Page 67 of The Lineman

Matty collapsed onto Omar like a wilted flower. “I can’t take this.”

Omar stared at me. “I am both terrified and aroused.”

Sisi leaned over to Elliot. “Again I ask, where did you find him, and does he have a brother?”

Elliot grinned, his eyes locked on me, expression so goddamn pleased I felt it in my spine.

He leaned in, voice low and growly, just for me, “You’resogetting laid for this.”

I choked on my drink.

Matty frowned. “Hey! No secret whispers! What did he say?”

I cleared my throat, fighting my grin. “Uh. Nothing.”

Sisi’s eyes narrowed. “It was definitely something.”

Elliot just took a sip of his beer, eyes twinkling with mischief.

And suddenly, I had never wanted to win a trivia game so bad in my entire goddamn life.

Chapter twenty-one

Elliot

Mikewasonatrivia-fueled power trip, and I had no one to blame but myself.

He was still buzzing with smug energy in the passenger seat, his head tilted back against the headrest, arms crossed like a man who had single-handedly conquered the world.

“Trivia Champion of the Universe,” he declared, for the fifth time. “That is how you must refer to me . . . from this day forth . . . so I declare.”

I sighed, eyes on the road. “It was one game.”

“It was aflawlessgame,” he corrected. “I was unstoppable.”

“You’re unbearable.”

“You love it.”

I glanced at him. He was grinning so wide his dimple was showing. His eyes were bright, if a bit scrambled from the four shots Matty poured into him near the end of the night. Still, nothing appeared to stop him from riding the high of his complete annihilation of everyone in the bar. It was a good thing we were on the same team as Matty, Omar, and Sisi, because that trio of demons would’ve torn him a new one had he beaten them like that.

And yeah. I did love it.

I just wasn’t about to admit that. He’d had more than enough victories for one night.

So instead, I sighed again and muttered, “I regret everything.”

Mike laughed, unabashedly delighted with himself. After a long moment, he released a very loud sigh and said, “Elliot, your friends love me.”

I smirked, tapping my finger on the steering wheel, eager to hear where this was headed. “Yeah?”

“Oh, yeah.” He turned his head, squinting at me with slightly unfocused eyes. “I killed tonight. Destroyed. They’re probably renaming the bar after me as we speak.”

I snorted. “Jockstraps is gonna be called Mike’s Big Brain Bar now?”

“Damn straight.” He sat up straight, pointing a wobbly finger at me. “Matty? Obsessed with me. Omar? Respects me. Sisi?” He clutched his chest, mock-swooning. “She loves me like the long-lost gay brother she never had.”

I choked on a laugh. “I think she mostly loves watching you terrorize Omar.”

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