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“He did. But it was actually meant for someone else.”

Her dad raised a brow, then a knowing look came over him. “I see. The other guy who is interested in you.”

Just the thought of M and the time they’d sharedtogether last night brought a grin and a bunch of warm feelings. “He’s not what everyone thinks.”

“How do you know?”

“Because we had a really good talk last night. A talk like I’ve never had with a man. He was honest about not being able to tell me everything about his life but promised that he’d never lie to me.”

Her dad took a seat beside her. “Why can’t he talk about his life?” The question wasn’t accusing but interested.

“To protect me and himself. I don’t exactly know why, except that maybe the things he knows about the motorcycle club aren’t entirely safe for others to know. He swore he isn’t into anything illegal, and I believed him.”

“Don’t you think he’d say that just so you’d think he’s a good guy and want to be with him?” Again, her dad kept things inquisitive.

“He wasn’t trying to convince me he’s a good guy. In fact he told me now is not a good time for us to be together. He cares about me. He wants to be with me, but he also thinks it’s best no one knows we’re seeing each other because he doesn’t want to put me at risk.”

Concern filled her dad’s eyes. “Lyric, doesn’t that tell you something about his life?”

Yes. But...“I can’t explain it. I believe he’s trying to get away from whatever is going on in his life, so he can be with me. But it’s also not just about me. I think he really wants something different for himself, and I’m just a part of what he wants.”

Wade sighed and stared off into the distance. “I don’t like that these two men are inserting themselves into your life, and neither is doing it in a way that makes you feel safe.”

She put her hand on his arm. “That’s just it. I know M would never hurt me. If I’d asked him to leave immediately last night, he’d have walked out the door.”

“M?”

“He goes by Viper, but I didn’t want to call him that.”

“Why not call him by his real name?”

“He wouldn’t give it to me.” She squeezed his arm to stop him from telling her again why that sounded like a bad thing. She already knew it did. “It was one of the things he didn’t want to lie to me about, and he asked me to trust him that in time he’d tell me everything. But right now, for his own reasons, he didn’t want to share it. So he said he’d answer to anything I wanted to call him.”

Wade wore a dubious expression. “WhyM?”

She didn’t want to share that with her dad because then he’d know how deep she was already in with M. “I actually guessed the first letter of his name.”

“So it’s probably something like Michael or Mark or Matthew.”

“Maybe. The thing is, I don’t really care what his name is.”

“Why not? That seems like the least of what you should know about him.”

“Because he’s shown me he’s protective, kind, gentle, and willing to say he’s sorry and listen when I tell him how I feel and what I want. Rick showed up and didn’t care about what I said or wanted. He just wanted what he wanted.”

“And what was that?”

“To barge into my apartment and be with me despite the fact I told him the song wasn’t for him. I didn’t want to see him, and I wanted him to leave.”

“Was M with you when Rick showed up?”

“Yes. But he didn’t want anyone, including Rick, to see us together.”

“And he didn’t step in and kick Rick out?”

“He let me handle it, because I was handling it. If Rick hadn’t left or had pushed his way inside, I have no doubt M would have stepped in to help me.”

He eyed her again. “You’re sure?”