by S. Nelson
Marek then glanced at Ace, a resolute look of frustration, worry, and anger all mixed to form something else altogether. “How are Jaz and the other two holding up? Has anyone else approached them?”
“Last I checked, they were fine. Jaz saw a doctor about her face. Once she heals up, she’ll get the scar taken care of.”
Jaz was a dancer at Indulge. She’d been attacked by the Reapers twice—once when she was at a club called Chaos with two other dancers, Raven and Skye, then once more when one of those bastards caught her right outside her house, in broad daylight, his buddy waiting inside.
“Okay. As of right now, I guess that’s it.” Marek knocked twice on the thick wood of the table. “As soon as we have a solid plan, which will be soon, I’ll fill you all in. Until then, make sure to stay alert, safe, and remind your families they aren’t to go anywhere without one of us.” He smacked Stone’s arm, then pointed at Tripp. “I know Zander and Luke are exempt from this rule because of their age and they can handle themselves, but remind them to be aware of their surroundings at all times. Don’t give them specifics, but drive home that things aren’t good right now and someone might be lookin’ to target them to get back at us.”
“Already done,” Stone replied.
“Same.” Tripp nodded in agreement with the club VP.
I watched as Marek raised the gavel, closing my eyes a second before the boom sounded, needing those few precious and brief seconds to reel in all of the anxiety and fear coursing through me at the prospect of what was to come.
All I wanted to do was get back home and see Zoe. Talk to her, hold her, kiss her. But as soon as I stood from my seat and walked toward the door, my plans were derailed. At least, for the time being.
“Brick, hold up.” Ryder’s voice came from behind, and while I couldn’t readily detect any anger in his voice, I was sure he was about to give me shit about my involvement with his daughter, in some way or another. I turned my head to the side and saw him approach without a hint of struggle on his part, which was good because it meant he was healing, as was I. He grabbed my shoulder when he was near, stepping in front of me and allowing everyone else to vacate before he inevitably started in on me.
Once we were alone, I stepped back, and his hand fell. “What’s up?” I prepared myself for what was gonna come out of his mouth, and even though I didn’t know the exact words I’d be hearing, his message would be clear. Zoe told me about the conversation she had with him when she went to visit him, and I doubted his feelings about me and her changed much since then.
“What I wanna say to you and what I’m gonna say are two different things.” He pulled a deep breath before continuing. There were several more lines etched around his eyes, the stress of everything going on surely taking its toll. “Zoe has been stubborn since she was little, always pushing back against me and anyone who tried to tell her what to do. I know she’s grown, but she’s still my little girl. I don’t like her with you. I don’t want her to be involved with any of this.”
“But she is because she’s related to you. You can’t change that.”
“I know. That’s why…” He stopped talking for a moment, his breaths slow and steady while his eyes narrowed. Ryder made a clicking noise with his throat, then flared his nostrils as his lungs deflated. “Do you care about her? More than someone to just fill your bed?” His eyes darkened when he asked his second question.
“Yes, I care about her. A lot. I’m worried about her every second I’m not with her. And as far as my bed is concerned, that’s none of your business.” There was a split second when I thought he was gonna say somethin’ snarky, but he didn’t.
“Then I’m happy she has someone else lookin’ out for her safety. I need all the help I can get as I have my hands full with Braylen and Roman.” Ryder stared at me for several seconds. “Don’t let anything happen to her,” he said, taking a single step closer. “I mean it. If she falls into harm in any way, I’m holding you responsible.”
I didn’t say anything in response. The only thing I could do was give him a curt nod, keeping my surprise hidden that he hadn’t ranted, demanding I keep my distance from her.
There was something unnerving about Ryder entrusting me to watch over his daughter. In an odd sort of way, he’d just stressed how dire our club’s situation really was.
Not that I needed the reminder.
18
I sensed him behind me before I saw him, the hairs on the back of my neck springing to attention. With my phone pressed against my ear, I turned slightly to the left and saw Brick leaning against the doorway of his bedroom, his eyes traveling the length of me, stopping for several seconds on my backside before wandering north to meet my stare.
“Okay, sounds good. I’ll see you then,” I said, ending the call with Natasha a moment later.
When I turned toward him, I froze, drinking in the sight of him. He was the epitome of raw and hungry maleness, his size only contributing a fraction to his essence.
Brick could be tender, but he could switch on a dime and become animalistic, embracing his baser needs when necessary. He ran every spectrum of the gamut, from sweet to devilish.
Dark brown eyes that captured and held me prisoner shone brightly back at me, the slight smirk he wore eliciting the ache between my legs to intensify.
“Who was that?”
“My boss.”
“Yeah? What’d she have to say?” He took a step into the room but kept his distance, tilting his head in wait of my response.
It appeared he wanted to play some sort of game, but I wasn’t privy to which one yet. The way he watched me made me squirm in place all while my breathing became stifled.
“She asked how my dad was doing. Then she wanted to know if I was ready to come back to work. She told me I could have more time if I needed, but I need to go back, take my mind off things. Besides, I’m sure it’s going to take me a week just to catch up.”
