The Devil and the Dancer

by Elizabeth Hunter

  Gavin smiled and looked around the wooden floor of the practice room. “Here?”

  “I’m not picky.”

  Gavin knelt down and scooped her up. “I am.”

  Chloe didn’t like to be carted around by anyone who wasn’t a professional, but she supposed Gavin had privileges. He carried her out of the practice room and down the hall to his own chamber. Then he tossed her on a rumpled bed.

  She looked around. “This is your room.”

  “Yes.” He crawled on top of her and teased apart the buttons on her blouse. “It is.”

  “You let me in your room.”

  “Yes.” His face turned serious. “I let you into my heart, Chloe Reardon. A bedroom is hardly that extraordinary.”

  The warmth in her chest was something she’d never experienced before. A settled, sure rightness.

  I am going to love you forever.

  “You’re a good man,” she whispered.

  “I’m good for you.” He stroked his hands down her body and knelt between her legs. “And you are so very good for me.”

  Chloe had expected the warm kisses and laving tongue. She couldn’t keep her eyes off him. The sight of his head between her legs was enough to make her see stars. What she wasn’t expecting was the hot, buzzing sensation that crept under her skin, making her feel light-headed as he kissed higher.

  “Is that amnis?” She gasped when his tongue found her center.

  “A little. Do you like it?”

  “Fuck yes.” She couldn’t keep her eyes on him. They rolled back in pleasure as he wound her up. The mounting pleasure grew and grew until she felt his mouth on her thigh. Felt his teeth grow long as he pressed them to her skin. “Yes.”

  The pleasure cascaded as his fangs pierced her skin. He pulled from her vein and stroked her clitoris as her back arched in the most powerful orgasm she’d ever experienced. Shivers ran over her body. Her skin felt ultrasensitive. Every inch of her came alive under his hands and mouth and body.

  Gavin pulled hard on her thigh, then she felt his tongue swipe over her skin. He rose over her and entered her when the climax was still giving her aftershocks. His lips were swollen and his skin was flushed.

  Because of me.

  Chloe pulled his mouth to hers and tasted the edge of iron in his kiss. He lifted her knee with his hand and entered her at a deeper angle. She hooked her leg around his waist and pulled him closer.

  Closer.

  Never close enough.

  “My love.” Gavin gasped against her neck, scraping his teeth along her skin, but he didn’t bite. “My sweet, sweet love.”

  He muttered curses when he came.

  Chloe didn’t understand a single one.

  Gavin held her as she slept. She was lying in his bed. His scent covered her skin. Her blood flowed in his body.

  The sigh he gave was of deep, deep contentment.

  Chloe’s curls tickled his nose, but he didn’t move. She was sleeping with her head in the curve of his shoulder and her arms wrapped around his waist. Their naked legs were tangled together.

  He would not have moved for all the whiskey in the world.

  She slept for a half an hour, murmuring under her breath, and woke with languid eyes and a long stretch.

  Chloe looked up and smiled. “Hi.”

  “Hello.” Gavin met her smile with his own. “Did you have a nice nap?”

  “I did. This bed is really comfortable.” She looked around the room. “I always wondered what your room looked like.”

  “Just this. Not very exciting. Though you improve it.”

  She smiled, then abruptly narrowed her eyes. “You’re not going to want me to…”

  “Sleep in here all day with me? Party all night?” He smiled. “No, dove. You’re welcome to wake me up in the evening if you’re home, but it’d be a bit maddening for you to be locked in all day. You have a life.”

  “Okay. Good. That was one thing I wasn’t sure of.”

  “Also, I look a bit dead when I’m sleeping. No need for you to see that.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “Dead?”

  “Cold. No breath. It’s not attractive.”

  She shuddered. “I’m sure I’ll get used to the idea eventually, but right now I can’t imagine.” She snuggled against him. “I hope you don’t have to go anywhere tonight.”

  He shook his head. “I took the night off.”

  “Nice. I switched shifts with someone at work without telling my boss. I hope he doesn’t fire me.”

  A laugh rumbled in his chest. “Me too. I’ve heard you talking about him. Sounds like a right dobber.”

