Deleted Scene

  Deleted Scene from ROCK ADDICTION

  Nalini Singh

  Contains SPOILERS so please save this to read after Rock Addiction.

  In my original draft of Rock Addiction, the band members and Molly attend an awards ceremony during Part II. That scene eventually no longer fit the timeline of the story, but I thought it was a fun one you might enjoy reading, so here it is!

  DELETED SCENE FROM ROCK ADDICTION: MUSIC AWARDS

  Molly whirled in front of the mirror, the dark, mysterious green of her evening gown catching the light, the sequins multi-faceted and glittering. Sleek and elegant, the gown shaped itself to her breasts before sliding down her body to curve over her hips and down to her ankles in a classic mermaid style. The boning in the corset style top left her barely able to breathe, but man did it make her look good.

  "I feel va-va-va voom," she said to Fox when he walked into the bedroom, turning to face him.

  He whistled. "You look like sex."

  Molly had lost the ability to speak. Fox was wearing a black suit paired with a crisp white shirt open at the throat. "Wow." Shaking her head, she said, "I thought you were going to do the rock star thing and wear jeans and a T-shirt." She'd seen the music awards on television multiple times, and Fox most often turned up like that--and looked smoldering doing it.

  "I can't let my girl down." Kissing her neck, he ran his hands along her bare arms, twining his fingers with her own. "I like this gown."

  "Kit helped me choose it." It was a designer piece, something Molly would've never aspired to if Kathleen hadn't dragged her along to the showrooms. "Most of the sample sizes were too small, but this designer, he likes curves." Molly had immediately fallen in love with his collection.

  "A smart man." He palmed her hips, his smile making her heart squeeze.

  Bracing her hands flat on the warmly muscled plane of his chest, she leaned into him. "I'm excited about tonight." Butterflies fluttered in her stomach.

  "I'm excited about showing off my Molly." A suckling kiss that left him with lipstick on his mouth.

  Smiling, she wiped it off, then gave in to temptation and kissed him. By the time they drew apart, her lips were swollen and devoid of lipstick. "Kit will kill me," she said, but she wasn't the least bit sorry about kissing her gorgeous rock star. "She called in a gazillion favors to get me an appointment with the makeup artist in town."

  "She's in the limo, too."

  Molly raised an eyebrow. "The same limo as Noah?"

  "Opposite sides according to the message I just got from David." Curving his arm around her waist once she'd fixed up her makeup, he walked with her to the door. "They'll be pulling up soon."

  A couple of minutes later, she was maneuvering herself into the limo. The sequins shimmered under the lights inside as she slid into the seat next to Kathleen, who passed her a flute of champagne.

  When Molly demurred, the other woman said, "It's grape juice."

  "Thanks."

  The Oscar-nominated actress winked. "Thank your hunky man. Standing orders."

  Watching Fox exchanging fist bumps with the other guys, she said, "Abe, David, and Noah are all going stag?"

  Kathleen nodded, her hair slicked back into an smooth knot that exposed the exquisite perfection of her bone structure. "If they want company, there'll be plenty of chances to pick it up." An edge in her tone, her amber-eyed gaze pointedly not on Noah. "The parties after the awards go all night."

  Knowing what she did about Kathleen and Noah, Molly took out her phone in an effort to distract Kathleen from the bad memories. "We have to take a picture for Charlie." She'd introduced the two women via Skype, and it made her so happy that the two had hit it off. The three of them would have an awesome time together when Charlie came to visit.

  Squeezing in close to Molly, Kathleen held up her glass as Molly took the shot with an extended arm. She sent it to Charlie straight away; when Molly had called earlier, her best friend had told her she'd be watching the awards live on a satellite channel.

  The response came in seconds.

  You look AMAZING! Can't wait to see you on TV!

  Molly texted back. I hope I don't fall flat on my face getting out of this limo.

  You'll knock 'em dead.

  Fox shot her a wicked grin at that instant, and her whole world tumbled over. God, she was so in love with him it terrified her on a daily basis. But he loved her, too...and that made it all worth it.

  ~

  Forty minutes later, she had the nerve-wracking experience of standing next to Fox on the red carpet. The only thing that stopped her from bolting was his arm around her and the strength of his body next to her own. The fact that Kathleen was nearby, as were the other men from the band, also helped.

  When photographers asked the four men to stand close together for a group shot, Kathleen kept Molly company, ignoring the photographers calling out her name. "I just gave them a ridiculous number of shots," she muttered without ever losing her smile. "They can wait for a few more."

  "You're a good friend." Molly found the constant camera flashes overwhelming, had to fight the urge to flinch each time. "I don't know how you can be so calm about it."

  "I'm an exhibitionist." A dry comment. "You, on the other hand, don't need the world's attention to feel good."

  Kathleen's eyes widened as Noah strolled over and, with a wink to Molly, slipped his arm around the other woman.

  "How about we give everyone something to talk about?"

  Kathleen smiled for the cameras but Molly could tell she was fuming.

  "If Noah's not careful," Fox said, weaving his fingers with her own again as he led her farther down the red carpet, "he'll end up with a broken nose. She's got a mean right hook."

  Since Kathleen's eyes had held murder, Molly nodded in agreement. "Are we heading inside?"

  "I have to do a couple of quick interviews first." He kept her with him as he answered the reporters' questions.

  No one asked Molly for her name. She would, she thought, be the "companion" in any photos that featured her. Not of interest except as Fox's current date. That was fine by her.

  So it took her completely by surprise when one of the roving photographers yelled at her to strike a pose. "Love the dress!"

  Startled, she glanced at Fox. "I can't do that."

  Fox rubbed his hand over her hip. "Sure you can. Do you want to?"

  Molly shook her head. "Not alone."

  "Together, then."

  Her heart squeezed. "Together," she whispered, finding her courage in him.

  (c) Copyright 2012 by Nalini Singh

  I hope you enjoyed this deleted scene! If you'd like to check out photos from some of the locations in Rock Addiction, please visit the special Behind the Scenes page on the website.

 

 

  Nalini Singh, Deleted Scene

  (Series: Rock Kiss # 1.10)

 

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