Page 15

Dagger

I slept like shit last night. After getting Dani settled in bed at home, I took a hot shower and let my thoughts drift back to Sinclair.

She’d been quiet and subdued last night, her hazel eyes bright with tears she refused to let fall.

She kept her arms wrapped tight around her waist, a protective gesture.

She was scared but too damn stubborn to admit it.

After watching the way she put Dani first, the way she shouted at me that she had no one in her life who cared about her, my protective instincts rose to the surface.

All I wanted to do was take her face in my hands and kiss her until she submitted, until she moaned and went soft against me. But it wasn’t the right time.

I couldn’t take her, couldn’t make her mine until she knew the truth.

I spent all night figuring out how to tell her about her stalker without revealing that I’d been watching her too.

There was no way, not really. But it had to be done, so I spent the day at Steel City Ink trying to figure out what I’d say to her.

“You got a minute?” Falcon appeared at my station while I was wrapping up the first stage of a sleeve.

“Yeah, what’s up?”

Falcon stepped inside and dropped down in the freshly sanitized chair. “The other night I was out at Leather and Chrome with Shasta, you know, with those perfect tits?”

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, the newest club whore?”

He shrugged. “She’s got a bangin’ bod and she knows how to use it.” You’d never know the fucker had been shot not that long ago because Falcon didn’t let anything get in the way of sinking into a warm, willing woman.

“Are you here to tell me about fucking Shasta?”

“No. I had a kid come in last night just before closing to get that tattoo you told me to keep an eye on. He was real chatty, talking about becoming a prospect for a new MC. Bloody Devils MC. No charters and no connections, just a group of assholes who couldn’t hang on to their clubs teaming up to try it again. ”

That’s what I was worried about. “Did he give any names?”

“Nah, he just kept talking about being a prospect and how so far they have him doing scut work.” Falcon laughed, probably thinking about the scut work he’d been assigned.

“But he’s young, nineteen and eager to prove himself.

Told him how much chicks dig tattoos, and he made another appointment for next week. ”

I smiled. “Good job, Falcon. I’ll let Diesel know but keep your ears open.”

“Will do. Figured I’d hit up a few of the brothels to see if they heard anything. Young bikers flush with cash will want to show off and get pussy.”

“Take T-bone or Pike with you, just to be safe.” As soon as Falcon was gone, I grabbed my phone and sent a quick text to Slate and Diesel, knowing they would spread the word.

A new MC meant new trouble for the Steel Demons, especially if they were trying to operate on our turf, but it also meant dumb ass initiation bullshit, which could be the reason somebody was watching Sinclair.

I didn’t believe it, but right now it was our best lead.

If it was the Bloody Devils, this was a problem that could be solved quickly.

If it was someone else, well, I’d worry about that when the time came. For now, I had to keep Sinclair close in an effort to keep her safe, which meant I had to come clean about watching her.

***

The minute I was done at the shop, I headed to the clubhouse. To Sinclair.

“How is she?” I asked.

Slate shrugged. “Been in her room all day. The girls brought her some food and tried to check on her, but she insisted she was fine.”

Of course she did, because as I was learning about her, she kept her own counsel, kept her emotions to herself.

“Thanks.” I clapped Slate on the shoulder and made my way down the hall, stopping in front of my door.

Sinclair was on the other side. I paused for a moment and took a deep breath, debating whether or not to knock or barge right in.

I still had no fucking clue what to say to her, but I had to tell her something. She needed to be cautious, especially since she was new in town. In the end, I gripped the doorknob and twisted, stepping inside and surprising her.

Sinclair looked up and her breath hitched before a slow smile spread from ear to ear. “Hey.”

I said nothing as my legs carried me across the room in long, determined strides.

Her eyes widened in surprise, and she got to her feet, taking a few steps back until she was trapped between me and the wall.

“Hey,” I growled, and cupped one side of her face, running my thumb up and down the curve of her jaw.

“Your skin is so fucking soft.” My words were filled with wonder as my other hand slid around to the back of her neck.

Then I couldn’t wait one fucking second longer to taste her lips.

She gasped a quick second before my mouth crashed down on hers, igniting a fiery explosion of lips and tongues.

Sinclair melted immediately, soft as fuck, hot and pliant beneath my palms. My head spun at the electricity that arced between us, hot and sizzling, and that’s when I knew my mistake.

Kissing Sinclair right now, like this, so fucking hot from the first touch, made it impossible to stop.

Her lips parted easily, inviting me to devour every hot inch of her mouth.

I groaned and pushed my body against hers, loving that she was soft everywhere I was hard.

When she moaned, I nearly lost my shit, growling from somewhere deep in my chest and intensifying the kiss.

I needed more , so I ground my cock against her, pulling out another moan.

That moan, soft and hungry, made me want to rip every inch of her clothes from her body, see what color her nipples were and what they tasted like.

I wanted to consume every inch of her, tattoo my name all over her body with my lips.

I couldn’t do that. Not yet.

