The Lover’s Game (No Exceptions #2)(26)
Author: J.C. Reed

“I didn’t f**k her,” Jett said at last, and paused, choosing his words carefully as he wiped his brow. “Not recently anyway. I mean, it happened a long time ago.”

“How long ago?” I asked calmly, but the tremble in my voice betrayed my hurt.

“Last year.” His gaze connected with mine, his eyes begging me to understand. “It was before I met you.”

He didn’t even deny they had been lovers, and a year wasn’t as long ago as he made it out to be. Judging from their intimate communication, they still were close. A sudden pang of jealousy pierced my heart.

“Are you still in love with her?”

“What?” He let out an awkward laugh, then stopped, frowning at my hurt reaction. “Is that what this is about? About Ti?” He stared at me in disbelief. “Trust me, Brooke, nothing is going on between us. As I said, it happened a long time ago.”

I snorted as I thought back to the incident at the bar: her lips on his, her tongue in his mouth, the insinuation that she had booked a hotel room for them, the fact that he had wanted to see her, and that she had been pregnant by him.

“How do I know you’re telling the truth? How can I trust you?” I whispered and stared at him, unable to comprehend that he was lying to my face. My eyes began to sting again. “You saw her behind my back.”

“What are you…” His eyes widened as realization kicked in.

“Did you really think I wouldn’t find out?” My voice broke.

A short moment passed. For the first time, I noticed that Jett couldn’t look at me. He remained silent again, and in some twisted way, that was worse than a whole chorus of lies. A stray tear ran down my cheek. I wiped at it angrily before he could see it.

“So you won’t even deny that you kissed her?” I exclaimed, ignoring the sharp stab ripping through my chest.

“I didn’t,” he whispered.

“Liar.” I took a sharp breath and let it out slowly. “Don’t you understand, Jett? I was there, right in the same room with you, behind the ice sculpture, watching you both, listening to every word. There’s no point in lying. Whatever you have to say, I know the truth.”

He wavered as his green gaze pierced me, urging me to open up and trust him.

“I didn’t kiss her, Brooke,” he said, his tone soft, begging me to understand. “If you were there, then you know that I didn’t start it, nor did I want her advances.”

I wanted to believe his lies. It would have been easy to sink into his arms and give in to his false assurances, but I was past that. The truth, as shattering as it was, was easier to deal with at that point. I didn’t want to be broken anymore. I needed things out in the open so I could finally heal.

“Sure didn’t look like it.” I laughed bitterly again, but my heart was hurting so much I feared I might just pass out.

“It was all her doing,” he said.

Oh, he was good. Too good. I had to give him that. Now he blamed it on Tiffany. “I don’t believe you. You’re a cheater and a liar.”

“Say that again.” His tone finally betrayed his anger and irritation. He was slowly losing his composure and patience with me.

“What difference does it make if she started it, or you?” I asked, ignoring the menacing tone in his voice. “You kissed her back and that’s all that matters to me.”

“Everything, Brooke. Everything,” he said angrily. “I pushed her away, and do you know why?” He glowered at me. “Because I don’t love her. I love you. Don’t you understand? I love you, Brooke—you and no one else. If you had stayed longer, you would have seen it. You would have heard what I said to her.” He moistened his lips, and his tone softened, but his eyes continued to betray his true feelings. “Trust me. It came as a surprise to me that she still cares for me after all this time, but I can’t change that. Only she can.”

“And that’s supposed to make me feel better?” I asked.

“I don’t know, but it’s the truth, and like I said, I can’t change it.” His hand reached out for me in a silent urge to let him come close to me again. I stared at it, then blatantly ignored the gesture.

“I don’t believe you.”

His eyes narrowed, the waves of anger wafting from him almost palpable in the air. I had never seen him that angry before, and it scared me.

He was a dangerous man, just like the rest of his family.

My heart pounded hard in my chest as he inched closer to me, jaw clenched, a vein throbbing in his temple. Towering over me, he was so strong it would have been easy for him to crush me. I flinched as his fingers touched my cheek and trailed down my face to lift my chin. To my surprise, his touch was gentle, almost intimate.

“I would never cheat on you,” he said. “The thought never even entered my mind.” His voice came hard and full of unspoken accusation. “But you?” He pointed a finger at me. “You have no excuse for what you tried to do. You could have called and talked with me before you went off to get drunk and sleep with the next guy.” He spat out the words, his eyes ablaze with an anger I had never seen before. “Have you forgotten that we’re expecting a baby?” The words were as poisonous as venom, slicing through the frail shell of trust we had built around us.

I opened my mouth to speak, then closed it again, struck speechless by the daggers in his eyes.

“I know that. Trust me, I’m reminded every hour of every day,” I whispered bitterly, “and while I know I want this child, I’m not sure I want you as the father. With all your lies and going behind my back, how can I ever trust you again? How can I ever know if you’re telling me the truth?”

“Because I do, Brooke,” he said through gritted teeth. “It’s as simple as that.”

For a brief moment, I felt guilty, and then I pushed his hand away. How dare he accuse me while trying to turn himself into a victim when Tiffany wasn’t even the only problem? And why was he so angry with me for wanting to move on when he should have been aiming his anger at his ex for kissing him, at his brother…at anything but me?

Come on, what was worse: finding out the one person you trusted was cheating, lying, bonding with a killer, or the possibility of me thinking I was sleeping with a stranger, when it was in fact Jett all along? The question was a no-brainer. He had no right to be angry with me. In fact, he should have seen it coming.

“You’re full of shit, Jett.” I took a menacing step forward but kept enough distance to jump back in case he decided to put so much as a finger on me. “It’s my right to go out and have fun. You betrayed my trust, and I can sleep with whomever I want. You swore you’d never lie to me.”