Scorched (Sizzle #2) (2 page)

“Devil!”
Molly growled, shaking her open palm at him irritably.

Rolling
his eyes, Devil dropped the flat phone in her hand.  “Fine, but I just talked
to your mother fifteen minutes ago and she assured me that our daughter had
eaten her fill and drifted off about an hour ago.  If you wake that sleeping
baby with your phone call, you will endure your mother’s wrath without my
help.  I already got yelled at once this evening for almost disturbing our
daughter’s sleep.”

Molly’s
lips twitched from side to side as she deliberated his warning.  “Fine,” she
finally mumbled under her breath.  “I’ll just text Momma later and check in
with her.”

“Wonderful,
mi amigas.  Does this mean we can chit chat about my honeymoon plans?” Mannie
asked excitedly, his dark eyes dancing with merriment.  “I’m thinking white
sandy beaches and teeny tiny speedos for my little Nico!  I can’t wait to
cha-cha-cha, with my hot hunk of love on a nice, deserted cove with the warm
water lapping at our legs as we….”

“Arghhh,”
Devil groaned with a shudder, the mere thought of a mostly naked Nick Santino
enough to almost turn him off all thoughts of sex.

Almost.

“Savage,
I will hurt you if you continue that sentence,” Devil growled, pointing a threatening
finger at Armando.  “Or have you forgotten our conversation about boundaries?” 
Truthfully, he didn’t know if he was more irritated by the reference to Armando’s
sex life or the reminder that his present sex life was non-existent. 

“Those
boundaries were only for the office, Papi.  Here is fair game, yes? We are
familia.” Mannie corrected, gesturing around the elegant living room as his espresso-colored
eyes twinkled merrily.

“Think
again, amigo,” Devil retorted, glaring at Armando.

“Unless
you want Devil to beat you like a piñata, I suggest you hush, Mannie,” Vivian
warned softly, ever the diplomat as she elbowed her Hispanic friend in the ribs
before he could say something else to get him in trouble.

“Devil,”
Molly admonished, her jade eyes narrowing in irritation as she looked up at her
husband, “You are not being a very good host to our guests.”

“Yeah,
Devil,” Samantha sneered, always eager to egg him on, “I’m beginning to feel
rather unwelcome in your lovely home.  Sometimes, I get the feeling that you
just don’t like having us around at all, sugar,” the beautiful blonde model
continued to goad, crossing one leg over the other as she reclined in the Queen
Anne chair in the corner.

“Oh,
was I being too subtle for you, She-beast?” Devil replied silkily.  “Allow me
to remedy that situation.  Get.  Out.  All of you.”

“Devil!” 
Molly gasped, bolting to her feet.  “Forty years old or not, Nana would blister
your backside still if she had heard that!  You are being unforgivably rude.  Be
nice and apologize,” she demanded, propping one hand on her hip.

Samantha’s
lips curled in amusement as she watched Molly berate her husband.  “Oh, Molly,
honey, I don’t think your husband knows any other way to be.  It just comes
naturally to him,” she remarked sweetly.

“Only
with you, Samantha.  Only with you,” Devil drawled, wondering not for the first
time how the caustic model and his Molly could be such good friends.  Vivian, he
could understand.  Hell, he enjoyed Viv’s company.  Gentle and smart, Viv had
just made partner at her law firm, and he was debating bringing Delancy Industries
business to her.  He knew his account wouldn’t be safer anywhere else and there
were definite benefits to keeping his business in the family.

“Can’t
you two
ever
get along?” Molly huffed, looking from her husband to her
blonde friend.

“Nope,”
they both replied in unison, both unapologetic.

“At
least they’re honest,” Armando chuckled, winking at Molly.  “I think su hombre
wants a little face time with you, chica.  We should get going anyway.  If
Devil is home, then Nick can’t be far behind.  He and I still need to come to
some kind of compromise over our wedding tuxes.”

“He’s
still not going for the idea of a red velvet suit, huh?” Vivian asked, standing
from the couch and smoothing the wrinkles from her stylish grey skirt.

“No,”
Mannie pouted, sighing heavily as if he carried the weight of the world on his
shoulders.  “He still insists we go with classic black Armani.  Really, he’s
such a conformist.  It’s disgusting,” he declared with a grimace as he
straightened his teal suit jacket.

“Yeah,
he’s a real bastard,” Devil agreed quickly, shooing his executive assistant
toward the door.  “I’d go home and fight it out with him.”

“Devil!”
Molly hissed through her teeth, blowing at a strand of auburn hair that had
escaped her ponytail.  Pushing up the sleeves of her grey Emory University sweatshirt,
she heaved out a frustrated breath before refocusing her attention on the
groom.  “Manny, don’t let Devil chase you off.  We could still work on some
details to the ceremony if you want.”

“No,
Devil is right,” Vivian interceded quickly before Armando could change his mind
or Samantha could poke the bear again.  She could tell by the slightly
homicidal glint in the man’s eye that he was nearing the end of his rope. 
“It’s getting late and I have an early court appointment tomorrow.” 

