As Emma sat facing a metal desk, Dawg slouched in the chair next to her, his thighs spread so far apart his knee almost touched hers. The uniformed man on the other side of the surprisingly neat and organized desk had asked her questions. Lots of questions. Mostly the same ones the police at her local station had asked her right after Lily’s abduction.

But Dawg knew this cop. This Axel. An interesting name for a police officer who lived with one of the DAMC women. Bella. Yes, the dark-haired beauty who worked at the bakery in town. The one who was behind the bar last night at what Dawg called “church.”

Axel kept his face skillfully masked as he’d questioned her, but every once in a while, he’d shoot a curious glance over at Dawg, then return his attention quickly back to her. Maybe he couldn’t understand why or how Dawg was involved in all this.

Though, honestly, Emma wasn’t sure why, either. Why he cared so much whether she ever found her daughter. But he did, and his determination to get Lily back made all the questions Axel asked her easier to swallow.

After a while, Axel was quiet, typing information into the computer on his desk.

Emma held her breath, hoping he would find something that the other officers had missed.

When he sat back and scrubbed a hand over his short dark hair, her stomach sank. His blue eyes swung to Dawg. “Just how do you know each other?”

Dawg slowly leaned forward in his chair, thick, tattooed arms crossed over his broad chest. “Does it matter?”

“Well, she’s a kindergarten teacher, Dawg. She kind of doesn’t...” He drifted off and eyeballed Emma, who, unlike Dawg, was on the edge of her seat so she sat straighter in her chair.

“Don’t what?” Dawg growled.

Axel lifted a hand in a placating fashion. “Truth is, she doesn’t seem to fit... your lifestyle.”

Dawg grunted. “Your brother’s DAMC, Axel. Your woman is, too.”

His brother was part of the MC? That was odd.

She opened her mouth to ask questions in regard to that, but Axel continued with a nod. “I know that. That wasn’t what I meant.”

Dawg’s eyes narrowed. “Meant what? ‘Cause I run Heaven’s Angels?”

“Well, that, too. I didn’t expect you to—”

“To what?”

“End up with someone like Emma.”

Her head jerked up as her spine stiffened. She repeated, “Someone like me?”

“Not a stripper, I guess,” Axel clarified with a frown.

“Don’t do my girls,” Dawg grumbled.

“We’re not together,” Emma quickly added. Then she ignored the heated stare coming from the big man in what seemed like an extremely small seat next to her. “He’s being very kind by helping me.”

“Kind... So, you’re not together?” Axel asked her the question but stared at Dawg.

“We’re together,” Dawg answered.

Axel sat back and laughed. “Shiiit. Another one bites the dust.”

She didn’t like the sound of that, even though she wasn’t quite sure what the officer meant. “No...” Emma quickly said. Her head twisted toward Dawg. “No. That’s not what this is... I’m...” How the hell did she explain their situation?

Axel smiled. “Got it.” Then he sobered quickly. “Well, anyway, the bad news is I don’t have any info. Looks like it’s now considered a cold case for your local PD. It’s been over a year now?”

Emma nodded, gnawing on her bottom lip.

“A cold case?” Dawg asked.

“Yeah. It was passed on to the FBI, who passed it on to INTERPOL. But, unfortunately, nothing new has been added to the file in over eight months.” He turned to Emma. “Your daughter’s in NCIC. Her case is listed as a parental abduction.”

“What’s NCIC?” Emma asked.

“It’s the FBI’s database for crime information. She’s considered a missing person, but...”

“But?” Dawg barked.

Axel’s brows pinned together as he considered the man across the desk from him. “But...” He turned back to Emma again. “You weren’t divorced, right? You were living in the same household when he took her?”

“Yes, but I didn’t give permission for him to take her. Or take her out of the country, for Christ’s sake. I had no idea! He stole her.”

