Twisted By Love, Reincarnation Tales, Book 1 (25 page)

That surprised her. “You’ve been hypnotized
before. And I did it.” She decided to make a joke about it. “Are
you chicken or something?”

Bern didn’t laugh. Instead he held her
forearms in a tight grip. “I want you to go with me on this
trip.”

“What trip?”

“When I go for the Gillespie
presentation.”

She snorted at him. “You’re joking. That’s on
Wednesday. I have to work.”

“I don’t want to leave you alone.”

“What is up with you? Three weeks together
doesn’t suddenly make me incapable of taking care of myself. And I
have that revenue recognition seminar on Wednesday.”

“I saw the flyer. You can take it in Palo
Alto next week.”

“No,” she said emphatically, wriggling in his
lap, trying to get off him.

“Livie.” His grip on her was too tight.

“You’re hurting me.” It was an exaggeration,
but it did the trick as he eased back.

“I’m sorry. I just don’t think we should be
separated right now.”

She parted her lips, thought long and hard
about her words. Then she said them because they needed saying.
“You’re starting to smother me. I have a job, you have a job. We
have separate lives, and we can’t live in each other’s pocket. And
since you refuse to tell me why you’re freaked out, I’m overruling
you. You are going, I am staying. Got that?”

His jaw tensed.

“And you’re also spending the night at your
brother’s house tomorrow because it’s absolutely ridiculous to get
up at three in the morning just so you can beat the traffic.”

“Livie.”

She felt her nostrils flare with her
agitation. “Don’t
Livie
me. You’ll be tired and off your
game.”

He ran his hands up and down her arms where
he’d held her. “I’m not trying to smother you. I admit I’m freaked
out. That house, I can’t get it out of my mind. I keep feeling like
something bad is going to happen.”

She cupped his cheek, leaned close, her lips
almost touching his. “Nothing’s going to happen. I won’t let
it.”

Then his arms were around her, holding her
flush against him. “I love you. I can’t lose you.”

She hadn’t said it yet. They’d known each
other less a month. Yet it was there between, had been from the
moment they recognized each other. This time she said the words as
solemnly as he had. “I love you. But I’m not going with you.”

He puffed out a breath. “All right. But
promise you won’t see Toni for your Wednesday night dinner.”

She tried to pull back; he wouldn’t let her.
“So this is all about Toni?” she asked softly.

“No. Yes. Hell, I don’t know. Just come home,
lock yourself in, call me, and be here when I get back. That’s all
I’m asking.”

She wanted to say that Toni would never hurt
her, but after the snake in her car and all the bitter, angry words
between them, she wasn’t so sure. “Okay. I promise.”

His embrace eased. She met his gaze. “She
wants a break from me anyway.”

After that call on Friday, Toni hadn’t broken
her silence, and Livie hadn’t planned on Wednesday’s dinner
anyway.

His jaw rippled as he clenched his teeth. He
weighed his words as carefully as she had hers. “I want her out of
our lives.”

As uncaring as it sounded, Livie had enjoyed
the sense of freedom she’d experienced with Toni gone. But out of
her life forever? “She’s still my sister.”

“I know. You’ve known her all your life and
me for less than a month. I’m not asking you to choose. There’s no
ultimatum here. But I still have to say I don’t like her or trust
her.”

Livie couldn’t blame him. She cupped his
nape, stroked her fingers through the fine hairs. “Thank you for
not forcing the issue. I promise not to call her or have dinner
with her while you’re gone. We’ll think about the rest when we have
to. Deal?”

His eyes traced her face. She was well aware
he didn’t want to agree. But he did. “Deal.”

“Now”—she wriggled in his lap—“let’s do
something much more exciting.”

His mouth curved. “Like what? More searching
dead newspaper files?”

She laughed. “No.” She reached between her
legs, palmed him. He was already hard. “
This
is definitely
not dead.”

* * * * *

He’d taken her right there in his easy chair.
She’d slipped one leg out of her sweats, pulled aside her panties,
and ridden him. It was as hot, fast, and mind-blowing as what
they’d done against the boulder.

