Scorched(5)
“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.
Chapter Two
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.