Anna nodded quickly.“Absolutely.” Her hands toyed with the edges of Brooke's jacket. When Anna’s fingers finally reached Brooke’s lapels, she pulled her in for a kiss.
Brooke melted into the kiss. Her hands slid to Anna’s lower back, pulling Anna in tighter to her. All of the tension from the bathroom seeped into their kiss. It took every ounce of willpower to not let her hands roam any farther south. Anna’s hands tugged tighter, and Brooke wondered if Anna was fighting the same internal battle.
“Sorry,” Anna whispered when they broke apart.
Brooke just shook her head.“Don’t apologize for that.”
A breath of a laugh fell from Anna’s lips. She stepped back and let fresh air flow between them.“I have your tie and pocket square.” She lit up again with pure joy.
A smile twitched at the corners of Brooke's mouth.“You do.”
Anna unzipped a pocket of her suitcase and produced an untied bowtie and a matching pocket square. They were primarily black, but there was an identical blue-purple sheen that matched the color and texture of Anna’s dress. It had to be custom made. There was no other way around it.“What do you think?” Anna asked, watching Brooke as she studied them.
“I think they’re incredible. Did you have these made?” Brooke was touched.
Anna shrugged, playfully.“Maybe. Do I still get to watch you tie the bow tie?”
Brooke let out a laugh.“Of course, Darling. May I ask why you want to watch so badly?”
“I’ve never seen one tied before. I’ve only ever seen the clip on kind.” If somehow the energy that exuded from Anna could be bottled, the fossil fuel crisis would be solved.
“Ah, that makes sense.” Brooke quickly folded her pocket square in a classic square fold and tucked it into her breast pocket.“Well then, Darling, follow me.” Brooke led Anna back into the bathroom.“Step one, make sure the tie is set to the proper neck circumference. You do that here, on the inside.” Brooke showed her what she was talking about.“Then you just…” Brooke slowly tied her bowtie.“You cross here and then loop this under. And then you just accordion this into shape, just like that. And then you just slide this through the loop that gets left in the back. Then it’s all in the adjustments.” Brooke tugged and adjusted for a few minutes until her tie was neat and symmetrical.“I actually think it’s easier to tie a bowtie than a modern necktie.”
“Ah yes, the full Windsor does seem complicated,” Anna teased, her eyes lingering on Brooke’s bowtie.
“You’re mocking me,” Brooke flirted back, stepping intentionally into Anna’s space.
Anna’s eyes flashed up, filled with faux innocence. Her eyelashes fluttered against the top of her cheeks.“Who? Me?”
Their lips crashed together in an instant, the pull between them too great to fight. Brooke’s hand immediately searched for the slit that cut up to Anna’s thigh. Anna gasped into her mouth as Brooke's palm slid under the gap in her dress. They both jumped apart when Brooke's phone buzzed, pressed between them both.
“That’ll be Clarence, the driver,” Brooke whispered. She dug her phone out of the interior pocket of her tux and nodded. She answered the phone and lifted it to her ear. Anna was still fully pressed into her front.“Brooke Kent.”
“Ms. Kent, this is Clarence. I’m here to take you and Ms. Fourchette to the Kent wedding.”
“Right, brilliant. Thank you, Clarence. We’ll be right down.” Brooke hung up the phone. She swallowed nervously. They had probably traumatized poor Clarence the night before.
“Will you hold my phone for me tonight?” Anna asked.
Brooke's eyes looked down between them in horror. There was no way Anna’s phone had fit in the top of her current dress. Right?
Anna threw her head back in a laugh.“It’s on my bedside table. I just want to make sure I take some photos tonight. We look hot. Everyone back home needs to see how good we look.”
Brooke nodded.“Right. Yeah, of course. I’m happy to. Anything to help make you more comfortable.”
Anna bit her bottom lip, but instead of saying anything leaned in and pressed the softest of kisses to Brooke’s cheek.“Thanks, Honey-B.”
“Holy fuck, Brooke, that’s an actual castle.” The car had come to a stop almost a full minute ago, but Anna hadn’t moved. She had stayed completely frozen in her seat, her eyes fixed on Hever Castle.
“It’s the childhood home of Anne Boleyn,” Brooke said, offhandedly.
Anna’s eyes snapped to her.“You’re kidding.”
Brooke shook her head.“No, that’s a fun-fact about Hever Castle.” Brooke’s eyes softened.“It’s going to be fine. We’ll just follow the crowd, blend in. This stresses me far less than last night did.”
“Why’s that? I’m the exact opposite right now.”
“There’s a point, a purpose, all eyes will be on Nate and Mel at this event. We’ll just get to blend. And besides, you’ve already charmed probably fifty percent of the guests, so we get to coast tonight.” Brooke was surprisingly calm. Maybe it’s because she and Nate felt so solid and so sure. It also had to do with the fact that Anna had already called Mother a bitch and they likely wouldn’t have to interact with her parents at all as a result. Whatever it was, Brooke was thankful and grateful and knew that Anna was likely the entire reason she was as settled as she was.“You’re truly lovely, did you know that?” She asked before Anna could open the door.
