Page 47 of Unmasking My Dark Knight

“Duh… I've seen the movie. I’d know.” She rocked back on her heels, an accusatory tone to her words.

“Very interesting. You can tell a lot about a woman by the books she reads.” I stepped closer, wanting to be near her, but I needed to remember that Ro didn’t have a moment with Ivy Jade yet, not like the ones she’d had with High Jynx. I wanted nothing more than to take her hand and wander the chateau with her all day. “Truthfully, I pinned you more as a knight in shining armor kind of gal. But maybe I was wrong.”

“Not wrong actually,” she said quickly, but then calmed herself from looking too eager. She brushed her hand through her hair, feigning casualness. “I mean… I dabble in stories with knights. You know, princesses. Castles. Things of that nature.”

She stopped and faced me, her dark brown eyes looking up into mine. I loved seeing the vulnerability in her eyes now, the way her guard was slowly cracking for both me and my scary counterpart.

I grinned, tilting my head slightly. “I bet it’s hard for any guy to live up to those knights in shining armor you read about.”

She licked her lips and tried to hide a smile by biting her lip. Fuck, that look drove me crazy.

“I guess, yeah. Something like that,” she responded, mirroring my head tilt and playing with the ends of her long hair.

I let my voice drop slightly, taking another small step towards her.

“What about dark knights? Do they ever get the girl?”

All the humor in her eyes faded into something else. There seemed to be desire, yes, but also a hint of sadness. I wanted to cup her cheek with my palm and tell her that we could be the fairytale she’d been dreaming of if she just gave us a chance. I still didn’t know what the hell was going on in her life, but I was willing to fight and set Ivy Jade free from her parents and her presumed engagement to Antonio. Before I could do that, though, I needed to know what she wanted.

With her, it was hard to tell what her true feelings were.

Were her reactions genuine, or were they just a defensive measure put in place to protect the box her parents put her in?

Her eyes shifted slightly, and her attention went towards the foyer, where Tallulah stood, speaking to a few others from the wedding party.

“I, um… I guess we better get going!” Her voice was raised an octave and carried a little tension.

I nodded, clearing my throat. I wasn’t going to get anything from her yet, but that didn’t mean I was going to stop trying. I gave her a soft smile as I gestured to the foyer. “After you,” I said, settling my eyes onto her, wanting her to stay.

She hesitated for a moment, glancing between me and the foyer, but then she turned and left me on the edge of immeasurable desire.

I was coming for her.

And I wouldn't stop till I had her.

CHAPTER 19

Ivy Jade

Even though Romeo scared the living lights out of me earlier, part of me desired to hang back with him, talk to him, and get to know him a little. Even if High Jynx had been at the forefront of my mind during my startled state. We had looked through books together—very briefly.

I didn’t say a whole lot to Ro, but it was cute how he tried to keep our conversation going as much as possible. I had this internal feeling about him—a good feeling—like he was trying to impress me. Had I still been that same Ivy Jade from high school, I would have flipped a lid with enthusiasm. And while Ro was charming and alluring, there was something equally compelling that pulled me back to High Jynx. That shouldn’t have been possible, I mean… what kind of money could a performer make, or what type of connections could he have? None that Mami would care about. At least—it sounded like—Ro had a great career ahead of him.

When Ro pulled out Frankenstein by Mary Shelley from the shelf, I wasn’t surprised. All these horror enthusiasts were the same. He did ask if I had read any romance novels with a dark knight.

Good question.

I was so close to telling him the truth about my ‘Little Women’ dusk jacket and the fact that I was reading ‘Unmasking My Bright Knight’ instead. Maybe I had become too accustomed to Mami’s criticism, so I just assumed everyone would look down upon it like she did. So what if the series was steamy… it was still a book, not a hand grenade! Chill!

Tallulah stood beside me. She was dressed in a beautiful black silk slip dress with black dahlia flowers all over it. It was perfect for a garden date. She really did look so gorgeous.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you and Ro were up to something in that library.” Tallulah raised a sarcastic brow.

“No!” I kind of shouted, but then lowered my voice. “Nothing happened in there. I was simply looking at the books. Curiosity had me checking through their catalog, but… nothing as impressive as my own collection, and then he… Ro scared me.”

“He scared you, huh?” She nudged my shoulder. “And then what happened?”

“There’s no story here, you gossipy little ghoul! Seriously!” I told her sternly.