  She looked up with laughing eyes. “He’s not so bad.”

  “Let’s hope not.”

  “I packed three boxes today. Abe will have to help me move them. And most of my clothes are packed in my suitcases. I borrowed a couple of Ben’s too.”

  Satisfaction. Warmth. Victory.

  He’d keep quiet about the sense of victory. “I can also help. I’m quite handy at carting around objects as long as I have access to roofs.”

  Her eyes went wide. “You are, aren’t you?”

  “You just realized I could take you flying, didn’t you?”

  Chloe’s cheeks flushed. “Ahhh, yeah? But I’m not sure I want to.”

  He pinched her bottom. “We’ll work up to that.”

  “Do you have a harness… or something? Like one of those skydiving things they use for tandem jumps?”

  Gavin burst into laughter. “D’ye think I’m going to drop ye, lass?”

  “I don’t know!” She slapped his shoulder. “Maybe?”

  He pulled her mouth to his. “I’d never. Never ever.”

  “Okay. Just put it down to my own nerves, okay? I told you I wasn’t adventurous.”

  His heart gave a soft, quiet thump. “Just adventurous enough to love me.”

  She crossed her arms over his chest and set her chin on them. “You’re not a risk, Gavin. I’d say you’re a solid investment.”

  He twisted a curl around his finger. “Love you, dove. More than I can even tell you.”

  “It’s nice to be told.” She reached for his hand and knit their fingers together. “It’s even nicer to be shown.”

  “D’ye love me, Chloe Reardon? I’ll never get tired of hearing it.”

  “I love you, Gavin Wallace. Let me show you how much.”

  Epilogue

  Gavin looked up from the trade magazine he was reading. “What’s that sigh?”

  “Oh nothing.” Chloe shook her head and set her tablet down. “Nothing really. I have to stop opening these emails.”

  They were sitting in the apartment, and a dance competition show was on television, but Chloe was checking her email during the commercial break.

  “What emails?”

  “This animal shelter. I worked over there for about six months a few years ago and got added to the email list. Now they send one out every time they’re running out of room and animals need to get adopted. They have these profiles… They’re cute, but it’s not practical.”

  “Which one are you looking at?” He reached for her tablet only to see it flicker. Chloe didn’t have a reinforced case he could touch. “Ah, never mind. Don’t want to break your device.”

  “This one.” She held up her tablet and turned it back on. The image of a sleek black cat appeared. “‘Pete is a neutered male, two years young, looking for his forever home. An American shorthair that likes his humans affectionate and his whiskey neat. He’s a well-traveled former rogue who likes heights and being scratched behind the ears.’”

  “Fucking hell,” Gavin muttered. “It’s me in cat form. Do you think he really likes whiskey?”

  She giggled. “No, they just add in all these things to make people keep reading. They’re like silly dating profiles. Only for animals.”

  “Oh, I don’t know.” Gavin leaned over and looked at the cat again. “His name’s Pete? He looks like he wouldn’t pass up a
finger of scotch if you offered.”

  Chloe set the tablet down. “ He’s cute, but like I said, it’s not very practical.”

  Gavin frowned. “Why not?”

  She turned to him. “What?”

  “Why isn’t a cat practical? They’re low-maintenance animals. Neat. Friendly to apartments.” He glanced around at his leather furniture and bit his tongue. “If you want a cat, get a cat.”

  Her eyes were wide. “You wouldn’t mind?”

  “Chloe, it’s your house too.” He tugged on a lock of her hair. “I appreciate you not bringing one home without telling me, but if you want a cat, there’s no reason not to get one. When we’re gone, Veronica can watch him. She’s here most nights anyway.”

  They would be traveling. Gavin had already bought her tickets to Ibiza, he just hadn’t shown them to her yet.

  “Are you serious?” Her voice was pitched at least an octave up.

  “I’m serious.” He smiled. “Get two if you want. Though Pete looks like a one-woman cat, if you ask me. He might not want to share you.”

  “Gavin, you’re the best.”

  He smiled and decided he liked being her best. “I’d say the same to you.”

