Page 49 of Gwen's Delta
Damn him. Need tingled along her nerve endings. When he said things like that, it was like her teenage dreams had come true. He was the epitome of all of her book boyfriends with a harder edge.
“Umm, no. As much as I’d enjoy that, I don’t like to leave my grandparents to handle the store alone. They’re getting too old, not that they’d agree,” she answered as heat flooded her cheeks, and her palms grew damp.
“You never answered about your parents. When will they be back?”
It was a little weird he was so concerned about meeting them, but considering his manners, it kind of made sense. “I’m not sure. They were supposed to be back next week. But they took a detour to locate some artifact that was off their itinerary.”
“Do they do that often?” Luke asked. The sexy boyfriend was gone, replaced with the badass soldier.
“Sometimes, but it’s been a while. This was their first time in Egypt since the Arab Spring riots.”
Luke’s brows shot up. “Their first time going back, and they went off on their own? That seems dangerous.”
“I thought so, too. I wrote to my Dad, asking him not to go.”
“But they went anyway?”
“I think so. I haven’t heard from them since Saturday. And he never replied to my email.”
“Is that usual?”
“Yes, sometimes. They are both horrible at keeping in touch. But not usually like this. I can’t shake the feeling that something has happened. I’ve had a bad feeling about this trip from the moment they started planning it.”
“Hopefully, everything is fine,” he soothed. “Did you check your email this morning?”
“Yes, and still no reply.” Gwen tried not to worry. Dwelling on it wouldn’t do her any good. It wasn’t nearly as dangerous in Egypt as Iraq or Iran, and her parents had traveled there frequently. So many of their artifacts came from those locations. Sometimes, Gwen wished they’d go back to only selling books as searching for those wasn’t nearly as dangerous.
Luke pulled her into his arms and held her tight. Resting her head on his firm chest, Gwen listened to the steady beat of his heart and let it ease her worry. He was right; they were probably fine.
Shaking off her apprehension, she plastered a smile on her face as she pulled out of his embrace. “You’re probably right. And it’s time for me to head over to the bookstore. Did you want to come…or?”
“How about I follow you over there and say hi to your grandparents? Then I’ll check in with my team and make sure nothing has come up. Later, I can make you dinner.”
If he took her to work, her grandparents would know he stayed the night. Not that it bothered her. She was an adult. Grams would probably squeal with joy. Gramps, maybe not so much. Luke didn’t realize what he’d be getting himself into.
“Sure, that sounds good. But you’d better prepare yourself to run the Gauntlet.”
“The Gauntlet?” Luke looked intrigued. “Are they going to skewer me for spending the night with you?”
Gwen struggled not to giggle. Every boyfriend she’d brought home went through the Gauntlet. None had passed. Gramps had a list of questions, and he didn’t pull any punches. By the time Gramps finished, he would know the color of Luke’s baby blanket. It would be fun to see if they could make him squirm. Even though it was a little late in the process with Luke since they’d already slept together.
“It’s not that extreme.” Gwen snickered.
“Are you going to explain?”
“Nope,” Gwen said with an enormous smile. This should be fun.
After Luke made sure she locked all the doors, he followed for the short drive to the bookstore. She parked her car and watched as he ran across the street so he could open her door. Apparently, it was in his genes, and protesting was futile. But she had to admit, it made her feel spoiled.
It was just after nine when Gwen unlocked the front door to the bookstore. Considering the night and morning she’d had, it amazed her she showed up on time.
“Ready?” She smiled up at Luke. It was fun to make him antsy. He did it to her often enough. Besides, since Gramps already liked him, he might not bother with the Gauntlet.
“I think you’re teasing about the Gauntlet. I can’t see that nice, old man—”
“Who are you calling old?” Gramps asked as he met them near the door.
“No one, sir. Good morning.” Luke shook hands with the older man, and Gwen tried to hide her grin.
