? “You said you knew with me from the moment I walked into King & Associates,” she told her husband. “I want to know if it was the same for Sam.”

Max just rolled his eyes and Harper turned her attention back to me. “So, was it the same?” Harper asked.

“I’m not quite sure what you mean, but of course I thought Grace was attractive when I first met her.”

“So you’re not serious about her?” Her eyes narrowed as if she were a cop questioning a suspected felon.

I wasn’t sure what serious meant. I liked her. I didn’t want to stop hanging out, but it wasn’t like I was in love with her, even if Angie thought otherwise. “Like Max said, we’ve only been dating a couple of weeks.”

“But, you’re official? You’re her boyfriend?” Harper asked.

Had I missed something? Were we supposed to have a conversation about our status? I was happy with the way things were. I didn’t need to put a label on it.

When I didn’t answer, Harper asked, “Are you f*cking other women?”

“Absolutely not.” Her question took me by surprise and I answered on instinct. But it was true. Grace and I spent almost every night together, and even if we didn’t, I had no desire to f*ck anyone else.

“And she’s not f*cking anyone else,” Harper said.

It didn’t sound like a question but I wouldn’t mind an answer. I hadn’t thought about whether Grace was sleeping with other people—I’d just assumed she wasn’t. I glanced at Grace, who was chatting to the other people around the table. Was there anyone else here that she was sleeping with? “I care about her,” I spluttered out. It would bother me if there was another guy on the scene. I wanted her attention, her body, her analysis of her day.

“Well, I should hope so,” Harper said. “She’s very special. If you hurt her, I’ll hunt you down.”

“There’s something you should know about me, Harper,” I said, leaning toward her. “There aren’t many people in my life I care about, and I like it that way. Grace is an exception.”

“What are you two talking about?” Grace asked, smoothing her hand over my back. Dinner plates were being cleared and people were leaving the table for the restrooms or a smoke. I shifted my chair, and guided Grace so she was sitting on my knee.

“You,” I said.

“Harper, are you giving him a hard time?” she asked.

“No more than I deserve. She cares about you, and that’s only ever a good thing,” I said.

Grace’s hand curled around the back of my neck and I exhaled in a long breath. It should have felt uncomfortable, someone touching me so casually in public, but instead it felt completely normal. Comforting, even. She wouldn’t be doing that if she was f*cking someone else. “You’re so sweet.”

“No, I’m not. But I do care about you, and so does Harper.”