Page 28 of Gwen's Delta
“I can, but can you? I’m sure this won’t be the only time I say something that will affect you like this.”
“I know, but I want to try. My emotions were raw, my head wasn’t clear, and it hit me hard. I’m in uncharted waters here. You are important to me. I wanted today to be perfect, and instead, I fucked it up.”
Gwen rubbed her palm over his heart, the warmth of his chest easing some of her worry. “Did we just have our first fight?” She flashed him a smile.
“I guess you could say that. Does that mean we get to have make-up sex?” Luke waggled his eyebrows, making her giggle.
“Whoa there, cowboy, let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” The earlier tension evaporated and eased the pain pulsing in her chest. They would be okay…at least for now.
“Can’t blame me for trying,” he said with a sheepish grin.
“Never. But I should hit the road before I say—or do—something else I shouldn’t.”
The last thing Gwen wanted to do was walk out the door. But make-up sex would definitely happen if she stayed. He lit her on fire with the slightest touch or smile. She wasn’t ready for more, not yet, no matter how tempting. She needed to leave. Gwen didn’t want to have any regrets when they finally made love.
Luke pulled her into his arms and rested his chin against her head. Then he leaned down and tilted her chin up, so she’d look at him.
“Today was wonderful except for that one small part. I really want to see you again. Will you give me another chance to prove I’m not a pig-headed ass?”
Part of her wanted to make him sweat a little, but subterfuge wasn’t part of her toolkit. “Yes, I will. And I’ll try to watch what I say the next time you fry my brain with your kisses. But no promises.”
Luke tossed his head back and laughed. It filled her with joy.
“Thank you, princess. You won’t be sorry,” he said once he stopped laughing. With a wicked gleam in his eyes, he lowered his lips and took her mouth in a scorching kiss, making love to her mouth.
Gwen melted against him and slid her arms around his waist. She needed his strength to keep her knees from buckling.Damn.Making love to this man might just kill her.
He breathed harder as he lifted his mouth from hers. “Hopefully, that helped erase at least some of my assholiness.”
“Oh, yeah, you definitely wiped that slate clean.”
He dropped a gentle kiss on her lips and handed her the glass of iced tea. The lines of his face softened as he smiled.
She said, “Aside from that one hiccup, today was wonderful. I had a lot of fun at lunch, and it was great running into Destiny again. And your library is magnificent. But mostly, your kisses were amazing.” Even with their argument, it was still the best date she’d ever had.
“I could kiss you all day, princess. And I agree. Today was almost perfect. I’d rather have had you all to myself at lunch.”
“Well, if you ask me out again, maybe next time we’ll be alone.”
“You can count on that. Unfortunately, it looks like our team is leaving on a mission tomorrow.”
“How long will you be gone?” Gwen had known this would happen eventually, but she’d been hoping for a lot later. It was so new, and there was so much to learn about him still. Being a badass soldier was his job, and she would support him.
“I’m not sure. But even if I knew, I couldn’t tell you. This part of my job sucks for relationships, and I’ll understand if you’d rather just walk away now.”
“I’m not going anywhere. Well, I am going home. But you told me from the beginning it would be like this. You’re putting your life on the line to keep us safe.”
He lifted her in his arms and swung her in a circle, then gave her a heated kiss that curled her toes.
“Wow, talk about being swept off my feet.” Gwen giggled. “You can put me down now, big guy.”
“You’re so beautiful, a tiny little geek with the most amazing curves. I know this won’t be easy. It’s part of the reason I’ve avoided a committed relationship. But there is something about you, about us…” Luke sighed. “I don’t mean to sound so intense.”
“I think you were born intense. You’re not scaring me away—yet. Being with you feels right, and I can’t explain it, either.”
“I wish I could take you home and kiss you goodnight at your door.” Luke grinned.
“I think I can make it home by myself, and I need to get going. Will you be able to contact me while you’re gone?”
