“Buzzkill,” Armando returned with a sigh, sweeping out the door with a sway of his hips.
Vivian and Sami faced Devil next. Looking at the two women that knew Molly best, he grimaced. “Tell me the truth; do I have a chance in hell with Molly or have I totally fucked this?” he asked them quietly.
Patting Devil’s arm, Vivian smiled. “With love, all things are possible.”
“Fucking Confucius,” Sami muttered, shoving Viv toward the door. “Be honest and tell her the truth, and you’ve got a shot. Lie to her, and you’ll lose big. You’ll lose everything, Devil.” Sami glowered. “In turn, Molly will lose everything. Then, I’ll have a reason to find you and finish the job I’m about to start.”
“What job?” Devil questioned blankly.
“Why this one, sugar,” Sami answered sweetly a second before she introduced her knee to his groin. “That was for being stupid enough to sleep with a slut three years ago and for making my best friend cry like a baby,” she added, stepping back to admire her handiwork.
Devil heard Nana and Anne gasp as he stumbled against the wall, gasping for air. “Noted,” Devil choked, gripping his crotch as he fought for air.
“Wonderful,” Sami commented with a satisfied smile as she followed Vivian out the door.
Somehow finding the strength to straighten, he faced the remaining women. “Nana already beat the hell out of me, Miss Anne, but you’re more than welcome to get a few licks in, too,” he offered weakly, leaning against the wall.
“And mark your pretty face up for the wedding album?” Anne tsked with a small, negative shake of her head. “I don’t think so.”
“Thank you,” Devil said appreciatively, and he wasn’t talking about her lack of a violent reaction. “Miss Anne, Nana…I meant what I said. I love Molly. I would never deliberately hurt her, and I damn well won’t allow anyone else to hurt her. I’ve taken care of Amanda. She won’t make any more trouble for any of us.”
“Now that woman, I’d love to hit,” Anne muttered, her small fists dropping to rest on her hips.
“I wouldn’t mind having a go at her myself,” Nana agreed with a nod, her hand instinctively reaching in her purse for her wooden spoon.
“It’s not necessary; I’ve sufficiently inspired enough fear to take care of the problem,” Devil assured them both. “There’s not anything I won’t do for Molly. If it means wiping that woman off the earth, I’ll do it.”
“Just let her know what you’ve told us,” Anne replied gently. “When I left her, she had closed her eyes, Devil, but I don’t think she’s actually sleeping,” she explained, shrugging on her own coat before helping Nana with hers. “I’ll take your grandmother home. You get into that bedroom and convince my daughter that you adore her.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he agreed instantly, holding open the door for both women and kissing them on the cheek before they left.
Finally alone, he sagged against the closed door and closed his eyes. Releasing a long breath, he focused his mind on the objective at hand. Nothing mattered above making Molly understand how much he loved her. It was time to get into the bedroom and prove himself.
He made it exactly one step.
“Oh, c’mon,” he moaned as Chanel barreled off the couch and attacked his left ankle, latching onto the tender skin and biting viciously. “I didn’t do anything,” he pleaded as Coco arched her back and hopped off the sofa, hissing her own feline threat from beside the dog. “Just let me find her and tell her that,” he muttered, trying to shake the Pekingese off his leg.
Stumbling toward the hallway that led to Molly’s bedroom, he managed to free his leg from Chanel’s piercing mouth. Disheveled and rattled, but in one relative piece, he reached her open door and found her on the bed, her back to the door. Walking inside the room, he closed the door behind him and twisted the lock, effectively shutting out the rest of the world and the yipping terrors. It was fitting since his world had been narrowed to the woman lying in front of him. Shedding his jacket, he tossed it toward the nearest armchair and loosened his tie. “Molly?” he murmured, moving forward. “Honey, we’ve got to talk.”
Chapter Fifty-Four
She’d known he was in her house as soon as she heard Chanel’s familiar growl. Her baby only sounded like that when one person was around.
Devil.
