And yet the way she’d kissed him tonight, soft but sure, grateful but wanting, felt like a damn promise of something explosive waiting just beneath the surface.
Brick exhaled shakily and turned onto his side, facing the walls that separated them.He rested a hand flat against the cool sheet, imagining her doing the same on the other side.Stupid thought, hell, a dangerous one.Still, he couldn’t stop it.
Her humming softened, drifting lower, slower like she was finally winding down, head nestled on the pillow.Brick snapped his eyes shut
He listened to every last note, letting it wash over him like a tide he didn’t have the strength to resist.Somewhere between one breath and the next, sleep finally dragged him under.
Chapter Four
Tessa wasn’t completelysure what possessed her to wake up before sunrise and start cooking, but she blamed Brick.More accurately, she blamed the way he’d stood in the doorway last night, jaw clenched, voice low and lethal as he vowed no one would hurt her again.
That kiss they shared, brief but confusing, stayed on her mind all night.Brick gave her the impression he was a man who didn’t allow himself indulgences and yet he indulged her.
Tessa also blamed the way she hummed after he left, soft and aimless and strangely peaceful, like her body was finally catching up to her heart, to the adrenaline, to all of it.
So here she was, in the Devil’s Crown MC clubhouse kitchen at 7:00 in the morning, with her sleeves rolled up, and hair twisted into a messy bun, frying bacon and scrambling eggs in industrial-sized pans like she belonged here.
The clubroom was quiet except for the low murmur of voices from a couple of early-riser members who drifted in, drawn by the smell.
“Damn, sweetheart,” Crook said as he leaned on the counter, sniffing dramatically.“If we’d known you could cook like this, we’d have beaten Brick and kidnapped you ourselves.”
“That’s not even remotely funny,” she said lightly, though she couldn’t help the smile tugging her lips.
Crook winced.“Right.Too soon.”
The other guy, Trigger, nudged Crook’s shoulder.“Just say thank you and don’t be weird.”
“I’m not being weird.I’m being appreciative,” Crook insisted before turning his grin back toward her.“Seriously, though.This is real nice of you.”
“It’s just breakfast,” Tessa said, shrugging as she added cheese to the eggs.“A thank-you.”
“You’re thanking the club,” Trigger said, “or thanking Brick?”
Her cheeks warmed.“Both.He helped me last night.”
“No kidding.I’ve never seen Brick look like he wanted to rip a man’s throat out with his teeth,” Trigger pointed out.
