Lori Foster - Men of Honour - Ready, Set, Jett / When You Dare / Trace of Fever / Savor the Danger / A Perfect Storm / What Chris Wants / Bare It All

His concern was too little, too late, to be anything but disingenuous. “I’ll survive, yes.”

He continued to search her face. “Why the hell did this happen?”

“That’s what we’re still trying to find out.” She appreciated it that Dare stood beside her but didn’t insist on taking the lead. As much as he openly disliked Adrian, he let her do the talking.

She knew that if she needed him to, he’d take over for her. But he trusted her to handle this, and that meant a lot. Molly leaned forward, her elbows on her knees, to give Adrian a direct look. “Until I know who set up this whole thing, I won’t be safe.”

That lifted his frown into high-browed surprise. “You mean it could happen again?” He glanced over at Dare. “That’s why he’s still with you?”

Molly wasn’t sure how to answer that, but then, she didn’t need to.

“Why I’m here is none of your damn business,” Dare told him. “Just know that I will find the one responsible, so if you know anything, anything at all, you’d be smart to say so right now.”

To placate Dare, Adrian held up both hands. “I think I’ve already proven that I value my own hide too much to lie.” He smiled with self-mockery. “In all honesty, I wish I could help. Molly and I had our differences, but I never wanted to see her hurt.” And then to Molly, “I hope you know that.”

“You only wanted my money.”

Annoyance distorted his concern, and he shot back, “You had more than enough to spend! But no, you were too tight-fisted for a measly gift.”

Dare shifted, giving Adrian pause. He said quickly, “No offense intended.”

Bearing no expression at all, Dare warned, “Don’t insult her again.”

Molly patted Dare’s arm. In this, she didn’t need his defense.

“Look,” Adrian said, “all I know is that Natalie called me to ask where you were.”

“Why would she call you?” That made no sense to Molly.

“Hell if I know. I told her that we weren’t together anymore and she said she already knew that, but she’d gotten an odd email about an extended trip you were taking, and she hoped I could tell her something about it. She said she’d called Kathi, and Kathi didn’t know where you were, either.”

So Kathi had known she was missing? Dare said he’d talked to her father. Did that mean that Kathi hadn’t mentioned it to him? Maybe because she thought nothing of it, but maybe … her dad had already known.

Was he capable of doing this to her? She was sad to have to admit to the truth: her father was capable of just about anything. She wasn’t yet convinced that he’d done this, but neither would she rule out his involvement.

Molly sat back in the couch, thinking of all the odd angles. “So, since I was missing, you decided to just come to my apartment and pretend it was your own?”

Adrian had the good grace to show shame. “At first, I was only curious. It’s not like you to take off without telling your sister.” To Dare, he said, “They’re really close.”

Dare just bored holes in him with his dark stare.

Adrian looked away uneasily. “Anyway, I guess I pictured you making up the trip story for your sister, while you were here, wallowing in misery, maybe … missing me?” He tried a sickly, unsure smile. “I was sort of hoping that we might have a chance to get back together.”

Putting a hand on Dare to restrain him—just in case—Molly gritted out, “Are you out of your mind?” Before he could answer, she held up a hand, silencing him. “If you were the last man on earth, I would embrace celibacy with gusto.”

Adrian scowled at the insult.

And Dare emphasized, “Won’t ever happen, so don’t even think about it.”

He accepted that as the warning Dare meant it to be. “Fine, but I figured if you were here and just not up to visiting with your sister, it couldn’t hurt for me to try. When I came by, your landlord grabbed me because your mail had stacked up. I guess she didn’t know we’d split, and she wanted me to bring it in.”

“Other than telling Natalie, I didn’t advertise our breakup.” To Molly’s mind, her personal life wasn’t anyone’s business.

“Right.” Adrian continued to glance at Dare. “Anyway, she didn’t think anything of me being here.”

“Since you let yourself in, she must’ve assumed you still had a key.”

Adrian shrugged. “Probably.”

Dare spoke up. “Have you talked with Bishop?”

“Not since Molly and I split, no.”

“Good. Don’t.”

“Do you know him?” He looked from Dare to Molly again, as if he wasn’t sure who would answer him.

“I met him.” Dare couldn’t hide his distaste. “I told him exactly what I’m going to tell you.”

Cautious now, Adrian said, “And that is?”

“Keep your mouth shut.” Dare went to him and took him by the arm, pulled him to his feet and started him toward the door. “Don’t mention this little meet and greet to anyone. Far as you know, Molly is still missing. You got that?”

“Yeah, sure.” He looked back at Molly. “If there’s some way I can help—”

Molly followed Dare. “You can stay away from my apartment for starters.”

“Right.” When Dare released him, he started to turn toward Molly.

Dare didn’t give him the chance. He opened the door and shoved Adrian out to the hall.

“Wait! What do I tell her sister if she calls me again?”

“You have nothing to tell, right?”

The clear warning hit the mark. “Well … yeah, I know.” Still Adrian waffled. “But—”

“Molly will be in touch with her sister and anyone else she wants to update. It’s no concern of yours. Remember that.” Dare shut the door in his face and then locked it.

Molly bit back a smile. “That was almost mean.”

For long seconds, he stood there staring at her. This was a new look for him, one she hadn’t seen before. He had that same intensity as when enraged, but she knew he wasn’t truly angry over anything. The way he watched her made her feel … warm.

And aware. And … excited.

“Dare?”

“How do you feel, Molly?”

The gravelly tone to his low voice stroked along her nerve endings. The spark of heat in his blue eyes, and the slow rise and fall of his muscled chest, took the strength from her knees.

“I’m good.”

“Not just fine?”

God, was he teasing her? Like a patient predator waiting to pounce, he kept his distance by the door.

Molly licked her bottom lip. “I …” She looked around at her still messy apartment, knowing it didn’t matter. Everything else could wait. But she couldn’t.

She turned back to Dare’s probing gaze. After a deep breath, she said, “If you want the truth, I’m eaten up with wanting you.”

He straightened his posture against the door. His shoulders flexed.

Voice rough and raw, he asked, “Are you sure, Molly?” And then, more harshly, “Tell me you’re sure.”

Seeing him like this, recognizing the lust, affected her, and she couldn’t think of anything to say. Instead, she opened her arms to him.

A low curse, barely audible, left him. In the next instant he had his powerful arms around her. He pulled her up against his body, kissing her hard enough, hungrily enough, to tip her head back.

And Molly loved it.

DARE WAS NOT A MAN to lose control, but the things she made him feel … He wasn’t used to being jealous, but, damn, he had been. Red-hot and enraged with jealousy, and for no other reason than that Molly had once cared for Adrian. Dare thought about taking the fool apart, and he would have, except that it hardly seemed fair. Her ex was pathetic.

What the hell had she ever seen in him?

And then seeing her so strong, so proud … It had damn near put him over the edge. Never before had he thought about the perfect female counterpart to him, but now he knew: Molly defined that woman.