Page 51 of Where Angels Fall

The silence stretches as the words fail me, but her nails loosen on my arm. “Soooo... you know him?”

I nod, throat tight. “Yeah.”

“Are we in danger?”

My head shakes because I know Kai won’t hurt us. I don’t know how or why I know that; I just do.

Roxy’s gaze flicks back to the window, then to me again. Her expression is carefully neutral now, like she’s retreated into herself. I hate that I’ve caused it. I didn’t even think about Kai or the Devils.

“Well,” she says lightly, lifting her cup and taking a slow sip, “that explains why he’s stopped in the middle of the walkway, staring like a fucking statue.”

I snort despite myself. “He’s not very subtle.”

“No,” she agrees. “Men like that never are.”

That makes my stomach clench. Men like that.

She doesn’t elaborate. Doesn’t say how she knows. The words linger between us.

Her eyes drift back to him again, slower this time.

“It’s a shame,” she adds, voice casual, almost bored. “Because he’s really fucking hot.”

I choke on my coffee.

“Maddy,” she scoffs, elbowing me teasingly. “I have eyes. Like, look at those arms. Tall, dark and fucking handsome as fuck. And the way he’s leaning up on that bike? He screams bad boy. And you just know he’s got a great cock.”

Heat creeps up my neck at the fact that I do know that he has a great cock. And that he has a twin with an identical great cock. That I’ve been taken by both at the same time. If she knew that, would she think less of me? Something tells me she wouldn’t, yet I don’t have the guts to tell her.

“You can’t say things like that,” I breathe, incredulously, though I can’t stop the grin growing on my face.

She grins. “I absolutely can. I just won’t do anything about it.”

Her smile fades just a fraction as she looks back out the window, fingers tapping once against her cup. “Which is probably for the best.”

I study her profile, the way her jaw tightens and releases like she’s measuring her reactions carefully.

“You don’t have to worry,” I say quietly. “He’s not... He’s just... there.”

“Mmm,” she hums, unconvinced. “Men who are “just there” don’t watch exits.”

I glance back at Kai, and sure enough, his attention flicks briefly to the street, then back to us. He looks like danger incarnate. Death lingers in his eyes. I fidget, wondering if she’s right. Wondering if I’m stupid for pretending that he won’t hurt me.

Roxy sighs. “Look. I’m not asking questions. And I don’t need explanations.”

She turns back to me fully now, eyes sharp but not unkind.

“I like you,” she says simply. “I want to be your friend, because God knows it’s been a long fucking time since I’ve had a good one. I like laughing about dicks and complaining about clients and pretending the world is normal for half an hour.”

My throat tightens.

“And I’m very protective of the version of my life where that stays true,” she continues. “So, whatever this is...” she gestures vaguely toward the window, toward him, toward everything I haven’t said, “... I can’t be in it.”

I nod. I’d already known that. Still, it stings.

“But,” she adds quickly, reaching across and covering my hand with hers, “I’m not going anywhere.”

I look up.