I took hold of Theo's black button-down shirt, pulling him close. That was all he needed. I was suddenly the filling in a hot brother sandwich, and I almost forgot we were in public.

What was in that screwdriver? I had no idea where the confidence came from, but I was going to take advantage of it.

And those boys could move. Those hips should be illegal.

It all became a blur of hands and hips until Theo placed his lips next to my ear. "Joking aside, I have missed you. And I'm really glad I got to see you tonight."

I pressed my cheek against his and smiled, slowly sliding my hands under his shirt.

His breath came out in a huff against my cheek. "You are going to kill me."

Thane chuckled behind me, his nails gently scraping across my bare stomach. Which almost made me groan. "She is a dangerous one. Maybe we should do something about that."

Before I could clear the lusty haze from my brain, a finger on my chin turned my head to the side. And I was nose to nose with Thane, who was giving me a searching look.

He must have seen the fact that I was pretty much up for anything at this point, because all of a sudden his lips were on mine.

It was so much better than I'd imagined. And yes, I'd imagined it. A lot. Don't be judgy.

Thane's lips were soft and so very gentle. His tongue teased my lips, but whenever I opened for him he pulled away. I tried to follow him, to keep his exquisite lips on mine, but Theo stopped me from getting too far.

Yes, I did growl at them both. Which only got me some snickers. Stupid men and their stupid lips.

So I took matters into my own hands. I spun around to face Theo, placed my hands on either side of his face and kissed him hard on the mouth.

The difference between brothers was immediately noticeable. Where Thane was all gentle teasing, Theo was as hot and fiery as his eyes had seemed before. His arms wrapped around me and crushed me to his chest, his mouth immediately opening for me. Our tongues fought for dominance, but Theo definitely won that battle.

Suddenly Theo broke contact and looked to his side. There stood Tripp, as unreadable as ever.

"Bro. Seriously..." Theo looked like he was going to punch Tripp in the face.

Tripp, however, wasn't paying attention to either of his brothers. He was looking at me.

The whole club seemed to fade away as Tripp held a hand out to me. He said nothing, just waited.

I was fairly sure there was a twilight zone episode that started just like this.

My eyes darted between Thane and Theo, who both eyed their brother warily. Because that made me feel better. But tonight was apparently about confidence, so I placed my hand in Tripp's.

His eyes never left mine as he spoke to the other two. "Move."

I scoffed at him as Thane and Theo headed back to the table. "Let me guess. You have a strange genetic mutation that causes your berries to eat their way out of the packaging if you utter the word 'please'?"

Tripp gave a sharp tug on my hand, pulling me into his chest. "It's easier to get them to listen."

"Easier. And a lot more douchey."

Tripp wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me closer and messing with my ability to think. "You don't like me very much, do you?" He almost looked entertained.

"You haven't really given me a reason to like you. All you do is order everyone around like some alphahole and stand there with your judgy face on."

Oh no. The stony face smirked. And it was better than I'd imagined. Yes, I've imagined it. Again, don't judge me. You'd do the same.

"My judgy face, huh..."

"Yes, your judgy face. The face I'd assume a father would give to that one child that is a constant disappointment. You stand over everyone like you're more powerful than the rest of us peons. It wouldn't kill you to be nice once in a while. I promise."

Tripp started to sway with me in his arms, looking puzzled. "You think I'm disappointed in you?"

In a moment of total honesty- weird, I know,- I lowered my gaze to the floor. Speaking low enough that I was certain he couldn't hear. "I think everyone is disappointed in me. Why would you be any different?"

I barely heard the growl before a finger pressed under my chin, lifting my eyes to his. "I'm not disappointed in you. To be honest, you scare the fuck out of me."

I stood there blinking at him for much longer than was normal, assuming he was speaking a foreign language and I didn't hear him correctly. "Wait. I scare you? Me...a teenage girl who is allergic to the gym... scares you... the hulking gargoyle who does nothing but scowl? That is beyond ridiculous."

Tripp seemed to be considering his words carefully. "It is my job to keep my family safe. And you just became our greatest weakness. A weakness we don't really need right now."

It felt like he casually reached into my chest and crushed my heart into miniscule pieces.

I didn't even care that tears were falling down my cheeks. Didn't care that I hated looking weak. I just let them fall as I moved out of the circle of his arms.

"I see. Then allow me to fix that for you."

I turned and ran for the exit as fast as my heels would allow.

I forgot for a moment that I was worthless. Good thing I would never let myself forget again.