Devlin

by Barbara Freethy

  "Well, Frank can't beat you with that boat or his daughter."

  "He's worked on the boat and Hannah is a great sailor."

  "How would you know that?" his father asked, a curious gleam in his eyes.

  "I took her out one day."

  "Interesting."

  "What's more interesting is that I still don't have someone to race with unless you change your mind."

  "Come on, Devlin. There are plenty of guys at the Boatworks who will race with you."

  "Not really, and I want to race with you."

  "Why? You saw how rusty I was."

  "We'll go out tomorrow, Thursday, and Friday. You'll be ready by Saturday."

  "I have other things to attend to."

  "You can fit this in—if you want to."

  His dad settled back in his chair. "I don't know why you're pushing so hard. I might be a liability."

  "I'd rather lose with you than win with someone else."

  "Seriously?"

  "You're my father. I've wanted to race with you for years. I know it's painful for you, that the race brings back memories of Uncle Mark. But it's time to make new memories. Beating Frank could be one of them."

  "You know the right button to push."

  "Is that a yes?"

  "Yes."

  "Good. I'll meet you at the dock at two." He got up, then paused. "And so we're clear, Dad—I'm in charge on the boat. You follow my directions. I'm team leader."

  His dad laughed. "Don't push it Devlin."

  He smiled back at him, feeling a connection to his father for the first time in a long time. Hopefully the race would enhance that, but that might depend on whether they won or not.

  The ocean was crowded with racers all week, but Devlin still caught glimpses of Hannah and Frank out on the Daisy Mae. They were getting better; he could see it in their runs. But he and his father were also improving. His dad had gotten back into the groove of racing, and while they'd hit a few control issues, for the most part, his father had followed his direction.

  As he motored through the harbor after completing their final practice run late Friday afternoon, he had to admit it felt good to be better at something than his dad, who had always been so successful at everything he did. But on the boat, they were equals.

  They hadn't talked much while sailing, concentrating on the techniques that would make them faster. The topic of his mother had remained off-limits. He knew his dad had someone keeping tabs on her, but other than that, he'd made no attempt to try to resolve the separation.

  His hope that his mother would come back for the race was quickly diminishing. In years past, she'd hosted the pre-race Friday night cocktail party at the Yacht Club, but tonight his dad would do that alone.

  After docking the boat, they disembarked just in time to run into Frank and Hannah.

  "How was your sail?" he asked.

  "Perfect," Frank replied shortly, his gaze moving to Graham. "You got your sea legs yet, Graham?"

  "Never lost them," Graham retorted. "I hear you've negotiated a nice raise for yourself."

  "Only what I'm due. You would have done the same. Hell, you would have asked for three times more than I did."

  "Very true. I always shot higher than you. That's how I got Claire."

  "You got her, but can you keep her? That's the question."

  Devlin inwardly groaned at Frank's words, and he could see worry flash through Hannah's eyes as well, but their fathers were not paying them any attention.

  "I'll keep her, because she's mine," Graham said, a fierce tone in his voice. "I'm her husband. She loves me."

  "She does love you," Frank agreed. "And she needs you. That's all I was trying to tell you, Graham, but you couldn't hear me. You were blinded by unnecessary anger and way too much ego. I'm not your enemy; you are. You need to get out of your own way. And I say that because I know what it feels like to lose the woman you love because you can't do that. Now, if you want to fire me again for trying to help you, go ahead."

  Graham gave Frank a hard stare and then turned away, moving up the ramp at a brisk pace, his back poker-stiff, his head held high in the air.

  "Sorry, Devlin, I had to speak the truth," Frank said. "If you want to break our new agreement—"

  "I don't," he interrupted. "I told you before, I'm in charge of the Boatworks. The problems you and my father have are your own."

  "Fair enough. I'll see you both at the party."

  "And then there were two," Hannah said, as Frank walked away.

  He gazed into her eyes, fighting off a powerful aching urge to pull her into his arms and never let her go. But she wasn't his to keep.

  And what the hell was he going to do come Monday when she was gone for good?

  "You look beautiful," he murmured. "A little sunburned."

  She put a hand to her pink cheeks. "I do feel warm." Her lips curved into a wistful smile. "But that tends to happen when you're around."

  "I know the feeling." He paused. "You also look happy. I'm glad your father decided to race with you."

  "Me, too. Whatever happens tomorrow, it's all good. Not that I don't want to win. But I know the odds are against us."

  "The race is always unpredictable. You can plan and practice, try to anticipate every scenario, but when you're racing, it's all about split-second decisions, feeling the rhythm of the boat, the turn of the wind, the movements of your racing partner. You have to be willing to leave it all on the ocean, risk everything for the win. And I know you're capable of doing that. So is Frank."

  "How do you know that about me? It's not like I've lived an adventurous, pushing-the-envelope kind of life. I haven't sailed around the world like you."

  "No. But you put your life on hold to rush to your father's side. You had the courage to challenge my father, and not many people stand up to Graham Blackthorne."

  "I did do that, but I think it was you standing up that made the difference."