He took another step closer. Then another, his arms clasped behind his back. “You should’ve taken her up on her offer. It’d put my mind at ease, knowing where you are at all times. I don’t think I’m ready to let you go yet.” His tone was low and deep. If his voice were tangible, I’d cloak myself in it every day.
I ignored his comments. “I need to go back on Monday.”
“That’s only two days from now.” Gone was any hint of playfulness. “Can’t you go back the following week?” He was in front of me seconds later, digging his fingers into my upper arms and pulling me into him. “It’s too soon.”
“It’s not too soon,” I argued. My right foot moved behind me, but he immobilized me. “I haven’t even gone in to set up my office. It’s filled with the boxes I had shipped from London and I’m sure it’s gonna take me forever as it is to get organized enough so I can tackle the work that’s waiting for me.”
“Call her back and tell her you’ll start in another week.” He acted like he hadn’t heard a damn thing I just said.
“No.” I attempted to move back once again, but it was futile. Brick wouldn’t release me until he was finished trying to convince me to take off more time from my job.
His brows drew inward. “Yes.”
“I said no.”
His teeth toyed with his bottom lip, staring at me like he was contemplating what to say next. But no matter what words came out of his mouth, they wouldn’t convince me to change my mind on the subject. I wasn’t prepared for the tactic he used instead, however.
“Please.” A flash of worry passed over his gorgeous face, and for a split second, I almost caved.
“I can’t.” I stepped into him and it was only then he released my arms long enough for me to wrap them around his large form. “You can take me to and from work for a few days if you want. At least until I get a car.”
“I already told you that you’re not goin’ anywhere without me, which obviously includes work. And as far as a car goes, you don’t have to worry about that for quite some time.”
/> I felt safer knowing Brick was going to essentially be attached to my hip for the foreseeable future, but a part of me wanted to push against his restrictions, to take back a piece of my independence. But instead of causing an unnecessary argument, because I’d get nowhere with the stubborn man in front of me, I changed the topic altogether.
“There’s something I want to tell you, and even though we kind of talked about it, I don’t know how you’re going to react.” I stepped back before he could stop me. “Let’s sit down.” Sliding my palm into his, I led him to the edge of the bed.
“You’re freakin’ me out, woman.”
“Don’t be.” We sat close, facing each other. I needed to read his reaction to know if I should continue with the conversation after I blurted out the first part. But instead of speaking right away, I fidgeted with the hem of my shorts, my eyes darting to his every other second.
“Out with it.” His long sigh was an indication his patience wore thin.
“I talked to Andy earlier, and she’s going back to London tomorrow morning.”
“Okayyyy.” I didn’t speak again right away. “Why are you tellin’ me this?”
“Because tonight would be the only time we’d have to… do what we talked about… with her… if we wanted to.” I tore my eyes from his, but the movement only seemed to irritate him. Before I even saw him move a muscle, I was straddling his lap, the air in my lungs forced from me in a whoosh.
His eyebrows tugged together again. “You mean the threesome.” His words didn’t form a question. “Are you sure you wanna do it? Does she?”
“Do you?” I asked, wanting him to answer before me.
“I think I’d be open to it if you are.” His tongue glided over his lips before disappearing back inside his mouth, the small teasing flicker enough to make me squirm on his lap.
“It doesn’t mean that just because I’m bisexual that I automatically have threesomes. While I was exploring my sexuality, I indulged and found I enjoyed the experience.”
“Okay,” he responded, studying my face.
“I wanted to make that clear.”
“Gotcha.” A slow lazy smile stretched his lips, putting me more at ease.
The racing of my heart slowed, allowing me to seize control of my thoughts enough to continue. “We’d have to set up some rules before we do anything.”
“Like what?” he asked. “What’s something you don’t want to do?”
“It’s not something I don’t want to do. It’s something I don’t want you to do,” I replied, becoming more anxious as the conversation progressed. Not because I didn’t want to do it but because I wasn’t sure how I’d feel sharing Brick with another woman. “I told you before your dick belongs to me only. I don’t want you sticking it in any part of her.”
“Not even her mouth?”
I stalled for a few seconds in contemplation of my answer, the image of her sucking him off making me hot, yet insanely jealous. Then I pictured him fucking her and that was something I couldn’t get on board with because I was more jealous of that image than turned on.
“Maybe her mouth but definitely not her pussy or her ass.”
“Ass?” He made a clicking noise with his tongue. “Damn. I didn’t know anal was on the table.” He laughed when I smacked his shoulder.
“It’s not. Besides, can you even fit that thing in anyone’s ass?” I quickly covered his mouth with my hand. “Don’t answer that.” Brick wiggled his brows, but when I dropped my arm back to my lap, he only smirked, not saying a word.
“What other rules should there be?” I asked, anxious to finish this conversation so we could make a definitive answer on whether to go through with this.
“I don’t want to do it here. The only woman I want in my bed is you.” He kissed me, then pulled back. “Is she staying at a hotel?”
“Yeah.”
“Then if it’s okay with her, we can meet her there.”
