Page 26

Sinclair

“I was on the run from my abusive ex,” Grace said with a half-smile. “Maverick showed up just when I needed a helping hand.” Her smile softened and love shone in her green eyes.

Peyton nodded. “I went to Rocky because someone murdered my roommate and threatened me. I used to date his son, and Nolo always talked about what a badass his father was. Protection and proximity led to love and a baby.”

Ellie and Emma nodded, so did Katey and Harper.

Each woman had a story about how they found themselves in harm’s way and how they fell in love with the biker who kept them safe.

It was pretty much universal how it happened.

The circumstances varied but the end result was each woman had her very own happy ending.

“Wow, that’s incredible,” I said, injecting as much sincerity in my voice as I could, because I was genuinely happy for each of them.

I wasn’t sure I even still believed in happy endings or kismet, but they were nice women who deserved good things, and it wasn’t my place to make them doubt that. “Congratulations.”

Ellie laughed. “The MC family has grown quite a bit over the past few years. More women and babies than when I first got here.” She looked around, eyes slightly glassy with emotion as she took in the playing and laughing children, the women deep in conversation.

This is a family. A big, complicated, happy family.

And it was surprisingly normal. No one looking at these women would ever guess they were tethered to bikers.

I guess I was guilty of believing the stereotypes about the kind of women who hang around MCs.

Sure, the club girls were a little out there with their clothes, but the old ladies wouldn’t look out of place at a parent-teacher evening.

I knew families came in all shapes, sizes, and colors, but seeing this unorthodox family really brought it all back into focus.

I didn’t have this. And maybe that was why the scene I was on the outskirts of hit me with a pang of longing that shocked me.

“How do you deal with it?” I leaned forward and quietly asked Ellie, Diesel’s partner. She was the quietest, most subdued of them all, but she also seemed to be the one the women deferred to most.

Ellie blinked, dark lashes fluttering while she gave my question careful consideration. “The danger, you mean?”

I nodded. “Yeah. It seems like a pretty scary way of life.” I couldn’t understand how these seemingly smart women would tie themselves to a life like this.

She nodded slowly. “Sometimes it is scary. Really fucking scary,” she added on a huff of laughter.

“But that doesn’t happen as often as the outside world believes.

We have rules in place for those times when things get too dangerous to make sure everyone is safe.

It can be terrifying, but we get through it. ”

I wasn’t sure how you got through it. No, that wasn’t true.

I knew you just put your head down and keep forging ahead because you didn’t have a choice.

That was my entire childhood. I hated growing up that way, never knowing when the next bad thing would happen, when the electricity would get cut off because my father didn’t pay it or when some big scary guys would show up demanding money or else.

“Dagger wasn’t always so serious,” Ellie began, seemingly out of the blue.

She smiled when my gaze connected with hers.

“I didn’t know him then, but Diesel told me all about it.

He and Mel, that’s Dani’s mom, weren’t a love match.

They dated for a few months, and she got pregnant, so he stepped up and did the right thing. ”

“They got married?” My eyes rounded in shock. He never mentioned being married.

“No, they weren’t even together by then, but he took care of her and got ready for Dani. What he didn’t know, what nobody knew, was that Mel had mental struggles that only became apparent once she stopped taking her meds.”

Understanding dawned. “She was worried about her baby?”

Ellie nodded. “And her cracks began to show immediately. Dagger couldn’t deal with her, didn’t know what to do short of tying her down to keep her home.

It got worse after Dani arrived for some reason.

She was erratic and wild, coming and going at odd hours, leaving Dani with the club girls.

And one day she just never came home. Ever. ”

Ellie left out a lot of details, but I could guess that something bad happened to Mel. “Did Dani get to say goodbye properly?”

She shook her head. “She was only a baby.”

“I lost my mom when I was Dani’s age. My dad fell apart, and it was impossible to grieve. It never gets easier.”

“It doesn’t, but you’ve worked wonders with her. She’s so open and happy,” Ellie said as her gaze slid to where she happily chatted with Ashlyn and Sophie, while Leo tried to get Chopper to do tricks. “She’s finally sharing her light with the world.”

