[Intertwined Souls 05.0] No Good Deed

by Mary D. Brooks

  Henry rocked back in his chair and laughed. “No, my dear friend, she doesn’t. She thinks you are a challenge, but nothing she can’t handle.”

  “Oh…good, I think.”

  “So do you want to hear about Lambros Estate?”

  “Yes.”

  “The estate is ready; the house is ready to be moved into, the cottages have been done, and the office is nearly ready. By the time you are ready to back on your feet, we will have a working office.”

  “That might take a while.”

  “That will happen when it happens. Uncle Wilbur is sending someone from Germany to help with the restructure while you are recovering and he’s going to be based at an office in town. I’m going to be coming over and briefing you on everything that is going on. Now,” Henry took out an envelope out of his pocket and held it aloft. “What is this?”

  Eva looked at the envelope and smiled. “An envelope.”

  “Yes, but do you know what it contains?”

  Eva put her fingers to her temple and closed her eyes. “I see in my crystal ball…” she said and then chuckled. “Yes, I know what that is.”

  “Well, I can’t accept it.”

  “Yes, you can. We want you to have it.”

  “It’s twenty thousand pounds! That’s nearly two years of wages!”

  “I know. It’s our wedding present to you and Alex,” Eva explained as she gazed at Henry’s face, which reflected his incredulity.

  “That’s far too generous, Evy.”

  “You’re my family; it’s not too generous.”

  Henry stared at the envelope and shook his head before he put his arms around Eva and gave her a heartfelt hug.

  CHAPTER 28

  Eva was restless. She couldn’t sleep even though she had taken her medication for the night. Normally, it would allow her to sleep for a few hours, but her mind was too restless for sleep. She looked up at the ceiling and mentally slapped herself for the way she had been behaving. She sat up and pulled the pillows up to brace her back against them. Tessa’s talk with her was long overdue and she knew she had been a very difficult patient. She would apologize to Alexandra when she saw her next. She had already apologized to Tommy, who merely smiled, thanked her, and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

  She was also putting Zoe through so much stress. Zoe didn’t need to be stressed, especially now that she was pregnant with their babies. Eva couldn’t remember the last time she had made love to Zoe, and that was causing her even more concern. She missed Zoe’s touch and her kisses; Zoe hadn’t stopped kissing her, but the intimacy they used to share was missing. Eva felt useless and hated her own body at that moment. There wasn’t anything she could do about her recovery other than being patient, but there was something she could do about making love to Zoe. Before she could accomplish that, she had some apologizing to do, and she had to be honest with Zoe no matter the cost.

  The door opened quietly and Zoe entered “You’re still awake?” She came over to the bed and sat down on the edge. “Are you in pain?”

  “No. Tommy gave me my medication.” Eva shook her head. “Um…I’ve been thinking.”

  “About what?”

  Eva paused and took Zoe’s hand. “I want to apologize to you. I’m sorry for being so difficult. I’ve been behaving like...”

  “A child?”

  “Ouch,” Eva said softly. “You’re right. I am acting like a child and haven’t been thinking about what you need or want. I’m just going a little crazy and—”

  “You don’t have to explain, Evy. I know what you’ve been going through, and I knew that you would stop fighting yourself, me, Alex, Tommy...”

  “I’m not trying to fight you. I’m fighting myself and my body is betraying me. It just doesn’t do what I want it to do.”

  “You hate having to deal with all of this.” Zoe twirled her hands around. “You hate not being able to decide when you wake, when you go to sleep, the drugs…”

  “Yes, I know you understand, but there is more to this.”

  “There is?”

  “I can’t remember the last time I made love to you. That is also frustrating me.”

  “Well, I think that’s the least of your worries,” Zoe replied and sighed heavily.

  “No, that’s high on the list,” Eva replied quietly. “I think about that a lot when I’m not thinking if the kittens are real or why is my dead mother talking to me.”

  Zoe smiled and leaned in for a kiss. Eva moved forward into the kiss expecting Zoe to continue, but she pulled away after they parted. Eva growled in frustration. “I really want to make love to you, Zo. I don’t want just a kiss here or there. I don’t want you to pull away from me. I’ve got a brain injury, but I’m not a leper,” Eva said, the frustration evident in her voice.

