Page 26 of Fierce Protector

She raised a hand and flipped him the bird.

Laughing, he left the sassy veterinarian alone to rest. She needed it to grow his child.

* * * * *

The fresh scent of hay filled Demi’s nostrils. Her limbs felt deliciously heavy as she drifted on the border of sleep and waking.

Where was she?

Who cared? It had been the best sleep of her life.

No, really. Where was she? Her bedroom didn’t smell like hay even after she’d been around horses all day.

She opened her eyes and blinked up at the wooden rafters of a barn.

Everything flooded back—the meeting at the Graceys’ and Ledger ordering her to come with him, then practically forcing her up the ladder to the hay loft.

She must have passed out so fast. The last thing she remembered was shooting him the bird and his deep, rough chuckle followed.

He’d taken control and ordered her to sleep.

For her own good.

Nobody had ever done that for her before.

The smoldering way Ledger had looked at her across the table earlier caused her lower belly to tingle…and other parts lower still.

He eyed her up like she was a prime steak and he was the hungriest man alive.

And god, she wanted him too. What use was there in lying to herself? Hormones were making her horny, and he was pretty damn skilled in the bedroom.

She wasn’t going to boost his ego any higher by telling him that he was the best. The man already had more than enough confidence in himself.

A loud whinny—verging on a scream of alarm—echoed through the barn. She bolted upright.

Was that Lonesome Rose? It had to be. The Graceys only had one horse barn, and she was in it.

Quickly, she rose onto her knees and scrambled toward the ladder just as the horse let out several more loud snorts and whinnies.

Something’s wrong.

She swung over the edge of the loft, her feet planted on the rungs of the ladder. She rushed downward, toward the horse, picturing another injury or even a wolf sneaking into the barn, drawn by the scent of blood.

Landing on the floor, she ran toward the expansive stall.

She stopped dead.

A man wearing black clothing and a mask whipped toward her.

“Who the hell are you?” she demanded.

He lunged at her, swiping his arm across her chest and knocking her off her feet. She hit the stall wall hard with a loud crack.

Pain rippled through her spine and shoulder. She instinctively twisted onto her side to shield her stomach and unborn child from another attack, but he was already sprinting out of the barn.

Gathering air into her lungs, she let out a scream. Several men rushed in.

“Oh my god! It’s the doc. What happened?” Hunter crouched next to her, and she waved off his help.