Redemption Rains

by A D Holland

  "I don't want your empty apologies, Miss Windsor," he straightened to his full height and looked down his nose at her. "All I want is for you to never go against my orders again and walk out that door without me." he turned on his heel to leave the room and then paused looking back over his shoulder, "And if you don't quite that virgin princess routine and stop ordering me around, I will bend you over my knee for a sound spanking. That, you have my word on." He closed the door before she could launch the loofah sponge at his head and it bounced off the door landing with a loud splat on the floor.

  She struggled to remain calm as she climbed out of the tub and dried off and put on her nightgown and peignoir. Spank her! What time period did he think they lived in? A man couldn't just spank a woman nowadays! What did he mean by constantly commenting on her being a virgin? Was it her fault that he found fault with her because she had never slept around before? No. She was not a slut and she would not lower herself to that level. She would show that oversexed pig exactly what she thought about his "spanking" plans for this virgin princess.

  Elizabeth jerked open the bathroom door and stalked into the bedroom. She had planned to blister the detective with her tongue, but when she saw him sitting on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands, the desire to blister went out of her. He looked so dejected and tired sitting there. Shoulders slumped in exhaustion; she noticed for the first time that he had put on the clothes he wore before his shower. She realized that he must have discovered her gone and panicked; dressing in the first thing he could get his hands on. He must have spent this whole time looking for her. Again she battled with her tender feelings for this man. Should she ignore him and climb into bed for a long needed rest? She decided against this and walked slowly up to him, laying a hand on his shoulder.

  "I will do everything you ask of me Detective Kane," her voice was soft but firm. He didn't move.

  "Even though you say that you don't want my apologies detective, I must insist on telling you that I am truly sorry for the way I have acted. I realize that you are only doing your job, and I have only added more stress on you as this trip has progressed. I promise no more sneaking off or acting the high and mighty "virgin princess" as you so delicately put it earlier." Elizabeth watched as he lifted his head and straightened his shoulders. He looked directly into her eyes. She saw the dark circles shadowing his tired eyes. Before he could comment, she turned away from him and went to the other side of the bed.

  "Now, if you don't mind, I think that we both could use a little rest." she crawled onto the large bed and slid under the covers without removing her peignoir. Facing away from him, she snuggled deeper into the silky satin sheets and released a soft sigh of satisfaction. She heard Devin stand and move around the room. Then with a click, they were plunged into darkness. Elizabeth felt the dip in the bed as he lay down on the opposite side. She was comforted by the sound of his steady breathing and soon drifted off to sleep.

  Elizabeth was dreaming, she had to be; she was dressed in her nightgown but she was standing in the middle of a field. Her hands were tied. She looked up and saw the two men again. They were looking at her and talking to one another but she could not hear what they were saying. Slowly she saw the large man named Rocko walk toward her. Fear gripped her throat and froze her screams. She turned her head away and caught a glimpse of Devin running toward her. He was too far away. She tried to call to him but no noise would come out of her mouth. She looked at Rocko and saw that he was holding a gun in his hand, but it was not pointed at her, it was pointed at Devin.

  Afraid for his life, Elizabeth screamed his name louder. When she heard the sound of the gun being fired she stepped to the right, blocking Devin. She heard Devin call her name from a distance as the bullet hit her side and she collapsed to the ground.

  "Elizabeth." she heard him speak her name but all she could see was black. "Elizabeth, wake up." this time she felt him holding her face, patting her cheek gently. "You’re safe Elizabeth. I'm here. Wake up." he took her into his arms and rocked her back and forth. "Please don't be afraid, I'm right here. Wake up." She opened her eyes as she found her voice and realized she was screaming his name.

  "Devin," she gasped, "they were going to shoot you, and when I tried to stop them..."tears were flowing uncontrollably down her face now "...I can't remember." She looked into his face, her eyes huge with fright, filled with tears.

