Chapter Nineteen
If she could use one word to describe the ride home, it’d have to be unbearably tense.
Shit, that’s two words
. Oh well. Not like someone was going to charge her for sneaking in the extra adverb. Keeping her attention glued on the windshield, she clutched POC’s steering wheel tight enough the leather stitching dug into her skin. Though she deliberately kept Aiden confined to her peripheral vision, her body didn’t seem to take the hint to ignore his presence. Resisting the urge to glance down and ensure that her nipples weren’t poking merrily against the knit of her top, she checked the rearview mirror and noticed the Navigator trailing a few car lengths behind.
“You haven’t said much since this afternoon.”
“Neither have you,” she answered, her focus still fused to the windshield. “Guess that makes us even.”
“Have you made your decision on the claim mark yet?”
“No.” She uttered a strained laugh. “Deciding if I’m going to take the first step in tying myself to a couple of dragons for life requires a minimum of eight hours mulling time.”
Aiden remained silent for a long stretch. She adjusted the volume on the radio and surfed through the stations, hoping the mindless task would counteract the overwhelming urge to look in his direction. She was successful for roughly thirteen seconds. Peeking sideways, she discovered him watching her, his dark eyes filled with an emotion that tugged at her.
“If you think for one moment that I look forward to sharing you with my brother, you’re dead wrong.”
“Yet you’ll do it,” she said, not quite hiding the recrimination in her voice.
“To protect you. I’ll lay down my life, if that’s what it takes.”
Her heart knocked faster. She’d be a goner if he started in on his declarations of love again. Despite knowing the danger such a confession presented, a warm glow bloomed inside her. Desperate to keep the sensation from festering into a full-scale attack, she took a series of deep breaths until the glow diminished. Satisfied she’d regained a semblance of control, she accelerated on the gas and jumped on the expressway.
By the time she pulled into her driveway her nerves felt like they’d been pureed in a Cuisinart.
She shifted into park and cut the engine. All too ready to put some distance between her and Aiden, she escaped the confines of the vehicle and hightailed it into the house. Pulling to a halt in the threshold of the kitchen, she rubbed her shaking fingers over her face. Something small and furry bumped her lower calf and she glanced down at Ms. Whiskers. “Dinner time, I know. The fact I’m going through a nervous breakdown is no excuse to starve you.”
Ms. Whiskers yowled in agreement and skittered into the utility room. Halfway through the process of filling up the kitty dish, Dana remembered the load of wash she’d yet to throw in the dryer. “Damn it.” Gritting her teeth, she plopped the box of cat food onto the floor and went to investigate the condition of the laundry. What she found was way worse than a lump of semi-dry, musty-smelling clothes clinging to the interior of the washing machine.
Way, way worse.
Reaching inside the washer, she pinched the collar of Jace’s pink T-shirt between her thumb and forefinger. Crazy part was, she could have sworn it was white when she threw it in there earlier. Same went for his and Aiden’s socks and briefs. “Oh shit.” Leaning over the rim of the washer, she pawed through the rest of the clothing with her free hand. Beneath a pair of Khakis—which were now more flesh colored than Khaki—she found the culprit. A tube of cadmium red watercolor paint.
Her mind flashed to three days ago, when a telemarketer interrupted her during a painting session. In slow motion, she played back the part where she carried the tube with her into the living room as she rushed to catch the phone. Sometime during the process she must have tucked the paint into her pants pocket. “This is what I get for letting my answering machine crap out.”
“Dana?”
She gave a guilty jerk and whirled around, bunching the shirt behind her and stuffing the paint tube into her pocket. Remembering the trouble that action recently brought her, she retrieved the tube and flung it aside. It bounced against the side wall and rolled under the dryer. “I’ll, uh, be right there.”
Jace appeared in the doorway. “I just need to know where your ladder is.”
“Ladder?” She stared at him blankly.
“You know, one of those tall things with rungs?” He grinned, his teeth brilliant white against his golden complexion. “Aiden and I are going to clean out your gutters.”
