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.”