  She snuggled into his shoulder and brought up the picture of Pete again. “I’ll call the shelter tomorrow. I’ll get all the stuff he’ll need. Don’t worry. I’ll take care of everything.”

  “I don’t mind helping.” He turned a page in his magazine. “I like cats. Mostly mellow, but sometimes a bit mad. They suit me.”

  “Oh! Gavin, the show’s back.”

  He turned his attention back to the dancers. She’d closed her tablet when the announcer said the final couple’s name.

  “They’re doing the tango for their final! I’ve been waiting weeks to see this.” She was practically bouncing on the couch.

  It was so damn adorable, he wanted to take a picture.

  Fuck me. I’m going to end up taking tango lessons, aren’t I?

  Chloe’s eyes were raptly watching every moment of the sensual dance on screen. Her mouth was open a little, and her fingers tapped out the beat on her thigh.

  Yes, you are, Wallace. And you’re going to like it.

  * * *

  The End

  Afterword

  February 26, 2019

  Dear Readers,

  Thanks for returning to the Elemental Legacy series. I hope you enjoyed reading The Devil and the Dancer as much as I enjoyed writing it. (Which was a lot!)

  Very soon into the drafting of Blood Apprentice, I knew that Gavin and Chloe—who had been such an amazing part of Midnight Labyrinth—would not be in the second Elemental Legacy novel much. Their story had gone in a different direction than Ben and Tenzin’s. I knew they needed their own book.

  And I loved writing it! Gavin and Chloe are such vibrant characters. I hope you know this isn’t the end of their story. They’ll be showing up in future Elemental Legacy novels and they could easily get another novella. But for right now, I like to think of them hanging out in their apartment, kissing a lot, dancing, dreaming, and getting to know Pete.

  Currently, I’m working in my contemporary romance series, Love Stories on 7th and Main, for a couple books. I’m drafting Tayla’s story, HOOKED, right now, and I included a preview at the end of this book.

  After my 7th & Main work, I’ll be back with Ben and Tenzin for the third and fourth Elemental Legacy novels, which have not been titled yet.

  I hope you take the time to sign up for my newsletter or my blog at ElizabethHunterWrites.com to keep up with all the latest news, teasers, and contests happening for my books.

  And of course, honest reviews at your favorite retailer are always very welcome and help a writer out!

  Thanks for reading,

  Elizabeth Hunter

  Preview: HOOKED

  Tayla McKinnon took one step outside, glanced at the profusion of blossoms on the pear trees lining Main Street in Metlin, California, and reached for her handkerchief. She brought the delicately embroidered cotton square to her face.

  3…2…1…

  “ACHOO!” She let out a massive sneeze that made her eyes water. Luckily, it would not smudge her makeup.

  Waterproof mascara, T. Waterproof mascara is your friend.

  “Hey Tayla!” Ethan Vasquez stepped outside his hardware store and set up an angled chalkboard on the sidewalk, highlighting the classes he was offering that week. “How ya doing this morning?”

  Tayla strolled toward him, keeping her handkerchief in her hand. “How much longer do these trees bloom?”

  Ethan glanced up at the masses of white blooms. “The pear trees?”

  Tayla blinked away the tears in her eyes. “No, the other trees making me sneeze.”

  He gave her a crooked grin. “Well, there are the almonds, the olives, the apricots, the—”

  “Ahhhh!” She threw her head back. “Why did I move to farm country?”

  “I’m just saying, it could be any of those.” He shrugged. “But it’s probably the pears. My mom’s allergic too.”

  Tayla wasn’t from Metlin. She was from San Francisco. A native of the cosmopolitan and cultured City on the Bay. The city that didn’t have pear trees everywhere. How the hell did she end up sneezing in Metlin?

  “Tay!” A voice came from behind her.

  Tayla turned and saw her best friend and roommate, Emmie Elliot, poking her head out of the bookshop and tattoo studio she ran with her boyfriend, Ox. Emmie sold books; Ox was a tattoo artist. Their shop, INK, had been a gamble that turned into a slowly growing success.

