Page 69 of Angels Are Falling

Meanwhile, Kai had picked out everything that gave the space warmth and comfort. There were two colorful day beds with sheer curtains, a few palm trees, and a couple of fire bowls in case the kids wanted to roast marshmallows.

I left the door slightly ajar and tiptoed outside. The sensory lights came on as I stepped onto the sand.

It wasn’t until I heard the waves crashing and I knew no one was around that I let myself break down into tears.

Chapter

Twenty-Two

AMELIE

By the time my sobs subsided, I got the distinct impression of being watched. From here, you could see into Kai’s living room, which meant he could see me as well. I wiped my tears and unthinkingly glanced in that direction. Kai was standing by the window with a drink in his hand.

I startled.

Had he been just waiting for me to step outside?

I tried to give him a half smile, which he didn’t return. Instead, he went to the glass door to slide it open. Kai was dressed like a man who had invented clothing. Nothing was ever out of place on the man. His deep navy shirt and charcoal slacks were perfectly tailored to his body, and his silver belt buckle gleamed with the same intensity as the matching watch on his wrist. It probably cost as much as four years of my college tuition, though I wouldn’t know. I received a scholarship after my family went bankrupt, and I scraped through by maintaining good grades.

His shadow stretched long across the sand, cut into fragments by the fire bowls between us, as he made his way toward me. The orange liquid in his glass caught the firelight as he moved, tilting with each unhurried step.

I stayed in place, feeling as though I had somehow intruded, even though this area was supposed to be common space. “Sorry,” I whispered. “I didn’t mean to disturb you.”

Kai’s expression softened. “You didn’t. I was waiting for you.”

My brows drew together.

“I made dinner—lasagna.”

I stared at him, confused. “Why?”

“Mostly for nourishment to stay alive. But I also enjoy the pasta.”

I rolled my eyes. “I meant, how did you know⁠—”

“That you worked a twelve-hour shift on an empty stomach?” He bent his head slightly to level with me. “Because you hate cafeteria food, and I’m just guessing you didn’t eat lunch.”

Since our intense day trip to his childhood home, I no longer knew how to act around Kai. I was angry with him for manipulating me into sex yet again. But I couldn’t find it in me to express that anger after I was such an asshole about his deceased parents. Hiding from Kai seemed easier than facing him. I knew I’d have to fulfill my “weekly sexual obligations” sooner or later. For now, I picked up graveyard shifts to avoid spending the night with him. During the day, I slept while he worked and hung out with the kids when they were home.

Today was my first day shift, and I had hoped to spend my night off with Stefan. That didn’t exactly work out, and I was emotionally depleted. The last thing I wanted was to become Kai’s plaything again.

“Actually, I grabbed a quick bite on my way home,” I lied.

He looked like he didn’t believe me but didn’t call me out on it. “A quick bite isn’t a full meal. Come on, let’s have dinner.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“Then you can watch me eat. I’m starving.”

I glanced at the screen on my phone. It was almost ten o’clock. “You haven’t eaten yet? Why?”

My eyes dropped to his finger tapping on the glass. Kai appeared apprehensive, which was so unlike him that I stared pensively at the drink. “I was waiting for you,” he said so quietly that I almost missed the words.

Waiting for me?

As my lips parted, a sudden awareness of irony silenced me. I spent the night waiting for Stefan. On the other side of the wall, Kai had been waiting for me. Did he also sit with his phone resting next to him, waiting for a message? Did he keep checking the door, hoping I’d walk through it?

The realization broke my heart with the force of a storm surge so unanticipated that my body folded and I wept. At that moment, I hated myself a little bit for doing to Kai what Stefan had done to me.