She peered around the doorway of the little girl’s room and saw her sleeping soundly. And as she stood there watching her, she felt completely at peace. There was something so nice about being a part of this little family. It all felt really right to her, as if she always should have been there. Almost as if they had been waiting for her.
She smiled and tiptoed quietly out of the room, and then she crept back downstairs, turned off some of the lights, and climbed onto the couch with a blanket and the remote.
She looked down at her cellphone and could see she already had texts from Cadence, but instead of reading them properly, she left the phone on the table and her phone on silent. Only checking the lock screen every half an hour just to make sure Brick hadn’t tried to call her.
She watched a terrible old comedy movie, and then she channel surfed until her eyelids started to droop. She still felt worked up over Cadence, and now she was worried about Brick too. The way he had left was strange, and the more she thought about it, the more she was convinced he was worked up about something.
Something bad.
She rubbed the back of her neck and tried not to get consumed by it. When it came down to it, it really wasn’t any of her business.
She changed channels again and wiggled her toes, trying to distract herself from all the burning questions she had bubbling up inside her.
She looked at the clock again and saw it was past midnight. She was tired, but she knew she could easily stay awake, and after she had fallen asleep the last time she had looked after Maddy, she was determined this time she was going to be fully present throughout. She changed channels again and continued to skip through what seemed like an endless amount of Spanish soap operas, infomercials, and made for TV movies, when, suddenly, she was aware of headlights shining through the crack in the curtains, and she heard the roar of an engine.
But she could tell it wasn’t Brick’s bike.
This engine sounded deeper, guttural, like an old truck. And Jasmine jumped to her feet and ran to the window to peer through the gap in the curtains.
She held her breath as she watched the black truck she knew she recognized screech to a halt at the bottom the steps. She tried to hide herself, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away and she knew she had to see what was going on.
Her heart raged in her chest as she watched the door swing open and the hunched figure slump out onto the street. Her eyes scanned furiously from left to right, trying to make out what was happening…
The figure was clutching their side and they limped quickly away from the truck, dashing for the steps to the house and then they began to climb them quickly, but with immense difficulty.
Jasmine let the curtain drop and she raced to the front door where she unlocked it and pulled it open, standing there with her mouth hanging open both out of fear and shock.
“Brick?” she gasped. “What the hell happened?”
He almost fell through the doorway and he grunted as if he was trying not to cry out in pain, and Jasmine could instantly see he was hurt. He had a large gash above his eye and his lip was dripping blood, he clutched onto his side, holding his ribs and she wrapped her arms around him and helped him inside, before she kicked the door closed behind them.
He didn’t say a word, but with her help, he made it over to the couch and she got him to sit down. His face was full of rage and fury, and Jasmine felt scared. Truly scared of him, for the first time since they had met.
“Brick?” she whispered again.
He shook his head, dismissing her question, and Jasmine found herself backing away.
She walked backward until her ass bumped against the door to the hallway, and then she slipped through it and ran down to the kitchen.
She opened up as many cupboards as she could get her hands on and searched frantically for a First Aid kit and a large bowl. When she finally found the bowl, she ran the tap until the water was clean and warm, and then she filled it to the top, and grabbed a clean towel from the downstairs bathroom. Back in the kitchen, she searched high and low for some bandages and ointment, and when she finally discovered some in an old wicker basket underneath the counter, she nearly fist bumped the air in victory.
She held everything underneath and in her arms, and she moved swiftly back into the front room, where Brick was sitting on the couch still with his head in his hands.
Jasmine didn’t say a word.
She knew she shouldn’t.
He clearly didn’t want her to see him like this, and he was obviously in a bad way.
She placed the bowl on the floor and then kneeled down beside him. She didn’t know what was coming over her, but she knew she had to help him. She took hold of his hand and he flinched, but she didn’t let him pull away. He looked at her, she could feel his intense eyes burning into her soul, but she refused to look up and meet them. If she did, she knew she would be disarmed.
She dropped the towel into the warm water and soaked it up before she rung it out and dabbed at the cuts on his knuckles. The silver, skill rings that adorned them were completely caked in the thick, red ooze, and she was sure she could see pieces of skin and hair caught up in them too.
She tried not to flinch and she patted them down, cleaning them, soothing them, making them better.
Brick exhaled through his nose and she was sure she felt him relax. She finally let herself look up into his eyes, and when they locked in on hers, she felt her whole body quake.
He really was something else.
So different than anything she had ever known before.
She didn’t know if it was because he was older, or because his soul and hers seemed to need each other. It was such a strange feeling, but it was as if she had known him from long before. As if they had really been waiting for each other.
She raised her hand with the towel and dabbed at his forehead. His gaze didn’t once break hers, and she cleaned it properly, before she moved down to his lip.
The moment she touched them, her breath caught in her throat. She dabbed at the blood and took it away and then she realized he had moved closer to her. She was between his legs, kneeling on the floor, as he was sitting on the couch looking down on her with so much authority it made her shiver.
