The Mighty Quinns: Devin

“Mornin’, Sally,” he said.

“Mornin’, boss. I just had a call from Elodie Winchester. She said someone just threw a brick through her front window. Do you want to take this or should I send Kyle?”

Dev cursed beneath his breath. “I’ve got it.” Though he’d spent most of the early-morning hours focused on the accident investigation, there had been moments when his thoughts had shifted back to what had happened in the mansion on Wisteria Street.

The attraction between them was undeniable, but the fact that they’d chosen to act on it so quickly was what had rattled him. It had been over ten years since they’d last seen each other, and yet it seemed as if barely a week had passed. All the old feelings were still there, the crazy, urgent need and the sense that they were hurtling toward something neither one of them could handle.

And yet, they were adults now and fully responsible for their actions. He’d given her every chance to refuse his advances and she’d just invited him to take more. Nothing had changed. Yet, everything had changed. He was responsible for her safety; he’d gone to the house to protect her, not seduce her on the porch of her house.

Dev pulled the cruiser out onto the highway and flipped on the lights and sirens. He had suspected that the anger toward Elodie wouldn’t subside. He should have put another cruiser in front of her house. People in town had suffered deep wounds because of the Winchester family and they finally had someone—a flesh-and-blood person—to blame.

But it wasn’t just blame. They wanted retribution, to make sure the Winchesters experienced pain as they’d experienced pain, and Dev wasn’t about to let that happen. He was as angry as any of them at old man Winchester and his sons, who had all mismanaged the mill. But Elodie hadn’t even been living in the town when the worst of it had gone down. Their teenage infatuation had ensured that.

Dev turned off the siren as he rolled into town. There was no traffic to contend with on his way to Elodie’s street; the townsfolk were just starting to rise for the day ahead. He skidded to a stop beneath a cool canopy of trees and jumped out of the cruiser, then hurried up the brick walk.

He found Elodie sitting in a wicker rocker on the porch, sipping at a mug of coffee. Next to her, Jeb Baylor was sprawled in the opposite chair, his chin buried in his chest, a loud snore breaking the silence with every breath he took. She smiled as Dev approached.

He took the steps two at a time and crossed to her as she stood. Gathering her into his arms, he gave her a fierce hug. “What the hell is going on here?”

“It’s nothing. He was drunk and upset.”

“Jeb threw the brick?”

Elodie nodded. “Yes. He was shouting and I invited him up to the porch for coffee so we could talk about his concerns. But when I got back with the coffee, he was asleep. I was afraid to wake him.”

Dev pressed his lips against her forehead, the sweet scent of her hair teasing at his nose. “You’re safe. That’s all I care about.”

“What are we going to do with him? I don’t want you to put him in jail. He was drunk and I don’t blame him for being angry.”

“He’ll have to pay for the property damage,” Dev said.

Elodie nodded.

Dev pulled his radio off his belt. “Winchester dispatch, this is zero-one.”

“What’s up, boss?”

“Call Jenny Baylor and have her come by the Winchester mansion to get her husband.”

“Got it.”

Dev turned back to Elodie, gently taking the mug from her hand. He took a long sip of the barely warm brew and sighed. “Do you think I could have a cup of that? Only one that’s very hot?”

“Sure,” Elodie said. She started toward the door, then paused, looking over her shoulder at him. “I don’t know how you like your coffee. You didn’t drink coffee when you were younger.”

“Black,” Dev said.

“Of course. Black,” she murmured.

Dev walked to the opposite end of the porch, then removed his utility belt and hung it over the rail. The porch swing beckoned, and he sat down and sighed softly. Exhaustion overwhelmed him, and he tipped his head back and closed his eyes. But sleep wasn’t waiting for him.

Images of Elodie swirled in his head, her body clothed, her body naked, her hair drawn away from her face, then tumbling around her shoulders. She’d been home less than twenty-four hours and he was already obsessed.

Dev cursed softly and opened his eyes. He’d always maintained such a tight control on his romantic life. Small-town gossip mills were always looking for new fodder, and he didn’t want his authority being undermined by ridiculous speculation over his sex life. And they’d have a field day if he started seeing Elodie Winchester.

Elodie reappeared a few moments later, carrying a tray with two cups of steaming coffee and a pair of scones. “It’s all I could manage,” she said. “I don’t have much in the way of groceries, save for what you gave me yesterday, and we pretty much polished that off last night. I picked up the scones yesterday. You do like scones?”

“I don’t think I’ve ever had one,” he said. “I’m pretty much a doughnut kind of guy.”

She giggled as she handed him a mug. “You look like you only eat healthy. Or is it healthily?”

“I try. But it’s not much of a priority. I eat when I have a chance and usually it’s whatever is convenient.”

“You need a wife,” she said.

He growled softly, shaking his head. “I’m not so sure. That hasn’t really been a priority, either.”

She sat down beside him and took a sip of her coffee. “What is a priority for you?”

“Keeping this town from falling apart,” he said.

“It’s a noble goal,” she murmured.

They sat silently after that, the swing creaking beneath them as they drank their coffee.

He wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her, to find out if the attraction they’d acted upon last night was still as powerful in the morning light. But starting any kind of relationship would be complicated at best and dangerous at worst. Perhaps it was sensible to slow down and consider the consequences of a full-on affair with Elodie. Such as what she had to go back to.

“What about you?” he asked. “You haven’t told me much about your life in New York.”

“I managed an art gallery. I was involved with a sculptor. Very talented, but very...difficult.”

“Involved?”

“We lived together for the past three years. But five days ago I walked into our loft and found him in bed with someone other than me, so I packed my bags and came home. At least to the closest thing I still have to a home.”

“Do you still love him?”

Elodie smiled. “I’m not sure I ever did,” she murmured. “I’m actually happy it’s over. He was very high maintenance. Selfish.”

“I’m glad you decided to come home,” he said.

She sighed. “I don’t know what to do here. This house is just...overwhelming. There’s so much to fix and I can’t afford the maintenance. No one wants to buy it. I’m not sure the town will even take it if I try to give it to them.”

“How would that work?”

“I’d deed it to the town or the county. I’ve been trying to arrange that, but neither party seems interested.” She took another sip of her coffee. “I suppose I could always just set it on fire and collect the insurance.”

Dev cleared his throat. “You do realize that you just admitted your intention to commit a felony to a law enforcement officer.”