Rising,
Samantha’s chin lifted as she straightened the seams of her red silk dress. 
“You’re very lucky that Viv is my ride tonight,” she informed Devil with a
toothy smile. “Otherwise, I’d make sure you were stuck entertaining me all
night, Dev.”

“I’ll
be certain to get on my knees tonight and give thanks to the Almighty,” Devil
replied evenly with a slight inclination of his head, silently giving Vivian
credit for being able to manage this motley crew of misfits.

“Damn
it, Devil,” Molly began to complain, offering her husband a look that promised
a reprisal.  “Do you have any idea how much work we still have to do?”

“Don’t
worry about it, darlin’,” Samantha soothed, patting Molly’s arm as she passed
her on her way to the door, “We all know that bein’ an asshole will be your
husband’s legacy to mankind.”

“And
on that note, we’ll all be biddin’ y’all a goodnight,” Vivian announced firmly,
snagging Mannie’s arm with one hand while she gave Samantha a helpful nudge
toward the front door with the other. 

Devil
watched the terrible trio depart with barely restrained excitement.  He was so
close to having his wife’s devoted attention that he could almost taste it.  As
Molly closed the front door behind them, he smiled widely.  Now maybe, he and
his shapely spouse could finally get reacquainted with each other.

Molly

“Alone
at last,” Devil’s satisfied voice proclaimed from a few feet behind where Molly
stood. 

“Yep,
we’re alone, all right,” Molly muttered.  “I’ve heard privacy is imperative
when committing a crime like murder.”  Closing the heavy front door with an
audible click, Molly’s shoulders sagged as she squeezed her eyes shut and took
a deep breath as she leaned her head against the cool wood and desperately
tried to ignore the man she’d married.  I cannot kill my husband.  I cannot
kill my husband.  I cannot….

“Babe?”
she heard Devil call from behind her, his concerned voice sounding like nails
against a chalkboard at that moment.

Licking
her lips slowly, Molly tried to keep her temper in check as she turned to face
her husband.  Striving for patience, she swallowed slowly as she noted the
satisfied smirk plastered across his handsome face, and she felt her tenuous
control slip.  “I cannot believe you,” she began, her fingers curling into
fists on either side of her.  “Seriously, I can’t!” she bit out before she
stormed around him toward the kitchen.

She
could feel Devil’s confused eyes on her as she marched stiffly through the
formal dining room, his footsteps trailing behind her. Skirting the island in
the center of the large kitchen, she reached the refrigerator, jerking the
steel door open and reaching for a bottle of water.  Violently twisting the cap
off, she threw it in an incredulous Devil’s direction before she lifted the
plastic bottle to her lips and took a healthy swallow, hoping the liquid would
cool her heated temper.

Watching
her carefully, Devil waited until she’d lowered the bottle to speak.  “You
wanna tell me what’s got you as mad as a wet cat?”

“You!”
Molly exploded, slamming her water on the granite counter before whirling to
face her husband.  “You are what has me angry, Devil.”

“Me?”
he repeated in disbelief, dropping the wine bottle on the table before jerking
open a drawer and searching for the corkscrew.

“Yes,
you, Devil!” she retorted.  Rolling her eyes as the man she’d chosen to share
her life with made a mess of the silverware drawer, she crossed the room to his
side and brushed him aside, easily locating the erstwhile utensil and slapping
it into his hand. 

“What
the hell did I do besides arrange for a night without our child and rush home
to spend the evening with my loving wife?” Devil replied sharply, quickly
removing the cork and reaching for two wine glasses from the rack on the wall. 

Silently
counting to ten before she could say something she would regret, Molly stared
at the glass of wine Devil slid in front of her.  “Devil,” she began quietly,
reaching for the goblet, “We discussed this this morning, remember?  I
explained while you were getting ready for work how busy the next couple of
weeks were going to be.  I told you that we still had a ton of decisions to
make regarding the commitment ceremony.  Do you know how hard it’s been to get
me, Viv, Sami, and Mannie in one location to hammer out the details?  I finally
managed it tonight, and you basically threw them out of the house!” she
accused, throwing one arm toward the living room as she gulped her wine.

Molly’s
breath caught in her throat as she observed Devil’s flashing blue eyes as he
took two steps toward her, his arms going to the counter on either side of her,
effectively caging her in. 

“And
did you forget that I told you that we needed some time together, just you and
me?” her husband asked on a low growl.

Shifting
guiltily as his eyes bore into hers because honestly, yes, she’d forgotten,
Molly bit her lower lip. 

“Yeah,”
Devil noted grimly, “That’s about what I thought.  Mols, something has to give
here, honey.  You can’t keep burning the candle at both ends.”

“Dev,
it’s only for a few more weeks.  I want to do this for Armando.  It’s important
to me,” she said softly.  “He’s done a lot for both of us.”