For long moments, he’d forgotten everything.
But now, in bed, her arms draped around him, her slow, steady
breaths soft on his chest, his gut roiled. Some inner voice
whispered to him.
You should have told her, warned her, made her
understand.
But Christ, what the hell did you do when your
woman accused you of smothering her? Especially when she was
right.

He would drive her away if he didn’t ease up.
That was how obsession worked. He didn’t have control over it. Even
the tenor of their lovemaking had changed since he took her against
the rock. Everything was fast and almost rough, no tenderness. It
was good, hell, it was out of this world. But when would Livie
decide she needed something better from him?

Maybe he should do the regression like she
wanted. She hadn’t dreamed of snakes since his sister had put her
under. Maybe his nightmares would end, too. They would be normal,
if anyone could when they believed they’d been reincarnated
together many times over.

But he would never stop wanting Toni out of
their lives.

* * * * *

“The drive was good since I left early enough
to avoid the worst of the commute.”

Livie curled up at the end of the sofa.
Bern’s voice on the phone always managed to do her in. She loved
everything he did to her, the hot, sexy lovemaking last night in
his easy chair as much as the gentle kisses he’d feathered across
her cheeks before he drove off this morning. Her whole body felt
deliciously needed, wanted, loved. And rested, too, now that the
nightmares had miraculously ended. She would probably never lose
her fear of snakes, but with the dreams over, she didn’t have to
think about reptiles. She’d never felt so alive as when she was
with Bern.
I’m truly in love with this man.
It wasn’t lust
at first sight. This would last a lifetime. And beyond.

“Call me back when you go to bed.” She had
something very special planned.

“Are you going to talk dirty?”

“And more,” she said.

He chuckled. “What if my brother overhears
me? Or Nana?”

She laughed outright. “I have a feeling Nana
would get a huge kick out of thinking you were having phone
sex.”

“She doesn’t even know what it is.”

“Oh I bet she’d shock you.”

“I’ll call you. But I will be very, very
quiet,” he warned.

“And I’ll scream.”

“I can’t wait.” He blew her a kiss
good-bye.

She padded into her bedroom. She was like an
adolescent, all gooey and starry-eyed. She’d never felt like this,
not with any man.

After hanging her suit in the closet, she
threw her blouse in the hamper.

She’d experienced lust at first sight a
couple of times. This was different. This was bone-deep. This was
lying on the couch while they watched a movie. This was two hours
of comfortable silence while they each did their own paperwork.
This was imagining how good he’d look when his hair turned
gray.

Fishing a fresh pair of comfy leggings out of
a drawer, she pulled them on, then grabbed a sweater off a closet
shelf and tugged it over her head.

It slid down around her neck, and she almost
screamed.

Toni stood in her bedroom doorway.

Chapter Twenty-four

“Don’t be mad, okay?”

Despite herself, Livie’s nerves jangled, and
everything Bern feared now consumed her. Toni had a key to both the
door and the deadbolt. Livie hadn’t even considered that. She’d
thought Toni would call when her anger dissipated.

“I’m not mad at you,” Livie said. No, but she
was
afraid.

“Yes, you are.”

Her sister’s face was unusually gaunt, her
cheeks slightly hollowed, the hint of dark circles beneath her
eyes. She hadn’t been sleeping or eating well. “I’m sorry,
Livie.”

A hand on the doorframe, Livie used her toe
to drag a slipper out of the closet, stuck her foot in, did the
same with the other. She didn’t take her eyes off her sister.

She could say she was sorry as well, get back
to normal, pretend nothing had happened. But Toni had said some
pretty awful things. “I know you’re sorry, but—”

Toni held up a palm. “I behaved badly. I’ve
thought about it all weekend. I got carried away over a man.” Livie
noticed she didn’t say Bern’s name. “I was jealous and I lashed
out. I felt demoralized that he didn’t want me. But I know you
didn’t steal him away.”

Toni pursed her lips, stared at the carpet.
“It brought up all those old jealousies.” She puffed out a long
breath. “About you. And Walter. All that stuff.”

Walter Fenneman. They’d been teenagers. It
was all so long ago. She still didn’t understand how Toni could
hold a grudge for that long. “I didn’t steal him. I never went out
with him. I never even
wanted
to go out with him. That was a
fantasy you created.”

