The Sweetest Game (12 page)

“I asked her once what Melissa’s problem was and she said she didn’t know. That she’s always hooked up with guys and shit, but she never really likes them.”

“That doesn’t make any sense. Who’s like that?” Dean spat, his temper finally showing up for the party.

I lifted my beer. “Me.”

“Great,” he said with a snort. “So she’s a female version of you?”

I shrugged. “I’m just saying. It’s sort of a guy’s way of thinking, if you break it down. And that probably works for you since you’re such a chick.”

“Really?” he snarled at me.

Shaking my head, I grinned. “I’m only fucking around, little brother.”

The scantily clad bartender walked over to our table and the three of us immediately shut up. She asked if she could get us anything and I ordered three shots of tequila. Once she walked away, I looked at Matteo’s worried expression and shrugged. “It seemed like a good idea at the time.”

“If I drink too much, we’ll need a driver for the driver,” he explained and I laughed.

“Where were we?” I paused and looked at Dean. “Oh yeah. You’re a chick and Melissa’s a dude.”

“It’s not funny. And I’m over it. I’m done. And when we get back to your place, I’m telling her that.” He sounded determined and angry, and it hit me that those feelings were exactly what he needed. My brother needed to take control of his dick back.

“Good,” I told him.

“Yeah?” Dean eyed me, then downed the last of his beer.

I loved Melissa because she was my wife’s best friend, and because she’d been there for me on more than one occasion. But she’d been stringing my brother along since I’ve known her. So yeah, I supported my brother’s decision to tell her to shit or get off the pot.

“You deserve the best and if she’s not going to be that, then fuck her. It’s not like you haven’t given her enough chances to make a decision already. No girl’s worth all this hassle. Except mine. But she’d never pull this kind of shit.”

“And mine,” Matteo added.

“Trina is a good one, bro.” I raised my glass toward him before taking a drink.

“Yeah, yeah. I already know how fucking great both your wives are. Can we get back to me?”

“We never left,” Matteo reassured him.

“So, what do you think? You don’t really know either of us. What’s your take?” Dean lifted his chin in Matteo’s direction. “You know, as an outsider?”

Matteo looked between me and my brother before saying, “I don’t know the whole story between you two, but it sounds like she’s just leading you on. She knows how you feel about her, right?”

“Absolutely,” Dean answered.

“Without a doubt? You’ve told her?” Matteo asked.

Dean’s face scrunched up. “Yes. More than once.”

The bartender appeared and placed our shots on the table. I handed her my credit card and told her to bring us the check, wanting her to leave as soon as possible so we could get to the bottom of this shit with my brother.

“Okay, so what does she say?” Matteo asked, getting us back on track.

“She usually avoids it. But she’ll kiss me to shut me up or say she likes me too, but—”

“But what?” I interrupted.

“She likes me too, but she doesn’t want a boyfriend right now. Or she can’t. Or some other bullshit excuse. I don’t know. It’s all lies. Fuck her. I’m done.”

“I think that’s exactly what she needs.” Matteo stared at my brother and a light bulb went off inside my head.

“Matteo’s right. You have to make sure she knows you’re done.”

“I just said that I would.”

I slapped my hand against his shoulder. “But you have to follow through. She needs to lose you to figure out once and for all what the fuck she wants.”

“This isn’t a game to me, Jack. I’m done. She just wrecked me and I won’t let her do it anymore. She either wants to be with me or she doesn’t. Either way, I’m fucking done waiting around for her to make up her mind.” I watched as he downed his shot.

“Ready to go back home?” I asked.

“You bet.”

The three of us rose to our feet as Matteo pushed his tequila shot toward Dean and he downed it as well. I signed off on our tab with the bartender before we headed out of the darkness and into the bright Manhattan sunlight.

“I need to park the car. Apparently my wife is upstairs with yours,” Matteo said from the driver’s seat. “Do you want me to drop you two off at the entrance and then meet you inside?”

“Don’t be an asshole. We’ll park the car and go in together.”

Dean stayed quiet the elevator ride up to the twenty-third floor and he was the first one off when it came to a stop. I’d never seen him so fired up before. Matteo and I jogged to keep up with him, neither one of us wanting to miss a minute of this show. It was a shitty move, I know, but the idea of seeing my super sweet brother be a dick to someone was fucking exciting.

He walked through the door before any of us and grabbed Melissa by the arm. “We need to talk. Now.”

“Ouch. Jeez, Dean, let me go.”

“No. You want to talk in private or do you want me to say what I have to say right here in front of all these people?” He waved his arm in our direction and I looked at Cassie, who was currently glaring at me.

I mouthed “not my fault” to her and she narrowed her eyes at me.

Melissa glanced around the room at Trina, Cassie, Matteo, and me before whispering, “In private,” and stalked off behind Dean’s giant frame.

“Hey, Trina!” I smiled at Matteo’s wife. “You look great.”

“Stop hitting on my wife,” Matteo joked.

“You don’t want to go there, do you? We can if you want,” I joked back.

Dean’s shouting stopped our conversation as all four of us turned our heads in the direction of the guest bedroom. We were mesmerized by the sound of Dean actually yelling at someone. And knowing that
the someone
was Fun-Size. The whole thing seemed insane.

Despite the closed bedroom door, we could hear absolutely everything. It was awesome.

