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

Surprised by the question, Jett hedged a little. “I used to be. Why?”

Rolling his eyes, Dare said to Molly, “Told you I’d be the first suspect.”

“He did,” Molly agreed, backing him up and hoping that put an end to the hostilities. “We didn’t call the police immediately because Dare said he was the first one they’d look at, and their investigation might alert the real perpetrator.”

“Happens sometimes,” Jett agreed.

“You can trust me when I tell you that Dare is an amazing man. He’s the only reason I’m here now, maybe the only reason I’m alive.” Molly hoped to get things smoothed out quickly. Not only was she uncomfortable in her state of undress, but she hadn’t seen her sister in what felt like forever. “If he hadn’t already been in Mexico to—”

“Molly.”

She bit her lip at Dare’s quiet but firm interruption. Okay, so maybe he didn’t want her to blab his private business, or that of his friends.

She cleared her throat. Omitting details, she said, “He was there on other business and just sort of decided to rescue me while he was at it.”

That only whetted Jett’s curiosity. “What kind of business did you have in Tijuana?”

“The kind that doesn’t concern you.” Dare didn’t bother hiding his impatience. “So, if you’re not still a cop, what are you doing now?”

Not nearly as closemouthed as Dare, Jett said, “Security work—domestic investigation, mostly.”

“You’re a private eye?”

“That’s right.” Jett extended a hand. “Feel free to check my background. I know how it is to be cautious.”

“Yeah?” Still looking like he was made of stone, Dare ignored his proffered hand. “Why is that?”

“I’m ex-military, ex-FBI.” He shrugged. “But old habits die hard, and I’m still the cautious type, too.”

Dare didn’t budge.

Making a face, Jett patted his right thigh. “Gunshot injury keeps me a little more grounded than I like, otherwise you wouldn’t have taken me to the floor so easily.” He grinned after saying it. “Need me to drop my jeans and prove it?”

Molly wanted to smack Dare for his bad manners. “Natalie would not trust a man who wasn’t trustworthy.”

“Ditto,” Natalie agreed. She flapped a hand toward Dare. “If Molly says that he’s okay, despite appearances to the contrary, then I believe her. My sister is an astute woman. I’ll be safe with him.”

“Fine. Acquit me of any intentional insult.” Jett again held out his hand. “This has to start somewhere, so …?”

Dare eyed him up and down, and finally accepted Jett’s handshake. “About that pizza?”

“Right.” Jett glanced at his watch. “Assuming you aren’t going to leave Molly’s side—”

Dare’s look answered better than words.

“—then I suppose I might as well run out for the eats. I should only be half an hour, tops. But save some of the story for me. I admit I’m curious as hell about all this.”

Before he could go, Molly said, “Jett?”

Those dark eyes focused on her. “Hmm?”

“It’s very nice to meet you.”

Jett flashed the brightest smile she’d seen in quite some time. It worked wonders to counterbalance the ominous look of those dark eyes.

“You, too, Molly. I’m damned glad that you’re back home, safe and sound.” Then he went to Natalie, tucked her long, curly hair behind her ear, kissed her and said, “I won’t be long.”

“Be careful.”

With another glance at Dare, he said, “For once I don’t have to say the same to you. I have a feeling you’re as safe as you can be right now.”

The second he left, Natalie wrapped her arms around Molly in a tight, nearly choking embrace. “Thank God you’re finally home.”

Molly could feel her sister shaking. “I’m sorry you were worried.” Over Natalie’s shoulder, she met Dare’s gaze. He watched her with heightened familiarity. She shivered.

In her ear, Natalie whispered, “I can’t believe you’re with him. What are you thinking?”

Insulted on Dare’s behalf, Molly levered her back. “Why?”

“Look at him! He’s …” When she caught Molly’s frown, she let out a breath and tempered her wording. “Well, he’s intimidating.”

Proving he had great hearing, Dare said, “Not to Molly.”

Natalie’s eyes went round again.

Molly bit back a grin.

Dare smiled at her. Standing there like that, he was intimidating—to anyone who wanted to hurt her. He was also incredibly sexy.

Molly sighed. She wanted more. A lot more.

But now, at the most inauspicious time, her sister had shown up. Never before had she been sorry to see Natalie, but this time … Well, she would have preferred that she had the rest of the night alone with Dare to explore the new dimension to their relationship.

“Relax, Natalie.” In a grand understatement, Molly said, “He’s been very good to me.”

“Are you two really …?” She glanced back at Dare, who made no pretense of watching them intently, and spun back around. In a hushed undertone, she said, “Good grief, Molly. He doesn’t scare you?”

“Of course not.”

“But he’s …”

“He’s sweet,” Molly insisted.

Dare snorted. “He’s still listening.”

Aggrieved, Natalie closed her eyes.

Molly hooked her sister’s arm and dragged her farther across the room. “I’m so sorry that I couldn’t call you, Nat.” This was going to be difficult to explain. “The thing is, I don’t know who had me kidnapped, or why.”

“What do you mean?” Understanding dawned. “You think it wasn’t a random thing? You were a specific target!”

“I’m afraid so.” Unlike Molly’s thick, heavy hair, Natalie’s lighter hair grew in fluffy, corkscrew curls. Molly smoothed down a wild, wayward spiral. “You know how much I trust you.”

“I should hope so.”

Her sister never failed to back her up when necessary. “Well, as much as I trust you, I also know how you’ll react in almost any situation. If I had told you that someone had set me up to be taken, that someone had deliberately wanted me gone, you’d have gone ballistic.”

“Well, of course I would have. You’re my sister!” She chewed over what Molly had told her, trying to sort it out. “ Who? Who would do this to you?”

She wished she had a better answer. “I still have no idea, and that’s what scares me the most.”

Fear narrowed Natalie’s eyes. “Until you know who did it, you can’t keep it from happening again.”

“That’s about it.”

Obliterating any pretense about their conversation remaining private, Dare came over to them. “Molly feared that you’d go on a rampage trying to find out who wanted her hurt.”

Whipping around to confront him, Natalie found him close and had to look way up. She stumbled back a step. “I can be reasonable.”

“Can you?”

She opened her mouth, then closed it. After a few seconds, she sighed. “Well, maybe not. But you can’t expect me to just … just accept this without getting angry.”

Dare reached for Molly and tucked her into his side. “You can be as pissed off as you want. That’s understandable. But I need you to stay out of it, and to trust me to find the one responsible.”

Natalie frowned at him, at Molly, then back again. “Maybe it’d help if you told me what makes you so qualified for the job.”

Dare searched her face. “All you need to know is that I’m not going to let anyone hurt your sister.”

Confused, Natalie put her hands on her hips. “Why are you involved? Because you two are …” She waved a hand between them. “What? Dating? ”

She made it sound like the most absurd idea ever. Trying to go for the easiest explanation, Molly said, “Dare’s protecting me because I’m paying him for his assistance.”