  "I saw my actions through your eyes, and I didn't like them, Hannah."

  She gave him a thoughtful look. "You never said that before."

  "I should have rehired Frank the second after my father fired him. I'm sorry I didn't."

  "You were in a difficult position. Family is complicated. How are you and your dad getting along in terms of racing?"

  "Not bad, actually. His skills are coming back, and we haven't been arguing at all. What about you?"

  "We're getting along better than ever. We had a breakthrough in our relationship the past few weeks. I think my dad losing his job actually made him rethink his entire life, all the decisions he made in the past, what he wants for the future. Sometimes we all need a big shove out the door to actually go into the world and see what we might be missing."

  "That's true." He might need that shove, too. He'd gotten into a well-worn and way-too-comfortable rut, but Hannah coming back to King Harbor had turned his life upside down, made him think that maybe he wanted more than what he had.

  But how much more? And did he have the courage to put his heart on the line again?

  "I guess I should go," she said, a reluctant note in her voice. "The cocktail party will be starting soon. I assume you're going."

  "I always have," he muttered, but going to that party was actually the last thing he wanted to do.

  "I'm sure it's expected since the Blackthornes are one of the race sponsors."

  "My father can represent the family. So can yours. Why don't we play hooky?"

  "What do you have in mind?"

  "Dinner at my apartment. I can grill a mean steak."

  Mixed emotions played through her eyes. "I should say no. We're rivals. We're going to be battling each other tomorrow…"

  "But?"

  "I've missed you."

  Her soft admission made his body tighten. "Then come home with me. Tomorrow, we can be competitors. Tonight, we can just be together."

  "That sounds…"

  "Perfect?"

  Her smile lit up her pretty blue
eyes. "Yeah, perfect. I guess our fling could go another night."

  "Absolutely," he said, but he was starting to think he wanted much more than a fling.

  Chapter Sixteen

  It was both the longest and the shortest ride to Devlin's apartment. Hannah felt more than a little conflicted. She wanted to be with Devlin, but she was very afraid that one more night was only going to make it more difficult to leave. But she'd been fighting her feelings for the better part of a week and she just didn't want to fight anymore.

  Tomorrow was the race. By Monday she'd be gone. But she had tonight, and she wanted to make the most of it.

  When they entered the apartment, the simmering tension between them exploded. And there was no more thought of dinner, only of each other. Their clothes came off fast and furiously, leaving a trail from the front door to the bedroom.

  And when her head hit the bed, his hand was right there to cushion the fall. His mouth covered hers with passion and desperation, igniting her own raging emotions. Their time was limited. She wanted to make the most of every second.

  Making love felt more intense now, more important than before. There seemed to be meaning behind every kiss, every touch, every heated look between them.

  They moved fast and then slow, but they were always in sync, soaring higher and higher, in the end creating a blazing fire of passion that left her immensely satisfied and both physically and emotionally spent.

  Devlin rolled on to his back with a happy sigh. She turned onto her side, gazing at his handsome face, the lips that had just tasted and teased every part of her body, making her feel wanted and needed in a way she'd never felt before.

  He looked at her and smiled. "That was something."

  "Something crazy," she agreed, running her fingers down his sculpted chest, feeling the heat and the sweat clinging to his skin.

  He cupped his hand around her neck and pulled her down for a long, savoring kiss.

  And when she lifted her head, she felt breathless again. "I hope you don't need a long break."

  "All I need is you. Will you stay the night, Hannah?"

  "Do I need to say yes in order to get my steak?"

  He laughed. "Yes, that is a requirement."

  "And you're really good at barbecuing?”

  "The best. I can grill some vegetables, too, open up a bottle of wine… We can eat under the stars."

  She didn't think she'd ever gotten such a good invitation. "I like the sound of all of that. But not just yet."

  "You have something else in mind?"

  She nodded. "I do."

  His gaze darkened. "Want to tell me?"

  She couldn't find the words to tell him what she was thinking. Or maybe she could find them, but she was too afraid of saying them aloud. She'd played it safe so much of her life. She'd always tried to be the good girl, hoping that in some way that would put her family back together, or at the very least it would make her mother lose her sad smile and encourage her father to want to see her.

  But this wasn't about them; this was about her, what she wanted in her life—who she wanted in her life. Loving Devlin could be a huge risk. He had an ex haunting his life, too. He might suddenly remember how great Amy was and how she paled in comparison.

  "Hannah? You can talk to me," Devlin said, his eyes filling with concern.

  "I wish that neither of us had a history, that we were a clean slate before now, but we're not."

  "I'm not him—the guy who said he wanted you but then changed his mind."

  "I know." She could have added that he wasn't even close to being Gary, because at least Gary had wanted to make a commitment to her, even if he quickly realized it wasn't right. Devlin had never said anything beyond "Come home with me tonight. Be with me now".

  "But something is bothering you," he said, his gaze troubled, as he pushed a strand of hair off her face.

  "No. Everything is good." She wasn't going to mess up the last night they'd have together with worries about a future that she already knew wouldn't happen.

