The Mighty Quinns: Devin (10 page)

Elodie cleared her throat, then tipped up her chin defiantly. “I understand why you're angry. And I don't blame you. My father did horrible things in the name of profit. And since I'm the only Winchester in the vicinity, you can take it out on me. Who'd like to hit me?”

“Elodie!” Dev moved to stand in front of her, but she just pushed him away again.

Four or five of the men in the crowd raised their hands and she nodded. “All right. Each of you can take one punch.”

A low murmur went through the crowd as the men moved forward. “Don't be ridiculous,” Jeb Baylor said. “I'm not going to hit a woman.”

“Slap me, then,” Elodie offered. “I can take it.”

“No!” Several of the women in the crowd began to protest, and before long the conflict had created two factions in the crowd.

“No, she
won't
take it,” Dev shouted. “That would be assault. And I will arrest you, count on it.”

“Not if she's asking for it,” Frank Sinclair said.

“That's right,” Elodie said.

“All of you, just move along,” Dev said. “There will be no slapping or punching here.” He bent close to Elodie. “We need to get you out of here right now.” Dev slipped his arm around her waist.

“I'm not leaving,” Elodie said. “We're going to get this sorted out tonight. Wait!” she called. “I have an idea. Follow me.”

Dev held tight to her arm. “What are you doing?”

“You'll see.”

Elodie stopped in front of the dunk tank, then faced the enemy. “I'll spend the rest of the evening in the dunk tank,” she said. “If you want to take your chances, you can buy three balls and try to put me in.”

This seemed to interest most of those who had gathered. “Yeah,” Jeb said. “That'll work.”

“Just one thing,” she said. “Instead of a dollar for three balls, it's ten dollars. I understand the fire department needs a new pump truck and we can help make that happen.”

“You don't have to do this,” Dev said to her.

Elodie turned to him, grabbing his arm as she kicked off her sandals. “I'll be fine.”

Dev watched as she crawled up the steps and then scooted out onto the rail.

“Ten dollars for three chances,” she called to the attendant.

Within minutes there was a long line of both women and men waiting to take a shot and dunking her. Dev watched, his temper barely in check, furious that the whole town had ganged up on her.

“Folks are wonderin' where your loyalties lie.”

Dev turned to find Frank Sinclair standing next to him, his angry gaze fixed on Elodie's slender figure.

“I'm responsible for the safety of everyone in town,” Dev replied.

“I think you're concerned with a little more than her safety,” Frank said.

Dev fought back a surge of anger. If he were any other man, he'd call Frank out and they'd end their disagreement with fists instead of words. But Dev was the police chief and had sworn an oath to promote harmony in the community. “You mind your own business, Frank, and I'll take care of mine.”

“I'm just sayin' that if you side with the Winchesters, you might find yourself out of a job.”

“Go ahead and try to fire me. I'm not worried. And if it makes you feel like a man to dunk that nice lady in the tank, then you go right ahead. But don't be telling me how to do my job.”

By the time the line at the dunk tank disappeared, the breeze had picked up and Elodie was shivering badly. Dev finally convinced her to come down off the tank, and he wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her back.

“Jesus, you're freezing.”

Her teeth chattered and she forced a smile. “I'm just a little chilled.”

Dev quickly escorted her to the cruiser. He found a thermal blanket in his first aid kit in the trunk, then wrapped her first in the silver film, then topped it with a rough wool blanket. “I'm taking you home.”

They drove through the dark streets of Winchester. “You didn't have to do that, Elodie.”

“Maybe I did,” Elodie said. “They seem to want their pound of flesh, and if I want to live here even for a short while, I needed to give it to them. Even if it was with a silly dunk tank.”

Dev glanced over at her. “Do you
want
to live here? I thought you were just going to stay until you sold the house?”

Elodie shrugged. “I'm not sure what I'm going to do. Staying here is one option. But if everyone in town hates me, that makes it a lot less appealing.”

“Not everyone in town hates you,” he said. “I feel very differently.”