Axel lifted a hand again, this time trying to pacify her. “I know. I’m sorry. It must be extremely difficult. And I assume that once she’s found you’ll be able to get full custody of her and a restraining order against your husband.”

“He needs to be arrested,” she mumbled.

“Agreed,” Axel answered. He stared at Dawg for a long moment. “Guess you got Diesel on this, right?”

“Y—”

Dawg’s hand shot out and latched onto her arm to stop her from answering.

What was that about?

Dawg growled, “Gonna do what needs done to find the bastard.”

Axel sighed. “Which means you got D’s crew on this.”

“Just means we’re gonna do what needs done to find the bastard,” Dawg repeated.

“Then I’m surprised you even bothered coming in here today.”

“Figured I’d give you pigs a chance to do the right thing.”

Axel’s eyes narrowed, and his nostrils flared. “Do you think a local PD is equipped to find a missing child in some foreign country?” He leaned forward and lowered his voice. “That’s why the fucking FBI was notified. Her PD took the right steps, did all they could do. Someone who abducts a child and flees the States usually has some sort of financial backing.”

Dawg pushed to his feet, snagged Emma under the elbow, and pulled her up as well. “Guess we’re done here.”

Axel rose, too, his hands landing on his hips above his gun belt. “Look, I’ll contact the FBI, try to light a fire under their asses. I’ll do what I can. Get the captain involved. Maybe he can make some calls, too. Not sure if it’ll do any good, though. They get thousands of cases.”

“Thank you,” Emma said, even though any hope she had before coming to the police station was now dashed.

“Dawg, take her to Kiki. She’s going to need an attorney to file paperwork for full custody. And for that restraining order I mentioned. Have her file for divorce while she’s at it. Do what you have to do to make sure once Lily is back on American soil, she’s protected.”

Dawg grunted. “She’ll be protected.”

“Protected by the legal system,” Axel clarified.

Emma didn’t miss the tightening of Dawg’s jaw as he steered her away from the desk with his hand firmly on her upper arm.

“Right,” he grunted again.

“You’re welcome,” Axel called out.

Dawg flipped a hand in the air over his shoulder. Emma tried to turn and thank Axel again, but Dawg was dragging her quickly toward the entrance.

“He was trying to be helpful and you’re being rude.”

“He ain’t helpin’.”

“Yes he was, and he actually seemed to care.”

“Right. Don’t trust the pigs.”

“Well, I don’t have a choice.”

“Gotta choice.” He pulled her outside and over to his bike. He grabbed the helmet and handed it to her, then mounted, heeling the stand up.

“Diesel isn’t going to do anything illegal, right? I can’t risk getting Lily back only to lose her for some crazy reason.”

“Get on.”

She gripped the helmet tighter. “Dawson, I can’t risk losing her again once I get her back.”

He jerked a thumb behind him. “Get on my sled.”

She took a deep breath of the humid mid-July air. “It’s hot.”

“Yeah.”

She stared down at the black helmet in her hands. “Do I have to wear this?”

“Put it on an’ get on the fuckin’ bike.”

“Why are you so grumpy?”

“’Cause it’s fuckin’ hot an’ you’re just standin’ there. Sweatin’ my balls off while I’m waitin’.”

She reluctantly yanked the helmet over her head and opened the face shield. “I’m getting on. Hold on to your impatient sweaty balls. Sheesh.”

His head tipped down as he stared at the bike’s gas tank and, after a moment, he shook it. With a sigh, Emma planted her hands on his shoulders and climbed on behind him. Once she was settled tightly against his back, she wrapped her arms around his waist.

“Probably doesn’t help by wearing a leather vest in the summer. It’s probably giving you swamp ass, too.”

His body jerked and after a moment, he said, “It’s a cut.”

“A what?”

Dawg hit the starter, and the bike roared to life, the vibrations of the engine making her whole body tingle. She slapped the plastic shield down over her face.

“Don’t fall off,” he yelled.