Closing her eyes as she heard his footsteps softly echo down the hallway, drawing closer with every step, she bit her lip and promised herself that she wouldn’t cry. She refused to humiliate herself any more than she already had. It was bad enough that her family had watched her break down. She wouldn’t do it again in front of him.
The cheating bastard didn’t deserve her tears.
“Molly? Honey, we’ve got to talk,” she heard him say a moment later. “You need to let me explain what happened at the office.”
“My give a damn’s busted when it comes to cheating pricks, Devil. Been there, done that. I’m really not interested in rehashing this afternoon,” she retorted hoarsely without looking at him. She didn’t think she could handle listening to him defend himself. After what happened with her ex-boyfriend, Sean, she had the scars on her heart to prove that she understood infidelity all too well. She already knew all the reasons he’d use to excuse his actions. She’d heard them once already from another man, and they were permanently burned into her memory.
You’d think she’d be used to this kind of pain. She was experienced with it. She’d just never expected to have it served to her by Devil Delancy. She’d let her guard down, gotten comfortable with him, and forgotten to keep her shields in place. That was her fault.
She knew better now.
“I did not cheat on you, Molly,” she heard him retort harshly as the bed dipped behind her.
“You’re right,” she agreed simply, lifting one shoulder in a shrug. “You can’t cheat on anybody when you’re not in a real relationship with them. This was all a manufactured act, after all,” she continued with an empty laugh, the words rough in her parched throat. “This farce is over now, though. Nana is going to be okay. The wedding is off, and you are free to fuck whoever you choose wherever the mood strikes you,” she bit out angrily, ripping off the engagement ring on her finger and flipping over to shove it against his chest. “Take your damn Delancy diamond and go!” she demanded. “You and I and whatever this was between us are over!”
Gripping her wrist as she held the ring between them, Devil shook his head. “First of all, I might be a prick. In fact, I know I am, but I’m not a cheater. I haven’t seen the woman that you saw in my office in years, Molly. I had a very brief fling with her three years ago. It lasted a total of one night. I refuse to let something I did long before we got involved destroy us.”
She had heard this song and dance before, and his story didn’t match the circumstances. “You were seeing her this weekend.”
“No, I wasn’t,” Devil insisted, the snap in her voice sharper than he had ever heard before. “I know how she made it sound,” he said quickly before she could open her mouth to yell at him, “but, I’m telling you that I had no plans with her. She called months ago and wanted to hook-up. I told her no. She read about our upcoming nuptials and decided to act like a spiteful bitch. That’s the truth.”
“Well, now there’s no reason to pop her bubble. You’ll have all the time in the world to screw her brains out this weekend,” Molly snapped, pushing the ring against his chest. She wasn’t sure if she believed him or not, but it didn’t matter. Seeing the kind of woman that he’d been involved with before – beautiful and worldly girls that were at ease and comfortable in his world -- had flooded her with insecurity and only served to remind her just how far out of her league she was. “The wedding is off. There’s no reason for it now. Your grandmother is going to be okay.”
“My grandmother just stood outside and beat the shit out of me with a wooden spoon for daring to hurt you! She’s a far sight from okay, Margaret. So am I, for that matter! I need to know if you really believe t
hat I’d cheat on you. Answer me, damn it,” he ordered, shaking the wrist he still held between them, the engagement ring still clutched between her thumb and forefinger. “Do you think I’d disrespect you that way? Do you actually believe that I’d dishonor you like that cheating scum did before me?” he asked, his eyes glittering as they collided with hers.
“It doesn’t matter,” Molly replied, averting her eyes as they filled with tears.
“Right now, it’s all that matters,” Devil countered, rubbing against the throbbing pulse point on the inside of her wrist in a slow circular motion.
“We’ve never really been together, Devil. Not in any real sense of the word,” Molly denied, closing her eyes as a wave of pain washed over her.
“That’s the second time you’ve spouted that bullshit,” Devil snapped. “We’ve been together in a real, committed relationship since you agreed to be my wife standing beside my grandmother’s hospital bed. I’ve been inside your body. I’ve made love to you. It doesn’t get any more real than that.”
