Page 49 of Roughing
“Yeah, it bothers me, but Hal begged me not to call anyone. He says her mom is a good mom and just trying to make ends meet.”
“Hal is a sweet old man and easily manipulated.”
“Do you think that’s what’s going on? The mom is using him so she can have her fun without being burdened by a child?”
“Won’t be the first time that’s happened.”
I shrugged. “Maybe you could do a little digging since you work for a PI?”
“I could. Something’s strange here.”
“Look, you weren’t waiting for me just to talk about Remi.”
“No, I wasn’t. I’m stalling. I—we need to talk about what’s going on between us.”
“Whatisgoing on?” I wasn’t going to put myself out there first. She initiated this conversation, so she got to put her ass on the line before I would.
“Last night was epic. I mean, what we had was much more than sex. I don’t know how to describe it.”
I did. Words like “soul mate” and “fated” came to mind, but that’d be too out there for me to voice them when my cynical self didn’t believe in such bullshit. Who’d have guessed I had some long-buried romantic side?
She stared at her water glass while gathering her thoughts. I enjoyed looking at her and didn’t mind waiting. I could gawk at her all day and bask in her beauty. Michella was the most stunning woman I’d ever met. She was an alluring combination of strength and vulnerability wrapped up in a showy package of feistiness and fashion. And she was most likely about to rip out my heart and stomp it into the ground, assuming my heart was involved, and I feared it was.
“Don’t look at me like that,” she said, startling me out of my own head.
“Like what?”
“You look like a kicked puppy.”
I bristled with embarrassed shock. She was wrong. I was handling things just fine, whatever those things were. I was a strong guy. I didn’t need anyone. I was fine by myself.
Who the fuck was I kidding? I’d had a taste of being a couple, and I wanted more.
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to kick you.” Michella glanced at her phone. “This is taking longer than I’d planned. I have to get back to work soon.”
“It’s not what you think,” I lied, still peeved she’d likened my appearance to a kicked puppy, which implied a level of pathetic need on my part. Shit, was I that guy?
“What is it then?” Concern shadowed her beautiful eyes and went beyond a casual friendship. I was encouraged by that.
“Hockey,” I said glumly. I had no intention of spilling my guts regarding my precarious position with the team, but I found myself doing just that.
Michella listened and didn’t offer any comments until I finished. “You’ve got this. Believe in yourself. That kid isn’t going to take your spot. You’re under contract for two more years.”
“In other words, they’re stuck with me.”
“I didn’t mean it that way. I meant you’re fretting over nothing. Play your game and show them they can’t do without you. I have absolute faith in your abilities.”
I was glad someone did. Right then, my confidence was at an all-time low when it came to hockey.
“Thank you for sharing your worries with me. It means a lot.”
I grunted, reverting to my usual grouchy, closed-off self.
“Briggs.” Michella’s soft smile gave the impression she enjoyed saying my name. That was all it took for the dark cloud to lift and my heart to sing once more. “I think we should give this thing between us a try.”
I hadn’t been expecting that. My mouth dropped open, and I forgot how to use the gift of speech. “You, uh, you. I, uh, don’t, uh, know what, uh, to say.”
“How about saying yes, I want to try.”
