by Meg Ripley
It would be great to be near family again. The two years it’d taken to complete my coursework had flown by, but felt long at the same time. What made it worse was that my niece was born just a month after I’d left. I’d never been able to spend a lot of time with Allison, and was looking forward to getting to know her while making up for lost time with the rest of my family. Alli’s angelic little face popped into my mind and I smiled.
Someone knocked on my door and I was unsure of who it might be. But when I opened it, a man stood there—a rather good-looking man. He wore a sport jacket, hanging open to show off his button-down shirt. He looked like he had money and dressed accordingly. His short, dark hair was so glossy and sharp that it looked untouchable. He was stylish, no doubt. But I had no idea who he was or why he was there.
“Can I help you?” I asked.
He looked confused. “Room 521?”
“Yes?”
“Are you a Harvard student?”
My confusion mounted. “Yes…”
“Here on a dig at Big Bend National Park?”
“Yes…”
“And there are still only two students coming this semester?” he asked.
“As far as I know.”
“Then it seems that there’s been a mistake. I’m your partner.”
How could that be? We were supposed to have partners of the same sex, not co-ed. I would be spending a lot of time with my partner and we’d be working together closely. Neither I nor the department head wanted any distractions in the way of romance.
“We’d better check our paperwork,” I said.
He held up his hand with his papers in it.
“Come in.” I stepped back to let him in and then went to find my own papers. According to my information, my partner was to be in room 520, across the hall.
“Are you in room 520?” I asked him as I pointed to the room number on the sheet.
“I am. But I think I’ve found the problem.” With his index finger, he traced a circle around his name. “I’m Julian Kensington, the fourth.” He held his hand out proudly and I shook it. “Not Julia.”
“Julia-n. Oh. Seems there was some sort of mistake.”
“One little letter makes a world difference.”
“You’d think they would have given more information than just a name.” I’d have to make some phone calls to get this straightened out.
“It’s no big deal, really.” He grinned and stuck his hands in his pockets. “Besides, I sure wouldn’t mind looking at you for the next few months.”
My mouth went dry and I swallowed hard. “Thanks…I…really am here to focus on my schoolwork, though. I have a thesis to write.”
“Don’t we all? We can work together, you know? Help each other out.”
I didn’t need help from a fellow student, but it would be too rude to say that. “I’m sure as we work together, we’ll help each other plenty.”
“I look forward to it. You have a good night.”
“You, too.”
I felt relieved when I closed the door and locked the chain. What a nightmare it could have been if he’d turned out to be one of those people who just hung around all the time and didn’t get the hint when you wanted to be left alone. Maybe it’ll all work out. Hmm…he is quite good-looking…
No, that would never work. I picked up my phone and called my program advisor.
“We have a bit of a situation,” I explained to her. I told her about Julian’s name being incorrect on the paperwork.
“I do see that,” she confirmed. “What a mix up.”
I chuckled. “I’ll say. I knew we could get this straightened out.”
“Well…” I could hear her keys clicking through the phone. “I do have someone in line for the program who is definitely female.”
“Perfect.”
“However,” she continued, “she is in classes this semester, finishing her coursework.”
My stomach dropped. “There’s no one else?”
“Everyone has been assigned already, I’m afraid. And anyone who hasn’t would be enrolled in classes. I’m terribly sorry about this. We’ll understand if you’d like to wait a semester to be partnered with a female.”
Wait a semester? And do what, just hang out for months, waiting for a new partner, waiting to start my life? “No, I can’t do that. I’ll just deal with it and hope this doesn’t cause...problems.”
“Well, if it does, be sure to call me. There’s no room for unacceptable behavior, just because you’re not on campus. Both of you must represent Harvard well.”
“I want nothing more. Thank you.”
I hung up, but my stomach hadn’t settled. I didn’t like the idea of working closely with a man. And the fact that he was attractive and had already flirted with me made it even worse. I’d have to keep my focus and not let him or anything else get in my way.
If you enjoyed this preview of Sawyer’s Mate, you can check out the remainder of the story HERE. Available with Kindle Unlimited.
Also Available In The Shifter Nation Series
Shifter Nation: East Coast Bears Collection
Dangerous shifter secrets.
Heart-stopping suspense.
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Shifter Nation: East Coast Bears Collection packs Meg Ripley’s bestselling Werebears of Acadia and Werebears of the Everglades series into one riveting anthology.
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Werebears Of Glacier Bay
Alaska can be harsh and unpredictable—especially when it comes to finding a mate. But even in this most remote place, these bears are searching for a love that will warm their frigid hearts.
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Preview Of Dragon’s Royal Guard
Shifters Between Worlds
1
Kaylee Turner shifted uncomfortably in her narrow seat. Usually, she saw these international flights as the perfect time for reading and research. While other passengers complained of boredom, air sickness and cramped conditions, Kaylee was content to lose herself in a good book or an essay from her field of study.
