Brick Brick (Knights Corruption MC - Next Generation, #4) - S. Nelson Page 0,111
“Are you?” He barely gave me enough time to comprehend his question before he asked again, and it was then the content of his inquiry hit home.
Turning, I took in the state of him again. His skin had flushed and the glassiness in his eyes had receded. Hands that had been flat were now balled into tight fists, resting in his lap, his shoulders bunched and practically hitting his ears.
“What?” I choked on my swallow, my confusion swirling around me as to why he would ask me that specifically?
“Are. You. Pregnant?” He emphasized each word on a growl, the muscles between his brows forming a deep crease.
“Why would you…” I stopped speaking, my mind whirling back to the one time I pleaded with the man with the red mark not to attack me, uttering that I was pregnant in hopes he’d scour up an ounce of mercy for me. But he didn’t. The only thing my words managed to accomplish was to elicit a grin from him.
Brick hopped off the bed and took a step back, boring holes into me, his intensity making me shudder. His fists were clenched so hard, his knuckles turned white, all while the rest of him reddened as he waited for me to confirm or deny whether I was carrying his child.
“He said you… I need to know the… please just tell me.” His head dropped forward, finally tearing his eyes from mine. “I can’t bear the thought, on top of everything else.”
What I endured at the hands of those men was beyond horrific, and I doubted I’d ever be able to fully recover, even after my body healed. But staring at Brick’s fractured spirit, watching him start to break apart in front of me, spurred me to gather a speck of strength and tell him what he needed to hear.
The truth.
“No.”
His head flew up and his eyes widened. “You’re not?”
I shook my head this time, needing the rest of my energy for my next wave of words. “What made you think that?” I had a feeling I already knew but wanted him to answer all the same.
“It was one of the last things he said.”
Question after question mounted until my head pounded, but I didn’t ask a single one because nothing would change what had already happened.
To me, or to him.
“I’m not,” I whispered when all I wanted to do was shout those two words. Not only did I not want kids, but finding out I was pregnant, then having to deal with everything that happened on top of it, would surely drive me right off the cliff of sanity.
I heard Brick repeatedly drawing breath like he wanted to say something else, but no words ever fell from his lips. Instead, all he could do was stare at me for a few seconds before looking at the ground, only to bounce his attention back and forth. He was unsure, tentative even, which wasn’t something I’d ever seen him be during our short time together.
The longer the silence bloomed between us, the more anxious I became. I needed to forget, even if for a short while, and staring at the mammoth of a man sharing the space with me would do nothing but keep my recent memories close.
“I need you to leave,” I finally said, wiping at my eyes when they flowed over. “I want to be alone.”
He took one step forward, looking more broken than he did seconds ago. “Please… I… I’m so sorry.” Defeat swept over him when I repeated myself, and a moment later, he gave me what I asked for.
I was left alone with my memories, with my uncertainty, with the need to forget these past few days.
But when I touched my cheek and placed my hand to my temple, I realized I’d never be the same person again.
49
When everyone finally arrived back at the cabin, the sun barely peeking over the haziness of the skyline, we all retreated to the backyard, Stone joining us after his wife fixed him up—a clean exit just like mine. We needed to discuss topics which weren’t meant for the ears of anyone outside the club, with the exception of Ford and Owen Massey, of course. If my head had been in the right place, I could’ve genuinely appreciated what they did for us, taking out our rival club with no questions asked except for how they could help.
“What a fuckin’ night.” Jagger’s words were the understatement of the year.