Page 4 of Fierce Protector

“I’m Demi.”

His gaze lingered on her lips.

People always looked at her lips. Her bottom one was almost too plump. Growing up, kids bullied her about it.

She tucked it between her teeth.

Ledger didn’t probe her for more information about herself. She didn’t ask anything about him either. Her entire day was spent listening to pet owners and ranchers overshare about their lives. What began as a short checkup in the office turned into drawn-out conversations about their arthritis or gout.

She loved her job—she really did. Loved the animals under her care, and their owners too. But getting a break had become her biggest struggle.

That made dating difficult too. She didn’t have the bandwidth for getting to know a guy. She didn’t want to learn about their job or family. Even if she liked a guy, making plans for dates was difficult when she’d get called out to tend to a lame horse or a colicky goat. After years of canceling plans, she gave up.

Ledger sipped his lager. She finished hers first and cradled the one he brought her.

It wasn’t a new trick to buy a woman the same beverage she was already drinking, but she did like that he had done so only to get the seat—not into her pants.

She studied him from beneath lowered lashes. His body had her guessing at what he did for a living. Since he didn’t look like a gym rat, she could only guess that hard work had layered his physique in muscle and sinew. Between his broad chest and thick shoulders, she couldn’t figure out where to let her gaze settle.

He was slightly older too. Not grandpa old. But seasoned. The dark hair on his jaw sported an odd strand of silver here and there that only added to his allure. And that mouth…

Oh god, the things she could do with that mouth.

Like ride it.

With her clit.

Okay, maybe it had been a while since she had a man in her bed. Her battery-operated boyfriend had long ago stopped exciting her. Now pleasuring herself was a routine, a quick release before she crashed for a few hours of sleep.

“You’re not from around here.”

At her question, he locked eyes with her. “Nope.”

That answer made him even more attractive.

He was safe dick.

She could have a one-night stand with this guy and never see him again. What could be more perfect?

With a swift decision that was pretty out of character for her, Demi pushed her beer away and scooted out of the booth.

His gaze tracked her. God, those eyes were full of mystery and shadows. Both things she could enjoy without wanting to know more. Having sex with a hunky mystery man from out of town was fantasy fodder that could keep her going long after their night ended.

“You finished for the night?” Ledger’s voice sent prickles over her skin, which was already burning with desire.

“Come with me.”

He cocked a brow. Then his hot mouth quirked at one corner, creating a carved bracket that sent her body into overdrive.

Pushing away his beer too, he slipped out of the booth in a graceful maneuver that a man of his size shouldn’t be able to pull off. He towered over her.

And he smelled good.

He made no question about what she had in mind for him. “You sure?”

“Yes.”

He was staring at her mouth again.

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