Spurred On (The Quick and the Hot) Read Online Free PDF

it was his shotgun. Begrudgingly, she acknowledged a good foreman wouldn’t come unarmed to a barn in the middle of the night when he saw the light on.
    Especially since he knew they were targeted by thieves.
    “You’re up late.” He moved into the space, and suddenly the office seemed too tiny—cramped. Between his bulky body and the testosterone coming off him in waves, she didn’t have enough air.
    “Just getting a jump on this project.” She held up a bridle.
    He hitched his thumb into his jeans. Her body reacted in that primal way it had while she’d tended his wound. Seeing his hard body—hell, looking into his eyes—did things to her she couldn’t escape.
    A fire started low in her belly, small flames licking at her. Her pussy squeezed hard as he held her gaze—refused to release it.
    “I can see your dedication to the ranch,” Hayden said.
    Horrible tears stung her eyes. She dropped her head before he could see. “Yeah, well, other people see different things.”
    He stepped closer. Her heart pounded out of control at his closeness. What was wrong with her? If she didn’t know better, she would think someone had injected her with female sensibilities. First flirting, and now her body was outright panting for Hayden Meadows.
    She clamped her thighs together to ease the throb between them.
    “I see a hard worker and a woman who knows this ranch as well as a son might.”
    She jerked. Swallowing her gasp, she stared at Hayden. Was she so transparent? She’d never spoken of her desire to run this ranch. And before now no one had commented on it.
    Hayden let his gaze drop over her throat to her breasts. Perspiration broke out on her lower back and throat. Damn, he was a fine-looking man. Muscled, perfectly proportioned. The hint of a tattoo peeked from underneath his short-sleeved shirt, the inky black lines making her fingers twitch with the urge to raise the cloth and see the design.
    His hair was matted, his hat obviously left behind in his haste to reach the barn. She wanted to run her fingers through the thick brown mass and smooth it.
    His drawl interrupted the moment. “Since you’re here, maybe you’ll give me a tour of the office. What’s in those filing cabinets?”
    Two short metal filing cabinets stood against the wall under the small window.
    Clearing her throat, she attempted to rearrange the chaos of her body. “Everything in this office has to do with the animals. Invoices for every animal living on the ranch—chickens, horses, cows.”
    “Health records?” He knelt before one drawer and slid it open. The whirring sound raised the hair on her forearms, or was it the sight of the broad back of the man opening the drawer?
    Zoe Beth set down the tack and cloth and slipped off the high stool. Backing toward the door, she fought for her sanity.
    Damn, she wanted to lunge at Hayden, wrap her arms around him, and feel the scrape of his five-o’clock shadow as he ravaged her mouth.
    Which was 100 percent unlike her. She hadn’t been lying when she’d told her daddy she didn’t want a boyfriend. All of a sudden, her throat was as dry as a Texas creek in August.
    Still squatting before the files, Hayden opened another one and leafed through the papers. “Shot records, vet notes.”
    Understanding washed through her, and she gulped down a laugh. He was worried about the dog bite and whether or not Tripod had his shots. Feeling more in control of her body, she reached the doorway. Nearby a horse snuffled. “I’ll just leave you with your work,” she said.
    He looked up. Again, that pull between their gazes warmed her in places she only touched in bed under her covers. She hadn’t been with a man in more than a year.
    No, I was never with a man. Hayden is a true man.
    Her errant thought stampeded her again.
    Hayden gave a nod. “Now that I’m up, there’s no point in going back to bed. I’ll just look through these files.”
    A smile stretched her lips. “You do that. But if