Page 103 of Cocky Brutal Sinner

The words are on the tip of my tongue, and I’m done holding them back. If Beau wants me, if he chooses me, then he deserves my whole heart.

“I love you,” I say without a drop of doubt. “I love you, Beau.”

“I love you, too.” His voice cracks on the second word. He takes my face in both his hands like I'm the only thing keeping him on the ground, and when he kisses me, it isn't heat. It's a man stepping over a threshold he's been standing in front of for a decade.

It's not whispered in a villa in Italy. Not murmured half-asleep. We say it out loud, in Toronto, with everything broken around us and nothing to hide behind.

37

BEAU

I’ve officially run out of distractions. I’ve prepped all the produce, reorganized the storage closet, approved everyone’s vacation requests for the next six months, and brainstormed twelve new specials. The only other thing I can think to do is clean every tiny nook and cranny in the restaurant.

My project for the last hour was emptying out the cabinets under the bar to wipe everything down. It’s a sticky, thankless task that involves a lot of crouching and scrubbing. I couldn’t come up with a better way to torture away my anxiety.

“Hey, Boss!” Tomasso yells from the kitchen. “I think you should come out and check your phone.”

I try to look up at him and accidentally slam my head on the bottom of the bar. Cringing, I rub the back of my skull.

“It’s fine,” I tell him. I purposefully plugged my phone in a kitchen outlet so I wouldn’t be tempted to check the group chat where nobody’s texting me every five minutes, or the unanswered texts to my girlfriend.

“Are you sure? Because you have fifteen missed calls.”

I frown. Who would call me that much? My mom, maybe, if something was wrong. Knowing her, that could be anything from crashing her car to forgetting her Wi-Fi password.

Still rubbing my banged head, I follow Tomasso into the kitchen and check my phone. The fifteen missed calls are from James and Nate. Cold fear ripples down my spine. The two of them wouldn’t call just to chat. Something’s wrong—seriously wrong.

A fact that’s only confirmed by the messages in the group chat. The first time it’s seen any activity in weeks.

James

Maura’s in the hospital. She had a cardiac episode. The increased blood volume from pregnancy put a strain on her heart.

Luke

Jesus, is she okay? What’s happening?

James

Doctors doing tests now. I’m getting off a flight from New York in a few minutes, and I might not get across town quickly. Can anyone get to the hospital to be with Maura?

Nate

Of course.

Luke

Coming from the distillery right away.

Ryan

Anyone who wants a ride from the building, I’ll be in the lobby in five minutes.

I check the time. I’ve got about a minute until Ryan leaves.

“Thanks, Tomasso!” I yell as I rush toward the restaurant exit. “I’m gone.”

I fly through the front door of Terrace, then down the stairs to the first floor. Nate emerges from the elevator doors right as I run down the last few steps into the lobby. His cool blue eyes meet mine.