Annika tried not to show how surprised she was at the compliment. “Yeah. Thanks.” She glanced up at Hudson. “And, um, thanks for standing up for me.”

He was looking down at her, his expression inscrutable. “Anytime.” The weight behind his words made it seem like he really meant it.

Annika felt her cheeks heat. She kept her gaze on her glass, only glancing up once to find he was still staring at her. She looked around at the others, sure they must’ve noticed, too. But they were all talking to each other about something different, completely oblivious. She looked back at Hudson—he was still looking at her.

“Do I unsettle you, Ms. Dev?” he asked, a smile in his voice.

She forced herself to look up at him again, even though it felt impossibly difficult. “N-no.” Annika held her chin up. “Not at all.”

He stepped closer, close enough that the silky fabric of his pants brushed her bare leg. Close enough that her heart juddered, her breath catching in her throat. “Are you sure?”

Her mouth was dry. She couldn’t look away from him, couldn’t set her water down, couldn’t speak a word.

“I don’t think your date will have quite the same effect on you, do you?” he pressed, looking at her like she was the only one in the bar, the only one who mattered.

She began to shake her head to agree with him when the waitress came by with her and June’s drinks, breaking the spell. Annika let out a ragged breath in relief.

“We should go order, too,” Hudson said, after one long look at Annika. The Break Up team wandered off to get their own table—but only after Ziggy had planted a soft kiss on June’s lips. She watched him go, a hint of a smile on her face that Annika was sure she didn’t realize was there.

Annika sipped her margarita to quell all the disconcerting feelings—about the effect Hudson had on her, about how June was interacting with Ziggy—in the pit of her stomach. “Mm. This is good.”

“So is this,” June said, sipping her cosmo. “Oh, Alesandro said he could do this Friday at seven, at Neon. You’ll go, right? You’ll really make an effort?”

Annika’s gaze fluttered to Hudson’s table a few yards from hers, where he sat with his elbows on the sleek wood. “Uh, yes, I’ll go.” She forced her eyes back to June and sat up straighter. “And I’ll make an effort.” She’d be damned if she was going to let Hudson ruin her date.

June patted her hand, looking maternal. “Good. I think you’ll have fun.”

Annika allowed herself a noncommittal grunt. “Anyway, how’s the prototype shaping up?”

“Excellently.” June sipped her cocktail and smiled. “I’m feeding the algorithm lots of data so it’s coming along at a good clip.”