Page 26 of Gray

Who are these people?Aubrey wondered, more intrigued than ever. “Are you a black ops group?”

“Something like that,” Gray answered evasively. He placed a hand on her lower back, guiding Aubrey over to the last bungalow, and then knocked.

Ryland opened the door after a few more knocks, a shit-eating grin on his face. “Hey, c’mon in. Sorry, we were just…” His words trailed off and Aubrey was pretty sure they’d just interrupted the newlyweds. Especially after she noticed the lipgloss smudged all over the corner of Ryland’s mouth.

“Hi, I’m Harper,” a pretty blonde said, moving up next to Ryland, and smoothing her hands down her shirt. She was flushed and looked very satisfied, Aubrey noted.

As Harper walked over, Ryland watched her every move, his cobalt eyes hooded and protective. It made Aubrey yearn for the same. No one had ever looked at her the way Ryland was looking at Harper. Like she was the center of his universe.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Harper said. “I hear you need some clothes. Come with me and you can pick some stuff out.”

As they walked down to the bedroom, Aubrey felt her nerves lessen. Harper was friendly and put her at ease right away. Unlike Inda, Harper seemed like a regular person instead of some untouchable badass; she could relate to her better. Harper was someone she could see herself being friends with and Gray was right—they were nearly the same height and build. Short and curvy.

“So, I hear you and Gray got caught up in a scary situation down in Colombia.” Harper opened her closet and started pulling clothes out.

Sitting down on the edge of the bed, Aubrey asked, “Did theykill El Escorpión’s son?”

Harper spun around, crossing her arms. Her blue eyes darted to the door before she came over and dropped down beside Aubrey. “Did Gray tell you anything?”

Aubrey shook her head. She didn’t want to get Gray in trouble. She had a feeling he wasn’t supposed to tell her about their situation. And she wasn’t lying, because he hadn’t actually said a word to her about what his team had done. “No. He told me the less I know, the better. But I kind of had a feeling they might’ve been involved. They all seem very dangerous and mysterious. And, God knows, the CDE has endless enemies.”

“I can’t really say anything, but they have their reasons for everything they do.”

Clearly, Harper was loyal and Aubrey could respect that. Even though she was dying of curiosity.

“Pick out whatever you want,” Harper encouraged her. “It wasn’t very long ago when I was in a similar situation. I know what it’s like to be on the run and stuck in the same clothes.”

“Yeah, I wasn’t exactly planning a trip to California.” Aubrey reached for a t-shirt and a pair of leggings. “It’s beautiful here, though.”

Harper eyed her closely. “So, how in the world did you get swept up into all of this? Ryland told me a little, but you know how men are. They never share any of the important details.”

Shifting beneath the other woman’s probing gaze, Aubrey chewed her lower lip and grabbed another t-shirt. “Well, Gray stepped in when some guys started harassing me outside a cantina. Then he walked me back to my hotel and everything kinda went to shit. We escaped that chaos and he brought me back to his team because he thought it was safer. I couldn’t go back to the hotel and get my passport, so it was really kind of them to fly me here. I get the feeling it was a pretty big risk. And it’s not like they owed me anything. Gray and I just met.”

“They might come off as a little intimidating at first—especially Saint and Brax—but they will all risk their lives to protect each other. They’ve become a tight knit group ever since…” Her voice drifted off and Aubrey sat up straighter.

“Ever since?”

Harper cleared her throat and leaned a little closer. “They recently lost a teammate and I’m not sure if you knew, but Gray was his replacement.”

Several pieces of information began to click in Aubrey’s mind. She’d always been a quick learner and enjoyed solving puzzles. Well, Gray was one giant, very tempting puzzle, and she had a feeling that he wasn’t the only one on his team who had been wronged. Perhaps that’s why they meshed together so well.

Or, maybe Aubrey had a very active imagination.

After putting the borrowed clothes in a bag, Aubrey and Harper returned to the living room, sat down on the couch and began chatting. Harper was easy to talk to and Aubrey enjoyed getting to know her better. Yet her eyes kept drifting over to Gray who sat at the island with Ryland, and she couldn’t help but admire his strong profile. He looked like he’d been carved from granite. All hard lines and sharp angles. Strength in spades. Her stomach flip-flopped as she studied the lion tattoo on his upper right biceps. So fitting. God, she felt like she was back in school, drooling over the hot guy in her class.

The type of guy who wouldn’t pay her an ounce of attention.

???

The day went far too fast for Gray’s liking, but he enjoyed the time off and getting to know Aubrey better. The only problem was he found himself looking for her when she wasn’t right in his line of sight. Or touching her whenever the opportunity arose. A hand at her back or elbow. His thigh or arm pressed against hers when they sat next to each other. Breathing in her gardenia scent. Hell, it was impossible to ignore the tantalizing way it filled his nose and tried to wrap itself around him. Even when she wasn’t in the room.

He found himself constantly checking to make sure she was okay, and that wasn’t his normal reaction to a woman.Fuck.He frowned when it occurred to him that he was acting like she belonged to him. Like she was his woman. Which she wasn’t, of course. With a huff, he shifted in his chair and took a sip of his beer, trying not to watch as Aubrey talked with Harper and Inda on the back deck of his place.

He knew he’d have to say goodbye soon.So stop looking at her and worrying about her,he chastised himself. Their girlish laughter floated in through the screen door and his frown deepened. What the hell was so funny? What were they talking about?

“Demon!”

Gray’s head snapped over to see Zane and Ryland exchanging amused looks.

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