She chuckled softly. “Yes, and I'm glad. But you can't always come riding to my rescue every time someone is mean to me. And I know what our relationship is costing you. I don't want you to lose your job because of me.”

“I won't,” Dev said. “And if I do, then I'll just move on and find something else to do.”

“And leave Winchester? You love this town. The people here need you.”

They rode the rest of the way to the mansion in silence, their conversation at an impasse. Dev didn't want to admit that there might not be a future for them simply because of her last name.

“Are you hungry?” he asked.

“I'm just tired. And cold.”

Dev pulled the car up to the curb and helped her out, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. “I'm going to run you a nice hot bath and then I'm going to make you dinner. And then we're going to crawl into bed and get a good night's sleep.”

“Sleep? In bed?” she asked. “Now that's a novel idea.”

* * *

E
LODIE
SANK
DOWN
into the warm water, her hair floating out on each side of her. She hadn't realized how cold she was until Dev stripped off her damp clothes and helped her into the tub. Now the heat was seeping into her flesh and making her feel sleepy and content.

“I brought you some wine.”

She opened her eyes to see him standing in the bathroom doorway. Elodie held out her hand, and he slipped the glass between her fingers. “I'm exhausted.”

“You should be. In and out of that tank for almost two hours.” He reached out and smoothed his hand over her cheek. “It was one of the bravest things I've ever seen.”

“It was a dunk tank,” she said. “I didn't swim the English Channel.”

“You stood up to the town of Winchester,” he said. “All by yourself. And I think you were right, it did some good.”

“Did it?” Elodie asked. She couldn't help but smile. If anyone would know, it would be Dev. He understood this town better than anyone. “I'm lucky they had a dunk tank. I could have ended up in front of that dart game where they break the balloons. That would have hurt.”

Dev laughed as he sat down next to the tub. He grabbed her wine and took a sip. “They admired you for what you did, stepping up and letting them blow off some steam.”

“They probably still hate me.”

“They probably do,” Dev said. “But they might also respect you. And that's a step in the right direction.” He paused. “Is it important that they like you?”

“Yes,” she said. “It bothers me that my family name is viewed so negatively in this town. And I want to change that.”

“Why? You're going to be gone as soon as you sell the house, aren't you?”

He was asking for the answer she hadn't given earlier. But she still couldn't give him the one he wanted. She sank down in the water and took a sip of her wine. “I don't know. The more time I spend here, the less I want to go back to New York.”

“It would be nice if you stayed,” Dev said.

She glanced over at him. “Yeah?”

He nodded, then pushed to his feet. “And now that I'm aware you're considering that, I ought to do my best to convince you.” Grabbing the hem of his shirt, he pulled it over his head.

Elodie watched as he slowly undressed. When he was naked, he stepped to the side of the tub.

“Are you going to join me?” she asked.

“Damn right,” Dev said.

She moved forward, and Dev stepped in behind her, stretching his legs out on each side of her body. Elodie leaned back against his chest, and he wrapped his arms around her body.

“Now, this is the way to spend a Saturday night,” he murmured, his breath soft against her ear.

“Have you done this before?”

“Never,” Dev said. “I'm a shower kind of guy. Get in, get out, get to work. But now I see the allure.”

“So you don't spend too many Saturday nights hanging out in bathtubs?”

He pressed a kiss to her shoulder. “I can't recall ever spending a Saturday night in a bathtub. How about you? If you were in New York, what would you be doing?”

“On a Saturday night?” Elodie considered her answer. In truth, she'd barely thought about New York since she'd left. Wasn't that some type of sign? If Manhattan were really home, wouldn't she be homesick? “I'd probably attend a gallery opening or some charity event.”

“Would you have a date?”

“I had a boyfriend. He'd come when he wasn't involved in a new project. He was an artist. And if he didn't go with me, I'd invite a friend. Or I'd go alone. Afterward, I'd have a late dinner. Now that I say it, it doesn't sound very exciting.”

