Page 15 of Beyond the Cut
“So are you, if I recall correctly.” He licked his lips and Dawn’s throat tightened. God, he looked like he wanted to do her right here. And if not for her girls, and the playground full of people, and the fact it was illegal, and it was the middle of the day, she might have agreed.
But she knew better than that. She’d walked away from him for a reason—and it had as much to do with the fact that he was an outlaw biker with a reputation for sleeping around, as with how easily she succumbed to his touch and how much it scared her. Yes, he was hot. And, apparently, good with kids. But she had a history of trusting the wrong people for the wrong reasons, and his world was not a place she wanted to be ever again.
They stopped beside the concession stand where Maia and Tia had made it to the front of the line. Maia turned to wave Dawn over, and a tall, bearded, giant of a man pushed past her, knocking her down on his way to the counter. Dawn ran over and picked a sobbing Maia off the ground.
“It wasn’t his turn.” Maia looked down and saw blood on her knees and her sob turned into a wail. Tia’s eyes widened and she clung to Maia’s hand.
“You’re right.” Her face flushed with indignation, Dawn leaned over the counter and caught the attention of the server. “These girls were next.”
“Not fucking waiting for kids who can’t make up their minds,” the man growled. “I just want a soda.”
“The back of the line is over there,” Dawn gestured behind her. “You can wait like everyone else. And on your way, you can apologize to my daughter. You knocked her down and she scraped her knees.”
“Fuckin’ bitch. Don’t tell me what to do.”
Dawn sucked in a breath and her vision sheeted red. A tiny niggle at the back of her mind warned her this was a fight she couldn’t win. But she’d done enough running away in her life. And this time, she had backup.
“You got this, Dawn?” Cade appeared at her elbow, his calm, steady presence spreading over her like a warm blanket.
She scowled at the man in front of her. “Yes, thanks. This gentleman was just heading to the back of the line.”
The giant looked back over his shoulder at the angry crowd, then he locked gazes with Cade. Electricity crackled between them. Cade growled, ever so softly, cold and menacing, dark and threatening. Dawn sensed rather than saw the shift in the balance of power.
“Didn’t want a damn soda, anyway.” The bully lowered his gaze and stepped out of line.
“Wait.” Dawn’s voice cracked through the shocked silence. “You owe my daughter an apology.”
“Fuck you.”
Wham. Cade shoved him up against the wall, with a strength and ferocity that made Dawn’s heart pound. He closed his hand around the bully’s throat and Dawn leaned right up in his face.
“Apology. Now.”
Eyes glittering with repressed anger, Cade loosened his hand enough for the man to speak.
“Sorry, kid.”
“Thank you.” Dawn took a step back and nodded at Cade, indicating he should release his grip. Cade lowered his hand and the man stumbled away to the murmured appreciation of the crowd.
“Thanks for having my back. Whenever anyone threatens my children, I just see red.”
“Pretty damn hot seeing you go all mama bear on his ass.” Cade chuckled and put his arm around her shoulders while the girls leaned over the counter to choose their ice cream. Although outwardly he appeared calm and relaxed, she could feel the blood pounding through his veins and the quiver of his muscles from unspent adrenaline. “Good thing we’re in public.”
“Pretty damn hot seeing you go all alpha wolf and slam his sorry ass against the wall,” she whispered. “Definitely a good thing we’re in public.”
Cade leaned down, and his voice rumbled in her ear. “We don’t have to be in public. We could go back to your place, and I’ll show you how to make an alpha wolf howl.”
“It will be a howl of frustration,” she said. “There is no being alone when you have two little girls who only see their mommy on Sunday.” And thank God for that because after Cade’s show of dominance, and with the adrenaline still streaming through her veins, she was ready to tear off his clothes at the first available opportunity.
For the next half an hour, Dawn and Cade took turns pushing Maia and Tia on the swings. Cade took Tia’s refusal to speak to him in stride, including her in their conversations even though she didn’t respond. Dawn hadn’t seen the girls as relaxed around a man as they were with Cade, and when he finally told them he had to leave, Maia didn’t hold back her disappointment.
“Do you have to go? You pushed Tia three times and you only pushed me twice.”
“Got work to do, Maia-who-wears-pink, but I’m glad I passed the swing test.”
Her mouth turned down and she squeezed Tia’s hand. “Will you come back? You make Mom smile.”
Cade didn’t miss a beat. “Your mom has a beautiful smile. Just like her girls.”
