Dare to Hold (Dare to Love 4)

She eyed the bottle, a pleased expression on her makeup-free face. “That’s a considerate choice. Come on in.”

He stepped inside, and she locked the door behind him. He couldn’t gauge her mood, and that, more than anything, made him edgy. He wasn’t sure whether or not to bring up the subject of Rick, then decided to take her lead.

He turned to face her. She definitely hadn’t been expecting company. She wore a pair of pale blue silk shorts and a matching silk tank top, no bra. His gaze zeroed in on the pointy tips of her nipples poking through the light material, and desire swelled inside him. But he didn’t kid himself that she’d be interested in fucking him, and he braced himself for the fight to come.

She took the bottle out of his hand and headed for the kitchen. He followed, watching her ass, the faintest hint of rounded skin showing beneath the edge of her shorts.

His mouth grew dry, and he could use a sip of that water.

She collected two glasses from the cabinet and opened the top. “So how did your boss take you leaving?”

“He wished me well. He knew how much I hated the rules… When I thought I could handle something, I resented having my hands tied by regulations.” Scott shrugged. “He said I was better off being someone else’s problem. I let him know I’d be my own boss, and we parted ways on somewhat good terms.”

She finished pouring the drinks and handed him one. “To new beginnings.” She touched his glass with hers, then, keeping her gaze trained on his, she took a sip.

He did the same, completely off-balance at her unexpected good mood. Actually, it was more than good. Her entire demeanor had shifted into a happy space, and he narrowed his gaze, unable to figure her out.

“Okay, dammit, why aren’t you yelling at me?” he asked, unable to wait for her to slam him for placing Rick on her tail.

A sexy smile lifted her lips and she laughed. “Am I making you sweat?” she asked cheekily.

He liked this sassy Meg. “Yes. Care to explain?”

She lifted one delicate shoulder. “When I realized I had someone following me—”

“You mean when Olivia pointed Rick out,” Scott corrected.

Meg raised her hand. “In her defense, I had already mentioned we’d been to Tyler’s and that he was helping me out. She assumed I knew about the bodyguard.”

He inclined his head, less interested in his sister’s role than Meg’s feelings on the subject. “Go on.”

“When I realized you had someone following me, I was furious.”

Her eyes flashed with emotion and he braced himself. “Here it comes.”

“No. Because as I drove home, I realized that, thanks to you, I could get out of my car and walk to my door without looking over my shoulder or fearing Mike would pop out of the bushes to attack me. And I realized how lucky I was to have someone in my life who wanted to look out for me.” She took another sip of her drink and looked at him over the rim of the glass, a light blush covering her cheeks.

“So you aren’t angry.”

“I’m not happy you didn’t talk to me first. Or warn me. But no, I’m not angry.”

He stepped closer, drawn to this softer, more open Meg. “I’d already decided that I’d made a mistake. I would have filled you in tonight.”

She ran her tongue over her lips, and his gut tightened as he followed the sexy movement. “Is that why you’re here? To discuss security?” she asked.

He placed his drink on the kitchen counter. Took hers from her hand and set it down beside his. “No, I’m here because I can’t stay away from you. But I’d much rather get the lecture out of the way so we can move on to more pleasurable things.” He stroked his knuckles over her cheek, around her jaw, and down the soft skin on her neck.

She visibly swallowed hard. “Are you going to ask me before you make decisions that involve me from now on?”

“Yes. Unless you’re not around, in which case I’ll run them by you as soon as possible afterwards.”

She nodded. “And if I don’t agree, we’ll reach a compromise?” she pressed on.

Now she was pushing him to make promises he couldn’t keep. “I won’t compromise on your safety, but we will talk.” It was the best he could offer.

As he spoke, he trailed his fingertips along the loose edge of her tank top. Goose b

umps prickled along her chest, her skin there flushed, and her nipples became harder peaks. He was dying to take one into his mouth, but they needed to finish up this conversation, and he shifted positions to accommodate his thickening length. The hard denim of his jeans was damned uncomfortable.