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The pinch she gave him on the back of the neck broke whatever spell he’d fallen under. “That wasn’t nice.” He wanted to rub the spot, but in order to, he’d have to remove his hands from her waist, which was something he wasn’t ready to do yet.
“Then try listening to me.” Her voice came out as a low hiss. “I think Rose wants us to sit so she can bring the night to a close.”
Rose. The auction. Right, they were standing on the stage in front of a room full of people, including her mom and half of his female relatives. Not the time or place to analyze whatever just happened between them.
“Sorry,” he whispered before he turned and faced Rose, his right arm still securely around Brooklyn’s waist. “Please forgive me. I didn’t mean to interfere with your schedule. When I have such a beautiful woman near me, I sometimes get distracted.”
His comment earned him a smile from Rose, a chuckle from the crowd, and an elbow to the side from Brooklyn. The photographer snapped another picture and Derek thought he heard Brooklyn groan. Once the camera disappeared, he led them across the stage and down the stairs.
“I’m not sure, but I think I see some flames escaping from your mother’s head and I doubt Paris will ever be able to close her mouth again.”
“Please don’t say anything else about them or anything else about this whole night. Ever.”
“I won’t mention your family again, but we’ve got a few other things to talk about later. And I think you know what those things are.” He got them within a few feet of her table and then took a good look at her mother’s face. Perhaps sitting with Scarlet Novak wasn’t the wisest of moves right now. Glancing over his shoulder toward his own family, he met the stares coming from everyone sitting there too. “How does some fresh air sound?” While the ballroom took up most of the top floor of the hotel, a small garden terrace was set up off the main lobby.
“Great idea, but I need to arrange payment and my purse is at the table. Avoiding my mother isn’t possible for me.”
Once her mom got her claws into her, Brooklyn wouldn’t escape. “Stay here, I’ll grab it for you. You can settle the financial obligation, and then we can step outside. Maybe even stay out there until your family leaves.”
“Like that would stop my mom? If I don’t go over there, she’ll follow me out. It’s better if I get this confrontation over now. Besides, with so many people around, she may remain a tad more calm than she’d be at my place.”
Brooklyn had a point, although he needed to speak with her too. “Do you want me to walk over with you? Then we can escape here together.”
Brooklyn tugged her hand free before she answered him. “It’ll be better if you don’t. We can talk about getting the dates set up and over with this weekend. I know you want them done soon, but I think it can wait a day or two.”
If their upcoming dates and simple money were what he wanted to discuss, it could wait several days. That wasn’t the conversation they needed to have. “We’ve got more to talk about, Brooklyn.”
She’d already taken a few steps away from him, but she stopped. “Right, the money part. Call me tomorrow if you’re around and we can settle everything. I think I better deal with my mom now. The longer I make her wait, the worse it’ll be. If you’re busy tomorrow, call me on Sunday instead.”
Before he could agree, she walked away leaving him no other choice but to watch. When she reached her table, she received an earful from her mother. From where he stood, he couldn’t hear Scarlet’s comments, but considering her facial expression as well as Brooklyn’s, she didn’t have anything pleasant to say. Before she finished whatever tirade she’d started, Brooklyn touched her mom’s shoulder, said a few words, and then walked away, her purse in hand.
Intent on following her and getting her away from everyone else, he started after her.
“I never realized you were so devious.” His cousin Courtney’s voice reached his ears a moment before her hand landed on his arm.
Talk about bad timing. Unable to ignore his cousin, he watched Brooklyn exit the ballroom. “No clue what you’re talking about.”
“Then you’re the only one who doesn’t.”
He didn’t like the sound of that. He’d assumed there was a fifty-fifty chance his aunt and cousins would suspect what he’d done, but not anyone outside the family.
“Well, maybe not everyone here, just everyone in the family. I don’t know her well, but I’m surprised she went along with this. Deception doesn’t seem like her.”
“Who says it was my idea?” He kept a lookout for Brooklyn. Since her mom remained seated inside the ballroom, he assumed she would return to their table eventually.
“At least she kept Tasha away from you. I’m sure that’s what this was all about. Were you sweating blood up there when Brooklyn took so long to put in her final bid?” Thankfully Courtney kept her voice low. “I bet she did it on purpose. If you’d asked me to do something similar, I would’ve wanted to make you squirm a little first.”
He hadn’t considered that as a possible reason for her delay, but Courtney had a point.
“You realize you might have ruined things for her with Trevor?” Courtney sounded annoyed. “Or was that
all part of your grand plan too?”
Judging by his cousin’s comments, she’d been talking to his twin sister and heard Allison’s theory that he wanted to be with Brooklyn. He’d dismissed Allison’s idea and tried not to think about it. His body’s reaction on stage when they kissed had him wondering about it and a lot of other things. Things he needed to discuss with Brooklyn, not his cousin or anyone else.
“Can we let this go, Courtney, before someone overhears us?” For the moment, the lobby outside the main doors remained empty, but it wouldn’t stay that way. “And so you know, everything’s fine between her and Trevor. She told him everything and they’re still seeing each other.” At least for now.
Chapter 6
