Page 31 of Knot Your Romeo

“I do not stare,” Romeo protests, but his cheeks flush red.

“You absolutely do,” River confirms. “Yesterday you spent twenty minutes pretending to read on the terrace just so you could watch the windows.”

“That’s enough,” Romeo snaps, his scent spiking with embarrassment and anger. But my curiosity is piqued now. But I act like I know nothing. “What’s at the cottage that’s so interesting?”

“The new housekeeper and her daughter,” Remi explains, clearly enjoying Romeo’s discomfort. “Mrs. Masters took over from Mrs. Reynolds two weeks ago. I haven’t met them yet. But I think Romeo likes the girl.”

Something cold settles in my stomach. “You like the housekeeper’s daughter?”

“No.”

“Yes, you do,” Remi adds. “What’s her name, River?”

“Her name is Jolie,” Romeo answers. Her name on his tongue sounds like he’s been stabbed in his throat. “She started at college.”

Jolie is good. Jolie is not Emmie.

“I take it you don’t like her,” I say carefully.

“You don’t glare at a girl’s bedroom window if you don’t like them,” Remi interrupts.

I laugh. “How old is she?”

Romeo shrugs his shoulders. “Twenty-one, I think. She’s in some of my classes.” He is acting far too nonchalant, and I’m doubting everything he is telling me.

“Cerise hates her,” River adds.

Romeo finally looks up, and what I see in his gray eyes makes my chest tighten with concern. There’s a hunger there,raw and desperate, the kind that leads young Alphas to make catastrophic decisions.

“Romeo,” I say quietly, “please tell me you’re not developing feelings for someone when you have a girlfriend.”

“I’m not developing anything,” he replies, but the defensive edge to his voice suggests otherwise.

Remi and River exchange another look. “He definitely likes her,” Remi says. “You should see the way he acts when her name comes up.”

“She’s nothing special,” Romeo says too quickly. “Just some Omega trying to blend in.”

The casual dismissal doesn’t fool anyone at the table, least of all me. I’ve seen Romeo with Omegas before—polite but distant, never particularly interested. The fact that he’s protesting this much means Jolie Masters has gotten under his skin in ways he doesn’t understand. The same way Emmie got under mine, and despite how young she was, I hoped she’d still called me.

“Where are they from?” I ask, trying to keep my voice conversational.

Romeo shrugs. “South somewhere. The girl has an accent she’s trying to hide.”

“Why would she hide her accent?” River asks, genuinely curious.

“Same reason she’s trying to make herself invisible,” Romeo replies. “They’re running from something.” The observation is sharper than I expected from Romeo, whose emotional intelligence usually extends only to his own feelings.

“How do you know they’re running?” I press.

Romeo hesitates, as if he’s revealed more than he intended. “She’s too careful. Too aware of her surroundings. Jumps at loud noises. Classic signs of someone who’s used to looking over her shoulder.”

“You’ve been paying very close attention,” I observe.

“Professional interest,” Romeo says defensively. “You always taught us to be aware of potential security risks. And you allowed strangers into our home.”

“Is that what she is? A security risk?” The question hangs in the air for a moment. Romeo’s jaw tightens, and I can see him weighing his words carefully.

“She’s...complicated,” he says finally.