Brick Brick (Knights Corruption MC - Next Generation, #4) - S. Nelson Page 0,30

friends.” I faced front, fearing if I looked at him, I’d give all my secrets away and I didn’t want to be stuck in his vehicle when we ended up having this conversation.

“You know what I mean. Does she have a thing for you?”

“Did you talk to anyone from the club tonight? Is there any news?” I couldn’t have been more obvious if I tried, the complete switch in conversation a dead giveaway to the answer.

“I talked to Jagger earlier. And as far as any information, you know I can’t talk about that stuff with you. Now stop avoiding my question and answer me.” His tone started off calm, but the longer he spoke, the more agitated the tremor in his voice became. Looking at the passing road sign, we’d be back to his house in less than two minutes. “Hello? Are you ignoring me?”

“No.”

“Then answer me.”

“No.”

“No?”

“I don’t want to have this conversation while you’re driving.”

“Why not? What’s the big deal? You hidin’ somethin’ from me?”

His accusatory tone rubbed me the wrong way even though he had every right to sound offended, because I was hiding something from him. I wasn’t ashamed of my secret, if it was even to be categorized as such. But I also didn’t want to have to blurt it out simply because he was irritated at my lack of communication right now.

“Well?”

“Get us back to the house and we’ll talk.”

“Oh, great,” he mumbled. “Words every guy loves to fuckin’ hear.” I ignored his sarcasm and focused on every stretch of road that passed, wondering how he’d react to the news.

Would he be upset I hadn’t told him sooner?

Would he look at me differently?

Would he expect our dynamic to change afterward?

The gravel crunched beneath his tires and my heart picked up its pace. My anxiety over our upcoming conversation shouldn’t be stressing me out as much as it was. If he didn’t like what he heard, he could walk away, and I was strong enough to believe I’d be okay, eventually.

Brick threw his truck in Park and killed the engine. He didn’t say a word or turn to look at me before hopping out and walking toward the front. I, however, remained inside, counting my breaths, and working up the nerve to join him. He smacked the hood twice and threw his hands in the air, his impatience getting the better of him. In the dark, I couldn’t see his expression, but I certainly heard him yelling for me to get out of the truck.

I gripped the door handle and finally tugged on it, stepping outside and into the night air.

“What the hell are you doin’?” He wasn’t angry but he did seem annoyed.

I moved toward him, my hand brushing his arm when I passed, but I didn’t get far before he snatched my wrist to stop me.

“What?” I asked, looking back at him.

“You gonna ignore me now?”

“I just want to get inside.” I tried to pull myself free, but his hold tightened. Several seconds passed before he released me, and I heard him mumble something behind me as I walked ahead and waited for him on the porch.

“Are we gonna end up fightin’ about somethin’?” He fiddled with the door lock before looking at me. “I get a bad feeling what you wanna talk to me about isn’t good.”

“It’s not bad.” I wasn’t lying.

Once we cleared the entryway, Brick headed for the security panel and punched in his code, resetting it once he locked the door. He then tossed his keys on the counter before grabbing a beer from the fridge.

“Want one?”

“No, thank you. I’ve had enough.”

The clank of the glass hitting the countertop after he took a few sips made me jump, even though it shouldn’t have. I was simply on edge. Nervous.

“Okay, what is it?”

“Can we sit down?” I moved toward the living room and sat on the far end of the sofa. Brick followed, sitting close, almost too close. He was practically on top of me, the proximity of his body making me even more anxious.

I fiddled with the hem of my dress, toying with the material and stalling for time.

“Enough, Zoe. Just tell me.” He picked me up and repositioned me, so I straddled him, my dress practically rising to meet my waist.

“What are you doing?”

“I want to look at you when you talk.”

“And you couldn’t do that sitting next to me?”

“I prefer you like this.” The quirk of his grin relaxed me, albeit marginally. “Now, out with it, woman, before