Page 391 of Savage Bosses

“Bryceson,” she started, only to have him interrupt her.

“I didn’t kill anyone.”

That was what he said every time he came home from one of his father’s tasks. That was the only thing he’d tell her of the task. To him, it was the only thing that was important. He hadn’t killed anyone.

“I didn’t kill anyone,” he repeated, staring at the ceiling. “Therefore, I’m not a complete monster yet.”

“You’re not a monster at all,” Tatianna insisted, hating when he talked like this.

“What am I then?” His gaze met hers. “What am I, Tatianna?”

“Mine,” she whispered. “You’re mine, Bryceson Cattaneo.”

“Then promise me that no matter what happens in the future, you’ll never forget that you own my heart or that I’m yours. You’ll never forget that I love you, that I need you. Promise me.”

“I promise.”

He pulled her into him tightly, and she melted against his side, her body molding against his. The heat of his body radiated against hers, and it made every inch of her feel alive with love, comfort, and understanding. One day, he’d tell her what was bothering him. One day, he’d truly believe her words.

He’d stopped seeing himself as a monster. He’d stop talking down about himself. One day, he’d see himself the way she saw him. Until that day came, she’d be there to remind him that he was perfect and that he was loved.

“You have a beautiful heart, Tati,” Bryce whispered. “Thank you for giving your beautiful heart to me. I’ll cherish it forever.”

Tatianna smiled.This man!

“You’re welcome, my sweet Bryce.”

This was what it felt like to be truly loved. She hoped this feeling lasted forever. But at the back of her mind, a tiny voice whispered,nothing lasts forever. Ignoring that tiny voice, she listened to the beating of Bryce’s heart until she drifted off to sleep.

Chapter Four

Tatianna

A week later

T

oday had been a great day at work, mainly because Marco had called out sick for the last two days. But also because a guy had proposed to his girlfriend during dinner. He’d asked to have the ring put in a dessert Tatianna had made for them.

The guy had told Tatianna that his girlfriend always used her finger to eat the frosting off her cupcakes before eating the cupcake. Tatianna had almost cried when the woman found the ring in the cream cheese frosting of the red velvet cupcake.

The woman had said yes, making everyone there cheer for the happy couple. For the rest of the evening, Tatianna found herself imagining what it would be like to be proposed to by Bryceson. She’d been in such a good mood that she hadn’t complained when the manager asked if she could lock up for the night after she was done doing inventory.

Today was Marco’s day to lock up. Since he was out, the manager had asked if she could do it. Since she was staying late anyway, she’d quickly agreed. However, when night came, she regretted agreeing to do so. She hated locking up, especially on days when Bryceson dropped her off at work.

Today wouldn’t have been one of those days if she hadn’t awoken to her front tire being on flat. She’d called Bryceson to take her to work. He was supposed to pick her up after work also. When she’d called him twelve minutes ago, he’d said he was ten minutes away. She should’ve known that his ten minutes meant he was actually twenty minutes away.

Tatianna’s hands trembled slightly as she turned the key in the lock. The aroma of garlic and tomato sauce still clung to her, despite the fact that she’d changed out of her work clothes. Today’s special was spaghetti, and damn near every customer who entered during lunch and dinner had ordered it.

She jiggled the doorknob to make sure the door was locked. It was. As she stepped away from the door, she couldn’t shake the nagging sensation that something wasn’t right. She blamed the feeling on the scary movie she’d stayed up late watching.

“Get a grip, Tatianna,” she muttered under her breath, chastising herself for letting her imagination run wild. “Everything is fine.”

As she stepped out onto the dimly lit sidewalk, the echo of her heels on the concrete seemed unnaturally loud. She should’ve worn tennis shoes. But tennis shoes didn’t go with her dress. And tonight was a date night with Bryceson. So, she’d brought an extra cute dress to wear when she got off.

And extra cute dresses had to be paired with heels. But the sound of her own heels was scaring her. She stood on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant, staring in the direction she knew Bryce should be coming from.Come on, Bryce, where are you?Should I wait inside until you get here?

Yeah, waiting inside sounded like a very good idea. It was better than standing on the curb, looking like a streetwalker. Just as she was about to turn around and head back into the restaurant to wait for Bryce, she heard the faintest sound of footsteps behind her. And they were quickly moving closer. She was not imagining this. This was really happening. Fear seized her heart.

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