Page 68 of Gwen's Delta
“Fuck if I know. We don’t have any other options,” Merlin answered. He ran his hand through his hair.
“I’ll be fine; you don’t have to worry. I won’t let you down.” Gwen’s soft voice came from behind them.
Damn, if she hadn’t snuck up on all of them. Roe would never let them live it down if he found out. As she stood in the dining room doorway, she looked like a Valkyrie ready to rain fire down on her enemies. It was as if she’d undergone a metamorphosis while she’d rested.
His heart squeezed as his eyes met hers. She was stunning, radiating determination with hands clenched into fists. Her auburn hair framed her face, accentuating the anger in her emerald eyes. Gone was his gentle bookworm. Whether it was forever, he’d have to wait and see.
“Holy shit,” Zip murmured just loud enough for Merlin to hear.
Merlin wasn’t sure what to say. All he could do was stare at the woman who owned his heart. He may not want to admit it, but his heart wouldn’t let him deny it. After taking a deep breath, he stepped forward to kiss Gwen’s forehead. Expecting her to be burning hot, her cool skin was a surprise.
“I know you won’t, princess. None of us ever thought you would,” he answered. The rest of the team murmured their agreement.
“Good. From the way y’all look, I’m guessing you just got back. Is there an update for tomorrow’s plan?”
“Yes. We checked out the café, and we tweaked a few things. And added a back-up plan or three.”
“Did they send another email?”
“No, but we didn’t expect them to. They don’t want us to find out where they’re located. The more contact they have, the more likelihood that we’ll find them.”
“Okay, that makes sense. Before you explain everything, can we eat something? I’m starving.”
Damn. None of them had eaten after the snacks after takeoff. Merlin should have thought about food earlier, but the shit had hit the fan almost as soon as they’d arrived.
“We could heat up the frozen pizzas,” Zip said as he looked in the freezer. “Or there’s sandwich stuff.”
“I vote for pizza,” Gwen said, and no one objected.
While dinner baked, they sat at the table and went over Plan A, B, and C. Back up plans were mandatory in their line of work since their initial plan went sideways more often than not. Usually, they were lucky if they executed Plan C. Merlin hoped the money exchange went smoothly, but he didn’t count on it. They needed this to go off without a hitch, and that scared him the most since it rarely happened.
After dinner, they went over the plan until no one had questions. Gwen practically vibrated with tension, and Merlin wondered if she’d be able to sleep at all. When Zip pulled out the playing cards and suggested a rematch, Merlin could have hugged him.
While they played, Merlin pulled up all the intel they had and went through it one more time. The guys knew the routine. It was part of his process, and one that had saved their asses countless times. But when he didn’t come up with anything new or a reason to change their plan, he was ready to stop for the night. Just as he planned on breaking up the game, an encrypted message came in from Roe.
Skimming his CO’s email, he ground his jaw together to keep from losing it. Roe had contacted some of his connections and discovered that Sand was running a simultaneous op. There was no proof yet, but Merlin would bet his salary that it involved Gwen’s parents.
Contemplating how he wanted to reply, he looked over his shoulder at the laughing group in the next room. All except for Gwen, who met his eyes with a solemn expression. He grinned and hoped she couldn’t see the anger he struggled to swallow.
After answering Roe, he came up with a Plan D, and he prayed to God he wouldn’t need it. While they finished the game, he cleaned up from dinner, loaded the dishwasher, and then went to grab a shower.
The heat from the water helped ease the stiffness in his shoulders and the frustration churning in his head. He was no stranger to messed up ops. Before he’d joined Delta Force, he’d been an Army Ranger. There had been a lot of fucked-up missions back then, and he’d lost two of his teammates during one clusterfuck mission. After that, he’d learned how to meditate, to center himself, and to focus.
Merlin closed his eyes and breathed deeply. Then he exhaled, focusing on the sound of the water. As he repeated the exercise, his focus returned, and most of the tension in his neck eased.
He turned off the water, stepped out of the shower, and grabbed a towel. After drying off, he looked for his clothes.
“Fuck. I must have left them on the bed,” he grumbled. Wrapping the towel around his waist, he walked out of the steam-filled bathroom and right into Gwen on the other side of the door.
As he grabbed her shoulders to keep her from falling, the towel dropped to the floor. “I’m sorry, I didn’t expect…” he murmured as her gaze traveled over him. The longer she looked, the harder he got.
“My fault entirely,” she whispered as she met his eyes. “Do you need some help with that?” She pointed at his throbbing erection.
Oh, fuck. If she touched him, he was a goner.
* * *
Gwen couldn’t resist and slid a finger over the head of Luke’s cock and down the length. It twitched as she caressed the silky skin, slowly dragging her finger up and down his length. Luke’s groan filled her with satisfaction. She had the power this time, and she intended to use it.
