Scorched (Sizzle #2) (15 page)

“As Mannie
has already said, ‘Chill, chica!  It’s all good!’,” Sami said, repeating one of
the groom’s earlier words right down to the accent.  “Seriously, Mols.  You got
‘em married off.  Your work here is DONE.”

“Not quite,”
Molly moaned, eyeing the back door nervously.

“What do you
mean ‘not yet’?” Devil growled, shifting the baby into Molly’s arms when she
reached for the dozing child. 

“Our grooms
of the hour are still inside.  Fighting,” Molly shared with a heavy sigh.

“Over what?”
Sami asked blankly.  “Did you tell Nick that you knew what kind of pistol
Mannie was packin’?  I
told
you, Molly.  Honesty isn’t always the best
policy.” the blonde model chastised with a disappointed shake of her head.

“No!  Not
about that!” Molly hissed as her cheeks reddened.  “And I told you, that didn’t
happen.  I’ve now formally blocked those horrible minutes from my memory.  The
latest argument is about the honeymoon.  Or, more specifically, what the
destination of said honeymoon will be.  See, they both bought tickets to surprise
the other.  Romantic, right?”

“I’d think
so,” Sami replied, propping her chin in her hand.

“You’d be
wrong,” Molly grumbled, holding Devlynn closer as she settled back against
Devil’s chest.

“So, what are
the two destinations up for decision?” Devil asked, sliding his arm around
Molly’s waist as he brushed a kiss against her neck and ogled the lovely
expanse of creamy skin bared by her strapless dress   Damn, she was beautiful. Right
now, he wanted to give the designer a cash bonus.

“We’re going
to Aruba!” Mannie shouted as he slid open the sliding patio door and stepped
outside into the sunny afternoon.  “Sun, surf, and sand, Nicky!  Those are key
ingredients to a happy honeymoon!”

“Armando, I
rented us an entire Swiss chalet,” Nick countered, ready to state his case.  “Hot
cocoa snuggled by the fireplace on a bear rug….”

“I would
rather be
naked
and swimming in the ocean,” Mannie yelled passionately,
stomping down the stone steps.

“Never mind,
I think I got it,” Devil mumbled into Molly’s neck, watching the newly wedded
couple head their way, both of them stone-faced and ready to do serious
battle. 

“Molly, we
need an impartial party to help us,” Mannie yelled at Molly.  “Tell this
foolish husband of mine that Aruba is much more suitable to a honeymoon
destination.  One week on the sandy surf is much more romantic than shivering
to death in the Alps!  Tell him, chica!  Tell him!”

“We are NOT
going to freeze, you drama queen!  The chalet has heat – and a hot tub!” Nick
spat, dropping his hands and propping them on his hips.

Shifting
Molly off his lap and into the seat beside him, Devil rose, put two fingers to
his lips and whistled sharply.  “Okay, enough,” he growled.  Taking a deep
breath, he looked at the two men he considered family.  “Okay, you got a week
on the beach, right, Mannie?”

“Si, and our
bungalow faces the ocean, Papi,” he added with a conceited lift of his chin.

Turning to
focus to Nick, he asked, “How long do you have the chalet?”

“Two weeks,”
Nick groused.  “And I’ll see his bungalow and raise him a Jacuzzi on the deck
of the chalet and a masseuse on-call 24 hours a day!”

“Ohhhh, that
sounds nice,” Sami whispered to Molly.  “I’d go with the chalet.”

Looking over
his shoulder, Mannie turned his angry eyes toward Sami.  “Yet another Judas in
my midst.  Et tu, Brute?”

“You’ll get
over it.” Sami shrugged carelessly.

“Do both,”
Devil stated decisively. 

“Huh?” both
men questioned in unison.

“Do both,”
Devil repeated.  “Allow me to save the world from some scorched Earth.  I’m
ordering you to take some extra time and visit both locations.  I have it on
good authority that your boss will give you both the time off,” he offered with
a shrug.  “He’s already got your replacement lined up,” he informed them,
turning to wink at a beaming Molly.

“Really?”
Armando squeezed, cupping his junk as he jumped up and down in his red velvet
tuxedo.

“Really,”
Devil confirmed, rolling his arms at Mannie’s theatrics while Nick looked at
the plane tickets in his hand.

“I hate to
break up the party, but if we’re doing this, we gotta go.  Our flight leaves
for Aruba in ninety minutes,” he told Mannie.

A flurry of
hugs and goodbyes ensued and a short time later, Devil and Molly were waving
off the trio of friends.  Mannie and Nick were off on their honeymoon adventure
and Samantha was driving them to the airport. 

Leaning her
head against Devil’s chest as she held their baby in her arms, Molly sighed as
she watched Sami’s convertible disappear around the curve.  “Well, she
whispered, “It’s done.”

“It is,”
Devil agreed, tightening his arm around his wife.  “And all we got on this
crazy trip was a few scorch marks to remind us where we’ve been,” he added with
a grin.

Tilting her
head, Molly laughed.  “Better to be scorched by my Devil than burned by anyone
else, honey.”

Smiling
widely, Devil nodded and pressed a kiss to Molly’s forehead.  “And don’t you
forget it Molly.  Don’t ever forget.”

The End

I’d like to dedicate this novella to all the wonderful
medical professionals that took a role in saving my life this past September
2014.  Each one of you took the time to comfort and calm a terrified woman
while she faced one hugely scary medical situation.  

From my family physician at Blanchfield Army Community
Hospital (Ft. Campbell, KY) to my cardiologist at Gateway Medical (Clarksville,
TN) to my cardiothoracic surgeon at St. Thomas Medical Hospital (Nashville, TN)
and all of their fabulous nurses, both in the Cardiac Intensive Care and on the
medical wards and in the family care clinic, I thank you each of you from the
bottom of my now-working-again heart.

Without ALL of you, Scorched would never have been written. 
God bless each one of my medical guardian angels.

When we first dream up a book in our demented little minds,
we are fairly certain that our husbands attempt to run screaming from our
homes.  But, for some strange reason, they always come back.  As much as we
joke and rant about the craziness that is our lives, we both know that we would
be lost without the two men that make our lives complete.  Thank you, M &
G.  We love you dearly. 

Our children are the lights of our lives.  Our hearts are
completely wrapped up in the joy and love that literally bursts from us when we
even think about them.  We cannot imagine our lives without them and would move
heaven and earth to make sure they were safe and sound and happy. When we list
our proudest creations, our babies are at the top of the list. 

Thank you, Mommas.  Thank you to Crazy One’s Momma for her
eagle-eye editing, support, and gentle nudging.  Thank you to Crazy Two’s Momma
for encouragement and for never failing to provide cookies at just the right
time.

Thank you to the Sarah O’Rourke Crazy Crew for your
continued support, encouragement, and shameless promotion.  You ladies rock!

Thank you to all of the wonderful bloggers who take time to
share about our books!

Want to know more about Sarah’s books? 
Visit us at
http://www.amazon.com/author/sarahorourke