Page 52 of An Overdue Match
Heat climbed up Tai’s neck, and he cleared his throat before the feeling strangled him. Tai was flattered by Bella’s attentions, but his interest lay elsewhere. The sooner Bella—and Aiden, for that matter—realized that, the better.
He turned his head and stared straight into Evangeline’s eyes. “What do you think, Angel? Do you prefer a layered antihero who may be misunderstood and wrongly judged by the world around him or a more patent, cliched hero who’s not only boring but also may be too good to be true?”
Evangeline’s throat worked as she swallowed hard. She was an intelligent woman. She knew exactly what he was saying. “Oh, look at that. We’re out of time.” Her voice held a nervous, breathless quality as she shot to her feet. “Next month we’ll be discussingA Man Called Oveby Fredrik Backman. There are copies at the front desk that you can check out.” She turned and marched to the refreshment counter, her movements jerky as she began cleaning up. “I’ll see you next month,” she called over her shoulder.
Samantha was the first to gather her things and storm outof the room—in a hurry to get away from Ken and his mildly racist comments, no doubt. Hopefully the man ruminated on the discourse and the things Samantha had said about diversity and representation in fiction and how it weighed in the world they lived in. Tai didn’t think Ken even realized how his comments had sounded or that he’d acted as a microaggressor. Tai just hoped the man learned from the experience and did better in the future.
Carla took a little while longer to gather her belongings, hiding a yawn behind her hand as she exited the room, followed by Ken and his friend. That left the siblings. Bella and Aiden seemed to be in some sort of heated argument, though they kept their voices so low that Tai couldn’t hear what they were saying. Finally, Aiden shook his head and sighed, turning his chin so he could look at Tai. Tai met his gaze head-on. Aiden shook his head again, but this time a smile cracked his lips.
Aiden leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Settle an argument for us. You and the librarian.” He jutted his chin toward Evangeline. “Are you two together?”
When Tai didn’t immediately answer, Bella swatted her brother on the arm. “See?”
Aiden held Tai’s gaze a second longer. “All right, then. I’m going to throw my hat in the ring.”
Tai’s jaw clenched as he watched Aiden stand and saunter toward Evangeline. He wanted to bolt from his chair and block the other man’s path. Tell him to back off and keep away from her. He’d never had a possessive bone in his body before, but watching the golden boy approach his Angel had his instincts spiraling toward a primitive nature. Every knock of his heart against his ribs seemed to be sayingmine, mine, mine.
He gripped the edge of his chair to keep himself seated. He would not act the Neanderthal.
“She’s a lucky woman.”
Bella’s voice barely made its way through the thick haze clouding his mind. With great effort, he pulled his attention away from Aiden as he leaned against the counter, chatting Evangeline up.
“Excuse me?”
“I said, she’s a lucky woman. She may not realize it yet, but she is.”
Tai’s nostrils flared. “Because your brother is such a great guy, she should feel lucky he’d ask her out?”
Bella’s lips quirked. “She’s not going to go out with him.”
“How do you know?”
She rolled her eyes. “Because, you handsome idiot, she’s obviously already interested in someone else.”
Tai just stared at her.
“You!” She flung her arm in Evangeline’s direction. “She’s interested in you. Gosh, men are dumb.”
Tai couldn’t move.
“What are you doing still sitting there? Go interrupt them. Don’t let another guy hedge in on your woman.”
Tai didn’t need to be told twice.
23
It turned out that an interruption wasn’t necessary. Even before Tai got close enough to physically separate the two by making himself a third wheel, Evangeline had already shut Aiden down. The man didn’t look too dejected, however. He reached out and gently squeezed her arm, then turned to walk away.
He paused when he approached Tai. “No hard feelings, man. I had to try.”
Tai couldn’t blame him. Only an idiot wouldn’t make a move on a woman like Angel. She was everything a man could ever want. Unpredictable enough to keep him on his toes. Sweet and sassy at the same time. She had a way about her that enchanted him. Mysteries that he wanted to explore.
Aiden clapped him on the back. “Good luck.”
Evangeline glanced at Tai over her shoulder. “You still here?”
“As you can see.” He leaned against the laminate countertop and folded his arms over his chest. The sleeve of his black tee rose to the top of his bicep. He opened his mouth but then shut it when he noticed her go still. Her eyes trailed the length of his arm, her cheeks flushing.