  "I don't think I believe you, Hannah. You have very expressive eyes."

  "Which should be showing you how happy I am."

  "But also concerned. You're not really a fling kind of woman, are you?"

  "No, but I'm glad I chose to fling myself at you." Her smile coaxed his grin back onto his lips.

  "One good fling deserves another," he said, moving so suddenly she found herself on her back with Devlin's body coming down on hers, and every little doubt and worry fled her mind. She'd think later. Now, she was just going to feel.

  She was gone—again. Devlin woke up to the alarm he'd remembered to set sometime in the middle of the night. But Hannah was no longer curled up next to him in bed, and judging by the silence in his apartment, she'd left.

  Just once he wanted to say good-bye to her.

  Actually, that wasn't true. Good-bye was the last thing he wanted to say to her.

  But they could have said other things. He could have made her breakfast since dinner had turned into heated-up pizza bites and a bowl of fruit sometime after midnight when they'd finally made it out of bed and into the kitchen. He'd promised her barbecue another night. But would they get another night? It didn't seem likely. Not unless one of them decided to make a big change.

  He couldn't move to Austin; his entire life was here.

  She probably felt that she couldn't move to King Harbor because her life was in Austin.

  Was it really just about geography?

  Or was it about being willing to make a commitment, to putting it all on the line? He'd always given everything when it came to work, to racing, but relationships… He'd told himself that was different. But was it?

  With too many questions going around in his head, he got out of bed and headed for the shower. He couldn't think about Hannah now. He had a race to win, and very soon she would be one of his competitors, someone he needed to beat.

  That wouldn't be easy. Winning would be good for his business and for his relationship with his dad, but winning would also be great for Frank, who had taken a beating the last few weeks, and for Hannah, who wanted to show her dad that he could win with her.

  But one of them was not going to win. And there was a part of him that wished the race was over already. But then what?

  He had a feeling that even if he won the race, he was going to end up a loser.

  Stepping out of the shower, he threw on his clothes and headed into the kitchen to grab a banana and a protein bar. When he saw the note taped to his refrigerator, he couldn't help but smile.

  Good luck Devlin. May the best woman win.

  He touched his fingers to the smiley face she'd drawn next to her name. He hoped he'd have another chance to make her smile one more time. But it probably wouldn't be at the end of the race, not if he came in first.

  "Nervous?" her father asked, as they motored out of the harbor to the starting line.

  "A little," she admitted.

  "That's good. Nerves are part of this experience. You're about to test yourself. It's exciting."

  "And a little terrifying. I don't want to let you down."

  "You couldn't. It's just a race, Hannah; it's not the beginning or the end of anything."

  "You're right," she said. But she didn't really agree, because it did feel like something was ending. Only that feeling had nothing to do with the race.

  In the distance, she could see Devlin and Graham on the Wind Warrior. Devlin looked so damn good on his boat. He was truly at home on the sea. He could never live away from the ocean. King Harbor was where he belonged. And she was starting to wonder if she belonged here, too.

  But if she made the choice to move, that didn't necessarily mean that she and Devlin would be together. He'd locked his heart away a long time ago.

  Would he unlock it for her? And would she be too afraid to find out?

  The safest thing for her to do was to go home and live her life.

  But did she want to be safe?
>
  "If you want him, Hannah, you should make it happen," her dad said, tipping his head toward Devlin's boat.

  "It takes two for that."

  "I don't think the feelings are one-sided."

  "But you warned me before that Devlin goes through women like water."

  "He used to. He's been different these past two weeks. I think he finally met a woman he wants to keep."

  Her heart soared at that possibility. "What if he doesn't?"

  "Only one way to find out. But you're going to have to do that later. Right now, you need to focus on beating him."

  "I will. I still want this win for us."

  "Then let's go get it."

  Chapter Seventeen

  The ocean was crowded with sailboats, the sea choppy, the wind currently at about 12 knots but predicted to rise to 20 knots, making for an exciting, fast race. Crowds of people were on the bluffs, where they'd get a good view of the action. But there was no better place than where he was. Devlin's heart beat faster as they prepared for the start. Adrenaline was flowing through his body, but he needed to keep that under control. Excitement was good, but calm was necessary to win.

  As he shifted his feet, his gaze moved to the Daisy Mae, and seeing Hannah sent a different wave of excitement through him. He needed to get a handle on that, too. In fact, he needed to look away, because she was a distraction he could not afford.

  "Are you sure you have it in you to win this race?" Graham asked.

  "What?" He looked at his father in confusion and annoyance. "Why would you ask me that?"

  "Because you haven't taken your eyes off the Daisy Mae, and I don't think it's the boat drawing your attention. I doubt it's Frank, either. But that pretty blonde…" He paused. "You like her. I thought I saw something in your eyes yesterday, but now I know I did."

  "Hannah is amazing," he muttered. "But I'm not going to hand this race to her."

  "And you don't feel like you owe Frank for the hell I put him through?"

  "I'm glad you finally see that you were in the wrong."