Page 42 of Silver Sweet

“Yeah, Leo,” I confess fast. “But this is really your fault, Beckett Joyce, for having a rival who’s supermodel-hot and textingme.”

Beckett is terrifying when he’s angry. It’s happened such few times toward mein 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 incinerateme, 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 saidno.”

Charlie stands beside Beckett, peeking at the texts too. His ill-humored eyes meet mine. “You literally saidprobably busy.”

“Same thing.” I jump up. “Sameexactthing. It’s what I meant. In my heart, I saidfuck 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’sfuckingdoing, 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 havezerointerest in Leo. I have never reached out to him.Hecontactedme.” 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 itisthe 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 isusing youto 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 thisonetime. 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.