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Hell, other than feeling whole again and ending the nightmares, he didn’t even know what he wanted. Maybe just peace, quiet, an end to the guilt.
Most people expected to find someone special, settle down and eventually get married. Maybe have a couple of kids and a dog. But that was a pipe dream. When Gray looked in the mirror, he saw a big, scarred former SEAL with a soul so broken, so lost, that it wouldn’t be fair to drag anyone else down to his hell.
So, as much as he’d like to know more about Indigo Eyes, he wouldn’t dare approach her. But he also couldn’t stop staring at her. He’d never seen a woman so damn gorgeous. And maybe he was delusional, or it was merely wishful thinking, but he could’ve sworn she kept sneaking glances over at him, too.
But neither did anything to encourage the other to take things a step further.
When the woman finally stood up, Gray couldn’t help but admire her curvy figure. She motioned to the bartender and left some pesos on the bartop. Then she turned and headed toward the exit without another glance in his direction.
And Gray sat there and let her leave.
It’s for the best,he told himself and drained the last of his beer. She probably spoke Spanish, anyway, and he didn’t want to embarrass himself with more terrible charades. Besides, he needed to get his team’s food and leave. He wasn’t down there on a holiday or to pick up women. Ex Nihilo had a job to do.
And he still needed revenge on the man who’d ordered his team to be hunted down and killed.
Yet, his gaze followed the woman all the way to the door, sliding down and over the plump curve of her ass. For the first time in over a year, Gray felt a stirring behind his zipper as his body responded to the brunette. It wasn’t just a need to quickly take care of with his hand, either. Rather, it was a desire to find out more about her and then take his time and explore each luscious curve. Because, holy hell, she possessed a lot of them.
The bartender set four large bags of food in front of Gray, snapping him out of his reverie. He’d already paid, so he thanked the man, swiped the bags up and headed toward the door. Maybe if he was lucky, he’d be able to catch another glimpse of her.
Gray got more than a glimpse. As he walked back outside, he saw the woman surrounded by several men. They were too close, getting up in her personal space, and Gray quickly read the situation and determined their aggressive attention was unwanted. They reminded him of a group of street dogs, ready to pounce on their next meal.
Normally, Gray didn’t go around looking for trouble or fights. He didn’t have anything to prove to anyone. But, when he saw a damsel in distress, his first instinct was to pause and scope it out. And Indigo Eyes clearly needed help.
“Stop it!Nome toque. Por favor!” Her accent was one-hundred percent American and she tried to back away, but the three men cornered her against the building next door. “Déjame en paz!”
Gray didn’t need to understand Spanish to know she felt threatened. The fierce need to protect her jolted through him and he stormed over.
“Leave her alone,” he growled. Despite being emotionally and mentally crippled on the inside, he knew what he projected on the outside. A badass not to be fucked with who was easily capable of kicking the shit out of this scrawny trio of troublemakers.
Unfortunately, in addition to being bullies, they weren’t too smart, either.
The shortest one had the most muscle and he charged Gray like a rabid bulldog. Dropping the bags of food, Gray instantly went into warrior mode. He dodged a punch, sidestepped a swing by bulldog’s friend, then managed to catch the third asshole with a powerful right hook that sent him flying backwards.
One down. Two to go.Gray spun and launched a kick right into bulldog’s solar plexus, laying him out on the ground. The other guy managed to get a hit to Gray’s side, which really pissed him off more than hurt him, and he swung around, nostrils flaring, fists flying. Two hits and the asshole went flying and landed on his back.
“You done?” They glared defiantly, but the moment Gray took a threatening step forward, hands balling into fists, they all jumped up and ran like the hounds of hell were nipping at their heels. “Fuckers.”
Turning back around, Gray looked down into wide blue-violet eyes. She seemed a little breathless and swallowed hard.
“Thank you.” Her attention dropped to the ground where his team’s food laid, smashed to smithereens from being trampled and kicked aside. “I’m sorry about your dinner.”
Gray shrugged a shoulder. “I’m sorry those assholes were harassing you.”
She cleared her throat. “Can I, ah, re-buy the food for you?”
“You don’t have to.”
“No, I want to. It’s the least I can do.”
Although Gray didn’t expect the offer, he appreciated it. “Sure,” he relented. “Though, it’s really not necessary.”
Her mouth edged up slightly. “You’re American.”
He gave her a chin tilt. “Born and raised in the Volunteer State.” The moment the words were out of his mouth, he cringed.What a damn stupid thing to say.Holy hell, he was really rusty when it came to flirting. “Uh, Tennessee.”
“I thought I heard a bit of a southern drawl. I’m from Indiana, the Hoosier State.” Her lips tilted up.
“What’re you doing down here?” Maybe the question came out a little more rude than he intended. But he was curious why this beautiful woman was all by herself in the middle of Colombia.
