Page 132 of Angel

We greeted them, kissing cheeks and giving hugs.

‘Always beautiful,’ Levi told me, raising his beer at me.

‘She really is,’ Angel added, his timbred voice sending a frisson of need through me.

If only things were different between us.

Still, I appreciated how he kept me close to my side throughout the entire cocktail hour.

His arm never left my waist as he shielded me from partygoers and the band’s fans crowding to get photos and autographs.

A sudden wave of intense nausea rolled through me, and I took a deep breath to control it.

Angel’s eyes narrowed, and he dipped closer to me.

‘What’s wrong, Rox?’ he murmured, his lips brushing my temple. ‘You’re pale.’

I was mulling my response when my father appeared out of the crowd.

He grasped us both around the shoulders and flashed a practiced smile for a roaming photographer snapping our group portrait.

‘The city’s golden couple,’ Reese boomed, patting Angel’s muscled arm. ‘You’re looking magnificent, and I hope you’ll bring the same kind of energy to Riyadh for the Saudi Cup next month.’

The fuck?

Before either of us could counter, the mayor strolled past.

Reese abandoned us, pivoting on his heel to pursue the politician.

A ringing bell signaled the commencement of the banquet, and we moved to our assigned table.

Servers handed out plates of seared duck breast with a pomegranate reduction and wild mushroom risotto.

I used my silver fork to push the meat around the china, unable to stomach a single bite.

Angel tilted his head, inspecting my full plate, then flicking his eyes up to me.

‘Not eating?’

‘I don’t have an appetite,’ I whispered.

In truth, my belly was churning.

I sipped iced water and took deep breaths until the rippling passed.

Following the main course, the master of ceremonies took the podium to distribute the civic medallions.

The announcer called my name, sparking cheers from the floor, including my companions.

Angel stood to help me up, kissing me on the corner of my lips to my surprise.

‘Proud of you, babe,’ he rasped into my ear.

I plastered on a smile, and I walked up the stage steps into the brilliant illumination of the spotlights and accepted the prize.

All the while feeling like shit; body, mind, and soul.

After the award-giving, I descended the stairs, the trophy and my clutch bag in my hands, as the applause from the ballroom faded behind the velvet curtains.