play with her hair—he loved touching it, probably as much as she loved feeling his fingers against her scalp. So why not?
She studied the Aztec symbols traveling up his muscular, tattooed arm. She was so used to the lilting melody of his slight Brazilian accent that she’d almost forgotten that the Amazon jungles were a part of his heritage. There was so much about him that she didn’t know, and she wondered if she’d ever have a chance after this. The strange symbols disappeared into the sleeves of his tacky ghost tour shirt that bulged against his biceps. That was the strength that had stopped Vin from taking out his rage on her. She was grateful Janson had taken her beating, but also worried as she watched him. He’d definitely been hurt.
She still hadn’t forgiven him for tricking her earlier about his feelings, but she’d give him a pass for now, especially as she began to piece together what his stepmother was asking. The lady was courting jail time for taking them both captive. How on earth did she expect to keep them all quiet after she got her money? There was no way. Mollie wouldn’t be surprised if his stepmother had no intention of letting Janson or her live to tell the tale. She didn’t want to break it to him, not in his condition.
His hand that wasn’t in her hair grasped the ends of his sling, so tightly that she knew he was fighting against some invisible force that she couldn’t fathom. She ran her knuckles across his arm in a comforting, rhythmic motion. He squinted over at her and forced a chuckle. “Hey, Red, is this place really haunted?”
His effort to sound normal made her want to cry, but she nodded and did her best to match his tone. “Yes,” she said, “but only if we want it to be.” She lowered her voice, not wanting Dwayne to hear any more details of her private life than he had a right to. “I had a trap set up for you in the catacombs...”
Instead of seeming amused, his expression turned sober. “I’m sorry we didn’t get to make that memory.”
No, they’d made other memories. She fell into silence, her eyes drifting to the door. “That was your stepmother?”
“I don’t want to talk about her.” His eyes didn’t leave hers, like he was trying to memorize her face. “I want to talk about you. You’ve put a lot of thought into decorating this place—what’s with the Phantom of the Opera chandelier?”
She blushed. “I like to collect antiques.”
“That’s yours?”
“Yeah.” She still moved her hand over his arm, almost unconsciously trying to comfort him as she got lost in their conversation. “It’s just a thing I do. I go to estate sales a lot—antiques are an inside peek into the lives of those who lived before us. You really get to know people when you see the things they cherish.”
His fingers fell from her hair and rested on her hand, trapping her in place to study her Molinero ring. “You cherish this town.” She shrugged. Sure. She might embellish a few things here and there in her tours, but there was nothing Mollie enjoyed more than sharing the history of the place that she loved. He wouldn’t let her get away with a shrug. His eyes poured his soul into hers. “You cherish every moment you put into your Ghost Tour business, even down to that shrunken head you keep in your store.”
She smothered her giggle with her hand. “My mom made it out of an orange, so...”
He laughed breathlessly. “I like that about you. I like... everything about you. I just wanted you to know that if anything happens, I don’t regret that kiss.”
She blinked. Well, he certainly knew what to say to make her soften towards him. Was this one of those sexy romantic things Brazilians said? Still, there was no way she was going to let him get away with what he’d done. She shook her head, feeling her smile jump free from her tightly pressed lips at the same time. “It was a dumb move.”
“Yeah,” he admitted.
“And you still don’t regret it?”
“No.” He was being unbelievably vulnerable right now, unnaturally so. His breathing was labored, and she wondered if he was okay. No way was he being truthful. “What about you?” he asked. “You’re not going to admit that you liked kissing me?”
Mollie jerked in shock. If she wasn’t getting the vibe from him that he was