Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance

Chad kept pushing, "So, care to explain why you took that picture last night with my trench coat after your shower, pretending you were snuggled up with me, and then claimed you wanted to sleep with me?" "That was all staged. I just propped up the coat to look like you were there. Only a tiny bit of it was even visible," Molly clarified.

Chad realized there had been a misunderstanding. "Do you really think that explanation would fly back home? If I tell our folks that the hair on the pillow was actually mine; that I carelessly tossed my pajamas aside in the morning; that we shared a bed at noon; and that we just got intimate, who do you think they'd believe?"

Molly felt like kicking herself, realizing she'd played with fire and got burned.

"Say whatever you want, but I'm not marrying you," she declared, turning her head to give Chad a defiant yet beautiful profile, refusing to look at the man looming over her.

Chad was facing his first real obstacle. He gazed down at her, "So, you'd rather have Vivian marry me?"

"You wouldn't dare!" Molly turned back, her eyes flashing a warning.

Chad asked with a smile, "Then who's going to marry me?"

Taking a deep breath, Molly said, "Stay single for all I care."

Only then did she realize she felt as though a mountain was pressing down on her. "Chad, get off me. Don't make me report you for harassment."

"Do you have any proof?" Chad looked down at her, unfazed, a smirk playing on his lips.

Molly opened her mouth to retort, then realized her phone was out of reach and her hands were pinned down.

"Brother!" she shouted in anger, a cry that seemed to echo in Chad's heart.

He looked at Molly, her eyes red with fury, and could no longer hold her gaze.

Soon after, he rolled off her and lay beside her on the bed.

Molly quickly got up, burrowing into the covers.

Now too agitated to speak, she lay there, Chad resting at the foot of the bed. She glanced sideways at him, "What happened to your face?"

"Your dad did a number on me," Chad confessed.

"You had it coming," Molly retorted mercilessly. "If I was there, I'd slap you twice as hard."

Officer Chad fell silent.

Later, she returned and dropped a cool, damp washcloth on Chad's

allowed himself

the bag of clothes he'd brought, rummaging through it only to find her own

leg, "Chad, you did this

just grunted in acknowledgment

the clothes

sixteen years, and you've given me plenty of grief. Just consider this me asking you to

if I've only been a pain these sixteen years," Molly

she really had been a thorn in his side for as long as she

sixteen years, that doesn't mean I should throw my whole life

waited

passed, and he didn't

to the foot, and gently lifted the washcloth

a time like this?" she muttered,

returned to the bathroom, and wet the

hearing the water running, smiled to

water stopped, so did his

came back and carefully placed the washcloth on just one side of Chad's swollen cheek. She sat on the bed, lost in thought,

about to call her mom when she hesitated,

sent that kiss photo to provoke Vivian. Vivian, unpredictable as ever, had shown it to their parents. Was she trying to manipulate them into

back to the Byrne

could always turn to the Cedillo family

was preparing to sneak away in the dead of night, she realized she couldn't get her

"This is so annoying."

this hotel by

for Chad's pocket looking for a lighter to burn the robe's sash. But as her hand slipped into his pocket, Chad quickly grasped

"What are you doing?"

"Looking for a lighter."

glanced at the sash tied around her

Molly sat on the edge of the bed, "Then