Page 13 of Forbidden Heart

“Five thousand dollars?” Silas calls back, holding up the bottle. Charles rounds the bar after him, and Silas sidesteps him, keeping the bar between them. “I think I’ll just drink from the bottle, then.”

“Silas.” Charles growls and I hold my breath, waiting for Silas to give back the brandy. To put it away so I don’t have to see it anymore.

When JJ suddenly takes a seat on the couch next to me, I nearly jump out of my skin. He takes my hand and squeezes it, but I can’t breathe as I watch Silas, waiting.

The Dark Prince shakes his head, wild mane of dark hair flying. “Don’t see what the big deal is. We’re celebrating, aren’t we?”

“If you’re going to celebrate with my brandy, you’re going to drink it neat from a snifter.” Charles holds out a hand, and my heart nearly stops.

“I’m not drinking from some fancy fucking snifter,” Silas shoves the bottle at Charles. “You got anything else to drink around here?”

“Let me have a look.” Charles opens a cupboard and I breathe a sigh of relief when he places the brandy on the highest shelf, where it’s hopefully out of Silas’s reach. But then he pulls out three other bottles, each filled with alcohol, and sets them on the counter. “Have at it.”

Involuntarily, I squeeze JJ’s hand, hard. Logically, I know everything’s okay. This is how everyone at college celebrates. I’m probably the only person here who is afraid of what alcohol does to people.

Taking deep, calming breaths, I remind myself that not everyone who drinks turns violent. And these guys would never hurt me. I’m safe. I have to keep telling myself I’m safe, because I certainly don’t feel it.

“I think we should stop,” JJ says suddenly.

“Stop what?” Silas is the first to ask.

“This.” JJ gets to his feet. “Silas, I think you should go, man.”

“Why?” Silas asks in surprise. Tate and Charles do, too, but then their gazes slowly slide to me.

“What the fuck did she say about me?” Silas snaps, his cold eyes turning to me. “She fucking tell you to kick me out?”

“Hey.” Tate raises his hands defensively and gets to his feet. “Roonie didn’t say anything about you. We just think we should call it a night.”

“Go.” Charles adds, his tone brooking no argument.

“Fine.” Silas shoots me another glare and storms out of the apartment. “I’m going to go write our next song. You know, so we can pass the first round.”

The door slams behind him, and I jump.

“Don’t worry about Silas,” JJ says softly as he goes to lock it.

I nod and my gaze drifts from the door to the two Champagne glasses on the coffee table.

“I’ll get them,” Charles says, grabbing all three glasses with one large hand and carrying them to the kitchen. He dumps the contents into the sink and then follows it up by tipping the entire Champagne bottle into it. I want to say something—to stop him from wasting it—but I can’t bring myself to do it.

“Talk to us, Roonie,” JJ says softly, taking a seat on the coffee table directly in front of me.

“About what?” I ask, feigning ignorance. I glance toward the kitchen, where Charles is putting all the glasses in the dishwasher.

“You were scared,” JJ says softly. “The Champagne. The brandy. The shots...”

“It’s... nothing.” I stare down at my hands. The heavy fermented smell of alcohol dissipates, but I can’t seem to relax.

“It’s something,” Tate says. He places his hand on my knee, and I feel the heat of his touch through the thin silk of my dress. “Whatever happened, you can tell us, Roo Roo.”

I swallow hard, and then I start to talk.

Chapter 6

I tell the guys everything. How Father started drinking more and more after Mom died. How every time he did, he’d lose control. Get angry. Scare me.

“Did he hit you?” Charles growls from his spot on the couch to my right, which he’d grabbed almost as soon as JJ vacated it. The Beast’s leg is pressed up against mine, and I find his nearness comforting.