When You Dare

by Lori Foster

  He slanted a look at Chris and said again, “We’ll be staying at her place for a few days.”

  “Ooookay,” Chris said, emphasizing the tension in the room. “Do I need to pack your suit?”

  “No, but something nicer than jeans, okay?”

  “Got it.”

  Molly still stood there, so Dare gave Chris a telling look, and he said, “Yeah, I’ll just… Yeah.” He deserted the computer and left the room.

  Dare watched Molly a second more, then carried a plate over to her. He set it on the bar and turned to face her. “You okay?”

  “I’m—”

  “Fine.” He sighed in clear frustration. “Why did I bother asking?”

  “I am fine.” But she felt compelled to admit, “It’s a subjective term, Dare. Compared to a few days ago, I’m better than fine.”

  “Got it.” He pulled her into his arms, and despite her annoyance at him, it felt so good that Molly wanted to stay there, just like that.

  But of course if she did, she wouldn’t be able to write, or reassure her sister, or direct her agent on negotiations.

  Life continued, and she wanted to move along with it, not hide forever.

  With Dare’s scent filling her head and his warm embrace around her, she whispered, “You want to know how I really feel?” She didn’t wait for him to answer. “I’m achy all over, especially in my shoulders and neck, but it’s not too bad, considering. Mostly I’m uncertain, and I’m still scared. I’m anxious to get my life back to normal, but then I think about what was normal and how naïve I was, and I don’t know if I really want that or not.”

  His fingers threaded into her hair, kneading her skull, caressing her. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  Molly could tell that he meant it, but what if it proved impossible to find the one responsible? She couldn’t expect Dare to put his life on hold for her.

  He was the most capable man she knew, more capable than she could ever have imagined, but he wasn’t invincible. What if he got hurt trying to protect her?

  She pushed back from him a little. “Maybe I should just go to the police.”

  A gentle tug on her hair turned her face up to his. “You know that’s not the answer.”

  Did she? True, the police would never have looked for her in Tijuana. But if she took extra precautions now to ensure no one else could get to her, then maybe they could—

  Dare bent down and kissed her. It was a hard kiss, surprising Molly. She started to pull away, but he lifted her right off her feet and continued to take her mouth until she softened, until she warmed and reciprocated.

  Positioning her to sit at the edge of the bar, he stepped between her legs. With his hands braced at either side of her hips, he leaned down to her. “You will not go to the police.”

  He looked harsh and possessive. And a little turned-on. It excited her.

  “My dad…”

  “Was a total prick. You know him, so you can imagine how he reacted without me laying out the details for you. But if you want them, I’ll share every word on our drive into Ohio. For now, though, I want your agreement that you won’t veer off the plan.”

  Molly put her hand to his jaw. So many awful possibilities came to her, all of them centering around Dare’s safety. “I don’t want you to get hurt because of me.”

  “Christ, woman.”

  “You’re not Superman, Dare, and you’re not a psychic. Even if you could dodge bullets, you can’t know about conspiracies or ambushes—”

  “From your father, you mean?”

  He sounded scornful, discounting the danger. “Or from whoever is after me.” The number of threats out there left her shaken.

  “You need to have a little faith.” Scooping one big hand against her backside, he dragged her forward, hard against him. “Do exactly as I say and we’ll both be okay. Understand?”

  Her legs were around him, leaving her flush against his hard abdomen. His hand on her bottom kept flexing, feeling her, keeping her close.

  Molly nodded. “Okay.”

  His expression heated. Slowly, he bent to kiss her again, softer this time. Against her cheek, he breathed, “Soon as we’re done eating, we’ll hit the road.”

  “Okay.” She tipped her head back.

  He put a gentle love bite to her throat. “And tonight…”

  Molly’s heart pounded. “Tonight?”

  He touched his tongue to her ear, and whispered, “I’m going to be inside you, and I can’t fucking wait.”

