Page 17 of Dagger

She nodded.

“I’m a patched member,” I explained. “I was always headed down this route. It was either military or MC, and you know which one I chose.” It wasn’t like I was looking for an MC, but I left home at eighteen and a few months later I was a prospect with the Steel Demons.

“MC, is that like a biker gang?”

I offered a half smile. “It’s a common misperception, but we’re a club not a gang. We own businesses, including the tattoo parlor which I run, a gun range, an auto repair shop, night clubs, and even a few weed shops.” I kept quiet about the other slightly less legal stuff that we did, which was on a strictly need-to-know basis.

“My dad owed a biker gang once,” she mused out loud. “There was nothing legitimate about them, at least I don’t think so.”

That was another piece of information about her life that I tucked away to examine later. “You have an opinion about it?”

She shrugged. “Yeah, motorcycles are dangerous. They call them donor cycles, you know?”

I laughed. “That’s not what I meant, but okay. There’s a reason I’m telling you this, Sinclair.”

Her expression sobered and she gave a short nod. “Okay.”

“I’m not a bad father. I love Dani very much.” I hated explaining myself, but this was important.

“It’s obvious that you love her,” she said in a quiet voice.

Her words surprised me, but I pushed forward. “I grew up in a household with a father who taught me to believe that love was a weakness and that it could and would be used against you.”

Understanding dawned in her eyes. “So you’re distant from Dani to keep both of you safe?”

It was gratifying to have someone understand so completely, which was also a little terrifying. “Yeah. Especiallyafter what happened with her mom. But now I see that’s caused some long-lasting problems that I’m not sure I can fix, but I have to try. I hate the way Dani looks at me, always so wary of me. Not fear, but just like she never knows what to expect.” I didn’tdovulnerability—it was the quickest route to an early grave. But I had to do this for Dani. For both of us.

“You want to show her that you’re more than her protector?”

“Yeah, exactly that. And I need your help.” I hadn’t asked anyone outside of my MC for help in a long damn time. I held my breath and waited for an answer, watching every flicker of emotion as it crossed her face.

Chapter 11

Sinclair

He wanted my help with his daughter. How could I possibly say no to such a request? Dagger didn’t strike me as a man who asked for help easily. In fact, he seemed more like the kind of man to dig out his own bullet and stitch up the wound before he’d ask another person for help. It was a testament to how much his daughter meant to him, that he was willing to ask a stranger for help improving his relationship. Helping him would help Dani, and she deserved the father that he wanted to become for her, which meant I had to do it.

I needed to get over the off-the-hook attraction and just say yes. It had nothing to do with his rugged good looks or the fact that he could be more than charming when he wasn’t snarling at people. It was the right thing to do for both of them. That was all.

I hoped.

“If you don’t want to do it,” Dagger began in a surly, uncertain tone, “you can just say so. No hard feelings.”

His deep voice managed to cut through my thoughts, drawing my attention to his deep blue eyes. In them I saw just how much it cost him to make the request. “No,” I sighed, and tore my gaze from his handsome face and focused on the small swirl of dark liquid cooling in the bottom of the cup. “It’s not that, I was just… thinking.”

His lips slowly parted into a grin. “Thinking of saying no?”

This fun, teasing version of Dagger was too damn irresistible, so instead of smiling back, I shrugged. “Just weighing my options.”

Dagger nodded, his smile dimmed at whatever he perceived about my words or my tone. “Am I the thing keeping you from saying yes?”

“No, not really.” I could be honest with him without revealing my attraction, which I was sure I hadn’t done a good job hiding anyway. “If I say yes, that means getting involved, and that could be a sticky situation for all of us. I know what you’re talking about is purely business, but if the school found out about us meeting then it might reflect badly on me.” I let out a long, heavy breath.

Concern clouded his eyes. “I understand.”

That resignation touched something deep within me, and I opened my mouth, almost agreeing to help without thinking things through. “I’m not saying no, Dagger. There aren’t any rules, it’s just something that I have to keep in mind. To make sure it all stays professional.”

Even if I want to jump your bones.

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