“You fucked me,” Molly bit out, clenching her jaw as she tried to jerk her wrist away from him. “Don’t dress it up in pretty words, Devil, and don’t try to make it into something it wasn’t.”
Tightening his fingers, the muscle in Devil’s jaw throbbed. “I’m not the one doing that,” he barked. “You are! I said exactly what I meant. I haven’t looked at another woman the way I look at you since you sashayed your gorgeous ass into my office a year ago. I sure as fuck haven’t touched any one of them the way I’ve touched you.”
“Well, now you can go make up for lost time,” Molly replied, forcing her words to be as matter-of-fact as possible. She had to harden her heart before she threw herself into his arms. “Why the hell are you pushing me now, Devil? There’s no reason…no objective. We can go back to the way things were. I’ll work for you, and you can go back to sticking your dick in every woman you date. I’m sure your harem will welcome you and your penis back with open legs.”
“Molly,” he warned deeply, his voice a velvet caress of sound as his drawl became thicker and more pronounced, “You’re pissin’ me off, darlin’. The only woman I want is the one in front of me. I don’t know how many different ways to tell you that.”
“Your feelings aren’t my concern any longer. My feeling is that if you don’t get out of my house in the next thirty seconds, I’m gonna commit a homicide,” Molly retorted. She had to get him out of her bedroom... out of her home… out of her life. Preferably before she did something like burst into inconsolable tears. Why the hell was he pushing this?
“Good luck,” Devil offered with a calculated smile. “All of your backup has gone home, Molly. It’s just you and me here.”
“Devil, stop,” Molly said softly, forcing herself to meet his darkening eyes. “This hurts,” she whispered, swallowing hard. “Maybe I was a fool, but I foolishly let my heart get involved here. It was stupid, and it was against the rules, but I’ve never been really good at following the rules. I don’t even understand what you want anymore!”
“First, I want you to tell me that you believe me about Amanda,” he said softly, lifting his free hand to cup her jaw and direct her eyes to his.
Molly’s shoulders sagged as the warmth of his fingers sunk into her bones. “I don’t believe you intended to see her this weekend,” she acknowledged softly. “But you could. Now.”
“Why is it so difficult for you to believe that I want you?” Devil asked with a frown. When he was met with stubborn silence, he tightened his fingers around Molly’s chin. “Answer me, Margaret.”
“Seeing Amanda this afternoon reminded me of just how different we are, Devil. Before this fake engagement, you dated models, for crying out loud. Now, I don’t have anything against them,” she said quickly, the words rolling out with a force that she hadn’t realized she possessed. “Sami is a model, and she’s one of my best friends, but you’ve got to admit that there’s a huge difference between people like them and me. The only way I’m ever going to be a size 0 is if I catch the Ebola virus. I love jeans that fit my size 8 body, not couture. I love pizza, not caviar. I love barbeques, not galas. I love comfort, not luxury. I love…”
“I love you, not them. That’s the only thing that matters to me,” Devil interrupted calmly, watching Molly’s face carefully as his words finally registered with her.
Molly paled. “Wh-what did you just say?” she whispered, stiffening as her fingers went slack and she dropped the ring between them on the bed. Was she honestly so befuddled that she was now hallucinating? “Did you just say…”
“I said that I love you. I’ve loved you ever since you wandered back into my life and started challenging my every decision… judging my every action. I didn’t ask you to marry me because I thought Nana was dying. I mean, that definitely motivated me to get my ass in gear. It offered me the opportunity I needed to make you mine. But, none of that is the reason why I’m going to marry you. I’m going to marry you because I love you more than I’ve ever loved anybody in my life.”
“No.” Molly scooted backward on the bed, the comforter bunching messily in her escape attempt. “No, you don’t. I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing with me, but you need to stop. Saying this if you don’t mean it would be cruel, Devil. And I swear, I’ll never forgive you.”
“If I was doing that, I wouldn’t deserve your forgiveness,” he agreed slowly, picking up the diamond ring that had fallen between them. “I admit, Molly, I did a lot of things wrong during this courtship. Hell, I don’t even think I ever actually proposed.”
