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I rolled my eyes. “I walked right into that one.”
“I truly appreciate the setup. Flawless execution on my part.”
I clapped for him like I was attending a tennis tournament. “Well done, Atticus.”
“You don’t look like a happy bride-to-be,” Atticus said before stalking closer, moving slowly as if I were an animal he was terrified to spook. He was wearing sleek black pants and a button-up shirt. His hair was curled at the ends, framing his sharp face. I eyed the tattoos on his skin, creeping up over his collar and adding a hint of danger to his refined look.
“And here I thought you were going to avoid the elephant in the room,” I sighed.
Atticus sat down on the ground beside me, running his fingers over my dress. “My father once told me there was only one way to eat an elephant.”
I’d heard this one before. “A bite at a time? Such a cliche. And who would want to eat an elephant? They’re majestic creatures.”
Atticus and I bantered back and forth until my heart stopped racing. We danced around the subject of my torment until the tears on my cheeks dried up and my mouth stretched into a tiny smile that took more effort than I’d care to admit. “Do you want to talk about it?” he asked after a long moment of silence.
“No.”
He smirked. “August was so bad in bed he sent you fleeing. I’d hate to be him right now.”
I wasn’t sure how Atticus knew about what had happened. Hell, it might be all over the news by now since we weren’t exactly secretive about it. I shouldn’t have let him do that to me in front of a window. In fact, we shouldn’t have done that at all. “You just couldn’t hold it in, could you?”
He pressed his palm to his chest. “I have to know. Does he have a micropenis? Did he get lost on the way to your clit?”
Tears started welling up in my eyes once more. “No,” I breathed. “He was actually…perfect. Sexy. Sweet. Attentive—”
“I get it,” he said, cutting me off.
“It was me that ruined the moment.”
Atticus waited for me to explain. He didn’t push me or prod for more, he simply sat at my side and matched his breaths to mine. He looked god-like. As if he was perfectly sculpted for his symmetrical face and strong jawline.
“I want to go home,” I whispered. “There’s too many memories in this castle. Just when I thought I’d overcome it all, something here brings me back.”
“You did seem happier in Harvington.” He eyed me, anticipation bleeding through his expression as he waited for me to connect the dots.
I had a feeling Atticus had been following me. He knew too much and had hinted at it when we were talking in August’s bedroom. But he was brazen for admitting it so clearly now.
I moved quickly, rolling on top of him and pinning him against the floor, pressing my elbow into his neck. I glared at him, that familiar rage bubbling in my chest as I pinned my knee between his legs. “You followed me,” I said in a deadly tone.
He smiled and reached up as much as he could, despite the pressure I was applying to his neck. Our lips were just an inch apart. “I did,” he whispered. “Once a month for three years, I visited you. Watched you. Understood you.”
I started to breathe heavily. Atticus’s minty breath washed over me in waves. My chest rose and fell with every inhale. “Fucking creep. You never could leave me alone,” I whispered, though my accusations felt hollow. Everyone was so quick to give me up, but Atticus didn’t. My own best friend didn’t wonder what happened to me, but Atticus did. “How much did you see?”
“All of it.”
My breath hitched. Time slowed as I processed his words. “How much do you know?”
He smiled. “Everything.”
I held my breath, preparing myself for the onslaught of shame that would inevitably hit me. Atticus knew. He knew everything.
He wrapped his free hand around my thigh. “I see you for exactly what you are, Christine. And you know what?”
He paused to lift up slightly, my lips hovering over his in the most delicious and threatening way. I found myself wanting to close the distance and kiss him. “What?” I asked, aching for an answer.
“I still want you.”
I stalled and stared at him. The plush cushion of his lips, the sincerity in his eyes.
