“I’ll make the announcement during our next meeting. Everyone will know exactly how I feel about you.” He ran a hand over her hair and looked at her with pure adoration. Brick made her feel like a princess. “Tell me a secret. Something you shouldn’t have done or something you should have told me.”
She tilted her head, wondering where he was going with this. “I haven’t done anything wrong, Brick. You’re the only man I’ve ever been with.”
He shook his head. “I’m not accusing you. I’m not mad. I just want you to go first. I can’t stand to see you upset with me.”
Callie wondered what he’d done that he felt he had to confess. She knew he loved her but wanted to clear the air before making her his old lady. Hearing that he’d been with another woman when she loved him more than life itself would shatter her to pieces. Now she had to go first, confess something to Brick.
She thought for a bit.
“Most of my family are addicts. They steal to support their habit. I swore I’d never become like them, never date a man with a criminal record.”
“Good thing I don’t have one.” He winked.
“That’s not it,” she said. “I know what you are and it … turns me on.”
He raised a brow. “You like having a bad boy. Such a naughty girl.” Brick backed her up until he had her pinned against a large tree. “How about I fuck you right here, right now? Hard, just how you like it.”
“Not yet. I want to know what’s eating away at your conscience first.”
He exhaled, did a little spin with his hands in his hair. “I don’t want you to hate me, Callie. I fucking love you. Sometimes I do things without thinking straight.”
“Just spit it out, Brick.” Her entire body tensed. She wondered how she’d respond if it was exactly what she didn’t want to hear.
He braced one hand against the tree, looking down. “I burned that fucking trailer to the ground. If you couldn’t have it, that bitch certainly didn’t deserve it.”
She froze. Yes, it was a place filled with happy memories. It was where her grandmother helped raise her later in her childhood. But it had been taken from her. She had no legal rights to it. All she could focus on now was the fact Brick hadn’t cheated on her.
“Good.”
“Good?”
“When she kicked me out of that trailer, I spiraled downward. I hit rock bottom and had no one in the world to turn to. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.” She took another cleansing breath. “I’m glad you burned it down.”
He laughed out loud. “I’ve lost sleep over this, woman.”
“Now you know, don’t keep secrets. They’re bad for your health.”
“Except you, you’re my dirty little secret.” He hoisted her up against the tree, the rough bark scraping her ass. She wrapped her legs around him as he fiddled with his belt. “And I’m going to give you this hard dick. It’s all yours. You want it?”
“Make me forget my name.”
He kissed her with so much passion—love, anger, desperation. They were one and the same. And she hoped nothing ever came between them.
Chapter Twelve
“You do realize you look like a giant pussy,” Lord said.
“Fuck off.” Brick hooked his fingers against the tie that seemed to be digging right against his neck. Why did people wear these fucking things? He wouldn’t ever understand.
“Do you have any doubts, man?” Righteous asked.
“None.”
The boys were pissing him off by constantly questioning his decision. It was one he was going to stick to because unlike a lot of the guys in the club, he knew when he had a good thing.
“Where’s Ally?” he asked.
“You know where she is.”
Helping to convince Callie to get changed into the expensive wedding dress he’d purchased. Brick hadn’t gone for the traditional proposal like a normal person, no, not him. He decided to plan the whole thing by himself, with a little help from Ally. Actually, to do this in top secret had required a lot of work. Ally had organized the decoration of the clubhouse, and much to his annoyance, it looked like a pink explosion. It was … girly. No one would have thought for a single second this place housed scary-ass bikers. It was a joke. He hoped no one outside the club ever heard the truth.
Brick had acquired a tux, a wedding dress, and a priest. That was all he needed. When he told Ally his idea, she’d laughed at him and asked him if he was joking. Not exactly the best thing for a guy who intended to marry the love of his life to hear. So instead of doing what he thought was best, he gave Ally full rein.
Staring around him, he wondered if that was a mistake. The wedding cake was in full view, five tiers, with little dolls on the top that reminded him of something from a voodoo horror movie. The brothers were having the time of their lives, but at Ally’s insistence, they were all wearing tuxes. She wouldn’t accept any of them dressed in leather, not even her man.