“Uh... I’ve been banned from talking to the general public on school grounds. But there’s a bar not far from here the kids go to sometimes, Murphy’s—”
“You have to leave or I’ll call security.” Lor wasn’t trying to be polite anymore, and in fact, he sounded scared. I whipped around to see what was going on because he never raised his voice.
The man with Lor growled and pointed in my direction. “He’ll talk to Irish scumbags but not anItaliano,” he bellowed, and I flinched hard enough that I rested my hand on my heart. I shoved up my reading glasses. “You’d think somestronzothat likes to stick his nose where it don’t belong and spread around a bunch of bullshit about what he hears would have more respect.”
“You see, the subject I teach occasionally offends people....”
“Oh, I could see why he’d avoid the likes of ye. Can’t stand a story where a wee Irishman gets one over on the Italians?” Rowen called across the room happily.
The doors in the center of the far wall opposite the stage burst open and one of the campus police officers came charging in. Mr. Novotny waved at me—he’d had to drag a reporter out of here one day so I could start my class—and the angry man spent some time yelling at him before eventually allowing himself to be led out.
“Murphy’s, then?” Rowen touched my arm, and I startled back toward him.
“Excuse me?”
A range of emotions flashed across his face, something close to anger, then back again to amused. “Ye said ye’d meet me there and we could talk. Did ye change yer mind?”
My brain ticked over what he’d said. “Did I?”
He tilted his head like he was confused, and I thought again about my routine—the gym. I had to run for an hour, maybe more, or I’d never sleep tonight. I had far too much energy to burn. But I’d apparently asked him to go somewhere, and I shouldn’t disappoint people.
“Yes, I have to go back to my office and collect some things to take home, but I can meet you in a half hour.”
The man’s smile, from ear to ear, was worth the trouble, and my heart hammered. “We plan to see ye there.” He turned and pointed up at the men who were still sitting and talking with one another. Laughter carried down to us. “That’s the closest thing I have to a brother, Cillian, and that’s Aspen and Fallon.”
Blinking, I knew I’d never remember those names between now and later, so I simply nodded at him. “And you’re Rowen.”
“Indeed.”
He stuck out his hand and this time I took it. His palm was warm as we shook, and I held on for too long, or at least, I thought it was probably too long. “Sorry,” I sighed out and removed my hand from his. His fingers tangled with mine for several heartbeats as he drew his hand back, and my dick twitched.
“Trust me, no worries, Professor Mifflin.” He patted the outside of my shoulder like we were friends, winked, and then went back up the stairs to his friends.
My stomach twisted. Had I asked him what he taught? I couldn’t remember. I thought maybe he’d said he didn’t teach. He didn’t seem like a student. My face exploded with heat, and I turned around to get my things, but Lor had already cleared everything away. He’d most likely already started toward my office.
Shrugging to myself, I left the lecture hall through the door that led out to the front of the building and continued into the warm September afternoon. I tilted my head back and smiled at the heat of the sinking sun, which had finally gotten into the tolerable range after an awful August. Stripping off my suit coat as I went, I looped it over my arm and headed across Manhattan Central University’s grounds, weaving through the sturdy old maple trees.
I loved our campus because it butted up against Central Park and I could easily take a jog there if I wanted to after a long day. Being near the trees seemed to mellow out the vibe of the university, but we were still near the city hustle and bustle. Snapping to attention, I realized I’d taken the wrong path and detoured across the lawn to the stout gray stone building that housed both the history library and my office. I had tenure, so I had a very large office, as far as those things went, which was good because I hated cramped spaces.
And I have something in there I need. But what is it?
I couldn’t remember the item I’d left behind, but I knew I’d wanted to take it home with me this evening. Humming to myself, I went in the main entrance and was distracted when I saw my favorite librarian through the inner glass doors on the other side of the hallway at the library’s front desk. Jenna was sweet and I adored her.
Hustling over into the library, I hadn’t even gotten hello out of my mouth when she held up a new book I’d been waiting for. Her apple cheeks were shiny with some sort of glittery blush, and the sparkle seemed to go with the glossy new cover.The Mob in Ireland: Early 1900s.
“It’s beautiful.” I nearly squealed as I skipped over to her. Reverently she handed the book to me, and I tossed my suit coat onto a cart near the counter so I could use both hands to cradle the book.
“You’ve been wantin’ that,” she said with a husky laugh and flipped her graying hair off her shoulder. She wore a black cardigan year-round due to the air-conditioning always blasting in this building, and she drew it closer around her body.
“The spine isn’t even cracked.” I almost swooned.
She nodded like the badass she was, pushed her glasses up her nose, and looked smug, as only my book dealer could. “I figured you’d want to be the first to open it.” She held up the stamp they put on the secret page in the books—she’d let me know it was always page thirty-seven sometime last year—and now I felt like I was in thebookmafia.
“Fantastic.” I took the black stamper with the university logo on it and flipped to the correct page. She watched me like a hawk as I put the mark on the book and nodded as I handed the stamper back. “How many days can I check it out?”
“You know it’s new. There are other people who want to read it.” She tilted her head forward and glared over the top of her glasses.
My fingers danced on the edges of the book. “I need it for three weeks.”
