Page 24 of Lips of an Angel

Safely secured behind the desk and two locked doors, I popped my headphones in and got to work. There were two monitors in the office and I utilized both. I had my spreadsheets and other files open on one, the camera feed on the other. From here, it was easier to keep an eye on the bar. I could alert Raleigh or Ryder to an escalating situation faster than they would notice it themselves, being swept up in the dim lights and loud music.

My eyes picked out Billie on the cameras, and… sure enough, they were tromping over to where Raleigh flirted with the brunette, their face a thundercloud. To be fair, “flirt” was one of the only modes Raleigh had. I could say the same for Ryder. I didn’t think they knew how to do anything else when they opened their mouths.

Try explaining that to someone like Billie.

They lunged for the brunette, who scrambled backward in alarm, barely managing to duck out of the way. Jack appeared at her shoulder, whisking her away while Raleigh did his best to calm Billie. His arm around their waist was about as useful as using dental floss to rope cattle. I paused my podcast to see if I could hear anything, but their raised voices were muffled by the heavy rock music blaring through the speakers. I returned my attention to the monitor in time to see Ryder expertly wrestle Billie away from Raleigh and toward the front door.

Huh. I guess Raleigh had taught him more bouncing skills than I realized.

For a moment, one so brief that I would have missed it if I blinked, Billie looked up at the camera. The blatant hatred in their eyes sent a shiver down my spine. There was something else behind it, something dark and ugly, something like… jealousy?

Yes, jealousy, or… I froze.Envy. I couldn’t breathe, my eyes widening as I thought back to Kali. She’d been arrested for embezzlement. Forgreed.

Fuck. Fuck, fuck. No wonder I’d been so on edge lately: Raleigh was steeped in sin. Or sin was steeped in Raleigh. Shit, I needed to keep an eye on him. He may not know it, but Raleigh Jenkins had an angel on his shoulder.

Even if his shoulder wasn’t what I wanted to ride.

I swallowed hard, forcing my thoughts away and returning to my spreadsheets.

The hours flew by. I was so engrossed in what I was doing that I missed last call and only looked up when Ryder poked his head in to tell me that he was locking up. I straightened up the office, pausing when I realized I hadn’t heard the door shut.

Ryder stood there, eyeing me. “So…”

Uh oh.

Good things rarely came from Ryder Clark opening his mouth, especially when he started a sentence with that tone.

I crooked a brow, waiting for him to continue.

“Billie’s back.”

My only response was a noncommittal grunt in the back of my throat, but it seemed to be enough for Ryder.

He snorted. “I’m not a fan either.” He rubbed his jaw. “They’ve got one hell of a right hook when they’re angry.”

My head snapped up. Maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised that Billie had hit someone, but their typical weapon of choice was their mouth.

Before I could reply, Ryder waved me off. “It’s nothing I can’t handle. I’ve been hit much harder by much larger people—Raleigh included.”

I brought my right fist to my chest, rubbing in a slow circle. Ryder cocked his head. “What areyousorry for? Did you pay Billie to sock me in the jaw?”

I scoffed. “If anything, I’d payyouto punchthem.”

“Then don’t apologize for Raleigh’s stupid choices. I know you’re like his protector, but the man makes his own decisions and wears red flags as his Sunday best.” At that, Ryder pushed off the door frame with a smile. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

I monitored the cameras until Ryder locked up and got into his car, then I made my way upstairs. The raunchy noises of an intimate night hit my ears before I could even unlock the door. Ryder had a point: Raleigh always did have a flair for the dramatic.

If he wanted to fuck around with danger, that was his prerogative. Hedidhave an angel looking out for him, after all. Even when I was mad at him, the inhuman side of me had a primal urge to protect him. I slipped into my bedroom, pointedly ignoring the sighs and moans coming from behind Raleigh’s bedroom door. My skin tingled, my powers simmering beneath my skin. For a moment, in the privacy of my own bedroom, I indulged them. Marks flickered to life and wings burst from my back—so quickly that I nearly lost my balance. A soft golden glow filled the dark room, accompanied only by the Vegas lights streaming in through the window.

Every fiber of my being ached to run to Raleigh, but Billie’s words echoed in my head.

“If he wanted you, he would have you.”

As much as I hated to admit it, they were right.

When Raleigh saw something he wanted, he went for it. If that something had ever been me, he would’ve pursued me years ago. I’d learned to settle for having him in whatever way I could, but that didn’t mean I had to listen to the sounds of him pleasuring someone else in ways I’d only dreamed of.

Which gave me an idea. Ignoring the guilt twisting my gut, I took my phone out of my pocket. This energy needed to go somewhere, and there was only one plausible solution that I could think of.

---