Page 49 of Rough

Ah, Total Bitch was a wolf? Seriously?

Boyd stilled and stared at the kid. “Don’t tell your parents? I’m going to tell someone worse than that. Your alpha.”

The boy groaned, and I looked him over to see what the problem was but realized he wasn’t happy about Boyd’s words.

“He’s gonna make the decision about how this gets handled. End of story. How are you feeling now?”

The youth had lost blood, and his face was pale, but he pushed himself up to lean on one elbow. This time, Boyd didn’t stop him. “Better.”

“Lemme see,” Boyd said to me, putting his hand over mine where I held compression on the gunshot.

He wasn’t a doctor, but I guessed he knew more about this young man’s physiology than I did, so I let him lift away the pressure.

He pushed and prodded the wound, making the kid flinch, then shook his head. Most of the blood had washed off in the water, but the area was red and angry. “Bullet must be in the bone, but it’ll come out on its own.” Boyd turned his head to look at me. “He doesn’t need care. I swear to fate, Doctor.”

I swear to fate.

Interesting turn of phrase.

He’d mentioned fate when he talked about meeting me. Was the belief part of his culture?Wolfculture?

He reached out, lightly wrapped a hand around my elbow and squeezed. “You okay? I imagine this is a shock.”

“Uh, yeah. Yeah, it is.” I looked at him through new eyes. My sexy rodeo champ was actually a wolf. BoydWolf.“You must think me stupid.” I looked away.

He turned my chin back with his fingers. “You’re the smartest person I know.”

“Were you going to tell me?”

He looked slightly guilty. “Yes. I wanted to. From the very beginning. It’s just… forbidden. I was trying to figure out what to do.”

“I won’t tell your secret.” I looked him straight in the eye, then at James, so they both knew they were safe with me. “Doctor-patient confidentiality. I won’t breathe a word. You both have my promise. Besides, who’d believe me?”

“Thank you. That means a lot.” Boyd squeezed my elbow again. “I’ll tell you anything you want to know. Answer all the questions. But let’s get James out of here before anyone else sees him. You have to work tomorrow?”

I nodded. “Office hours.”

He looked down at the boy, a teen, who’d just wanted to sneak away for time with his girlfriend. It sounded so very familiar. Hadn’t it been exactly what Boyd and I had done?

“How are you doing, kid? Can you walk yet?”

James nodded and climbed up, wrapping the blanket around his waist. Boyd was right. He seemed to be improving by the minute. His color was already returning. My medical mind reeled from what I’d just witnessed. He’d been shot, as a wolf, fell off the side of a cliff, almost drowned and was now standing. Impossible. But it was right in front of me.

Boyd helped me to stand. “Go and get in my truck,” he ordered James. “Follow the path, and you’ll see it. Try to run off, and I’ll hunt your ass down.”

After the young man started away, his shoulders slumped in defeat. Boyd slid an arm around my waist and pulled me against his wet body. He brushed back my hair and pushed my glasses up my nose for me. “You sure you’re okay? Not freaked out?”

“Definitely freaked. Um, it’s a lot to process. I… I guess I like it,” I admitted, which sounded dumb. But it seemed like the missing piece to understanding Boyd just fell into place. He was too perfect before. Too good looking. Too strong. Too charming. I felt I couldn’t trust him, like something wasn’t real. Now it made sense why he was such a spectacular specimen of a male. How he could ride bulls for so many years without breaking his neck. How he could walk away from such a terrible goring. It made it easier to believe what he said, even about his interest in me. About how he knew from the first that I was the one.

He wasn’t just looking at me as a man, but as a wolf, too.

I pushed up his wet shirt and ripped off the bandage covering the place he was gored by the bull.Nothing!Not even a mark. I traced my fingertip over it, in awe. Boyd Wolf was something special. And I felt honored to know his secret.

Boyd’s face broke into a smile. “Yeah? You like it?”

I nodded. “I have a lot of questions.A lot.But I want to see your wolf.”

Boyd cupped the side of my face with one hand and traced my lips with his thumb. “I’ll show you, darlin’. Any time you want. And I’ll answer all your questions later. I promise.”