“
Now?
”
“Yep. Apparently they’ve been driving my brother nuts. There’s at least a couple hours of daylight left. Might as well take advantage of it.”
She rolled her bottom lip between her teeth in consideration. “Did you try the garage? It’s open.”
Jace nodded. “No luck.”
“Hmm, I could have sworn I saw one in there.” She swung her arms in front of her stomach and twisted the fabric clutched in her hands. It wasn’t until Jace dropped his gaze and frowned at her movements that she remembered what she held.
“Is that my shirt?”
“Umm…”
The scuff of Aiden’s boots on the linoleum announced his approach. “Any news on that ladder?”
She took his appearance in the kitchen as a perfectly timed interruption. He stopped next to Jace and clasped his brother’s shoulder. His gaze immediately dipped to the limp material hanging from her hand. “Is that Jace’s shirt?”
Oh for Pete’s sake
. Where was a good distraction when you needed one? “I swear this wasn’t my doing this time. Not intentionally, anyway. Trust me, I learned my lesson after the steak disaster.” Shaking the fabric out, she inspected it closer. “Maybe it’ll help if I run everything through another wash cycle. What do you think?”
Neither Aiden nor Jace answered. She looked up and encountered their stares. Jace was the first to speak. “Steak disaster?”
Oh man, did I say that part out loud
? An uneasy laugh trickled past her lips. “Funny thing about that…”
Aiden released his hold on Jace’s shoulder and crossed his arms, causing the sleeves of his Henley to ride up. “Care to let us in on the joke?”
Not really. They probably wouldn’t let her off the hook so easily though. Which meant coming clean looked like her only option. Damn. “All right, I admit it. I deliberately sabotaged the dinner I made for you guys.” Swallowing hard, she peered at Jace beseechingly. “I honestly had no idea about your allergy. And as far as your shirt goes, I really think that shade of pink will bring out your eyes.”
Good grief, that was desperate
.
Frown lines furrowed in Jace’s brow. “Why’d you do it, sweetness?”
More coming clean. God, this sucked. “I thought maybe it’d convince you both that taking me on as your sacrifice slash domestic goddess wouldn’t be too prudent.”
Jace blinked. “Then you really aren’t a bad cook?”
“No, I’m horrible. Just usually not
that
horrible.”
One corner of Aiden’s mouth quirked upward and he shook his head. “I don’t know whether to spank you for your devious subterfuge or give you an award for being so damn ingenious.”
“I vote for the former.” Jace’s voice held a smoky edge.
Her jaw dropping, she panned her gaze between the brothers. “Let’s not get carried away.”
“You never know.” Jace’s eyes twinkled devilishly. “You might like it.”
She snorted. “Only in your wildest fantasies, dragon boy.” Scooting sideways, she reached for the tub of detergent, all the while keeping a wary eye on Aiden and Jace. She twisted the knob on the washer but found out real quick that she wouldn’t get far without being able to see the dial settings. “I’m turning my back for a second. If either of you so much as look at my butt, there will be hell to pay.”
Aiden shuffled from the doorway. “Jace and I need to go search for the ladder anyway.”
A disappointed sigh fell from Jace before he traipsed after his brother. Left alone with only the splash of the washing machine filling, Dana finally allowed the tension to leach from her muscles. She’d been ninety percent certain Aiden and Jace wouldn’t follow through on their threats of spanking her, but she never quite knew what to expect with those two. Slamming the lid shut on the machine, she ventured into the kitchen and rifled through the fridge. The pickings went beyond slim to pretty much nonexistent.
“Jeez, maybe I should have taken Aiden up on his offer this morning.” Leaning her hip against the counter, she chewed her nail and considered her options. The deli in town made killer sub sandwiches, but they didn’t deliver. “What am I worried about? I’ve got two dragons at my beck and call.” Giving a chipper whistle, she headed outside.
