“Under the circumstances, I believe that’s moot.”

“Not to me it isn’t. Answer the question.”

She kept her eyes level with his. That was a matter of pride, though she felt she had little of that or her dignity left intact. “Yes.” When his eyes flared, she jerked her chin away. “But not because of Seth or Gloria. I would have slept with you because I wanted you. Because I was attracted to you and when I was around you for any length of time my priorities became blurred.”

“Your priorities became blurred.” He rocked back on his heels, dipped his hands into his pockets. “Jesus, you’re a case. Why do I find that snotty attitude intriguing?”

“I don’t have a snotty attitude. You asked a question, I answered it honestly. And, you’ll note, in the past tense.”

“Now I’ve got something else to consider. If I want to change that to present tense. Don’t say it’s moot, Sybill,” he warned when she opened her mouth. “I’m bound to take that as a dare. If we end up in bed tonight, neither one of us is going to like ourselves in the morning.”

“I don’t like you very much right now.”

“We’re on the same curve there, honey.” He jingled his change again, then shrugged. “We’ll keep the meeting at Anna’s office in the morning. As far as I’m concerned, you can see all the paperwork, including your sister’s blackmail letters. As far as Seth goes, I don’t make any promises. If you try to go around me and my family to get to him, you’ll regret it.”

“Don’t threaten me.”

“I’m not. I’m giving you facts. It’s your family who likes threats.” His smile was sharp, dangerous, and without an ounce of humor. “The Quinns make promises, and they keep them.”

“I’m not Gloria.”

“No, but we still have to see just who you are. Nine o’clock,” he added. “Oh, and Dr. Griffin, you may want to look over your own notes again. When you do it might be interesting, psychologically speaking, to ask yourself why you find it so much more rewarding to observe than to participate. Get some sleep,” he suggested as he walked to the door. “You’re going to want to be sharp tomorrow.”

“Phillip.” Going with the impulse of temper, she rose and waited for him to turn around, with the door open at his back. “Isn’t it fortunate that circumstances changed before we made the mistake of sex?”

He angled his head, both impressed and amused that she’d dared such a dangerous parting shot. “Darling, I’m counting my blessings.”

He closed the door with a quiet snap.

ELEVEN

SETH NEEDED TO be told. There was only one way to do it, and that was straight out, as a family. Ethan and Grace would bring him home as soon as Aubrey was settled with the baby-sitter.

“We shouldn’t have let her out of our sight.” Cam paced the kitchen, hands jammed in his pockets, gray eyes hard as flint. “God knows where she took off to, and instead of having answers, instead of straightening her ass out, we’ve got nothing.”