Twist (Siren Publishing Allure) (10 page)

She instantly released the breath that she had been keeping in her lungs, panting for air as she sagged into the cushion beneath her. He slipped the blindfold from her eyes and then reached over her, releasing her hands. She grunted in pain, and he helped her to shift her arms to the front, sitting back and rubbing them to restore the circulation. He was silent, and when he stopped rubbing and lay down with his head upon her breast, she asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“Why are you being so quiet?”

“No reason.” His mouth engulfed her nipple, his teeth scraping against her skin.

Lana stroked his hair, having a feeling that he wasn’t being completely truthful. She lay in silence, her thoughts slowly morphing into a terrified certainty that she had done something wrong. He was disappointed, and she wondered again if she had just set herself up for the fall of a lifetime. She pushed the thought away. The clock ticked loudly as she waited for him to do something, say something, but Enar remained silent. “I really need to pee. Am I allowed to get up?”

He slid to her side. “Sure.”

Lana shifted off the lounger and he pointed to a door. When she returned, he was curled up on his side, snoring softly. She could hear a phone ringing and went to the door, pulling it open. The caller ID displayed Lee’s name. “Hello?”

“Lana?”

“Yeah. Enar is taking a nap.”

“Okay. I picked up the stuff for the lasagna. Do you still want to make it?”

“I guess. Can you bring it over?”

“I’m outside. I rang the doorbell, but no one answered.”

Lana giggled in mortified embarrassment as she realized that the front curtains were open. She was stark naked and standing in front of the window. “I’ll open the door.” She hung up the phone, racing for the bedroom and sliding on the calf-length bathrobe that Enar had purchased for her. Lana really liked the robe because it had a long zipper up the front. She didn’t have to worry about it sliding open at an untimely moment.

Lee was already in the kitchen, unpacking everything, when she walked out.

He smiled at her. “You didn’t have to get dressed on my account.”

She reminded herself that his comment was good natured and had no undertones. “Thanks. How did you get in?”

“I walked in. I only called so you would have a warning if you were doing something out in the open. Did Enar put anything on your back?”

She frowned, not quite catching his meaning.

“You have red stripes on your back. There is homeopathic salve in the refrigerator. Don’t they hurt?”

“No.”

Lee pulled a red jar from the fridge, gesturing for her to come closer. He motioned for her to turn around. “Want to unzip that?” Lana glanced at him over her shoulder. “I’m not going to rape you. I just want to put some salve on your back.”

Sliding the zipper down, she shrugged the robe down to her waist, trying to hold the front up over her breasts. Lee gently pushed her hair back, poking one of the lash marks and making her jump. She suddenly realized that she had either been so distracted or so tired that she hadn’t felt anything. Lee rubbed the salve into each mark, the substance stinging harshly. As soon as he was done, she marched into the bathroom, turning slightly to look. Her skin was zigzagged with light-red marks that resembled wide cat scratches, but two of them were darker, welts that were almost bleeding. She walked back into the kitchen, but Lee wasn’t there. Lana found a large saucepan and put the meat into it to cook. Lee walked back into the kitchen. “Do you always come over and patch up your brother’s conquests?”

“My brother doesn’t bring women home. He leaves them at the club. It doesn’t mean that I am oblivious to his sexual preferences. I saw your back when you answered the phone. He must have kept you very busy if you didn’t notice that it hurt.”

“I suppose.” She removed an onion from the bag. Lee opened a drawer and handed her a cutting board and then got her a knife. Lana peeled the onion and chopped it.

Lee began smashing cloves of garlic. “How many do you want?”

“How many cans of tomatoes?”

He removed six cartons of organic tomatoes from the bag and two small cans of paste. “Is this enough?”

“Perfect. I usually add four or five large cloves of garlic.”

Lee crushed and chopped the garlic as Lana went to stir the meat. As it cooked, she inspected the kitchen, locating the items she wanted. Lee went out to the garden, bringing in some fresh herbs for her to use. She removed the meat to a bowl and then added the onions and garlic to sauté. The moment they had reached the clear state she was watching for, she added the meat and the rest of the ingredients, finishing it with a teaspoon of sugar to offset any acid in the tomatoes. “Now it has to cook.”

Lee poured water in the coffeepot, removed the pie from the refrigerator, and cut two slices. Once the water was ready, he made himself a cup of coffee. “Want one?”

Lana looked through the selection and put a vanilla bean pod in the slot and pulled the handle down.

She took her cup and sat across from Lee at the table. He smiled, pushing a piece of pie over to her. Lana ate it thoughtfully. “So much for my diet.”