“I
know that,” Devil acknowledged calmly, his eyes soft on Molly’s flushed face. 
“And I’m not saying you shouldn’t want to give him his perfect wedding.  What I
am saying is that we need to pay attention to our marriage, too. Taking one
night just for us won’t mean the end of the world, sweetheart,” he explained,
lifting a hand to cradle her jaw, his thumb moving over the apple of her cheek. 
“Baby, tonight I need you.  I need us.  I miss you.  I wanna be with you,” he
confided huskily, dropping his head to nuzzle her neck.

Molly’s
shoulders relaxed slightly as she listened to him confess to needing her.  She
knew he had a valid point.  For the past several weeks, her life had revolved
around their little girl and her crusade to deliver Nick and Mannie a picture-perfect
commitment ceremony.  To his credit, Devil had been incredibly supportive…by
Devil’s standards, at any rate.  More than a little bit ashamed of herself, she
realized that her own relationship with her husband had been the last thing on
her mind.

Dropping
her head against Devil’s solid chest, she released a long breath as she felt
his strong arms slip around her.  “I’m sorry,” she mumbled against his throat. 
“I guess I’ve gotten a little carried away with everything.”

“Yeah,
I got that when your six-week checkup came and went with absolutely zero
fanfare,” Devil replied, smiling against Molly’s temple.

Eyebrows
furrowing as his statement sank in, Molly’s jaw dropped.  That couldn’t be
right, could it?  She’d have noticed being told she could resume sexual
relations with her husband, wouldn’t she?  Thinking back to her last doctor
appointment, she grimaced when she remembered it was on the same day that she’d
met with the florist from hell.  She’d spent over two hours haggling prices and
convincing the stubborn woman that a blend of purple orchids and white antique
roses could be done for the wedding reception if that was what the grooms
wanted.  She’d gotten her way, but it had been a bloody battle.  She’d ended up
being thirty minutes late for the doctor and extremely harried, and her OB had
been rushed when he’d seen her, working her in between two of his scheduled
appointments.  She remembered discussing birth control and had taken a
handy-dandy shot, but obviously she hadn’t planned on actually needing it! Honestly,
in the interest of her sanity she’d tried to banish that supremely irritating
day from her mind.

And
now, as she looked up into Devil’s face, she realized what a grave mistake
she’d made.  “Devil, I’m sorry,” she whispered, feeling emotional as tears
stung her eyes.  Ever since the baby was born, she felt like a walking hormone,
crying at the drop of the hat.  She’d thought those days would end with the
birth of their baby, but she’d been wrong.  Really wrong.   “I’m a bad wife,”
she whispered unhappily. 

One of
Devil’s large hands fell against her hip and squeezed firmly.  “Now, that’s
just bullshit,” he objected sternly, his jaw hardening as he stared into
Molly’s expressive eyes.  “It’s been a crazy month.  New baby, gay friends
committing their lives to one another, needy husband… you haven’t exactly had
it easy, darlin’.”

“Still…”
Molly whispered, trailing off as she dropped her eyes to stare at the floor. 
“I should have done better,” she admitted through a thick throat, her nose
stinging ominously.

“Molly,
if you cry, I’m not gonna be happy, babe.  There’s nothing here for you to be
sorry about, okay?  I just want us to take tonight and devote a few hours to
each other.  Sound good?” he asked, pressing a gentle kiss against her
forehead.

Molly
nodded eagerly as she felt some of the tension start to release from her
shoulders.  “Sounds really good.  Did you have something special in mind?”

“Nothing
much beyond being with you. I need to put your flowers in water,” he pointed
out, indicating the roses he’d bought for her with a nod to where he’d dropped
them on the kitchen table.  “What about you?  Do you have any thoughts on what
you’d like to do this evening?”

“Oh,
I’ve got a few things in mind that you just might enjoy,” Molly returned coyly
with a wicked grin, her overworked mind starting to formulate a plan.  “Why
don’t we start by relaxing together?  I’ll go draw us a nice, hot bath in the
Jacuzzi while you put my gorgeous flowers in water.  And, I should say thank
you for them, too, shouldn’t I?” she noted huskily, going up on her toes to
press a damp kiss to Devil’s lips.  “Thank you, Devil,” she breathed, nipping
his lower lip as she drew back slightly and smiled at him.  “Maybe you could
pour us a couple more glasses of wine, too, while I get the bathroom ready for
us?” she asked, more than ready to take this night and make things up to her
husband.  She’d screwed up; it was true, but, he’d reminded her where her true
priorities were. 

Seizing
her lips for another heated kiss before he released her, Devil groaned as he
let her go.  “Get out of here before I decide that a soak in the Jacuzzi sounds
overrated and that our nice, king sized bed seems like a much better option.”

Molly
giggled as Devil growled playfully against her neck, his hands clenching on her
ass.  “Give me fifteen minutes,” she ordered before spinning on her heel and
hurrying down the hallway toward the master bathroom.