LITMIR.BIZ

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almost lost her blanket when Natalie jerked her into a tight bear hug. She wanted to soothe her sister, she really did. But with the men on the floor … the timing was definitely off.

      “I’m okay, Natalie. Really.” Over her sister’s shoulder, Molly saw Dare eyeing Jett.

      He said low, “You might want to stop looking at her like that.”

      The man actually grinned. “Right. Sorry. It’s not lascivious, I swear. I was just noting the similarities between the two of them.”

      “Sure you were.” Dare leaned into him a little more. “What are you two doing here?”

      Jett put one hand behind his head, rested the other on his chest and looked to be getting comfortable. “We just returned from a trip. I told Natalie that Molly was probably back by now. It’s the middle of the night, so she didn’t want to call, but she couldn’t stand waiting until the morning to check on her. So …” He shrugged as if to excuse Natalie’s misguided intention, and then, with caution, used the side of his hand to edge the gun away from his face. “She was going to peek in and make sure her sister was okay. That’s all.”

      Dare didn’t like that one bit. “You’re shitting me. You two snuck in, and you were going to look at Molly in her bed—”

      “I was only here to see to Natalie’s safety. She’d have done all the peeking on her own.”

      With her hands on Molly’s bare shoulders, Natalie pushed her back the length of her arms. “Do you have any idea how damned scared I’ve been for you?”

      Molly sighed and again adjusted her blanket. If she lost it, she’d die on the spot. “I called you earlier, but you didn’t answer.”

      Aghast, Natalie blinked as if ready to cry. “When?”

      Since she didn’t know what time it was, Molly couldn’t answer. “As soon as Dare and I got back to the apartment. I don’t know. Hours ago.”

      “Oh, God, Molly. I’m sorry. I …” She looked at Jett. “We … He …”

      “We hooked up,” Jett said with a smile. “Long past due. Anyway, your sister was focused on other things most recently, and she didn’t remember to keep her phone charged.” Now disregarding Dare’s gun, he sat up, propped his forearms on his jean-covered knees and acted as if he hadn’t just been assaulted. “The timing is off, but what the hell, right? We’re getting married.”

      It was Molly’s turn to gape. “Married?”

      Natalie bobbed her head, and tears swam in her eyes. “I love him.”

      Jett smiled, too. “I hope you’ll forgive her for missing your call. She really has been worried nonstop.”

      “Of course,” Molly said, still trying to process the idea of her very independent sister planning to wed a man that Molly had never met.

      “Where were you?” Natalie demanded.

      “Kidnapped,” Dare said, dropping that bombshell with great effect. “To Tijuana. By flesh smugglers.”

      Molly couldn’t believe he’d just blurted it out like that.

      Jett gave Dare a dirty look and pushed to his feet. Molly sensed that it wasn’t what Dare said as much as how he said it that Jett took exception to. He reached Natalie just as the tears started tracking down her face. “Oh, Molly … Tijuana?” Natalie covered her mouth, and then, with even more feeling, “Kidnapped?”

      “Calm down, Natalie.” Molly couldn’t think of anything else to say. “I’m okay.”

      “So she says, often.” Dare didn’t look at all happy with this turn of events. He closed the apartment door and locked it again.

      “Who the hell are you?” Jett asked him. “Her bodyguard?”

      Dare shrugged. “I’m the guy who got her out of Mexico.”

      Molly couldn’t help but note how Jett kept a comforting arm around Natalie and how, for once, Natalie refrained from smothering her and instead leaned on Jett.

      “She got an email from you,” Jett said to Molly. “But she didn’t really believe you’d written it.”

      “She hadn’t,” Dare told them.

      “I knew it!” More tears came as Natalie understood the extent of the conspiracy.

      Clasping her sister’s shoulder, Molly tried to reassure her. “It was awful, I admit it. But I’m fine now, I swear.”

      “How can you say that?” Frowning, she touched Molly’s face. “I see bruises on you.” She turned a mean eye on Dare. “How did she get bruised?”

      “Kidnappers are often careless that way.”

      Not appreciating Dare’s sarcasm one bit, Molly scowled at him, but then forced a smile for Natalie. “Dare would never hurt me.”

      “No, I wouldn’t.”

      “There, you see?” Molly smoothed her sister’s wild hair. “He’s the one who rescued me, and he’s been keeping me safe since then.”

      “And he was protecting her still when we came in,” Jett added. “That’s what that tackle was all about.” He glanced at Dare. “Right?”

      “Of course,” Molly said when Dare didn’t.

      Jett gave Natalie a small squeeze. “But even not knowing who we were, he didn’t hurt you. I’m guessing because you’re female, you got tossed into the soft chair instead of on the hard floor.”

      “Exactly,” Molly said. “Dare doesn’t hurt women.”

      “That’s not entirely true, honey. A lot depends on the woman involved.”

      Damn him, did he have to antagonize them? Molly flashed him an evil look. “You’re not helping.”

      Dare shrugged.

      So he resented their intrusion—she got that. He didn’t understand the closeness that she and Natalie shared. But she wanted her sister to know him as well as she did.

      She wanted Natalie to like Dare and to understand everything he’d done for her.

      Jett watched Dare with that piercing black gaze. “To be able to distinguish Natalie and me apart so quickly, you’d have to have special training.”

      “You could say that.” Dare continued his visual analysis of Jett. “What do you know of it?”

      Jett stared right back. “Enough, obviously.”

      The pissing contest was ludicrous. For heaven’s sake, it was the middle of the night and they were all rattled. Holding the blanket together one-handed, Molly shoved her hair away from her face and let out a huff.

      “Dare. Be nice.”

      Both Natalie and Jett looked at her like she was nuts for trying to dictate to him. Natalie whispered, “Is it wise to talk to a bodyguard that way?”

      Molly rolled her eyes. “He’s not really a bodyguard. Well, he is, I guess. But he’s more than that, too.”

      “More?” Natalie asked. Jett just raised a brow.

      Giving up, Molly looked at Dare for help. “I have no idea how to explain all this.”

      “I can see that.” Finally Dare gave up his dark and broody mood. “If you don’t want me to shoot either of them, then I guess we have a lot of talking to do.” He stowed the gun at the small of his back.

      “M.O.B. holster?” Jett asked.

      Molly didn’t understand until Dare explained to her. “Middle of the back.” And then to Jett: “My gun stays with me.”

      If

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