“Thomas.”
“Thomas?”
He leaned against the shower wall with a sigh. “I introduced myself as Welsh before.”
“Ah. The man with the Scottish accent. Why do you let them call you Welsh?”
He chuckled. “A long story, for another night maybe. Are you okay?”
Rose sighed before she spoke, each word trembling. “I’ve never seen anything like that. All those people in that explosion … it’s awful. That boy was the only one I could save, and we aren’t even certain he will recover.”
Yeah. The first time was hard. Hell, who was he kidding? It was always hard. “I’ve learned to compartmentalize, but I remember my first. I can’t tell you where I was, or why, but I was green. So fucking green. All gung ho to show my skill and get out there. I’d been selected to be a SEAL because of my skillset, but I hadn’t been tested yet. I thought it would be easy, you know? Like, I’d seen so much footage I shouldn’t have been phased. Instead, I puked for hours. I couldn’t eat meat for a while after that, either. An IED, that’s an improvised explosive device, went off inside a Mosque. It was a terrorist attack aimed to kill us, and the fuckers didn’t care about their own people who were with us. So much blood. I couldn’t sleep right for a week. It’s okay. Don’t think you aren’t strong because you’re crying. You just have to fight against it now.”
Movement in his peripheral pulled his gaze to the barracks, where he found Big Boss moving into position. Welsh wasn’t sure about liking the new team member, but he respected the man for following the commander’s orders.
“How did you get over it?”
Welsh wouldn’t lie to her. “You don’t. You live with it. Like you did in that ambulance, when you forced your hands to stop shaking so you could work. When you ignored his ashen color and focused on his survival. You put one foot in front of the other and push through. Because that’s all you’ve got.”
“Thank you,” she whispered. “Could you … Could you stick around for a while?”
“I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be here to escort you to your room.”
It took another fifteen minutes before she finally emerged from the shower. Her eyes were puffy from crying, but Welsh had his first real glimpse of Dr. Rose Delgado, fresh and clean. Her dark hair was curled around her shoulders and down her back, water still clinging to the strands. She’d left her white button-up shirt open and wore a black tank top underneath, but it didn’t hide her pert breasts or her narrow waist. Her hips flared out, barely contained in her skinny jeans, and she wore white shower shoes, her pink polish glinting in the moonlight. He was staring, he knew it, but he couldn’t help it. She probably would come no higher than his chin, but she stood tall, an air of control around her. Fuck, but he’d never seen a more beautiful woman in his life. It was cliché to say, but it was fucking true.
“Nice to formally meet you, Welsh.”
“Thomas,” he corrected her.
She blushed, the red flare spreading to the tips of her ears. Gorgeous. “Thomas. Nice to meet you, Thomas.”
Rose offered her hand, and he took it in his. She was so small, his large hand enveloping hers. She had calluses, like he did, but he couldn’t help but think they had two very different jobs. She saved lives, when, in essence, he took them. Still, he shook her hand, savoring her light. “Very nice to meet you, Rose.”
Welsh held on longer than he should and tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow. He told her he’d escort her, and that’s exactly what he’d do. She glanced at Big Boss, who had been slowly approaching the two of them. “That’s So, but we call him Big Boss.”
Big Boss bowed. “A pleasure.”
Rose smiled. “Never been on the receiving end of a bow before. That’s actually kinda cool.”
Big Boss, the bastard, smiled. “It’s a cultural thing. But it does show respect.”
“I think I like it,” she answered.
Wrong. Welsh pulled her closer to his side and glared at Big Boss. “I think I can get her back to her quarters, BB.”
Big Boss’s eyebrows lifted at the shortening of his call sign, but he’d get over it. “But you needed tweezers.”
Welsh started walking, ignoring Big Boss’s quip.
“Tweezers?” Rose asked.
“Yeah, for his—”
“I’m going to shoot you, I swear.”
Big Boss laughed, but he did stroll ahead, leaving them a bit of privacy. Of course, that was completely ruined when she asked about the tweezers, again.
“A joke. Doesn’t matter.”