Toni screwed the toe of her shoe into the
carpet. “Well, I couldn’t blame myself. I couldn’t admit he didn’t
want me. I was jealous that he wanted you more. Even if you didn’t
encourage him.”

“So you turned me into your scapegoat.”

Toni sighed. Then she nodded. “Yeah.”

It was the first time Toni had ever admitted
that she’d accused Livie falsely. Maybe, just
maybe
there
could be a breaththrough here. But they had to completely clear the
air. “And you did it again with Bern, accusing me.”

Toni’s lip trembled. “I just can’t seem to
hold a man.” Her voice quavered. “I don’t know what’s wrong with
me.”

“Oh, honey, there’s nothing wrong with you.”
Livie didn’t resist. She went to her sister, put her arm around her
shoulders. “You just need to lighten up, not get so serious so
fast.”

“I know.” Toni sniffed. “I’m hungry. Will you
make some scrambled eggs on toast?”

“Sure.” She turned with Toni, pushed her down
the hall.

In the kitchen, Livie pulled out the eggs,
milk, bread, and margarine. “You start the toast while I whip up
the eggs.”

Toni stood with the bread in her hand a
moment. “Do you forgive me, Livie?”

“Of course I do.” She started heating the
pan, cracked an egg into a bowl, then another. Now was the time.
She needed to get everything out in the open. “But you have to
realize that things are going to be different.”

Toni set the bread on the counter, undid the
plastic clip. “Different how?”

“I’m with Bern now. It’s serious. You have to
accept that. You can’t do anything like what happened with Roger.
That was terrible and we can’t go through that again.”

With her back to Livie, Toni was silent as
she filled the four-slice toaster.

Livie cracked the last egg, tossed the shell
in the sink, added milk, and beat the mixture. She’d said her
piece. She wouldn’t take it back. She needed to stop coddling Toni.
In a way, she was as much to blame for what had gone on between
them. She’d never said things plainly, never held Toni accountable.
It was long past time to start doing that.

Toni put her palms flat on the counter,
watching the bread toast. “I promise I’ll never do anything like
that again. And I know two are together.” She turned as Livie
poured the eggs into the pan. “Can we be friends now?”

Should she bring up the snake again? It was
probably anti-productive at this point. They both needed to let
everything go. “We were always friends.”

Toni smiled and hugged her. “You’re the best,
sis. And by the way, where is he? I thought you’d be with him.”

Toni still wouldn’t say his name. It was
probably natural that there would be a lingering hurt. Livie didn’t
press it. “He had a meeting up north, some project he’s been
working on with his brother.”

“Up north. Sounds like the boonies.”

She liked the small-town atmosphere of both
Freedom and Red Cliff. “It’s not so bad.” She stirred the eggs
until they were just right. “I think we’re ready. Get the
toast.”

The meal was delicious. Toni adored her
comfort food. They ate in front of the TV, giggled together over a
silly sitcom. And it was...nice. Really nice. She wasn’t an idiot.
She knew Toni would backslide. But this felt like a turn for the
better in their relationship. Most importantly, she was determined
not to let her sister get away with bad behavior. When it happened,
she’d call her on it.

Her cell phone rang at nine thirty, and her
heart lurched. Toni didn’t say a word, just kept on watching TV.
But Livie remembered what she’d asked Bern for. Phone sex.

She grabbed the phone from the coffee table
and was halfway down the hall before she actually answered. “Hey,”
she said softly, infusing sleepiness into her voice. Entering the
bedroom, she closed the door.

“Did I wake you up?”

“Yeah, sorry,” she mumbled. She was lying to
him. But she couldn’t tell him Toni was here. She’d explain about
the breakthrough they’d had when he got home. She could make him
understand better if they were face-to-face. “Guess I’m tired.”

“I’m sorry, baby. I’ll let you go back to
sleep.”

“Okay. Love you. Good luck tomorrow.”

“Thanks, love you, too. Sleep tight.”

It was so sweet and normal, but her stomach
rolled over. Toni walked back into her life, and Livie turned right
around and lied to Bern. What a great way to make a fresh
start.

* * * * *