The thick carpet of leaves crunching beneath her feet, she scuffed toward the garage. She didn’t see Aiden or Jace anywhere. Crossing to the side door, she pushed it open and peeked inside the darkened interior. Her nose twitched at the stale odor of unused space. Forehead scrunching in confusion, she retraced her steps to the front of the house. Muffled curses came from the tent.
“Guys?” She started toward the tent and reached for the flap enclosure the same instant Jace poked his head out.
“Hey, sweetness. Perfect timing.”
“For what?” She tried peeking past him into the tent but Jace blocked most of the view. “I thought you were going to clean my gutters.”
“We came up with a better idea.”
“A bet—” She broke off with a squeak when Jace snatched her arm and hauled her inside the tent. The first thing she noticed was Aiden crouched behind one of the air mattresses, fumbling with something on the ground while he uttered another oath.
“You about done over there?”
Aiden looked up at Jace’s impatient demand, his eyes widening a fraction when he spotted Dana. “I thought I told you to wait before getting her.”
“Don’t blame me. She showed up outside. How am I supposed to resist such scrumptious temptation?”
Dana tried in vain to see what Aiden was working on but the bulky head of the air mattress made it impossible. Still, she was starting to get a bad feeling about whatever was going down. The tiny hairs standing along the nape of her neck wouldn’t let her deny it. “I…uh…need to go throw your clothes in the dryer.” She backed up. Right into Jace’s solid chest.
His arms slid around her middle, locking her against him. “Wash cycle isn’t done yet.”
The lazy sweep of his palm over her abdomen made her heart rate spike. “Give me a break. Your hearing can’t be
that
good.”
“No, but your brand of washer has a twenty-five minute cycle, even without the extra rinse.”
“What are you, the Maytag Man?”
“I’m a plumber, baby, remember? I know my washers.” Chuckling, he inched her forward. Apparently finished with his task, Aiden rose to his feet. The determined gleam in his eyes made her a tad nervous. And embarrassingly wet. Good God, she was easy. All the bastard had to do was breathe and she got freakin’ aroused.
“Let’s get something clear. No way in hell will I stand for either of you spanking me.
Capiche
?”
One of Aiden’s eyebrows lifted. “Who said anything about you standing?” Before she could even guess at his intentions, he swooped down and grabbed her feet the same instant Jace’s arms banded around her torso. Ignoring her startled shriek, Aiden swung her legs up and angled them over the mattress.
Self-preservation kicking in, she wiggled and flailed like a trout fighting a fisherman’s hook. “
Aarrgh
…let me go.” They did and she plopped onto the mattress, her whole body bouncing on the fluffy sleeping bag. Before she could flip to a sitting position, Aiden’s hands returned to her feet. He slipped off her shoes and wound something soft around her ankles. She attempted to roll to the side and escape but Jace clamped onto her forearms and secured them over her head. Literally. The bastard tied her wrists with the same type of fabric Aiden was using on her ankles and affixed her to something anchored behind the mattress. She was willing to bet the device was the mysterious task Aiden had been struggling and cursing a blue streak over.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Though she’d meant the question to sound righteous and indignant, it came out more breathless and anticipatory.
“Getting you prepped for your punishment, sweetness.”
“Well you’ve got a slight problem, dragon boy. I’m flat on my back. Kinda hard to deliver a spanking, wouldn’t ya say?” She couldn’t resist giving Jace a cocky smile.
“We decided against the spanking, seeing as how you might like it too much.” Jace cut off her sputtering retort by leaning back on his elbow and waving something in her face. “These look familiar?”
She stared at her paintbrushes. “What are you planning to do with those?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know,” Jace said, mocking her.
Soon as she got out of these ties, she was so making him suffer. Grinning at the scowl she gave him, Jace traced the tip of one paintbrush along the shell of her ear. She gasped and tried jerking away. Jace’s smile stretched wider, his eyes twinkling. “You really are ticklish. This must be killing you.”
“Not at all,” she bit out defiantly.