Page 2

Glory

When Ripper had said finding work in this town wouldn’t be easy, he hadn’t been joking. I’d been in Blackwood Falls a week and had applied at every restaurant, bar, and shop in town. Either they weren’t hiring, or they just weren’t calling me back. I didn’t want to stay with Ripper any longer than I had to, but if I couldn’t support my daughter I didn’t have a choice. As it was, my money was running out and soon I wouldn’t even be able to pay for my own groceries. The money from the college was nearly gone. I’d used most of it on medical bills, and what little was left wouldn’t get me by for much longer.

The club had loaned me a vehicle so I could get around town. I hated relying on the Devil’s Fury so much. Badger had insisted I use one of the club trucks, and even made sure someone put gas in it. It didn’t feel right taking advantage. I liked paying my own way, but if I couldn’t find a job, I didn’t know what more I could do.

As it was, I could tell Ripper didn’t care much for having Sienna around. He’d been nice enough, and I couldn’t blame him for not wanting a crying baby under his roof. He wasn’t her father, and he shouldn’t have to put up with sleepless nights. Even though he’d offered to stay at the clubhouse, I didn’t want to boot him from his own space. I’d mentioned it to Badger and asked about the one-bedroom apartment. He’d stalled and put me off. If something didn’t change soon, I’d have to press the issue.

I almost wondered if Badger wasn’t trying to play matchmaker. If he was -- I hated to tell him, but he was doomed to fail. Ripper and I weren’t compatible in the slightest. We wanted different things from life. For one, he went to the clubhouse every night to party and came home drunk and smelling like cheap perfume. I didn’t own him, and he could certainly go where he wanted or be with whomever he wanted, but the way he stumbled into the house late at night didn’t exactly endear him to me.

I parked the truck at the clubhouse and got Sienna from the back seat. Since it was the middle of the day, and I didn’t see any other cars in the lot, I hoped it was safe to go inside. The last thing I wanted to do was carry Sienna inside and find half-dressed women, or worse. The women of the Devil’s Fury had been very clear about what to expect if I ever stepped foot in the clubhouse when I hadn’t been invited.

“Come on, baby,” I murmured to Sienna as I pushed open the door. “Let’s see if Badger is in his office.”

I hated asking for help. There wasn’t anything wrong with letting people give you a hand up when you needed it, but I’d fallen so far it felt like all I did was ask others to bail me out. Ripper let me stay in his house, the club let me use one of their trucks, and now I was going to ask for more. I felt horrible about it.

The interior of the clubhouse seemed brighter than it had the other day. I scanned the room and noticed a few bikers at a table playing cards, a lone guy stood at the bar, and someone was behind it wiping the space down. Taking a breath, I gathered my courage and started across the room.

“Badger’s not back there,” the man at the bar said, his voice deep and husky. It skated across me and I held back a shiver. Didn’t stop my nipples from getting hard.

What the hell?

I’d never reacted this way to someone speaking before. Or from anything else for that matter. I shifted Sienna so she’d hide my reaction to his voice before I turned to face him. He stared at my daughter, a look of longing crossing his face for a brief moment, before he held my gaze.

“What do you need, Glory?” he asked.

“You know my name, but I don’t know yours.”

His lips kicked up on one corner. “Wolf.”

Of course, his name would be Wolf. The guy had predator written all over him. I had no doubt he huffed and puffed and threatened to blow up the skirts of every woman in town. Although, with a voice like his, not to mention his looks, I figured most would just spread their legs before he even had to ask.

“Do you know when Badger will be back?” I asked.

“You could always stop by his house if it’s an emergency,” Wolf said.

By his house? My nose wrinkled and I shook my head. No, there was no freakin’ way I was going to bother the guy at home. I knew he had a wife and kid, and I’d heard the woman was pregnant again. If our roles were reversed, I wouldn’t want some strange person dropping by my home unannounced.

Wolf stood and came closer. Whatever woodsy scent he wore wafted toward me, and I couldn’t stop myself from taking a deep breath. Not helping ! I wondered if I could hold my breath, so I wouldn’t be tempted to do something stupid… like rub up against him. I didn’t know what the matter with me was, but I needed to fix it.

“What’s wrong, Glory? Maybe I can help.”

Wrong? Other than me desiring a man for the first time in my life? “There’s nothing wrong, exactly.”

He reached for my arm, giving my elbow a gentle tug toward the bar. He kicked out a stool and motioned for me to sit. It left him towering over me until he reclaimed his own stool.

“Sweetheart, you haven’t come to the clubhouse since that first day. You wouldn’t be here tracking down Badger if you didn’t need something. I promise, I don’t bite,” Wolf said.

My cheeks burned as I thought about him nibbling on me. Stop it, Glory !