  In the next instant, he lifted her off the counter and onto a stool. Before she could catch her breath, Chris peered back in. He looked from Dare to Molly, and seeing them separated, walked on in.

  “Glad you two worked that out, because I’m hungry again.”

  Through a haze, Molly watched Dare. He acted like nothing had happened, like he hadn’t just made that provocative promise to her. He poured a glass of milk and set it before her, then sat down to eat while he and Chris talked.

  In more ways than one, she was out of her league.

  She picked up her fork with a shaking hand, and as she dipped her crepe in the dollop of whipped cream, she let out a pent-up breath.

  Dare had managed to balance her apprehension about going home with an urgency to get there. Even knowing that he couldn’t feel the same as she did, she wanted to cherish every second with him.

  She believed that he’d protect her from threats. It was up to Molly to protect her heart.

  AT CLOSE TO SIX THAT evening, Dare pulled down the street to Molly’s apartment building.

  He could feel her nervousness growing, but there was no help for it. On the drive, he’d told her about meeting her father, leaving out some of what Bishop had said. Not that it mattered. Molly knew her father, and, as Dare had suspected, she filled in the blanks on her own.

  Because she didn’t socialize in her father’s circles, she hadn’t met many of his business cronies. She knew nothing of Warwick or Sagan. Dare told her about the connections because she needed to know. If it turned out that her father was responsible in some way, better that she had the facts early on.

  “I just thought of something.” Molly kept one hand clamped on the seat, the other on the dash as she stared out the windshield, looking everywhere as if she expected the same goons to show up and make another play for her.

  “Relax, Molly. It’s going to be okay.”

  “I know.” She remained alert. “But how are we going to get in? I don’t have any keys with me. I left my purse in the apartment and…” With a groan, she turned her wide-eyed gaze on Dare. “I didn’t even have my door locked, because I thought I’d be going right back in. I didn’t remember that until now.”

  “Then it’s probably still unlocked.” Either way, Dare wasn’t concerned about it. He could pick a lock in no time at all, and would, if it proved necessary. “Stop worrying.”

  “You keep saying that.” She returned her attention to the area.

  Through mirrored, aviator sunglasses, Dare glanced at her and saw her unease. He reached over and put a hand on her slim thigh. “Try trusting me a little, will you?”

  “This has nothing to do with trust.”

  It had everything to do with trust, but he could feel her trembling, so he let that go for now. “Where do you want me to park?”

  She swallowed. “Across the street. If no one stole it, my car should still be over there.”

  It didn’t surprise him that Molly had thought ahead. If someone wanted her absence to look uneventful, taking her car would have shored up that ruse. Folks would assume she’d left for a trip.

  Dare turned where she indicated into a small parking lot. As Molly had claimed, there were floodlights mounted on poles to keep the area lit at night. He’d also noted some older people sitting on their porches, to take advantage of the warmer day. The area was a mix of stately, single-family homes and homes converted into apartments.

  Typical of older structures, the buildings had a
lot of character and structural details. The area was clean and well maintained and, as she’d said, quiet.

  Hard to believe that no one had noticed her being snatched.

  With relief, she said, “There it is.” She pointed to a sporty little Mazda Miata in cherry red.

  Huh. So her captors weren’t concerned with appearances. “Cute car.”

  “Cute?” Pretending offense, she glared at him. “That was my gift to myself from my last contract.”

  “Personal reward, huh?” Glad to see her less focused on the danger, Dare said, “I like it.” It was a little small for him to fit comfortably into, but he could see Molly behind the wheel. “It suits you.”

  After parking next to her car, he stored the sunglasses above the visor and turned to her. He hadn’t known her long, but already he could pick up on her moods. He wished he could somehow make this easier for her.

  And maybe he could. Looking at her mouth, at the way she worried her bottom lip, he reached for her. “Come here.”

  Surprise overtook the worry as he tugged her toward him. “Dare?”

  Holding her face in his hands, he took her mouth in a kiss that started slow but quickly turned into a deep, soft distraction.

