Brick Page 7
“You think I’m sexy?”
“Very. Now back to your name before your ego explodes.” I smacked her ass for that one and she twitched, a fire brewing behind her beautiful stare. “What kind of name is Matteo?”
“I think it’s Italian for Matthew.”
“I didn’t know you’re Italian.”
“I’m not. My mom got the name from some soap opera and she liked it.” My hand remained on Zoe’s ass, massaging the rounded cheek. I was gonna be hard again in no time if I kept it up.
“And your dad didn’t mind? He didn’t want you named after him?”
“Clifford? No, he wasn’t mean.” I chuckled.
Zoe rested her head on my chest, the warmth of her cheek comforting. “So, if I said ‘fuck me harder, Matteo,’ you wouldn’t mind?”
“Not at all.” Using both hands, I gripped her ass and moved my hips against hers. “Wanna try it out now?”
She moved off me and onto her back, spreading her legs before reaching for me. Her silent response all I needed.
11
After another round, we lay next to each other in utter exhaustion. Our linked fingers rested between us, his touch eliciting feelings I’d never felt before. We hadn’t known each other long, but it was as if he’d always been a part of my life, like I dreamed of him years ago and he only just now manifested.
Our chemistry was off the charts, but it was more than the physical. If I tried to explain what I felt to anyone, it wouldn’t make much sense. The emotions often confused me.
“Come here.” Brick reached for me before I could move an inch, pulling me into his side and wrapping his arm around me to hold me close. “Tell me something I don’t know about you.” The heat of his gaze was like an inferno. I wanted to look up at him, but I feared if I did, he’d see everything I wasn’t sure I was ready to reveal yet, mainly because I didn’t know how he’d react. Some people were funny about it and some got the wrong idea.
“Why don’t you go first?” I pressed my lips against his chest but continued to keep my head down. He shifted slightly beneath me and I thought I detected a wave of hesitation from him, but in the next moment, he played with a strand of my hair, twirling it around his finger.
“You already know something new about me.”
“What?”
“My real name.”
“Oh, yeah. That’s right. It was a nice discovery.” Trailing my fingers over his stomach, his muscles constricted, then relaxed. And as I moved lower, his breathing increased. I was torn between wanting to discover more about him and resorting to a diversion of the best kind.
His hand caught mine right before I grabbed his dick. “Nice try. Now it’s your turn.”
I contemplated what to tell him. Several heartbeats passed before I opened my mouth, but the moment I sucked in a lungful of air, my cell rang from the other room. It rang three more times before going to voice mail.
“I better see who that is.” He still had my hand in his grasp and his grip tightened. “It might be my boss.”
“Or it might be Andy.” He tried to keep his jealousy at bay but failed, the quick tic of his jaw telling me all I needed to know.
“I do need to know where to meet my friends later,” I responded, emphasizing the plural part of friends.
Brick shifted on the bed. “What do you mean? I thought we already talked about this. You’re not goin’.”
If my brows shot upward any further, they’d get lost in my hair. “What…? We didn’t…. No….” I was unable to form a complete sentence, he had me so flustered, both in confusion and irritation.
I sat up as did he, his head tilting as he seemed to study my face. “We discussed this already,” he said, moving off the bed and standing in front of me, his burliness meant to intimidate me in some way I was sure, whether he was conscious of his stance or not. “It’s not safe for you to be without me.”
“I asked you to come with me. Remember?” I hopped off the bed as well, keeping my distance for fear he’d change my mind with a simple touch. When I reached for the covers to shield my nakedness, he ripped them out of my hand. “What are you doing?”
“Don’t hide from me.”
“I’m not. I’m cold.”
“Liar.” His voice deepened as he took a step toward me.
Instead of confessing I was indeed lying, I reverted to the original subject. “I’m going tonight, and you won’t change my mind. You can’t seriously believe you can dictate my every move.”
“I don’t want to control you, Zo. I just want to make sure you’re safe.”
“And I will be.” I paused a moment before continuing, both of us staring at each other in hopes the other would back down. “I invited you to go with me.”
He chewed on the corner of his lip, his eyes narrowing every few seconds while he seemed to contemplate my offer, again.
“Fine.” His response took flight on a forced sigh. “I’ll go with you, but I can’t guarantee I’ll hold my tongue if one of ’em insults me.”
“I told you Whitney wasn’t a friend. She was only a colleague.” I moved forward, wrapping my arms around him. “Anyone who truly cares about me wouldn’t insult you.”
“Not to your face.”
I shrugged. “Who cares anyway? I like you and that’s all that matters.” Looking up at him disarmed me because the expression on his face cut deep. Standing before me wasn’t the self-assured man I’d come to know. In his place was someone who seemed unsure, self-conscious even. “What are you really afraid of?”
He walked me backward until the edge of the bed stopped his movements. Then I was on my back again with him nestled between my legs, heavy, thick, and rigid, ready to go another round.
Brick’s face hovered over mine, his eyes boring into me on a silent plea.
