Page 9

Sinclair

T he halls of Steel City Elementary were eerily quiet.

Sure, in the distance there were sounds of chairs scraping against the floors and conversation between teachers, but mostly it was just quiet.

Normally, I’d be inside my car already and heading to the grocery store, but I wanted to get the math homework graded so I could do something special for the students first thing tomorrow.

Even though math wasn’t one of my favorite subjects, I loved grading math homework because it showed exactly how a kid’s mind worked.

Some took to math easily, but most students had to work at it, and when they finally got it?

It was a thing of beauty. The students were, for the most part, catching on quickly.

Some struggled, of course, but those were the ones I’d help to make sure they were confident in their math skills before they moved on to fifth grade.

“Miss Bronson?”

The sound of Mrs. Winters’ voice pulled me from my thoughts, and I looked up at the short, round woman with the bright red smile. “What can I do for you, Mrs. Winters?”

She laughed and waved a hand at me. “Call me Helen.”

“Only if you call me Sinclair.” I offered a friendly smile and waved her inside. “Is something wrong?”

“Oh, no,” she insisted. “I actually came to ask you the same thing.”

I frowned. Did my unease show? I’d been on edge for the past few weeks because once again I felt like I was being watched, like someone was constantly there looking over my shoulder.

Then there were the roses left on my car windshield.

It only happened a couple of times, the first time I’d thought it sweet.

The second less so, but there’d been no more.

Still, it was another thing that unsettled me.

But that wasn’t what Helen was asking. Was it? I shook my head. “I don’t think anything is wrong. The students are doing well. Why do you ask?”

Helen took another step forward, a smile on her face that said she had gossip to share.

I wasn’t big on gossip because it usually went from teasing and well-meaning to malicious in the blink of an eye, but this was a new school with new people, so I waited.

“That yummy-looking man, Mr. Kane, is here to see you again.” Excitement lit her brown eyes.

“He looks scary, but I can’t deny he’s what my daughter calls eye candy. ”

I laughed along with her because that much was undeniable.

The man was hotter than the sun and equally terrifying.

But it wasn’t his tattoos or motorcycle that made him terrifying, it was the fact that his whole bad boy package was more appealing than a double chocolate fudge brownie with white chocolate and macadamia nuts. “He is easy on the eyes.”

“And he wants to see you. Again,” she added with a teasing gleam in her eye. “Oh, to be young and beautiful again.”

I raised my eyebrows at the woman. “Beautiful enough that Mr. Halloran and Mr. Gonzalez brought your favorite chocolates this week.”

Her cheeks reddened. “Ah, but we’re not talking about me, Sinclair.”

I laughed and pushed away from my desk. “Okay fine, I’ll go talk to Mr. Kane.”

“I’m happy to send him back to you,” Helen offered.

I headed to the door and waited for Helen.

“Oh fine,” she grumbled. “Let’s go.”

Goodness gracious.

Maybe it was the way he stood in the middle of the front office with his hands shoved into his pockets as he examined the children’s artwork, or maybe it was the sight of him in those dark gray jeans that hugged his thighs and his ass that had my mouth going bone dry.

I wasn’t sure, but the sight of him took my breath away. He was tall and imposing.

And beautiful.

“Mr. Kane,” I began, but he turned and hit me with a smile that stole my voice.

“Dagger. Remember?”

“Right. How can I help you?” My gaze slid over to where Helen sat in her chair, watching the exchange like the final games of a tennis match.

He realized a moment later that we had an audience. “Can we, uh, talk somewhere private?”

“Yeah, sure.” I nodded towards the door and the heat of his body followed me through the door. “Is everything okay with Dani?”

“Yes, she’s doing well. We, ah… we went out to dinner for pizza the other night. It was strained but it got better as the meal went on.” His cheeks turned pink as if that admission cost him.

“That’s great. She seems more upbeat lately.”

He nodded. “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. Kind of.”

Disappointment swelled in my chest at that moment, and I realized I was hoping that he came to see me, which was obviously foolish.

If my romantic history taught me anything it was that guys like Dagger didn’t go for schoolteachers.

Still, I sat with my disappointment while I waited for answers. “I’m listening.”

He raked a hand through his thick, dark hair. “Can we talk over coffee or dinner? On me,” he tacked on with a grin.

I wanted to say yes. Hell yes, but I tempered my expectations. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” I wanted to have dinner with him, which should be a surefire sign that it was a really bad idea.

“Because you’re Dani’s teacher?” he asked. I appreciated his straightforward nature. You always knew where you stood with a man like Dagger.

I shrugged. “That’s some of it,” I offered.

He grinned and, dammit, I wish he hadn’t done that.

His gruff scowl was beautiful enough, but that full-on smile?

It was a lethal weapon that had my panties so soaked I was afraid to move because then he’d hear how turned on I was.

“I know I didn’t make the best first impression,” he said.

“But I promise I’m not a total asshole all of the time. ”

My brows arched at his honesty. “Not all of the time or sometimes just a partial asshole?”

His smile never wavered as he shrugged. “Nobody’s perfect.” His smile dimmed just a little. “Please. I’ve been thinking about what you said about me and Dani and I… need some help.”

Why was it so hot when a man could admit he wasn’t perfect and needed help?

Because the universe was a cruel, cruel bitch, that’s why.

I couldn’t possibly deny helping him, especially when it meant helping Dani. “Yes. Okay.” I said the words before I changed my mind or maybe came to my senses. “But I’ll drive myself.”

“Of course.” His lips twitched with amusement.

“I need to gather my things. I’ll meet you in the parking lot?”

“Sounds good.”

I rushed back to my classroom to gather my purse and to calm my racing heart.

Why was I nervous? Sure, it wasn’t every day that I spent time with a gorgeous bad boy, but he wanted to talk about his daughter, so there was nothing to be nervous about.

That’s what I kept telling myself, as I pulled on my cardigan and left the building.

I stopped short at the sight of Dagger leaning against his bike with his legs crossed at the ankle. My mouth watered and my nipples hardened. His bike was parked right beside my car. Did he know it was mine?

I looked around the parking lot the way I always did, and there it was again, that sensation that I was being watched. I couldn’t see anyone, but that was the mark of a good observer, wasn’t it?

Stalker, don’t you mean?

“Hey, you okay?”

I nodded and found a reassuring smile for him.

“Yep, I’m good. Where are we going?” I ignored how hot he looked leaning against the bike and gave my sedan a curious look.

I didn’t usually go for the bad boy type.

I’d grown up surrounded by those types when they showed up on our doorstep because Dad owed them money.

Then again, most of my relationships weren’t bad boys, just bad men. Horrible men. Terrible men.

Dagger seemed like a good guy, so I was actively giving him the benefit of the doubt.

I’d give him a few tips on reconnecting with Dani, and we’d go our separate ways.

Because no matter how smoking hot he was, I didn’t want to get involved.

No matter how much my horny self was salivating at the thought of wrapping my legs around his muscular thighs.

“Beans and Biscuits,” he said, and turned away to get on his bike before I could comment on the trendy coffee shop. “You can follow me.”

I bit back the smile, slid behind the steering wheel, and followed the sexy single dad to the trendiest coffee shop in Steel City.