Page 148 of Steel

“I live dangerously, baby girl,” he says.

“Don’t remind me,” I tease, letting out another squeal when he nips at the side of my neck.

“Ought to bend you over this counter and fuck that pretty pussy of yours until she’s weepin’ for me.”

A shiver of desire dances over my body. “As delightful as that sounds, breakfast will burn, and we have a little girl who will be bouncing into this room before long to see if her favorite person is here.”

“Knows I usually am when she’s here.”

“Oh, I was talking about me.”

“You’re her favorite person now? When the hell did that happen?”

He sounds so put out that a laugh bursts from the middle of my chest, and I turn back around so I can see him again. “It’s okay, bossman. You have to come in second some time or another.”

Steel scowls so fiercely at me, and I break out into a fit of giggles again. “The hell?”

“Let’s see . . . I scream with her, I paint her nails, I let her paint mine. She gets to do my hair and put makeup on me. I teach her to cook. What about you?”

“Looks like I’m gettin’ my nails painted today,” he mutters, looking down at his bruised and swollen hands and curling his top lip.

Lyric comes stumbling into the kitchen rubbing at her eyes. It takes her a minute to realize who is in here, and when she does, I watch with a full heart as she screams her daddy’s name before taking off running to him. Her eyes widen too late when she catches on to his appearance, and she tries skidding to a stop. Unfortunately, she’s got footed pajamas on and ends up barreling into him.

Steel lets out a sharp grunt before he falls into the counter with a deep wince.

I twist my fingers together to keep from reaching out to check on him, because from the way he holds her tight and buries his face into the hair on the top of her head, I know he doesn’t want anything to take his time away from her. Instead of reaching out, I lock my worries down and satisfy myself with watching them.

There’s no doubting the love those two share for each other. Their father-daughter bond is strong, and I hope he knows I was only teasing him about being her favorite. I could tell his thoughts were starting to turn inward, and I wanted to do something to pull him out of his head. Sex would usually work, but not when we have a six-year-old in the house or when he’s struggling to stand because he’s been beaten, which means settling for something PG.

Lyric finally pulls out of his arms and folds hers over her chest as she surveys him with critical eyes. Her toes start tapping, andI have to turn my head to the side and scrub a hand across my mouth to hide the smirk that wants to break free.

“Who did this to you?” she asks.

“The club did, Princess.”

Lyric gasps, her eyes widening a fraction before narrowing again. “Did they have a reason to?”

“You know they wouldn’t if they didn’t, Lyric,” Steel says.

“Did you at least hit them back?” Lyric demands.

Steel chuckles. “Bloodthirsty, yeah? Of course, I did. For the most part.”

She nods. “Good.” Then she turns to me. “Hiya, Bee.”

“Hey, pretty girl. Are you ready for some breakfast?”

Lyric pecks her dad on the cheek before skipping over to me. “What are we having?”

I’m so glad to see her in a better mood this morning than she was last night. That version of her scared the crap out of me.

“Western-style omelets, hashbrowns, bacon, and a side of toast. Does that sound okay, or do you want something else?”

“Sounds super yummy,” she declares, wrapping her arms around my waist.

I turn the stovetop off before hugging her back. “It does sound super yummy. Why don’t you go have a seat beside your dad and I’ll get the plates ready.”

“‘Kay. Love you.”

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