Page 12 of Searching for Bristol
She shook her head. “No, about you thinking you’re not good-looking.”
Electricity seemed to arc between them. Rocky wasn’t oblivious to the looks he got from women when he was out and about, but for the most part, he ignored them. And those looks had lessened somewhat since he’d grown his beard. Women were much more drawn to Ethan and his clean-cut ruggedness, than Rocky’s scruffy lumberjack look. But he wasn’t looking for love. He was content to do his contracting work and live in his somewhat crappy apartment.
But Bristol’s admission that she liked his looks made him realize just how attracted he was toher. She had some Asian ancestry for sure, which was definitely appealing. Even with her mussed and dirty hair, the sweat on her face, and the dirt covering practically every inch of her body, she was pretty.
“Seriously, Rocky. Yeah, you’ve got the Bigfoot thing going on, but you make it look good. Really good,” she told him. A hint of color bloomed in her cheeks as she spoke, but she didn’t look away from him.
“Never thought about it much. As long as my body does what it needs to do when I ask it to do it, I’m good,” he told her honestly.
“Like carry damsels in distress?” she asked.
He smiled at her and sat up, propping himself up with his hands behind him. “Yup. Although I’m not sure I’d call you a damsel in distress. You did a hell of a good job of taking care of yourself in the three days before I found you.”
She snorted. “Well, there’s a difference between three days and actually getting myself back to the trail.”
“You would’ve made it,” Rocky said, believing the words wholeheartedly.
She shrugged. “What do you do when you’re not in the woods rescuing injured hikers?” she asked.
Recognizing the change of subject, Rocky didn’t object. If she didn’t want to talk about how he thought she was pretty damn tough, he’d let it go. “I’m basically a general contractor. I work on old houses, build decks, put in new floors, that kind of thing.”
She nodded. “Your comment a moment ago about your body doing what you want it to do makes more sense now. No wonder you’re so in shape.”
“My old team leader in the Navy would kick my butt if I gained weight and went soft,” he told her.
“How long were you in?” she asked.
Rocky liked this. Getting to know each other. He also liked that he had her full attention. She wasn’t fiddling with a phone. Wasn’t attempting to figure out a way to get out of the conversation, or only talking about herself. She was looking him in the eye, seemingly curious for more information about him. He was just as interested to know more about her too.
“Seemed like a lifetime,” he finally told her. “But I enjoyed being a SEAL, for the most part. Wouldn’t have enjoyed it as much if it wasn’t for Ethan being right there with me. We weren’t on the same team, but we frequently worked the same missions together. The special forces world is small, so at one time or another, we worked with most of the US SEAL teams…and a lot of the Delta Force teams, as well.”
Bristol laughed.
“What’s funny?” Rocky asked. He loved watching her laugh. She did so wholeheartedly and without reservation.
“I was thinking earlier that with my luck, you were a SEAL and knew a hundred ways to kill someone and not leave a trace. It kind of freaked me out for a second, but I told myself I was being silly.”
Rocky’s grin faded. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
“I know.”
“Do you?” he couldn’t help but ask. “I’m a big man. You’re right, Idoknow several ways to kill without any kind of weapon. I was a damn good SEAL and the government taught me well.”
“Are you trying to scare me?” she asked quietly.
Rocky thought about it for a second, then shrugged. “Maybe.”
“Why?”
“Because you scare thehellout of me.”
She looked shocked. “Me? Come on. I’m as harmless as a puppy. Besides, as you said, you’re a big man. The second I tried anything, you’d thump me into the ground.”
“Never,” Rocky told her fervently.
“Then why do I scare you?” she asked.
Rocky decided honesty was his best bet. “Because there’s something about you that’s different from anyone else I’ve ever met. I have no idea what it is, or why, but now I understand why Sandra got attached to you so quickly. The thought of you being in pain or hurt makes me kind of crazy. I want to fix it. Want to kick the shit out of Mike and his dopey friends for leaving you without a second thought.”
