“No!” I said. “It’s mine. I just got it today.”
Dr. Jones’ jaw clenched tight, and he took a deep breath, his wide chest expanding. “I don’t have time for this. How much do you want for it?”
I glanced at my hand. The bracelet wasn’t my style and was cheaply made. Its gems weren’t set well and kept depressing slightly under finger pressure. I didn’t want it, but out of principleor spite, I said, “It’s not for sale.”
“I’ll give you a thousand dollars for it,” Dr. Jones said.
A cocky smile grew on my face as I met his intelligent eyes. “Five grand, and it’s yours.”
“Deal.”
For real? I was thunderstruck.
But why did he want it? And did I care that much to question him? Nope. This money was a drop in my debt ocean, and right now I was unemployed, living on William’s couch and cramping his lifestyle. Anything was welcome.
“Don’t do it,” William whispered to me. “It’s some pyramid scheme.”
“I don’t think you understand how a pyramid scheme works. And don’t you want me out of your condo?”
William peered over my shoulder. “You’ll need to Venmo it to her account.”
I twisted around and faced my brother. “You said you liked our bonding time.”
William made a puppy face. “We can still bond. Only at the end of the night, you can go back to your own place.”
My eyes widened with pretend hurt. “Let me remind you”—I poked his arm—“I came with a case of very expensive wine.”
“More like overpriced wine, and there’s now only one bottle of it left.”
Dr. Jones cleared his throat again. “Please provide me with your contact information to complete the transaction.”
“Who are you exactly?” I gave Dr. Jones a once-over, trying and failing to find anything incriminating about him. Instead, I found myself admiring his fine-cut features and downright intimidating confidence, which I found impossibly sexy in men.
“I’m an associate professor and academic director of Archaeology at the University of Cambridge.”
“That’s a lot of big words people shouldn’t say during happy hour.” William pushed my shoulder, sliding a cocktail napkin with my name, phone number, and Venmo username on it across the bar.
“William! Seriously?”
I exhaled an irritated breath, but my left hand went to the bracelet. I twisted it a few times but it was impossible to find the fastened clasp among the intricate engravings of serpentine vines, which now looked more like jagged lines than scrolls.
“How do I take it off?” I tugged on it, trying to pull my hand through the band.
“May I try?” Dr. Jones said, a smirk pulling at the corner of his lips.
I held out my arm to him.
His feather-light touch on my skin sent shivers down my spine and made me exceptionally aware of his closeness, the heat radiating off his body. He carefully rotated the bracelet, pausing a few times to examine it. While concentrating, he chewed his bottom lip, his eyebrows drawn together as his fingers applied pressure on the stones. Being so close to him, I couldn’t help but take a deep breath and enjoy the lingering scent of the hotel’s lavender and lemon soap mixed with a hint of sunblock. It had been too long since I’d felt a man’s weight on my body, enjoyed the smell of sweat and sex, or been touched in the way no battery-operated boyfriend can.
Dr. Jones cleared his throat. He rotated the bracelet some more, then pressed on the largest blue stone. Nothing happened.
“Hmm.” He raked his hand through his hair.
“Hmm, what?” I stared up at his face. The man was taller than I’d initially thought. I was five eleven, and he must have a good six inches on me. “You don’t know how to open it?”
“I need more time.”
“Let me try to pull my hand through it again.” I broke our eye contact and tugged hard on the bracelet. Why in the world did I put it on? Embarrassment crept up my neck and then morphed into hot anger. I took a deep breath, seized the stupid golden thing in a vice-like grip, and yanked it.
