Page 123 of Silver Sweet

Eliot grins. “Tom a gardé la meilleure présentation pour la troisième. Je t’assure, je suis son frère préféré.”Tom saved the best introduction for third. I assure you, I’m his favorite brother.

Phoenix barely hesitates before replying. “Je n’en doutais pas. Il t’appelle tous les jours.”I didn’t question that. He calls you every single day.

My brain fries hearing him speak with a French accent.

“Perspicace.”Perceptive.Eliot turns to me. “Je l’apprécie déjà.”I already like him.

I smile, reveling over this one good outcome, but I’m a little taken by Phoenix’s nerves of steel. He wasn’t even shaken meeting Beckett and Charlie…of what I can recall.

I’m also eager to hear him speak the language again, so I volley him a question. “Quand as-tu appris le français?”When did you learn French?

“When I learned to speak.” Phoenix switches to English, and it feels like he smashed my face with a birthday cake. “My grandfather is from Bordeaux, but he moved to the states when he was in his thirties. He lived with me, my parents, and brother for most of my life, so I grew up primarily speaking French and English in my house.”

“St. Pierre,” I say into a nod. “Makes sense. Full picture.” I wave a hand in front of his face.

He nods. “How’d you all learn? Fancy private school?” He looks more to Eliot.

So my brother answers, “Our parents were taught French in prep school. They taught us when we were kids, so we were all fluent before kindergarten.”

Phoenix doesn’t seem surprised. He slides his helmet off the counter. “We moving to the bedroom?” he asks me.

Eliot’s grin is too wicked to ignore, and I’m just thankful Phoenix isn’t paying himanyattention now.

“Yeah,” I say. “Follow me.”

Eliot lifts a couple fingers. “Ravi de t’avoir rencontré.”Nice meeting you.

Phoenix nods back. I’m shocked Eliot leaves it at that. Not shocked when my brother raises his voice when we’re halfway down the hall. “Ne t’amuse pas trop sans moi!”Don’t have too much fun without me!

“Je ne le ferais jamais!” I shout back.I would never.

Phoenix smiles a little, and I’m going to believe he’s in love with my French accent. Then he asks, “Your roommate here?”

My face scorches with heat. “Uh, no. Ben left for hockey practice.”

“I meant the bird.”

I restrain a laugh. “Yeah, but I already put him in his cage for you, and the privacy curtain is drawn so you won’t even see him on Ben’s side.”

Phoenix just opens my door as if it’s his room. Which is fine. It’s cool. It’s not turning me on at fucking all.

29

TOM COBALT

My neck feels like it’s sustained a five-hour sunburn by the time I shut the door behind us, and I expect Phoenix to make a comment on it. But he’s digging through his unzipped backpack.

“Here.” He tosses a bottle at me, and I fumble it in my hands. It hits the floor with athud.

“So you’re not good at everything, nepo baby.”

“That’s so untrue. I am good atmosteverything, and I can catch. You just caught me off guard.” I pick the drink off the floor, and my brows furrow when I read the label.Pedialyte.

My heart hammers in my chest, and Phoenix holds up a couple bananas by the stem. “Second chance.” He barely gives me time before throwing the fruit underhanded at me, and I’m able to catch it in the crook of my elbow.

Gloating drowns under my confusion, and my pulse thumps loudly in my ears. “What is this?”

“Stuff for your hangover.” Nonchalantly, he sinks down on my bed like this is nothing. It’s notnothing. Not to me. Warner couldn’t be bothered to even bring me a cough drop when I had bronchitis for two weeks.