Page 20 of Cocky Brutal Sinner

“Should I knock when your sandwich is ready?” I ask.

“Sure,” Eden says after a moment. “That’d be great.”

She slips out, leaving Brinley and me alone in the kitchen. The mushrooms are soft and browned, so I empty them into a bowl and grab some garlic. Brinley shakes her head. “Do you really need four cloves of garlic for this? Isn’t that a little too much?”

“No such thing as too much garlic.”

“Says the man hoping to get laid later with his garlic breath.”

I lean over, my lips an inch from hers. “Says the man who knows he’s getting laid later, because you’re too hot for me to let a little garlic get in the way.”

Brinley’s eyes grow hooded with want, and I wink. She always wants me after watching me cook. I see the way her gaze lingers on my hands as I grab a bottle of olive oil and pour more in the pan. She loves my hands almost as much as she loves my muscles, and I never get tired of giving her a show.

I wish I could just enjoy this, Brinley perched on the counter and giving me shit while I cook for her. But I can’t forget the conversation at Luke’s today. I was able to steer the conversation away from any mention of Brinley, but I don’t know how long I can keep doing that. Eventually, someone else is going to figure out that she has the motive and opportunity to be Peppermint.

I could ask her, now, and end the whole thing. It’s not the right time for that conversation, though. It’s too soon after the article went viral—too confrontational.

Or you’re just scared.

Because if she confirms she’s Peppermint, then I’m officially lying to the guys to protect her. I already know I can’t betray her, but it’ll tear at me to betray them, too. For now, I just want to live in the unknown for a little longer.

Except Brinley must be reading my mind, because she says, “I heard about Luke’s deal with Air Canada falling through. That’s awful.”

I glance up at her. “Yeah. He’s really pissed about it.”

Something flashes across her face. I don’t know if it’s guilt, regret, or sympathy.

“Poor Luke,” she says. “I know he was proud of that deal.”

“Yeah.”

The air feels full of all the things I can’t mention. That it’s Peppermint who ruined the deal. That normally, Brinley wouldn’t give a single shit about Luke being disappointed. That she still resents him for what he did—and what I was part of.

Brinley pulls out her phone and turns on some lo-fi music. Gentle melodies fill the room, pushing out some of the intrusive thoughts.

While Brinley dishes out the risotto and uncorks a bottle of wine, I make up Eden’s sandwich. I leave it outside her door with a light knock.

I take my usual seat at the kitchen table, and Brinley slides into my lap before I can push my chair in. I wrap my arms around her.

“I thought you wanted risotto,” I say.

“I thought maybe you could feed it to me,” she says in a low voice.

“You like being spoiled that much?”

“I love when you spoil me.” She shifts on my lap, the weight of her body making my cock stiffen. Brinley grins, and I know she feels it.

I draw small circles on her hip with my thumb. “Did you want to skip dinner?”

“No, I’m starving. I’m just a little…impatient.” She leans in and nips gently at my earlobe. It sends a wave of heat down my spine. Fuck, if we keep this up, we’ll never get through dinner.

I force myself to take a forkful of risotto. Brinley opens her full lips, a silent invitation to feed her. Ignoring her, I eat it myself, making her pout dramatically.

“You’ll have to feed yourself, Brinley baby. I promise, though, I’ll make it up to you by spoiling you later.”

I squeeze her hip, almost as impatient as she is. I know I need her tonight, because cooking and working out weren’t enough to quell the anxiety pounding through my blood.

Holding Brinley is the one thing left that can make all the noise stop.