I swallowed past the lump in my throat and put the centerpiece back in place.
“Did you two—” My words trailed off, filling the void between us with unspoken indictment. It hadn’t been my intention to make it sound like an accusation, but somehow it came off as such because, if Jett confirmed my suspicions, I couldn’t stay in a house where he once had sex with someone else.
Jett’s eyes narrowed on me and his jaw set. “Fuck, Brooke. She’s just a client. I don’t sleep with my clients.”
I averted my gaze to hide my disbelief. He signed deals—and a lot of them; he whisked off his clients to expensive restaurants and stunning vacation destinations. Did he really expect me to believe he and Kim never got intimate on such an occasion?
He walked over to me. I could feel his hands on my shoulders as he turned me around so that I faced him, but I didn’t look up.
“Brooke, just because I’m a guy doesn’t mean I sleep with anything walking on two legs. Kim’s not even my type. No one is, except you.”
“It was just a question, Jett.”
A question I would probably ask myself every time he met someone.
A question I would always be afraid to ask because I knew in my heart I didn’t have the strength to handle the kind of answer I feared. As much as I wanted to believe every word he said, and as much as I loved him, I didn’t trust life wouldn’t send another woman his way—someone more beautiful, better suited to his social status and lifestyle. Someone able to change his feelings for me.
“It’s not a big deal,” I lied. My eyes met his gaze, imploring him to drop the topic because I didn’t want to sound insecure. Insecurity wasn’t an attractive trait.
“I just wondered. That’s all,” I mumbled when he kept staring at me.
“Do you trust me?” His question was unexpected. I narrowed my eyes in surprise.
“I do,” I said.
“Do you, Brooke?”
He moved closer, towering over me. Peering into my heart, his gaze lingered on me too long, making me nervous. He was so tall I had to lean all the way back to look into his green gaze. Green like a haunted forest reflecting the morning sun. So deep and dark I would have dipped my fingers in it to stain my soul. Because haunted he was—we both were by our pasts—only he knew better how to deal with it.
As Jett regarded me, I could see the color of his eyes shifting—the way it often did, depending on his mood. Lighter when he was tired. Darker when he was agitated or infuriated. I realized I was getting to know him. The real Jett. And right now he was downright angry.
“Do you really trust me?” His fingertips lingered on my cheek, cold as ice.
“In some way,” I whispered. But did I? His expression challenged me to tell to truth. “I don’t know. I know you’re interested in me, and not in the estate. I also know you wouldn’t betray my trust, but I feel there’s a lot more to you. Hidden layers that I still have to get to know.”
His face betrayed no emotions as he moistened his lips, carefully preparing his words. “Brooke, I’m not just into you…I’m in this for the long haul. I dated others, but I always knew they weren’t the real deal. That whatever attracted me to them would pass. With you, it’s different.”
“How do you know?” I asked breathlessly.
He smiled. “You make me want to be a better person, and I cannot imagine a future without you.” His voice lowered to a whisper. “We haven’t known each other for long, but deep inside I feel like we understand each other. I feel like I’ve been waiting for someone like you all my life. Besides, you make me think of sex nonstop and that’s always a good sign.”
I could feel myself blushing, my insides turning all warm and fuzzy. He wasn’t the only one who couldn’t stop thinking about sex.
“That’s your libido talking,” I pointed out.
He shook his head. “No, it isn’t. You turn me on like I know I’m turning you on. Your wet panties are proof enough.”
His fingers brushed my neck, and then his lips gently touched the sensitive skin. His hot breath sent a delicious shiver through me. “If we’re both honest with each another, if we trust one another and we mention whatever is on our mind rather than keep things buried, then nothing can go wrong in this relationship. We won’t lose this.” He pointed to the air between us. “I won’t let it happen. It doesn’t matter what we once did and who we slept with, because they didn’t matter and the knowledge is all that counts. That’s all you, or I, ever need to know.”
He was right. Of course. The mere mentioning of my ex was enough to make him jealous. If it upset him seeing me with others and he was ready to never ask, then it was time for me to let go of my dark thoughts. I couldn’t expect from him something that I couldn’t give in return.
“I brought us here to spend time alone.” His tone dropped to a sexy whisper again. “Are you ready for our game?”
I put on my poker face. “You bet. If I win, I want to go back to our apartment, and I want to torture you in your own walls. I’ll tease you all night and drive you crazy until you beg for mercy.”
He grinned. “Now, that sounds tempting, Miss Stewart. I like the idea of you punishing me. But to be honest, right now I like the idea of fucking you, in every possible position, even more. We’re not going home today.”
Holy cow. He looked like he meant it.
I laughed as he walked over to his black bag to retrieve a set of cards. And for the first time I wondered why he had brought such a huge bag. What was he hiding in there?
Chapter 4