New Release and Giveaway! THE PERFECT PLAY by Cookie O’Gorman (Southern U O’Brien Brothers #2)

Changing directions, I strode over to his table, tapped him on the shoulder and waited for him to look up.

“Oh hey,” he said as his light gray eyes settled on me. I wondered if he even remembered my name. We’d met on several occasions. His brother’s girlfriend was my best friend. But who knew with this guy? “Did you want something?”

“Yeah,” I said, crossing my arms. “You need to leave. Now.”

Chase blinked. “What?”

“The library is a place for learning, and you’re causing a ruckus.”

“Ruckus?” he repeated then shook his head. “I don’t understand.”

“I can’t be any clearer. You’re disturbing the peace. No one can concentrate.” I put some authority into my voice, then said, “I’m going to have to ask you again to leave.”

Chase tilted his head. “Is this a joke?” he asked. “Did Baylor put you up to this?”

I couldn’t control my eyeroll. “No, your dumb, panty-thieving twin didn’t put me up to anything.”

“Well, I was just reading.”

“Doesn’t matter,” I said. “You have to go.”

Chase leaned back, really looking at me now. “Do you work here or something?”

Refusing to let him see me fidget, I put a hand on my hip.

“No,” I said.

“Then technically,” he said, “you can’t make me leave. Can you?”

“But—”

“I’m on good terms with Blanche,” he said, giving a nod to the librarian, who sent him a smile and fluttery wave in return. “She’d never throw me out. This has been fun, but I should get back to my book.”

I stared him down, determined not to leave until I’d had my full say.

After a few seconds, Chase sighed then looked up again.

“Is there something else?” he asked.

“Yeah, there is,” I said, pointing a finger at him. “First, would it kill you to be more pleasant? I thought you were supposed to be the nice brother.”

Chase shut his book carefully and gave me his full attention. “Like you were being so nice a second ago?”

I sniffed. “My behavior isn’t in question. You’re the one making it difficult for everyone else to study.”

“How am I doing that?”

“Ask the three girls sitting over there,” I said, giving a nod in Delia, Sandy, and Tamara’s direction. “They haven’t shut up since the moment you walked in. It would help if you’d stop throwing out all of these signals.”

“I was just reading my book!” Chase exclaimed.

I pointed at him again. “Yeah, in this super-hot way with your baseball cap pulled low and your forearms flexing every time you turn a page. I mean, seriously. How are the women in the room supposed to keep their minds on learning with all that going on?”