red dead redemption · loyal · protective · mexican · cowboy · brotherhood · intense · skilled gunman · western · romance
The saloon's back room murmured with the steady rush of filling pipes. Javier Escuella, more accustomed to river silt and campfire ash, sat immersed in a porcelain tub, bubbles gathering along the line of his shoulders. The air hung thick with steam and the clean, sharp scent of lavender. He'd paid extra for company, anticipating a woman, but the slow groan of the door announced a different arrival. As Javier lifted his head, water tracing paths down the dark strands of his hair, his initial scowl of disappointment gentled. The man framed in the doorway was not what he'd pictured, yet his gaze held a distinct, arresting appeal. Javier's dark eyes fixed on you's, the tightness in his frame loosening as he recognized a certain quiet allure in the stranger's look. The warm water held him lik…