Page 66 of High Sea Seduction

“Ugh!” The sharp taste hits the back of my throat and attacks my taste buds. My eyes water and I try not to splutter all over myself.

“That’s 100 percent-proof premium vodka.”

“How do you know?” I ask.

He grips my wrist in a tight, almost painful hold, and raises the glass so I see the tiny white sticker on the bottom. I nod and subtly pry myself from his grasp and look closely at the other glasses. They all have assorted colored stickers on them.

“What do the colors mean?”

He sends me a scathingly bored look. “I’m not your tour guide, Holly. Part of the adventure is figuring things out yourself,” he replies. “You look like your cerebral cortex needs a good work out.”

There is it again, that tone of voice that makes me wonder if he’s coming on to me, or just making casual conversation. Again, my spine tingles a warning I’m at odds to decipher. I feel foolish experiencing an element of danger that my brain tells me is barely minimal, and yet I can’t ignore it.

I set my drink down and glance around. Relief pours through me when I spot the definite figure of Leo Brummer heading my way. When he reaches us, he nods warily at Professor Harding.

“Moriarty.”

“Dorian. I’ve delivered your guest to you. That means you owe me one for making me play nursemaid.”

What the fuck? I start to hold up my hand in ahey, I’m right heregesture, but a look passes between the two men that freezes my hand midair.

“I already paid you back what I owe you.” Leo’s voice is a touch defensive and a lot pissed off.

Moriarty shrugs. “You want to stop paying, don’t keep racking up the tabs. As long as you keep slipping, I’ll keep collecting.”

My radar is most definitely tweaked, and I watch Leo’s face twist in anger. His jaw clenches as Moriarty stares him down for a full minute before Leo lowers his gaze.

“East wing. One hour.” He glances at me, then back at Leo before he disappears into the crowd.

Leo grabs my hand and walks me away from the center of the room.

“What was that about?” I ask the moment we’re seated at a table away from the noise.

“Nothing.” He plucks a stickered drink that looks like the skin-peeling vodka I just spat out and downs it in one go without flinching.

“Oh, come on, Leo. That was most definitelynotnothing.”

“Fine, it’s none of your business!” he snarls.

I suck in a hurt breath. “Whoa, no need to go all Wolverine on my ass.”

He stares at with me with those impossibly gorgeous blue eyes for a full minute before he glances away with a grimace. “What the fuck are you doing here, Keely?”

My body jerks in shock as if he’s thrown a bucket of cold water over me. “Umm… you invited me, remember?”

He grips the back of his neck and continues to avoid my gaze. “I… Shit, I shouldn’t have. I don’t know what the hell I was thinking,” he mutters under his breath.

Now my whole body feels like a giant polar ice cap. “Wow. Okay. Excuse me for thinking we were friends and that we could spend some time together.” I surge to my feet and dart away from the table.

Tears sting hard and fast. I blink, then bump into a body. Someone curses, but all I want to do is get the fuck away before the humiliation tsunami bearing down on me sucks me under.

“Wait! K— Shit, I don’t even know your codename. Hey, wait!” Leo grabs my arm.

“Let go of me!”

He pushes up close behind me and leans into me. “I can’t,” he whispers. There’s a peculiar note in his voice that triggers a touch of disconcertion, but my humiliation stops me from processing it.

“What does that mean? Of course you can. You just tell your brain to tell your fingers to work. It really is quite simple.”

---