nostrils flared and eyes burning, Dare watched her with such obvious yearning that her embarrassment disappeared. Never had she imagined him so out of control.
As he readjusted himself, his hands shook. He took another step away from her. Voice as rough as gravel, he said, “You’d better get dressed before I lose it.”
Feeling a little powerful in this new situation, Molly smiled. “Let’s talk about money first.”
His jaw hardened. “Push me, and we’ll be talking about it on the bed, with me inside you and to hell with what your sister hears.”
What a spoilsport. For most men that might have been a bluff, but she had a feeling Dare said what he meant, always. She’d already proven that she wouldn’t stop him if he went that route, so maybe it’d be better if she didn’t press her luck.
“Fine.” She had enough explaining to do with Natalie without adding that to the details. From the pile of ransacked clothes, Molly dug out a T-shirt, panties and jeans.
It was a strange thing to have a man in her room, watching her every move with undivided attention. She felt brazen, but in an intriguing way; she rather liked how intently Dare watched her.
Once she was dressed, he relaxed a little and sat at the end of the bed.
“Come here.” He pulled her onto his lap and shifted her to get comfortable. “Now. Let’s talk.”
In no way was Dare an average man, so Molly couldn’t miss that definite rise beneath her bottom. “You still have an erection.”
Not the least bit embarrassed, Dare gave a dismissive shrug. “I still want you.” He kissed her forehead. “But we need to iron this out, and Jett will be back shortly, and I’m willing to bet your sister will only be patient for so long.”
Molly tried not to squirm, but it wasn’t easy. He’d gotten her aroused, and he still wore only jeans. Seeing his chest, even with the faded scars—or maybe because of them—counted as foreplay for her starved senses. She saw the battle signs as proof of all he’d done, all he could do, and the kind of man he was.
The kind who would keep her safe.
Over what looked like an old knife injury on his shoulder, she rested her hand. “You’re a very perceptive man. It’s true that Natalie is not known for her patience.”
Dare smiled. “I like her, even if her timing sucks.” Holding her chin, he brushed his thumb along her jaw. “She’s different from you, but I also see similarities. It’s there in the dark brown eyes and the shape of your mouth.”
“And big boobs.”
His smile twitched into a grin. “I guess I noticed that, too.”
“Dare.” Molly put her forehead to his. She wasn’t sure how to say it, so she decided to simply spit it out. “Just because we slept together doesn’t change anything.”
“Wrong. For me it changes everything. And before we get into this too much, you might as well know that I’m firm on this. No way in hell will I take money from you.”
Molly couldn’t believe that he’d changed the rules on her without telling her. “That’s not fair.”
He half smiled. “I never told you I was fair.” He smoothed a long hank of her hair, letting the back of his hand move over her breast. Voice dropping, he said, “But you’ll learn to live with it.”
Learn to live with it? Did he mean … long-term? Or was that just a figure of speech?
She didn’t quite have the nerve to ask him yet. “I don’t want to be indebted to you, at least not any more than I already am.”
“There’s no debt. I’m here because I want to be.”
What could she say to that?
His thumb touched her bottom lip. “Relax and accept it, honey. My mind’s made up. Actually, it was made up even before the sex, so don’t feel guilty about that, okay?”
Emotion choked her. “Since meeting you, you’ve made me feel a lot of things. But not guilt. Not even when I kicked you in the nose.”
He smiled. “Glad to hear it. So, what do you say we go check on your sister? I can almost picture her with her ear to the door.”
Through the door, Natalie said, “Damn right. Now bring my sister back out here.”
JETT RETURNED WITH the pizza soon after Molly finished sharing details with Natalie. The more Molly told her, the more distressed Natalie had gotten. She was literally sick with upset when Jett walked in. But as soon as she saw him, she hurried to mask her expression.
Similar to Molly, Natalie had a lot of pride. He liked that.
As he’d told Molly, he liked her. She was like Molly, but also different.
Natalie’s honest reactions left Dare confident that, as Molly had insisted, her sister would never act to harm her.
That left only Jett for him to wonder about right now. Not that he really suspected Jett, but he refused to take any chances with Molly’s safety.
With reluctance, Natalie had admitted that while she and Jett had known each other for close to a year, and had even shared a physical relationship, they’d only recently realized that they were in love.
The quick change in relationship could be construed as an attempt to ingratiate himself with Natalie’s family—namely to get information about Molly.
It seemed more unlikely than otherwise, but still, Dare was all set to get answers out of Jett when he opened the front door and let him in.
That is, until Jett strode in without a word, set the food on the table and, with admirable stealth, peered out the curtains to the street below.
“What’s going on?” Natalie asked, alarmed. “What are you doing?”
Jett took in both women with calculated purpose. “I don’t suppose you two would let the men talk in private for just a minute, would you?”
Dare snorted. He already knew what Molly would say before she started objecting.
He held up a hand to silence the women. Sadly, that didn’t work. He supposed that he’d have to get used to Molly not following his every order, verbal or otherwise.
While the women continued protesting, Dare walked over to the window and did his own surveillance. He saw nothing.
Quietly, Jett said, “It’s just out of view, opposite side of the street, less than a block up. But does an old white van mean anything to you?”
Molly gasped.
Dropping the curtain, Dare took in her expression with sharp-eyed concern. He said to Jett, “Rusted?”
“It’s dark out, but I believe so.” Jett looked grim. “I could see the driver and a passenger, but the back windows are painted.”
Molly reached for a
