When You Dare by Lori Foster Read Free Book Online Page A

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. He hadn’t known her long, but he’d already figured out that she was that type of no-nonsense, get-it-together, make-a-plan woman. “Come to any conclusions?” He was dying to know.
    “That depends.” She fidgeted a moment, then tilted her head at him. “Are you expensive, Dare?”
    Now what was she up to? He crossed his arms and sat back. “Very.”
    “So, that means you’re really good?”
    His eyes narrowed, and he said again, “Very.”
    Mulling that over, she nodded acceptance. “I’m not certain what type of work you do, but I know you carry a knife and a pretty big gun, and that you’re darned good at getting in and out of dire situations.”
    All true enough.
    “I trust what I know of you, and you did rescue me with no incentive other than that it was the right thing to do, so… I was hoping maybe I could hire you?” Very unsure of herself, she ended with a clear question, hoping for his cooperation.
    Dare studied her, a little astounded, but also curious. But again, it proved nearly impossible to know what was in that quick mind of hers. So far just about everything she’d said or done had been unexpected.
    “To do what, exactly?” If she thought he was a murderer for hire, he’d just have to set her straight. Yes, he’d killed, but only when necessary to protect an innocent. Never in cold blood. Never for money.
    He was as law-abiding as the next guy—when he could abide the law.
    Leaning forward in her seat, Molly put her elbows on the table and stared him in the eyes. “Someone wanted me hurt, I’m sure of that. Maybe he even wanted me killed. I need to know who he is, or I’ll never be able to relax. Until that person is revealed, I’ll need protection.” Her gaze dipped over his body, her lips rolled in, and she hurried her attention back to his face.
    She let out a ragged breath. “God’s truth, Dare, I think you’re a man who could protect anything or anyone if you set your mind to it.”
    Damn right—but he wasn’t yet ready to commit himself. There was a lot he didn’t know about Molly Alexander. He started with the most obvious. “You said he. You think a man set you up?”
    Her mouth twisted. “Actually, that was just a figure of speech. I didn’t mean to leap to any conclusions. It could be anyone.”
    No kidding. “Do you have enemies, Molly?”
    She laughed with a near-hysterical edge, but she quickly regrouped and picked up some toast. “All things considered,