Men Of Honour. Lori Foster

a rush and had to move aside her hands so he could unsnap and unzip the jeans. Once he had them opened, he paused. Hell, it was March in Kentucky. The breeze tonight was downright frigid.

      He glanced up at his house. Not that far away, and a hell of a lot more comfortable for her …

      “Dare?”

      She clutched at him, confused and anxious, and he whispered, “Fuck it.” He dragged her jeans and panties down to her knees, exposing her sex. Everything was in shadows, and the moonlight that had felt so bright moments before didn’t give him the light he wanted now.

      He wouldn’t take her, but he wanted to see her, damn it, all of her.

      But of course he remembered, so maybe it was better that he couldn’t see; bruises, scratches—injuries that went deeper than the marks on her skin and flesh.

      Aching for what she’d endured, Dare lowered his head and put a gentle, barely there kiss to her ribs, her abdomen, her flat belly. “I don’t want to hurt you, Molly.”

      Eyes huge and dark, she stared up at him. “Then don’t stop.”

      He smiled to reassure her, but his heart was breaking and his body burned. “I won’t.” He wouldn’t stop, because she needed this too much, but he would go easy. He would use ultimate care with her.

      Resting on his elbow beside her, close enough to share his body heat, Dare cupped each breast in turn, enjoying their heavy weight, the sensitivity of her taut nipples. Slowly, he stroked his hand down to her belly and finally cupped it between her legs again, this time over her naked sex. Exhibiting uncommon patience, he lightly teased the soft pubic hair. “Can you open your legs for me, Molly?”

      He needed her to be a willing participant every step of the way. He needed to know that she was with him, not held captive in bad memories.

      On a sharp inhalation, she turned her face away, and her knees parted.

      “Nice.” The cool air now felt good to him, he was so damn hot. “Look at me, Molly.”

      When she did, Dare leaned over to kiss her again, touching his mouth to hers, easing her into the kiss to help relax her. At the same time, he explored her with his fingertips, finding her flesh sleek and hot and already damp.

      Dare thought of sinking into her, of making her his in every way, and his body tightened, hardened. Carefully, he opened her, stroked over her, slipped his fingers slightly inside her.

      She felt so perfect that, without meaning to, Dare pressed his erection against her hip.

      Holding on to his shoulders, kissing him with hunger, Molly moved against him and with him.

      Damn, but she wouldn’t let him go slow.

      He left her mouth to kiss a trail down her throat to her collarbone and down to her breasts. She had beautiful, full, firm breasts. How the hell she kept them from being a focal point, he didn’t know.

      He wished he knew the color of her nipples, but as he took her into his mouth again, he knew the texture and taste.

      Perfect.

      The air was cold, but their combined body heat, scented by lust, wafted around them both. As he sucked on her left nipple, Dare pressed his middle finger into her.

      She clenched hard, cried out and lifted her hips.

      Moving to the other nipple, Dare licked her, closed his teeth gently around her and tugged until she groaned raggedly, and then he suckled. He felt her slick moisture on his finger, and worked a second into her, stretching her, filling her. As she cried out again, already on the ragged edge, he brought his thumb up to her distended clitoris. Teasing over it, manipulating, he found a rhythm that pushed her.

      Within minutes she was lost, her head back, her eyes closed as she cried out long and loud with a hard release.

      Dare raised up to look at her, drawing in a shuddering breath, feeling so connected to her and caring so much about her.

      Fuck, but it scared him.

      Shaken, he watched her as the sensations faded and she went utterly limp, and very silent.

      Did she expect him to move over her now, to take her on a damn dock in the cold of the night? Or was she dreading the possibility?

      Trying to find the right words, Dare gathered her close and held her to his chest. She sighed against him, her pants still down, her shirt still up.

      What the hell was he doing?

      Stroking her hair back from her face, he kissed her forehead and hugged her again.

      Somewhere behind them, a light came on. Molly flinched in reaction, and Dare, going on the alert, moved to shield her with his body.

      He waited, poised to react.

      From the front door of his cabin, sounding chagrined, Chris called out, “The dogs are barking.” He cleared his throat loud enough for even the fish to hear. “I guess they heard something.”

      With no threat imminent, Dare relaxed, cursed and then muttered, “I’ll kill him.”

      Chris laughed at that. “Voices do carry.”

      “Shut up, Chris.”

      “Just letting you know that the girls refused to stay inside.”

      Just then, Tai and Sargie came charging across the yard and onto the dock. Dare groaned, looked down at Molly and saw she was snickering.

      And that made him grin, too.

      He pulled her T-shirt down and closed the hoodie around her. “Britches up, woman. We need to go to the house.”

      He stood and then moved in front of her to ward off the enthusiastic dogs. They were thrilled to see Dare, and doubly thrilled to think it wasn’t yet time for bed.

      Aware of Molly moving behind him, of her silence, Dare petted the dogs and waited.

      She touched his shoulder. “Dare?” She sounded horribly uncertain and more than a little embarrassed.

      Dare faced her, bent to kiss the bridge of her nose and asked, “Ready to go?”

      She held the quilt in her arms. “Yes, but … what about you?”

      He put an arm around her. No reason to tell her that he’d intended to suffer in silence. Not now. “I’m fine. Tired, actually.” He urged her along the dock toward the house. “Time to call it a night.”

      “But I wouldn’t mind—”

      He had to interrupt her. If she offered herself again, no way in hell would he be able to resist. “My girls aren’t used to overnight guests.” Circling them with every third step, the dogs showed their excitement. Dare laughed. “Definitely not used to women sharing my bed. And they have no respect for privacy.”

      Molly went silent, and it bothered Dare. What did she think? Was she feeling rejected?

      Bending to her ear, he said, “The lake amplifies everything, even a whisper, remember? Whatever we say, Chris will hear.”

      “Oh, my God.” She stopped dead in her tracks. “That’s what he meant …”

      “Don’t worry about it.” Dare’s arm around her back propelled her along the path. “But we might want to hold all conversation until we’re inside, okay?”

      She looked toward Chris’s cabin. He’d turned the lights back out, but Dare was willing to bet that Chris was inside laughing his ass off.

      Molly put her palms to her cheeks. “Was I … loud?”

      She spoke so low that Dare barely heard the question. He hugged her into his side. “You were, are, beautiful, and Chris is just a dumbass. Don’t give him another thought.”

      He opened the back door to the house, and they both stepped inside. Dark except for