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She beams at me. “That’s cool to hear. Oh, by the way, this is my friend, Aroha.”
I shake hands with a pretty Maori girl. “I’m just making up the numbers,” Aroha states. “I’m terrible at trivia.”
Gaby leans close to me and whispers, “I was hoping she and Henry might hit if off if they spent some time together.”
I watch as James bumps shoulders with Aroha and apologizes, and the two of them hold each other’s gazes for a moment before looking away. Oh-ho, I don’t think it’s Henry she’s interested in.
I look at Gaby to see if she’s noticed, but she’s watching me, clearly curious.
“Don’t gawp,” Alex scolds her. “You’re not at the zoo.”
“I wasn’t gawping.” She grins at me. “I’m intrigued. Alex doesn’t date very often.”
“This isn’t a date,” he states. “I wouldn’t take a girl on a first date to a trivia night. Give me some credit.”
“So where are you going for your first date?” Gaby asks, eyes sparkling.
“None of your business.”
“Aw,” she says. “Come on, spill the beans. Want some tips? Here you go… When you kiss, try not to knock her teeth with yours.”
“We’ll bear that in mind, won’t we, Alex?” I say. “When we have our first kiss?” I wink at him.
“Ohhh…” Gaby says. “You’ve already kissed? When was this?”
“Jesus,” he replies, and everyone laughs. He takes my hand. “Come on. The quiz is going to start soon.”
He leads me over to a table marked Reserved. “Sorry about that,” he says. “I’m not sure this was such a good idea.”
“I’m having a great time,” I tease.
He stops by the table and fixes his gaze on mine. “You’re going to be trouble, aren’t you?”
“Only the best kind.”
His eyelids drop to half-mast. “I knew you’d be a brat the moment you told me off for having windows that were too clean.”
My pulse speeds up. “Something tells me you don’t mind too much.”
His gaze slides to my mouth, and he just murmurs, “Hmm.”
My heart gives a little flutter. His dark eyes are full of heat and the promise of a very special Christmas present. The only question is, when will I get to open it?
Chapter Nine
Alex
There are around twenty tables in the bar, all rectangular, some with stools and some, like ours, with one long bench on either side. The staff from Kia Kaha takes up six tables, split into departments, and there’s a prize for the department that comes top.
There’s only room for three people on each bench, but as I sit and move across it to the partition on the other side and Missie takes off her jacket and joins me, Juliette slots in and bumps Missie with her hip to close the distance so Cam can sit next to her, forcing Missie right up against me.
“Sorry,” she says.
“No worries.” Turning a little in the seat, I lay my arm along the back, not quite around her, but it means she’s pressed up against me, and we’re touching all the way down to our hips and thighs.
Not going to complain about that.
Cassie slides in opposite me, then James, then Aroha, and Henry squeezes on the end, which isn’t easy because he’s huge. Gaby and Tyson take the two chairs at the end of the table, and the trivia team is ready.
