"You asshole. Don't ever do that again."
"Yeah, yeah." I fell back against the backseat. "What were you doing at the club, Piper?"
Piper glared at me through the rear-view mirror. "My job. What's your excuse?"
I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. "I was feeding."
Her shoulders stiffened. "It looked like a hell of a lot more than that to me."
Grunting, I tried to figure out how to explain to her what happened that didn't make me look like an utter asshole. "It wasn't what it looked like."
"Really?" Piper asked incredulously. "Because you looked like you were getting real cozy with your dinner."
"So, what if I was?" I snapped in return, tired of the accusation in her voice. "It's not like you notice me that way."
Piper went quiet and then pulled the car over and shoved it in park, turning around in her seat to stare at me. "Is that what this was all about? You feel neglected?"
I pressed my mouth closed, my jaw tightening at her glare.
Biting out a laugh, Piper shook her head with a disbelieving smile. "I can't believe you. I'm sorry that between running for our lives and getting my ass handed to me, all to save your vampire ass, that I haven't spent as much time with you as you wanted." She looked down and then back up to me, the salty scent of her tears in the air. "You know of all of them, I would think you would understand."
"Why?" I asked, wanting to reach for her, to comfort her, but holding back. "Why would I understand? I'm always the other brother. One of the twins. Never just me. Just Allister. You only wanted me when you had both of us together. You haven't given me a second thought since then."
"Jesus fucking Christ, Allister!" Piper unbuckled and climbed over the seat into the back with me, sitting next to me on the driver's side. "You have the worst timing to be insecure."
I just shrugged. "Not like I planned it."
Piper dragged a hand over her face. "You know. We already have my ex-boss staying at the house, and the hunters are pushing our agreement to the limit. Not to mention Morpheus trying to call in his favor. I thought the one thing I wouldn't have to worry about was you all."
"Again, I say why?"
"Look at you." Piper gestured at me with a bitter laugh. "I mean, all of you have basically walked off the pages of Men's magazine. If anyone should be insecure, it should be me."
I reached out and pinched her chin between my fingers, turning her face to me. "I don't know what you mean by that."
Piper gave me a watery smile. "Look at me. I'm playing the big bad vampire hunter, but I'm just a girl. How am I supposed to keep you and the others happy for my lifetime, let alone forever?"
"Oh, Piper." I drew her into my arms and brushed my fingers through her hair.
"What if you all get tired of me? How do I get over that?" She muttered into my chest. "I'm bonded to Antoine, how do I get on with my life when I'll always want to be with him? With all of you?" Piper lifted her head from my chest and looked up at me. "How can you possibly love me forever? And what if you find someone else, like tonight? How do I deal with that?"
"Hey." I brushed away the tears that slid down her face, licking my thumb to taste the saltiness of it. "Hey, listen to me. Nothing happened with her. I promise. I came here to feed, and maybe I flirted a little bit more than I should have, but nothing ever came of it. I just wanted to feel wanted. I never imagined you were just as insecure about us as I am." I offered her a small smile.
"And now?"
I laughed. "Now, I feel like a first-class jackass and can't apologize enough."
Piper grabbed my face between her palms and pulled me down to her. Our mouths crushed against one another, nipping and pulling on my lips until a sharp sting of pain filled me. Then she did it all over again.
It was as if she were trying to punish me for daring to look elsewhere for attention. I wouldn't be making that mistake again.
Climbing into my lap, Piper shoved me back against the seat of her car. I chuckled at her aggression and then groaned as she rotated her hips against the front of my pants. Grabbing her ass, I pressed her down against me so she could feel how hard I was for her. Only her.
Piper pulled back from my mouth with a gasp of breath. "I'm not fucking you here in the car."
"What?" My disappointment evident in my voice.
She pushed away from me, smiling. "I mean it. This was just..."