LITMIR.BIZ

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so she could see Dare still up front talking to the men, discussing a short layover to refuel and the estimated time of arrival.

      At her seat was an entertainment console with a monitor, satellite hookup and a DVD/CD/MP3 player. Still looking around, she made note of the burl wood cabinetry, the butter-soft tan leather seats, plush carpeting and a fully stocked bar.

      Dare knew how to travel in style. She only hoped it wouldn’t break her bank account. She had no idea what something like this might cost.

      He joined her a moment later. “Want a drink?” He indicated the fancy lighted bar she’d already noted.

      “No, thank you.”

      “You sure? Might steady you a little.”

      “I’m plenty steady, thank you very much.” How many times did she have to tell him that she would not fall apart? She couldn’t afford to. If she wanted to survive this, she had to keep her nerves steady. Later she could give in to the panicked hysteria that still gnawed on her façade of calm.

      Shrugging, Dare sat beside her and fastened his seat belt. “Buckle up.”

      She scowled at the order but still connected the seat belt around her.

      Lifting his armrest and turning in his seat, he leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, his hands hanging loosely. He studied her.

      “What?” Just then the pilot started the engines, startling Molly. She grabbed for the armrests. “We’re taking off?”

      “It’ll be easier to get home that way.”

      She scowled again. “Sarcasm is unnecessary.”

      He said nothing. Molly cleared her throat. “Where is home, and when will we get there?”

      “Kentucky, and it’ll be late.”

      As the plane rolled forward, she sucked in a breath and then swallowed hard.

      Dare eyed her. “So, you’re one of those women who panics at flying?”

      “No.” But she was, sort of. That the plane was so small didn’t help matters. Rigid from her head to her toes, she repeated, almost by rote, “I’m fine.”

      “So you keep saying.”

      He took her hands, and it reminded her of the differences in their sizes. Dare was huge, and she was not. His big rough hands totally engulfed hers, making her feel extra small and delicate.

      She didn’t quite know what to make of that.

      “Molly, look at me.”

      When she did, she got snared in his bright-blue gaze. He had the most amazing eyes….

      “Tell me why you haven’t contacted your sister to let her know you’re okay.”

      The pilot announced something over a speaker system, and the plane moved, jarring her heart. She squeezed Dare’s hands and when she spoke, her voice was a little too high and squeaky. “Natalie might be a little younger than me, but she’s a teacher—meaning she’s used to governing with ultimate power.”

      Dare didn’t smile at that small jest. “Yeah, so?”

      “So if I had called her, she’d be grilling my dad and Adrian and anyone else she thinks could be responsible. There’s no way Natalie wouldn’t be on the warpath, trust me. If either of them is involved, they might be clued in. They could hide evidence or, in Adrian’s case, maybe even skip town.”

      Dare looked a little stunned at her reasoning, but damn it, she couldn’t take chances.

      “Whoever did this to me, I want him to be taken by surprise when he sees me free and unharmed. I want to blow his mind, and then maybe he’ll give himself away.”

      Consternation lowered Dare’s brows. “Not a bad plan, really. But you do realize that whoever arranged this must already know that you’re free. That’s what those thugs at Walmart were about.”

      “I know. But they don’t know when they’ll see me, or if the thugs will get me again before it becomes a concern. I can’t believe they’ll just give up, which means—”

      “People are still after you.”

      “Yes.” She shivered and then shivered some more when the plane began lifting. She squeezed Dare’s hands as tightly as she could. “Oh, God.”

      Dare searched her face, looked resigned 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

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