Page 30 of Cruel Expectations

“Well, there will be no Hunter and Ivy. I can’t stand the arrogant alpha-hole. He thinks he knows everything. And if he ever tries to manhandle me again…” She broke off, feeling those long, heated fingers stretched around her buttocks. Liquid heat melted her core and she resisted the urge to squirm at the mere thought of his hand on her.

When he’d pinned her to the truck door, for a heart-throbbing moment she thought he would kiss her.

Her insides quivered.

Shaking her head again, she denied how he made her feel to Meadow and even to herself. “I’ll never speak to him again. Or even look at him.”

Meadow patted her on the arm. “You’ve had a long day, Ivy. Sleep on it. We’ve got a lot to do tomorrow.”

That made her sit up straighter. Any chance to distract herself from the topic of discussion—all six foot four of him—was more than welcome.

“What do we need to do?”

“Go visit Daddy for one.”

The thought of those beeping machines and the sterile odor in the air made her stomach ache.

“What else?”

“There’s a lot to do around here. The business needs attention. I let the horses go for too long after news of Forest’s death. But I’m back on track now. I’ve been working with them as much as possible.”

“What can I do to help on the ranch? Can we find me something to do in the morning?”

Meadow brightened. “Definitely. Meanwhile, try to go easy on Hunter.”

That got her hackles up again. “Go easy on him?”

Meadow slipped to her feet, looking down at Ivy, and nodded. “You know, half the squadron died that day in an attack hours after Forest did. Hunter almost lost his leg.”

She blinked at her. She never would have guessed Hunter had sustained an injury. He didn’t walk with a limp or have any other indicator that he’d been hurt.

Suddenly she felt like the spoiled, bratty princess the man believed she was.

“That’s terrible.” She wet her dry lips and moved off the bed to embrace her sister before she turned in for the night.

After Meadow left her alone, Ivy stripped down to her panties and crawled between the cool sheets.

But everything in her was hot and bothered.

She couldn’t quit thinking about Hunter. How he felt, how he smelled. The dark fury in his eyes when he threatened that guy on the dance floor.

How his hand felt on her backside.

The first swat had awakened every nerve in her body, leaving them throbbing with awareness. When he touched her again, cradling her ass in one broad palm, she felt like she was electrically charged.

Even when he put her down, he’d let her body slide down his entire chiseled length, allowing her to feel every ridge—and bulge—on him.

Oh god. Did she have to remember that?

Hunter, her brother’s best friend and the newest employee on the Gracey Ranch, had been hard for her.

* * * * *

Hunter was face down in the dirt. Hard rocks cut into his cheek. Blood coated his lips.

His ears were packed with cotton, cutting off all sound. When he twisted his head to the side and opened his eyes, he was staring at thick black smoke.

Then the smoke cleared enough for him to make out the scene before him. At first, he couldn’t make sense of it. The bodies on the ground. A few feet away, his own boot lay on its side, ripped off his foot by the blast.

---