When You Dare - Lori Foster [16]
She looked less wobbly today, so the sleep and food must have done the trick.
When she shut the door, Dare realized that Chris was talking to him and he hadn’t heard a word.
“I need to go.”
Chris snorted. “No being cryptic, boss man. If you’re in trouble—”
“I’m not.”
“Then what’s the complication?”
“Nothing I can’t handle.” He hoped. “Everything will be fine.” Somehow he’d make that true. “I’ll call you later when I finalize my plans.”
Molly emerged from the bathroom, her face damp, her thick, tangled hair everywhere. But today, rather than looking like a wreck, her wild hair just looked…freshly tumbled.
She came over to sniff the coffee, lifted a cup in hopeful question, and Dare nodded.
She mouthed a heartfelt, Thank you.
In the bright sunlight, her brown eyes looked less wary, but the bruising under and around them had deepened.
Shit.
Dare gave his attention back to Chris. “Give the girls some hugs from me.”
“I’m keeping them happy, don’t worry.”
He never did. He trusted Chris with his life—and his girls. “Later.”
Dare closed the phone and eyed Molly. She avoided his gaze, which he found curious. “How do you feel? And don’t sugarcoat it.”
Her lips curved in the briefest smile. “Glad to be alive and free. But also achy, still a little tired. And starved.” She peered at the arrangement of food. “Not to impose, but is any of this up for grabs?”
“I’ve already finished, so help yourself.” He watched her sit and open up all three containers, finding scrambled eggs, bacon and toast.
Her eyes widened, then narrowed with hunger. “It’s an absolute feast.”
“Hardly that.” Her mood this morning threw him. He hadn’t expected her to be…chipper. Or maybe it was more complacent. Either way, he’d been prepared for the shock to take hold.
Instead, she behaved as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.
“For me, this is the most delicious-looking food I’ve seen in far too long, so thank you. And don’t worry, I really do have money to repay you for everything. Just keep a tally of it all, if you don’t mind. My math skills have always been lacking and… I don’t have a notepad or pen.” She glanced up at him. “At least, not with me.”
Discolorations in blue, purple, green and black marred her skin from her eyes down to her toes, and she spoke as if the cost of a diner breakfast mattered.
“How long have you been up?” She tasted the eggs, tore open a salt and pepper packet, seasoned them, then tasted again. With a roll of her eyes, she said, “Oh, Nirvana.”
Dare enjoyed her expression of greedy bliss. “I woke a few hours ago.” Still at your side, with you squeezed up against me. He’d awakened with women many times, but never a woman like her, never a woman in her situation.
She’d been dead to the world, and still she clung to him so tightly that he had to pry her loose before sliding out of the bed and away from her. After leaving her, he noted the fading of her warmth against his skin, and how her scent still clung to him.
Disturbing.
“What time is it?” She bit into the bacon and chewed with delight.
“Noon.”
“Wow. Late for you, I bet.” Her gaze flashed up with a hint of humor. “You being such an orderly, organized guy.” She emphasized that with a peek around the room. He’d already made his bed, because he hated the clutter of rumpled blankets and really didn’t want housekeeping around his stuff.
Dare shrugged. Usually he rose before dawn, but he’d needed the rest, too. Leaning forward, he tried for a note of seriousness. “So, Molly, what do we have on the agenda for the day?”
She paused with another bite of bacon almost to her mouth. Her hand dropped back to the table. “Well, I’ve been thinking about that.”
“While you were in the bathroom for, oh…thirty seconds?” The rest of the time she’d either slept or talked. She hadn’t really had time to ponder things.
Her chin lifted. “Actually, since I woke up in your backseat and realized you weren’t with the bad guys, I’ve been considering what to do next.”
Amazing. He believed her, though.