He reached up and traced a finger down the side of her face. It lingered there for a moment as he swept away a strand of hair. Jasmine’s heart was pounding and she could barely breathe. She was so nervous, and so confused. She knew what she wanted, but she knew she couldn’t go out and take it.
Surely, it had to be wrong?
How could she even feel this way?
Brick moved closer to her again and this time, he took the towel from her hands and gripped her wrist. His strength was overpowering, and as he looked into her eyes again, she knew he felt it too.
They wanted each other.
There was something between them that was big and dangerous, but it was obvious neither of them could deny it.
He breathed in deeply and Jasmine gasped. He squeezed her wrist tightly and pulled her closer to him. She could feel the heat from his breath on her face, and she wanted, so badly, to reach up and run her hands through his hair.
She could feel his hard and huge muscles pressing into her stomach as he held her there, rooted to the spot, and they continued to stare into each other’s eyes. It was like they were daring each other to make the first move. And even though Jasmine was finding it hard not to go in for the kill, she also knew she had to let him take her.
Brick leaned forward and Jasmine felt her legs turn to jelly. He relaxed his grip on her wrist and reached up and held onto the back of her neck. He looked pained, as if he knew he shouldn’t be doing it, but that he couldn’t stop himself. Jasmine’s pussy ached for him. The sensation of him touching her was sending her into a trembling mess.
She gasped again as he came in close and his lips brushed against hers. She could feel him and taste him, and she yearned for him in ways she had never for anyone else.
&nbs
p; This was torture.
“Please,” she whispered right before he pressed his lips against hers and kissed her so powerfully it took her breath away.
As he held her there and his tongue parted her lips and began to search her mouth, she felt tiny in his arms, as if she were riding a wave of a dream.
Her vision was blurred and everything was fuzzy. She couldn’t keep a hold of reality or what was going on around them. Something had happened, they had been brought together and in no time at all, they hadn’t been able to resist each other any longer.
Jasmine ran her hands through his hair and Brick gripped her hips and thrust against her. He grunted and she felt his strength as he moved her backward and rose to his feet, taking her with him.
She leaned right up on the tips of her toes and wrapped her arms around his neck, their mouths fused together and their movements hungry and rapid.
It was an incredible kiss. It was the kind of kiss Jasmine had always dreamed of but didn’t believe truly existed. It was the kind of kiss she had seen in the movies, the kind that had been turned into a sort of Urban Legend. The kind that could change lives.
She was his in that moment, and she never wanted it to end. Brick pushed her back against the wall and kissed her so hard and good her knees trembled and almost gave way.
He was such a man.
He was such a daddy.
Cadence had been right all along.
“Brick,” she gasped as she opened her eyes and they stared at each other. They were both panting and could barely catch their breath, and Jasmine felt a rush of panic.
What are we doing? she thought. We can’t, this is so wrong!
She swallowed and knew the alarm on her face had transferred over to him because he stared back with the exact same expression.
“Jasmine,” he whispered as he took a step back and looked down at the floor.
Her own heart plummeted with his and she bit her lip, blinking back the tears.
She wanted it so badly it hurt. But she couldn’t have it.
It was just so, so wrong.
“I’m sorry,” she said as she dashed over to the couch and started to collect up her things. “I shouldn’t have…”
“No,” he said as he reached out and grabbed her arm. “I shouldn’t have.”
They stared at each other again, the tension between them reaching breaking point and Jasmine’s mind a mess of lust and need.
But she had to do what was right.
He was her employer.
And he was almost twice her age.
“I’m sorry,” she said again and then she wriggled free from his grip and rushed to the door. “I don’t know what came over me,” she panted.
But she did know.
She knew all too well now.
Brick ran his hand through his hair and looked even more angry than he had when he had come in, he looked so mad it was as if he were about to punch the wall.
“It’s wrong, Jasmine,” he said quietly. “We both know it.”
She nodded her head, opened the door and took another step away from him, even though that was the last thing she wanted to do.
Brick watched her as she slipped out into the night, and her heart pounded in her chest as she began to run down the steps and out toward the end of the street.
She only turned back when she was about to disappear from view, but she saw him standing there in the doorway watching her, and her heart ached for him.
She didn’t want to leave him.
She wanted to stay there forever, to take care of him and Maddy. She wanted to be there each and every day, and she wanted to learn all there was to know.
“Fuck,” she said to herself as she picked her pace up again and started to jog home, with her bag slapping against her side. “Just… Fuck!”
She raced through the night and didn’t look back again. She had already gone too far, but she had the feeling she was never going to be able to outrun the way she felt…
The damage had already been done.
9.
She woke with a headache the next morning and, for a split second, she thought it had all been a crazy dream. But, as the minutes passed and she became more awake, she realized what had happened and her mouth became dry with nerves.
