Page 10 of Riding Bare

“You can call your dad tonight, tell him I let you know about the Russians. Won’t bother me.”

Dare’s voice is so soothing, a deep timbre that feels like a balm to my soul. I have been on edge since I found out I was pregnant, since I discovered that the man who claimed to love me was just using me to get to my father. My nerves are shot.

Samuil, the director of marketing and my boss’s boss when I worked in Vegas at the casino. He pretended to flirt with me, to woo me. He said all the right things, took me out, wined and dined me. I knew he was trouble the moment I laid eyes on him. I knew it, and I fell for him anyway.

I just didn’t know that I was his mark. He knew who I was and hired me because of who my father is. He wanted an in with the Iron Flame Motorcycle Club, and I was an easy option. A far too easy one.

“I don’t want to talk to him yet,” I murmur before I turn around to face him.

Dare is standing a few feet away from me, his gaze focused on mine, searching my own for a long, silent moment. I watch as he moves toward me, one step and then another, before he stops.

He’s a few feet away.

He’s close enough to touch.

It wouldn’t take much—all I would have to do is lift my arm and extend my fingers. But I don’t do that. I’m not sure how he would react. I’m pretty sure he’s attracted to me, but I’m pregnant with another man’s baby.

I’m just this girl who was forced on him.

Why would he want me when he could have any clubwhore down at the clubhouse? Without a doubt, I think he’s been partaking in them… and often. At least that’s the idea I got from the one today.

“You want me to be the go-between, you just say. You want to talk to him in person, you let me know. I’ll make it happen, Chassis.”

I slide my tongue along my bottom lip, wetting the dry skin there before I slowly lift my gaze to meet his. “Why would you help me like that?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” he counters.

He makes it sound so simple, and maybe it is. Maybe I’m sitting here overthinking and overanalyzing everything. But I’m the one who fucked up and made a mess of everything. I ruined my life. I almost ruined my father and brothers’ lives, and the whole Iron Flame legacy.

I’m the problem here, and I don’t really think Dare should be as nice to me as he’s being.

“Because I compromised the club.”

Dare chuckles then takes one more step closer to me. I suck in a breath, holding it for a moment as his eyes search mine in silence. Then I feel his fingers glide along the underside of my jaw, his gaze never leaving mine.

“You didn’t do a fucking thing wrong, sweetheart. You trusted the wrong guy, that’s all. We’ve all done it before.”

I shake my head once, unable to look away from him. His eyes are connected to mine and hold me hostage. His thumb slides across my cheek, just below my eye, as his palm rests there.

My breath hitches.

I wish this were real. I wish he were really looking at me like he wanted me and it weren’t all in my head. I wish my hormones weren’t absolutely insane so I could trust all the feelings I’m having.

“I was played, and I’m smarter than that. He knew exactly who I was, and here I am.”

Dare’s lips curve up into a small smile. It’s a sad one, though. It doesn’t reach his eyes. Being this close to him, I can see that he has a few deep wrinkles on his face that I hadn’t noticed before.

He’s older.

I know he is, but he doesn’t seem like it at all. Even now, looking at those wrinkles, it doesn’t feel like he’s double my age.

“You were played, yeah,” Dare begins. I hate that he says that and it’s the truth.

I hate that I allowed it. I turned a blind eye to all the red flags. I mean, he was good, but I wanted it to be real so damn badly that I ignored everything that was clearly off, which I should not have been ignoring.

“You were played, but there’s no reason to continue to beat yourself up over it. You’re safe, the baby’s safe, and so are your family and the club. It’s all going to be okay.”

“I’m so embarrassed,” I confess.