and … maybe a little expectant. Then he leaned forward and kissed her again.
Molly was so shocked, she leaned away from him—until he pulled his hands free from hers and cupped her face, bringing her back.
His hands holding hers had been startling; his hands gently framing her face were more so.
This kiss wasn’t hard and fast. It was warm and easy, slow, lingering and oh-so-distracting. When she didn’t retreat again, he turned his head to better fit their mouths together and deepened the kiss.
A rush of heat chased away her icy fear. Her rigid muscles went liquid. Wow.
Molly caught his wrists, but not to pry him away; she held on for dear life. Being thirty years old, she’d been kissed many times, but never had it felt like … this. When she made a small sound, a cross between a moan and a purr, Dare stroked his thumbs over her cheeks.
A second later, he touched his tongue to hers.
Heart pounding and skin burning, Molly forgot about the plane, about unscrupulous dogs who meant her harm. Right now, for this moment, there was only Dare and his warmth and intoxicating scent, his strength and the security of him, the way he tasted and felt and how he touched her.
He smoothed a hand over her face, over her hair and, to her regret, eased away.
Molly got her eyes open, only to find that the blue of his looked incendiary. He glanced down at her mouth, eased his thumb slowly over her bottom lip and, with a frown, settled back into his seat.
She, on the other hand, perched as far forward as her seat belt would allow, still straining toward Dare. With a gasp, she realized how that looked and flopped back. Again, she clamped her hands over the ends of the armrests.
Her heart continued to thunder, and her body burned in select places. She could feel Dare looking at her, and it made her both uncomfortable and more excited. Was he waiting for her to react?
Well, this was not something she could ignore. The first kiss, maybe. But that kiss? No way. “Dare?”
He watched her like a hawk watched a mouse, his gaze unflinching, ready and alert, almost as if he expected her to bolt. “Hmm?”
“That’s, uh, the second time you’ve kissed me.”
His gaze went back to her mouth, his voice deepened. “I can count.”
She chewed her lips, saw his eyes narrow and quickly relaxed her mouth again. Rather than ask a direct question about Chris, she said, “You were distracting me, because the flight—”
“No.”
No? But of course he was. Wasn’t he? She shook her head. There was so much she didn’t know about him, but she didn’t want to cross the line and become intrusive into his private life. “I don’t understand what it means.”
His gaze lifted back to hers. “Yes, you do.” He looked over her entire body, oh-so-slowly, before coming back to her face. “It bothers you?”
Bother her? She considered his interest, his attention, and … no. It didn’t bother her, at least not the way he meant. If anything, she felt wonderfully flattered—if he wasn’t already involved with someone else. “I just don’t understand.”
“Hell if I do either.” With a wince, he stretched out his long legs as if uncomfortable. “Not once, before you, have I ever come on to a woman I rescued. In every other case it would have been unethical.” When he turned his head toward her again, she saw his frustration and knew it was more with himself than with her. “In your case, no one hired me, so that restriction isn’t there.”
“No, it isn’t.” He wouldn’t be betraying anyone’s trust to deliver her home safely, because she was the one hiring him. And she knew without a doubt that if she said no, Dare would respect that.
“But what happened, the hell those bastards put you through …” His gaze searched hers. “What happened just today should be enough to shut me down.”
“Why?” Molly really didn’t think she wanted him shut down.
His expression turned grim. “You haven’t exactly been around sterling examples of manhood, Molly.”
She’d been held captive by total cretins—who had nothing in common with this remarkable man. Unable to help herself, she put a hand on his muscular forearm. “But don’t you see, Dare? That’s why you stand out even more. You’re very, very different from them.”
“I know that.” He worked his jaw. “Do you?”
“Yes.” She hadn’t known him long, but the threatening situation had given him room to prove himself beyond all measure.
“No residual effects, then?” When she just looked at him, not really comprehending, he shook his head. Measuring each word with care, he said, “Sometimes, after a trauma like yours, anything remotely similar can trigger the bad memories, the panic, even hysteria. In your case, a guy getting too close—”
“But you’re not just any guy.” Molly hoped her smile might reassure him. “You are the guy who got me out of that nightmare. I could never feel about you how I feel about them.”
Unconvinced, Dare turned his hand over and waited for her to lace her fingers with his. She did so hesitantly. This was the fastest any relationship had ever moved for her, and the unusual circumstances were such that she didn’t entirely trust her own judgment. Not that she questioned Dare or his motives.
But her own?
She didn’t want to smother him with her neediness, an emotion normally foreign to her but plenty prevalent right now, no matter how she tried to hide it.
He lifted her hand, stroked her knuckles with his thumb, and while it was the gentlest of gestures, he quickly turned very businesslike.
“We have a lot to get through, Molly. More than you probably realize. Getting the goons off your ass will be the easiest part. Finding out who arranged your abduction—that’s going to take some doing. And trust me on this, the truth isn’t going to be satisfying. It’s a necessity, but it won’t make you feel better, and it won’t soften the memory.”
“How do you know?” More than anything, she looked forward to nailing the ones responsible. She needed some closure on this living nightmare.
“For one thing, it’s almost always someone you know, and someone you’d never suspect.” He held her hand tighter. “Because it’s usually someone you have a relationship with.”
Her heart squeezed tight. “But I still have to know.”
“Of course you do. And for that reason, I have a million questions I have to ask, and I can guarantee it’s not going to be easy for you. Inquisitions seldom are. But it’s information I need—”
“It’s okay.” Molly licked her lips. “If … if this is going to be as hard as you say, then what do you suggest I do?”
His eyes narrowed. “For starters, be one hundred percent honest with me, always.”
“All right.” She’d never been a deceptive person anyway, and now, more than ever, she knew that honesty over every little detail really mattered.
He unbuckled her seat belt. “I specifically requested no stewardess on the plane to ensure that we were alone.”
“You did?” Before she could ask why, he lifted her over to sit in his lap.
He leaned the seat back and arranged her so that they were both comfortable. “You still need to catch up on your sleep. This might be a good time.”
With her face against his chest, his scent surrounding her, Molly allowed the lethargy to seep in. She was exhausted, and somehow Dare had known that once she got settled so close to him, giving in to the need for rest would be easier.
After