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    Physical Science: The Ruined Series
    Physical Science: The Ruined Series
    Physical Science: The Ruined Series
    Ebook138 pages1 hour

    Physical Science: The Ruined Series

    By Nichole Rose

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    About this ebook

    Love is the final test for this professor and his star student.

    Nico Valentino
    My brothers are mobsters. Criminals.
    They rule their kingdoms with iron fists.
    I'm nothing like them.
    I'm an astrophysicist. A professor.
    My lecture hall is full of laughter.
    Until I set eyes on Norah Bishop.
    She needs my help, but I need her.
    And I'll do whatever it takes to keep her.
    Even if it means returning to the family I left.

    Norah Bishop
    All I've ever wanted was to be a scientist like my dad.
    But I stumbled into something I shouldn't have.
    Now, the biggest criminal in Chicago is coming for me.
    And the only person who can help me is his brother...my new professor.
    I don't want to drag Nico into this.
    But when he touches me, I lose all control.
    He's my professor. I think I want him to be my forever instead.
    Loving him comes with a price.
    But losing him will break me.

    If you enjoy over-the-top nerdy alphas, curvy heroines willing to risk it all, and forbidden student-teacher romance, you'll love Nico and Norah's sugary-sweet and extra steamy story! As always, Nichole Rose books come complete with a guaranteed HEA. Physical Science is the steamy beginning to the Ruined Trilogy. It can be read as a standalone story.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherNichole Rose
    Release dateAug 17, 2023
    ISBN9798223017394
    Physical Science: The Ruined Series

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      Book preview

      Physical Science - Nichole Rose

      Chapter One

      Norah

      image-placeholder

      I shouldn't be here, I whisper to myself, fidgeting from foot to foot. I glance over my shoulder, peering into the shadows. Nothing moves. If anyone followed me, they're keeping themselves hidden. My heart pounds like a drum anyway, sending anxiety churning through me with every heavy beat.

      The wind rustles through the trees, stirring leaves all up and down the dark block and blowing cold rain into my face. I pull my coat tightly around me, shivering as my heart jumps into my throat. And then I huff at myself for being afraid of the frigid wind blowing in from the lake.

      I can't help it though.

      Approximately forty-eight hours ago, I saw someone die.

      No, that's not right.

      I saw Rafael Valentino, the biggest mobster in Chicago, kill one of his men and then drop his body into the river. When I heard the shot, like an idiot, I screamed. He saw me. I know he saw me. I've been running ever since, terrified he's going to find me and end my life the same way.

      I haven't even been in Chicago long enough to be able to find my way around reliably without GPS and a miracle, but I've heard the stories about the dangerous criminal known as Rafe. It's impossible to attend Northwestern and not hear them since his twin brother, Nico Valentino, is a visiting professor this year…and my biggest idol.

      The two are nothing alike. Rafael is a ruthless criminal who rules this city with an iron fist. Chicago PD and the feds have been trying to topple him for years, but he's too smart for them. Charges never stick and witnesses vanish. He's a billionaire, running an empire of lucrative business ventures. Casinos. International transport. Banking. Rafael has his hand in a hundred different pies, each one with the specific goal of making him richer and hiding his true legacy.

      The only things he and Nico have in common are the blood running through their veins, the birthday they share, and their dark good looks. They're both gorgeous, with dark hair and penetrating eyes. Rafael looks severe in every photo I've ever seen of him. He never smiles.

      Rumor says he's just like the father he succeeded, ice cold and completely unrepentant. Their younger brothers, Gabriel and Luca, are deep into the life too. They each run their own piece of their deceased father's empire, filling the family coffers with money from a thousand different criminal pursuits.

      Nico isn't like that. Despite growing up the same way, he chose a different path. He's worth millions on his own but donates heavily to charity. People say his father exiled him from the family when he was eighteen and he never looked back. I don't know if that's true or not, but I do know he's a good man.

      He's laidback, caring, and hot enough to start forest fires. His dark hair is wild, his brown eyes warm like cinnamon. He's tall and broad, with a dimple in his right cheek that makes me want to taste it. Every other girl on campus feels the same way. So do a good number of the boys.

      It's hard not to like him. He's always smiling and telling nerdy jokes. He's one of the smartest men on the planet. Literally. Every science major at Northwestern jumped at the chance to take his seminar when it was announced. We had to submit applications for admission, and only a handful were chosen. I didn't think I stood a chance, but I guess he was impressed with mine because I'm the only freshman in the seminar.