“I’m afraid you’ll come to realize I don’t belong in your world.” I parted my lips to tell him he was wrong, to tell him he was being ridiculous, but he clamped his hand over my mouth. “I know you’re gonna say that’s not true, but our lives are so different. You work in the ritzy fashion world, surrounded my models and rich people. And I… I’m just me. I have tattoos and belong to a biker club. One that’s involved in some dangerous shit right now. And I…” He snapped his lips shut, conjuring his next words. “And I see you pulling away from me, given time.”
Placing my hand over his, I tugged it away from my mouth. “Can I say something now?” The quick curve of his lips answered.
“My father is a part of that same club, so in a way, it’s part of me. I don’t know how things will turn out between us because no one can predict the future, but I’m willing to try if you are. The only thing that matters is how we feel. Yes, there will be outside influences, the big one being my father right now, but if we choose to look past them, and focus on us, I really believe we’ll have a shot.”
Some of his reservation disappeared and the curt nod he gave me told me he heard me.
Cradling the side of his gorgeous face in my hand, I gently tugged on his earlobe.
“Does that mean you’re coming with me, then?”
“Yes, because I’m not letting you out of my sight.”
“I wouldn’t want you to.”
A heartbeat later, he kissed me.
Then my breath left my lungs as he pushed inside me, gifting me with yet another mind-blowing orgasm.
12
“Is there anything I should know before we go in there?” I clasped her hand tighter when she tried to pull away from me, and I took that as her answer. What the fuck was I walkin’ into?
When she realized I wasn’t gonna release her hand, she stopped struggling. “They’re my friends. You have nothing to worry about.”
I grunted my response because I didn’t know what to say. That was a lie. I had plenty to say but I didn’t want to ruin the evening and potentially push Zoe away from me because I wanted to pound my chest and claim her in front of everyone.
Jealousy hadn’t been an
issue for me before, but since she’d come into my life, I was consumed with the emotion. I wanted her to myself, including all her time and attention. And because I knew I’d frighten her if I said such a thing, I kept my mouth closed. But it might pop the fuck open depending on what happened here tonight.
I chose not to wear my cut to dinner because I didn’t want to draw any unnecessary attention to myself, especially with everything going on with the club. Not that my size wouldn’t draw the attention all on its own. Add in Zoe beside me, looking sexy as hell in a green dress that hugged every curve, and everyone would be staring at us. I owned one pair of black dress pants and she found a white button-up shirt in the back of my closet, shoving it at me when I told her I’d look like a waiter if I wore those two pieces of clothing together. She told me no one in their right mind would mistake me for waitstaff and tossed it over my bare shoulder before walking out of the room. I rolled the sleeves up to the elbows just to make sure.
The moment we walked into the establishment, my skin bristled in awareness I didn’t fit in. Normally, I’d revel in standing out, but I wanted to show Zoe I could adjust to her world, her friends, her way of life. Stares cascaded over me as she led me toward two people waving at her from across the room.
“Is that them?” I asked, already knowing the answer.
“Yeah. Sasha and Andy.” Her voice hitched when she said Andy’s name and the swirl of wariness began to curl around every cell in my body.
The dark blond-haired man smiling at my woman was tall and lean, dressed in all black. I surveyed the area and noticed a few women vying for his attention as they walked by. His smile widened the closer we got, and I had to do something quick to show him Zoe was mine now. I grabbed her arm and pulled her back, leaning down to whisper in her ear.
“Make sure not to drink too much because I need you alert when we get home.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m gonna fuck you so hard, you’re gonna beg me to stop.”
“Oh.” Her cheeks flushed and her breath froze in her lungs. When she lifted her eyes to mine, we shared a moment, and I knew she understood my intention of saying that to her in this exact moment. “I look forward to it.” Zoe rested her hand on my chest, over my heart and smiled up at me. “I promise not to drink too much.” We stayed in our bubble for another ten seconds before we both exhaled at the same time. “Ready?” I nodded, and she clasped her hand in mine and guided me toward her friends.
Sasha, the brunette standing next to Andy, was attractive, and I probably would’ve looked at her twice had I never met Zoe. But now that I had the most beautiful woman in the world, no one else compared.
“Zoe. It’s so nice to see you,” Andy gushed, wrapping his arms around her, dislodging her hand from mine, and pulling her in for a big hug before kissing each cheek. I thought I detected an accent, but he spoke so quickly I could’ve been mistaken. “You look gorgeous as usual.” He kept his hands on her arms too long not to be disrespectful to me, the man who she was obviously with, and while I didn’t want to cause a scene and embarrass her, I pulled her back and his arms fell to his sides. The fucker’s eyes roamed over me, grinning when he finally looked me in the face. “Who’s your friend?” he asked, extending his hand to me.
“Sasha, this is Matteo.” Zoe nudged me in the side when I still hadn’t accepted the man’s outstretched hand. It was only then my brain registered what she’d said. Not my real name but his. Sasha? My eyes bounced from his to the brunette and back again before finally clasping his hand.
If this was Sasha, then the woman was Andy.
An exhale of relief passed my lips at the realization I’d gotten all worked up over nothing.