“Do any of you have photos of Mel? Any belongings that Dani could have?”

“I don’t know, but I’ll ask around and let you know.” She smiled. “They’re both lucky to have you.”

Mrs. Winters had said the same thing, and while I knew they meant it as a compliment, I couldn’t help but wonder if Dagger really was lucky to have me or if all of this was him doing what he needed to do for his daughter. Was it me or was it a good dad helping his kid by any means necessary?

Doubts plagued me for the rest of the afternoon and into the evening, wondering if, once again, I’d foolishly stumbled into a situation that was guaranteed heartbreak. I knew I was probably overthinking things, but it was hard to shake off those negative thoughts.

That’s what I kept coming back to, Dani. She was an innocent little girl who’d lost her mother far too young and had basically lost her father too. She deserved whatever help, whatever attention, whatever love I could give her. She deserved it and I would give it to her freely and honestly.

But maybe I needed to be more cautious where her father was concerned.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Dagger’s deep voice sounded beside me as if I’d conjured him up by sheer force of will.

I let out a startled gasp and turned to him. “Nothing worth a penny,” I assured him, and stood to stretch my stiff muscles.

“You sure?”

I nodded and looked away. My problems weren’t his and I’d gotten pretty good at keeping my own counsel over the years. “Yep.”

His jaw clenched and it looked like he wanted to say more, but he just nodded and walked off to get Dani. It was getting late, and her eyelids were drooping, a sure sign that her day of playing with friends had worn her out.

The car ride back to Dagger’s house was awkward in its silence, but for once in my life I didn’t feel the need to fill it with words. My own thoughts were a jumbled mess of emotions and worries, and fear over the person who’d forced me into close quarters with the man who might destroy me.

“What’s wrong, Sinclair?” Dagger asked, his voice full of worry.

“Nothing.” I turned to face him with a tired smile. “What’s up?”

I knew he wanted to say more, but he didn’t, simply nodded and moved on. “We learned that the Dead Ravens are the ones who trashed the tattoo parlor. Ever heard of them?”

“I’ve only been in town a few months,” I told him. “I don’t even know all the teachers at school yet. You think they had something to do with the brick through my windshield, and that bunch of flowers with the threatening note?”

Dagger shrugged, “I don’t know. If you’ve never had anything to do with them, I don’t know why they’d target you. We’re going to get some answers tonight. Attempt to, anyway.”

I swallowed hard, ignoring the fear that pulsed through me. “You’re going to get answers?”

He nodded.

“You’ll be careful, right?” My heart pounded against my chest as Ellie’s words came back to me. This life might be good and normal most of the time, but when it wasn’t, it really wasn’t. “Right?”

Dagger nodded and stepped closer, shortening the gap between us with every long stride. “I will be careful,” he whispered softly. “I promise.”

“Okay. Good. Great.” I nodded, because I couldn’t do anything else. What if he died trying to get answers about who’s stalking me? Could I live with myself if I was the reason Dani lost her father?

“Don’t go worrying yourself about me, Sinclair.” His words were smooth, almost honeyed as one hand sifted through my hair and the other cradled one side of my face. “I’ll be back home tonight.”

“You don’t know that,” I insisted, trying to step back, away from his touch. Away from his warmth.

“Don’t run from me.” His voice was a deep growl, commanding and sexy as hell.

“I’m not,” I insisted, but before the words fully left my lips, his mouth was on mine in a punishing kiss. His lips were firm. Insistent. Deliciously appealing as he tilted me back and devoured my mouth as if I was his.

And I let him. His strong hands gripped the back of my head and his other settled low on my back, warm and comforting.

But also sizzling, so hot that my skin puckered under his touch.

The kiss was wild and crazy, and after a few passes of his tongue, I wasn’t sure which way was up.

His grip tightened and the next thing I knew, my body was sandwiched between him and a hard, cool wall.

I was desperate to have him in that moment. Maybe it was the uncertainty of what would happen next. For all I knew this would be the last night I spent with him, and I wanted it, oh god, how I wanted it.