“Why?”

“Pie last night, pie at three in the morning, pie at ten a.m.”

“Did Fred eat anything besides pie?”

“Not that I know of.”

Lee got up, going into the fridge and taking out a small vial. He filled a syringe with fluid and walked toward the back room with it. Moments later, he returned, dropping the needle in the trash. Lana frowned. “Enar is diabetic?”

“No. It’s not insulin.” He sat back down. “He has a problem with nutrients remaining stable in his body, and it causes a chemical imbalance. If he has eaten pie for the last three meals, then his body has crashed. The injection is a pure, organic vitamin and mineral mixture. He would have been okay without it, but he would be really tired and have a massive headache.”

“Can’t his doctor give him something?”

“Yes, but the possible complications from the medication are ridiculous. He refused to take them. Our homeopath gave him a daily compound of powder to take, plus the quick shot if he was feeling weak. He is supposed to watch what he eats and eat at least five small meals a day. I have to assume that he burnt himself out and didn’t have the energy to get up and give himself a shot. Are you hungry?”

“A little.”

Lee got up, pulling a bag of waffles from the freezer and popping two in the toaster for her. He got her a dish, took out the butter and jam, and then sat back down. When the toaster popped, Lana got up and put the waffles on the plate. “Are you having some?”

“I already ate.”

She stirred the sauce and sat down to eat. Lee seemed to be studying her. “What? If you want to know something, just ask.”

“Why are you here?”

“Because your brother kidnapped me.”

Lee chuckled, shaking his head in amusement. “That sounds like Fred, sorry, Enar. Don’t you have a home, a job, a life?”

“I have an empty house where I used to live with my husband and my dog. They are both gone. My dog died of old age and my husband was killed about eight months ago in a truck accident. I was trying to get rid of his stuff before I made any decisions about what to do next. I don’t need to work and I keep myself busy. I have a stepdaughter named Mona and two step grandchildren. She has probably blown up my phone by now. I have no desire to check.”

“Oh. What do you want from my brother?”

Stuffing a square of waffle in her mouth, Lana frowned. She chewed thoughtfully and then shrugged. “My brain hasn’t had time to travel that far into the what-ifs of the future. I really like him. He said that he wants me to hang around and see if our relationship goes anywhere. I have a slight notion that moving in with him on our second date is nuts, but time will tell. Otherwise, I don’t think I want anything. Well, except a ride home to get my plants and my car. Where the hell are we, anyway?”

“Ridgefield.”

“Oh. How long will he sleep?”

“It depends on how tired he was. Did he sleep last night?”

“I don’t know. I fell asleep in his arms, and when I woke up he was talking to Rolf. Then he carried me into the…” She hesitated and then said, “Playroom,” not wanting to use the word
dungeon
in front of Lee. “I can’t really say if he slept or not. He didn’t look tired.”

Lee chuckled. “He never looks tired. Are you okay with what is happening in there?” He pointed to the back of the house. “I know he can be pushy on occasion. If he carried you in there, then you didn’t go by choice.”

Lana blushed, angry with herself for doing so. “I have blushed more times in the last two days than I did in the twenty-two years I was married to Joe,” she blurted, unable to stop herself. The outburst made her skin burn hotter, and she sagged in her chair as Lee grinned at her. Lana sighed. “If you had asked me that half an hour ago, I would have said that I wanted to kill him.” She laughed, wrinkling her nose with the erotic memory. “Let me just say that my attitude has changed. If you mean my back, he did that last night and it was enlightening.”

“He finally found you.”

Her head tilted in question, a frown creasing her brow. “What do you mean?”

“Enar always said that he would find the perfect woman before he died. She would be beautiful, sexy, funny, intelligent, and want to play his games. He thought he had found his match in Sue. Unfortunately, she didn’t want to play. From what he said, even before she got sick, her sex drive evaporated after the honeymoon. He loved her and stood by her side. Sue committed herself to a care facility, and for some unknown reason, she told Enar not to come. She didn’t want to see him. He started going back to the club to keep himself busy but never had sex with anyone. He started going on real dates after Sue’s death, but…no one caught his interest. Well, until he found you.”

He fell silent, and a moment later she knew why. Enar snaked his arms around her, kissing her neck. “Thanks for the shot, bro. My ass hurts like hell, but it’s my own fault. I really shouldn’t trade meals for sex.”

“You won’t do it again,” snapped Lana. “From now on, you get five or six healthy meals every day.”

“Yes, Mommy.”

“I am not your mother.”

