Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 84670 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 423(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 282(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84670 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 423(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 282(@300wpm)
Sebastian and Byron would have been there, but they were out of town for the weekend, visiting Byron’s brother. Declan had canceled at the last minute because Joy had come down with some nasty virus. Considering how bad the last one was, I was glad he hadn’t come. He’d be a germ carrier, and I didn’t want to be the virus’s next victim.
“Rome, I’ve had a fun night, but if you’re not up for doing something after this, I understand. That guy seemed like an asshole.”
A hint of a smile lifted one corner of my mouth. Okay, maybe I’d misjudged Allie a bit. “Thanks. Maybe we could have a rain check on the second half of our night. Try something with more excitement.”
Her hand tightened on my arm, giving it a squeeze. “That would be nice.”
Anything to help me forget about Liam fucking Rose.
2
LIAM ROSE
My hands were shaking as I carried the rum and Coke I’d barely remembered to pick up along the corridors of the museum and through an employee door. At last. Away from the guests who were wandering the building following the concert.
Rome.
Rome Ashbridge.
Here. In Cincinnati.
That should have been impossible.
How was he here? He shouldn’t have been here. The asshole should have been living far from here, like New York or LA. Possibly even London or Tokyo. I thought his family was still in Rhode Island. Why wasn’t he there? Why did he have to be here?
I paused in my flight to chug half of my drink. The rum socked me in the jaw, burned my throat, and heated my chest. The bartender must have felt bad for me because that was far more rum than Coke.
With a groan, I continued to the lab, where I spent most of my time, and punched in the security code. The light on the pad changed from red to green, and a mechanical click announced that the door was unlocked. I jerked it open and stomped inside to find Emily perched on a tall stool, her back bowed as she leaned forward with a brush and removed some dirt from the fossil that she was attempting to free from the stone. She glanced over her shoulder at me for a second and then returned to her work.
“You know, I think this is going to be an excellently preserved brachiopod once we get her free,” she stated. The words were barely out of her mouth when she sat up straight and lifted her gaze to the digital clock on the wall with its red numbers glaring at us. “Wait a minute.” She placed her brush on a tray and twisted on her stool. “What are you doing here? It’s not my turn to socialize yet. You still have another twenty minutes up there.”
“There’s no way in hell I’m going up there again,” I moaned and swallowed the last of my drink. With a shudder, I slammed the glass on a table with a heavy thunk. The alcohol rushed to my head, but in my defense, I had eaten little today because I’d been anxious about mingling with all those people at the party. Plus, I wasn’t much of a drinker.
Regardless, I still knew what the fuck had happened, and there was no way I was returning to the party, where I’d have to face Rome.
“What happened? Some scary old lady with more money than sense make a pass at you? Pinch your ass?” As she spoke, she lifted both hands and made pinching motions with her index fingers and thumbs while scrunching up her face.
That was a frightening image, but my reality was far worse.
“No, I ran into someone I know.”
Emily lowered her hands, and her brow furrowed. “Really? Someone you’ve met recently?”
“No. Someone from my childhood.”
“Wow! That’s crazy…and apparently a bad thing.” Her enthusiasm faded at the end as she read my face.
Emily Luo was the one and only friend I’d made since moving to Cincinnati six months ago to work at the Museum of Natural History and Science. She’d taken one look at me and decided to adopt me although I was six years older than her. Emily was a Cincinnati native and knew all the ins and outs of the area, which meant she was determined to make sure I loved living here as much as she did. Following my first encounter with the area’s unique Cincinnati-style chili, I was skeptical.
“It was Rome. Rome Ashbridge.”
Her full lips dipped into a deep frown. “The name sounds vaguely familiar, but I don’t think I know him.”
“You’re an introvert. You know every fossil in this building on a first-name basis. People aren’t your thing. But they’re not my thing either,” I muttered.
What kind of fucking luck was this?
When I thought my knees might give out, I pushed off the door that had been supporting me and shuffled over to a rolling stool. Emily returned to her stool and put her feet up on one of the support bars between the legs. She rested her elbows on her knees and put her chin on her hands, giving every sign that she was prepared for a long, detailed story.