Page 116 of Cocky Brutal Sinner

Luke drains half his glass in one gulp and drags his attention back to James and Maura.

“Maura, tell me the truth. How much has James hovered since you got back from the hospital?”

She laughs. “The word ‘stage five clinger’ would be appropriate.”

They keep chatting, and the mood in the room relaxes just a bit. The celebration didn’t collapse under the collective weight of our awkwardness. And when Luke has finally exhausted every other hello and how are you, we’re the only ones left.

He clears his throat after a larger swallow of whiskey and gestures at the pair of us with his glass.

“You look nice,” he says to Brin. “You both do.”

“Yeah?” Brinley presses, a careful smile pulling at the edge of her mouth.

“Yeah, Brin,” he replies, then gives me a subtle nod before he wanders off for a refill.

It’s not exactly a blessing for my relationship with Brinley, but he didn’t slam the door, either. Luke has clearly decided that maybe, eventually, this is something he can learn to live with.

For now, that’s more than enough.

Once all the toasts are done and we’ve all avoided death by Ryan’s Jello monstrosity, I can’t wait any longer. Cat and Nate have already wandered off, so I figure it’s time to make our escape.

“Want to get out of here?” I whisper conspiratorially to Brin, brushing my nose along the sensitive spot just below her ear.

“Yes.” She shivers. “Your place or mine?”

EPILOGUE

BRINLEY

Beau picks his place, and I let him, because his is closer and I am wearing entirely too many clothes for how this night is going to end.

He keeps a hand at the small of my back the whole way to the elevator, and even now—dress, heels, the warm hum of two glasses of wine—my brain won't fully let go of work. Beau has been my favorite distraction from the Copper Cup rebrand, a project that's eaten every second of my time.

Even as we ride the elevator down to his, I have to admit I’m thinking about the front window display almost as much as I’m anticipating him stripping this dress off me.

Half the shop looks the same as before, while the other half has the new Peppermint Press branding. The romance recommendation wall has already been installed, and the old café furniture has been replaced with couches. The walls still need to be painted, I’m still using up the Copper Cup branded coffee cups, and our non-romance merchandise is still 30 percent off, to help me clear out inventory.

My back office is even more of a mess than usual. Logo concepts are pinned all over the wall, and Eden’s event planning notes are piled in a small pyramid on my folding desk. Together, we’re filling out the first month of romance author appearances, subgenre-specific book clubs, and premiere parties.

Honestly, the whole thing is exhilarating. It feels like I’m building something new from the bones of something old, and it feels right in a way the anonymous version of myself never did. The Copper Cup was my proudest accomplishment, but the Peppermint Press will be me in business form. It’s the most personal thing I’ve ever shared with the public, blog posts included.

I hope the world likes it.

“Hey, where are you right now?”

It’s Beau bringing me back to earth as the elevator doors slide open, a gentle thumb on my jaw, guiding me to him.

I smile a smile that’s half cringe and he laughs.

“You’re off the clock, Brinley Baby.”

“A small business owner is never off the clock.”

“Touché,” he says, licking his lips. “Guess I’ll have to fight for your attention, then. Challenge accepted.”

He drags me into his apartment and I stop short. The only times I’ve been to Beau’s have been when he held parties for the group. And a couple times after we became public, but he’s been pretty adamant that we spend time together at only mine lately and now I know why.

“Wow.” I look around the living room, taking in the espresso-colored wood floors, the low emerald-green seats and sofas, the plush floor rug, the electric fireplace, and the almost completely-empty bookshelves. “You’ve done some redecorating since the last time I was here.”