Molly fumed as she heard his last mumbled remark.  Opening her mouth to ask him what he’d done now, she abruptly closed it and opted instead to snatch her cell phone off the kitchen table.  She’d rely on her trusty bank app to tell her what she needed to know.  Who needed an overbearing giant anyway?  Not her, that was for sure.

Tapping in her bank login quickly, her eyebrows furrowed as she stared down at the small screen.  Closing her eyes, she felt panic claw at her throat while she tried to process the balance reflected in her personal account.

$500,327.56

In ten lifetimes, Molly knew she’d never have a balance that high in her bank account.  There was no way.  Ever.

There was only one way she’d ever have that much money in her account, and she was going to marry him.

Lifting her eyes as she dropped the phone back on the table, she stared at her benefactor’s back and wondered at his audacity.  Not only had he paid her bills, but naturally, he’d assumed that she was for sale, too.

“Five hundred grand, huh?” she mused softly.  “Is that the going rate for a wife, Devil?” she asked, carefully keeping her voice calm and level.  “Where did you do your research?  Brides R Us?  Wife for Hire, Incorporated?”

Turning, Devil eyed her warily across the room.  “Don’t be crass, Molly,” he admonished huskily.

“Crass?”  Molly cocked her head and smiled blandly.  “That’s not crass, Devil.  Crass would be if I asked you which part of me you were paying to get?  My hand or my pussy?  Or, were you hoping you could cut a deal for both.  Sort of a “buy one, get one for free sale”?”

“That’s enough!” Devil barked sharply as he spun on his heel to face her.  He’d be damned if she devalued or debased herself one more time in his presence. 

Meeting his glittering gaze, she saw how her questions had enraged him and felt a momentary burst of satisfaction.    “What?” she asked innocently.

“Be careful, Molly,” Devil warned, his jaw clenching.  “You’re wandering perilously close to pissing me off.  I would never attempt to buy you.  You are not a whore, and one more remark like the ones you’ve been making is going to force me to take actions I know you won’t appreciate.”

“Like what?” Molly snapped.

“Like turning you across my knee and paddling your ass,” Devil growled, his blue eyes darkening as he stared at her. 

“Well, that would cost you extra, honey,” she informed him with saccharine sweetness.   “What do hookers charge for BDSM play these days?” Seeing his eyes dilate slightly and his nostrils flare, she knew she’d struck a nerve. 

“Molly…”

“Oh, did I go too far, Dev?” she asked with exaggerated patience.  “Did that sting a bit?  Imagine how I feel!  I was bought and paid for,” she yelled, grabbing her phone again and waving it in front of him.  “To the tune of half a million dollars!  Should I strip right here so that you can get some return on your investment?” she shouted.  The longer he stood there like a statue watching her, the more agitated she grew.  “Go ahead, say something!  Tell me how I’ve misunderstood your intentions, Devil.  Tell me how I haven’t just been purchased like some slut standing on the street corner!”

Finally, he opened his mouth to speak.

“Refer to yourself as a whore one more time, Margaret, and I swear to God, you won’t sit for a week.  And when I’m done spanking you, I’ll personally hand you over to your big brother and let him take over,” he threatened, his deep voice vibrating with anger as he made his threat.

“I don’t care what you do,” Molly spat harshly.  “Just make sure you get your money’s worth out of me.  I know how you hate to lose money on a bad business deal,” she sneered while she tried to ignore the burning in her eyes.  She would NOT cry, damn it!  She would not allow this insufferable prick the satisfaction of making her cry!

“Honey.” Devil grimaced as a teardrop slipped out of Molly’s eye. “You’re crying.  Don’t cry,” he groaned, hurrying toward her.  Her tears had never failed in making him feel like the lowest piece of shit on Earth.  It had worked on him when she’d been five years old and he’d lost her favorite doll.  It had worked when she’d been fifteen years old and she’d burst into tears when he’d scared off a couple of pimply faced boys that had been sniffing around her, looking for their first date.  And it still worked now.

Well, damn, Molly thought furiously, lifting a hand to wipe at the moisture on her face.  That fucker had caused her to cry AGAIN!  Throwing up her other hand when Devil would have pulled her against him, she shook her head and took a step backward.  “Don’t you dare touch me!”

Moaning softly as he ignored her protests and pulled her against his body, Molly buried her face in Devil’s broad chest while tears slipped down her cheeks.  She hated it when she was this mad.  She lost all control of her emotions and more often than not, her rage manifested in tears.   “I am not crying because I’m hurt.  I’m crying because I’m PISSED!  Keep that straight, Devil!” she sobbed into his shirt as his big, comforting hand slid up and down her back.

“I know, sweetheart,” Devil soothed softly, resting his chin on her forehead.  “Go ahead and be as mad as you want,” he rumbled, keeping his arms wrapped around her. 

She was mad for several long minutes during which he held her in his arms, rocking her back and forth.  When the worst of her anger had dissipated, Molly sniffled against his shirt.  Sighing as she caught the scent of his aftershave, she leaned weakly against him.  He always smelled good, and for a second she closed her eyes and let his masculine scent comfort her.  How insane was this?  Seeking solace from her tormenter had to rank right up there with falling in love with a serial killer, she thought dryly to herself as his hands smoothed up and down her back, massaging the tense knots in her spine. 

Both were completely stupid and dangerous actions that could seriously get a woman mortally wounded if she wasn’t very careful.

Lifting her head to stare into Devil’s deep, dark eyes, she realized that the biggest risk of all to her safety was the one she was taking with her heart.   He might not be a serial killer, but Devil Delancy was twice as deadly to her.

And that scared her to death.