“Nice to meet you.” Sasha gripped my hand, pointing at my neck when he released me. “That’s quite a tattoo you got there,” he said, his accent poking through, an accent I believed to be Russian. I waited for him to say something snarky afterward, but he didn’t. He glanced at my forearm, where I also had ink, his appreciation apparent when he looked me back in the eye and smiled. “I have some ink, too. I can appreciate the artwork.”
“Thanks.”
“And this is Andy.” Zoe gestured toward the woman. Her friend looked me up and down, keeping her hands at her sides.
“Nice to meet you,” she said, her British accent shining through. “I can’t wait to hear all about you two.” If I wasn’t mistaken, I thought I detected a trace of annoyance in her voice. Did she not approve of me on sight?
“Your table is ready,” the hostess announced, interrupting our brief conversation, but I was okay with that as I hadn’t eaten since this morning and was starving. “Please follow me.”
Sasha and Andy walked ahead, giving me time to ask Zoe something before we all sat together.
“Why didn’t you tell me Andy was a woman? Why did you let me think she was a guy?” My hand rested on the small of her back, bunching the fabric of her dress.
“It’s complicated.”
I never thought two words could be so confusing.
“Care to elaborate?”
“We’ll talk later,” she responded, walking ahead of me by a few steps.
After we were seated, our waiter quickly approached to take our drink orders. The second he disappeared, Andy was all over us.
“How did you two meet? I’m sure it’s quite a story.” Her brown eyes widened, lingering longer on Zoe, her grin slipping briefly before returning.
“Brick belongs to the same club as my dad. We met at Roman’s birthday party. We’ve been hanging out ever since.”
I assumed they knew what club she referred to because neither of them asked her to elaborate.
“Brick?” Sasha repeated. “I thought you said his name was Matteo?”
Zoe laughed. “Sorry, Brick is his nickname.”
Sasha nodded. “Brick seems more fitting.” The way he said my name sounded menacing in his native tongue.
“And are you two together?” Andy inquired, her smile flattening once again after having asked the question.
“Yes,” Zoe and I answered simultaneously.
“Is it serious?” Andy kept on coming with the questions, but I should’ve expected her friends would want to know about me, especially after having seen me.
“We’re still figuring that out.” Zoe’s answer bothered me, even though what she said was the truth. From her end more than mine. I knew I wanted to be with her and no one else, so for me it was serious.
“Well, don’t rush into anything.” Andy stared at Zoe and it was only when my woman shifted uncomfortably in her seat that I felt the need to change the subject to something other than us.
“Where are you from originally?” I asked Sasha, moving my arm out of the way when the waiter came back with our drinks. Something told me I’d be needing a few of these tonight.
“I was born in Moscow but moved to London when I was twenty. Been there for almost a decade now.”
“Sasha is a model turned designer himself,” Zoe added, bragging about her friend. “And he’s very successful.” She reached over and placed her hand on top of his.
“Zo likes to talk me up, as they say.” His eyes shone brightly when he looked at her, and I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of protectiveness. “I do okay for myself.”
Over the next hour, I listened to them chat about fashion, work and travel, adding my input when asked a direct question. They seemed nice enough, but it was clear I had nothing in common with them, driving home how different my and Zoe’s worlds really were. Was I only setting myself up for disappointment down the road with her? Would she grow bored of me and my seemingly simple life? I couldn’t stop the self-doubt from entering my brain even as I realized I couldn’t willingly give her up.
“Zo, wanna join me in the ladies’ room?” Andy was out of her seat and grabbing her hand before giving her a chance to respond.
“Sure.” Zoe leaned over and gave me a kiss before standing. “I’ll be right back.”
“Why not?” I had a feeling I was gonna need it. Once our drinks were refilled, I leaned back in my seat, drumming my fingers on the top of the table, staring at the other man present.
“Do you wish to ask me something?” His smirk annoyed me, but I kept the comment that rested on my tongue to myself.
“You have a woman?”
“No.”
“Guy?”
He laughed and shook his head. “I’m not gay.”
“So, how is it you don’t have someone, then?” I wanted him to tell me he was hopelessly in love with someone back home so I could cross him off the list of potential threats where Zoe was concerned. Not only did I have to worry about her physical safety, but I also had to worry about her being whisked away from me by someone who already resided in her world.
“I did. But I fucked up and now she won’t take my calls.” His face fell and for a split second I felt bad for the guy. Sasha swallowed half his drink, the ice cubes clanking together when he set the glass back down. “Fuck.” He ran his hand through his wavy hair. “I don’t know what else to do.”
“Keep tryin’.” Short and to the point. “If I fucked up with Zoe, and I’m sure I will at some point, there’s nothin’ I wouldn’t do to get her back.” I leaned forward, my large frame casting a shadow of intimidation. “Nothin’.”
Instead of being wary of me, Sasha laughed. “No worries. We’re strictly friends. That’s all.”
There were a few things I wanted to add, but I needed to take a piss and find out what the hell was taking her so long. “I’ll be right back.” Sasha downed the rest of his drink in response, then pulled his phone from his pocket.
Walking toward the back of the restaurant, steering around the tables so as not to knock into anyone, I found the hallway leading to the bathrooms easily enough. As I approached the men’s, I noticed two women standing at the other end of the narrow walkway.