Series: Cobalt Empire Series by Krista Ritchie
Total pages in book: 234
Estimated words: 226965 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1135(@200wpm)___ 908(@250wpm)___ 757(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 226965 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1135(@200wpm)___ 908(@250wpm)___ 757(@300wpm)
“We just want to spend some quality time with you, Ben Pirrip,” Tom says.
I open my mouth to say there are better ways, but are there? They’ve orchestrated this for me. To be with me. Because I keep shoving them away at every turn. So many people would beg for one brother who’d go through this amount of effort to be with them—and I have four.
Yeah, even Charlie. Though, he likely got dragged here by Beckett.
I meet Harriet’s eyes while she corks a vial. Ruthless love, she once said about my family. She’s never known love this deep, and I hate that I can’t even let myself enjoy this time with them.
I can’t relax.
Relax. Enjoy this. “Yeah, that’s what we’re doing,” I tell them. “I’m here.”
Eliot raises his bottle by the neck. “A cause for celebration.” After a large swig, he hands me the wine. I take a swig too, the rich liquid going down smooth, and I offer some to Harriet.
She surprisingly sips from the bottle, then licks the red residue off her lips. I want to kiss her. The blip of a thought skips my pulse.
Looking away, I laugh when Eliot jumps on a towering stack of books and nearly busts his ass, but he manages to catch his balance.
Tom cackles too. Then laughter streams from Beckett, and the lively noise fills my lungs in ways I love. For a second, I even think Charlie might have a shadow of a smile.
“Gods and mortal lady,” Eliot announces, “I hereby sanction tonight as a secret family affair. What happens within these four walls on this foggy night is to be protected and never misused. By Cobalt decree, we all promise one another. Say aye if spoken true.”
“Aye,” Beckett smiles.
“Aye.” Tom pumps a fist in the air.
“Yes,” Charlie agrees.
I nod, more tensed as all my brothers focus on me. “Aye.”
They look to Harriet. She shifts her weight, her eyes darting up to me. “Aye, I guess?” She hands me the wine bottle, then asks in a whisper, “Are we playing the escape game or…?”
“I think they’re just trying to bond with me,” I murmur back. They’re trying to reach me. I’m floating in the night, drifting farther and farther away into darkness, and they’re reeling me back in.
Part of me aches for them to succeed. The other part is terrified if they ever do.
I down a bigger swig. My muscles try to constrict.
Eliot hops off the book tower, then flips open the Zippo, a flame in hand. He’s been spending most of his time auditioning for new plays in the city. “I tried to do the jobless wandering routine like Charlie, but it’s beneath me,” he told me last night after he said he might be cast in The Mousetrap, an Agatha Christie murder mystery. So I’m not surprised he’s treating this outing together like a rehearsal.
Harriet tentatively picks up another vial. “Why does he look like he’s one step away from sacrificing a virgin?”
“Because he’s Eliot,” I say as if that explains everything. Honestly, I’m smiling so wide now that my face starts hurting.
Eliot spins on Harriet. “Is there a virgin in this room to be sacrificed, mortal lady?” He must’ve heard her.
She’s scowling. “You tell me.”
“Gladly.”
16
BEN COBALT
Eliot raises and lowers his brows with a gleam in his eyes. Surprise freezes Harriet for a beat. Maybe she thought they’d be more tight-lipped about their lives, but she basically just took an oath to not spill anything outside of this room. Eliot gestures an arm out to Beckett on the sofa. “Virgin?”
“You’re many years too late,” Beckett says, cigarette burning between his fingers. He brings it to his lips.
“Charlie?” Eliot flicks his Zippo closed, then back open. “How virginal are you, brother?”
“Not at all.” He’s still irritated. I hear it in his voice, and he’s scrutinizing the map on the antique desk from afar.
“Care to elaborate?” Eliot prods. “The people want to know.”
“You want to know,” Charlie rephrases, “and you will never.”
“Challenge accepted, dear brother,” Eliot grins, and at this, Charlie bends toward Beckett to whisper in his ear. He whispers back, ignoring Eliot, who’s telling Harriet, “If sex were a competition, I’m fairly certain I’d claim the victory.” He motions toward Tom. “Virgin?”
“Nope.” Tom flips through a book while standing on the chair. “Our only virginal hope is our baby brother and his girlfriend.”
“We’re not dating,” Harriet clarifies first. “Friends.” She emphasizes, pointing between us.
I nod once in agreement, but it’s hard not to study her reactions. Would she want more? My cock twitches at the thought. Fuck.
I take a hearty swig to drown the arousal. Afterward, Eliot plucks the wine bottle from my grip and asks, “You’re friends who fuck? Or non-fucking friends?”
“The latter,” I say while flush bathes Harriet’s cheeks. I’m very used to the constant prying, so it’s not really fazing me. But just so she knows, I tell her, “You don’t have to share if you’ve slept with anyone before.”