  When she relaxed against him, he eased her back into her seat. Soothing her bottom lip with his thumb, he whispered, “Ready?”

  Those beautiful, dark eyes of hers refocused and slowly filled with accusation. “You did that on purpose.”

  “Yeah.” He bent forward and kissed her again, light and quick. “Just reminding you that you’re not alone. I’m here, and there’s no way in hell I’d let anyone hurt you.”

  “You are so cocky.” She smiled when she said it, making it sound like a compliment instead of an insult. “I guess I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.” She turned and opened her door.

  As she walked around the hood toward him, Dare took a minute to look over her car. Molly thought he was admiring it, but really he wanted to make sure that it hadn’t been tampered with. He’d have someone give it a more thorough going-over before she drove it again, but for now, it seemed fine.

  Constantly scanning the area, Dare retrieved his duffel bag and a small suitcase for Molly’s clothes. His hand at her back, they started across the street to the building where she lived. Her next-door neighbors, sitting on their porches, made obvious note of the bags and Dare’s presence.

  “I thought you said no one paid any attention around here.”

  “All day long, you don’t see a soul, especially in the colder months. But I guess it was warm enough today to entice some folks out.”

  He nodded to an older couple who stared at him, but said in an aside to Molly, “I take it you don’t bring many guys around?”

  Molly refused to look up at anyone. “Just Adrian, but not even him for a while.”

  She went in through the unlocked front door that let them into a foyer of sorts. Beyond them were two doors on either side of the building, presumably for apartments. On the right wall were four mailboxes.

  Molly went to the stairs at the left. “I’m upstairs.”

  Dare kept her ahead of him, but only by a few steps. Something didn’t feel right to him. He’d always been a gut-instinct type, and right now, his instincts were kicking hard.

  There were two more units at the top of the stairs, one to the left and one to the right.

  When Molly headed to the door on the right, Dare stopped her. “Let me go in first.”

  Catching on to his concern, Molly froze. “You think something is wrong?”

  “I don’t know.” He kept his tone low as he opened a compartment in his duffel and withdrew his Glock.

  Staring at the weapon, Molly pressed back to the wall. “What are you doing?”

  Keeping his gaze on the door, Dare set the bags beside her. “Wait right here. Don’t move. If you see anyone, call out to me. Otherwise, be quiet.” He stepped away.

  Her hand snagged his arm in a desperate hold. “Dare?”

  Sparing her a quick glance, he asked, “What?”

  “You’re scaring me.”

  “Not now, Molly.” This wasn’t the time to soothe her, or to explain. At the door, he listened but didn’t hear anything. The knob turned and the unlocked door opened with an ominous squeak typical to old homes. Even with the room in shadows, Dare could see the evidence of a search.

  “Shit.”

  “What?” she asked in a harsh whisper. “What is it?”

  Dare spared her a warning glance that silenced her again, and then he slipped into the apartment. Someone had trashed her place.

  Dare took it all in with a fast glance: furniture overturned, drawers ransacked, papers scattered. Books everywhere. Damn, but the woman had a lot of books.

  She was not going to be happy.

  Trusting her to stay where he’d left her, Dare ventured farther inside. Whoever had searched her place had left the kitchen lights on, but the drapes closed. Without making a sound, Dare went through each room. He found most of them in total disarray, but empty of intruders. Stepping over toppled furniture, clothes, books and garbage, Dare went back for Molly.

  He found her standing in the open doorway, her face pinched and her eyes burning with anger.

  “Damn it.” While stowing the gun at the small of his back, Dare strode over to her. “I told you to stay put.”

  Her slim shoulders were weighed down by their heavy bags, with one hanging from each hand. Molly didn’t seem to notice as she stared around at her destroyed living room. “Who would do this?”

  “Neither of us knows, and that’s why you damn well should have waited like you were told.” He took the bags from her and set them inside, then caught her arm and pulled her in, too. He closed and locked the door, caught her shoulders and pinned her to the wall.

