Page 33 of Brick

Brick’s cheeks darkened when he caught her beaming at him. He’d probably hate the idea he came off like a big teddy bear after his exchange with the boy. She needed a distraction…to get him talking. Besides, turnabout was fair play.

“I’ve told you my story. You know about my family, my favorite burger joint, my eighth birthday. And I don’t even know your name. Doesn’t seem very fair.” She deliberately took another bite and waited for an answer.

His brow furrowed. “You know my name.”

“Your name is not Brick. No one names their baby Brick.”

“Oh.” He started tearing his napkin into thin strips. It wasn’t until he completely shredded it that he finally spoke. “Jonathan.” He cleared his throat. “My mother named me Jonathan, but nobody uses it.”

She tamped down on the satisfied smile threatening to take over her face. The last thing she wanted was to scare him off. It was a miracle she’d kept him here this long. “Speaking of calling you…” She pulled her phone out of her purse and slid it toward him. “Put your number in there.”

He looked at it like it might bite him. “You want my phone number?” he echoed.

“Yes. Unless I need to stalk you on your worksite again, the next time I want to hear your voice.”

He added his contact and slid the phone back to her. She picked it up and called him on the spot. She let it ring once, then disconnected. “Now you have mine too.” She waved the waitress over. “We’re ready for the check, please.”

Brick pulled his phone out of his back pocket and stared at the missed call, then back at her. “You want me…to call you.”

“I want you to call me.”

The waitress set the check on the table, and Liv reached for it, but Brick’s hand shot out like a viper, grabbing it first. “You never pay with me.” He stood and pulled some cash out of his wallet. “Not now. Not ever.”

He reached out his hand and helped her to her feet. She warmed at the possibility there might be a next time, but she said nothing. For once with this guy, she wasn’t going to push her luck.

Neither of them spoke on the short drive back to her place, but like before, Brick got out to walk her to her door. She didn’t give him the chance to bolt. Instead, she stepped into him and wrapped her arms around his waist. Slowly, gently, he returned her embrace.

It was heaven.

“Thank you for tonight. I needed this.”

He kissed the top of her head. “Thank you.”

Resisting the urge to go for his lips again, she pulled back. It was one thing to make the first move; it was another to make them all. Skittish or not, the ball was in his court.

She unlocked the front door, flirting gently over her shoulder. “You thanking me for making your dreams come true again?”

He tipped his head and turned back to the truck. “Dreams I didn’t even know I had.”

***

Brick

Brick fought the urge to glance back at Olivia as he walked away. He didn’t even let himself think about her during the drive home. He had to stay vigilant. Aware.

Thank God he didn’t have any jobs lined up from Sucre. He didn’t want anything to taint this perfect, precious night.

The security check at his apartment came up clean. No one had disturbed his home or his money. He took the napkin he’d swiped from the Majestic out of his pocket and placed it on his nightstand, smoothing out the wrinkles. Carefully, he removed the drawer with the false bottom and added the memento next to the toy car and his only photo of him with his grandma. It was the first thing he’d added to his small collection of treasures in years.

After setting everything back to rights, he grabbed a beer out of the fridge and sat on his old, comfortable recliner.

Now.

Now he could think about her.

When he’d seen the angry bruise bleeding through her make-up, his first thought was someone in Sucre’s crew had found her. Someone was trying to get to him through her.

And in a fraction of a second, he determined that person was going to die.

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