Julieta muttered something under her breath about it being a waste, though I wasn’t sure of what, exactly. Then she lifted her hands in the air, leaning across to slap them on my thighs. “I got a brother! He’s a bit of a hound dog, but he’s almost thirty and it’s time he settled down. I can set you up.” She stood, tipping a little to the side, and then sat back down again. “Yes! That’s what I’ll do. I’ll give you his number. I mean, he’s my brother, and I really don’t want to think about him having sex”—she screwed up her nose—“but once, a girl turned up on my parents’ doorstep begging for Zayn to take her back because he’d ruined her for other men. I feel like that's a damn fine review.”

I lifted my bottle of champagne at her. “Set me up. I haven’t seen any action that wasn’t self-inflicted in months. My vagina is about to retire and move to Florida!”

“To taking your vagina out of retirement!” she toasted loudly, until someone cleared their throat at the bottom of the stairs.

Clint was standing there, an amused smile on his face. “Sorry to interrupt. Just checking Julieta hadn’t reached the part of her night where she drunkenly gets naked.”

“I do not!”

He snorted. “One word. Barcelona.”

Julieta flushed bright red, but narrowed her eyes. She pointed a bottle of champagne in his direction. “You were going to get laid tonight, but I’ve changed my mind.”

I tipped back my own bottle of champagne as Clint and Julieta bantered. They were a cute couple.

“Julieta, we both know three-hundred-dollar bottles of wine always make you horny. Your threats are empty.”

I spat my mouthful of champagne back in the bottle. “How much?” I gasped.

Clint laughed, and Julieta whacked him with the back of her hand. Then she winced, clutching the hand to her chest. “Dios, when do you get a dad bod already? You’re built harder than a rock.”

Clint leaned closer to whisper something in her ear, and it didn’t take a genius to know what. He stood back to his full height and grinned at me. “Don’t stress it, Nova. We’re part owners of a vineyard in California. We get most of the bottles for free.”

I stood up and dutifully drank the rest down, even though I must’ve been chugging the equivalent of a glass and a half. “Thank you for tonight—you have no idea how much I needed this.”

At least, that's what I thought I said. I took three steps, swerved wildly to the right, and then there were hands gripping my upper body, holding me still while the room whirled around me. I looked up into the pretty face of River motherfucking Cooper. Why was he so fucking hot?