Page 18 of Uncharted

Jake waited for a few hands to pass, and Aidan got up to get the next round while Mika talked to Colin before leaning over. “They’re pretty obvious, huh?”

“Glad I’m not the only one to notice,” I said with a snicker.

“Are you kidding? If I can see it, everyone can,” he chuckled.

“Don’t be an ass, you’re not stupid,” I told him, shoving a finger into his ribs before flipping over his hand from the last round that he’d folded on. “Sheesh, surprised you didn’t bail sooner.”

“It was more fun to drive the betting up and then bail at the last second, leaving those two with their dicks in their hands,” he said, referring to Carter and Aidan who’d been the only two left standing before Carter had folded and Aidan, grinning with his two pair, had taken the pot leaving Carter irritated. “It drives Carter nuts when he loses a big pile like that.”

“Didn’t hurt that we got to see how Aidan does under pressure,” I said, and when he grinned, I shook my head. “See? You don’t give yourself enough credit sometimes, seriously. That’s some clever shit.”

“I have my moments,” Jake said, glancing at Colin. “It’s him I’m still tryin’ to figure out.”

I snorted. “Good luck with that. I don’t think anyone’s going to crack him anytime soon.”

“I mean, Xander’s been cracking him,” Jake said, and I bowed my head so I wouldn’t be tempted to look at Colin. If I did, then any attempt not to laugh my ass off was doomed.

“Stop,” I hissed, bumping him as I choked back the laugh that would have given us away.

“Nah,” he said, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and jostling me as he chuckled.

“That should look almost cute,” I heard Aidan say, and I looked up to see him standing there with the next round on a tray. “Except the two of you look more suspicious than adorable.”

“I’m adorable,” I told him brightly. “Don’t you think so?”

Aidan’s eyes widened, and I smirked when he glanced at Mika out of everyone at the table. My brother ignored him but shot me a look that told me he knew what I was doing.

“And you told me to stop,” Jake said with a laugh as Aidan narrowed his eyes and set the drinks down. Apparently, Jake had figured it out too, because hey, if Aidan thought I was adorable, then he would feel the same way about Mika. Personality differences aside, we literally looked the same so were bound to be the same level of attractiveness to Aidan…physically, anyway.

God, that probably had to be weird for him now I was thinking about it…something to give him shit for later, actually.

“Okay, so if I get on Aidan or Mika’s nerves? So what?” I said with a snort as I took the shot I’d ordered. “I’ve been getting on Mika’s nerves since the day we were born.”

“It’s true,” Mika said with a snort, having overheard me and flashed a grateful smile at Aidan as he gave him his drink. “One of the few things our mother could remember from when we were infants was that I sometimes yelled at Reno. She never could figure out what he was doing to piss me off, but there I’d be, red in the face, and flailing at him, madder than hell.”

“Temper, temper,” Colin warned as he took the drink, winking at Aidan.

Carter looked at Aidan, his eyes sliding over to Mika with a knowing look. “So, uh…we gonna talk about⁠—”

“We can talk about Mav,” Colin said lightly.

Carter blinked. “W-what? Why?”

“I’m sure if you wrack that pretty little head of yours, you’ll be able to figure it out,” Colin said, and I noticed Aidan shot him a grateful look but I pretended not to notice because I could feel Mika’s eyes burrowing into my skull.

“Look what you started,” Jake said in a low voice.

“I mean…wasn’t trying to,” I said as Aidan took his seat.

“But you did,” he said, his knee bumping mine, and he held up his shot glass. “I’ll drink to that.”

We took the shot, and I glanced over after it dropped into my gut like a Molotov and saw that Carter was nursing his beer. The original plan had been for Jake to be the designated driver and Carter the backup, but Carter was already taking on the role. That made sense, considering Jake seemed to have forgotten.

Jake leaned over and snorted. “What?”

“Oh, just watching Carter take on your job,” I said with a smirk, eyeing the mixed drink in his hand. “Mr. DD.”

“Nah, he said something earlier when we were getting set up. He was down to be the sober one tonight. Something about not going back to his and Mav’s cabin reeking of a brewery,” he said with a shrug.