“Hooyah. What you got for us?” Heim asked.
“You cut off Abd’s connection to the outside world when his wife was detained. She stopped getting insider intel after the commander was arrested and tried as a war criminal. But the Qatar cell for ISIS is still well-connected internationally. Remember the Balkans?”
Yeah, Welsh did. That’s where they’d met Vixen while on mission and the ball had started to unravel. The Balkans consisted of Eastern-Southeastern Europe, and Syria was included.
“Sonofabitch,” Welsh forced out through gritted teeth.
“I think the leak is on the civilian side, and your team was already known out there after that last episode. Someone still wants you dead, or revenge on Abd. His followers were devout, and we’re back in their turf.”
“Fuck!” Welsh roared.
“Walk it off, sailor,” Heim ordered.
Walking it off wasn’t going to solve everything. Rose was stuck in the middle of this shit with them now, and he didn’t know when he’d be able to get her to safety. Hell, he didn’t even know when they’d be able to head back to the compound, but they’d have to soon. This would only be a temporary camp until they got their plans in order.
“Can’t do anything yet, and we need to make sure you’ve got supplies and backup. I’ll send both. Stay at your coordinates. You’ve got medical supplies, a medical professional, and gear to hash it out for now. Recon as you can, but stay safe,” Tex said.
Even better. They were stuck in an abandoned town, without direct support, with two civilians to look after. Leave just turned into a full-blown op, and none of them were prepared.
Chapter Eight
“We’ve found a secure home we can hide in for now.”
Rose looked up at Welsh and nodded. She and Lacey had curled up as best they could in the ambulance to get a bit of rest, but for Rose it turned into a glazed-over stare. Her body ached, and now, with her adrenaline gone, her injuries throbbed. She’d slipped a few anti-inflammatories from the medical supplies in the ambulance, but they weren’t nearly enough to knock out everything. She didn’t want to risk not having supplies for the wounded men. Heim would have to remain medicated to deal with the pain. As it was, she worried they’d have to rebreak his bones to set them correctly if they didn’t get back to a proper facility.
“Are we safe here?” she asked.
“I won’t let anything happen to you,” Welsh answered, holding out his hand. “We’re going to keep a lookout for you guys and give you as much privacy as we can. Three SEALs will be on guard duty at any time.”
She nodded and took his hand. It was warm and callused as it curled around hers, the sheer size of it making her feel small. In her profession, her hands meant everything—life or death, help or hinder—and she imagined his were the same. The two of them were so different, yet they relied on the power of the same extremities. She must have been tired, thinking of such trivial things, but as Welsh led her into a partially destroyed building, she kept going back to his hand.
He’d killed tonight.
The thought should have made her sick, maybe even look at him differently, but she was too grateful for all he’d done. Welsh was a hero. He’d single-handedly saved everyone and never gave up. She admired him even more. This was the same man who had come to her when she was crying and gave her someone to talk to. He had found her when the battle waged; he may have never been separated with his team if he hadn’t. Lacey followed after them, not speaking, and Rose worried about her EMT seeing things she hadn’t discussed yet.
Welsh took them past a crumpled wall with haphazard paintings ripped to shreds still clinging to the walls. Dust and caked dirt littered the floor. Whereever they were, it used to be someone’s home. The kitchen area was more intact, thought it remained to be seen if they could use anything in it. The rebels often cut electricity and water to locations before attacks. The tactic obliterated the country’s healthcare in areas where hospitals couldn’t sustain power to help anyone. It was part of the reason MSF had come out to assist. Back home, Rose worked at nationally ranked UC San Diego Health-Jacobs Medical Center, with state of the art technology to help her save lives. Here, she fought with generators, faulty electricity, and the bare minimum. But she felt good, like she truly made a difference.
Tonight showed her she might have been wrong.
Welsh led them into a small room with sparse furnishings. “Lacey, you can set up here. Glitz,” Welsh pointed over his shoulder at the slender, dark-haired man at the door, “will guard your door tonight. Call him if you need anything.”