  It was also the reason Tayla was in Metlin. She’d moved the year before the help Emmie fulfill her dream. She worked part time in the shop and lived rent-free in the second floor apartment with Emmie. Tayla had also started her own bookkeeping business that was taking off with the merchants in downtown Metlin. It was light years away from the corporate accounting job she’d held in San Francisco.

  “Hey.” Emmie walked out of the store with bare feet. She looked like she’d just stumbled out of bed and her hair was twisted into a messy knot on her head.

  Tayla surveyed the fashion disaster that was her best friend. “Did you just wake up?”

  “Kinda?”

  Tayla shook her head in wonder. She’d been up for over two hours. She’d curled and fixed her hair, done her makeup, and chosen the perfect outfit to compliment her voluptuous figure. She was a fashion blogger in addition to being a bookkeeper. Her hustle was strong, and she did not walk out the door without her face and outfit perfect.

  “Why did I come out here?” Emmie looked half asleep and definitely caffeine deprived. “Oh! Right. Did you want to meet at Daisy’s for lunch?”

  Tayla mentally scrolled through her calendar. “I have meetings at ten and eleven, but I’m supposed to do Daisy’s books around two, so yes. I’ll meet you there at… twelve-thirty?”

  “Ox should be able to watch the shop.” Emmie walked toward her and pulled a small pack of tissues from her pocket. “Also, the handkerchief is cute, but this is spring in Metlin. You need the heavy duty stuff.”

  “Fine.” Tayla reluctantly took the small tissue package with the words “now with more aloe!” on the side. “I bow to your rural living experience.”

  “And this.” Emmie handed over a bubbled strip of pills. “Antihistamines. Every day, Tayla. You have to take them every day.”

  Tayla took the pills. “Why do you want to live here again?”

  “Because it’s beautiful, close to the mountains, has great farmers’ markets, and I’ll be able to afford to buy a house before I’m fifty.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Fine.”

  “I love you.”

  “Love you too.” Tayla dropped the pills and the tissues into her bright pink shoulder bag. “But I don’t love your trees.” She put on her sunglasses and started walking toward the lot where she parked her car, then she turned and glanced back at the shop.

  Light. Prett
y white blossoms on scattered on the sidewalk. Empty sidewalks.

  “Stop!” She held up her hand. “Emmie, before you go back inside—”

  “Morning outfit pic?”

  “Yes.” Tayla took the bag off her shoulder and adjusted the belt on the yellow and pink striped wrap-dress to adjust the amount of cleavage it showed. “They just sent me this bag and the light is perfect for spring photos with the flowers and everything.”

  She hurried back to Emmie and the line of blooming pear trees. “Can you prop the shop door open?” She glanced at the adorable new yellow bike Emmie had bought the month before that was chained to the rack in front of the shop. “That’s good if we can get it in the background. I think if I stand here…” She looked up. “Ethan, can you shake this tree a little bit?”

  Ethan, who’d been leaning in his doorway looking bemused at the impromptu photo shoot, frowned. “You’re already sneezing and you want me to shake more pollen on you?”

  Noooooo, her nose yelled. She glanced at the bright vegan “leather” bag she’d been given and thought about handbag hashtags, follower counts, and her bank account. “Yeah. More flowers.”

  Emmie took Tayla’s phone and opened the camera while Tayla positioned herself under the pear tree, gave her makeup a quick check—gold framed sunglasses on point—and held the bag in both hands, pushing her bust together as she positioned herself under the tree, looked up, and let out a fake laugh.

  “It’s so weird when you do that,” Ethan said, reaching up with a rake and shaking one of the pear tree branches. White flower petals rained down on the sidewalk and onto Tayla.

  “Fake laugh equals real smile,” Tayla said. She changed positions a few times. Put the bag over her shoulder. Looked at the camera. Then away from it. Turned and walked away. Turned back. “Emmie, how we doing?” She could feel her nose starting to twitch.

  “Give me one more…” Emmie stepped back, then stepped forward. “The light is tricky…” She took a few more pictures and held out the phone. “Check em.”

  Tayla held her handkerchief to her nose and scrolled quickly through the photos. “I can use at least three of these and the bag looks amazing.” She slipped the phone in the bag just as the sneeze worked its way out.