Page 36 of Dagger

“Stop, I’m not asking for an apology.” The truth was that I hated he was just another liar, but that wasn’t the only thing I hated. “You lied to me and I still like you, Dagger. And that really pisses me off.” I hated that a man could lie to me, lowkey stalk me, and still I found him attractive and charming and desirable. “I reallyhatethat.”

A long silence settled between us. At first, I thought he was going to brush it off, to avoid responding, but then he spoke, and I held my breath, fixed on his every word.

“I watched you, Sinclair, because I wanted you from the moment I saw you, smiling all the way up to your eyes at everyone you came across. You bent low and treated the kids like they mattered, and you’re gorgeous. That’s why I left you the roses.”

“It was you?” I asked. It had only happened on two occasions and then stopped. I’d chalked it down to one of life’s mysteries. I’d actually wondered if it was my stalker—my other stalker—but his style was bricks through the window and intimidation.

Dagger shrugged, “Yeah. It seemed like a sweet gesture, but then I realized it was just plain creepy. Honestly, I didn’t mean to watch you, all I wanted to do was to make sure you were a good person. But then I couldn’t stop…”

I looked away, embarrassed by his kind, intense words.

“I wanted you so fucking bad, but I don’t do commitment and everything about you says you’re a woman who doesn’t do casual or half-ass. But I couldn’t stop thinking about you. So I watched you, determined to find the fatal flaw that would let me forget you.” His tone was so anguished, so serious that I didn’t know what to expect.

Those words shouldn’t be hot. They shouldn’t hit me in a way that sent desire pulsing through my body. They shouldn’t short-circuit my brain and erase the anger I spoke of a few moments ago.

The dark expression faded, and a bemused smile spread across his face. “And then you handed me my ass when it came to Dani, and I knew I couldn’t have you. Couldn’t keep you. No matter what.”

There it was again, that sense of not being good enough. He wanted me. Hell, he’d had me and still he didn’t want to keep me. “Well, we’ve already slept together, so I should be out of your system. You can get on with your life and forget all about me.”

Dagger let out a loud laugh, the kind that echoed off the walls. “Wouldn’t things be a hell of a lot less complicated if that was the case?” He looked at me with a mix of heat and confusion. “Having you was better, more explosive than I thought it would be, but it wasn’t enough. Now you’re just burrowed deeper under my skin.”

I shook my head, refusing to let those words take hold in my mind. “You’re dangerous,” I told him honestly. It wasn’t just his biker lifestyle or the fact that he operated on both sides of the law. Oh no, he was attractive and charming. He was a man I liked even though I knew I shouldn’t, and that’s what made him dangerous.

“Because of the MC?”

“No,” I sighed, pretending I wasn’t just having those same thoughts. “You are dangerous to my heart, Dagger. Men, in my experience, don’t stick. At least not for me.” I swallowed around those words and closed my eyes tight. “So, while I like you, more than I probably should, this thing is destined to end, horribly or amicably. I adore your daughter and I like my job, so I’m not ready to blow up this version of my life.”

“Maybe this one will stick.”

I laughed and shook my head. “As much as I’ve always wanted to believe that, I know it’s not true. Especially with a man who already admitted that he doesn’t do commitment.”

“Why are you bringing up the past?” he asked jokingly.

I laughed, but he had no idea that I was forced to remember the past so that I didn’t doom myself to repeat it. I used to be young and hopeful, naïvely believing a man when he said he loved me and would be there for me. It started with my father, and it was a pattern that continued with every relationship I entered. I smartened up and opted out of relationships because I knew that no matter how badly I wanted it, no man would stick around. “When someone shows you who they are, believe them. I think that’s doubly true when someone tells you who they are.”

Dagger’s smile dimmed. His lips pulled tight into something that might’ve been a smile but wasn’t. “But you like me?”

I nodded. “Yep. I like you, Dagger. I want you too. But it won’t go anywhere, and if I spend too much time with you, I’ll convince myself that it can go somewhere. And when it doesn’t, I’ll be the one heartbroken and alone.”

Dagger’s serious expression remained fixed on my face, but he had no words of reassurance to offer, so I turned away from him and closed my eyes until I drifted off to sleep.

Chapter 20

Dagger

“This isn’t necessary.” Sinclair pushed in close to me, her tits pressed right up against my arm. Her scent invaded my nostrils, stronger than the nachos we made for dinner and stronger than the chocolate cake that was still baking in the oven. “This is time for you and Dani. Father-daughter time.” I knew she was thinking of her younger self and how badly she wanted her father’s attention.

“Dani is right there.” I pointed to where my daughter was bent over peeking inside the oven to check on the cake’s progress. “And I’m here. We’re together, which means father-daughter time.”

Her gaze narrowed at me, and she folded her arms which did nothing to hide her gorgeous tits beneath that olive-green cardigan. “You don’t play fair, do you?”

I laughed. “This is the best place for you right now since this is where I am. And neither Dani nor I mind having you here.” I held my fingers in front of her face. “Are you okay? Feeling dizzy or nauseous?”

She smacked my hand away. “I’m fine.”

I laughed, happy to have her here in my home where she was safe. “It’s my job to make sure you’re okay.”

She blinked slowly, her eyes wide and sparkling under the golden kitchen lights. “I appreciate you taking your job so seriously, Dagger.” She placed one gentle hand on my chest.“Now are these special hour-long nachos or can we eat before I gnaw off my forearm?”

---