Page 54 of Lips of an Angel

Well, he hit the nail on the head with that one.

“That piece of his heart is reserved for you,” Eli finished.

My throat tightened again. I’d realized already that I might have feelings for Angel, but it was too late. The wedding was happening inthree days. I hadn’t come to my senses in time. Besides, what did I have to offer him? I’d never had a relationship in my life. I didn’t know how to have a consistent partner. The most consistent thing I’d ever had in my life was… him.

Fuck.

I closed my eyes and willed away the burning, swallowing against a tight throat. “You’re the better choice.”

He gave me a sad smile. “I might be thesmarterchoice,” he agreed, “or the one that makes the most logical sense, but I’m not the better choice forhim, Raleigh. I’ll never be able to complete him like you do. He’s not going to thrive in Seattle. He needs to be here with you—togetherwith you.”

“How do I make him see that?”

“Only you know.” Eli stood from the table, and it only felt right to walk him to the door.

“I’m sorry,” I told him. “I never intended to hurt you.”

Eli laughed ruefully, waving off my apology. “I should have seen it years ago. Frankly, I should have seen it the night we met. I was angry at first, but then I realized I never stood a chance. It was always you.”

The click that echoed through the apartment when the door shut was deafening. Suddenly, I found myself alone. Thoughts swirled in my mind, and I struggled to grasp any of them. One, however, made itself too prominent to ignore: Angel was in love with me.

I’d always done anything I could to make Angel happy. Hell, I would have set the world on fire just so he could watch it burn. Seeing him nearly end up with someone who’d gotten it so wrong had my mind a blur, but now that the smoke had cleared, I could see my roiling, conflicting emotions for what they were. Love.

I loved him too.

Chapter 20

ANGEL

This was wrong.So,sowrong.

That was the only thing going through my mind as I stood in front of the mirror in Eli’s bedroom. I was hiding out. The wedding was in three days, and I was nowhere near feeling prepared. I tugged on the lapels of my jacket, then my sleeves. There was nothing inherently wrong with the tux itself. In fact, it fit me like a glove. If only the man waiting for me at the altar fit so well.

The wedding was Friday, and we were leaving for Seattle the next morning. Eli said he’d found a place and already put down a deposit, though I hadn’t seen it. When he’d asked for my input, I’d dodged the subject.

Maybe once I was out of Vegas and in another town, I could figure out who I was without Raleigh. The idea of starting something new without him brought tears to my eyes, but I fought them away.

This was the right thing to do.

Raleigh had healed from his fall, and he’d taken my existence in stride. I thought he’d be angry at me for keeping the secret from him for so long, and it only infuriated me more that he’d been so okay with it. I raised my head and looked in the mirror again. Ilookedthe same after the accident, except for the faint outlines of the marks that appeared on my body. Over time, as I learned some control over my powers, they darkened. I was able to dodge any questions until I was old enough to justify them as tattoos. Yes, I looked the same, but I wish I could say that Ifeltthe same. Raleigh still saw the same old Angel that I’d always been, but I don’t think either of us could grasp how different I truly was. I’d been secretly watching over him for years, and he had no idea.

Frustrated, I unbuttoned my jacket and shrugged it off—carefully. I had to be careful not to damage the expensive rental in my temper. The sky-blue waistcoat went next. “The color of your eyes,” Eli had said when he picked it out. He also said it complimented the table linens perfectly. Whoever Lauren was, she deserved some credit.

I undid my belt, pushing the trousers down my legs and banishing the memory of Eli’s eyes on my ass when I’d first tried them on. They went on the hanger first, then I unbuttoned the crisp white shirt and reassembled the suit on the hanger.

As I tucked away the bow tie that matched the waistcoat, there was a knock at the bedroom door. Eli stepped into the room, eyeing the suit bags that draped from his closet door. I’d just zipped mine up, concealing the contents inside.

He gave a chagrined smile. “I was hoping to catch you before you took it off.”

“Isn’t that bad luck?” I signed, moving to sit cross-legged on the bed. I was wearing nothing but my underwear, and Eli’s eyes traveled over my body.

“I’m pretty sure the person who invented that superstition didn’t have two men in mind.” Eli’s smile faded, and he went to the third suit bag on the bed—the one with Raleigh’s name etched into the fabric.

Raleigh was doing the right thing, being the supportive best friend, but I could tell that there was something under the surface. Every time I allowed myself to think about it, a spark of hope ignited in my belly—but I extinguished it every time. I was getting married. If Raleigh was in love with me, he would’ve acted on it by now. Especially after the night we shared.

That didn’t stop my traitorous heart from hoping for my own Jackson Avery moment.

“I was hoping we could talk.”

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