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)
“Why did RJ warn me not to leave Tom with you?” Beckett asks.
“Probably because I was a dick to him,” I say flat-out. “Was it warranted? Maybe not. But I wasn’t in a place where I could be nice to your brother’s on-off thing. I will probably never be in that fucking place unless you want to shove Valium down my throat.”
Charlie makes a face like he’s considering. “You have some on you?” It sounds like he wants some for himself.
“No.”
“Coke?”
I frown. “No drugs, sorry.”
“On pourrait te mettre à poil. Voir si tu mens,” Charlie says. We could strip you naked. See if you’re lying. He spins in his chair to Beckett. “Qu’en penses-tu?” What do you think?
Beckett dusts salt off his fingers. “Overturn your pockets.”
I don’t make excuses. I remind myself, What would you do to protect Birdie?
The answer: Everything.
If I had their money and their threats.
More.
So I shift Tom off my lap. Very carefully, I place his head against the door and take a beat to make sure he’s still breathing fine. He’s okay. Then I buck up in the seat to stick my hands in my cargos, and I turn the big pockets inside-out. The other ones are zippered, so that’s harder. But I manage.
All that comes out is my leather wallet.
Charlie reaches for it before I can even offer.
“Take it, please, be my guest,” I snap.
He’s abandoned his fish sandwich like I did my burger. “Credit cards, credit cards, a lot of credit cards,” Charlie says in a mocking tone.
“You want my credit score too?”
“No,” Charlie says. “I can already tell it’s not good.”
“We all can’t live off Mommy and Daddy.”
He forces a dry smile. “And what’s this?” He pinches the square foil of a condom like it’s a cigarette. “Magnum. Impressive.” He bows forward. “Hey, you do know that Tom is basically a virgin, right?”
“Charlie,” Beckett says.
I’m confused. “He’s slept with what’s his face.” I’m sick of saying his name.
“Only him.” Charlie flips the condom between his fingers. “And I’m not talking about blow jobs. I mean taking a dick in the ass.”
“Fuck, man,” I say out of surprise.
“Charlie,” Beckett repeats with the same shut the fuck up force.
I thread my rigid arms and lean back against the seat. Beckett said Tom wasn’t as experienced as me, and it’s clear he didn’t care to share specifics about Tom’s sex life out of respect for him. Charlie obviously doesn’t give a fuck.
To the hundredth degree.
I nod to him. “Is this your way of rattling me or something?” I ask.
He cocks his head, mocking. “Is it working?”
“No.” If anything, I feel more protective over Tom. I glance hard at him, then stare back at his brothers. “He could’ve told me this himself, you know.”
“You really think he would?” Charlie arches a brow, then points the pinched condom at Tom. “I only have two siblings who’d put pride above their own well-being. He wants to be on your level. He doesn’t want to seem weak or inexperienced.” He flicks the condom at my chest.
I let it fall to my boots. “So he’d…what then? Pretend he’s not?”
“He did it with RJ,” Charlie states. “Why not you?”
I can’t even muster a “because I’m not fucking him” response.
I tilt even farther backward, my hand on my head. He acted like he’d already had sex. “For his first time?” I let out a sharp noise. “There is no way that guy didn’t know Tom was…” I trail off at Charlie’s light shrug.
He kicks his feet up on the bench seat near Tom. “You think if Tom were to stumble upon a guy who fucks like a wild animal, he’d try to convince himself he can handle it? He wouldn’t stop him even if it hurt—”
“Stop,” I sneer, unable to even picture it without sitting in rage.
“Personally, I think he would. What about you, Beckett?” He whirls in his chair to his brother, his feet dropping to the floor.
Beckett shuts his eyes tight, then opens them in a glare at the window. “Charlie, I swear—”
“Tom will never tell him,” Charlie forces.
“You could give him the tools to try,” Beckett says, tugging his gloves back on his hands. Then Beckett’s eyes hit mine, and all I see is the threat of someone who loves their brother deeply. He is scared for him.
I’m now scared for him if he doesn’t end up with me.
I skate a hand through my hair while Charlie starts talking in another language. Sounds like Portuguese. It takes me a second to realize he’s speaking to his bodyguard.
As a tense beat passes, I look between Tom’s brothers. “Which of you is older?”
“Charlie is my twin,” Beckett answers. “He’s older than me by minutes.” That makes sense. They seem closer than most brothers.
My mind rotates over everything Charlie said tonight. I scrape my hair back again, and I release a tight breath as I ask, “You have two prideful siblings. Tom isn’t the only one, you said. Who’s the other?”