The Lover's Game by J.C. Reed Read Free Book Online Page B

okay, Brooke.” She looked up at me sternly. “Don’t do that. Don’t just brush it all under the rug and pretend it’s not there.” She pulled a tissue from a Kleenex box and began to crumple it. “How could he cheat on you? You’re perfect, Brooke. What the fuck is he doing with her when you’re carrying his child? He was supposed to propose and marry you, not fuck the next girl. That isn’t just a low blow.” She inhaled a sharp breath, her eyes shimmering with the fury of a scorned woman. “It’s the lowest thing any man could do. This is so fucking upsetting I feel like hurting him.”
    I smiled, touched by her loyalty. Luckily for the both of us, Sylvie was all talk, but not exactly a believer in violence. It was just the wine speaking. I could hear the liquid courage in the slur of her voice.
    “Shit happens, Sylvie. You know that.” I stroked her back in a soothing manner, but was only rewarded with a few tears trickling down her face.
    “But you don’t deserve it.”
    “I know,” I murmured. “No one ever does.” Seeing her crying and caring so much about me, even when drunk, made me realize just how much I had missed her in the weeks since I moved out. I could almost feel the intensity of her pain—as though she was more hurt than me. My vision blurred, but I didn’t want to cry. My head was already throbbing so hard I was afraid it might burst.
    Another tear rolled down her cheek, and she sniffled.
    “Stop,” I whispered. As hard as I tried to keep my own tears at bay, I failed.
    “I can’t help it,” Sylvie said. “I hate what he did to you. I hate that he lied. He could have at least had the balls to tell the truth.” She took another sip from her glass.
    “That’s what bothers me the most, too.” I grabbed the glass of wine and pushed it across the table before she could take another sip, and squeezed her hands, forcing her to look at me. “I’ll be okay. My heart will heal...eventually. It always does. Don’t worry about me.”
    “But how can I not? You’re my best friend, my sister, the kindest person I know,” Sylvie said. “I saw how much that guy meant to you. You told me he was your first love. He didn’t have to go and give it away like that.”
    I shrugged. “I’ll get over him, Sylvie.”
    “It’s all my fault.”
    “How is that all your fault?” I asked, frowning, unable to follow her train of thought.
    She moistened her lips and shook her head with a crazy look in her eyes. “It was my job to keep him away from you.” She squeezed my hand so tight it almost hurt. “Brooke, I promise that I’ll kick his door in and cut off his fucking dick. I’ll make sure he’ll never, ever use it again.”
    She looked so dead serious, I laughed out loud.
    “No, you won’t.”
    “Oh, I will ,” she said with a deadpan face. “And you know what else?”
    I shook my head and regarded her, amused.
    “I’ll hook you up with a real guy. Someone sexy. Somebody who’ll make him eat his heart out. Together we’ll find you a new boyfriend, somebody much better than what’s-his-name.” She leaned forward. “You have to take charge, Brooke. You have to hurt him the way he’s hurt you, a leg for a leg.”
    “You mean, an eye for an eye?” In spite of the gravity of the situation, I found myself smiling.
    “Yeah, that’s it. Chick for a guy. Kiss for good sex. Whatever. By the time you’re done with him, he’ll be begging to get you back. Just promise me one thing.” Her voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. “Don’t ever let him into your panties again.”
    I nodded, confident that I could keep that promise. “I won’t. I won’t even think about it.”
    I was sure that would never happen again. But what about my dreams, my hopes, my wishes? My heart sank. Jett had cheated on me, and it hurt like hell, but sure as heaven, our time together hadn’t been bad. He had made me feel good—most of the time.
    Okay, that was a lie.
    He had always made me