Free Snake Charmer (Rawkfist MC Book 2) by Bijou Hunter Page A

nearly giddy to sit next to him.
    Donovan’s scent makes me smile so much
I’m forced to cover my mouth. He smells like soap and deodorant. Nothing fancy
from a guy like Donovan, just a clean male scent.
    After we arrive, Donovan straps on his
backpack full of supplies. I do the same even though mine mainly consists of
sugar. Having slept like crap, I’m yawning five minutes into our walk through
the tediously scenic woods.
    “What would you do right now if you
weren’t with me?” I ask, wiping my exhausted eyes.
    “Probably sitting in my backyard with
Kitty.”
    “Do you have friends you spend time
with?”
    “I stay to myself.”
    “Are you anti-social or do people think
you suck?”
    Donovan flashes me a smile so brilliant
that I feel it in my gut. “Can I pick a third choice?”
    “What would that be?”
    “I haven’t found the right people to
call friends. Do you have friends outside your family?”
    “No. I’m anti-social.”
    “I never would have guessed.”
    I stop walking and look up at the sunny
sky. Feeling Donovan’s gaze is on me, I wonder what he sees. Does he have any
idea I’ve lost all confidence when it comes to him?
    “The only real relationship I’ve ever
had was with a chick in high school,” I say, still looking up. “I couldn’t
stand men back then. My step dad super grossed me out about the opposite sex,
so I thought maybe I was a lesbian. Two weeks into the relationship, I realized
I didn’t like women either.”
    “Too chatty?” he teases.
    “Too everything. Women have a lot of
feelings.”
    “No shit,” he says, laughing.
    Shaking my head, I give him a quick
angry glance. “Men aren’t so great.”
    “Yeah, that’s why I don’t date them.”
    My irritation relents under the power
of his smile. “It’s not that I dislike people per se. I enjoy working with
patients at my job. I want to spend time with my family. So people as a whole
don’t repel me. I’m just picky.”
    “So am I.”
    “We’re nothing alike.”
    “What was her name?” he asks, walking
again.
    I hurry to catch up, admiring his
decision to test me. “Who?”
    “Your girlfriend?”
    “Why?”
    “Just curious.”
    “Are you planning to fantasize about
her and me while you do your business?”
    “Now I am. Hell, why’d you put that in
my head?”
    “Poor guy,” I mutter, grinning despite
my better judgment. “Holly and I never did anything sexy enough to put in a
porno.”
    “When did all that happen?”
    “My senior year in high school.”
    “I’m relieved I don’t remember much
from my senior year. It’d probably be a lot of awkward moves and embarrassing
pickup lines.”
    “Were you a hound in high school,
chasing all the girls?”
    “Naw. I hung out with a bunch of
stoners. The girls weren’t into sex. I think it was all the pot.”
    “A law and order kid tight with a bunch
of stoners. I’m sure your family was thrilled.”
    “My mom was wild, and I’m the bastard
of the family. No one was all that surprised by my choice in friends. Of
course, when I joined the sheriff’s department, they were downright shocked.”
    When I recall how handsome he looked in
his uniform, I instantly regret getting myself hot. “Why did you want to join?”
    “I liked the idea of helping people.”
    “You’re full of feces. I bet you only
wanted to do it to make your family think you’re one of them.”
    Donovan glances down at my smiling
face, likely realizing I’m as capable of challenging him as he is me. “That
might have been some of it. As a kid, though, my favorite movie was Smokey
and the Bandit . I figured I couldn’t be the Bandit moving bootleg booze
over state lines, so I might as well be Smokey.”
    “I’ve always gotten an outlaw feeling
about you.”
    “Probably. Can’t change the fact I come
from outlaw blood. Having seen both sides growing up, I can’t say which choice
is better. Some people aren’t meant to live straight and narrow. Others won’t
survive on