He pulled a chair closer to her and slid into it. “No, but you are spectacular. I promise to play nice for a while.”

“Thank you. Your brother was kind enough to smear salve on my back for me.”

Enar frowned, getting up and looking down the back of her bathrobe. “I didn’t hit you that hard. You weren’t acting as if I was really hurting you. Did I?”

“Maybe I should have mentioned that my skin is easily marred and my pain-tolerance index is fucked up. What would have most people lying in bed crying, I usually shrug off with an Advil.”

He groaned, sitting back down. “Yeah, maybe. Why is that?”

She grimaced, tilting her head and then sighing dramatically. “The skin thing is related to my platelets. I can never remember what it’s called, but I bruise or mark really easy. The pain index is from my knee. The doctor said that my body became adapted to the pain over time. I learned to compensate for it automatically, and now I do that with all pain. I still feel pain, but not as acutely as other people. I didn’t even know about my back until Lee poked me.”

“How exactly did Lee see your back?”

Her grin was filled with sarcasm. “You fell asleep. I heard the phone. I walked out and answered the phone. The front curtains were open. Lee was in the driveway. I was mortified that he saw me naked.”

“Oh,” he replied, seeming totally unconcerned.

“Oh, what?”

“Oh, what do you want me to say? I can’t change what happened. I trust my brother. I’m sorry that you were embarrassed, but you have a beautiful body and there is really no need to be. It’s not something I want to make a big deal out of.” He sniffed. “What smells so good?”

Lana frowned but had to admit that he had a point. She couldn’t take back what Lee had already seen, and the incident was best left in the past. She replied, “Sauce.”

“Do you want something to eat?” asked Lee and Lana at the same time.

He looked at them and laughed. “Sure. What are you making me?”

Lana shrugged and Lee got up, taking two waffles from the freezer. He popped them in the toaster. “I brought you over a big bag of waffles. Lana can cook for you later.” He stirred the sauce and then made Enar a cup of coffee, setting it on the table. Lee prepared the waffles and gave the plate to his brother.

Lana frowned, and Enar stroked her cheek. “My big brother is a little overprotective. Don’t get miffed.”

“I am not miffed. I have no problems sharing the kitchen. I get tired of cooking. I thought you liked to cook.”

“I do. We will cook.” It was a threat, accented with a playful wiggle of his eyebrows. “But I get to play with the spatula.”

Lee groaned at his comment. “Are you going to get changed?”

“I thought I would get away with skipping today.”

“No way. Let’s go. I have things to do later.”

Enar nodded, getting up and going into the bedroom. He came back a few minutes later dressed in sweatpants and a tee. “Lee and I jog two miles three times a week. We work out the other two. Can you occupy yourself for an hour or so?”

“I think so.”

“You are welcome to come with us.”

“My knee doesn’t do well with high impact.”

He leaned and gave her a soft kiss. “I actually love it when you blush. You are spectacular. Even though you were bitching.”

Her cheeks heated as she smiled. “I didn’t mean for you to hear my outburst, but ‘spectacular’ is a good word.”

“We’ll be back,” said Lee as he headed to the door. Enar shrugged, kissing her briefly, and then followed him. Lana stood at the window watching as they stretched and then jogged down the driveway. Her heart was racing. She really hadn’t done anything wrong in the dungeon earlier. Enar had been lying, but the lie was not because he was angry at her. As she cleaned up the dishes and stirred the sauce, Lana couldn’t seem to keep the smile off her face.

She checked outside and then hurried to the dungeon. Her hand was on the doorknob when she had a vague memory of a light blinking above the door. The room was alarmed and he might know if she entered without him. It might be a good thing to display her curiosity, but then again, he might think that she was snooping. Lana removed her hand and walked outside. She stood watching the fountain. Enar was so proud of the rare, hand-sculpted dragon that stood on thick layers of cut marble, heavily veined with gray and black. He had explained to her the night before that all the dragon fountains he had looked at, that were big enough for his garden, were serpent-type dragons. He wanted a medieval dragon with wings and a horn. He said that he had looked for years before hiring a private sculptor to make him one. The dragon stood about three feet high, his body and wings done in a water-resistant opal paint that now glimmered in the sun as if the creature were magical. Lana smiled at the illusion of the dragon taking a shower, the water cascading down from a rocky cliff over its half-folded wings. The fountain itself was an intricate, massive creation. The actual pond was countersunk into the patio, the dragon at patio level with a layered marble waterfall rising behind its back that was almost as tall as Lana. She had to figure that the top level was around five foot above the ground.