Page 25 of Dagger

Years later, that part of her wasn’t trembling anymore. It wasawake.

She saw it so damn clearly, Brian had never tried to control her outright, but he had subtly shaped her world to keep her where he wanted her. Comfortable. Dependent. Home.

Sometimes, in her darkest moments, she wondered if that was why Brian had asked Dagger to be their sperm donor. She had kept pushing for more, and maybe Brian’s fear that she would break loose was too strong. Those boys had kept her home, tied to him, too busy with babies to chase her own ambitions. Because if she was raising their children, she wouldn’t be out there proving she could stand on her own. Because as much as Brian had loved her, he had never really wanted her to fly.

Dagger’s control wasn’t like Brian’s. Dagger didn’t soften her edges, he sharpened them. He didn’t dismiss her fire, he fueled it. He didn’t rein her in, he dared her to run harder, to push further, to be everything she was meant to be. He never told her she couldn’t. He never told her to slow down. He never told her to play it safe. Because Dagger’s control had nothing to do with holding her back. It was about lifting her up, her throat closed, so she could soar.

She trembled on a high, deep, dark precipice. Her mouth went dry, and her eyes flicked to the people around the table. “His name is Kade Hollis. He’s my brother-in-law.”

“He’s a SEAL,” David said with conviction, something flickering in his eyes, and she chalked it up to the way Delta and the SEALs squared off against each other, same military, different mindsets.

“He can rescue me anytime,” Piper said. Before she knew what she was doing, she lurched out of her seat toward the bar, hanging on the edge like it was a lifeline, that maw yawning below her, threatening to swallow her whole.

She let go and leapt into the abyss. “Tequila,” she ordered

The rhythmic clangof iron and the dull thud of fists meeting a heavy bag filled the otherwise empty gym. Dagger barely registered the sweat rolling down his bare back, the strain in his muscles, or the sting of his knuckles. Regret was heavy on him. He should have stuck around back there when they left the bar, the hurt on his teammates’ faces dug into him like nothing else could. They’d had his back in there just like they did on the battlefield, and with the exception of Twister, he’d cut them all out of something so meaningful, he had lost his shit in front of them all. Tex’s reaction kicked him hard. He was pissed, trying to hide his feeling of betrayal behind that mask of anger. But he knew his leader, and the fact that Dagger was struggling with something so devastating would make every protective instinct rise to the surface.

He loved them, and he’d betrayed their trust. That would have to be fixed.

But now, he needed the burn, the punishing blows, the release of tension, or he would do something reckless, something so out of character, he’d feel the consequences for the rest of his life.

Anything to drown out the war raging in his chest. Quinn’s voice still clawed at him, still raw and sharp. The way she’d looked at him, with fire, with fury, with something he couldn’t afford to name."I want you gone."

His jaw clenched, and he slammed another punch into the bag. Harder. Faster.

She didn’t know. She’d never know.

"You took them from me. You’re the reason?—"

His knuckles cracked against leather, but he didn’t stop. Couldn’t stop.

"You let your guard down, you lose."

Brian’s mocking voice cut through the chaos. His face overlaid against the bag. Dagger sucked in a breath. The gym flickered out of focus. Brian had believed that. Lived by it. Now he was dead.

Dagger flexed his fists, breathing hard. He’d promised. He’d told Brian he would watch out for them, make sure his family was safe.

But in the end, he’d been the one to fracture them, taking her boys away. He punched the dead center of his brother’s face. Not only did he have to pick up the pieces of Quinn’s life, while her resentment and hate grew, but Brian had left his own pieces lying around for Dagger to deal with.

Fighting for his nephews was absolute. They were his biological offspring, and she couldn't ever take that away from him. But his love for her burned so hot, so intensely, it was excruciating. To have her say that she never wanted to see him again was like ripping out his heart. Frustration drowned him. SEALs never quit. They were always in the fight, always.Something stirred inside him. What if he showed her what he was feeling, showed her what he had concealed inside him, showed her...? His whole body stilled, so tight that muscles could snap…physically. He almost bit his tongue thinking about how good that would feel to finally touch her, hold her, put his mouth on those lush, full lips and let her suck his soul dry, then refill it again.

His body hardened, aching for her softness, his dick thickening in his cotton shorts, pushing the fabric of his jock strap to overflowing. Blood rushed, his heart pumping with his exertion, and the thought of filling her with every intention of taking her again and again made him shudder with the need so long denied. His body. His thoughts. His iron will to do as Brian asked, even at the sacrifice of her disdain, her hatred, her resentment, and her goddamned heart-wrenching grief. He’d forbidden these aching, impossible thoughts from ever creeping in. Steadfastly supporting her against his brother’s deep-seated fear of somehow losing her.

Brian had never even known what he had, and he’d squandered her love, tried to tie her down and, in the process, whether he knew it or not, break her to his will. It saddened Dagger to think that if Brian hadn’t died, he might have succeeded because her love had always been his, but all Brian saw was the fear.

All Dagger could see was Quinn’s indomitable spirit, her fire, her brilliance. He never doubted that she would one day land a contract as big as a US Embassy. It was clear she was proud of the accomplishment, but the reality of her words hit him hard. She had changed and found her strength, something he always knew was there inside her, something Brian was too afraid of and refused to notice. It was clear she was on her game. State didn’t hand out embassy contracts lightly. This wasn’t just a building, it was a symbol of US sovereignty, a statement ofpower and diplomacy on foreign soil. Every beam, every wall, had to reflect strength, stability, and everything the US stood for. He was eager to see it built. He knew it would be spectacular.

He reached for the bag again, planting his feet for another round?—

"Goddammit, Dagger, you trying to break yourself?"

The voice cut through the fog. Tex.

Dagger exhaled hard, but he didn’t turn around. Didn’t stop.

"Walk away, LT." There was a plea underlying his hard tone.

"Not happening." Tex’s footsteps were steady, measured, but Dagger could feel the heat rolling off him. Tex was going to have his say, and fuck it. He deserved that. He deserved that respect. This man kept him alive, made the tough decisions, ran them into the ground when he thought that was needed, but cut them slack with the kind of compassion not many Navy officers were willing to show.

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