“I could’ve just walked out,” I grumbled as he wheeled me through the ER.
Kurt laughed, and I crossed my arms over my chest as I pouted. “No can do. You heard the man. It’s against hospital policy.”
Going home with a patient also had to be against policy—and with a much steeper penalty—but I wasn’t going to point that out to Kurt and run the risk of him turning the wheelchair around. Instead, I huffed, “Fine.”
“Don’t worry, you can get out of there and walk as soon as we’re through those doors.”
I circled my hand in the air, urging him to go faster, which only made him laugh again. I was enjoying the raspy sound when we finally made it outside. I was so focused on getting out of the wheelchair that it took me a moment to realize the Volkswagen Jetta sitting at the curb was mine. And in a no-parking zone, no less. “How did my car get here?”
“I had a prospect from my club drive it over since I had my bike with me. Not gonna have you on the back when you have a concussion.”
Prospect? Bike? The sexy doctor was full of surprises. His answer helped explain how someone had been able to drive my car without having the keys—they’d just hotwired it. And probably also how they’d figured out which one was mine. “You’re in an MC?”
He’d been thanking the orderly who offered to take the wheelchair inside, but his head jerked toward me at my question. “How’d you know that’s what I meant?”
“I’m familiar with the lingo.” I felt my cheeks fill with heat. “I’m a club princess.”
“Oh, yeah?” His wide smile reached his gorgeous dark eyes. “Which club?”
“My dad is the VP for his chapter of the Road Warriors.”
I figured I already knew the answer, but I had to ask anyway. “Which club are you with?”
“The Silver Saints.”
I grinned up at him. “Awesome.”
“So me being a biker doesn’t scare you?” he asked as he opened the passenger side door for me.
“Not even a little bit.” I flashed him a small smile after getting settled in my seat. “More like the opposite. My dad will be relieved to know you’re with me.”
His eyes widened in surprise. “You really think so?”
“I know he will.” I waited until Kurt rounded to the driver’s side and climbed into the car to add, “The only reason he was okay with me attending college so far away was that he knew there was a club in town with a good reputation. He told me to go to your clubhouse and tell them who I was if anything bad ever happened.”
4
Patch
It was fucking hot that Willa was a club princess. And gaining her trust so quickly would make it much easier to convince her that she was mine now. I’d already made the decision, but when she cried in my arms…it solidified my resolve. Willa needed me to protect her, care for her, and make sure she had everything she could ever want for the rest of her life.
I almost laughed when she told me her dad would be relieved to find out she was with me. Not that he couldn’t trust her safety to me—that wouldn’t even be a question between us—but I doubted he’d be as supportive if he knew all the dirty things I intended to do to his little girl.
Bear and Alyssa popped into my head, and a new idea began to form. Alyssa’s father was the sheriff of our small town, and we’d always had a tenuous relationship. He looked the other way at times, and we helped out when needed. When Bear basically kidnapped his daughter, he knew there’d be a fight to keep her when the sheriff found out. So he’d knocked her up, making it impossible for Alyssa’s dad to force them apart.
The image of Willa with a round belly and wearing nothing but her property vest nearly caused me to drive off the road, but I caught myself before I’d even swerved a little, so I didn’t freak out Willa. Bear was definitely on to something.
I pulled into Willa’s small apartment complex and found a spot close to her door on the second floor. I nodded in approval at what I was sure was her father’s choice of apartment. The height of the place kept most people from breaking in, but it was close enough to the ground that she could get down the steps and run away fast. Worst case, she could also jump over the railing and land without too much injury in the case of a fire or other emergency.
“How did you know where I live?” Willa’s soft voice floated across the car, and I turned my head to see her watching me curiously but without any suspicion or fear. Her instinct to trust me had to be more than just the fact that a nurse had vouched for me or that I was a Silver Saint. I was happy to see the proof she was also feeling the same deep connection between us.