AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Piper,” Darren chastised, stepping over the piles of glass. “Not the fine China.” He went to the back room and grabbed a broom and dustpan. The butler swept up the mess without having to be asked. He was good about things like that.
“Sorry, Darren.” Piper hopped up on the counter, swinging her bare feet back and forth.
“Don’t step back down until I’m done.” Darren warned her with a pointed look. She grinned cheekily in response.
I envied them. Their easy back and forth. I wasn’t so good with words. At least not when it came to Piper. The women I usually went for were easy to read. Easy to know exactly what they wanted and how to give it to them. Piper wasn’t like that. What she wanted from me I had no idea. She had all these men already. What else could she possibly want or need from me?
“Hey,” Rayne bumped my arm. “Don’t think like that. You’re worth more than you think.”
Scowling at the red head, I snapped, “Don’t read my mind.”
Rayne shrugged and shook his hair over his eyes. “Just trying to help.”
“I don’t need it, nor have I asked for it.”
Holding his hands up, Rayne backed out of the kitchen. “Alright, man. My bad.”
“I’d say that I won this one.” Drake held his hand out to his twin with a broad grin on his face. “Pay up.”
Allister scowled. “No way. You don’t know if Piper or Gretchen was the one who bloodied him. For all we know both of us lost.”
“Oh, come on. Don’t act like that. You know I won. Just pay up.” Drake followed his brother out of the kitchen still arguing about who won.
“Another night wasted on nonsense.” Antoine sighed and turned a sharp look on Piper. “You better make sure every single scrap of glass is picked up before you step off that counter. I don’t want to have to worry about you being injured when you meet the council.”
Piper grinned mischievously. “Yes, sir.”
Antoine gave her a meaningful look that made her scent of arousal spike the air.
Wynn hummed and glanced around the room before commenting, “I think I will see if the others would like to play a game of cards. There must be some way to salvage this night.”
“Oooh,” Piper shifted on the counter to jump down, and I was there in an instant grabbing her in my arms. “Oh. Uh. Thanks.”
I peered down at her. So tiny in my arms. So breakable. And yet she wasn’t. Piper was so strong. Stronger than any of us it seemed. However, not in the conventional sense. How could she be so strong on the inside and yet so weak on the outside?
“Uh, Marcus,” Piper chuckled nervously. “You can put me down now.”
I glanced over at Darren who gave me a nod. “You should put your shoes on. Just in case.”
Piper smiled shyly at me. “Are you worried about me getting hurt, Marcus?”
Brushing her hair away from her face, I murmured, “Always.”
“About the glass or the council?” Piper gripped my arms a little more tightly, not in any rush to let me go even though she had told me I could.
“Can it be both?”
Lifting herself up to wrap her arms around my neck, she pressed her lips to the side of my cheek. Piper didn’t immediately move away when she was done, hovering over my skin as if she wanted to do more.
“This is awkward,” Piper muttered, licking her lips and pulling back.
I lowered her to the ground. One glance around the kitchen told me we were alone. I stepped back from her, giving both of us space. “You know, you don’t have to do this. No one would blame you.”
Piper frowned, her brows furrowed. “Do what?”
“Force yourself to be with all of us.”
Cocking her head to the side, Piper gaped at me. “Is that what you think I’m doing?”
I simply stared at her. Which apparently was not the right thing to do. One moment I was looking at her and then next I was doubling over a pain in my most sensitive parts.
“What. The. Fuck. Is. Your. Problem?” Piper snarled at me, stalking out of the kitchen.
Grabbing at myself, I grunted in response. A chuckle near the kitchen door had me looking up.
Rayne leaned against the doorway with a sadistic grin. “Are you sure you don’t want my help now?”
