Rafe’s warm hand cupped her cheek. “I wish I had been there to help you, habibti.”
Oddly, Piper wished he had, too. She’d been so alone. She was still alone for the most part, but she had a few friends. And now she had this adventure. Mindy was safe, and that was worth the world to her. “It was a hard time, but I made it through.”
“You were very young to be responsible for a teenage girl.”
She sighed, the weight still so close to her shoulders. Back then, she’d felt more like Prometheus than Pandora. “It was so much worse because my town was small and closed minded. They watched my every move like circling vultures just waiting for me to step out of line so they could take my sister from me. Then I ended up dating Johnny Tyler, the mayor’s son. Mr. Tyler asked me to tutor Johnny in economic affairs. Then his dad decided I would be a political asset, so Johnny asked me to marry him.”
Rafe sat back, seeming to grind his teeth together. “It is good to have a smart wife. Many men would find you an asset to their careers.”
“I didn’t want to be an asset. I wanted to be loved. And Johnny did, too. Except he wanted to be loved by a stripper named Starlight. I rather suspect that wasn’t her real name.”
Rafe didn’t find her joke funny. He simply stared down at her, his dark eyes so intense that she thought she might drown. Wow, he was so beautiful. He and his brother were far more attractive than Hollywood heartthrobs. And they both had larger-than-life presences that made her sigh wistfully. If only…
He curled a soft touch around her chin, tilting her face up so she had nowhere to go. “He was a fool to allow you to escape. When the right men come along, they will not be so foolish. These men will never let you go. They will be clever. They will catch you and tie you to them so tightly that you will never wish to leave.”
She might be waiting for that man forever. Wait. Had he said men—plural?
Piper didn’t get to ask her question because he shocked her by leaning forward and brushing his lips against hers once, then again, his mouth warm, gentle, coaxing. Her breath caught, and her skin started to hum. The world tilted on its axis, and she kind of liked where she landed.
“We’re about to take off. She should put on her seatbelt.” Kade’s voice broke the moment. He stood over them, his face full of thunder, but it seemed directed exclusively at Rafe.
God, she’d just been caught kissing his brother. And she’d wanted more—far more. The minute Rafe kissed her, Piper had felt something deep inside her open. This really was an adventure. There really was a whole world out there, and she’d been tiptoeing through her postage stamp-sized patch of it like a scared little mouse.
But she didn’t have to be that girl forever. She wasn’t in some tiny Texas town anymore, and she wasn’t dependent on the good thoughts of others to keep her family together. Her sister was grown and happy. No one could judge her now. She was free. Was she going to spend her freedom hiding, or was she going to finally experience life?
Kade sat down beside her, his hand grazing her thigh. Piper shivered under his touch until he buckled her belt and gently tightened it. What was wrong with her, that she would kiss one brother and respond to another minutes later?
Kade frowned. “My brother is a terrible kisser. I apologize for his very selfish behavior toward you.”
“How would you know?” She couldn’t help but tease him and try to lighten the mood.
He smirked. “Because many women have said I am much better.”
And then they were off, arguing in rat-a-tat-tat gunfire Arabic. She really needed to learn the language because, even though they were arguing, the words had a cadence, an exciting musicality.
The plane started moving, smooth as glass. She picked up the wine. Maybe it was time to live a little. Maybe it was time to put aside all her fears about doing what was right and just do what felt good.
The plane shook suddenly. The hostess picked up the wine bottle, leaving the glass in Piper’s hands. The beautiful woman smiled at her, ignoring the two fighting brothers. “Enjoy your flight. It is an honor to serve you on your first trip to our country.”
Piper smiled back, warmed by the woman’s words. If everyone was so friendly, she was going to love it. She held the glass out. “I’m worried I’ll spill.”
“Don’t worry. If you spill, they will just buy a new plane.”
The beautiful woman winked as she moved away, but not before Kade grabbed a glass. The plane taxied down the runway, and Piper was ready for takeoff.
* * * *
Two hours and two glasses of wine later, Piper was certain what her next move should be in the big adventure she was determined to make of her life. She just wasn’t sure who to do it with. She looked across the aisle. The brothers were both gorgeous, both kind. Both unbearably sexy.