LITMIR.BIZ

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of the Jacuzzi tub in Dare’s room. If Dare were here, he’d go nuts thinking of her in there, all wet and relaxed among swirling bubbles.

      Chris shook his head before making the rounds, checking the monitors first, then checking Dare’s messages both on the phone and on the computer. One of his duties was to sort out the emails, answering what he could and flagging those that required a personal reply.

      Over an hour later, just when he was starting to worry that she’d fallen asleep in the tub, the jets turned off. Chris paused, listening, forgetting what he was doing for the moment. A glance at the clock showed it was after 8:00 p.m.

      Now that she’d finished with her bath, she’d be at loose ends again, and, for all his many talents, he had no idea what to do with her. He hoped like hell that Dare would make it home soon.

      Not ten minutes later she poked her head into the kitchen, where he busied himself by taking inventory of groceries and cleaning supplies that he’d need to pick up tomorrow. Dare had a cleaning crew that came in once a month to really get things spic-and-span, but between those highly supervised visits, everyday tidying fell to Chris.

      Tai and Sargie remained Molly’s shadows, bemusing Chris. Usually, when Dare wasn’t around, the girls stuck close to him. They’d never met a person they didn’t love, but they seemed especially taken with Molly.

      Her damp, pinned-up hair left little wisps curling around her ears and nape and showed off sharp cheekbones, a refined jaw and an innate elegance. It also emphasized the marks of mistreatment that remained on her soft skin. He couldn’t forget, even for a second, how badly she’d been abused.

      Straightening to face her, Chris asked, “Enjoy your bath?”

      “Yes, thank you. I might have to invest in one of those tubs. It was heavenly.” She moseyed over to a chair but didn’t sit. The dogs followed her, so she knelt down to pet them both and ended up with Sargie knocking her to her butt.

      Molly just laughed and let Sargie crawl across her lap.

      “Do you think Dare will mind that I borrowed his hoodie?” She pulled together the unzipped front of the sweatshirt. “I was a little chilled after that hot bath, but I don’t really have too many clothes yet.”

      “Of course he wouldn’t mind.” Chris cursed himself for not thinking of that himself. The house was kept on the cool side to accommodate two men, but naturally a woman might find it uncomfortable.

      “I didn’t get in his closet or anything. It was on a hook in his room.”

      “It’s fine, Molly.” They had to get the woman some more clothes. Hopefully what she ordered would arrive tomorrow, and then Dare could take her to her place to gather her own, familiar belongings. “Hungry?”

      She gave it some thought before nodding. “A little. Is it okay if I roust up something myself? I won’t make a mess.”

      “I’m not worried about that.” Did he really come off as such a bastard? Hell, he was the sloppy one. Dare was the one who wanted everything immaculate. “What sounds good to you?”

      “Do you have peanut butter and jelly?”

      That surprised him. “Sure. But don’t you want something more? Forget Dare’s insults. I really can cook, I promise.”

      She shook her head and wiggled out from under Sargie. Because Tai wasn’t as aggressive, she took a moment to give her some attention, too, then went around the kitchen gathering what she needed. “I missed the simple snacks, you know? Bowl of cereal, peanut butter and jelly, ice cream. I always keep that kind of stuff around my place because I’m not a big fast-food person at all, and I usually don’t see the point in cooking for one person.”

      “Dare isn’t into fast food, either. I have to twist his arm to get pizza on occasion.” Chris glanced at the clock. “He should be home soon.” God willing.

      “You don’t have to babysit me, you know?” She glanced toward him with a quirky smile. “I know you have your own place, and without Dare here, you probably would have been there already, right?”

      True. While Dare was away, he could complete his work and have the rest of the time to himself. But he didn’t want her to know that. “I had some chores to do.”

      Her expression said she didn’t believe him. “You’ve been keeping an eye on me all day.”

      Had she seen the viewers mounted around the property? “What makes you think so?”

      “I don’t know. I just felt it.”

      Ah. Something else she and Dare had in common—keen awareness. “Actually, I keep an eye on everything, including the property, and you just happened to be in the scene.”

      “Did you expect trouble?”

      “Nope. At least, not any more than any other day. Dare is nothing if not cautious.”

      She said nothing to that, but Chris knew she’d just stored away that knowledge. After she finished preparing her snack, she put away the utensils and food and said, “Would it be okay if I used a computer?”

      “Uh …” Dare didn’t want her on any of her accounts, but how was he supposed to police that?

      In dramatic fashion, she crossed her heart. “I won’t break any rules, I promise. My accounts are off-limits. It’s just that while I was out walking earlier, I had an idea for my WIP and I wanted to get it down while it’s fresh in my mind.”

      “WIP?”

      “Work in progress. I haven’t been able to write for a while, and not writing makes me … antsy.”

      Being held captive probably made her antsy, too, but he got her point. “Hey, have at it. I just refilled all the printers, so feel free to print off whatever you write.”

      “Actually, if you have a flash drive or something that I could pay you for, that would work better. Then if I want to change things later, I can.”

      Fascinated by her writing process, Chris said, “I’m sure I have some extras stored in the library.” She trailed him as he started out of the room. “You can use the computer in the room Dare gave you.” But maybe she didn’t want to be alone there, so he quickly added, “Or the one in his room, or the library … Doesn’t matter, really.”

      “I’ll use the one upstairs.” She wrinkled her nose. “I like a lot of privacy when I write.”

      Was that a hint for him not to try looking over her shoulder? Bummer. It’d be cool to watch a writer at work.

      Chris located a flash drive in the library desk and handed it to her. “There you go.”

      “Thanks.” She juggled her glass of milk and the plate with the sandwich and pushed the flash drive into the sweatshirt pocket. Then she gave Chris a direct look. “And since I’ll be occupied, you really don’t need to hang around—that is, unless you want to. But don’t change your plans on my account, okay? I really, really detest being a bother.”

      Telling her that she wasn’t a bother wouldn’t have made a difference to how she felt about it. So instead, Chris asked, “You’re going to stay in the house for the rest of the night?”

      Molly hesitated. “Do I need to?”

      “No.” God, he hoped she wasn’t planning another jaunt around the perimeter. “You’re safe enough anywhere on the grounds right around the house, under the security lights, but I’d rather know what you’re doing, and where you’ll be.” Just in case.

      Her shoulder lifted. “If it’s okay, I might go down to the dock again later. The change of scenery jogs my muse, and the fresh air keeps me alert. Will that be a problem?”

      Since the dock was closer to his place, and monitored, Chris was relieved. “That’s fine. Just be careful, okay?” And then to tease her, “We wouldn’t want you

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