She smiled, a soft tilt of her lips that sent Welsh from aggravated to hard and wanting in two point two seconds. They were in the middle of a safe zone, a war going on just miles away, and he wanted to mess up her freshly cleaned body. He wanted to feel her wrapped around him. Suck in her sadness and push it back out with pleasure. He shook his head, not sure what the fuck was wrong with him. She was gorgeous, sure, but he had enough to deal with. And what did he know about her? Could a relationship even work?
Relationship?
Heim’s words rang in Welsh’s ears as he walked her back. His turn next, huh? Looking back at the good doctor, she bit her lip and pinched his arm until her knuckles were white. Maybe she was just as affected as him.
He wanted to find out.
Chapter Three
Welsh smelled of earth and gun oil, sweat and battle. It mixed with the fresh scent on her skin, doing things to her stomach she wasn’t prepared for. Curling her fingers into the crook of his elbow, Rose was disarmed by the crazy way her body reacted to his bulging bicep. Okay, she was a woman and stood on her own two feet. A frame of toned flesh shouldn’t reduce her to a pile of goo. But his accent, the spark of daring in his dark gaze, and the powerful build of his body made her heart pound. Maybe it was the hell she’d gone through today. Her knees still shook, and she had to lock them just to walk straight. As she leaned on his strength, feeling protected, feminine, and small next to his massive size, Rose wanted more than just a “thank you” at her door. She wanted to feel his warmth beside her as the night wore on. She wanted to hold on to this feeling that nothing could go wrong as long as he was with her.
It wasn’t right, and she could hate herself later for giving into weakness like this.
Still, it didn’t stop her thoughts as they came to the hospital bay and she found herself just moments away from losing his touch, from clinging to his arm. Welsh looked down at her, questions in his eyes that she couldn’t answer. Not right now. His large hand framed her waist, pulling her tighter against his body, against the evidence of his hard cock. He wanted this, too; she could taste it. It made no sense to her, this level of attraction she felt for him. Just in the span of hours he’d rewired her nerves to trigger for him. It frightened her, and yet she couldn’t stop it.
The humid air pressed against her skin, and her hair stuck in random places as her gaze locked with his. He curled around her, his size dwarfing hers and only heightening the sense of his control. Would he taste as dangerous as he felt? Would sex with him obliterate her sense, dash her apart, and put her back together haphazardly?
Either way, she wanted to try it.
“Coul—”
“Go get some rest. You don’t want to ask this right now and regret it in the morning.”
“What?” Her mind couldn’t keep up with his words.
Welsh sighed and traced her cheek with a callused thumb. Rose’s skin warmed at the contact, and a tendril of desire snaked through her bloodstream. That simple. A small, fragile touch hardened her nipples as she gasped for her next breath. He had to feel the connection—the way her body called to his, ignorant of the place or circumstances. She knew it wasn’t right, the urge she felt. She’d just met him. She could still feel blood on her hands. But she wanted to know his taste. The way his lips would feel on hers. Would he be rough? Soft? A blazing mixture of both?
“Emotions run high at times like this,” he said, still press
ed closer to her, filling her space as she curled her fingers into the thick vest he wore.
It was decadent, the way she stood against his hardened body, with the knowledge he still held his sidearm in one hand and touched her with the other. A wicked blend of danger and sex. During her time in this war-torn country, with military men surrounding her, Rose hadn’t known this type of need lived within her. She worked her hours, saved who she could, cried for those she failed, but never once wanted a man in her bed more than she wanted Welsh right now.
“Yes,” she whispered, unsure of what she was agreeing to. She understood desire, the mechanics of visual, emotional, biochemical, and biomechanical cues to sweep the human form into sex. What she wanted now was nothing as cut and dry as that.
Welsh lowered his head, his mouth hovering just over hers. If she lifted to her toes she’d taste him. But she waited it out, enjoyed the warm curl of his exhales over her sensitive skin. She sucked in every time he breathed out, his essence permeating her lungs.
“This isn’t the time, Rose. Trust me.”
