Camouflaged (Hiding From Love #0.5) by Selena Laurence Read Free Book Online Page B

my head, trying to absorb it all.
    “I know for a fact that he wasn’t that kind of guy. This was the boy who’d eaten my mom’s tamales and played Scrabble with us on Thursday nights. He’d helped my dad with the yard work and had a 3.8 GPA. I saw so much good in him when we were growing up together. But when they took away his only family, he was lost. He turned angry and bitter, and he became a different person.”
    She shivered even though it was mild out, and I once again fought the impulse to touch her more, hold her, comfort her.
    “When you ask why I would come over here and volunteer, that’s why. If I can help even one person avoid a life like Juan’s, then it’s worth it. Everyone deserves to have a country where they can live in peace and safety and have food and shelter. No one should have to fear they’ll be taken from their homes in the middle of the night by soldiers, federal agents, or religious zealots.”
    She sighed, and we sat quietly once more as I stroked her hand carefully, dreading the moment she would take it away from me, knowing it wasn’t really mine to hold. I realized this was a woman who saw the good in people, and for whatever reason, she’d seen the good in me. I wasn’t sure what to do with that.

I t was December seventeenth when I took Alexis out in a supply truck to deliver one of the first loads of aid supplies to the families of the area. The UN staff had carefully surveyed every household they could to get an assessment of needs, and now we were supposed to hand out things like baby formula, aspirin, clean water, and hygiene products.
    To be honest, I’d been looking forward to this trip for a few days. We planned to go to the village down the road from camp but also to some outlying areas. It meant spending the whole day locked in a truck with Alexis, and even though I’d promised not to come on to her anymore, even though it might mean my job if I touched her, I had this strong pull to be in her orbit. I knew she belonged to someone else, but I couldn’t seem to control the direction my thoughts took around her. The simple truth was I wanted to fuck her for about five days straight, take a nap, and start it all over again.
    We loaded up the truck and left at about seven a.m.
    “I didn’t even think about how we’re going to eat if this is going to take all day,” Alexis said as we started out.
    I slammed on the brakes. “Oh shit!” I hollered.
    She jumped about eight inches off her seat and yelped. I laughed as I started up the truck again.
    “It’s all right, babe. I’ve got it under control. MREs are super and the canteen water only tastes a little metallic. You’ll get used to it.”
    Poor girl. She was spunky as hell, but I watched her face fall as she anticipated eating the Army’s infamous meals in brown plastic wrapping.
    I took mercy on her. “Hey, I actually have a whole lunch the kitchen packed for us. No MREs, I promise. Just the usual crappy sandwiches.”
    She sighed in relief.
    “So, the plan the squad leader gave us is to start at the farthest point from base and work our way closer throughout the day. The other trucks in the convoy will be coming about a half hour after us. They had a last minute repair to make. We’ll meet up with them at the first stop. It’ll take us about forty minutes to get there, so kick back and enjoy the lovely views of the rocks and dirt we’ll be surrounded by all damn day.”
    She laughed. “It’s not terribly beautiful, is it?”
    “Not the landscape, but the people . . . You know, it’s weird. They can be really beautiful and then again they can be barbaric. There’re a lot of contradictions.”
    Nodding, she looked out the window as we bumped along the road, dust churning in our wake. I watched her profile, wondering why it was I found myself wanting to talk to her, actually talk to her, when I rarely talked to women longer than it took to get them into my bed.
    “Can I ask you something?” I