23 I Am Your Partner, After All

Maya was totally thrown off by that smile. It completely transformed Vincent's face from cold and aloof to almost cute. The smile reached his steely eyes and softened them, which probably helped with the transformation.

"…no problem. I am your partner, after all."

He nodded thoughtfully. "Indeed. But I must say you have exceeded my expectations already."

Her face heated. That was a compliment, albeit a backhanded one. The only other sort-of compliment she could recall him giving her was when he said she was a strong woman.

Vincent was such a fussy, antisocial person that any compliment was worth its weight in gold. But it did also raise the question of what he had expected from her. It didn't seem like much based on their conversation in the wee hours of the morning on Saturday.

"What did you expect?" Maya couldn't help but ask.