Series: Cobalt Empire Series by Krista Ritchie
Total pages in book: 220
Estimated words: 215301 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1077(@200wpm)___ 861(@250wpm)___ 718(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 215301 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1077(@200wpm)___ 861(@250wpm)___ 718(@300wpm)
Charlie looks highly annoyed. “I came on her and she tried to push my cum inside her cunt.”
Oh.
Shit.
This is one of those times where I’m ecstatic that I’m very fucking gay. Pregnancy scares are off the table, including the fake ones that crop up. Charlie has the most notoriety of my brothers, simply being the firstborn son of the Cobalt Empire, so he’s usually dealing with girls claiming he’s the father of their baby. He’s been through about five different paternity tests. Some with women he’s barely said hi to.
“Well, that sucks,” I mutter, then say more loudly, “But let’s talk about it. How did it make you feel?” Because I care about him. Okay, everything doesn’t have to be about me all the time. My eyes fall to the phone in my hand.
Charlie swivels in his chair to his twin. “I think Leo is texting him.”
My jaw unhinges. “How the hell could you possibly know that?”
“Leo?” Beckett accuses, practically staking me with his eyes.
“Yeah, Leo,” I confess fast. “But this is really your fault, Beckett Joyce, for having a rival who’s supermodel-hot and texting me.”
Beckett is terrifying when he’s angry. It’s happened such few times toward me in my life that my pulse skips seeing his calm, caring demeanor be set on fire. It takes me three breaths to realize he’s not about to incinerate me, but rather the ballet dancer in my phone.
“Give it to me.” He extends his hand.
“Hold on.” I check the messages very fast.
MAYBE LEO VALAVANIS
“Probably busy” sounds like barely busy. Meet me at 10 p.m. Pink Noir or the Ritz?
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
MAYBE LEO VALAVANIS
I’ll pick. Ritz, it is.
Charlie tears the phone out of my hand and passes it to Beckett. I’m so dead. Fucking deceased. Eliot. I need Eliot to come revive me. Like right now.
Beckett is on his feet as soon as he reads the messages. “He asked you to a fucking hotel?”
“I didn’t say yes!” I yell. “I literally said no.”
Charlie stands beside Beckett, peeking at the texts too. His ill-humored eyes meet mine. “You literally said probably busy.”
“Same thing.” I jump up. “Same exact thing. It’s what I meant. In my heart, I said fuck off, fuck you, go eat a bag of dicks.” I’m staring right at Beckett with a speeding heart rate. His vein is pulsing in his temple, his chest rising and falling so quickly. Have I ever seen him this furious?
I don’t know.
Maybe not.
Charlie touches Beckett’s elbow and whispers against his ear. Beckett isn’t moving a single muscle. Not until he sneers, “He knows exactly what he’s fucking doing, Charlie.”
I think he’s referring to Leo, but the slim chance it could be me has torn a hole in my body. I’m barely breathing.
“What’s going on?” Ben appears from the hallway with Harriet.
I’m not at all upset by his presence. “More witnesses,” I say to Beckett and Charlie. “Harry and Ben know I have zero interest in Leo. I have never reached out to him. He contacted me.” I motion for Ben and Harriet to advocate on my behalf. I need them to since Eliot is not here to reinforce my innocence.
Ben frowns at our brothers. “Yeah, Tom’s not interested in Leo. He knows Beckett hates him.” He sounds very convincing because it is the truth. It is.
“What Ben said,” Harriet deadpans, and I’ll take her little crumb. From Harry, it’s practically a five-tiered cake.
Beckett fixes his searing gaze on me. “I’m going to tell you again, Tom. He is using you to fuck with me. Do not entertain him.”
“I’m not.”
“Then how’d he get your number?” Charlie asks me.
I collapse back onto the sofa and smear a hand down my face. “I was drunk this one time. I wasn’t thinking when I gave it to him.”
“Tell me that’s all that happened,” Beckett says in a single breath. Or maybe he’s not breathing either. The air feels thin.
“That’s all that happened.” I look up at him. “Je te le promets.” I promise you that.
Beckett exhales his caged breath, then he bends down to my height on the couch. “Stay away from him.” He hands me my phone. “Promets-le moi.” Promise me.
“Je le promets,” I emphasize with my whole soul. I promise. I ease when he squeezes my shoulder.
Then he sits beside me. I can viscerally feel the tension in his rigid, perfect-postured body.
I rest my hands on my head again, leaning backward. “I’m sor—”
“I’m not angry at you.” He blinks a couple times, staring at the new footprints I left behind on the coffee table.
Fuck me. Charlie is already grabbing the Clorox off the kitchen counter where I’d set it. I wish I could say this is the first time I’ve accidentally made a mess that Charlie cleaned, but it’s not even the tenth time.
Beckett focuses on me. “I know the attention Leo gives you might feel good, but it’s not worth reciprocating when his intentions have nothing to do with you. You fall for him, he’ll hurt you.”