  "Ah, honey, it was only a dream;” he crooned to her as he smoothed the hair out of her eyes and wiped her cheeks. "You’ve had a terrible thing happen to you and you are just suffering the aftershocks. Calm down. Don't cry anymore, okay?" he smiled at her softly. She remembered the fear she felt when the man went to shoot Devin. What would she ever do if anything happened to him? She would not be able to stand that pain. She shivered. He pulled her closer into his arms. "I'm frightened; too frightened to close my eyes." Elizabeth pressed her face against his warm bare shoulder.

  "There is nothing to be frightened of, I am right here.” he was so gentle and comforting. His strength radiated throughout her, giving her a feeling of safety. Devin was a good man; she knew this deep in her heart. His eyes reflected a soul of a man who had seen too many bad things and that is why he was so rough around the edges. He had hardened his heart. He had to. It was the only way to survive in his line of work. She felt like she had glimpsed the true man when she looked into his face now.

  “It is my job to protect you, and you know how I hate to look bad," he tried to joke with her but she just shook her head, causing her soft curls to spread across his bare chest. He ran his fingers through the long strands, and then released them again. He reached down and maneuvered her to where her back was pressed against him in spoon fashion. His arm draped over her hip with his hand resting lightly on her stomach just below her breast. She felt the fear leave her.

  “When my little brother Kyle would have bad dreams, he would climb up into my top bunk and lay with me like this,” Devin’s voice was soft and soothing to her frightened nerves. “He said that if the two of us stuck together, no monster would be able to get us.”

  Elizabeth could hear the love for his brother in Devin’s voice. “And did it work?” She turned to see the answer in his eyes.

  “Every time,” his voice was soft, with traces of happiness lighting his blue eyes as Devon continued to share this memory; “I guess that is how I got started in this job. Kyle always needed protecting and I was always there to do it. If I wasn’t picking him up from when he fell, I was constantly covering for him when he got into trouble.

  "Like a security blanket," Elizabeth smiled up into his face as she made this statement, "But only better."

  She could tell he was taken aback by her comment and for a short moment he just stared into her face.

  "I guess that is one way to think of me, a big security blanket.”

  “Your brother is very lucky to have you.”

  “He was lucky to have me. Kyle died when I was 15"

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” Elizabeth bit her lip in annoyance at herself for bringing bad memories to light. Devin watched her intently. He slowly reached up and touched his thumb to her lip.

  “It was a long time ago. Now close your eyes and try and get some sleep,” he leaned back into the pillows and pulled the covers further up on her hip, placing his hand back against her stomach.

  “You’re safe with me.”

  She realized then that she did feel safe with him. Never would she have imagined lying like this with a man. But now, listening to his steady breathing and feeling the warm touch of his arm on her waist, Elizabeth longed to stay like this forever.

  "Thank you, Devin." she closed her eyes and relaxed into sleep, cuddled safely next to him.

  Chapter 7

  Elizabeth awoke to sunshine pouring through the windows where the drapes had been pulled back. Slowly she stretched, feeling relaxed and rested. She sat up slowly, looking around her. She was alone in the bed. The only evidence that last night was not a dre
am was the indentation of the pillow where Devin’s head had laid next to her. She slowly laid her hand on the pillow. The glow in her spread to a smile. How could she think that Devin was bad when he had been so kind and patient last night with her? She vaguely remembered him leaving her this morning. She had moaned when he pulled away from her. After whispering comforting words in her ear he had moved off of the bed and disappeared into the bathroom. She must have fallen back to sleep after that.

  Now she pushed back the covers and crawled out of bed. She went in search of Devin but was disappointed to find the room totally silent. She went into the bathroom but the only evidence that he had been there was the folded wash cloth and hand towel by the sink. She lifted the towel to her face and breathed in his scent. She caught her reflection in the mirror and was shocked at what she saw there. For the first time in her life, Elizabeth saw her own beauty. The soft hair flowing down her back framing a face that was slightly flushed with lips that were full parted as if waiting to be kissed. Her eyes, normally plain, pale blue had grown to a color that rivaled the sea splashing outside her window. All dark blue and green with a fire that burned from deep in her. This is what love does to a woman.