Welsh left her there, the words stuck on her tongue. Blinking against the sudden darkness where his face had filled her vision just moments before, she floundered in a sea of her need. Even clenching her legs together didn’t stem the flow. Her gaze searching the blackness before her, Rose found him, walking away, his back ramrod straight. Big Boss stood for a minute, watching her with narrowed eyes before he turned away. Stupid. How stupid had she been to attempt to proposition a man like that? The flame of embarrassment streaked up her neck and burned her cheeks as she dashed into the dormitory where her room was. The halls echoed her pounding steps, affirming she was alone and she shouldn’t have tried with Welsh in the first place.
Rose groaned, unable to contain the agonized sound. What if others had seen her act like that? In this sort of professional setting, her actions could be career suicide if it got back to her hospital. All the work she’d done to garner the status of Head Surgeon would be for nothing.
“Stupid move,” she chastised herself. Of course, that didn’t stop the ache between her legs or the way she inhaled, absorbing the last traces of Welsh’s scent into her pores. By the time she reached her room, she was a shaking mess. She curled her fingers into her palms until her nails bit into the soft flesh. Well, that was embarrassing. Warmth spread through her body and she clenched her teeth hard enough to grind her molars to ash. The weight of what she’d almost done, as well as his rejection, settled over her shoulders as she peered sightlessly around her room. What was she supposed to do, alone and filled with burning needs he hadn’t satisfied? It continued to follow her as she put up her shower gear, got undressed, and slipped into bed. Her thoughts of Welsh helped her go to sleep without thinking about the hell in Syria.
Chapter Four
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Big Boss hissed.
Welsh placed his weapon to the side and glared at his bunk mate. Big Boss sat on his bed, his area neat and pristine, and Welsh had the childish urge to fuck it all up on principle. “What are you talking about?”
“The doctor. You left her.”
“And how is that any business of yours?” Welsh growled through clenched teeth. He was not in the mood for this shit. His heart pounded, his dick was hard enough to vaporize shit, and the new kid wanted some sort of heart-to-heart. Not happening. Welsh ripped off his gear and stowed it all away before he sat down on his bed to remove his shoes.
“A gentleman doesn’t leave a woman alone when she is in need,” Big Boss said, his eyes alive with pain, but Welsh didn’t have time to care about it.
“You know what? Fuck you, alright? You don’t know me or what I’m about. You’re here by a fucking technicality. If—”
“You are pathetic.”
Welsh lost it. Emotions swirled through him—rage over the loss of his friend, at not letting himself take Rose up on her obvious offer, and dealing with Big Boss. He speared Big Boss with his shoulder, lifting the man off his bunk, and barreled them both outside their tent. They slammed into the ground, dirt flying around their forms. Big Boss didn’t take it easy, though. Welsh barely dodged a well-placed knee to the balls before Big Boss braced his feet flat on the ground and lifted his hips. The sudden shift of weight sent them tumbling over each other, Big Boss landing on top. Not to be deterred, Welsh drove his elbow down into Big Boss’s thigh and swung a punch with the opposite hand.
“Dodge that, fucker.”
“Try to breathe,” Big Boss returned.
Belatedly, Welsh realized he didn’t have time to escape the knuckle punch Big Boss angled at his throat. He’d landed both of his strikes, but Big Boss had the position of advantage. Fucking great.
“I should shoot both of you!” Heim yelled.
A tanned fist halted Big Boss’s punch at Welsh’s throat, and Glitz blocked both of Welsh’s strikes at his cousin. “Enough,” Glitz said.
Welsh slipped out from under Big Boss and got to his feet. Heim, Snake, and Cry Baby stood just a hair behind Glitz, who slapped his cousin over the head as Big Boss got up.
“English,” Glitz warned his cousin when he opened his mouth to speak.
“We were just blowing off steam,” Big Boss explained to Heim.
“I don’t care what you were doing,” Heim argued. “We’re in the middle of a mission, and in the center of mixed population here. Is this how you want them to view the SEALs?”
“No, sir,” Big Boss said.
“Look—” Welsh started.
