Page 49 of Say My Name

I wait.

Elena runs her thumb along the edge of the folder. “About yesterday.”

“Which part?”

Her eyes narrow. “You know which part.”

“There were several memorable moments.”

“You had a few drinks.”

“I did.”

“So did I.”

“You had one glass of wine with dinner and iced tea for the rest of the afternoon.”

She gives me an irritated look. “Of course you counted.”

“I noticed.”

“That’s my point. We were at a family barbecue. Everyone was drinking, Marcus almost said something he shouldn’t have, and you were acting differently.”

She pauses.

“Possessive?” I suggest.

“I was going to say uninhibited.” A safer word. A word that suggests a charming lack of control rather than a deliberate claim. I won’t let her have it.

“I was both.”

A faint flush reaches her cheeks. “Alcohol lowers judgment.”

“I had my last whiskey more than two hours before we left.”

“That doesn’t mean it was out of your system.”

“I was sober enough to arrange a ride, help clean your parents’ kitchen, and remember everything you said beside your car.”

Her fingers flex against the edge of my desk.

The slight tremor in her fingers when they flex against the desk tells me she remembers it too. “Elena,” I say, my voice softer than before, “I knew exactly whom I was kissing.”

The color in her face deepens.

She lowers her voice even though my office door is closed. “You’re my boss.”

“I was yesterday too.”

“You’re Cliff’s best friend.”

“I’ve been his best friend since college.”

“We have a clinic appointment next Monday.”

“I remember that as well.”

“Then you understand why this can’t become a habit.”