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

While Dare and her father had talked in the library, Kathi had used the time to whisper warnings to her, all in the name of stepmotherly concern. But she had made one very valid point.

As the one who had rescued her, Dare held responsibility for her continued well-being. But when would his sense of obligation end? As long as she remained in his home, would there ever come a point when he would be comfortable in ending their relationship? How, Kathi had asked, could Molly ever know Dare’s true feelings as long as he was saddled with the task of caring for her?

Molly glanced over at Dare and noticed him watching the rearview mirror. Her stomach knotted.

“No, I’ll take care of that once I’m home,” Dare said into the phone. He listened again for a few minutes and then said, “Thanks. Call Trace back for me. Ask him if he and Alani want to meet for dinner tonight. Yeah. Tell him anywhere along I-75, from Cincinnati down, would work. He can pick the place, but get back to me soon on what he has to say.” He nodded. “Appreciate it. Tell my girls I’ll be home soon.” Dare ended the call.

She couldn’t keep the frown at bay. He’d made dinner plans for them without conferring with her. She had no say in his decision.

And why should she? She reminded herself that she was a guest of Dare’s hospitality; of course he had to maintain a regular schedule, and he couldn’t do that by completely putting his life on hold for her.

Dare held out his phone to her. “If you want to make any calls right now, you can use my phone.”

She thought about it and decided she wanted to get it out of the way. “Thanks.” Right now, any routine normalcy, like talking business, would be welcome.

She called her agent first. As it worked out, once she’d explained to her that she’d been “caught in circumstances beyond my control, which left me incapable of calling,” her agent was very understanding and offered to get hold of the editor for her. She also had several things she needed to fax to Molly for immediate signatures.

Molly checked with Dare, got his fax number and shared it with her agent. Using the excuse of being under the gun on time, Molly promised to talk more when she could, and she told her agent that she’d explain in more detail when she was able.

After she handed the phone back to Dare, he asked, “Everything okay?”

Molly nodded. In the beginning, she’d been so excited about the movie, so flattered and so proud. Now, it seemed almost insignificant in the scheme of things. Her priorities had shifted in a big way.

“She was far more understanding than I thought she’d be.”

“No big questions?”

“No, thank God. She just said that she hopes I’m okay and to let her know if she can do anything.”

Dare grinned. “You’re making her a lot of money.”

Molly shrugged. “Sure. But she’s also a very nice, warm woman with loads of good business sense.”

While she had Dare talking, Molly decided to venture into her concerns. “Will Natalie truly be all right?”

“I don’t think anyone wants to bother her, but even if they did, Jett’s going to keep an eye on her. He won’t leave her alone, except for when she’s at school.” He put a warm hand on her thigh. “Try not to worry, okay?”

Resting her head back against the seat, Molly wondered how she could not worry. Especially when she again saw Dare look in the rearview mirror.

Still with a hand on her thigh, Dare asked, “What are you thinking?”

It wasn’t like her to play games, so she gave him an honest answer. “I was going over conversational pieces.”

“Like?”

“Mark Sagan in, and out of, a suit.” She swiveled her head to look at Dare. “It was strange how my stepmother said that, don’t you think? Almost as if she knows him more intimately than we first thought.”

Dare chewed his upper lip, glanced at her, then back to the road. “You picked up on that, huh?”

He had to be kidding. “Didn’t you?”

“Yeah.” He shifted in his seat, put both hands on the steering wheel. “Yeah, I did.”

“Dare?”

His mouth flattened.

“Oh, for crying out loud.” She’d had enough of his macho posturing. “I’m not that fragile, you know. I won’t break.”

“You’ve been through a hell of a lot. That business with your father and his nutty wife …” He shook his head. “Damn, Molly, that was painful for me to watch. I can only imagine how it is for you to live it.”

He’d been distracted in his concern for her? Okay, she could forgive that—as long as it ended right now. “That’s the one good thing to come out of all this. I realize now that I have very real endurance. If what happened to me had happened to someone else I know, I’d expect her to be falling apart. And I’d understand if she did. But …” She shook her head. “I really am going to be okay. I know it, and I can’t tell you what that feels like, but it’s … good.”

“It’s empowering.” Voice low, expression intimate, Dare said, “Your strength is undeniable.”

Such a smooth talker. Somehow Dare made a comment on her fortitude sound like a very sexy compliment. “Then we agree that I’m not the type to crumple into an emotional mess. So, out with it.” She half turned to face him, as far as the seat belt would allow. “Does your silence have to do with that car following us?”