100 Lifetimes of Us (The Romantics #1)

by Maggie C. Gates

My heart bobbed up and down like it didn’t quite know what to do. Was I happy? Was I terrified? I squeezed my fingers. There was no tell-tale chill. Isla grabbed the book out of the machine and started thumbing through pages while Miles held a blacklight over them. “Don’t get your hopes up,” Alona said. “It could be in good condition or it could be too degraded or contaminated to pull anything useful. Or your stalker might not be in the system at all.” “Debbie Downer,” a male fake-coughed. His shadow filled the doorway, shading the corner that Alona and I shared. But I didn’t miss the way her eyes darkened at his presence. “Did you get bored counting your macros and chugging protein shakes?” Alona snipped. The burly mountain man grinned. “Ready for a rematch so soon? I figured you’d need at least a day to lick your wounds.” “I hope Keller sends you to a remote jungle and you get a non-consensual hug from an anaconda.” “Ahh, don’t be like that, sparky.” He leaned down, getting way too close to Alona’s ear. “If you want me to pin you down to the mat again, just say when.” Enemies to lovers, I thought to myself. Nice. When the man vacated his spot in the door, I tipped my head in his general direction. “What’s his story?” “Cole Crowder. Former Navy SEAL with a superiority complex. He’s a know-it-all who loves camping out on my last nerve, and is a general pain in my ass.” I filed that information away for later. It would make a great story. Alona’s lips turned into a feline s...