But that wasn’t the case today.
Turning and pressing her forehead against the cool glass of the window, Kaylee studied the land formations below. She’d found that every country—and every state, even—looked a little different. She’d been on so many flights, she’d started to recognize them from the air, even before the captain would announce where they were in a thick accent over the speaker. This time, she was heading into Zimbabwe, which meant she wouldn’t get to see much of it from the air. The airport was on the western edge of the country, and the site she’d be visiting was much further east.
Even so, she scanned the hot, dry earth below her. Deep inside, Kaylee sensed she was looking for something. She’d always felt that way, and she would continue her pursuit when she landed and traveled across the country in a vehicle. Her search had been constant for most of her life, though she never quite knew what she was looking for.
That was what had inspired her career—that and her love for books and languages, which her father helped foster ever since she was a baby. Kaylee was always reading, and not always in her first language. She had a gift for words, one that she couldn’t explain any more than her yearning for finding that missing something. She took in everything below her, longing to feel some sort of connection to it. She’d been born on this planet. She’d been a part of it for her entire life, yet she never felt that way. The disconnection left her with an unsettled feeling in the pit of her stomach.
“I trust you had good travels?” Dr. Morrick clasped her hand in both of his, his fingers warm and worn as he greeted her near the entrance of the Great Zimbabwe. Releasing her, he pushed his dark glasses up on his nose and ran a hand over his slick, gray hair. His pale, ski
nny legs stuck out of his baggy khaki shorts, and his matching safari shirt was soaked with sweat.
“It gave me the chance to get a lot of work done,” she admitted with a smile. Kaylee had always liked Dr. Morrick. He’d been one of her first archeology professors, and his enthusiasm had helped her find her own passion.
He tipped his head to the side and frowned a little. “Are you all right? You’re not unwell, are you? I’ve heard the airplane food is quite terrible these days.”
“No, I’m fine. I’m just a little tired.” Kaylee scrunched her toes inside her boots, wishing she could take them off and rest her bare feet against the hot soil beneath her. The sun baked them where they stood, and it was clearly making Dr. Morrick uncomfortable. Beads of sweat rolled down the sides of his rounded cheeks, no matter how quickly he swiped them away with a handkerchief. To Kaylee, it was a glorious heat that sank through her skin and down to her bones, something she would carry with her once she got back on a plane in a few days. She would miss it when she returned to the chilly weather back home.
Dr. Morrick smiled. “That can be fixed. I’ve set you up in one of the nicest hotels in the area. No sleeping out on the ground for the best translator in the world!”
Kaylee flushed as she followed him down a dirt pathway. It had been carved by thousands of feet, traveling amongst the crumbling stone walls that had once housed numerous people. While some parts of the ruins were remarkably preserved due to the masterful masons who had once built them, there were others that had been reduced to nothing but piles of perfectly shaped granite bricks. “You don’t have to say that just because I’m right here.”
“I don’t have to say anything; that’s true. But I don’t think either one of us can deny that you’re at the forefront of our industry. People talk about you, my dear.”
“I’m not sure it’s always in a good way.” The curving walls of the Great Enclosure rose up in front of them, and Kaylee felt an immediate appreciation for the site. It spoke of ancient people, lost religions and stories that spanned centuries. Archeologists would never truly know everything about the Great Zimbabwe, a monument so stunning that an entire country was named after it, but it was still a lot of fun to guess.
Dr. Morrick reverently touched the stone walls that framed a doorway. “Don’t take any of that to heart. They’re just intimidated by you. Some of them have studied for decades and yet they can’t decode the way you can. They don’t think that a young woman such as yourself should be able to hold so much genius in her brain. Sexist, I know, but old ways die hard.”
“Or they die without a single explanation of why.” Kaylee had read everything she could get her hands on about this ancient site as soon as she’d received the request from Dr. Morrick to come out there. She’d been excited both to work with her mentor and to see a new place, but as soon as she’d begun packing her bag, she started to realize the reality of it. She could handle the rigors of airport security, even when it involved flying to a different country. She could handle living out of a small suitcase for a week. She could even handle the inevitable change in diet.
But she knew the worst of it was yet to come.
If you enjoyed this preview of Dragon’s Royal Guard, check out the remainder of the story HERE. Available with Kindle Unlimited.
Also Available From Meg Ripley
Daddy Dragon Guardians: The Complete Series Box Set
When a devastating war threatens their planet’s existence, four heroic dragon shifters flee Charok with their slain queen’s eggs to ensure the survival of their race. But will they manage to find their mates in this strange new place called Earth?
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Beverly Hills Dragons: The Complete Collection
In the decade of excess, four of Hollywood’s most elite dragons have everything their hearts could desire–except their mates.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Meg Ripley is an author of sizzling shifter romances. A Seattle native, Meg can often be found curled up in a local coffee house with her laptop.
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