“No. I was never mad, just irritated. Anger is a waste of time, especially when most problems can be solved easily.” I almost winced as I realized I sounded exactly like my mother.
Well, that’s embarrassing.
He gave me a strange look. “Right. Well, then. Since we’ll be working closely together, I suppose we should follow Doctor Rosebud’s instructions and get to know each other.”
“Rosenshield,” I corrected.
“I know his name. I’ve worked with him for years. Rosebud’s a nickname.”
I gave him a frown. “Why do you call him that?”
He leaned in and whispered, “We all do at the University. Behind his back, that is. Watch him over the course of the trip. When he gets angry, his face turns bright red and he purses his lips so hard they look like a little rosebud.”
I gasped. “That’s horrific. And wholly unprofessional.”
He let out a laugh. “You’re not going to tattle, are you?”
“Of course not.” I gripped the reins tighter, my leather gloves stretching. “We aren’t in grade school.”
His expression was dumbfounded. “You’re exactly like I thought you’d be.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“I was at your presentation on the life cycle of the cave glowworm. It was brilliant. You were brilliant. But…” He paused momentarily, scrutinizing me.
“But what?”
“But I thought perhaps it was an act.”
I tilted my head and evaluated him. “I don’t understand your meaning.”
“Of course you don’t.” The corner of his lips tilted. “You’re uptight. High-strung. Competitive. Will stomp on anyone who gets in the way of your achievements. It’s not an act, is it?”
My face heated as I gathered his words. “I—You—You don’t know me.”
We continued along the road, passing by dense copses of trees teeming with bright green leaves. Fields of wildflowers were in bloom to our right, a rainbow of petals swaying in the morning breeze.
“I’m good at reading people. And let me guess…” He adjusted his glasses as he gave me a piercing look. “You wake up at the same time every day. Go to bed at the same time every night. You thrive on routine and structure and get irritated any time something interrupts your carefully laid out plans.”
I didn’t know what to say so I just glared at him. The nerve of this man.
“See? I’m right,” he said with a ravishing smile and then trotted ahead to visit with the rest of the party, leaving me alone at the back, deep in thought.
What a scoundrel. A nuisance. And I had to spend two months working with this ridiculous man. But he was absolutely correct. I loved my routine and hated change.
Why was I so embarrassed?
Chapter 4
Crystal Clear, Sir
Liam
“Finally,” I said to Aaric as I climbed off my steed and stretched. “I was afraid I would lose sensation in my lower half if we’d been on these damned horses any longer.”
Aaric gave me an amused snicker. “Let me take him for you, Doctor Pendragon.” He reached for the reins and led my horse away to join the others.
After riding all day, we’d made it to the outer edges of the Wilds of Magmira, where we’d be spending the entirety of our expedition. But we had much farther to go before we reached our base camp nestled in the deepest part of the jungle. There were several recently discovered species we were here to study, and the chances of finding another new creature were fairly high. I didn’t care about the notoriety or fame which would come with such a discovery, I was just happy to get away from the stuffy building and my disaster of an office. I was here to enjoy my time outdoors and have a bit of fun.
