Chapter 13 – Beau
BEAU
Brinley swore up-and-down that she wasn’t mad about my mom’s dinner ambush, but I know her too well.
She’s definitely pissed—not at me, or Mom, but just at the world.
At the fact that I couldn’t introduce her as my girlfriend.
I wish there was a way to make her feel less shitty about it, but there’s nothing I can do.
It makes me feel powerless. Useless. A waste of her time.
It doesn’t help that the Peppermint investigation is chugging along at a terrifying speed.
Nate’s PI has cleared all the employees at Terrace, UPS, Twisted Devil, and Velvet )
I can practically see her rolling her eyes at that, even though it’s totally true.
I finish stretching, wave goodbye to Luke, and take the elevator up to Terrace.
Brinley stands outside the locked glass door in jeans and a purple henley, looking so fucking adorable that I want to kiss her right here.
“Hey, Beau,” she says. “I think I left my sweater here the other night.”
She’s still performing, even though there’s nobody on the floor to hear us. “Come on in,” I tell her, rolling my eyes. “You can check the lost and found.”
I unlock the door and lead her inside. The place is completely closed, chairs upside down on top of the tables. Once we’re safely hidden in the kitchen, I take Brinley’s face in my hands and steal a kiss. I feel her smiling against my lips.
“Hi,” she says, wrapping her arms around my neck.
“Hi.” I brush my lips against hers again. “I missed you.”
“You just saw me.”
“That didn’t count. I couldn’t kiss you like I wanted with all our friends and my mom around. I missed this Brinley.” I squeeze her hips. “The one that’s my girlfriend.”
“I’m always your girlfriend, just in case any stunning Italian women need to be reminded.”
“I told you. She’s not my type. I like my girls short, curvy, and mean. Just like you.”
She rolls her eyes, but I can see from the way her smile deepens that it’s what she needed to hear.
“What time is your flight leaving tomorrow?” Brinley asks.
“Noon. I’ll land pretty late, so I might crash at the airport hotel instead of driving to the villa. And I already picked out the rental car I’m going to pick you up in.”
“Beau, you know I don’t care what kind of car you pick me up in”
“I know.” I sigh. “It’s the only thing about you that isn’t perfect. No appreciation for a good sportscar. And your flight should land at nine, right?”
She nods. “Planning this trip never gets any easier, does it?”
“It’s worth it, though.” Brinley and I have spent months on the logistics, planting cover stories, booking separate flights to Italy and staggered departures on the way back.
Everyone knows about my annual trip, but coming up with a cover for Brinley is always a little harder.
This year, we went with something close to the truth.
Brinley has been obsessed with finding the perfect coffee for the Copper Cup, and she’s come up with an elaborate fake coffee tour through Europe.
Brinley is always the one who gets paranoid that we’ll get caught, making me reassure her that we’ve done this three times already.
It might not be easy, but it will work out.
I can see that worry curling in her eyes even now, so I kiss her again to make her forget.
Her body goes pliant against mine, her soft breasts pressing against my chest. My cock twitches pathetically in my gym shorts and I groan.
“Why can’t we be in Italy right now?”
“Because we haven’t developed the ability to teleport yet,” Brinley says.
“Are you sure you can’t get away for a few more days?” I sound pathetic, like a kid begging for a toy.
Brinley shakes her head sadly. “I can’t. It would be too suspicious. The Copper Cup is doing well, but we’re not rolling in dough. If I closed Friday and Saturday, those are our biggest foot traffic days. It would raise eyebrows.”
“Couldn’t Trevor handle it without you?”
“Trevor can barely manage the shop when I’m there, let alone by himself. We’ll have to make do with three days. Try not to be too disappointed.” She kisses the tip of my nose lightly. “Now go shower. You smell like a gym sock.”
“You love it.”
She wrinkles her nose adorably and brushes her lips against mine one more time. “I’ll see you in a few days.”
I watch the sway of her hips as she walks away, already wishing she didn’t have to go.
That I didn’t have to fly alone or find a way to waste two days in the villa while I wait for her to come.
I could spend it swimming, cooking, or just enjoying the solitude.
Instead, I know I’ll just be counting the hours until she lands.