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“I did enjoy your way of communicating with the bartender earlier, though.” Her mouth curved into a full-blown smile and his gaze dipped to her lips.
“My charades entertained you, huh?”
“Thoroughly.” She flapped her arms, remembering how he ordered the chicken, and chuckled.“Pollomeans chicken.”
“Pollo?”
She nodded. “I got youBandeja Paisa, Sudado de Pollo, tamalesandempanadas.”
“I heardpolloin there.”
“Sudado de Pollois a chicken stew with potatoes and some spices and rice.Bandeja Paisais a traditional dish that contains fried pork, chorizo, ground beef, fried egg, plantains…,” she tilted her head, thinking, “avocado, beans, rice and an arepa.”
“That’s a lot going on.”
“It’s good. And I assume you know what tamales and empanadas are.”
Gray nodded. “For the most part. I think I got an empanada at Taco Bell before.”
Aubrey burst out laughing. “Well, I promise this will be nothing like that.”
“Your Spanish is really good, by the way.”
“It’s okay,” she said modestly. “I’ve been living here for the past year, so eventually I started to catch on.”
“Which brings me to my third question—what the hell are you doing down here in Colombia?”
“I just finished my stint with Doctors Without Borders. This is my last night here.”
“Really?” He sounded impressed and she flushed. “You’re a doctor?”
“No, I’m a trauma nurse.”
“No shit.” Something flared in his guarded, golden gaze and he leaned forward, studying her closely.
“What about you?” she asked, trying to turn the subject back to him. God, those eyes of his were so intense, so mysterious. If she looked deep enough, long enough, she thought she might get hypnotized.
He tensed, briefly hesitating. “I’m former military.” The words came out low and mumbled.
“That’s great. What branch?”
“Navy.”
Getting him to talk about his former military experience was like pulling teeth and it was clear he didn’t want to discuss it. He seemed like a quiet, guarded man who didn’t brag about his exploits. But the military career didn’t surprise her in the least. His physique had been one of the first things she’d noticed when he walked into the cantina. What red-blooded woman could’ve missed those endless muscles or the mouthwatering way his t-shirt pulled across his broad chest and cut into his muscular arms? Or how ridiculously tall he was, with thick thighs encased in cargo pants? His strength was apparent, and it caused her stomach to somersault.
Grayson Ellis was a man’s man. Big, ripped and he knew how to fight and defend. Aubrey remembered how easily he’d taken care of those three men at once. As if it were just another normal occurrence in his day. Helping a damsel in distress and beating up a few thugs. No biggie.
No one had ever defended her like Gray. And it had been an embarrassingly long time since a man made her pulse quicken and butterflies flutter in her stomach. It had been forever since she’d had a relationship, never mind sex. At this point, she may as well be a born-again virgin.
But Gray had her tummy flipping in the most delicious and scary way.Just enjoy the next twenty-five minutes,she told herself. Because once he got his food, it would be adios.
Aubrey wasn’t delusional when it came to how she looked and what a big, rugged man like Gray would prefer. What he needed. If she had to guess his type, she’d say a tall, willowy blonde with a tiny waist, long legs and perfect size C ta-tas. A woman who oozed charm, was sexy and confident, and could take care of her man in the bedroom.
And that was not Aubrey. Not even close. At barely five foot two, her legs weren’t excessively long and her thighs weren’t overly slim. Her boobs were a full B on a good day and, outside of the ER, her confidence was lacking. Completely non-existent when it came to relationships and dating, to be honest. She knew she had issues, and the last time she tried dating, her self-esteem had taken the biggest hit imaginable. It had been two years since that awful night, and she still couldn’t forget how it made her feel, and the absolute and utter humiliation that still haunted her. The emotional damage one man had caused in such a short amount of time.
Shoving those thoughts aside, locking them back up tight, she accepted the fact that a man like Gray would never like her as anything more than a friend. Or, a fellow American to kill some time with while his food finished cooking in a Colombian cantina.
A girl could dream, though, right?
