Read Online Quinn's Woman by Susan Mallery - Free Book Online Page B

who have nothing to say.”

    “Maybe I’m not into conversation.”

    “I know you’re not.”

    “I like to keep things simple.”

    “D.J. is a lot of things, but not simple and not easy,” Travis warned.

    “I already figured that out,” Quinn told him.

    D.J. was a challenge. In the past he hadn’t been able to risk that. He couldn’t get involved in anything that would last more than a few days. Ties weren’t part of the job. After living on the edge of humanity for months at a time, ties became an impossibility.

    Were they possible now? Could he remember what it was like to want a woman for more than sex? This was the first time in years he’d sensed possibilities. D.J. might be the only woman he’d ever met he couldn’t scare off with the truth. Was that a good thing for either of them?

    “She’s been in town about four years,” Travis told him. “Before that she was in southern California. If you want to know any more background, you’re going to have to ask her yourself.”

    “Fair enough.”

    Travis leaned forward. “Quinn, you’re family. My brothers, Hannah and I are glad you and Gage found us. We want to get to know you better. Our father wasn’t one for giving a damn about his kids, so we’ve learned to look out for each other.”

    He hesitated, then shrugged. “But I have to be honest. D.J. isn’t like other women. She’s tough and determined. A hell of a fighter. But inside – I can’t explain it. I’m not going to be an idiot and tell you to back off. But I care about her. We all do.”

    “I understand.”

    Quinn did. Torn between newly discovered family, and the loyalty that went with that, and his relationship with D.J., Travis didn’t want Quinn to use D.J. and dump her.

    Gage shook his head. “Travis, she seems more than capable of taking care of herself.”

    “She is.”

    But he didn’t sound completely convinced. Quinn got that, too. Despite the attitude and the muscles, there was still something vulnerable about D.J. Maybe it was the weight of the chip on her shoulder. Lugging something that large around was bound to slow her down.

    Quinn thought about reassuring Travis, but his half brother didn’t know him from a rock. Words were meaningless until there were actions to back them up. In time Travis would see that Quinn had no interest in using anyone. He saw D.J. as unique and appealing.

    What on earth would Travis say if he knew D.J. had offered sex in exchange for Quinn teaching her what she wanted to know? He had a bad feeling Travis wouldn’t believe him, and might even want to take things outside. Not exactly a good way to start a brotherly bond.

    No, that information was better left private. Quinn wasn’t going to say anything, and he doubted D.J. would be telling the world what she’d done. It would be their little secret...and it reminded him he still had to come up with what he wanted from her in payment. The possibilities were endless.

    Travis headed home about an hour later. Quinn glanced at his watch. “Don’t you have a blonde waiting for you upstairs?”

    “No. Kari’s in San Francisco for a couple of days visiting a friend of hers. We could grab a bottle of scotch and get drunk.”

    Quinn held up his hands. “Thanks, but I’m not in the mood for a hangover.”

    Gage laughed. “I’m not, either. I guess we’re getting old.”

    “It was bound to happen.”

    His brother stretched out his legs in front of him and rested his hands on his stomach. “I talked to Mom today. She and John are working out the final details of the wedding. Are you going to be able to get time off?”

    “I don’t know. I’ll do my best.”

    “Mom would really like you there.”

    “I want to come.”

    Quinn figured in the past ten years he’d missed enough holidays and special occasions for three lifetimes. While his father – make that Ralph Reynolds – had been alive, he hadn’t minded staying away. But in the past few years, he’d