      We've been in session for six weeks, and I'm completely obsessed with him. I sit in the front row, just so I can see every flicker that crosses his face. I blurt things out all the time, just to feel those eyes on me. He probably thinks I'm a crazy person but when he looks at me, I get butterflies.

      I want him to notice me. I want him to be proud of me when I know the answer to whatever question he's posed. Every time he praises me, I want to preen like a proud little hen showing off her eggs. He is so damn sexy to me, and not just because he's beautiful. It's his brain and the way he talks to people like he's genuinely interested in what they have to say. It's the kindness in his eyes and the fact that he's able to laugh at himself.

      My crush seems to grow a little bigger every day.

      He'll never see me the same way, of course. To him, I'm just a chubby eighteen-year-old girl with a crush. Sure, I'm smart. Sure, I'm cute. But in his eyes, I'm still just a kid. He's twenty years older than I am, and probably has a lifetime of experience with women. I'm a virgin who has never even been kissed. Well, unless you count that time in third grade, but no one counts that.

      I can't help the way I feel about Nico though. If ever I had a dream man, it's him. I'd probably die if he knew how often I fantasize about him laying me out on his desk and making love to me. It happens ridiculously often. Which is exactly why I shouldn't be on his doorstep now. The last thing I want to do is cause trouble for him.

      But I didn't know where else to go. I haven't had time to make many friends here. He's, literally, the only person I know who can help me. If I go to the police, I'll be another witness who disappears without a trace. And no offense to the deceased, but dead doesn't sound like something I'd be very good at. I'd probably start a riot in heaven and get kicked out to hell.

      Rafael is Nico's brother though. He can help me figure out what to do.

      Right?

      I don't know, but I really hope so because I haven't bathed in days, and I'd really, really like to be able to sleep again soon instead of hiding in the backseat of my car in a random parking garage in downtown Chicago. It wasn't much fun. I was so afraid I was going to be kidnapped or worse that I barely slept either night.

      Before I can talk myself out of it, I rap on his door, and then look over my shoulder again. Is it my imagination, or are the shadows moving? I narrow my eyes, trying to see through them. They seem to grow thicker the longer I look, as if they're coalescing into bodies. It could be the sleep deprivation and anxiety talking, but even the tree branches seem sinister, like bony fingers reaching into the dark, searching for me.

      Norah?

      Ahhh! I scream, spinning around. The second my gaze lands on Nico standing in his doorway in nothing but a pair of sweats, horror swamps me. But it's already too late to stop the defensive karate chop headed directly at his throat. All I manage to do is take a little force out of it.

      He makes a wheezing sound as the side of my hand strikes him solidly across the windpipe. He stumbles backward two steps, grasping onto the doorknob to keep himself from tripping over the doorjamb and landing on his butt.

      Oh my gosh, I whisper-shout at him, flapping my hands like a demented bird…as if that's going to help this situation any. I just assaulted my professor. My ridiculously hot, half-naked professor. Why isn't he wearing a shirt? And why can't he not wear one to class every day? I am so sorry, Dr. Valentino!

      He holds up a hand like he's trying to wave me off, but then he wheezes again. His dark eyes come to mine. I expect to see fury in them, so I'm a little bit surprised when I see them twinkling with humor. He's laughing? After I just karate chopped him?

      I swear I didn't mean to assault you, I say.

      It's fine. He stands upright, rubbing his throat. Where the hell did you learn to hit like that?

      Oh, um, my mom owns a lady gym, I say, trying not to stare at the way his muscles ripple with every move he makes. Where I grew up, scientists did not look like him. Most of the ones I know are a lot older and a little crotchety. He's… Good lord, I'm going to have so many new fantasies now that I know what those sharp suits are hiding. Yay for me! She has a guy who teaches self-defense. He taught me how to fight off an attacker. Which you aren't. I mean, obviously. This is your house.

      He lives in a historic brownstone in the Lincoln Park area of the city, near the conservatory. His house is identical to nearly every other one on the block, but they're all sprawling, beautiful homes. It's one of the best neighborhoods in Chicago, and the only one I know well. Funny how I don't feel any safer here than I did in the parking garage.

      A lady gym? One dark brow rises toward his hairline.

      A gym where you have to have a vagina to join, I explain and then frown. Though I guess if you're in the process of transitioning or identify as female, you're also able to join. I'm not sure. I'll have to ask my mom and get back to you on that.

      You do that, he says, humor in his voice. In the meantime, care to tell me why you're on my doorstep at midnight?

      Yes. No. I press a hand to my forehead when he frowns at me.

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