Ronnie shoved him back while forcing herself in the opposite direction. His grip loosened and she scrambled away from him and off the bed.

“Don’t,” he ordered. “Don’t leave me.”

Trying to get her breath back, Ronnie shook her head. “I’m not leaving you, hoss. I’m just not having sex with you either.”

He growled, baring huge fangs. “Why not?”

Ronnie walked back to her things and grabbed the painfully boring textbook she’d been hopelessly trying to read. “Because I have sense.”

“Your sense sucks.” Lion eyes stared at her from under a gorgeous mane of gold and brown hair that reached his shoulders. Shaw’s big body leaned forward, and Ronnie gave him about ten seconds before he leaped off that bed at her. “Come here,” he snarled.

She did, the book still in her hands. “What?” she asked once she stood near him.

Those gold eyes swept her from head to toe and back, leaving all sorts of interesting tingling in their wake. “Stay with me. In this bed. Now.”

She nodded. “Okay, hoss. Okay.” She stepped closer, brushing his cheek with her hand, and he closed his eyes on a sigh.

Her own fangs bared, Ronnie grabbed the eight-hundred-pound book in both hands and swung. It slammed into Shaw’s jaw, knocking the man on his side and completely unconscious.

Tossing the book back across the room, Ronnie shook her head and sighed. “Damn cat.”

“Is he supposed to be that horny?”

The doctor, a cutie-pie leopard, glanced back at the nurses who had to turn away so they wouldn’t laugh in his face.

“Miss uh…”

“Ronnie. Just call me Ronnie. And answer my question, doc. I mean, I could have been rolled in catnip the way that boy was acting.”

Clearing his throat, the doctor took her arm and steered her away from the nurse’s station. All of them shifters, Ronnie didn’t worry about what they might overhear. And with such a light onsite staff due to the holiday, Ronnie didn’t give a damn how loud she got.

“Ronnie, have you never taken care of anyone with fever before?”

“Of course I have. My daddy. My brothers. But they never…ya know.”

The doctor quickly shook his head. “No. No. Of course not. They’re family. But how did your father act around your mother when he was in the fever?”

Ronnie had to think about that. She’d been sixteen when her daddy had the fever after an ugly battle with a wild boar and she hadn’t spent much time thinking about it once he recovered. But then she remembered how her momma kept throwing her out of the room. A lot.

“Oh.”

Smiling, the doctor nodded. “Yeah. ‘Oh.’ He must be attracted to you, Ronnie. Otherwise, he probablywouldn’t bother. Especially lions.” He rolled light gold eyes that would freak even Ronnie out in the dark. “You know how they are.”

He patted her shoulder in an almost friendly gesture. “If it’ll make you feel better, I’ll get one of the male nurses to watch him. He’s a bear. Huge. Can easily handle him. That way you can go meet up with your Pack.”

She almost agreed immediately but then remembered how he’d ordered her to not leave him. There was a desperation to his demand that had her frowning when she realized none of the Llewellyn Pride would be around to take care of him.

“I can’t leave.” Although she really should. “I promised him I wouldn’t.” Ignoring the doctor’s raised eyebrow, Ronnie turned away and headed back to Shaw’s private room.

“Use the call button if he gets really out of hand, Ronnie.”

She waved in agreement and kept walking, turning a corner and heading down another hallway. Considering shifters didn’t need the hospital all that often, they sure did have a huge amount of space around this place.

After pushing the door to Shaw’s room open, Ronnie froze. Shaw was gone, which would definitely concern her. But the two bodies lying on the floor concerned her more.

Ronnie moved closer, her nose wrinkling when she smelled that they were human. Both looked to be in their thirties, one with dark brown hair and a big mustache. The other blond with a brutal scar on his throat, like someone had taken a knife to it. She also smelled the gun oil from their weapons and grimaced at their incredibly tacky suits.

And what, exactly, had they done with her lion?

Ronnie crouched beside the men and found their guns, Glock .45s, expertly dismantled. The pieces tossed under the bed. Seemed her rich lion had some hidden skills. Shaw had battered these guys pretty good, but they’d definitely live.

She sniffed the air and locked on to Shaw’s scent. Keeping her nose up, she followed Shaw down a long hallway and around a corner. As she reached the end of that hallway, she saw a door leading to a set of stairs that would take Shaw down and out of the building.

“Oh Lord.” She ran the last few feet, slamming into the door and shoving it open. Her momentum kept her moving forward. Right into the back of Brendon Shaw who, for some unknown reason, felt the need to sit on the railing. She should have sent him flying over, but he only grunted when she collided into him.

Glancing over his shoulder, Shaw smiled at her. “Well, hi, sexy.”

Ronnie pushed away from his back, taking a few seconds to tie his hospital gown back so she didn’t keep staring at the man’s perfect ass.

“Darlin’, what are you doing out here?”

“Just watching the sun rise.”