The Cut — Carol Lynne

Guilt kept him away from Santana for years, but once he has her, he'll let no one stand in his way from keeping her.

As the only child of an abusive biker and an alcoholic mother, Santana Rogers had one hero she could turn to in her life. Stake Wills, a member of the Kings of Bedlam Motorcycle Club, was her father's best friend, her savior and her lifelong crush. When her father is sent to prison, the club and her only friends turn their backs on her, leaving her to deal with the fall-out of her father's crime on her own.

Santana is proud of the way she's persevered through the hard and lonely years. When Stake reappears in her life after the County Sheriff attacks her, she isn't sure she's willing to let him back into her life and her heart. And if she does, she's not sure she'll survive having her heart broken again when he inevitably leaves.

It just about killed Stake to walk out of Santana's life, but after his best friend's death, he's forced to choose between the motorcycle club and keeping an eye on Santana. The club is the only family he's ever known, and a blackmail threat by Santana's mother threatens to destroy it all. He realizes that he made a mistake, but that won't stop him from trying to prove to Santana that he's still the man she needs him to be.