Page 53 of Gwen's Delta
Merlin opened the door for Destiny and hugged her.
“I can’t thank you enough for doing this. And damn, you must be taking speeding lessons from Zip,” Merlin said with a smile.
“When Trent told me what had happened, you couldn’t have kept me away. What can I do?”
“I think just be with them, listen, and if they get any other calls, let me or Zip know. I don’t want Gwen doing anything without me knowing.”
Destiny tilted her head in question. “And she will be okay with that? You guys just met, right?”
“Yes, but there’s something special between us, and I will not let her get hurt.”
“Okay, He-Man, but remember what happened when Trent tried to protect me. We’re stronger than you guys give us credit for,” Destiny said as she followed him toward the kitchen.
“Noted. Oh, and one more thing, they don’t know I’m Delta. We need to keep it that way unless something changes. Okay?”
Destiny nodded. “No mention of Delta—got it.”
“Thanks, I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be so…”
“Alpha?” She grinned.
“Yeah. But I have a bad feeling about this situation, and now that I’ve found her, I can’t lose her.”
Destiny laid her hand on his arm, her gaze full of understanding. “Don’t worry. You go do what you need to, and I’ll do what I can here.”
Merlin gave her another quick hug and led her into the kitchen.
“Gwen, Becca,” he said, “Destiny is here.”
Destiny brushed past him into the kitchen. “I’m so sorry. When Trent told me what happened, I came as quickly as I could.”
“Thank you, but you didn’t have to,” Gwen said as they hugged each other.
“Sure, I did. It’s what friends do for each other.” Destiny smiled at the older woman. “You must be Gwen’s grandmother. I’ve heard about you.”
“Yes, and you can call me Becca. Are you one of Luke’s friends?”
“I’m engaged to one of his teammates. If you haven’t met Trent yet, I’m sure you will soon. I’m glad Merlin met Gwen. When the team got together, I was the only female for a while. There was way too much testosterone.”
Merlin smiled as the women chatted and some tension left the room. Destiny was amazing and just what they needed. “I have to get back to post, but I’ll call you as soon as I can. I’ll be back as soon as possible. If you need anything, or if you hear from the kidnappers, call me.”
Yeah, he sounded controlling and demanding, but he couldn’t help it. Even when Destiny raised an eyebrow at him.
Then he pulled his woman into his arms. He’d only planned to give her a quick kiss, but seeing her red-rimmed eyes and flushed cheeks, he wanted to give her something else to think about. The kiss bordered on frantic as need exploded between them. He needed so much more, but they had an audience and he had work to do. With regret, he pulled his lips from hers and rested his forehead against hers.
“It will be okay, princess.”
“I trust you, Luke,” she answered as she looked into his eyes, her emerald ones wary and tired but a hint of a spark remained.
* * *
Cursing himself for not remembering to bring a uniform with him to Gwen’s, Merlin stopped at home, changed, and headed to post. His CO and the team were chatting in the briefing room when he entered. Everyone was there except Sand.
He saluted Commander Turano and sat down.
Zip pushed a cup of coffee in front of him. “I figured you might need that.”
“Thanks. Is Sand coming?” Merlin asked.