“I’m sure she’ll be fine with that.” I tangled my fingers into the thick of his hair, playing with the strands as a form of distraction because what I wanted to ask him next might sting if he answered the wrong way. “Do you think… is there a possibility you won’t want….” I tilted my head from side to side. A groan of unnerving frustration escaped from me and I contemplated swallowing my next words.
“What are you tryin’ to say?” He shifted beneath me. “Why do you look so nervous? Just ask me.” Brick captured my cheeks in his large warm hands, the tenderness of his touch erasing some of my sudden anxiety.
“Will I be enough afterward?” The tension I’d been holding deflated and I slumped in his arms, my hands resting on the tops of his thighs. Our eyes were glued to each other and I prayed for him to put me out of my misery as soon as possible.
“How could you ever think you’d never be enough for me? It’s me who should be askin’ you that question.”
“Trust me, you’re more than enough.” A ghost of a smile spread across my face but fell flat when his expression remained unfazed.
“I’ve told you before how us coming from different worlds is a worry of mine. Not now, but in the future. And while you say that stuff doesn’t matter, I think it will eventually. You’re too good for me. I know it. Ryder knows it, and I think you know it too. But I’m willing to give us a shot and see what happens.” He kissed me again, nipping at my mouth before severing the quick connection. “So, for you to ask me if I think you’ll be enough after we do this… my answer is a thousand yeses.” He looked down right before he dropped his hands from my face. Every second his eyes weren’t on mine was like torture.
What thoughts ran through his mind? Had I complicated things between us without realizing it? Did I believe his answer, or did he tell me what he thought I wanted to hear? “Maybe this isn’t a good idea after all.”
My stomach dropped and a wave of nausea rippled through me.
“Us?” I whispered.
Brick’s gaze slid back to mine in a heartbeat, the intensity of his stare swallowing me, making it hard for me to take my next breath.
“I’m talkin’ about the fuckin’ threesome.” He shook his head slightly. “If I told you how I truly feel about you, Zo, I’d scare you off for sure.”
“Try me.” He shook his head again, his tentativeness riddled in the coiled ridges of his muscles. “Please. I need to hear it.”
“Okay, but if you run from me, I’ll chase you.”
“I hope so,” I responded, needing to be consumed by him, in every possible way I could think of.
“Okay,” he said, releasing a heavy breath. “Here goes.” He closed his eyes briefly before looking at me again. “My need to protect you consumes me, so much that sometimes I can’t think straight. I get agitated easily when I’m not with you, and when I am with you, I’m already thinking about having to leave you, which only pisses me off. It’s a vicious cycle.”
He stopped speaking, cupping the back of my head, and tugging me close, resting his forehead against mine. I saw a flicker of vulnerability in his eyes, but it disappeared before I could grab hold of it.
“When I see other men look at you, I wanna rip their fuckin’ eyes out of their head. When you told me you were only with two other men before, I wanted to ask you for their names so I could beat them for having touched you in the first place. When I’m inside you, I wanna stay there forever. I want every one of your smiles, your laughs, your tears. I want you to be consumed by me like I am by you. I don’t want you to think about anyone except me. I don’t want you to talk to anyone else except me. If I could keep you in this house forever, I would. Have you all to myself, forever.” He swallowed, the silence that followed stifling, yet comforting at the same time.
“Wow.” My one-word response was the only one I could think of to say.
“I warned you.”
“You know I have to talk to men, not only at work but in life in general, right?” I pulled back so I could see his face.
“I know. I’m
not sayin’ you can’t talk to men. I would never control anything you say or do. I’m simply tellin’ you what thoughts consume me, like you asked. Should I have kept my mouth shut?” Worry passed over his features, but when I answered his question with a searing kiss, he relaxed into me.
“Thank you,” I said when I finally came up for air.
“For what?”
“For dismissing my worries with your crazy thoughts.”
“You’re welcome.” The inflection in his deep voice made those two words into a question of sorts. “Does this mean we’re on for tonight with Andy? Because if you’re having second thoughts, we won’t do it. I’m fine with that. Whatever you want.”
I moved off his lap before he could stop me. “I’ll tell her we’ll be there tonight.”
19
“Are you sure you’re okay with everything I said?” My grip on the steering wheel intensified, the ache in my fingers when I flexed them afterward making me wince.
“For the thousandth time, yes. I think you’re sweet.” Zoe placed her hand high up on my leg. If she moved over two inches, she’d be met with a surprise. I’d been hard since we left the house. That’s a lie. I’d been hard since she thanked me for telling her everything I had, that my words somehow dismissed her worries about her not being enough for me.
I took a huge risk rambling off all the crazy thoughts in my head, but she asked for it. I only hoped when she had more time to think about what I’d said, she wouldn’t turn and run.
My feelings for her intensified every day, and while what I told her was possessive and controlling, I’d never mistreat her in any way. She had her own life to live, her own friends, and a job she loved. That didn’t mean if I saw a guy hitting on her, I wouldn’t react, or if I thought she was putting herself in danger, even after the threat toward the club ended, that I wouldn’t say something, impose my thoughts on the situation. And I suspected she’d speak her mind if the roles were reversed.
