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On the way back to Makayla’s office, I tell her, “Saturday night, I have a charity thing. Will you come with me?”
“Hmm.” She rolls her eyes toward the ceiling and taps her chin. “Do I want to put on a fancy dress and go on a date with an attractive man?” She drags her gaze back to me and beams. “Yes, please.”
I laugh again, appreciating this side of her that I didn’t get to experience at Veil.
She’s so fucking sweet.
THIRTY-ONE
MAKAYLA
The charity dinner is downtown at the old hotel near the college. Cannon hooks an arm around my waist and leads me toward a group of men. My gaze falls on one man in particular and I suck in a breath.
“That’s my cousin, Ryan,” Cannon whispers close to my ear.
“He’s just….” I turn to look at him. “I mean…. I can see the resemblance.”
“I love how flustered you are,” he says with a chuckle. “Don’t worry. He gets that reaction a lot.”
I bump him with my shoulder. “Who are the other men?”
“Old friends.”
“Ryan,” Cannon says as we approach. “This is Makayla. Makayla, this is my cousin, Ryan.”
Ryan holds out his hand and smiles. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Makayla.”
“Uh… you too,” I squeak.
Cannon gestures to the two other men in the group. One has dark blond hair and the other has brown hair. Judging by the similarity in their facial features, my guess is they’re related. I recognize the one with brown hair as the guy Heather danced with that first night at Veil. “These gentlemen are my good friends, Gio and Enzo Cantore.”
I knew it.I offer my hand. “Hello.”
While they both seem friendly, there’s a flicker of something in their eyes that screamsdanger.
“Where are your dates?” Cannon asks.
“At the bar,” Gio, the one with the dark blond hair, replies.
“You made it,” a familiar female voice says.
I look over to see Desiree approaching with a smile I didn’t think she was capable of. She’s dressed in an off-shoulder black beaded gown that hugs her perfect body. Beside her is a gorgeous dark-haired woman in a jeweled, blush-colored gown with a slit up the side.
Desiree pauses beside Gio, while the other woman moves to Enzo’s side.
“You look stunning, Makayla,” she says, and I can tell she means it.
“Thank you.” I smile, smoothing a hand over the emerald-green gown I picked out with Heather’s help.
“I’m Natalia,” the other woman says with a smile and extends her hand.
“Makayla,” I return, then look over at Cannon. “Where are the restrooms?”
“I’ll show you,” Desiree offers.
“Thanks.” Cannon squeezes my hip before dropping his hand. “I’ll be right back,” I tell him.
Desiree curls an arm around mine and steers us toward the restrooms. I haven’t seen or spoken to Desiree since that last night at Veil. The tension between us is as thick and suffocating as the humidity in August. “Makayla, I want you to know that Cannon and I are just friends. Best friends. We have a lot of history but there hasn’t been anything romantic or sexual between us in a long time.”
