“Then I am ending things right now.” Another sharp pang of pain hit my chest. I turned my gaze to the shaggy rug beneath my feet so I wouldn’t have to see his expression. “Can you please leave now?”
As if sensing that I needed space, he walked back to the open window and leaned against the wall, facing me. “I’m not leaving until you tell me what’s going on.” His voice was calm, but the dangerous undertones didn’t escape my attention.
I looked up at him. His face was as hard as stone, and his eyes shimmered with something I couldn’t pinpoint. “You know damn right what’s going on.”
“I actually don’t.” He pulled his eyebrows together again and let out an annoyed sigh. “Why don’t you enlighten me, Brooke?” His hard smile belied his anger.
My pulse began to race, but it wasn’t from the physical attraction that was still palpable in the air. Jett was playing games again, and this time it was the clueless card, but I could see through his pretense—more so because I had seen it coming. The thought that he thought he could lie right to my face infuriated me.
“Damn right, you do,” I said through gritted teeth, suppressing the wish to throw something else at him. “I don’t trust you as far as I can spit.”
He inched closer and grabbed my hand. I drew back before he could pull me to him and before his hard body could envelope me, soothing me the way only Jett knew how.
“Brooke.” Another annoyed sigh. “Can you please, for one moment, sit down and explain to me what’s going on? The last time you broke things off, you didn’t have a freaking choice, but this time? Forgive me for asking, but I’m confused.” His voice was hard, his expression detached. I had never seen his stunning green eyes devoid of warmth, and it scared me. His attitude suggested that I was the enemy, as if I was the one causing him pain.
“What is there to explain?” I started. “I know.”
“What do you know?” He sounded so sincere I laughed bitterly. He wasn’t just a good liar; he was an excellent one, who could have probably fooled any lie detector.
I shook my head as I stared him down. “I know everything, Jett.”
“What do you mean?” He sighed. “What exactly do you think you know?”
Now he was turning downright patronizing.
“Fine. If this is the way you want to play.” I smiled bitterly. With the sheet still wrapped around me, I sat across from him and ran a hand through my hair. My eyes settled on him in what I hoped was an icy expression. A few seconds passed. I took a deep breath and released it slowly, then continued, a little calmer, “Did you really think I’d still want to date you after I found out you fucked Tiffany?”
He stared at me, shell-shocked, as though I had just dropped a bomb. I had expected to feel better after the confrontation, but I didn’t. Instead, all the hurt of being cheated on, of being betrayed, returned full force, multiplied by a million.
“I didn’t fuck 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.