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“You were trying to bribe me so you could meet with them. That’s not how I would’ve done it.”
“Really?” She turned on him. “And how would you’ve done it?”
“I would’ve scheduled a meeting. Something a little more dignified than this sort of fiasco, you crashing a party so you can chase him down and ambush him.” Gavin shook his head.
“Me? Ambush Rhett Worth? Give me a break.” She downed half her wine, ignoring the little buzz from the alcohol that went through her. She could do this. She could confront Rhett and convince him she wanted to talk with him about the family, nothing more. “Have you seen the size of that man? He could take me, no problem.”
“That’s not what I’m talking about and you know it.” He stepped in closer, so close she could feel the warmth of his body radiate toward her. Towering over her, the glower on his face, those beautiful eyes sparkling from behind the glasses he wore, he was beyond intimidating. The slightest bit sexy too. “You don’t need to make an ass out of yourself, Stasia. Downing a glass of wine and cornering your long-lost brother at a business cocktail party isn’t the way to go about this.”
She froze at his words, hating the fact that he was right. And that he had no qualms calling her out on it.
Closing her eyes briefly, she swallowed hard, desperate to stave off the tears. She refused to cry. She’d shed enough tears to fill an ocean. “Then tell me,” she croaked, her voice thick with emotion. “Tell me how I can make this right. Tell me you’ll help me figure out how to get to my newfound brothers so I can talk to them without all the worry over me possibly trying to sue them and take them for all they’re worth.”
In different circumstances, she would’ve laughed over the unintentional pun. But now was not the time for laughter. There was no joy in her life. Only confusion and pain.
He was quiet for so long, she knew he was going to reject her. Again. She couldn’t give him the satisfaction of doing so to her face. Again. Whirling on her heel, she started to leave, gave a quiet little yelp when he clamped his fingers around her arm and jerked her back to him.
“Let me go,” she said again, fighting against his firm hold.
“No.” He turned her to face him. “I’ll help you.”
Stasia’s jaw dropped open in apparent shock, her glassy-with-tears gaze meeting his. She looked ready to cry, and the very last thing he wanted to deal with was a crying woman. “Are you serious?”
Slowly, Gavin nodded, releasing his hold on her. This was probably a huge-ass mistake, but he had to do it. Had to help her out and guide her through this mess her two families had become. If no one untangled this disaster it could end up destroying her. “I’ll help you. It goes against my better judgment, but I will.”
She narrowed her eyes. Not the right thing to say, but he couldn’t help it. She had to know he was still reluctant about this entire situation. “If you’re not going to be on my side one-hundred percent, then it’s probably best you not represent me.”
He blew out a frustrated breath. They were going round and round in circles and it was getting damn irritating fast. “I said I would take you on, I’m taking you on. But first things first.”
She frowned. “What?”
“We need to get you out of here.”
He took her by the arm—again—because it was as if he couldn’t keep his hands off her. She was small, soft and so innately feminine. He was drawn to her, there was no denying it, as stupid as it was. Emotion, lust, whatever he wanted to call the odd feelings that overcame him when she was near, shouldn’t cloud his judgment. He’d never allowed it to happen before. His reputation painted him cold, calculating, ruthless in negotiation. An unfeeling machine was how a fellow attorney had most recently described him.
What he was experiencing in this woman’s presence wasn’t cold or unfeeling. Looked like Anastasia Renaldi was the exception to his long-standing rule.
She struggled against his hold, doing her best to get away from him. Ironic considering how much he wanted to be near her, despite his reluctance. “You’re not going to let me talk to him, are you.” She made it a statement, not a question.
“Not here, where anyone could overhear your very personal conversation and sell all the gory details to some slimy tabloid. Come on.” He led her through the room, nodding and smiling at passersby. It wasn’t prudent to leave, not yet. Didn’t want to give the woman monitoring the front door any more fodder to consider. It was bad enough they’d made that particular spectacle earlier. They didn’t need to make another one.
Yet he was starving and exhausted after a long day at work, and dealing with a hostile woman was pushing him closer and closer to his breaking point. All that soft femininity was clearly a façade—she was hard as steel and more determined than any woman he’d ever met.
Determined to get at a fortune, no doubt. He was a cynical bastard; he knew this, and he’d seen it all. What Stasia Renaldi wanted to do, what she wanted from him, didn’t settle well.
He plucked a stuffed mushroom off the tray of a passing waiter and popped it in his mouth, thankful for some sort of sustenance. Stasia took one as well, nibbling delicately, her gaze scanning the room. Looking for Rhett, no doubt.
Gavin knew he needed to get her out of there before she found Rhett and pounced. He wasn’t as close to the youngest Worth brother as he was to Alex, so Rhett might not recognize him if something went down.
And then all hell would break loose at a very swanky party. Not the sort of image he wanted portrayed.
“Five more minutes and then we’re leaving,” he told her.
She glared. “You can’t tell me what to do.”
“Like hell I can’t. You’re now my client. And I advise you that we should leave in five minutes. Staying any longer could end in disaster.”
Rolling her eyes, she shoved the rest of the mushroom into her mouth. “Are you always this dramatic?” she asked after she swallowed.