  This thought startled Elizabeth so much that she dropped the towel. She didn’t mean love, she had meant lust. There was no way that she could love a man who made her so angry, could she? No way! She told herself. If she loved anybody, she loved Samuel, not Devin. She didn’t even know Devin but she knew Samuel. She would not let a few heated kisses from that man sway her from her chance with Samuel now. She had waited so long for her stepbrother to notice her and now he was coming here to be with her. But her heart did not flutter at this thought. There used to be a time when she thought of no other man but Samuel; imagined no other man as her husband, lover, and friend but Samuel. Now she couldn’t get the thought of Devin’s hands resting on her breasts out of her mind. His passionate lovemaking scarred her mind and heart and threatened to block out all else.

  Stop this. You have to stop this. Devin is nothing to you. He feels nothing for you. When this is over, he will walk away and never look back. He won’t be there for you then, Elizabeth tried to convince herself, but Samuel will. He is the one you want.

  Turning on the cold water, she splashed her face. Deciding that she needed to get control of this crazy roller coaster ride her emotions were on, Elizabeth left the bathroom and went to retrieve clothes from her closet. She chose carefully, particular of how she looked. She told herself it was because Samuel was coming, but this rang hollow as he glanced at her reflection in the full-length mirror.

  The dress was long and flowing, in a shade of gold that reflected the highlights in her hair, which she left down. The waist was cinched with a wide belt that brought even more attention to her robust figure. The sleeves were made from a lighter, sheerer fabric than the bodice and reached down to touch her wrists. The neckline was rounded and revealed the tops of her breasts and a hint of cleavage. Slipping her feet into matching sandals made from the softest leather, Elizabeth turned around to admire her reflection. She looked good. She felt good. Amazing what a little bit of makeup would do for your self-esteem.

  As she heard the key turn in the lock, she turned to see Devin enter the room followed by a bellboy pushing a trolley. He had not noticed her yet. She moved closer to them, smelling the aroma of food coming from the covered dishes. She couldn’t remember when she had eaten last and suddenly was ravenous. Walking up to the table where the bellboy was putting the different dishes, Elizabeth lifted the cover and inhaled the fresh eggs and bacon sitting on the plate. As she moved to inspect the next dish, she paused realizing that both the bellboy and Devin had frozen in their movements and were looking at her.

  The bellboy’s look of appreciation brought a slight flush to Elizabeth’s cheeks. She noticed that he seemed to be staring at her breasts; he couldn’t seem to take his eyes off of them in fact. She smiled prettily and turned to Devin for a little assistance in this embarrassing situation. The look she saw there brought her up short.

  Devin was looking at her with that black, passion filled expression that he had worn the other night when he had laid her on the bed. His face was flushed and his breathing shallow, she noticed the little tick was back in his jaw. Elizabeth felt the hot liquid flow through her and set her entire body on fire. The slight flush brought on by the bellboy’s open appraisal had blown into a raging inferno with the look she was receiving from Devin. Who was she kidding? Just one look from this man could set her world on its axis. He didn’t have to touch her with anything but those raging blue eyes to turn into a mass of wanton flesh. Unable to take much more of this heat, Elizabeth reached up and patted her cheek.

  “This was very kind of you Devin to have this brought up. How did you know that I was starving?” She turned to the bellboy.

  “Thank you, but I think that I can set everything up now. I will ring when we are ready for you to pick this up.” She smiled at the dumbfounded bellboy. He was quite unable to remove his eyes from her breasts peeking out above her neckline.

  She turned once more to Devin for help. “Darling, would you take care of him?”

  He came out of his trance. Shaking his head slightly, he looked at the bellboy for the first time and noticed the amorous look he was giving Elizabeth.