“Get rest while you can,” Glitz told Lacey. She said nothing and laid on the bed, turning to the wall.
“Let her sleep,” Welsh told Rose. “Tomorrow will look brighter.”
“But—”
Welsh shook his head. “Trust me. Come on, I’ll show you to your room.”
Rose became silent and followed him next door to another threadbare room. Still, she was thankful for a bed to sleep on.
“I’ll be right at the door,” Welsh told her. “Heim, Cry Baby, and Snake are resting first. Big Boss is on the perimeter, watching.”
“You need to sleep. You’ve been fighting all night.”
“I’ll sleep when I’m dead,” he answered. His crooked smile softened his words, but his eyes made a liar of him. He didn’t feel jovial, and she could see it.
“You almost died tonight,” she whispered.
“How long have you been a doctor?”
The change of subject put her at a loss, but she wasn’t going to let him go that easy. “Welsh, you need to let your body recuperate.”
“I need to keep my men safe. Heim is busted up and can’t go on mission. Glitz might have a concussion, and keeping him up for watch ensures he won’t go to sleep before it’s safe. Big Boss is one of the best snipers in the world, but I can’t leave all of it on his shoulders.”
“Just for a couple of hours. You don’t need the whole night. Please,” she begged. “Give me that thing you’re wearing on your neck. It connects you with the team, right? I can hear if something is coming and wake you up.”
“Rose—”
“Thomas.”
He blinked at her and smiled, a warm, genuine smile. “Is this what I’m going to have to put up with during our relationship?”
Rose swallowed. “What relationship?” When she’d tried to entice him to her bed, he’d made her feel like a complete idiot.
Welsh came closer, already disconnecting the mic around his neck. He bent forward, his warm breath dancing over her lips and, even in the desperate situation they were in, she felt her panties grow wet. The warm metal latched around her throat as he put it in place and pressed the receiver into her ear.
“You thought I hadn’t taken a raincheck on what you offered?” he asked.
He was too close, clouding her judgement. She just wanted him to rest, but the fear, worry, and stress of the night gobbled up his frank appeal, morphing willingly into desire, escape. She gripped his forearms, unsure of what to do but unable to pull away.
“You said no,” she forced out.
“No, I said ‘not now.’ I like to take my time, Rose. Hours of touching you. Minutes between breaths as time slows. So many things I wanted to do, but it wasn’t the right opportunity, and I wanted you to know me.”
Her brain short-circuited. The words made sense, but they only conjured pictures of unbelievable passion.
“I wanted you to be sure,” he continued.
“I didn’t think I wasn’t,” she returned.
“Situations inflame emotions. Like now. I know how it is, better than you. I’m going to sleep, just like you told me to. But trust me, Rose, I plan on making you mine.”
Welsh pulled her to the bed, where she sat at the head, bracing her back against the wall. Then he laid down, tucking his head on her lap and his rifle across his body.
“If you hear anything, press the bottom button and tell them you’r
e waking me up. They’ll know to give you time to transfer the radio,” he told her.
She nodded and may have even given him a response. But as he laid head just inches away from her sex, she was more focused on the need pooling through her veins and his proximity. But as he relaxed into sleep, his body loosening by degrees, her desire dulled to a slow burn as she studied his features. He was a warrior, his war paint smeared and dirty but still apparent on his face. She traced down his nose and over his strong jaw, her heart skipping a beat when he turned on his side and nuzzled into her hand.
Welsh was dangerous, in more ways than one.
Chapter Nine
Rose had let him sleep longer than she should have.
Welsh knew it the minute he opened his eyes to find her curled against his side, the mic twisted between them. Not to disturb her, he pulled the mic from its squished position and put the receiver in his ear.
“Check-in, over,” he said.
“Guard has switched. Glitz, Heim, and Big Boss are resting. I’ve got point, and Cry Baby is watching the interior,” Snake answered.
“After your He-Man action last night, figured you could use the sleep,” Cry Baby interjected.
“Team is en route,” Tex added. “Mozart is about ready to slit you guys’ throat.”
