Page 120 of Naughty November
“You are not. Now go kick some ass. Together.”
The final round went much better, and I enjoyed it more too. My teammates did know many questions but needed more time to respond. A bell rang to signify the end of the trivia contest, and they were smiling again. When our team was announced the winner, we hugged and squealed.
“The Brainy Bunch wins another trivia night,” the host said. “They’ve won movie passes for the month, unlimited coffee from the Roast & Toast, and a gourmet snack basket. Don’t forget we have trivia once per month, and we’re looking for a team that can finally dethrone the Brainy Bunch!”
“No one can beat you,” Wade said.
“No one can beatus.” I smiled, clutching my gift bag with all the goodies we won. Although trivia night was for fun rather than the prizes, it was still nice not to walk away empty handed.
“Need some help?” Kieran approached.
“Thanks.” I handed him the basket, which he took as if it weighed nothing.
Wade poked me in the ribs. “Aren’t you going to introduce us?”
Oh, right. He hadn’t met Kieran yet, though Jenna had.
“Kee, this is my friend, Wade. You already know Jenna. Kieran’s my stepbrother and roommate.”
“We’ve all heard about the amazing Kieran.” Wade openly stared at Kieran’s muscled arms, so unlike my puny ones. “But Iggy never mentioned how hot you were.”
Kieran chuckled. “Looks are subjective. Maybe he doesn’t think of me that way.”
“Well, that’d be weird, duh.” Wade slapped his forehead.
“What’s so weird about it?” Kieran asked.
“Well, your parents are married, aren’t they? Haven’t you been stepbrothers for years?”
“Technically, but we only reconnected two years ago.”
“But still, that would be awkward for Christmas.”
“Wade!” Jenna pinched him. “Don’t you still want to get pizza?”
“Yeah, of course.” He finally glanced away from Kieran, but as soon as I let out a sigh of relief, his attention was back. “Do you want to come with us, Kieran?”
Not on my watch!
“We have other plans,” I said.
“We do?” Kieran asked.
“Yes, don’t you remember? We were going through the accounts tonight.”
He furrowed his brows, but then gave me a knowing smile. He didn’t understand what I was doing, did he?
“Ah, silly me for forgetting. Sorry, Wade. Maybe some other time?”
My stomach sank. Why was he leaving an open invitation for Wade? Was he interested in my teammate? Wade was good looking in a nerdy way—red curly hair, freckles, and a slim build. He was the sort of guy Kieran had been interested in during his filming days.
“We should go.” I grabbed Kieran’s arm. “I’ll call you guys to make plans for practice.”
“I’ll get your number from Iggy!” Wade shouted.
Like hell he would.
I didn’t release Kieran’s arm until we were in the parking lot. “What are you grinning at?” I huffed a breath. God, I could slap the grin from his stupidly handsome face.