Her and Brick had kissed.
And it hadn’t just been a kiss. It had been something intense… Something powerful.
She rubbed her forehead and tried to bury her head under the pillow, but she knew, deep down, this wasn’t the way to handle this situation. She had to own it. She had to not hide away.
She rolled over and picked up her cellphone and the first thing she saw was his name illuminating the screen.
He had texted her.
Her mouth went even drier with nerves and she took a sip of water. She realized her hands were shaking as she punched in the code to unlock the phone and then she took a deep breath before she opened to read it…
B: We need to talk. If you can make it for 4pm, I’d be grateful…
So, he was back to being cold and blunt with her, and now her mind was on overdrive. Did he want to talk to her about last night? Or did he want to talk because he was going to fire her? He’d be “grateful”? What the hell did that even mean?
She got out of bed with a scowl on her face and began to pace the room. She felt full of fire and rage, but she was also nervous as hell.
How had she let herself get into this situation?
She had found the perfect job, and she had gone and fallen for her boss and now, she felt vulnerable and at risk.
She kicked the edge of her dressing table and winced before she bent down to clutch her foot in pain. This was not the way she had wanted to start her day, and as each moment passed, she was becoming more and more irate.
She walked to the kitchen with her arms folded and her head pounding with stress, and just when she thought it couldn’t get any worse, suddenly, there was a loud banging on the door.
She jumped and turned around to glare at it and held her hand up to her chest, barely able to breathe.
“Jas!” a familiar voice came from the other side. “Jas! Open up! I need to talk to you!”
It was Cadence.
“Oh, well, isn’t this just perfect,” she whispered to herself, still feeling angry and worked up over how they had left things the previous evening.
The knocking kept on coming, and Jasmine knew Cadence was fully aware she was inside. Just like the situation with Brick, there was going to be no hiding from this one.
She took a few deep breaths to calm herself down and then she walked reluctantly to her front door. She peered through the peephole and could see Cadence on the other side, she looked panicked and troubled.
She braced herself for the argument she could tell was coming. Her and Cadence’s friendship had always been fiery, they were like sisters, but sometimes, when one really hurt the other, it went from intense fire to explosion.
Cadence had hurt Jasmine the previous evening. She had worked her up, mocked her, and then she had taken great pleasure in sending her away, making it perfectly clear she had intended to watch everything that happened with Brick.
Brick.
Cadence had been there when he had gone to meet the other Forsaken Riders.
And with a flash of realization, Jasmine grabbed the handle and flung open the door.
“Oh my God,” Cadence said as she pushed her way inside. She was all worked up, swinging her handbag around and crashing it down on the countertop in the kitchen. She was breathing rapidly and fanning her face with her palms.
“Do you get a kick out of ignoring me?” she gasped as she took a minute to get some air.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Jasmine asked. “It’s eight thirty in the morning.”
“And you’ve been ignoring my calls and texts since you stormed off last night,” Cadence said as she sat down on one of the bar stools and started to run the tap to splash water on her face.
> “I was working,” Jasmine said sternly as she crossed her arms over her chest.
“Oh, I know you were, and that’s why I called you! I saw your man turn up… And holy hell, did shit go down!”
“What kind of shit?” Jasmine asked as she took a step forward.
In the back of her mind, she still had the very fresh image of Brick and his injuries. She could still feel him, the way she had taken his hand and started to clean up the cuts for him, the way he had gripped her wrist and pulled her close. She felt her heart start to race instinctively. The moment he came back into her consciousness was the moment she began to unravel.
“Jasmine, that guy is insane… He’s dangerous…” Cadence was looking at her with a serious amount of worry. And Jasmine felt tears welling up behind her eyes.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“Well, I was just sitting where you left me, and it must have been maybe fifteen minutes after you’d gone. Suddenly, this roar came from behind me, and this guy flew down Main Street on a huge motorcycle. He was driving like an absolute maniac, swerving from side to side, and the rage on his face… Jeez… I’ve never seen anything like it.”
She paused for a moment and Jasmine could barely stand the suspense. She had to know what had happened, even if she couldn’t bear to hear it.
“How did you now it was Brick?” Jasmine whispered. Trying anything to make this awful story sound less frightening than it so clearly was.
“Jim, the old man who owned the restaurant, he told me so…” Cadence looked at her sternly. “He said, here comes that lunatic, Brick. Another Forsaken Rider, another dangerous soul…”
Jasmine shook her head and smiled.
“He can’t know him,” she said. “He isn’t dangerous.”
Cadence’s mouth sagged open and she looked annoyed.
“Jasmine, you didn’t see what I saw. I know he’s dangerous… Hell, I saw him practically beat some guy to a pulp right in the middle of Main Street.”
Jasmine wasn’t surprised but she still didn’t like to hear the facts.
BRICK (Forsaken Riders MC Romance Book 17) Page 8