“Wolf and his guys have been helping us a lot lately,” Welsh said.
Damned if it weren’t true. Wolf led his team with precision and deadly skill. They’d come to help the guys out more than once as they fought against the ISIS cell based out of Qatar.
“Gotta say, I’m happy the cavalry is coming,” Welsh added.
“Hooyah!” Snake affirmed.
“You’ve got about two hours before they converge on your location, and then you can plan to take back the mobile health area. They are aware they’ll need to help with recon. Heim has been cleared for med evac. If we have to knock him out, so be it. If he loses his shooting arm, his career is over,” Tex explained.
They didn’t need him to tell them that. Heim was their resident sniper and team leader. Big Boss’s addition to the team only shored them up for deep recon and maneuvers. But Heim was their heart, and they wouldn’t lose him.
“Then I’ll get some more shut eye,” Welsh said, and disconnected.
He didn’t know what they’d find when they went back to the compound. And someone would have to stay behind to protect Lacey and Rose. They couldn’t be anywhere near the action when things started. And just in case things went bad, Welsh would be sure she’d be safe and get out of there. He looked her over, the dark circles under her eyes breaking his heart. She shouldn’t have seen what she did, and he hated that he couldn’t shield her from it all. But she’d gone with him, never complaining once. He respected her more now than ever.
He traced her cheek with his fingers. Every mission was dangerous, and there was the possibility he wouldn’t see the next morning. It always gave him a healthy dose of fear, but now there was an added layer to it all. He had a woman he wanted to try to build something with. He couldn’t quite explain how he knew she was the one he wanted. Maybe it was her giving heart and no-nonsense way when she knew she was right. Or the way she faced danger—terrified, but with her head held high and willing to do what was necessary to survive. He wasn’t sure, but she kept the nightmares at bay. The night’s rest was the best he’d had in months, and he knew it was on account of her.
Thinking suddenly that he wasn’t so tired, he pressed his mic. “We got a water supply?”
“We got a temp fix in the bathroom. Luckily, things are run on septic and we were able to fashion a pump. If you need to get cleaned up, you can,” Snake answered.
“Roger.”
Welsh got up from the bed and lifted Rose into his arms. If he were going to face hell soon, he wasn’t going to do it without a taste of heaven. He wanted her to know just how serious he was about making something with her, if he could. His job was dangerous, but he’d do everything in his power to make sure he came back to her. He could promise that. She snuggled against his chest but didn’t wake as he carried her out of the room. Cry Baby’s dark head lifted from cleaning his weapon when Welsh came into the hallway.
“Down the hall to the left,” he told him.
“Thanks.”
“I got a message out to Vixen, too. She’s going to provide support as she can. Something about us still being on the asset list.”
Welsh chuckled as he continued to the bathroom. Tiffany “Vixen” Cannon, former SAS agent and now CIA, had connections all over the world. She scared the hell out of Tex, and that said a lot. If she had SAS on the line to provide support, their mission just got that much easier. The bathroom was small, with just a standing shower for bathing. Welsh spied the pump the fellas had fashioned where the showerhead had been. It’d be a little work, but at least they’d be clean.
“Rose.”
She blinked before stretching like a cat against him. “I take my coffee black, with none of that substitute crap. I want real sugar.”
Welsh chuckled. “How about a shower? Might be a bit brisk, but I’ll find a way to wake you up.”
Her sleepy eyes cleared instantly. “Oh.”
“Oh? Is that all I get?”
“I don’t have that much computing power first thing in the morning. You’ll have to deal.”
He laughed, a weight lifting off his chest. After the previous night, he wasn’t sure how she’d wake up. Bad situations affected people differently. “How about you let me do all the work, then?”
“If you’re normally like this, I’ll have to keep you.”
“That’s the plan, baby.” He winked at her.
A pretty, red blush spread over her skin. “You’re serious?”
Welsh released her legs and held her against his body as she slid to the floor. First, he removed his flak jacket, then his uniform top before tossing it aside. Next, he disarmed and placed his weapons carefully on the bathroom sink.
