Free Paying Their Piper with Passion and Love [Loving in Silver 6] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) by Lynn Stark Page B

completely out of Mink’s space she went and perched herself on the only chair in the room. Colt was beside the window, looking out at what was a surprisingly excellent view of the mountains. “Have you lived here long?”
    A small, sad smile curved Mink’s mouth. “All my life. Would you like something to drink? I have orange soda and water.”
    “Water’s fine.”
    “You, sir? Would you like something to drink?”
    Colt turned from the window. He smiled at Mink. “No thank you. Actually, I think it would be best if you and Piper have some time to speak alone.”
    “No!”
    “No!”
    They both all but shouted the single word simultaneously. Colt’s eyebrows rose as he looked from one to the other. Piper felt herself blush. Glancing at Mink she saw that he was also more than a little embarrassed. She knew if she was nervous about this meeting then he must be as well. And while she was happy to discover she had a family member she might be able to have a normal relationship with, she had no clue if Mink wanted anything to do with her beyond this meeting. The possibility saddened her. So much so, she felt like she had already lost him. She watched as Mink quickly left the room to go into the small kitchen. She looked at Colt, who gave her a reassuring smile. It didn’t do what he obviously expected it to. Now that she had settled down she could sense her half-brother’s wariness, his fear, and resentment. She couldn’t blame him one bit.
    “I don’t think this is a good idea,” Piper told Colt in a low voice, tears stinging her eyes. “We don’t have to stay long, do we? It’s obvious he doesn’t want me here.”
    “We’ll just stay a little longer. It would be rude to leave too quickly. Mink is a nice guy. I think you both should give one another a chance.”
    “Okay.”
    But Piper wasn’t going to hold her breath. When Mink came back into the room carrying a glass of water with ice in it, she gave him a grateful smile and took it from him. She sipped nervously, and then wrapped her hands around the chilled glass.
    “You have a very beautiful voice,” Mink told her, looking just as nervous as her as he sat down on a small footstool a few feet away. “It’s like bells.”
    Piper blushed. She’d heard a lot about her voice over the years. Mostly that it was too childlike. No one had ever told her it sounded like bells. It was an actual compliment, honestly given, by her brother. It meant the world to her. “Thank you,” she said, giving him a genuine smile. She placed the glass on a coaster on the small table beside her chair. “I’ve never heard that before.”
    She glanced around the living room and saw a CD case with her favorite group on it. “Oh, wow, you like them, too?” She jumped up to go over to pick the CD up. She showed it to him. “They’re my favorite.”
    “Mine, too. You can borrow that, if you like.”
    “Really?” Piper’s heart was about ready to burst. It was obvious Mink didn’t have much, but what he did have he was generously offering to share with her. “That would be great. I didn’t come to Silver with much. I left all my CDs behind. I would love to listen to it tonight. I could bring it back tomorrow.” Colt had an extensive music collection, both on CDs and on vinyl. But this was much better.
    Mink waved a hand. “Don’t worry. Keep it for a couple of days.”
    Piper pressed the CD to her chest. She smiled at her brother and was rewarded by a small, shy smile. It gave her hope. “Thank you. I promise to take very good care of it.”
    “You can take a couple others, too, if you want.”
    After that it was a little easier to talk to Mink. Piper and Colt stayed about another half hour. She didn’t want to go, but she didn’t want to wear out her welcome. Besides, they both had a lot to think about, a lot to digest. As they were leaving she couldn’t help but hug her brother again. She didn’t know why, but she already loved him. It was as if she had