He twisted the throttle, and she yelped as the bike shot forward, making her hold on tighter as he pulled away from the station. As they rode through the streets of Shadow Valley, she realized he wasn’t heading in the direction of Heaven’s Angels.

Even though it was early yet, she needed to get ready to be on the club’s floor as the hostess soon. She wanted to make sure she was holding up her end of the deal.

She lifted the shield part way. “Where are we going?” she yelled over the noise of the wind and the exhaust.

“Just hang on.”

Oh, she was hanging on, no doubt about that. Having her arms wrapped around the big man in front of her felt good. It felt right, even though the vest she was plastered against had patches that clearly stated in no uncertain terms that he was a biker and what club he belonged to. In fact, they were the exact same patches he had tattooed onto his back.

Her life had been turned upside down for the past year and a half. But it was weird that it seemed to right itself whenever she was with Dawg. She’d never been with a man like him before. And never would have guessed that she would ever be.

But here she was, on the back of a Harley, clinging to a burly biker. And sleeping with him, too.

Last night, and again this morning, he had made up for his initial minute man routine and then some. In fact, her inner thighs were still smarting from the brush burn from his rough beard.

She smiled, heat rushing through her, as she remembered him with his head between her legs, making her orgasm several times. Several. Good ones, too. Yes, she really, really liked his beard now. Even if it did make her a bit sore in her most sensitive spots.

Not realizing she had closed her eyes during that replay in her mind, she popped them open and saw they were headed out of town.

She had no idea where they were going. But before long, her stress seemed to melt away as he took her on a ride through the countryside, over hills and hugging the curves of the road. The longer they rode, the less she wanted to head back to reality.

Being on the back of what he called his “sled” felt like freedom. She wished she wasn’t wearing the helmet because she needed to feel the wind in her hair and on her face. She opened the shield and tipped her face toward the sun, closing her eyes once more to enjoy its warm summer rays.

Every once in a while, Dawg would lay a hand on her knee and squeeze. And sometimes he’d even let it linger which sent butterflies fluttering in her belly. Not only did he have mad skills with his tongue, but his fingers were a close second.

She let the vibrations of the bike soothe away her worries. For some reason, the man in front of her made her think everything was going to end up all right. Maybe she was foolish in believing that. But she had to hold on to at least that thread of hope.

All those months of begging people to help her and they would, but only if she could write them a fat check or hand over a wad of cash. She understood it, though. Her problems weren’t theirs. They, whether it was her attorney or her investigator, had a business to run, expenses to pay.

But the man in front of her, the biker, the strip club manager, the person she least expected to help her, was giving her everything she needed. He was being generous with his time and his connections. And for what?

He’d known her for only a split moment. That was all. And he had taken everything she’d told him about Lily’s abduction as truth, never once questioning her. Not once.

But she’d never be able to repay him for his generosity. And that wasn’t fair to him.

Suddenly the motorcycle slowed, and Dawg pulled off into a wooded area into what looked like a state park. The parking lot was half full since, even though it was hot and humid, it was still a beautiful day and it was early yet. The real heat would hit later in the afternoon. But by then, both of them would be inside the air-conditioned club.

After looping the bike around the paved lot, he walked it backward into an empty spot, kicked the stand down and shut the engine off.

He yanked the bandana that covered his mouth down his face. “Get off.”

She did what she was told and couldn’t wait to remove the helmet. When her head was finally free, she shook her hair out and sighed with relief. “I don’t want to wear that.”

“Gotta wear it,” he said, climbing off his bike.

“You don’t.”

“Yeah,” was all he grunted, took the helmet from her and hung it over one of the handlebars.

She glanced around looking for any indication of their location. “Where are we?”

“A park.”

Emma shot him an exasperated look, and he smirked.

“Stop here sometimes on club runs.”

“What’s a club run?”

“When we all go out ridin’ our sleds together,” he answered.

