Page 20 of Gwen's Delta
Merlin still needed to share his concerns with the team. He couldn’t avoid it, but would have to watch his words.
“One other thing. I’ve had a bad feeling about this mission, even before today’s briefing. I can’t tell you anything specific because I don’t know. I’m hoping when we get more information, I’ll be able to figure it out. As if we didn’t already know this, we will need to be extra vigilant.”
“Copy that,” the team replied.
They read through the intel from Sand. There wasn’t much that was helpful except the names of the Daesh leaders and more of their standard locations. If Hassan was correct, they were planning something big. The kidnapping angle made little sense to Merlin unless it was a diversion to hide the actual plot.
As he leaned back in his chair, he squeezed the bridge of his nose, then looked up at the wall clock. Shit. It was almost twelve thirty. He had a half-hour to get home, change out of his uniform, and meet Gwen at the restaurant. It would be a close call, but he’d have to leave now.
“Okay, guys, I’m hitting the road.”
“Want to head over to the Ugly Mug for a few brews?” Jangles asked. It was their usual routine after work.
“He can’t. He has a date,” Zip shared.
Merlin wanted to deck him.
“The book lady?” Woof asked.
Merlin rolled his eyes. There was no avoiding this now. “Yes, Gwen. She is meeting me for lunch in Killeen. Have fun at the Mug. I’ll see you in the morning. I don’t want to be late.”
“Where are you taking her?”
“Nope, not falling for that. The last thing I need is you princesses showing up in the middle of lunch. I’m sure you all have something better to do this afternoon.” He gave them one of his “I’m not taking any shit from you” looks, grabbed his bag, and headed for the door.
“I’ll be here for PT at zero six hundred. See you then,” Merlin said as he pulled the door closed behind him.
With twenty-five minutes until Gwen-time, he might have broken a few traffic laws on the way home. That was twice in two days, all because of the feisty redhead. If he kept this up, he’d be in big trouble and not just with the law.
Chapter 6
Just before one, Gwen pulled into the parking lot of the Tigris Grille. She didn’t see Luke’s truck yet and thought about making a quick getaway. After barely being able to sleep, she’d been a wreck since she got out of bed. A combination of fear and excitement stretched her nerves to the breaking point. She’d picked up the phone to cancel lunch at least three times.
Yet there she was, sitting in her car, wearing the outfit Belle helped her pick out over FaceTime. They’d gone back and forth, but her friend had finally won, convincing Gwen that it was a Sunday afternoon, so comfortable and casual was the way to go.
She had to admit; she looked damn good. After she let Belle talk her into keeping her hair down, she added a thin headband to keep the thick waves from falling into her face. The mint-green silk blouse had been in the back of her closet for ages, but Belle’s eagle eyes had spotted it.
Gwen had given in on the linen capris, too. They’d hung in her closet since she’d bought them on a whim last year. After getting them home, she’d decided they’d get filthy at the bookstore. But they were perfect with the silk blouse.
Belle had practically squealed when Gwen opened a shoebox with a pair of ivory espadrilles. They’d boost her height by about three inches or an amazingly tall five-foot-five. They’d increase her fall risk because she was a huge klutz, but at least her eye level would go from Luke’s nipples to his collarbone.
When she’d told Belle that, her friend had howled with laughter that woke the baby. Gwen wanted to take offense, but she couldn’t. Her friend’s laughter was so contagious, soon they were both giggling like two hyenas. It didn’t impress Sir Galahad, and with a swish of his tail, he’d left the room. Typical male.
After Gwen double-checked the clock on her dashboard, her stomach turned over with the realization it was time. She sucked in a deep breath and pushed open the door of her little red sports car. As she stepped out and noticed how wrinkled her linen slacks were, she remembered the other reason they were an awful choice. After driving for a half hour, they looked like she’d slept in them. There was nothing she could do about it.Suck it up, buttercup. You’ve got this.
As she tried to smooth out her capris, she heard Luke come up behind her. Just being close to him made her pulse race. She took a calming breath, then turned and looked up at him. His smile softened the hard lines of his face and went a long way in helping her relax.
“Hi, Gwen. I’m glad you came.” Luke’s deep voice slid over her like silk.
“Me, too.” Excited and worried that she’d say something stupid, she hoped she’d get through lunch without embarrassing herself.
“Are you sure?” He chuckled and reached for her hand.
His was large and warm, the pads of his fingers a little rough as he entwined them with hers, and she was grateful that hers weren’t sweaty. Rather than be coy, she figured honesty was best. She was too old for games. This would either turn out to be real or not. The sooner she found out, the better.
“I am a little nervous. Maybe more than a little,” she admitted.
Luke leaned down and whispered, “Me, too. But don’t tell anyone. They’ll never stop teasing me.”