I sucked in a breath and decided to just be honest. Well, minus the part where he was sending my hormones into overdrive. That was for me to know and… well, only for me to know.

“Ripper has been super nice, but I feel like Sienna and I are cramping his style. I thought I’d ask Badger about the one-bedroom place someone mentioned the day I got here. It’s not right to ask Ripper to give us a place to stay indefinitely.”

Wolf leaned against the bar. “Thought it was only temporary.”

“It would be, except I can’t find a job. I’ve applied everywhere. And without a job, I don’t have money coming in, which means I can’t afford a place to stay. Once my savings is gone, I can’t even buy diapers for Sienna.” I left out the part about being down to my last few hundred.

Wolf rubbed at the whiskers on his jaw. He didn’t have a full beard like a lot of the guys here, but he definitely hadn’t shaved in a few days. Why did I find it so sexy?

“You did a brave thing, coming all this way to help other people. The clinic is important to Shella. There isn’t much the club won’t do to see it succeed,” Wolf said. “And that includes paying you for your time.”

I opened my mouth to protest, but he held up a hand to silence me. I snapped my jaw shut and waited to see what he’d say.

“I don’t know how much we’d be able to pay you. For now, you can use the truck as long as you need it, and we’ll cover the gas for it. If the club doesn’t want to cover it, come see me. If you don’t like living with Ripper…” Wolf tapped his fingers on the bar. “I can understand wanting and needing your own space. I’ll talk to Badger and Slash. Maybe we can have something ready for you in a day or three.”

“I don’t want to be a bunch of trouble for the club,” I said.

Wolf gazed around the clubhouse. “I know we don’t seem like the type, but we like helping. Especially women like yourself. I don’t know what’s going on with you and Ripper, and I don’t need to. If you want your own place, we’ll make it happen. Need diapers or anything else? Just tell us.”

I reached over and placed my hand on his forearm, trying not to react to the heat coming off his skin, or the funny feeling in my stomach from being so close to him.

“Thank you, Wolf. I didn’t mean to imply anything. I’m not used to accepting help. As for Ripper, he hasn’t said anything, but I know Sienna is keeping him up, and honestly, the way he comes through the house smelling like cheap perfume makes me a little uneasy.” I released his arm, realizing I still held on. “I know the women who come here aren’t forced. And Ripper hasn’t tried anything with me. Still… I think it would be best if I found somewhere else to live.”

His hand clenched into a fist and his jaw went tight. “He comes home smelling like perfume?”

I nodded slowly. “He’s usually a bit drunk and I’ve seen lipstick smears on him. There’s no reason he can’t keep living his life the way he always has. I’m just not comfortable being around him like that, or having my daughter see him that way. I know Sienna is just a baby, and she won’t remember anything happening right now. I’m just… uncomfortable.”

Wolf shook his head, muttering something about insensitive idiots and showers. I didn’t quite understand it all.

“Badger can rip me a new one later if he wants, but we’re getting you moved. Now.” Wolf stood and winced. I noticed he favored his right leg. He walked off with a slight limp, yanking his phone from his pocket. “Come on, beautiful. Let’s get you settled into your own place.”

I hurried after him, my cheeks burning. Beautiful? Hardly.

By the time we reached Ripper’s house, there were two other trucks out front. Wolf opened the door and reached for Sienna, then hesitated. “Okay if I get her?”

I nodded, my heart taking off at a gallop when he cradled my sweet girl against his chest. She cooed at him and grabbed onto his cut with her wet fingers. He didn’t seem to mind the slobber and smiled down at her. Crap . If he kept doing things like that, I’d be in big trouble. My hormones were already all over the place where Wolf was concerned.

It didn’t take long to pack my things and haul them over to a duplex toward the back of the property. Wolf set up Sienna’s bed first. I fed her some baby food and laid her in her crib when she started to yawn. The place came with furniture. There was a full-size bed in the bedroom and a small dresser. Wolf had placed Sienna’s crib between my bed and the wall, away from the windows.

He checked the kitchen and muttered something under his breath.

“Everything all right?” I asked.

“You have basic dishes and pans, but there’s nothing stocked in the fridge or cabinets. Make a list of stuff you need for Sienna and anything else you’d want from the store. Since she’s sleeping, I’ll leave the two of you here and go grab what you need.”

I started to tell him it wasn’t necessary, but I stopped myself. Even if I didn’t want him to pay for everything, I knew I didn’t have enough to stock a completely empty kitchen. Instead, I’d be grateful and accept his help.

“Thank you, Wolf.”

He gave me a slight smile and eased down onto a kitchen chair, rubbing at his leg partway down his right calf. I chewed on my lip a minute. I might not be 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.