Page 113 of Crossing the Brooklyn Briggs
“No, you’re just not subtle,” Skyler says. “Even I can see the way you two look at each other.”
“Houston doesn’t know,” Kit guesses.
“Not yet.”
And that’s as far as the conversation goes because Jordan and Houston are returning, Tamlin Park right behind them. I have a feeling it’s going to be a long night.
Chapter Forty
Jordan
I’m a flirt. I’m notashamed of that fact, and I will probably never change. (The only difference being I will only flirt with Brooklyn from here on out.) But as I sit next to Brooklyn during the most intense trivia game I’ve ever seen, I have to wonder if I’ve been doing it all wrong.
Houston and Tamlin haven’t looked away from each other the entire night. I brought her into the game because I thought it would be entertaining to watch Houston squirm, but this isn’t squirming. This is the most sexual tension I’ve ever seen, and I can barely concentrate on the trivia game as I watch the two of them go head-to-head.
It’s a miracle they haven’t started going mouth-to-mouth.
“There’s almost no point in trying to answer any questions, is there?” Brooklyn whispers to me. She leans in close to say it, which means her breath brushes my neck and makes me shiver.
She’s the other reason I haven’t been able to concentrate on the questions tonight. We’re trying to play it cool, but we’re both incredibly bad at keeping our hands to ourselves. Take now, for example. Brooklyn doesn’t need to touch my arm to talk to me, but she does, her cool fingers wrapping around my forearm and leaving a scorch mark behind.
And I have to lean close to her to respond so Tamlin, who’s sitting next to me, doesn’t hear me, which means my shoulder brushes Brooklyn’s. “No one would guess he was pining over his neighbor two hours ago,” I mutter.
“It’s not Victoria Falls,” Houston says sharply, eyes narrowed at Tamlin.
She folds her arms, gaze just as fiery. “You’re saying I’m lying?”
“I’m saying you’re wrong.”
“Do you want to win this game or not?”
Before Houston can respond, the quiz master reveals the answer as Victoria Falls, and we lose the point because Houston wouldn’t let Tamlin write it down.
“I know there’s a bet riding on this game,” I mutter to Brooklyn, “but I can’t decide if I want to win or lose at this point.”
“Tell me about it.” She suddenly grabs my hand, though she’s so focused on her brother that I’m not entirely sure she realizes she does it.
We’re pretty well hidden under the table, and Houston is far too occupied with the stunningly beautiful reporter that I doubt he remembers we’re even sitting here. That makes it easy to lace my fingers between Brooklyn’s and hold her a little tighter.
With Houston so caught up in his supposed hatred of Tamlin—it looks more like attraction from where I’m sitting—I don’t think we’ll be talking to him tonight. I’ll need to take every moment with Brooklyn that I can get.
Houston answers a question right, gaining us a point, but we’re still behind Micah’s team. None of the other teams in the bar are anywhere close to us in score, so it’s down to the two of us, but I have no idea who’s going to actually win. Houston and Tamlin seem determined to prove they’re the smarter person, but Kit has a winning look in his eyes. This could go either way.
Brooklyn leans in again, this time resting her head on my shoulder until she’s done speaking. “I don’t know about you, but I think they just need to kiss already.”
I snort a laugh that’s loud enough to draw Tamlin’s attention my way. Thankfully, the quiz master announces a ten minute break before the lightning round.
“I’m going to go to the ladies’ room,” Tamlin says, though her eyes linger on Brooklyn and me.
Houston breathes a sigh of relief as soon as she’s gone. “Finally.”
“You okay there, Texas?” I ask with a laugh, using the nickname his siblings gave him long before I met him.
He rolls his eyes and steps over to talk to Kit, who looks like he’s having the time of his life tonight.
“Enjoying yourself?” Kit asks him brightly.
“Not as much as I want to be,” I murmur to Brooklyn so only she can hear me. Houston seems pretty focused on his conversation, so I pull her hand into my lap and start massaging her palm. “What about you?