“That sounds nice.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, it’s nice.”

“You guys do that often?”

“When the weather’s good, yeah.”

She looked up at the tall trees that lined the lot. At least there was shade where he parked. “So, what’s special about this park?”

“Gonna show you.”

“Don’t we need to get back? I need to get to work.”

“Don’t worry, I know the manager.”

“Well, sometimes he can be a bit of a grump,” she answered Dawg as he grabbed her hand and pulled her along behind him.

“Was he grumpy when his face was buried in your cunt this mornin’?”

Her mouth dropped open.

“Was he grumpy when his dick was makin’ you squeal?”

“I didn’t squeal.”

“The fuck you didn’t. So loud my ears were ringin’. Musta been doin’ somethin’ right.”

Emma giggled. “Must have.”

As he led her along, she watched her footing as they traveled along a narrow dirt trail through the woods. She was glad she had thrown on a pair of sneakers this morning. Every time they’d pass hikers coming the opposite direction, they’d stare at Dawg wide-eyed. She guessed he wasn’t the sort of man you met along a trail in the woods. At least voluntarily. Then their eyes would land on him gripping her hand tightly as he pulled her along behind him and they would give her a look that almost seemed to be out of concern.

She’d just smile and trudge along after him, trying not to trip. Because if she did, he’d most likely continue to drag her over the tree roots and exposed rocks. He probably wouldn’t even realize he was hauling dead weight behind him.

She giggled at the image of a Neanderthal dragging his woman by her hair into his cave after clubbing her.

Mine.

Woman. Mine.

When she was least expecting it, he came to a dead stop and before she could slow her forward motion, she slammed right into his back.

“Hey!” she yelled at him. “A little warning would be nice.”

He said nothing, and she moved around him to see what he was staring at.

“Oh,” she breathed.

He had taken her to a waterfall deep within the woods. It was absolutely stunning. Breathtaking even.

“C’mon,” he grunted, then releasing her hand, climbed out onto a nearby boulder that overlooked the falls.

“Are you supposed to do that?” she called out as she watched him choose his footing carefully as he picked his way over the large rock.

He dropped to a seat, twisted his head toward her and held out his hand. “C’mon!”

She carefully climbed up onto the rock and when she reached him, he snagged her hand, tugged her in front of him and demanded, “Sit.”

She settled between his spread legs and he wrapped one arm under her breasts, pulling her back into his chest. The other snaked around her lower belly. With a sigh, she relaxed, leaned back, and let him take her weight.

“This is beautiful,” she whispered, peeking over her shoulder at him.

He was staring out over the falls, his green eyes dark in the low light caused by the shade of the trees. “Yeah.”

“I never knew this was here.”

“Then gonna have to bring your girl here when she gets home.”

When she gets home.

Emma’s breathing stuttered, her heart did a flip and suddenly the tears welled up in her eyes. What did she finally do right in her life to deserve this man? One who did not fit into any of the molds of acceptable society, but seemed to be more caring than the ones that did.

The waterfall became a blur as she leaned her head back against his shoulder and his arms tightened around her even more.

“Emma,” he murmured next to her ear.

She sniffled and wiped at her cheeks. “Yeah?”

“You got dealt a shitty hand. Gonna make it right. Got me?”

“Yeah, Dawson, I got you.” She twisted in his arms. “But I’m not sure why you feel you need to do that.”

“’Cause...” He stopped, his face got hard, and he didn’t say anything for the longest time. “Just because.”

Just because.

Just because he was Dawson. A good man. A caring man. A man nicknamed Dawg who, on the outside, could probably scare most people with a pointed glare, but inside had an enormous heart.

Oh Lord, she’d only known him for three days and...

She reached up and stroked her hand along his beard, the texture of it coarse and wiry against her fingers.

“I won’t ever be able to repay you.”

“You’ll find a way,” he said softly.

Emma had a feeling what he meant had nothing to do with money.