Within moments the door was closed and our clothes scattered across the room, our desperation to have each other too strong to stop for any reason.

My hands were everywhere at once, his hard chest, his wide shoulders, down his back until my hands found his ass.

I squeezed because I could and because it was so firm and so tight I just couldn’t help myself.

Dagger pushed his hips against mine, letting me feel that he was hard and long, thick and ready for what came next. “Need you now,” he said.

“Yes,” I moaned, and jumped up in his arms, wrapping my legs around his waist. “Now. Please.” I rubbed myself against him, my juices dripping down his length.

“Fuck!” The word roared out of him as we fell onto the bed and he gripped my hips, dragging my pussy up and down the length of him until he was fully coated. “Put my cock inside you.”

I licked my lips and raised up on my heels, gripping his length until the blunt tip of him nudged my opening. “Yes,” I hissed out, teasing both of us as I fucked his tip.

Dagger grunted and bit his bottom lip. “Ride my cock, Sinclair. Do it. Now.”

I teased him for a few more seconds simply because I could and then I sank down slowly, taking my time until he was buried so deep that it stole my breath. He was thick and pulsing inside me, being patient while I savored the feel of his powerful length. “Dagger,” I moaned, and licked my lips.

He pulsed again, thick and delicious, while his fingertips dug into my skin.

He felt too good to just sit there, so I rose up and sank down slowly, again and again.

Every stroke made me wetter, so wet the sound permeated the room.

My walls shook with the feel of him inside me and my legs quivered as pleasure took over.

Still, I loved this position. Not only did it make me feel powerful and in control, it gave me an excellent view of every emotion that flickered on Dagger’s face.

His jaw tightened. His nostrils flared and his teeth sank into his bottom lip.

The sounds of his pleasure turned me on even more and I moved faster, slamming down hard and harder on his cock until my vision blurred.

“Oh, yes!” My head fell back but I forced myself to focus on his face, to watch his every reaction while I rode him into oblivion.

He was ruggedly beautiful, so masculine and powerful, but in this moment with his cock buried deep, he was at my mercy.

His fingertips dug into my hips and his hands gripped me, guided me in shorter but deeper strokes that hit that spot. My head spun and my lids fluttered shut because I couldn’t keep them open any longer.

The room was loud with the sound of our bodies smacking against each other.

The sound was erotic, a sensual beat that drove me, that pushed me harder and faster until my heart raced too fast and my legs quivered.

Until my orgasm washed over me and made it impossible to do anything but succumb to the pleasure.

“Dagger, oh fuck, yes!” My entire being trembled as the ecstasy shot out of every single pore of my body, tearing me apart to the point I feared nothing would ever put me together again.

He gripped me so hard I knew there would be bruises tomorrow, but I didn’t care, not when he held me and fucked me, hitting that same spot over and over until my mind went black and absolute pleasure took over.

“That’s right, Sinclair, milk my cock. Drain me dry,” he said, and his hips shot up one last time, the warmth of his seed flooding my body until I went limp on top of him. “Fuck, babe, just… fuck.”

I smiled to myself at his praise, feeling a shiver tear through me before my eyelids grew heavy.

***

I must have fallen asleep because sometime later I felt the bed shift and my eyes fluttered open to see Dagger stepping into jeans with wet hair and a hint of a smile on his face.

“You’re heading out?”

He nodded. “I just checked on Dani, she’s sound asleep. I’ll be here when you wake up.”

“Promise?” I hated the needy tone that accompanied that one word, but I couldn’t ignore the anxiety that coursed through me.

“Yeah, I promise. I told you, don’t worry about me.”

I sighed. “If I could help it, I would. Are you going after that MC?”

“Just got some club business to deal with,” he answered.

“Be safe.”

He pressed a kiss to my forehead and then my lips. It was slow and lingering, wickedly delicious. “See you in the morning.”

I slept fitfully for the rest of the night, jumping at every noise just in case it was Dagger stumbling home, hurt or worse.

I realized he’d avoided answering my question outright about where he was going.

When the sun began to streak the sky, I was grateful for the reprieve from sleep that just didn’t come.