The Game by Vi Keeland by Vi Keeland

“I’m only going to agree with you because you look like me. But I didn’t say there was anything wrong with being pretty. I just don’t like it when a woman thinks it’s the most important thing she can offer.”

“I’ve seen pictures of the new owner on the news. Doesn’t look like she falls short in the pretty department.”

I shook my head. “No, she definitely doesn’t. Bella is gorgeous. But the best part is that she has no damn clue how beautiful she is.”

“That’s not easy to find anymore. Most girls know it because they post one picture on social media and get thousands of comments telling them so. I hate Lara’s Instagram. She’s got a half-million followers. I can’t even look if she posts a bathing-suit shot because I want to kick the asses of fifty-thousand lonely guys who comment. But she makes good money off of it, and she likes it. It makes her happy, so I don’t complain.”

I smirked. “Plus, if you told her not to post, she’d tell you to go fuck yourself. So there’s that, too.”

My brother chuckled. “True. So why doesn’t this woman know she’s beautiful?”

“Maybe saying she doesn’t know isn’t exactly the right way to put it. It’s more like it’s not her focus.”

“What is?”

“Right now, doing the right thing by the team. But she’s intelligent, so her energy has always gone toward her career and helping friends and family.”

“If she’s intelligent, what the hell would she be doing with your dumb ass?” my brother teased.

“You do know identical twins usually have about the same IQ, right? So you’re insulting yourself.”

He shrugged. “Did you ask her out yet?”

“I pretty much ask her out every time I see her. She won’t go out with me…yet.”

My brother threw his head back in laughter. “Holy shit. She’s immune to your charm. I like her already.”

“Shut up.”

The car pulled up to an office building, and my brother went for the door handle. “This is it.”

I looked outside, up and down the street. “I don’t see any stores.”

“This place is a little different.” He climbed out of the back of the car. “Come on.”

The Diamond Vault was definitely different. We went into a nice office suite and were handed champagne before our private, one-on-one shopping appointment. Then we got a one-hour lesson on diamond buying before the rocks started to roll out on black velvet displays. I understood why they gave you liquor before shopping once I heard some of the prices. But Jake must’ve known what he was in for because he didn’t flinch. Three hours after we walked in, he’d picked out a diamond and a setting.

“Damn.” I shook my head as we walked out. “That’s more than I paid for my lake house up in Maine.”

He stopped at the curb and leaned over, putting his hands on his knees. “I think I might throw up.”

I laughed. “And here I thought you were so calm in there.”

“Had to treat it like it was a game to get through it, little bro. Never let the opposing team see you sweat.”

I put a hand on his shoulder. “Lara’s gonna love it. You did good.”

He blew out a ragged breath. “Thanks. I need a drink.”

“Where are you staying?”

“Same place as you.”

“I’ll buy your drink. Pretty sure you can’t afford it after what you just dropped in there.”





CHAPTER 10




* * *



BELLA



“Thank you again for letting me join dinner, Coach Brown.”

“Of course. Anytime. I might request you attend before some of the big games. It’s been a while since these boys were on such good behavior.”

“And here I thought they were always such gentlemen.” I smiled. “Have a good night, Coach. Good luck tomorrow.” I looked around the room for Christian, hoping to catch him before I went up to my room for the night. We’d been seated at different tables on opposite ends of the room and hadn’t had a chance to speak. I wanted to say thank you for this morning, for listening. But Christian was nowhere to be found, so I headed out.

On my way to the elevator, I saw him standing at the bar and made a pit stop. “Hey. There you are.”

He turned and smiled. I thought it was odd that he had what appeared to be a scotch in his hand after he’d told me how little alcohol he drank, but who was I to judge?

“Bella Keating.” He knocked back some of the amber liquid in his glass. “I was hoping I’d see you.”

“I just wanted to say thank you for this morning, for listening to me about John again.”

“No problem. Do you mind if I tell you some things I’d like to get off my chest?”

Christian seemed a little off, and I wondered if he might be drunk, though he wasn’t slurring his words or anything… I shrugged. “Of course. What’s up?”

He took another healthy gulp of his drink and set the empty glass on the bar. “Ten years ago on Christmas, I kissed my cousin’s boob.”

I laughed. “What?”

“Yep. She’d had a baby a few months earlier and was cradling the baby in her arms. I bent down to kiss the baby’s cheek, but didn’t realize she was breastfeeding until the very last second. I turned my head when I figured it out and wound up planting one on my cousin’s breast.”