So this was nothing more than research.
“That’s why you were away?” I asked, taking the arrangement from him and bringing it to my chest. “You were out getting me a corsage?”
“Yes.” He gave me a small bashful smile, and despite everything, it was really freaking hard for me not to fall a little bit more for this man. God, I was doing that, wasn’t I? Falling for him. “I wanted to surprise you. And also, I knew you’d be changing and wanted to be sure not to catch you running around in your undergarments, Lady Rosalyn. There are lines that mustn’t be crossed.”
I nodded, disappointment flooding my stomach. “Yeah. I guess you wouldn’t want that.”
Lucas tilted his head. “What do you mean?”
I shook my head with a weak smile. “Nothing.”
Before I could even register him moving, Lucas crowded me against the doorframe and tipped my chin up. I had no choice but to meet his gaze, and when I did, I wished I hadn’t. Because there was something in his eyes I didn’t understand.
His thumb grazed along my jaw very softly. “What did you mean, Rosie?”
I shook my head a little. “I just mean that as my friend and my roommate, that’s something you don’t want to see.” Because that was all we were. Our experimental dates were research, and Lucas was just trying to help me. Until he went back to Spain.
He stared, his eyes looking straight into mine, while he seemed to work out something in his head. And when his lips finally parted, he could only say, “Tonight—” before he was interrupted.
“What’s taking you two so long?” Lina’s voice thundered in the empty hallway before she even made it upstairs. “I can hear you up there and we’re double-parked.”
“Later,” Lucas said in a low voice. Just for my ears.
Reluctantly, he peeled himself off me, as if he was not looking forward to facing what was a few feet behind him.
Lina appeared in front of us.
“Hola, prima,” he greeted his cousin with a sigh. “We were just coming down.”
She eyed the situation in silence for a long moment. “You look amazing, Rosie. And are those magnolias? They are beautiful,” she told me. “Where did you get them?”
Lucas said something in Spanish, too quick and complex for me to try to understand.
Lina’s eyes narrowed when she replied.
And before I could ask or open my mouth to say anything about that exchange, Lucas was tugging at one of my perfect curls. He looked down at me with a grin that didn’t reach his eyes. “Let’s grab your fangs and go, Ro.”
“Yes,” I conceded, glancing down at the corsage.
Lucas went into the bathroom to fetch the prosthetic teeth for me as I fastened around my wrist the pink magnolias he had gotten me for no reason other than research.
Because he was set on helping me.
And I should have been happy and grateful for it.
It shouldn’t have made me sad.
* * *
“Holy shit,” Lucas said from my side.
“Holy shit indeed,” I muttered, picking up my jaw from the floor.
Lina stood in front of us, partly blocking our view of the impressive hall where the Masquerade Ball was taking place. She wasn’t exactly tall, not even in heels, but her blueish-tinged hair and matching body paint covering her face, neck, and arms was distracting enough.
Lina and Aaron were going as corpse bride and groom, a job she had taken to heart. The costumes were the closest I’d ever seen to the real thing. Even Aaron was wearing makeup, his eye sockets covered in smoky black shadow, making his blue eyes pop even more than usual. That, together with his height, the two-piece suit, and the undead bride hanging off his arm, was a powerful image.
They looked like the power couple of the underworld. Unlike Lucas and I, we were most definitely not a couple, despite the matching costumes. Not that it mattered. One glance at our reflection in the elevator’s mirror had almost knocked me straight to the floor all the same. Especially after we’d put on the beautiful masks Lina had surprised us with. For the flex, she’d said with a wink, unaware that the addition made Lucas all the more… distracting for me.
“Don’t you guys love everything?” Lina beamed before turning around to take in the venue. “I’m going to sound super uncool but do you think we will spot any celebrities?”
“It’s possible,” Aaron answered. “This is New York, and all kinds of personalities get invited.”
Lina clapped her hands under her chin. “I’m still hoping for Sebastian Stan.”