  “We can’t.”

  “Why? I want to make love to you. Don’t you want to love me back?”

  Eva’s heart ached on seeing Zoe’s eyes well up. She wanted to take Zoe into her arms and just let go, but she couldn’t because Zoe would pull away and just kiss her goodnight.

  “Yes, of course, I want to love you, but Stella said for you not to do any strenuous exercise.”

  “That was right after I came home. I’m stronger now,” Eva persisted. “If I get dizzy I’m not going to fall anywhere, since I’m already in bed.”

  Zoe laughed. It had been such a long time since Eva had heard her laugh that it felt strange to her ears. “I love that sound.”

  “What sound?”

  “I love hearing you laugh; I love watching you laugh. It lights up your face and it just makes me want to kiss you.”

  “I haven’t laughed in a long time. I’ve been so busy dealing with everything…”

  “I know and I’m sorry.”

  “I know you are. You’re a strong and determined woman, and you lose a part of yourself when you are not in control.”

  Eva gazed at Zoe for a long moment. “I lose myself when I’m in your arms,” she said softly. “I love you so much.”

  Zoe took a shuddering breath. “I know you do, and if I could, I would make love to you right now but I...” She went to the dresser and removed the opal necklace she always wore. She kept her wedding ring on—she always wore it, even in bed. Eva knew Zoe’s bedtime ritual and she sighed. She turned on her side and watched as Zoe unbuttoned her skirt and let it drop to the floor.

  “Zo, I have something to tell you.”

  “Oh?”

  Zoe unbuttoned her shirt a little too slowly. What Eva wanted to do was walk over there and kiss her, but that wasn’t possible. Zoe took off her shirt and put it on the nearby chair. She stood with her hand on her hip in just her brassiere and panties. Her stomach had just started to show and Eva found it so arousing. “What is it that you want to tell me?”

  “Um…I…um” Eva stammered. “Um…nothing.”

  Zoe shrugged and removed her brassiere, making Eva swallow audibly. A tiny smile played on Zoe’s lips as she removed her panties and came to the edge of the bed.

  “What did you want to tell me?”

  Eva wiped her eyes with her hand and lay back against the pillows. “Um…I…”

  Zoe stayed silent and waited.

  “I…um...” Eva turned to her side again and looked into Zoe’s emerald colored eyes. She was certain Zoe would be angry when she heard what she was about to confess. “I did slip…I mean before you threw the canes out.”

  “Yes, I know,” Zoe said quietly.

  “You do?”

  “Yes. I heard you. I heard your canes fall on the tiles in the bathroom and my heart was in my mouth. I know the sounds you make, Evy. I know when you are coming into a room, the sound of your footsteps, the time it takes you to walk from the bedroom to the kitchen.” Zoe took a deep breath. “I know the sound those blasted canes make against the bathroom tiles. When I heard you fall, I thought the next sound I would hear would be your cry.”

  “I’m so sorry, my love, I am.” Eva reached out f
or Zoe’s hand and Zoe melted into her embrace. “I’m sorry,” she said again as Zoe started to cry quietly. She hiccupped and looked up to find Eva was crying as well.

  “I didn’t realize I was holding my breath, hoping I wasn’t going to hear your cry. I heard Tommy asking if you were all right and you said ‘fine.’ I could then breathe again,” Zoe whispered. “I’m scared that I’ll wake up next to you and find you had another brain bleed. I’m scared that you will fall and you won’t be able to overcome another head injury. I worry about everything.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “I know you are, but you don’t know how hard it’s been on me. You don’t know how difficult it is to watch you in pain and know there is something you can do about it but you don’t want to. You can’t continue to resist because it’s not just you. You may be able to resist the medication, but I can’t.” Zoe took Eva’s hand and held it against her heart. “I can’t stand the pain it causes you. It hurts me.”

  “I promise I won’t resist any more. I give you my word.”

  “We agreed at the hospital that this was the best course to take.”

  Eva sighed and shook her head. “Zoe, it’s hard for me to take drugs even if they are to help with the pain. I can’t think and I feel like I’m in a fog. I’m uncoordinated and some days I think a two-year-old can walk better.”