Her life had become a bit repetitive. What had once seemed exciting now bored her to death. But here, she had a fresh start, new objectives and an interesting man pursuing her. She had a purpose now. Her life didn't revolve around selling expensive paintings to very wealthy people.

She wanted to tell Dev about her plans, about her idea to open a gallery and host an art fair, even about the artists' colony in the old mill. But Elodie had never attempted anything of this scope and she still had a healthy level of self-doubt.

Everything revolved around her ability to raise money. Once she had her plans in order, she'd have to head back to New York and other places to secure funding. The thought of leaving Dev already brought pangs of loneliness.

But was she in love with Dev Cassidy? Now that was the question she needed to answer. She'd had other men in her life and had considered herself “in love.” But this affair with Dev was different. Their time together ranged from the heights of desire to ordinary everyday events. And yet, every moment was as interesting and exciting as the last.

Elodie leaned forward and grabbed the washcloth, then squeezed water over her arms and shoulders. Dev reached out and gently massaged her shoulders. “This is heaven,” she said.

“And you're an angel,” he murmured.

Elodie giggled. “That was especially cheesy.”

“I know,” Dev said. “But I couldn't seem to help myself.”

Elodie stood up and grabbed a towel from the shelf at the end of the tub. She turned and held it out to him. “The water is getting cold.”

He stood, the water sluicing off his body. Elodie reached out and ran her hand over his chest, her fingertips skimming along the ridges of muscle and bone. Dev caught her fingers and pressed them to his lips.

A shiver skittered through her, and Dev frowned. “Still cold?”

Elodie shook her head. “No, not at all.”

“Then what?”

“I think you better take me to bed.”

Dev wrapped a towel around her body, then helped her out of the tub. They walked to the bedroom, their feet leaving wet tracks on the hardwood floors.

Dev gently pusher her down on the bed, pulled the towel away and tossed it aside. Then he knelt beside her and gently parted her legs. Elodie groaned, anticipating the pleasure that was about to come. Dev always seemed to know exactly what she needed, whether it be uncontrolled passion and fire, or a soft, sweet seduction.

When his tongue found its target, her body responded immediately, every nerve suddenly tingling with anticipation. She arched against him and focused on the sensations pulsing through her body.

There was nothing more in the world she could possibly want. At that moment, she was willing to give up food and water, creature comforts, just to experience that delicious climb toward her release.

But it wasn't just the physical that she craved. It was more than the slow build and the explosive ending. There was an emotional connection with Dev, a trust that he'd protect her, even in her most vulnerable state.

Tonight, he seemed to want to prolong her pleasure, and Elodie was at first happy to let him. But after a short time, she found herself desperate for relief. Furrowing her fingers through his hair, she held him close, silently pleading with him to end the torment.

Elodie whispered his name, and Dev finally relented, taking her over the edge and into oblivion. Her body writhed uncontrollably. She pushed him away, but he was determined to see her orgasm through to the final spasm.

When it was over, she opened her eyes and stared up at the ceiling. “You've wrecked me,” she gasped.

“You're welcome,” Dev replied. He crawled up and lay down beside her. “Is there anything else I can do for you?”

She was too exhausted to get up. “I could use something to eat. A piece of toast would be lovely.”

Dev dropped a kiss on her lips. “Anything else?”

“Orange juice,” she said.

When he left the room, Elodie crawled beneath the sheets and buried her face in the down pillows. A groan slipped from her lips. This was all happening so fast, and it was impossible to sort out her feelings.

At first, Dev had been just a piece of her past, a memory she wanted to revisit, a few moments she wanted to relive. But this passion between them had taken on a life of its own. She couldn't deny the power it held over them both. And it wasn't something to be casually tossed aside.

But her feelings for Dev were clouding her judgment. When she'd come to Winchester, it had only been to find a way to get rid of the house, to divest herself of the last bits of her childhood. But now she was searching for reasons to stay, rationalizing the need to build a life here in Winchester.