The Lover’s Promise (No Exceptions #3)(33)
Author: J.C. Reed

“I’m shutting you out?” I tried to turn around with no success. Instead, I was forced to endure his lips grazing my earlobes. “Have you lost your mind? You’re the one who’s keeping secrets.”

“For which I had a reason.”

“The fuck you did.” I tried to move, but it was impossible. “Let me go, Jett.”

“I promise once you calm yourself, I’ll let go of you.”

“If you don’t let me go now, I swear I’ll—” I took a sharp breath, considering my words.

“What? You’ll hate the way I kiss you?”

I should have seen it coming, and yet it still took me by surprise. His teeth grazed my neck softly a moment before his lips brushed my skin.

“You…”

My words were cut short by the door being thrown open and Brian walking in. Both Jett and I turned to regard him.

“What the fuck, dudes! I can hear your screaming all the way upstairs,” he shouted. “What the fuck’s going on?

“Stay out of it, Brian.” Jett’s voice came calm and composed, but he didn’t let go of me.

“Hey, bro. This is my place, so show some fucking respect. Some people have to sleep,” Brian shouted before his voice dropped a notch.

“Brooke?” Brian looked at me. Even from the distance, I could see the sudden hint of an amused grin as his gaze brushed over our strange embrace. “Is Jett bothering you?”

“Yeah, as a matter of fact he is.” I stared at him in the hope he’d jump in and get Jett put some much-needed distance between us.

But Brian made no such move.

I pointed behind him in case he missed that Jett was standing a bit too close for comfort.

“Big time. He’s quite annoying,” I added, expecting him to get the hint.

“That he is,” he confirmed. “But I’m glad you have it all under control.”

What?

What?

“We’re just having a little discussion, “Jett chimed in. “Right, Brooke?”

I tried to turn to regard him, ready to do whatever it took to get him to loosen his tight grip on me, but before I knew it, he let go. I straightened my skirt, my breath coming hard and heavy. My hair and face felt like a hot mess, and I was sure I looked like we just had fun in a haystack rather than a heated discussion.

Inside I was raging. My legs were trembling. My heart was pounding. And my pulse was racing. The moment Brian would leave the room, I promised myself to kick Jett really hard if he ever pulled that stunt again.

“All right.” Brian nodded, unconvinced. “If you can’t keep from shouting and stomping like a herd of elephants to a minimum level, I will throw you both into building two. Is that understood?”

“Loud and clear,” Jett said behind me, amused. “There won’t be any problems, boss. No need to lock us up in building two. We’ll do as you please. Of course, your well-being is our priority number one.”

I snorted loudly, both at Jett’s sarcasm and Brian’s warning. Maybe building two was the most poorly furnished place—that part was true—but it was still amazing with a huge indoor cinema and a beautiful spiral staircase and plenty of room for everything. I was hardly any sort of punishment. In fact, I would have moved in anytime.

“Brooke?” Brian asked.

“Sure. There won’t be any problems.” I nodded in agreement.

“You better keep it that way,” Brian barked. “I’ve had enough drama this week. I don’t need more of it.”

Brian gave us another cautionary look and then he turned around and walked out. For a second I considered hurrying after him, if only to escape the clutches of my weak heart and the conversation I suddenly no longer wanted to have.

Too late.

The door closed and we were back to being alone, back to where we had started. I stared at the closed door, not daring to turn out of fear of plunging into new depths of despair at the entire situation.  Come to think of it, I would have loved to hear some of Brian’s drama. Any distraction would have been better than dealing with my own life.

All the energy I had saved for this fight was gone, dissipating the moment I realized that if Jett wanted to leave there was nothing I could do to change his mind. He was a free man.

“Brooke?” His voice had become soft, tender and my skin started to prickle as he stepped behind me again.

I shook my head in sadness. “Don’t.”

His hand touched my shoulder. My knees weakened as he turned me around. There was no smile on his lips. Just sadness. He reminded me of an old lonely tree, the leaves scattering in a thousand directions. The withering of a rose. The cold winter brushing away the last leaf. Just sadness and the promise of winter coming, announcing that everything colorful, everything pretty, would fade away—in time.

“You promised you’d never leave me,” I whispered. My voice shook and a new set of tears began to trickle down my cheeks.

“I have to,” he whispered. “I explained my reasons, but you chose not to believe me. What does that say about you? You don’t trust me and I feel you never will.”

“You’re wrong about that.” I tore myself out of his grip. Feeling the meaning of his words, hearing them—it all felt so true, as if the lies I had told myself was a mere blindfold, and his words had the power to remove it.

He was right, and yet I still didn’t want to admit it.

“You could still stay, Jett,” I whispered.

For me. For our baby.

“Well, I don’t think it’s a good idea to stay. What choice do I have but to go away?”

“There’s always a choice, Jett. You said so yourself back in Italy.”

“Trust me, in this one situation there isn’t.” He looked at me hard. His stance was rigid, and his jaw clenched, and for the first time I wondered if he was trying to run away from the law, like I had tried to run away from him in fear of getting hurt.

Still, I had to hear it from him. If I didn’t get an answer from him, I’d always feel like the truth had eluded me.

“Why?” I asked and the room grew silent again.

“Have you forgotten that I am busy trying to kill you?” Jett said eventually, “So I can finally get my hands on your old grand estate that I so desperately seek? That’s a real life inspiration, you know? Siding with my brother. Raping others and killing them…now that’s fun.” His voice was dripping with bitterness and sarcasm. His eyes shimmered with a dangerous glint, and there was just the hint of a sad smile on his lips. Suddenly I knew he wasn’t just being sarcastic; he was genuinely shocked by my assumptions about him and now he was telling me what he thought I wanted to hear. I couldn’t blame him. I had accused him of all of those things and more during our last fight.