Big Boss moved in front of him and stepped into Parade Rest—his feet shoulder-width apart with his hands, right over left, at the small of his back—facing Heim. “I shouldn’t have antagonized him. I picked at his inability to function without Hawk, and it set him off. It’s on me.”
What the fuck? Welsh glared at Big Boss’s back. That was not what had happened. If Big Boss had done that, he’d have put a bullet in his fucking head, damn the consequences. But he stood tall in front of Welsh, bearing Heim’s thunder alone.
“You want to be a part of this team, you get your shit together. Winning a few competitions doesn’t make you better than any of us, you get me?”
“Hooyah.”
“Run if off, SEAL, until I get tired,” Heim ordered.
Big Boss nodded, then sprinted off to run the perimeter of the compound until Heim sent someone to stop him. Welsh knew all about SEAL punishments, and he knew Big Boss’s body would give out long before Heim gave in.
“Heim, that’s not how it went down,” Welsh said after Big Boss was gone.
“I know it. He took that shit for you like a SEAL brother should. You’ve been vibrating hot for weeks since Hawk left, and we all see it. Your mission comes first. Lock that shit up, or you won’t be an asset to the team, either. And Hawk would kick your ass if he knew you were crying about him.”
“If you wanted to come out of the closet, all you had to do was ask me about it,” Glitz joked. “I’d have helped you.”
Welsh swung wide, but Glitz ducked and laughed. “Shut up,” Welsh snapped.
“My cousin is a good man. In Korea, things are very different in society, so he still has to get used to it here. We are … more blunt … in my country, with what you may perceive as insults. But we are less confrontational when something is actually wrong. He may not have meant any offense. But he understands brotherhood and what it means to be a SEAL. Give him that chance, for me.”
Welsh nodded, already feeling like shit. Welsh’s ever-present frustration wasn’t Big Boss’s fault. He could admit that. Hell, he could appreciate what Big Boss had just done for him. Welsh sighed, releasing his pent-up anger. It wasn’t good for the team to battle with Big Boss, nor was it the new SEAL’s fault he’d been brought in.
“How far from tired are you, Heim?” Welsh asked.
“Oh, very far. I haven’t gotten to talk to Katya yet,” Heim answered.
Welsh groaned, knowing Heim had some of his own frustration to
work out. “Then we’re about to be running a really long time, aren’t we?”
“Come on now, SEAL. The miles won’t even faze you.” Heim’s sardonic smile didn’t reassure Welsh, but he took off at a sprint to catch up with Big Boss. If his brother was going to take a punishment, he’d do it with him. Their commander had said they needed to be like glue and all.
Damn.
Chapter Five
An explosion rocked the building, and Rose hit the ground with a screech. Cries and shouting ricocheted off the walls, but she couldn’t get her bearings. The darkened room felt like a tomb, waiting for her death and ready to bury her under the rubble.
Get to the door, Rose.
Scrambling across the smooth linoleum on her belly, the cold seeped into her thighs with each swipe. Another bomb went off, sending debris and glass raining down over her head. She curled into a ball, trying to protect from worse injury. It only helped to much. She hissed as glass shards sliced across her arms and legs with the force of the blow. But she couldn’t risk staying in one spot. Rose forced herself to uncurl and crawl once more for the door, only to freeze when rapid gunfire pierced her door. It took everything not to scream as she rolled across the floor; the glass piercing her skin was the least of her worries. Unable to tell which direction the bullets came from, she needed to be out of the way in case rebels came through her door.
Hurrying across the floor, Rose held her breath against the pain and spread her hands out at her sides to toss blood spears in different directions. It wouldn’t be good to lead whoever could come through her door right to her hiding space. Thinking fast, she got to her feet and raced to the temporary closet in her bedroom. First spot to check had to be under the bed, right? Just as she closed the door and pressed a hand over her mouth, her door burst open.
“Rose!”
She whimpered and sagged against the back of her closet, never happier in her life to hear a harsh male whisper.
Special Forces: Operation Alpha: Protecting Heartbeat (Kindle Worlds Novella) (SEALed Fate Book 4) Page 2