Lucian’s response was to flatten his empty plate between his hands as he stood. “Finish eating. I need to speak to my colleague.”
I scowled at his back as he retreated and made a point to appreciate every bite of the hamburger and chips I had left. He only ever ate healthy stuff, and I wasn’t sure when I’d be able to enjoy something like this again. Lucian circulated through the crowd and disappeared on the other side of a large cluster of trees. And when he didn’t return after ten minutes, I decided I might as well have a little fun since none of the adults were talking to me.
I joined a group of young girls playing the bean bag toss, and then they challenged me to a game of horseshoes, which I accepted and then purposely lost. They were begging me to play another round when I checked my watch and realized Lucian had been gone for a while.
It wasn’t difficult to spot him in the crowd, considering he was about six inches taller than the average male. But what I didn’t expect to find was the company he was keeping on the other side of the park. A tall, beautiful brunette in a form-fitting pencil dress and heels.
My stomach lurched, and the reaction made no sense to me. I didn’t know what it was I felt, but it certainly wasn’t jealousy. Lucian meant nothing to me. The fact he had discarded me so he could go chat her up should have been a relief. But it wasn’t.
I found myself moving toward him like a lost puppy, only to stop and change my course midway. This was ridiculous. He’d forced me to marry him. He’d forced me to come to this stupid barbecue, and now he’d abandoned me to the wolves. But Lucian forgot where I’d come from, and I was all too happy to remind him.
I knew how to circulate a crowd too, and I already had my sights set on his buddy Vincent.
“ARE YOU SURE EVERYTHING’S OKAY?” Emily asked.
I adjusted my collar and gave her a tight smile. “It’s just a formality.”
My colleague was young and hungry. Still trying to make a name for herself and change the world, and because of that, she didn’t argue with what I asked of her. “I’m happy to take on his case, should it ever come down to that, as long as the client is willing.”
It was a conversation I’d need to have with Emmanuel, but I didn’t want to jump the gun. For now, I was just getting my ducks in a row.
“I should let you get back to the party,” I told her.
She nodded, and I looked toward the picnic table where I’d left Gypsy. It didn’t surprise me that it was empty, but it did surprise me when I found her talking to Vincent.
“Excuse me.” I nodded to Emily.
We went our separate ways, my sights set straight on the little brat who was currently making every facet of my life more complicated than it needed to be. Gypsy was oblivious to the wolf at her back door, and as I drew closer, I understood why. She wasn’t just talking to Vincent, she was working him.
Her body language was all wrong. Soft, pliable, charming. All the things she never gave freely, yet she was giving to him. Her laughter was vibrant, and her eyes were hungry. If I hadn’t seen her slip into this second layer of skin before, I wouldn’t even recognize her.
Vincent was a colleague, and I respected him, but he was also widely known to be overindulgent in his carnal pleasures, and right now, he wasn’t backing down from my goddamn wife. My hands balled into fists when Gypsy touched his arm. She hadn’t ever touched me that way. Not intentionally. And even if I knew it meant nothing to her—this was simply a game she was playing—it fucking bothered me.
It shouldn’t have. And I shouldn’t have let my temper get the best of me, but that’s exactly what I did.
“Gypsy.” My voice sliced through the space between them, and both of their heads swiveled in my direction.
“Lucian.” Vincent cleared his throat and took a reproachful step back from my wife. “I was just keeping your girl company while—”
I wrapped my fingers around her waist and laid claim to her with a grip she wouldn’t escape. “Did I ask you to keep her company?”
Vincent’s jaw slackened, and he held up both hands in a weak attempt to pacify me. “I’m sorry, Lucian. I meant no offense. Honestly.”
“We’re leaving.”
Vincent mumbled a quick goodbye, and I led Gypsy back to the parking lot. Once we were out of earshot, she tried to pull away, but I didn’t let go.
“What is your problem?” she hissed.
“Don’t play dumb with me, pet. It really isn’t becoming of you.”
Her eyes turned a flinty gray as she turned her nose up at me. “Have I told you today that you’re an asshole?”
I opened the door to the Demon and hoisted her inside, forcing her buckle into place and securing her in her seat.
“I’m not a toddler.” She smacked my hands away. “I can do it myself.”
I leaned down into her face and grabbed her chin. “Then maybe you should stop acting like one.”