bullshit.
“And so when I did two years in the Mojave, it was really hard to leave. .”
She continued to drone on about digs she’d been on, discoveries she’d made, museums she’d donated her finds to. Things he already knew about from the background research he’d done on her. He probably knew more about her than she did.
And all the while she talked, they drank. And she kept refilling both their glasses.
He noticed she hadn’t yet started slurring her words. Maybe she was an adrenaline junkie and the high levels of it in her bloodstream burned off the alcohol.
“There was this statue we uncovered once in Egypt-”
“Angie.”
“Yes?”
“What exactly is your point?”
She tilted her head. “Of my story?”
“No, of tonight. Of this. The four bottles of wine and inane conversation.”
Frowning. “You find my conversation inane?”
“Yes.”
She sat back. “Well. That’s rather insulting.”
“You’re not at all offended. You have an agenda. What is it?”
“I do not.”
“Yeah, you do. You’re trying to get me drunk.”
She sniffed. “I would do no such thing.”
“For the record, I don’t get drunk. Ever. The wine was great, though I prefer an ice cold beer or hard whiskey, straight up.”
“Oh. I’m sure I saw a bottle of-”
“Don’t bother. I’ve had enough.”
“Fine, then.” She stood, but he grasped her wrist, tugging her back to the sofa.
“Not of talking. I’ve had enough to drink. You wanna talk, we’ll talk. Tell me what’s on your mind.”
She leaned back, picked at one of her fingernails. “I just thought we’d been running on edge since we met up again and it was time to unwind a little.”
“I don’t unwind, either.”
She looked up. “Ever?”
“Ever. I’m on a mission. It’s not in your best interests for me to be too relaxed.”
“We had some downtime together in the cave in Australia, if you recall.”
“That wasn’t exactly downtime. We were trapped, and I was plotting our rescue the entire time.”
She snorted. “Yeah, right. We talked. And you kissed me.”
She just had to bring that up again. He’d tried like hell to forget that moment when she’d teased him and he took the bait. But the taste of her mouth still lingered in his memory. He wasn’t likely to ever forget it. Just as he wouldn’t forget her betrayal. “A lot of things happened in Australia. Do you really want to dredge all that up?”
She shrugged. “I have nothing to hide.”
“Good. Then tell me where the black diamond is.”
“Except that.”
“Then we really don’t have anything to talk about.”
He stood, but this time she grabbed his arm.
“Wait.”
He looked down at her. “I’m not in the mood to play games, Angie.”
“I’m sorry. Sit down. I really do want to talk.”
He sat. “If you wanted to discuss something, all you had to do was say so. You didn’t have to ply me with alcohol.”
“Right. Because you’re usually so open and talkative.”
He tilted his head. “You’re a real smart-ass, you know that?”
She looked away, but her lips curled. “You like me that way.”
She was right. He did prefer her this way to the sweet, accommodating woman she’d been earlier tonight. That Angelique had been alien to him. He liked her with a little sass. Maybe he could handle her better when she showed him some attitude.
“So what’s on your mind?”