  “I know it’s hard for you. I’ve seen you recover from getting shot. I know what it takes, but you make it difficult on yourself. You take the medication only after you have gone to the edge of your endurance. That can’t be good for your recovery, and Stella says it’s not. It doesn’t help you.”

  Eva nodded and she felt a heaviness settle on her chest. She had to surrender and stop fighting. “I promise I will.”

  “That’s all I want, Evy. I believe you. I know you will get better quicker now that you have agreed. I don’t want to talk about this now,” Zoe replied and turned in Eva’s embrace.

  “Make love to me.” Eva’s voice wavered. Zoe leaned down for a long passionate kiss. They gazed at each other and smiled.

  “I thought you had a head injury.”

  “Drugs are very good.” Eva’s laughter echoed in the room.

  Zoe leaned down and captured Eva’s mouth in a long sensual kiss. “Like that,” she whispered while Eva enjoyed the feel of Zoe’s kisses on her neck. “You will tell me if you are in pain, won’t you?”

  “Uh huh.” Eva pulled Zoe down. She moaned into Zoe’s mouth at the gentleness of the kiss as Zoe’s hands unbuttoned Eva’s top.

  “I love kissing you,” Zoe said, her lips moving down to Eva’s neck. “Hmmm?” she prodded, bringing her hand to the underside of a soft breast, brushing her thumb across the nipple, the flesh hardening under her caress. “Oh…” Eva tried to speak, but it came out as more of a strangled groan.

  Zoe continued to tenderly kiss and stroke Eva’s body. Eva moaned in pleasure and then reached in, covering the inviting mouth with her own.

  Eva slipped her hands under Zoe’s hips. She could feel Zoe’s desire increasing and she moaned and entwined her hands in Zoe’s hair.

  Zoe found herself on the receiving end of a deep and passionate kiss. She let her hands roam. The feel of Zoe’s hands on her skin, touching her, caressing her lovingly, drew a soft moan from Eva. She gasped and her eyes closed at the pleasurable sensation. She arched her back into Zoe’s touch, a throaty sound of satisfaction rumbling forth from deep in her chest.

  Eva could feel her body being taken to the very precipice by the breathtaking contact with Zoe’s body. Slowly, relentlessly, Zoe matched her rhythm to the cadence Eva’s hips set, all the while their tongues dancing together.

  Zoe’s actions managed to drive any logical thought from Eva’s brain. She began to moan louder, her hips picking up the pace. Breathlessly, Zoe wrenched her mouth free.

  “I love you so much,” she panted. Eva opened her eyes and managed to focus on Zoe.

  Zoe reached down one last time to kiss Eva’s lips. Eva’s climax took control of her long-limbed figure, her muscles jumping and quivering in irrepressible spasms of delight.

  It took several moments before Eva could open her eyes. She was deliriously happy but exhausted.

  “How’s your head?” Zoe asked.

  Eva smiled wearily and gazed up at Zoe. “Still there, but I thought I’d lost it for a bit.” Eva giggled at her own joke, making Zoe shake her head. She put her hands on top of Zoe’s hips. She looked up into Zoe’s eyes and shook her head in wonder. “My god, you are so beautiful. We are going to have some beautiful babies.”

  “I’m going to get really big. Did the baby bump bother you?”

  Eva shook her head back and forth only to have Zoe cup her head to make it stop. “No, I found it sexy. I think you are going to be even more gorgeous,” she replied. She brought Zoe down and kissed her passionately.

  “Will you love me if I look like a very fat Buddha?”

  “Yes, very much yes!”

  “What about…” Zoe stopped midsentence and Eva captured her mouth for another kiss. Zoe grinned “But—”

  “No more talking,” Eva whispered as she put her hand behind Zoe’s head and pulled her down for a passionate kiss.

  CHAPTER 29

  “Are you sure you’re going to love me if I’m as big as an airplane?”

  Eva nodded. “Oh, yes.”

  Zoe laughed. She cupped Eva’s sweaty face and kissed her. “I think our lovemaking can be classed as strenuous, because you look exhausted.”

  Eva giggled and brought Zoe into her embrace. “Don’t care.”

