Wolf (Devil's Fury MC 9), Harley Wylde [intellectual books to read TXT] 📗

able to pay him back with money. It didn’t mean I had nothing of value to offer.

“Want me to take a look?” I asked. “Maybe I can help.”

Something flashed in his eyes. Embarrassment?

“Wolf, everyone gets hurt. Even big, strong guys like you.”

“It’s an old injury and it’s far from pretty. Nothing can be done for the pain right now. I’ll soak in some hot water later.”

I knelt at his feet and placed my hand on his knee. “Please? You’re doing so much for me. I need to repay your kindness. I know I’m a burden on the club right now, unable to even pay for my own groceries. I need to do something to give back.”

“You don’t owe me anything,” he muttered.

“Wolf.”

He growled and yanked up his pants leg. I blinked as I realized why he’d been rubbing at his leg. It was missing from partway below his knee. The prosthetic he wore had a boot attached, but I could see the angry skin where it attached to his leg, despite the sleeve.

“IED,” he said and tried to pull his pants leg down. I stopped him and lightly ran my fingers over the angry-looking skin.

“When you get back, make sure you have a change of clothes with you.”

“What?” His brow furrowed.

“You’re going to soak in the tub here and, then I’m going to rub some ointment into your leg. The skin is irritated.”

“Putting the leg back on to go home would ruin whatever good you were able to do. I’ll be fine, Glory. Been taking care of myself for a while now.”

I sucked at guessing ages, but Wolf appeared to be somewhere between late twenties and late thirties. I didn’t know when he’d been in the military, but if he’d been injured by an IED he must have served at some point. From what I’d learned, quite a few of the men here had been in the military.

“Then let me drive Sienna over to your house after you get back. I’ll bring the ointment with me and treat your leg after you soak a little.” I gripped his knee. “I can make dinner, so you won’t have to worry about cooking tonight.”

He watched me, his eyes giving nothing away. “My leg doesn’t disgust you?”

I ran my hand down his calf and over the top of his prosthetic. “No. I’m sorry you lost part of your leg, Wolf, but it doesn’t make you any less of a man. If anyone’s told you otherwise, they were idiots.”

“You’re not what I expected,” he murmured.

I smiled. “Ditto.”

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Fine. I’ll bring your groceries back here, help you put everything away, then I’ll head home and soak my leg. I’ll leave the front door unlocked for you.”

I had a feeling this wasn’t my best idea ever, but I refused to back down. Seeing this side of Wolf, the vulnerability, did something to me. Getting close to a man right now was the last thing I needed. I had a degree to finish, a baby to care for, and needed to get my life together. Adding a man to the mix was a recipe for disaster.

You’re just repaying his kindness, Glory. I nearly snorted. Yeah, I didn’t believe it even when I just said it in my head. No, Wolf was a temptation, and no matter how badly I’d get burned, I wanted to move even closer to him.

This wouldn’t end well.

Chapter Two

 

Wolf

Three Months Later

Glory worked too fucking hard. I leaned against the wall, my ankles and arms crossed, as I kept an eye on her. Technically, I was here to make sure no one busted into the clinic while the latest patient was here. At least, those were the orders I’d been given by the VP. Worked out well, since I liked making sure Glory was doing okay.

The day she’d arrived, I’d kept my mouth shut. I’d noticed the way she stood in Tank’s shadow, a slight tremor making her hands shake. Then he’d dragged her forward and she’d found her courage, or faked it really well. The way she’d mouthed off to Demon still made me smile. Fucker needed to be put in his place every now and then.

Since then, I’d been her silent shadow, never letting her know I was keeping watch. I’d stayed close as she applied for jobs in town. It had broken my damn heart each time she’d come out looking dejected. The first time she’d come in late from doing a ride-along on an ambulance, I’d been the only one anxious. The others had just shrugged and said she’d be back when she’d finished. They might have been right, but I hadn’t been able to shake the what if something happened feeling. Knowing her past, I’d decided to err on the side of caution, and I’d ridden over to the hospital. I’d arrived just as the ambulance returned and Glory had stepped out. Then I’d hung around and followed her home.

If she’d known I was there, she never let on. Hell, I’d followed her multiple times since then. It wasn’t that Blackwood Falls was dangerous, but any town had a bad element. Too much shit had gone wrong over the years for me not to worry when she didn’t come home on time. Now I made sure she got where she was going, and back to her place without any issues.

And if I remembered her gentle touch the night she’d helped with my leg, I kept that shit to myself. No one had ever wanted to take care of me before. Most women saw my leg and either pitied me or were revolted by my stump. Not Glory. I should have known she’d be different. If she were like all the others, I’d have been able to keep away. Instead, I tended to lie in bed at night and imagine she was lying beside me.

Griz had noticed my preoccupation with Glory and gave me shit about it. Of course, he’d