Page 44 of Roughing
“Briggs, you’ve punished yourself ever since by being an asshole and driving everyone away. Maybe you don’t think you deserve to be happy, but I’m here to tell you, you do. Your sister wouldn’t want you to shoulder the blame. It’s not your fault.”
I nodded, unable to speak beyond my constricted throat. Hot tears stung my eyes and threatened to overflow down my face. I rubbed them to prevent an embarrassing emotional display, but I wasn’t fooling Michella.
“I’m here, Briggs. I’m here.” She slid her thumbs repeatedly over my cheeks, and I groaned. Her touch ignited my body from the inside out. What did it say about me that one moment I was mourning my sister and the next I wanted to get Michella naked?
Michella brushed her lips across mine, and sparks flew. I squeezed my eyes shut and fought for control. I didn’t need pity sex. Okay, well, I needed it, but I shouldn’t.
“This isn’t a good idea,” I said.
“Probably not,” she agreed.
“We’re on a stakeout. Right?”
“We are.” She sighed with resignation, put her hands in her lap, and shifted her body forward, leaning against the seat back.
I mentally kicked myself for reminding her. This wouldn’t have been the first time we’d done it in my truck. In fact, we’d done it in multiple places.
And this time, I’d been the one to stop her.
Did that make me a fool or a genius?
ChapterSixteen
NIGHTCAP
~~Michella~~
My dating history with men revolved around creating an image in my mind that didn’t exactly reflect who the particular guy was. I denied their faults and only saw their good qualities until things got to the point where denial was impossible. That point with Gordon had been reached via his fists. Briggs was different. Fresh off the final breakup with Gordon, I’d wanted nothing more than booty calls. I wasn’t giving my heart to any man for a long time.
I’d broken things off after a while because I wanted more than the physical. One by one, my girlfriends were finding “the one,” and I wanted what they had. I’d convinced myself Briggs couldn’t be that guy. Now I wasn’t so sure. He was making an effort and deserved a chance, didn’t he?
Tonight he’d revealed his deepest pain. By the way he struggled, I knew baring his soul didn’t come easily for him. I was developing a soft spot for this strong yet vulnerable man, especially after I’d seen glimpses of the guy underneath the brooding and anger.
His story about his sister was heartbreaking, and the sadness in his eyes had undone me. I’d been willing to forget my promises to myself regarding forging a healthy relationship with someone. He’d never stopped me before, but he had this time. I was surprised and puzzled. Perhaps there was more to him than I gave him credit for.
A few minutes after Briggs shut down my advances, Gordon exited the Irish pub, and we were back in full surveillance mode. We pulled away from the curb and followed him at a distance. Gordon drove straight home, parked in the driveway, and a few minutes later, the lights turned off in his house.
Even though several minutes had passed with no further movement, I was reluctant to end my time with Briggs after he’d opened a slit of the door into his soul.
“We should call it a night.” Briggs spoke, his voice dead of emotion.
“Yeah, I guess he’s in for the night.”
“Okay.” Briggs stared straight ahead. He clenched his jaw and drew his mouth into a hard, uncompromising line. I wasn’t surprised he’d closed down again, but he’d made progress tonight. I was proud of him, and I wasn’t ready to end the night.
Briggs returned to the parking garage and together we crossed the street and entered our building. I paused and grabbed Briggs’s arm, pointing toward the seating area. A little girl wrapped in a blanket was snuggled on one of the couches, holding a ragged teddy bear.
“Who is that?” I hissed, indignant that a child would be alone in the lobby and especially this late at night, even if the building was secure.
Briggs’s gaze followed mine, and the hard lines of his face softened, making him appear much younger and less intimidating. “The security guard’s niece. He watches her sometimes. I guess her mother works odd hours.”
“It’s two thirty a.m. That little girl should be in bed.”
Briggs shrugged and jerked his head toward the security station where Hal sat. The older man raised a hand to welcome us.
We stepped into the elevator. Briggs stared at his feet. He blew out a long breath as if he’d been holding it for too long. His shoulders slumped, and he seemed utterly deflated.
“Are you okay?”