  She stared up at him without fear, her dark eyes huge—and, damn it, wounded.

  But he couldn’t let her slide on this. Her safety depended on her following his every order to the letter.

  Dare gripped her shoulders. “Here’s how this is going to work.” She felt so small and delicate in his hold that he had to struggle not to hug her close. “From now on, you’re going to do exactly what I tell you to do, how I tell you to do it. Do you understand me?”

  She looked beyond him to the living room. Dare gently shook her. “This is important, Molly.”

  “I know.” She sounded numb. “I guess I should have expected this. But the idea of someone going through my personal things…”

  For now, Dare gave up. Later, he’d again go over the importance of her following his instructions. “It’s mostly just dumped, not broken.” He righted the chair closest to them and replaced the cushion. “We can straighten it up.”

  Her tongue slicked out over dry lips. “I didn’t know you’d brought the gun.”

  Damn, but he wanted her. When he had her climaxing under him, she wouldn’t worry about her rummaged apartment or his weapon. “I don’t go anywhere without it.”

  “I should have remembered that.” Her gaze went to his hands, then back to his face. “If you’d found someone in here, would you have shot him?”

  “What do you think?”

  After a second of thought, she said, “Only if you had to.” She shuddered. “But I’m glad you had it, just in case.”

  She was glad? So why, then, did she look so rattled?

  Molly picked up a floral throw pillow from the floor. “As much as I hate to ask this, should we call the police?”

  He hadn’t yet decided. “Why don’t you look around and see if anything is missing?”

  As she did that, she removed her corduroy jacket and the colorful scarf and dropped them over the back of the couch, which was the only piece of furniture that hadn’t been turned or taken apart.

  Arms crossed, she studied the room—and suddenly her eyes widened. “My manuscript.”

  Forgoing concern for her shelves, broken pictures and a dumped plant, Molly launched over and around t
he mess to race into her bedroom.

  Dare followed right behind her.

  At a large desk, she drew up short and groaned.

  The keyboard hung off the front of the desk, still connected by the cord. Papers were strewn everywhere, and scattered clothes half covered the area.

  But the large flat-screen monitor appeared unbroken and all the cords seemed intact.

  She picked up some papers, saying, “My contracts are all mixed up now.” She set the papers aside and turned full circle to see the room.

  Dare did his own scrutiny, but for different reasons. Now that he knew there weren’t any intruders still lurking about, he realized that Molly’s regular wardrobe included a lot of provocative stuff. Panties in every color were mixed with camisoles and lacy bras. Draped over the open closet door was a skimpy red dress, and at the foot of the bed, a silky purple blouse lay bunched up with skinny jeans.

  Huh. Somehow, he hadn’t pictured her like this. He’d figured her more for a T-shirt and sneakers kind of woman. Basic. Unadorned. Earthy.

  And she could be.

  But he liked the new image in his head a lot.

  In his quick surveillance of the place, he hadn’t failed to notice the claw-footed tub in her bathroom, or the black-and-white tile, brightened with red towels and dishes of potpourri.

  There was a decidedly sensual side to Ms. Molly Alexander. “You surprise me.”

  “What?” She followed his gaze to a floral demi-bra. With a gasp, she snatched it up and hid it behind her back. “You thought I did all my shopping at discount department stores?”

  He sort of had. “You’re adaptable.”

  Her chin came up. “Yeah, so?”

  It amused him that she sounded so defensive. “It’s an admirable quality, Molly, that’s all. Sort of sexy, even.”

  “Yeah, right.” Huffing, she threw the bra toward the bed and went to her knees in front of the desk. “Not like anyone sees me in any of that stuff anyway.”

  He would. Soon.

  He watched as she moved a lot of stuff out of her way to search beneath the desk.

  “What are you looking for?”

  “My flash drive. It was in the computer, because I was working on the book when I…” She went still, shook her head. “I was writing before I took a break and went outside. It should be here. I was going to mesh the papers I’d written at your place into the pages I already have.”