  “Okay,” Devin took the boy by the arm and turned him toward the door. “I think that you have seen enough of my wife for one day.”

  Elizabeth heard the controlled fury in Devin’s voice. She watched as he almost threw the boy over the threshold. Shutting the door, Devin took a deep breath before turning and walking over to her. The fire in his eyes still burned, but he seemed more in control of himself. His gaze traveled her body starting at her feet, clinging to her legs and waist and then pausing at her breasts. Elizabeth felt her knees go week and grew angry at the way he literally undressed her with his gaze.

  “The audience has left detective,” she said calmly, crossing her arms over her chest. “You can stop ogling me with your eyes.”

  “Ogling, hmm.” his smile was teasing. “That’s not what I would call it.”

  Elizabeth didn’t want to get into another discussion like this. She was sure she would never survive. She huffed showing her disapproval and sat down in the chair he held out for her. She tried to remain aloof. She quietly ate her food, every now and then feeling his gaze resting on her. She looked up noticing that he had not touched his plate of food.

  “Are you not hungry?” she lifted her eyes to his face, his lids lowered and he looked at her through his long lashes.

  “I’m quite ravenous, your highness.” Devin’s lips moved into a slight smile, but it seemed strained to her. He picked up his fork and started to eat. “How is your breakfast?”

  Elizabeth was relieved to be on a safe subject. They talked politely to each other throughout the meal. Not like strangers, but not like friends. She felt sad that she could not draw this man out of his dark shell. She wanted to ask him so many questions, but couldn’t figure out how to do it without sounding like a snoop. Just as she was going to give up, Devin raised his head and looked at her for a long moment. Feeling as if she were under a microscope, Elizabeth squirmed in her chair.

  “What are you staring at?” her frustrated question seemed to shock him out of his perusal.

  “I’m sorry. I did not realize that I was staring,” Devin raised his palms up lifting his shoulders in an apologetic shrug. His eyes did not deter from their exploration of her face though and this unnerved Elizabeth more. Throwing her napkin down, she pushed her chair back and stood.

  “I think that being locked in this room is going to drive me crazy. I am normally a compliant person, who enjoys being alone and quiet, but for some reason I have cabin fever and feel the need to get out of here.” She paced the floor as she spoke, not realizing how her actions reflected her tense feelings.

  “I don’t see any reason why we can’t go stroll around the place. How would
you feel about a walk in the garden? I hear that you can see the ocean from there.” Devin rose from the table.

  “I think that would be great.” Relief and happiness overflowed as she went to call and let the service know they could pick up their breakfast anytime. She turned ready to walk out the door.

  “Don’t you want a jacket or something?” the question caught her by surprise.

  “Is it cool outside? I couldn’t tell with the sun shining.” she looked toward the window. “I think that I’ll be all right, thank you.”

  His eyes were once again roving over her figure. She could see he was struggling with something. Not wanting to delay the outing with a discussion that would lead to an argument, Elizabeth opened the door. Devin paused for a moment and then followed her out of the room.

  They explored the garden for over an hour. The fresh air and sunshine did wonders for Elizabeth’s mood, but not for Devin. As the day grew brighter he became more brooding in his manner. He followed Elizabeth around the resort all sullen, with his hands shoved in his pockets, jaw clenched, and nostrils flaring. She didn’t know the cause of his ire, but she wasn’t going to let it ruin her exploration of the grounds.

  They were walking toward the patio that led to the pool and spa area. The path narrowed so Devin allowed Elizabeth to step in front and take the lead. The path was so narrow there was barely enough room for a normal size person to pass comfortably. Elizabeth looked up and saw several men walking toward her; she felt the dread that always came to her when she was forced to be in close contact with another person. It always made her so self-conscious of her weight and size. Mentally preparing herself for the look she was sure the men would give her, she raised her chin and straightened her shoulders, placing a cool smile on her lips.