“You acted like it didn’t matter. Like nothing between us ever fucking matters. Why? Why do you do that?” he yelled, the frustration in his voice coming through loud and clear from a room away.

“I don’t know,” she answered softly.

“Bullshit! That’s bullshit! You do know. Do you have any idea how much of an idiot I felt like this morning when you walked out of the room? I thought things were different after last night, but I was wrong. I’m always fucking wrong when it comes to you.”

“Why are you so mad?” Her voice was shaking, and knowing girls, I knew tears couldn’t be far behind.

“Are you joking? You make me feel like a fucking fool over and over again and I’m sick of it. I’m not doing it anymore. I’m done with this.” His voice was cold and I glanced at Cassie, who looked like she was holding her breath.

“What do you mean, you’re ‘done with this’?”

“With this. With you. I’m not doing this anymore.”

“So, that’s it? We’re not even friends?” she asked, her voice rising in pitch.

“I don’t want to be your friend! How many times do I have to tell you that?” he shouted, and it sounded like he punched something, but I couldn’t imagine what. “Damn it, Melissa. I don’t want to be your fucking friend, okay? Stop acting like you don’t know this already. You know how I feel. And I can’t be around you with all this back-and-forth bullshit that you do to me. I’ve wanted you for two years. Two years!” he yelled and I almost felt bad for eavesdropping. Almost.

“Well, who asked you to want me? I didn’t, did I?”

My eyes widened at her response and I shifted closer to Cassie and grabbed her hand. She squeezed it hard.

Dean whistled a sound before responding to her. “No, you sure didn’t. Well, you don’t have to worry about me anymore. You can delete my phone number from your cell since I won’t answer if you call.”

The guest bedroom door flew open and none of us even pretended to be doing anything else. We all stared at my little brother as he walked into the kitchen and grabbed a beer from the refrigerator.

I cleared my throat, determined to be a good host. “Dean, this is Trina, Matteo’s wife. Trina, this is my little brother, Dean.”

Dean smiled, then sauntered over to Trina and shook her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, I’ve heard wonderful things. Sorry about all the yelling.”

“It’s okay. I understand,” she said with a sympathetic smile.

“I love your accent. No one told me you were British,” Dean said, laying on the charm.

“And no one told me you were so cute,” she flirted back and I had to bite my lip to keep myself from laughing. My brother could use the attention.

Melissa rounded the corner, and Cassie immediately dropped my hand and headed toward her. They disappeared and I heard a door close. I glanced at Matteo and Trina and apologized.

“It’s okay. We need to get going anyway. We have reservations in a little bit. It was nice to see you, Jack. And nice to meet you, Dean.” Trina kissed my cheek and gave Dean a squeeze and told him, “Personally, I think she’s crazy to not be head over heels for you. But don’t worry, you’ll find the right girl. You’re a catch. Don’t ever forget that.”

“Thanks, Trina. It was nice meeting you. You too, Matteo,” Dean said with a nod in his direction. “Thanks for this afternoon.”

“That’s what adoptive brothers do for each other,” he said with a laugh.

I shook Matteo’s hand and closed the front door behind them as they left. “How are you feeling?”

My brother peered around the kitchen column to look at me. “I’m still pissed, but I feel good.”

“Good. You’re right, you know,” I offered in consolation.

“About what?”

“Everything you said to her. So don’t feel bad when you wake up tomorrow and want to take it all back.”

He half smiled. “That’s not going to happen.”

I couldn’t believe the drama that happened during Dean and Melissa’s visit. Hell, I’d only suggested they come out here together because I wanted them to finally get together. I guess that backfired. And now Dean was hurting and I didn’t know what Melissa was feeling, but I somehow feel responsible for it all.

Dean refused to sleep in the guest room last night, so he stayed on the couch. I tried to get him to stay in our room with Jack and I’d sleep with Melissa, but he wouldn’t budge.

“Just go stay in our bed. It’s no big deal, Dean. I’ll go stay with Melissa,” I offered.

“No, thanks. I like couches,” he said with a wink as his gaze looked past me to something over my shoulder.

I turned around and noticed Jack standing behind me. “What were you doing?” I asked him.

“Me? Nothing? Just staring at your ass,” Jack said and I laughed.

“Liar!” I smacked my palm against his chest.

“I just told Dean that if he said yes to sleeping in a bed with me that I’d smother him with a pillow and throw his dead body off our balcony. I’m not fucking sleeping with my brother, Kitten, when I can sleep with you.”

I tapped my foot against the tile flooring. “You said all that from behind me?”

“Not with words. But the message was conveyed.” He ran his finger across his neck like a sinister throat-slasher.

“Dean, I just want you to be comfortable on your last night here. Please let me know if I can do anything for you.”

“I’m fine, Sis. Really. Stop worrying.”

It was only after his insistence that I finally left him alone and went to bed with Jack. Melissa had fallen asleep pretty soon after our post-fight chat, and both times that I checked on her, she hadn’t moved.

She confessed to being rattled by Dean’s explosion of emotions and she cried on my shoulder. A lot. But she wouldn’t really admit to anything. I kept asking if she liked Dean and she would nod her head, but she wouldn’t say much else. Honestly, I was still just as confused now as I was six months ago. Something was preventing Melissa from letting go and loving Dean, but I had no clue what it was. And she wouldn’t tell me.