Devil remained silent for several minutes as Molly stood stiffly at the bank of windows that overlooked the city and wondered how in the hell he was going to undo the damage some catty temp had inflicted on what had, up until now, been a perfectly good day. Meeting her brilliant emerald eyes as she turned to face him, he could see the anger seething just below the surface of her gaze.
Inelegantly stated, his woman was pissed.
Holding up his hands, he immediately began to shake his head. “Before you explode, let me just say that I did not choose that woman, Molly. I called down to Human Resources and asked them to find me a temporary replacement since I knew your schedule has been packed with wedding preparations. That,” he said, jabbing a finger toward the closed door, “is what they sent me.”
“A beautiful, willowy woman with poise and style. I’m shocked,” Molly bit out, tapping her foot against the oriental carpet. “They sent someone that appears to be exactly your style. She looks like Twiggy, but comes with the bonus attachment of a razor-filled mouth. Somebody down there in HR knows you pretty well, Mr. Delancy. I’d think you’d be thrilled.”
“That isn’t fair and you know it,” Devil retorted, his face turning thunderous at her implication. “I don’t know what you’re thinking over there, but the only thing I expected from that woman was for her to get the damn filing caught up and get out a few letters that I’ve dictated. Nothing more.”
“You think I’m jealous?” Molly asked, her teeth clenched.
“It crossed my mind,” Devil returned simply, crossing his arms over his chest as he watched Molly begin to pace.
“You conceited, egotistical ass,” Molly growled, throwing her purse down on the nearest chair. “I’m not jealous. I’m pissed. You replaced me, Devil? Without even talking to me first?”
“Temporarily,” Devil stressed, watching her tense even more. She looked flushed, but he wasn’t sure that was anger or embarrassment flooding her cheeks with color. “I was going to talk to you about it when we had lunch today.” Sighing, he moved toward her and frowned when she took a step back from him.
Shaking her head, Molly glared at him. “No closer, Dev. I really don’t trust myself not to rip out your eyeballs right now. Momma would be disappointed if I marred your pretty face and ruined the wedding pictures,” she sneered, turning on her heel and pacing away from him.
“Molly, I was trying to do a good thing. We both know that you’re exhausted. You fell asleep twice on the way home from the cancer benefit last night. You could barely make it to your bedroom when I got you home. You begged me to let you collapse on the couch. Damn it, I will not apologize for trying to take care of you!” he argued, growing angry himself. He hadn’t done anything wrong. His behavior had been above reproach. He refused to allow Molly to run herself into the ground. Between the wedding preparations, his social commitments and her job here with him, she was running on fumes – existing on high quantities of caffeine and nerves. He couldn’t allow that to continue. And since the wedding preparations were necessary and there was no way in hell he would tolerate the company of another woman during the various social obligations he had to attend, it was the job that had to go. She was an intelligent woman; she should be able to understand his motivation.
“I can’t do this, Devil,” she said so softly that he had to strain to hear her.
“Molly, after the wedding, we’ll revisit the whole job issue. I thought you’d prefer to concentrate on finding something in your own field once we were married. If you won’t consider letting me stake you in opening your own art gallery, you could consider one of the museums in the area. I know the curator at…”
“Not the job, Dev. The wedding,” Molly clarified huskily as she stared out the window again. “This isn’t going to work for either of us.”
Shocked as he finally comprehended her sudden words, Devil stared at her stiff back. “You’re trying to break off our engagement?” he asked tightly, his own fist balling at his side as he posed the question. “What the fuck did that bitch say to you?” he questioned harshly, grabbing her arm and spinning her to face him as white-hot rage burned in his gut.
“Nothing I didn’t already suspect,” Molly mumbled, avoiding his gaze and focusing on the embroidered monogram on his spotless white shirt. “Let me go, Devil. This was a foolish idea. We need to cut our losses, come clean with Nana, and…”
Devil cut off her infuriating diatribe with his mouth, cupping the back of her neck and tilting her head as he possessed her through a kiss so deep that he thought he glimpsed Molly’s soul. Nipping her full lower lip, he waited for her gasp before quickly sliding his tongue between her parted lips to tangle it with hers. Backing her into the glass window, he plastered his body against hers, holding her captive with his superior weight.
“Devil, don’t. This won’t help anything. You already know I’m attracted to you. You aren’t proving anything here,” Molly moaned, tearing her mouth from underneath his as his hand traveled down her body, pausing only when he reached the curve of her ass. She squeaked when he suddenly lifted her against the window until they were nose to nose.
“I’m not letting you go, Molly,” he replied calmly, tightening the hand that cradled her ass. “We’re going to be married in less than a week. Nothing is going to change that - certainly not some catty bitch that crossed your path this morning. I’m sorry that whatever she said upset you so much, but I’m not going to allow her or anyone else to come between us.”
“You can’t force me to say I do,” she retorted, trying to ignore the heavy length of his arousal as it prodded her through the thin silk of her skirt. She could feel him, hard and thick against her waist as he pressed against her, and the flare of need she felt made her want to weep...mostly because she knew she shouldn’t want this. Deborah had been utterly correct; she wasn’t Devil’s type of woman. She’d never be the classy woman that should be attached to his side.
She was just ordinary, passable Molly, the woman that agreed to do monumentally stupid things like marry a man who didn’t love her in order to make his grandmother feel better. She had to stop this madness now.
“Don’t do this to us, Molly,” Devil demanded harshly against her lips.
“There is no ‘us’, Devil,” Molly whispered, finally staring into his turbulent sea blue eyes. Her heart clenched even tighter as she fought the emotions that were threatening to overtake her, but she forced herself to continue. “That’s a lie we’ve told together so much that you’re actually beginning to believe it. I’m not what you want. I’m certainly not what you need.”
The muscle in Devil’s jaw clenched and released as he listened to her words, determined to dissuade her of this current half-assed notion in any way necessary. “There’s an ‘us’, Molly. That is not a lie. Perhaps we haven’t had a typical courtship, but there’s very definitely an ‘us’ here. And you’re right, I can’t force you to say ‘I do’, but I can do my damnedest to make you want to say it.”
That was the problem. She did want to say yes to him. Only she wanted it to be real. “You need to put me down,” she ordered huskily as his bigger body settled more firmly against hers and his head bent to nuzzle that vulnerable spot beneath her ear.
“I like having you right where you are, Molly,” he replied, licking the throbbing pulse point in her neck as he rocked his hips against her. Drifting one hand over her breast, he found her nipple hard and erect behind the bra and filmy shirt. “It feels like you like it, too,” he murmured, strumming his thumb against her beaded nipple. “In fact, I think you love having my hands on you,” he whispered against her ear, squeezing her ass. “Wrap your legs around me, Molly,” he urged, moving his palm to her bare thigh and lifting one leg around his waist.
“Devil,” Molly groaned as the small movement brought her in stark contact with his growing erection.
“Do it,” he growled impatiently against her mouth. God Almighty, it was almost impossible to keep his hands off of her now that he had her. “Now.”
It was that urgent edge in his voice that had her obeying his command. Gripping his shoulders as she wrapped her legs around his waist, locking her ankles together, she met his darkened eyes. “Now, what?” she asked him breathlessly.
“Now, I show you just how much of an “us” there really is and you learn exactly how good it is when we’re together,” Devil bit out before covering her lips and kissing her hungrily. Pressing his hands against the rounded spheres of her ass, he pulled her away from the window and carried her effortlessly across the room to drop her on the edge of his desk.