Page 48 of Unmasking My Dark Knight

She'd better quit while she was ahead. I couldn’t blame her, though; it wasn’t like she knew anything about my crush on High Jynx. If I told her, though, she’d probably geek. Rightfully so, this was a monumental moment for me, and I couldn’t even share it with her, because… well, I swore myself to secrecy on this one. I just couldn't admit it out loud. Admitting it out loud made it real.

“Then why the red cheeks?” she asked.

Quickly, I brought my manicured fingers up to my cheek. “Shut up! That’s just my blush powder.”

“Sure,” she gawked, still not convinced that nothing had happened in that damn library.

Did I want something to happen? Maybe? I don’t know.

I snuck a glance over to where the men stood, talking amongst themselves.

All the other men here wore suits daily. Not my brother, though, and certainly not Ro. Ro did look really great, even if he was dressed like some theatre nerd in an emo band. I mean, it was sorta cute—in an angsty kind of way—rebellious to the status quo like Roman Knight and the evil empire.

Something about him being in all black kind of did something to me. I had the gross impulse to yank on his hoodie strings and pull him toward me, and I didn’t like that I had those feelings for him.

“You’re impossible,” I told her.

“I mean… why not Ro? Look at him.” We both turned around to face the group of men shamelessly. “He’s got beautiful dark hair, icy blue eyes you could fall in love with, and his lean yet bulky body is downright sexy. Right?”

“Then why aren’t you marrying him on Halloween?” I said all snarky.

Tallulah let out such a loud, over-exaggerated laugh that the entire foyer and outdoors grew quiet, and everyone looked over.

I grabbed her shoulder and turned us back around.

“The only person I love is your brother,” she said.

I looked over my shoulder to glance at Romeo one last time. His eyes were already fixated on me; annoyingly kissable lips and height to climb.

Five seconds… six… seven… eight seconds of prolonged eye contact until I looked away. That kind of stretched-out gazing wasn’t normal. It had the butterflies in my stomach rigorously flitting about.

“There’s always Vann. He’s pretty cute. He’s a construction worker who has worked on countless projects with Gustav. Who doesn’t love a handyman?” she smiled. “Then there’s Derek from the Dominican Republic. Literally… his photo is filed under tall, dark, and handsome in the dictionary.

“No thanks. We have plenty of handymen in our network. Families that have worked with us for decades.” It was true.

“Fine, fine, fine,” she said. “How about⁠—”

I cut her off. “I’m not interested in anyone from the groom’s party.”

Tallulah mulled over my statement. “I heard Ro is single,” she emphasized.

“So?” I asked. “Aren't you forgetting about Antonio? My fate is sealed. I'm taken… sorta-ish.”

“Ah,” she turned away. “Right. She wants the best for her little angel. I bet she’s thrilled your brother is marrying me.”

I turned my full attention back on Tallulah. “Don’t mind her. Even after Mami cut him off, Gustav was still well off with the name he’d made for himself. Right? Who cares what she thinks, anyway?”

Tallulah crossed her arms with the biggest attitude I’d ever seen. “You seem to,” she said without hesitation.

“That’s not true,” I frowned.

“Then why not give Ro a chance? You’re practically glowing as we talk about him. He hasn’t been able to keep his eyes off you this entire trip. That sexual tension between you two during ax throwing yesterday? WO! That was caliente.”

“You’re out of your mind!” I told her, my cheeks burned with fury.

“Not to mention, lately you’ve been smitten with him. It’s so obvious.”

How dare she?