I couldn’t take this further than kissing right now. Even though it killed me, I pulled back.

She gasped and licked her lips, a faint smile on her face. “What was that for?”

“I’ve been wanting to do that since I first saw you,” I admitted honestly. “I figured now was the best time to see what those gorgeous lips taste like because I have something to tell you and I’m pretty sure you’re gonna hate me, at least for a little while.”

Her smile vanished as she took one huge step to the right, putting distance between us.

I grabbed her hands before she was too far out of my grasp, too far gone. My lips still tingled from that kiss and there was no fucking way in hell that would be my first and last taste. “I’ve been watching you.”

Her eyes widened, and this time it was a mixture of shock and fear. “What?”

I nodded. I had to tell her some of the truth if not the whole damn story. “Before I asked for your help, I checked you out. I had to, a new teacher who my daughter’s absolutely fascinated with. Given my life and my history, I had to know who you are.”

She tried to step back again, but asshole that I am, I gripped her tighter. “So you watched me instead of getting a background check like a normal person?”

“I did a background check, but that just tells me whether or not you’ve been caught, not who you are or what you’re like. So, yeah, I watched you.” My tone was defiant because even though I knew it was creepy as fuck, I didn’t feel bad about it. “But I wasn’t the only one.”

That stopped her struggling immediately. “What?”

“Yeah.” I sighed and loosened my grip on her. “A few times I watched you, I noticed I wasn’t alone. He was more brazen, standing close to your house and peering into your windows.”

Fear darkened her eyes, and she took a step back. “Few times?”

I nodded, an apologetic look on my face that I didn’t feel. “Yeah, like I said, I just wanted to see who you were as a person, but when I saw that guy, I kept coming back to see what he was up to.” I pulled out my phone and showed her the blurry image of him I’d snapped. “Do you know this man?”

She barked out a laugh and shook her head. “Considering he looks like he was photographed with a potato, no. And apparently, I don’t know you very well either.”

“So there’s no old boyfriends or lover who might want to get back with you?”

She shook her head. “No. And the last thing I had that resembled a relationship was more than two years ago. And considering he cheated on me, I doubt he’d follow me for two states.”

“This man’s been hanging around for a while now, Sinclair. I know you want to be pissed off about me watching you, but this is more important.” She was a reasonable woman, surely, she could see that.

Sinclair’s gaze hit the floor, darting back and forth as if she was processing everything I told her. “I can’t believe you knew about this for weeks and you said nothing.”

That wasn’t what I expected.

“I thought I was going crazy, feeling as though someone was watching me, but everywhere I looked, there was no one there. It was you and whoever the hell this guy is the whole damn time!” She jerked out of my grasp and put the whole damn room between us.

“I’m sorry about that. Hell, I didn’t even think you’d notice.”

She scoffed. “Because I’m some fucking idiot?”

“No,” I shook my head, “because I was being careful, always at a distance.”

“I thought I was paranoid.”

“Come with me.” I took her hand, ignoring her attempts to break free while I tugged her out of the room and into the MC office where Slate, Diesel, and Gio sat huddled together. “Guys,” I called out to get their attention in case they were talking about sensitive club matters.

Slate looked up first, his gaze landing on Sinclair first. “Hey, man, what’s up?”

“Can you show Sinclair the photos of the Bloody Devils MC to see if she recognizes any of them?”

She frowned and yanked free of my grasp. “You’re the only biker I know!” She glanced around the room and then back up at me. “Wait, you think this might have something to do with you? That’s why you’re so worried, it has nothing to do with me.” She backed away from me slowly, shaking her head.

“Sinclair, that’s not it.” Not completely anyway.

“Whatever.” She slashed a hand through the air and turned to Slate, already pushed up to the desk. “What do you want me to look at?”

A series of photos popped up on the computer screen. “Just say the word if you recognize any of them.”

Sinclair nodded and turned towards the screens, giving me her back.

I watched, feeling helpless as she shook her head, saying she didn’t recognize face after face on the screen. If it wasn’t any of those guys watching her, who the fuck was it?

“Outside of the people in this room, the only people I know in this town work at Steel City Elementary,” she finally said in a tone that spoke volumes.

She was angry and annoyed, with me and the situation she now thought I put her in.

“Whoever is allegedly watching me doesn’t know me. ” Her glare cut to me again.

“Sinclair.” My tone was neutral, but inside my body was at war. My pulse raced and the blood rushed through my veins so goddamn loud I could hear it above everything.

“Don’t even,” she snarled, and walked away in sharp, angry steps.

I rushed out, following after her like some damn lovesick puppy, but I didn’t give a shit. I needed to talk to her. To clear the air.

I needed to make her understand.

“Just leave me alone,” she shouted, and then she slammed the door in my face, punctuating the move with a loud click of the lock.

I could’ve unlocked the door. Hell, I could have busted the fucking thing down, but I didn’t. I gave her time.

I gave myself time too.

Time to let her cool down.

Time to regroup.