  “Are you really alright or are you just saying that?” Zoe hitched herself on her elbow and gazed down at Eva. Eva’s eyes were looking at her with such passion that Zoe momentarily forgot what she was going to say. “I think…”

  “I can go all night,” Eva whispered.

  “Hm, I don’t think so.” Zoe took Eva’s hands, kissed them, and placed them on Eva’s stomach. “No more.”

  “Oh, Zoe…”

  “Are you really telling me you’re not tired?”

  Eva sighed. “Maybe a little.”

  Eva shifted to lie sideways facing Zoe. Her slight grunt didn’t go unnoticed, nor did her wince when her head rolled on the pillow. Zoe decided not to say a word. Eva’s hand was gently placed over her stomach, which almost brought tears to Zoe’s eyes. It was such a loving gesture.

  “Is the incision still tender?” Zoe asked. She knew the answer to the question by Eva’s slight hesitation.

  Zoe leaned over and kissed the top of Eva’s head. Eva moved forward and with a tiny grunt, she kissed Zoe’s stomach and whispered into her belly before she moved back. Zoe could see her trying to hide her discomfort.

  “It hurts, doesn’t it?”

  “Hm, a little.”

  “Why did you do that?”

  Eva smiled. “I was saying goodnight to Uno and Due,” she said with a light laugh that made Zoe grin.

  “You’re naming our babies after our cats?”

  “In case I forget their names… You keep reminding me about Uno, Due, and the other ones.”

  “You’re not going to forget Larissa and Nicholas, love.”

  Eva took a deep breath and blinked. “I forgot your name yesterday,” she said quietly.

  Zoe brushed Eva’s cheek tenderly. “It’s alright. I forget my name sometimes as well.”

  “When?”

  “When you’re making love to me,” Zoe replied, making Eva laugh. “It happens all the time.”

  “I love you. I’m sorry I hurt you,” Eva said sleepily and her eyes closed.

  “I know, but that’s not going to happen again. Now tell me about Tessa’s artwork.”

  Eva stayed quiet for longer than Zoe thought. Her eyes were closed and Zoe wasn’t sure if she had fallen asleep. “Tessa drew my mother in the artwork,” she finally answered.

  “That was nice, wasn’t it?”

  “‘suppose,” Eva mu
mbled sleepily.

  Zoe smiled, knowing Eva was going to drift off at any moment. She kissed her lips and Eva smiled lazily.

  “And that’s how I get my injured wife to sleep,” Zoe whispered as Eva’s breathing evened out. She brought the blanket up and covered Eva.

  Zoe got out of bed and put on her nightgown. She watched Eva sleep, a slight smile on her lips. She took a deep breath and released it slowly. Not making love to Eva was maddening, and now that they had done so, Zoe felt a weight had lifted off her chest somewhat. Eva’s surrender to her was not just in their lovemaking, but also in Eva’s resistance to the drugs. Zoe knew how hard it was for Eva. Her confession about the fall was not unexpected; she knew Eva would have told her eventually. Zoe could have asked her directly and Eva would have told her the truth, but not this time.

  Zoe was about to turn off the lights when she saw the artwork on Eva’s bedside table. She padded around the bed and picked it up. She got back to her side of the bed and got under the covers. Eva was sleeping on her side, so Zoe scooted over a little, just enough for her to take Eva’s hand and intertwine it with her own. Eva didn’t stir, but Zoe felt settled and content having that physical connection.

  She brought the artwork up close and carefully paid attention. She smiled at Eva’s form in the background, a baby on her shoulder. Her gaze fell on the turban around her head—it was obvious Eva’s hair was very short.

  Zoe’s attention shifted to the image of herself and the baby in her arms. Oh, we are going to have our hands full! She giggled. The other figures made her tilt her head to the side and gaze intensely at the artwork.

  Who are you…and why are you with my family?

  She shifted her attention to the image of Eva’s mother and shook her head. The resemblance was astounding. Every time she saw an image of Daphne Mitsos, she marveled at how much Eva resembled her mother. Daphne had the same posture, the same bearing as Eva.

  I wonder if you sounded like Evy. What were you like, Daphne Mitsos?

  I wonder where this is… Zoe noticed something in the art. The background was white, but at the far right corner she could make out a pattern. She concentrated on the pattern and then realized what it was.