The scent of lavender lingered in the air even after Piper left. Eric stood there a moment, every muscle in his body rock hard with tension. Rage surged inside of him, struggling to get out. When he thought about what had happened to Piper, to what the bastard had done to her things, about what the bastard could have done to Piper if she’d been there when he’d broken into her house—

Ben’s hand clamped around his shoulder. “She isn’t going home with you. Thanks for the help, I know you can get her the best security system, but I’ll take her back with me. I’ll—ow!”

Eric had grabbed his brother’s hand. Grabbed his brother. And shoved Ben back against the door.

A sharp knock sounded. “Hey!” Piper’s voice. “Everything okay in there?”

Ben stared at him with wide eyes.

“Fine!” Eric called back. “Just straightening a few things out.” Some shit that should have been straightened out long ago.

“Are you crazy?” Ben whispered. “Like, I swear, I feared this day would come. All that work and no playtime routine that you have is not the way a human should live. Knew you were burning out your fuse.”

“I thought you were fucking going to marry her.”

Ben’s eyes widened even more, nearly doubling in size. “Who?”

Don’t kill your little brother. Don’t kill him. “Piper.” Eric’s voice was low, meant only for Ben.

Shock flashed on Ben’s face. “Why the hell would you think that?”

“Because you two have been inseparable for years. Because she sleeps over at your house ‘all the time.’ Because you know practically every secret that she has, and she knows yours.” He was clenching his back teeth. “I kept waiting for the day when you broke the news. Then you gave me the mystery call today. Told me I had to get to Piper’s, ASAP. That you had something you needed to tell me.” He’d heard all of that, and he’d nearly gone insane.

Why? Why?

Because I want Piper. He always had, dammit. Only he hadn’t realized how completely, totally lost he was…until the moment came when he thought his brother was claiming her, forever.

“Uh, yeah, we’re not getting married.” Ben looked down at the hand Eric had slammed into his chest. “And you can get your hand off me, too.”

“You just going to keep screwing around with her?” Hell, no. Eric shook his head. With his free hand, he flipped the lock on the door. “Fuck, no. The rules are changing.”

Ben’s mouth opened. Closed. Opened. The guy looked like a fish who’d been yanked out of the water. Then he finally mumbled, “I…haven’t.”

The words were so low that Eric almost missed them. “Come again?”