Page 31 of Luck Be a Genie

Nick waggled his eyebrows at me, like he thought I was being sexy or something, and I had to fight a laugh.

“Lucky, are you sure you really want to date Nick?” Callum asked nonchalantly as he studied his hand, trying to decide if he was going to call or not. “I’m available, if you’re looking for someone more... well, just more.”

Kian snorted. “If you’d stop dating the wrong kind of women, you’d be married already.”

Dante called, sliding his M & M’s into the center pot. “All of us are single,” he said, his eyes flicking to me over his cards, and then away. “Just so you know.”

Nick looked like he was really regretting letting his brothers come over. “Where’s the brotherly loyalty? Why do you all feel the need to hit on my girl?”

I was trying my best to ignore them. Mostly, because they were all being ridiculous.

Final bets were finished, and we all revealed our hands.

I took a quick peek around: two straights, a flush, a three of a kind, and a pair.

“I won?”

“I won!” I squealed.

Dante, who was sitting directly across from me, shook his head. “Lucky, poker is serious business. We don’t squeal when we win.” And then he shoved all my candy at me with a playful wink. “Here’s your winnings.”

Nick socked Dante on the arm while all the other brothers busted up laughing. “Serious business,” Callum echoed, shaking his head. “Do you all remember the last time we played and Kian won?”

Declan nodded, popping a chip in his mouth. “He stood up, did a touchdown dance, and accidentally knocked over the table. I’m still finding poker chips everywhere.”

“He wasn’t even trying to win,” Callum grumbled.

Kian waggled his eyebrows. “When you got it, you got it. What can I say?”

“You don’t got it!” all the brothers yelled at once, making me laugh.

As Dante dealt the next hand, the brothers just mostly chatted, trying to include me as much as possible, which I thought was sweet. It was clear they were all close, despite their different temperaments and personalities.

“How many years separate you guys?” I asked curiously, munching on some sriracha peanuts. I didn’t normally love spicy things, but these things were addicting.

“I’m the eldest by ten years,” Callum said, discarding a card.

Nick, choosing not to get rid of any cards, laughed. “Yeah, we always say that mom and dad were so exhausted from trying to raise him that they needed a break. The rest of us are only a year or two apart.”

“Or,” Callum said with a smirk, “by having me, they’d reached the pinnacle of perfection and knew that every child that came after would be far less superior.”

Kian scoffed. “Yes, because that’s what parents think when they’ve had a child. This child is the pinnacle of perfection. We don’t need any other children.”

Callum shrugged. “Just telling it like I see it.”

“You need therapy,” Kian said, flicking a peanut at him.

“Hey!” Nick protested. “Don’t mess up the room!”

I laughed, shaking my head and letting their chatter wash over me. After a few more rounds they started talking about relationships—or their lack thereof.

I still stayed mostly out of the conversation, just listening and enjoying their company, when it suddenly grew quiet. Alarmed, I looked up from my cards, only to find everyone looking at me.

“What? Did I miss a question?”

“You’re a girl,” Kian said.

My eyebrow winged upward. “Yes.” I wanted to pull a Hermione and say Well spotted! but I heroically refrained. “I’m a girl. Why?”