I reached for her glass. “Let me try it.”
“It’s just water,” she complained as she pulled it back slightly. “And there’s only a little bit left.”
“Yeah, well, you’ve been sipping on that little bit for the past hour.”
“Observant,” she said as she narrowed her gaze. “You watching me?”
She knew I was.
Her smirk deepened. It irritated me. Then she tipped the glass back and swallowed the last of it. “Oops,” she said, unsurprised. “Guess you’ll never know.”
I huffed out a short laugh and grabbed onto her wrist before she could step away.
Her body went still. Not in fear—Valentina didn’t scare easily—but something else. Awareness. Of me. Of my hand gripping her arm.
I moved her closer to me, just enough for me to smell her breath. “Vodka.”
She held my gaze.
“Smart, aren’t you?” I dragged my thumb over her wrist. “What happened to behaving?”
Her lips parted slightly, but she didn’t step away.
I was disappointed in her. I’d thought she was serious about staying sober. Guess not.
“Hurry—go tell Max before I can get away.”
“You think I’d do that to you?”
“I wouldn’t exactly put it past you.”
“I’m the only person in this room who seems to care about your better interests. Your judgment of my intentions is misplaced.”
“Hmm.You care for me, lawyer?”
“No,” I lied.
She looked up at me. “Sounded like it.”
I turned back to her, lowering my voice. “You’re sloppy.”
She blinked. “Excuse me?”
“You’re not even trying to be discreet.” I stepped in even closer. “Drinking in a room full of people who have every reason to watch you? You might as well have handed Max the bottle yourself.”
She rolled her eyes dramatically as if I were a parent ridiculing her. “Max isn’t even looking,” she said like it was the perfect argument.
It wasn’t.
“He doesn’t have to,” I shot back. “You think no one’s gonna mention this? You think people don’t talk?”
“I can handle myself.”
“No, you can’t.”
“I don’t remember asking for your opinion.”
No, but I remember you asking for my help.
