Chapter 13
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Mia
I’m about to shatter into a million pieces around Briggs’s huge cock when I hear my brother’s voice.
His very angry voice.
After that, everything happens fast.
Briggs pulls out of me, steps back, and releases me so I slide to the floor. I’m already tugging up my leggings and shoving my boobs back into my bra before I hit the ground.
“Jamie! What are you doing here? I thought you weren’t back until tonight.”
“We finished early.” He doesn’t even look at me as he stalks toward Briggs. “I’m going to fucking kill you.” My brother’s handsome face is twisted into a mask of rage I’ve never seen before.
Briggs is backing up, his hands out in front of him to ward off my brother.
I know I shouldn’t be lusting after him at a moment like this, but the bulge in his grey sweatpants is a magnet for my gaze. I swallow hard and force myself to focus on the situation at hand that is rapidly escalating into a full-fledged problem.
“Jamie, it’s not what it looks like.” Briggs is calm. At least, he sounds calm. “I was just—”
“It looks like you just had your filthy dick in my little sister, Briggs! What did I get wrong?”
“It’s not like—”
“Mia!” Jamie half turns and holds a finger up to silence me as if I’m a little girl again. “I can handle this.”
“What?”
I know it’s been a long time since my big brother has seen me, and I know he still thinks of me as a little girl who will do whatever he says, but I’m not that girl anymore. I’m a woman now.
In all ways.
Again, I pull my thoughts back from the edge of distraction and just in time as Jamie lunges for my mountain man. He wraps his arms around his waist and together they crash backward onto the coffee table, breaking it as Jamie pulls back his arm.
“No!” I scream. “Jamie, don’t!”
I’m too late. He lands the blow with a sickening sound. Again, I scream, but he ignores me.
“I trusted you, man.” Another punch. “She’s my kid sister.” Another punch.
I’ve never seen my brother be violent before in any way, but I’ve seen what kind of damage Briggs can do.
If I don’t stop them, they could kill each other.
Because of me! My brother is easily twice my size.
He’s not quite as big as Briggs, but it’s close.
I grab Jamie’s arm before he can land another blow.
“Fuck!” he yells as he shakes free of my grip. “Fight back, Briggs! Why aren’t you fighting?”
For the first time, I realize that Briggs hasn’t thrown one punch in retaliation. From the way he handled the men at the bar the other night, I know he can easily give Jamie the fight he’s looking for. But he hasn’t.
“I’m not going to fight you, Jamie.”
“Suit yourself, asshole.” Again, Jamie winds up to punch him, and I know I have to stop him.
Right before he lands the blow, I do the only thing I can—I yell, “Stop, Jamie! I love him!”
Jamie does stop, but only long enough to turn and shoot me a disgusted look. “There’s no fucking way you love him. He’s way too old for you. And I don’t fucking care if you do,” he adds. “I’m still going to kill him.”
My brother turns, his fist still in the air, but Briggs is quicker than he is.
He pulls his arms free and grabs Jamie’s fist before it can land, but he’s not looking at my brother. Instead, his eyes are on me. “What did you say?”
Tears are streaming down my face as I look past the bloody lip and the welts on his skin that are going to turn into nasty bruises, and straight into the eyes of the man I know without a doubt I’ve fallen head over heels in love with. “I love you,” I say to him directly.
Briggs
She loves me?
Mia loves me?
Coming from her lips, they are the sweetest three words I’ve ever heard.
All I want to do is pull my girl into my arms and tell her that I feel exactly the same way. That I can’t imagine living a day without her now that I’ve found her.
But the weight of her giant and very pissed-off big brother sitting on my chest reminds me that I need to deal with him first.
“Mia, I—”
“Don’t you dare say it back to her, man.”
My best friend is practically purple, he’s so mad, and I can’t blame him. If the roles were reversed, I’d probably want to murder me, too. That’s why I am letting him take his shots. There is no apologizing for what I’ve done. Even if there was, I wouldn’t say sorry, because I’m not.
I have no regrets for taking Mia to bed and making her mine.
I wouldn’t change a thing about the last few days, getting to know this sweet, smart, sexy woman. Not. One. Thing.
Well, maybe I’d change this.
With a sigh, because I do not want to hurt my best friend, I flex my abs and kick up my legs so they’re wrapped around Jamie, and with another quick motion, I flip him backward and off me.
We’re both on our feet in a flash. He’s even angrier than before, if it’s possible. His fists flexed, he looks like he could lunge at me again at any moment.
“Hear me out, Jamie.” I hold my hands out in front of me. “I don’t want to fight you, man. But I will if I have to.”
“I thought you said you wouldn’t fight me.”
I shake my head once. “That was before I knew that she loves me.” I risk a glance in Mia’s direction before I focus on Jamie again. “That changes everything, because I love her, too.”
“Oh, fuck.”
“What?”
“It’s true.” I drop my guard and go to Mia because I can’t stay away a second longer.
“I love you, Mia.” I take her hands in mine and look down into her tear-filled eyes.
“I grew up hearing all about love at first sight and never to settle for less than an all-consuming love, and I never believed it, Mia. Not until now. Not until you. I love you.” Damn, it feels good to say these words to her.
“I loved you from the moment I saw you on the street and that love has only grown with each passing second.”
She’s crying harder now, but I have to believe they’re tears of happiness.
And I’m still not done telling her exactly how I feel.
“I want you to stay, Mia. Stay in Rock Creek with me. Marry me. You can work as a nurse and have all my babies.” My eyes dart to her belly.
We haven’t used protection, not once. My girl could be pregnant right now.
As if she’s read my mind, she takes my hand and presses it to her belly.
“Do you want that, too, Mia?” I know the answer. I can feel it. But I need her to say it.
“Oh, fuck no!” Jamie roars from behind me.
I know he won’t hit me while I’m standing close to Mia. And I have to trust that he’ll calm down as soon as he realizes that she means more to me than just a fuck. A whole lot more.
“This isn’t happening.” He comes to stand in front of us but makes no move to lay hands on either of us. “You’re going to med school, Mia.” His voice has lost some of its fight. “You’re going back to the city and you’re going to med school.”
“No,” she says without looking at him. “I’m staying here.” She speaks directly to me. “With Briggs. Rock Creek needs a nurse, and I want to help. And I’m going to marry you, Briggs, and have all of your babies. As many as you can put in me.”
It’s music to my ears. “Oh, honey. I’m going to put so many babies in that sweet, soft belly of yours. I can’t wait to see you round and ripe with my child.”
I’m sure I’m going to explode with happiness when she adds, “I might even be pregnant already.”
“What the fuck is happening here?” Jamie takes a step back and drops his head in his hands, but I can see he knows he’s lost this one. Mia and I are in love, and despite the fact that my left eye is already swelling shut, it’s the best day of my life.
Mia takes my hand in hers and, together, we face her brother. “Why don’t we all sit down? I think we have a lot to talk about.”