Page 29 of Billionaire's Bookworm

“Hey, you can’t prove he didn’t,” Wade said, completely deadpan.

Sandy, from her table with the library volunteers, snorted into her coffee. “I’d read that version.”

“Me too!” called out Old Joe from his corner spot. “Bet it’s better than that vampire romance my granddaughter keeps trying to get me to read.”

Meg groaned, burying her face in her hands. “You two are hopeless.”

“You married that one,” I reminded her.

“Not yet,” she said, shooting me a look. “There’s still time to back out.”

“Excuse me,” Ryker said, feigning indignation. “I’m an excellent trivia partner. Right, Wade?”

Wade leaned back in his chair, giving him a sideways look. “You just asked me if F. Scott Fitzgerald wroteTo Kill a Mockingbird.”

Ryker shrugged. “Close enough.”

I sighed, pressing my fingers to my temples. “Remind me why I let you people in here?”

“Because you secretly love us,” Meg said sweetly.

“Nope. That’s not it.”

“Because you can’t resist Wade’s charm,” Ryker added, waggling his eyebrows.

I glared at them, but Wade was grinning at me like he already knew he was winning. And the worst part? I wasn’t entirely sure he was wrong.

* * *

After the second round,I called for a short break to let people grab drinks and snacks. I busied myself by refilling the cookie platter and very deliberately not looking at Wade, who was headed straight for me.

“Can I help you?” I asked as he leaned against the counter, far too close for comfort.

“Just wanted to compliment the event,” he said, his tone actually sincere. “You’ve got a good thing going here.”

I blinked, caught off guard. “Uh... thanks.”

He smiled, glancing around the room. “You know, this reminds me of my grandmother. She used to host these big family game nights when I was a kid. Always made me read something before I could join in—said books were the best way to understand people.”

I stared at him, my heart doing something weird and fluttery in my chest. “She sounds like she was pretty amazing.”

“She was.” He looked down at the counter, his smile softening. “She’s the reason I started reading. Even after she passed, I kept going back to the books she gave me. They... helped, you know? When things felt too big.”

“Yeah,” I said quietly, surprised by the depth in his voice. “I do know.”

For a moment, neither of us said anything. The chatter and laughter of the crowd faded into the background, and I couldn’t look away from him.

Then someone called my name, breaking the spell.

“I should get back to the game,” I said quickly, grabbing the trivia note cards.

“Emma,” Wade said, his voice low.

I froze, but he didn’t say anything else. He just gave me a small, almost hesitant smile, and for some reason, that smile felt more dangerous than any of his cocky grins.

* * *

By the timetrivia night ended, my nerves were completely frayed. Wade’s team didn’t win, but he didn’t seem to care. He stuck around after the others left, helping me put the chairs back in their usual spots and sweeping up stray cookie crumbs while Porky snoozed under the counter.

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