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….” She chanted in a whisper, grimacing when she heard his deep voice interrupt her.

“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 felt the tenuous hold she had on her self-control slip.  “I cannot believe you,” she began quietly, her fingers curling into fists on either side of her.  “Seriously, I can’t!” she bit out, her voice rising as she whirled on her heel and stormed around him toward the kitchen.

She could feel Devil’s confused eyes following her as she marched stiffly through the formal dining room to their spacious kitchen, his footsteps trailing behind her. Skirting the island in the center of the large room, she reached the refrigerator, jerking the steel door open and reaching inside for a bottle of water.  Violently twisting the cap off, she threw it in her incredulous husband’s direction before she lifted the plastic bottle to her lips and took a long, healthy swallow, hoping the cold 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 bottle on the granite counter before whipping around to face her husband.  “You are what has me angry, Devil,” she announced as she jabbed an angry finger in his direction.

“Me?” he repeated in disbelief, dropping the wine bottle onto the table before jerking open a drawer and searching for the corkscrew.  Hopefully the wine would help dull some of the sting her sharp tone was inflicting on his temper.

“Yes, you, Devil!” she retorted.  Rolling her eyes as the man she’d chosen to share her life with continued to rifle through the silverware drawer she’d just gotten organized that morning, she crossed the room and brushed him aside, easily locating the erstwhile utensil he searched for and slapping it into his hand with the precision of a surgical nurse.

Wrapping his hand around the metal corkscrew his wife slapped in his hand, Devil pressed his lips together and he strained to keep from unleashing a string of curse words that would sure singe off his mate’s ears.  Instead, he breathed deeply, reminding himself of all the reasons he loved his crazy significant other before finally opening his mouth and asking what he really wanted to know. “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 questioned sharply, quickly removing the cork from the wine bottle with an economy of motion before reaching for two wine glasses from the rack on the wall. 

Silently counting to ten before she could say something she would regret later, Molly stared at the glass of wine Devil slid in front of her.  “Devil,” she began quietly, reaching for the crystal goblet, “We discussed our evening this morning, remember?  I clearly recall explaining while you were getting ready for work how busy the next couple of weeks were going to be for me.  I told you that we still had a ton of decisions to make regarding the commitment ceremony.  Do you have any idea how difficult it’s been to get me, Viv, Sami, and Mannie in one location at the same time to hammer out these 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.  Suddenly feeling a lot less certain of her righteous anger, she slowly nodded. 

“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,” he warned, hating the way her shoulders sagged in defeat as she leaned back against the counter and stared at him with tearful eyes.

“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 tank their commitment ceremony or 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, too, but it had been a bloody, prolonged battle.  She’d actually ended up being thirty minutes late for the doctor appointment, and when she’d seen the physician, he’d been running behind and extremely rushed since he’d had to fit her between two of his scheduled appointments that had actually arrived on time.  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 frowning face, she realized what a grave mistake she’d made with him.  With them. “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, either crying at the drop of the hat or raging against some perceived wrong.  She’d thought those days would end with the birth of their baby, but she’d been wrong.  Really wrong.   She wasn’t herself.  Not at all.  “I’m a bad wife,” she whispered unhappily, her voice thin and broken as the weight of her responsibilities threatened to crush her.  There were so many things happening in her life right now, and she wasn’t managing any of it well.

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 clear green eyes… eyes that right now looked more wounded than he ever wanted to see them.  “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’.  You’ve got too many irons and not enough fires to put ‘em in.”

“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.  In fact, it’s a fairly good bet that I’ll end up losing my mind tryin’ to get you to stop.  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.