Quinn II (Undaunted Men #2) Read Online Free

She’s still very skittish and on edge with her surroundings. I've talked in detail about it with her to make sure she gets in the right frame of mind and stays there. I can't imagine what either one of us would be like if she had been violated. I constantly force her to think of the positive. If Stryker were here, he’d have a field day analyzing her mind, and then he'd tell me ad nauseam how to deal with her. Usually, he just gets on my nerves with his psycho-babble-bullshit, but right now, I could sure use him.  
    Of course, I don’t know what kind of baggage this past boyfriend Vince had bestowed upon her. I don’t know how deep some of her hang-ups run. I haven’t broached the subject of her coming home with me again, and she hasn’t asked. She has agreed that we can slow down our hiking and not be in such a rush to get anywhere.  
    I’ve taken up my favorite pastime of hunting in order to feed us fresh meat as we continue to hike south. There is something so incredibly wholesome and primitive about being able to provide the basic essentials for a loved one with my own two hands. She’s been a good sport about trying different game, such as dove and rabbit, and I’ve made it a point to clean and skin the game I’ve killed before bringing it back to camp. I think after she saw me field-dressing the rattlesnake, she gave herself a mental block about wild game.
    With each day, we grow closer and closer. I want to fuse her heart with mine before we get to the end of the trails. I really need to tell her the truth about her father having hired me. Even though I know it’s wrong, I somehow justify not telling her as a simple lie of omission, which I have to do all the time in my line of work. I need her to know that, beyond a shadow of a doubt, what we have is real. I don’t want her second-guessing this relationship.
    I watch Lexi as she combs through her long, chestnut hair, and I sit in silence for a moment, admiring her beauty. The length of her hair reaches halfway down her back, so thick and beautiful. I’m amazed when she starts to pick up strands of her hair, weaving them into a pattern without using a mirror. She sits on our sleeping bags, exuding grace and poise. She must've done more than ride horses to get that kind of posture. She had to have competed in shows.
    I don’t even know how many times I’ve had sex with her; it’s been too many times and in too many places to keep count. I even wake up in the middle of the night to claim her. I think of the movie, Forrest Gump, where his friend talks of having shrimp at least a hundred different ways, and I chuckle at my own warped sense of humor. Sex on a stump, sex in a tree, sex on the rocks, sex under the stars…the list is never ending.
    Once she has her hair braided, up and off the nape of her neck, I slip in behind her and nibble along her exposed skin. She giggles, and I grin over her ear.  
    “Quinn, you’re tickling me. What are you up to?”
    “I just need a taste of my woman,” I murmur as I press my lips to the outer shell of her ear. I feel her shiver, and I smile, knowing I can affect her with a simple kiss. “I’m getting ready to head out to go scouting,” I whisper over her skin. I really plan on calling the guys, so I can finalize my plans to bring her to my house.
    “Can I come?” she asks hopefully. I’ve let her come with me the last couple times, teaching her how to scout and what things to look for, depending on the game I’m after.  
    “Not this time, baby. I’m going to be moving in areas I don’t want you in.”
    “Quinn,” she whines, because she really does enjoy the adventure, but I also know she still doesn’t like being left alone.
    “What if I told you the likelihood of you running into a few snakes was rather high this time?”
    “Oh…yeah…never-mind.”
    “So much for being concerned about me. What if I get bit?”  
    “Oh, c’mon,” she scolds playfully. “You could shoot drunk and