“I will be on mission tonight,” he told her. “But today I just want to have you. I’m cashing in the raincheck and giving you something to look forward to when I get back.”
“This is all so sudden,” she hedged.
He gripped her hand and placed it over his heart. “I’m not asking you to tell me you love me, Rose. I just want a chance.”
“I saw what you did last night. You’re a hero, and I am so proud of what your job is, but it’s dangerous. You could never come back to me. I travel with MSF, and we could go months without any contact. Is that any sort of relationship?”
“It is if we want it. Look, it doesn’t all have to make sense now, but in a matter of hours I’ve got to walk out of here and see who can be saved at the compound. I know you feel the connection between us. All I’m asking for is a chance.”
Worrying her lip with pretty, white teeth, she curled her fingers into his shirt over his chest. She was quiet long enough he worried he’d pushed her too fast and stepped back to let her go.
“Look—”
“I’ll give you a chance,” she rushed out.
Time froze. The sun streamed in through a clogged window and dirt and grime darkened her face, but her eyes were alive. He read hope, desire, and fear warring back and forth between them, but she stood her ground. He’d never seen a woman more beautiful than her at that moment. Slowly, he gripped the bottom of his shirt and lifted it to toss over his head. Rose stripped as well, exposing her supple skin to his hungry gaze. By the time they were without their clothing, he was hard as a rock, and he had to taste her.
He lifted her off her feet and stepped into the shower. First, they needed to rinse off. He used one arm to pump the water over their bodies, swallowing her screech as he took her mouth in a blistering kiss. Her mouth was soft and warm from sleep. The frigid water washed away the night’s hell, desire taking its place. Rose wrapped herself around him, locking her knees around his waist and her arms behind his head. He pumped more water, and the alternating cold fro
m the water and heat from her was an explosive mixture. Nipping at her bottom lip, he sucked her tongue into his mouth and slammed her back against the wall, the need brewing in him igniting in one fell swoop.
Welsh had been lost, dragged under by rage and hopelessness as their team was targeted, ripped apart, and sown back together with missing parts. They laughed and fought together, but darkness swelled inside of each of them. The saving grace for some had been the women in their lives who had saved them. But Welsh realized, with Rose’s heat surrounding him, her floral scent seeping into his skin as he crashed against her desire, that he’d been afraid. He hadn’t had anything but his job to hold on to, and the lines had blurred over the last few years. Friend could be foe, and the unknown variables rose to massive adversaries they couldn’t fight with a bullet alone.
But Rose quieted it all.
He ground his cock against her pussy, sucking in a breath at the pleasure. More cold water, hotter skin, and the bite of her nails in his shoulders—each sensation pushed him higher. Welsh broke their kiss and sucked his way over the curve of her neck and down to her breasts. Like a coordinated move they’d planned ahead of time, Rose leaned back, presenting her breasts to him. He took one turgid nipple into his mouth and sucked, her muddled cry spurning him on. Bracing her tighter against the wall, he pressed one hand between their bodies and fingered her clit. The cool nub warmed under his touch, and she cried out. There, that’s what he needed. He played with her more, forgetting to pump water over them as he got lost in her flesh. He palmed her free breast and fingered the nipple, dragging his fingers over her skin in a rake to spark her nerves. He touched everywhere he could, withholding that last, blessed fucking glide until he felt like his head was about to explode.
“Inside me, Welsh, now,” she begged.
“Not yet. I’m not near ready enough yet.”
Chapter Ten
Rose’s skin was alive with a riptide of clashing energies, and Welsh was the balm which soothed them all. The water had cleared away the horrid night, and his touch had become a seal against it touching her again. Her head spun as he maneuvered them in the small shower until one leg was over his shoulder, and her other foot was on the floor. His large shoulders took up the space, but the image of him kneeling between her legs, a supplicant to her needs, was breathtaking.
Special Forces: Operation Alpha: Protecting Heartbeat (Kindle Worlds Novella) (SEALed Fate Book 4) Page 4