“You didn’t,” Molly snorted, fighting a smile in spite of her roiling emotions. “I don’t think you know how to ask for anything. You just bully your way to the result you want. You ordered me to put on that ring.” She nodded toward the twinkling diamond in his hand.
Smiling wolfishly, he winked at her. “And you did. You’re going to put the ring back on, too,” he added, fingering the gold band.
“Ha!” Molly retorted, crossing her arms over her chest as her back met the padded headboard of her bed. “You’ve got nothing to coerce me into agreeing to marry you this time, Devil. I wouldn’t be so sure if I were you.”
“I won’t need to coerce you, baby. You love me back,” he replied smoothly as he stood and slowly circled the bed to her side. “In fact, I think you love me every bit as much as I do you.”
“So certain of that, huh?” Molly grunted even as her heart thundered in her chest.
“Face it, sweetheart, if you didn’t love me, you’d have murdered me and disposed of the body already.” He winked at her as he knelt beside the bed and gently took her left hand in his.
“Don’t tempt me, Devil,” Molly replied sweetly, her fingers instinctively tightening against his. “I’ve come up with a hundred ways to kill you and make it look like an accident this afternoon alone.”
Brushing a kiss against her knuckles, Devil grinned. “I assume you had some help with that.”
“Not really.” Molly shook her head, drawing in a deep breath as his lips touched her cool skin. “All Sami’s suggestions were way too bloody for me.”
“You haven’t denied it, you know,” Devil pointed out in a low voice as he rubbed his thumb back and forth over the delicate skin of her ring finger. “You love me, don’t you, Molly?”
Meeting his earnest eyes, she could see the unguarded worry shining in their depths. And in that moment, she made a rash decision that she hoped she would never regret. “Yes, I love you.”
“Thank God,” he breathed, leaning forward to cover her damp lips with his. Groaning as he felt her tears slide against his lips, his tongue licked a salty droplet from her cheek. “No more tears,” he growled before possessing her mouth again, deeper and rougher this time.
Molly’s body melted against his as her arms twined around his neck, her lips molding against his and meeting his tongue with her own. Words were extraneous; she’d heard him say everything she needed to
hear. Lifting her hand, she blindly searched for the buttons on his shirt only to make a muffled grunt of protest when his fingers caught hers. “Devil,” she mumbled unhappily against his mouth as she tried to wriggle her hand loose of his grip.
“Nuh uh,” he murmured, his denial vibrating against her lips and sending a delicious thrill zinging through her body.
“No?” Molly questioned sulkily, drawing back her lips to stare into his heavy hooded eyes. “Are you going to hold your body hostage until you get what you want, Devil?” she asked huskily, lightly running her fingers down his chest and pulling a hiss from between his clenched teeth when she reached the fly of his slacks. “I don’t think your body is on board with that idea,” she clucked, nipping his chin playfully.
“I’m telling my body to stand down while my mind takes the driver’s seat, you dirty minx,” he informed her seriously, dragging her hand away from his crotch before she could do more than graze the swollen flesh there. “Don’t distract me. I owe you a proposal. One day, you’re going to be able to tell our kids that I did at least one traditional thing right during our courtship.”
Molly snorted. “This has been a courtship?”
“Always with the smartass comments, huh?” Devil complained, nipping her neck before lifting her hand in his. “Lucky for you, I adore that smart ass.” Lacing their fingers together, he took a deep breath. “In case you haven’t figured it out, I love everything there is about you. I like the man I am when I’m with you. Your gorgeous body… your generous heart… the way you challenge me… You make me a better man, Molly. I know I’ve done nothing in my life to deserve you, but I swear, if you marry me, I’ll spend every single day striving to be the man worthy of you. You’ll never spend another day doubting how much I love you. You’ll never have a cause to run away from me again. Put me out of my misery, sweetheart, and answer my question. Will you marry me, Margaret Ellinor Ramsey? Not for Nana or anyone else, but for us?”
“You’re absolutely positive that you love me?” Molly whispered, blinking back more tears.
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