When You Dare
Page 125

“It isn’t just Chris that I love, or my dogs. Christ, Molly, I could have faced off with ten men to keep you safe, because I love you, too.”
Her knees felt weak again. She clutched at him, hopeful, dumbfounded. Elated. “You…?”
Dare smiled. “I love you like I didn’t know I could love anyone.” His eyes glistened, but only for a second. He looked down, took a few breaths, then met her gaze again. “I never thought it was possible, but you fit in here, Molly Alexander. In my life, my home and with my friends. Chris loves you, my girls love you.”
He hesitated, frustrated, and glanced over at the cop. With a roll of her eyes she moved out of sight.
Dare held Molly’s face in trembling hands. “Now that you’ve been here, nothing would ever be the same if you left.”
“Are you…? Do you mean…?” She couldn’t pull together a complete thought. So much had happened, but she knew how she felt, had known for a long time.
But she didn’t want to jump the gun and do or say anything to make Dare’s life more difficult.
“Stay with me, Molly.”
Well, that was pretty clear. “Dare.” God, she loved him. “Are you sure? No, wait.” She put a finger over his mouth. “You’re hurt, and you’ve been through hell tonight. You might not know—”
“I know.”
She shook her head. “I mean, you’ve felt responsible for me for so long—”
“Hell, honey, I feel responsible for almost everyone. That’s not going to change.”
“You do?”
That gorgeous mouth of his curled into a sexy smile. “Everyone smaller, older, weaker, younger—”
Molly couldn’t help but laugh. “And that covers about everyone.”
He shrugged. “Trust me, what I feel for you is different. I’d love for us to be responsible for each other, but it’s more than that. Hell, I don’t know what to call it, because I never felt it before now. But it’s as real as it gets, and it won’t change.”
“I’ve never felt this before, either.” Molly forced herself to think it through, instead of leaping with open arms. “Dare, you need to be sure.”
His brows knit together. “Are you sure?”
She didn’t care about protecting her heart or her pride. “I love you.”
He let out a breath. “It’s going to be a rough road ahead.” He trailed his thumb over her cheek, along the line of her jaw, down her throat. “I haven’t protected you well at all. That damned bomb is going to cause a stir. The law, both local and federal, is going to be all over this. There’ll be a massive investigation, most of it centered on your stepmother and father. I’ll pull some strings and keep you out of most of it—”
“Dare, no.” She let out a breath, and smiled. “None of that matters to me.”
“No?”
She shook her head. “Dad might care, but he and I have so little in common.”
Filled with sincerity, Dare glanced at where the officer had been, and then lowered his voice. “I can spin this to protect him, too, if that’s what you want.”
“No.” She put her arms around him. He had enough responsibility in his life; her father could fend for himself. “All I really want is you.”
On a groan, he lifted her off her feet. “God, baby, you’ve got me.”
The officer cleared her throat, and Dare released Molly to stand on her own again. “Are you okay to do this?”
Molly couldn’t help but smile again. After everything else she’d been through, facing the police would be a piece of cake.
Just to tease him, she said, “I’m fine.”
Dare rolled his eyes, but he smiled, too. “Come on, then. Let’s get this over with.”
MOLLY WORE HER cutest pajamas, the ones Dare hadn’t wanted her to bring, when she went into the kitchen early in the morning and found Chris sprawled in a chair, more disheveled than not. Dare was at the stove cooking breakfast, and the dogs jumped up to greet her.
She petted each one, went to Chris to kiss him on the ear and then went to Dare to wrap her arms around him from behind.
He looked over his shoulder at her. “Morning, beautiful.”
She gave him a squeeze, then went to pour some coffee. “Chris, you look more out of sorts than usual. Everything okay?”
Dare gave her a look. “All the decision-making on his new place is keeping him awake at night.”
“Alani is a slave driver,” Chris complained. “I just want the house done, but she keeps saying it has to be done right.”
“Now, Chris,” Molly teased. “You’re hurting my feelings. Am I really so difficult to be around?”
He sat upright. “I didn’t mean that.”
“Are you sure?” For a couple of months now, Chris had been living in the main house with them while his home was rebuilt. “I know I’m an interloper—”
Both men protested so strongly that Sargie barked. Molly started out by snickering, but ended up laughing out loud.
Chris gave her a dirty look. “Not funny.” And then to Dare, “She has a twisted sense of humor.” He swilled some coffee and added, “I like it.”
“Dare, don’t forget that we’re meeting Natalie and Jett for dinner tomorrow.” They were needed back in town yet again. Her stepmother had been arrested, along with Mark Sagan and Ed Warwick, but amazingly enough, her father hadn’t been implicated in any wrongdoing. He was still bitter about how it had all turned out, the intrusion into his life and his business affairs. But he cooperated with the investigation and out of necessity spoke with Molly more often now than before her abduction. The scandal hadn’t affected him too much, business-wise. There’d been gossip, of course, and long looks from some of his so-called friends. But all in all, he’d been business as usual, throwing himself into his work and his social life.