Hot Winter Nights (Heartbreaker Bay #6)(44)

“Not true,” Molly said, her back to the both of them as she set the table. “He got smart and dumped me.”

Lucas slid his gaze to Alan, who had the good grace to look abashed, but he recovered quickly. “Any man who isn’t man enough to look his woman’s father in the eyes isn’t man enough to miss.”

“Well, much as I’d like to blame it on your childish behavior,” Molly said, still not facing them. “He dumped me because of me, not you.”

There was remembered pain in her voice and her body language was off, as if maybe she was ashamed. Lucas started toward her, but her dad put out a hand to stop him. “That just makes him a fucker on top of being a pansy-ass,” he said to Molly’s back. “Want me to end him for you?”

She laughed. “Dad, it was years ago now, you know that.”

Her dad relaxed when she laughed. “Well, the offer still stands,” he said. “You just let me know. And same goes for this one too,” he said with a chin jerk in Lucas’s direction.

“I told you, he’s just a coworker.”

Her dad looked Lucas right in the eyes. “Gonna call bullshit on that one, sweetheart.”

Molly ignored them both, sitting down at the table to dig in. “I’m hungry enough to eat all of this on my own, so I’d get to it if I were you.”

That got her dad’s attention. He pulled up to the table and dropped his phone in Molly’s lap before starting to load up a plate for himself. “The thing’s broken,” he said. “It says I’m out of memory.”

“How is that even possible?” Molly picked up the phone and began to thumb through it. “Ah. Found the problem.”

“Knew you would.” Her dad glanced at Lucas. “She’s the smartest person in our whole family.”

Lucas smiled. The guy was badass and as tough as they came, but he clearly had a soft spot for his daughter.

And as it turned out, so did Lucas.

Molly held up the phone, opened to photos. “You’ve got like thirteen thousand pics of Buddy in here.”

“He likes having his picture taken.”

“Dad, you don’t need thirteen thousand pics of your dog. Delete all but a few hundred.”

Her dad grumbled and slid Buddy a few scraps under the table.

Molly sighed. “And you’re not supposed to feed him like that either.”

“What, he likes takeout. Hey, can Buddy travel? Like on a plane?”

“Why?” Molly asked suspiciously. “You hate airplanes, and as far as I know you’ve not been on one since you got home from your last tour of duty.”

Her dad shrugged. “It’s too cold here right now. I was thinking of going somewhere warm.”

“Like?”

“Like a deserted island.”

“But then who would you yell at?” Molly asked.

Her dad barked out a low laugh. “Good point. How about just a regular island then, with unlimited dogs and pizza. Come on, name something better than that. I’ll wait.”

Molly shook her head, but her eyes were soft and her mouth was curved. She clearly loved him very much, a feeling that was just as clearly mutual. She didn’t appear to mind taking care of him either, which he knew she’d been doing for a very long time, back to when she should have had someone taking care of her.

When they’d finished eating, Lucas helped Molly clean up and then she grabbed her purse. “It’s getting late and it’s a work night.”

“Uh-huh. Thought he wasn’t your boyfriend,” he said, eyes back on Lucas in a way that said he wished he still had his rifle.

“He’s not,” Molly said. “We’re working a job together—which you can’t tell Joe about.”

“Why not?”

“Because I asked real nice.”

Her dad narrowed his gaze.

“If you tell,” Molly told him, “I’ll stop bringing you those Cuban cigars you’re not supposed to have.”

“You were never even here,” Alan said.

She hugged and kissed him goodbye. “You’re my favorite,” she whispered.

“And you’re mine,” Alan whispered back so easily that Lucas knew it was part of their routine.

Molly laughed, lightening the moment. “You say the same to Joe, right?”

Her dad just smiled.

When they were on the road again, Molly glanced over at Lucas. “You’re quiet. You okay?”

He was lost in thought. And guilt. He hated that he was with her on the pretense of the job because Archer and Joe had asked him to be. Because the truth was, he was in regardless, and now there was a new element too. He wanted her to solve this case and prove herself to her boss and brother so they’d let her be who she was meant to be. She was smart and fun and sexy and easy to talk to, and he enjoyed the hell out of her.

And when that had sneaked up on him, he had no clue.

Half an hour later, they were back at the Pacific Pier Building. “Come up,” he said and she looked across the console at him, silent. Contemplating.

To sway the vote in his favor, he leaned in, palmed the back of her head and kissed her.

When she pulled back, she was looking dazed and breathless. He was no better. “Come up,” he said again.