Page 25 of Fierce Protector
The talk continued for long minutes, with each person giving their take on the action they needed to take. Someone suggested bringing in WEST Protection, the security company, again.
Demi’s eyes slipped closed. Ledger studied her for a heartbeat. Her long lashes swept over her cheeks and her mouth opened on another yawn. She clapped a hand over it and snapped her eyes open.
He captured her gaze and then stood. “Demi. Come with me.”
All talk halted. Everyone swung their attention to him.
He didn’t give a damn what they thought. He was getting Demi out of here. Now.
He circled the table and stopped beside her, waiting.
She didn’t budge.
The warning look he gave her made her push her chair back, a noise of exasperation escaping her lips.
“I’ll be back tonight,” she tossed out to the guys and then stalked out of the room.
Ledger followed. When they cleared the doorway, he took her by the elbow and steered her through the house and outside.
She tore her arm from his grip. “What do you think you’re doing? You made a big scene back there.”
“I couldn’t care less. You’re so exhausted you can hardly keep your eyes open. You’re swaying on your feet.”
It was true. As he spoke, her eyelids seemed to grow weights and dip over her beautiful brown eyes.
“Demi,” he grated out. “Let me take care of you.”
She blinked at him. “What are you going to do?”
“That question comes with a lot of actions that are better saved for when you’re not about to collapse from fatigue.”
Her lips popped open on a silent gasp.
He slipped his arm around her and started for the barn. “For now, I’m going to find you a safe place to take a nap.”
“But I have more animals to check on!”
“I’ll call the office and tell your receptionist to cancel them. You sleep and when you wake up, I’ll feed you again. And if the sun is down, you can show me how to dart the animals.”
She shook her head and tried to escape his grip, but he held firm and propelled her into the barn and toward the ladder leading to the loft.
Not far away came the sound of hammering from the construction crew the Graceys had hired to rebuild the bunkhouse after it burned down. The pounding noise got under his skin, but he pushed it down. He didn’t have time for dealing with stupid emotions.
He led her to the ladder.
She swirled to face him. “You’re not going to back off, are you?”
“About time you realized that.” He waved at the loft above. “You go first. I’ll follow to make sure you don’t fall.”
Her sigh came out as more of a scream, but she gripped the ladder and started up it.
At the gorgeous view of her supple ass inches from his face as she ascended to the loft, his cock stiffened to the point where he could hammer nails like those workers.
Once they reached the top, he led her to a soft pile of hay and spread a clean horse blanket over it. She sank to her knees, and his gut gripped with need at seeing her in the position he wanted her in most.
But she immediately stretched out on the hay, curled on her side. Her eyes slipped shut.
“I hope the hammering doesn’t keep you awake.” He knew nothing would keep her up.