Page 121 of Ruthless Bishop (Sinners and Saints 3)

Surrounded by our friends and wrapped in Connor’s arms, my heart is full of the brightest joy. It breaks through any shadows, lighting me up with an ember of warmth that makes me feel stronger.

“Face mask self-care day tomorrow. You in?” Maisy points between Blair and me.

“Wouldn’t miss it,” I say. “Do you like face masks, Blair?”

She blinks, glancing at Devlin. He rubs her arm, dropping a kiss on her shoulder.

“Uh, sure. I’ve never done one.”

“Oh my god! Girl. I’m about to change your life. This is it, this is our bonding moment. Come with me.” Maisy gets up, taking Blair’s hands. “This can’t wait. We’re doing this right now. Come on, Devlin. You’re doing one, too. We’ll film it and put it on our stories. Baby’s first face mask!”

Leaning against Connor, I laugh at Blair’s perplexed expression. “Go on, she doesn’t have an off switch when she decides to do something. It doesn’t take long and it feels good.”

“Take lots of pictures,” Connor says. “I want proof of our Devil Boy in his true form.”

Devlin flips him off.

Maisy snaps and points at Connor. “You’re right. Is your hair long enough for pigtails? They’ll look like horns. It’ll be bomb.”

“Aren’t you, like, quiet at school? What the hell?” Devlin asks, bewildered.

“Not around people that know me,” she says.

“Never underestimate the quiet ones, bro.”

I shake my head. “You did. Look where it got you.”

“Yeah?” Connor pulls me on his lap, trapping me in his strong arms as he puts his lips by my ear. “It got me a lapful of this.”

I laugh and yelp as he attacks my neck with kisses. No matter what happened before, I’m safe and loved now. The shining truth of it glows in my chest.

“Okay, enjoy the make-out time,” Maisy says as she herds Devlin and Blair through the back door. “Don’t get too frisky. Or do. You know, self-care. Peace, bitches.”

“You heard her,” Connor murmurs, angling my head back for a languid kiss. “Mm, you always smell sweeter when you bake. I love it.”

I shift around on his lap so I can face him, looping my hands around his neck. “How does your arm feel? I know you think you’re superhuman, but the sling only came off a couple weeks ago.”

“It’s good.” He takes my hand that was cut and brings it to his lips, kissing each of my knuckles. His gray eyes meet mine, full of warmth. He’s quiet for a moment, taking me in. “You hold my heart in your hands. Promise you’ll take care of it, okay?”

I give him an impish smirk, cupping his jaw. He drops another kiss to my healing palm. “Like take it for walks and keep it fed? Easy, it’s just like caring for Constantine.”

Connor wraps his arms around my waist with a playful growl, dragging his mouth over my skin. “You know how I like to be fed, baby.”

“My heart is yours, too,” I say after he stops teasing me. “It always will be.”

When he kisses me again, we lose all track of time, warmed by the fire and our love.

Epilogue

THEA

December, 11 Months Later

Squinting from the cryptic note Connor gave me to the numbers above the row of shops on the main street in downtown Ridgeview, I huff. After a quick kiss good morning, my boyfriend disappeared from our apartment, leaving behind a handwritten note that sent me on a wild scavenger hunt all over town. He loves these games, and I usually end up delighted by his surprises, but I would have enjoyed it more if we spent the morning cuddling in bed instead of roaming all over Ridgeview.

“This can’t be right.”

I glance up and down the street, standing in front of an empty storefront with big windows covered in paper. The shop sits between a florist and an art gallery, both decorated for the holidays. It was recently for sale. I secretly passed by it every day on my way to work making pastries at the coffee shop, imagining how nice a mural would look on the wall inside. It would be a big sun and moon celestial painting surrounding the name of my future bakery—Eclipsed Tarts Baking Co.

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