Brick's Addiction

Stefan’s crying jolted her awake. Rose groaned, still feeling sluggish, but she knew she had to get up and feed Stefan. She rubbed at her eyes. Unfamiliar surroundings looked back at her. Rose sat up slowly in bed. Stefan lay next to her, wrapped in blankets.

She picked him up, rocked him while she considered her situation.

Last night’s events slowly came back to her. Part of her almost believed her mind had conjured up Brick, but he was real. She was in his room. Rose still didn’t understand why he’d risk his neck for her. She was no one special.

Maybe Brick did this all the time, rescued women in distress in his free time? No. Brick didn’t strike her as that sort of man. She realized the shower was running. Brick was probably in there, naked. Just thinking of the inked and muscled biker without his clothes on made her a little hot and bothered.

Stefan cried again just as Brick emerged from the bathroom, only wearing a pair of jeans. Water dripped down his wet hair and down his chest. Rose noticed there was a trail of dark hair on his abs that went down his jeans. She forced herself to look at his face alone.

“You’re awake,” he said.

“I need to feed Stefan. Is there a kitchen I can use?” she asked, glad her voice sounded steady.

“Sure. Follow me.” Brick pulled out a shirt from a nearby drawer before leading her outside. Last night, the sounds of men laughing, drinking, talking combined with the loud music, had jarred her. In the early hours of the morning, the clubhouse seemed eerily silent. They went downstairs, passing a few MC men who greeted Brick and gave her undisguised curious looks.

The man who’d been with them last night, Razor, jumped to his feet when he spotted them. He’d been cleaning his gun, Rose noticed. He grinned and came over. “You’re still here,” Razor said to Rose.

“She’s staying with me,” Brick said loud enough for the other MC men to hear. Did he do that on purpose? Rose wondered.

Razor nodded, like he expected that answer all along. To Brick, he said, “Heard King gave you a thrashing just now.”

Brick snorted. “Don’t worry, I told him it was all my idea.”

“I appreciate that,” Razor said. “I also heard if Rat decides to retaliate, you’re taking point. Count me in. I’ve also spoken to a couple of guys. Most of them have beef with the Black Dogs, too.”

“Good to hear.” Brick nodded. “I’ll let you and the other fellas know if there’s been a development.”

Razor went back to gun cleaning. Brick looked at her. “Sorry about that. Kitchen’s right over here.”

They entered the kitchen, where another MC member was working the stove. The smell of bacon made Rose’s stomach grumble. Her last meal had been lunch the day before. Stefan started crying again. Rose held the bag containing Stefan’s baby formula and food with her.

“Who’s this little cutie?” the big, inked older biker asked, looking at Stefan.

“Grizzly, that’s Stefan, and this is Rose. She needs to prepare food for the kid,” Brick explained.

“No problem. The kitchen’s big enough for the both of us,” Grizzly said.

Rose made Stefan’s formula, and minutes later, they sat at the kitchen table. Grizzly made breakfast for them. Brick grabbed a cup of coffee and took a seat next to her.

“How did you sleep?” Brick asked her.

“Pretty good,” she admitted. Brick offered to hold Stefan so she could eat her breakfast in peace.

“Huh,” Grizzly remarked. The other biker looked like he had finished making breakfast. There were huge platters of scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, and pancakes on the counter. Rose guessed he had cooked for the entire MC. She didn’t how many members the Ruthless Reapers MC had, but judging by the size of this clubhouse and the motorcycles parked outside, they must number at least fifty.

“What?” Brick asked him.

“Nothing, you two remind me of a married couple,” Grizzly said, making Rose blush.

“Scram,” Brick told him. The big biker laughed, then exited the kitchen with all that food.

“That reminds me, I need to call the diner,” she blurted. Good thing she had her phone with her. “Do you mind if I make a call?”

“Go ahead. Want more coffee?” Brick asked her, nothing her cup was empty.

She nodded. He’s sweet, Rose thought. Her stomach fluttered. Nerves? Something else? God knew she couldn’t be attracted to Brick. That road wouldn’t, couldn’t end well. She had done her best to make sure she wouldn’t get entangled in the mess that had been her father and brother’s lives. Those two seemed like petty criminals compared to Brick and the operation his MC ran.

Getting further involved with a man like Brick—there was no future in that, but she couldn’t deny the fact she was drawn to him either. Rose called her manager, only to find out she was fired.

“But why? I never missed work even once,” she blurted.

“Sorry, Rose, but I made it clear that if any of my employees don’t show up without giving me a valid reason, they’re fired,” said Jerry, her prick manager. Before she could argue, he ended the call. Rose stared at her cell phone blankly for a few moments.

“Unbelievable,” she whispered.

“How much was he paying you?” Brick asked. She blinked, and he repeated the question.