“It’s the damn bathroom, Big Boss. What, you want to hold my dick for me, too?” Welsh raged. He needed something to lash out at, and the newest member of their team was perfect. Big Boss, still in the bloodied uniform from when he’d carried Dr. Delgado’s patient, followed him silently. The bastard’s ability to stay quiet in the face of Welsh’s anger irritated him to no fucking end.
Just two months on the team—having replaced Hawk—Petty Officer 2nd Class So “Big Boss” Ji-sub, formally of the Republic of Korea Navy Special Warfare Flotilla, was a fucking thorn in Welsh’s side. Welsh was fucking losing it, and he knew it. Without Hawk, the only one who really knew the shit messing with his head, he didn’t have the filter he relied on to keep him in check.
Big Boss blinked at him with a serious look. “Should I get my tweezers then?”
Welsh froze. The fuck? “What?”
“Is my English not good? Hold on.” Big Boss spun on his heel and yelled, loud as all get out, “Hey, Glitz, can you come translate?”
Snake glanced up, his silver eyes reflecting in the night like a wolf, and tapped Heim, the leader of their team, who followed him over. In seconds, the whole damn SEAL team was in attendance. Because, you know, they smelled blood in the water. Glitz stepped up to his cousin’s side. Why the hell the new Commander, Rear Admiral Davidson, thought it would be a good idea to bring Glitz’s cousin in, Welsh would never know.
“Museun il-iya?” Glitz asked.
Big Boss looked over at his cousin. “Nanuen geuui geosigie pinses-I pil-yohanji algo spida.”
Glitz choked back a laugh before clearing his throat. “Ah, he wants to know if you need a tweezer for your dick.”
Snake, Cry Baby, Heim, and Glitz broke out in roaring laughter right in Welsh’s face.
“Have you seen it?” Snake asked.
“Tell me you got screenshots,” Heim started. “Bastard is always bragging about his cock.”
“Vixen can post it on Snapchat for us,” Cry Baby offered.
Welsh gritted his teeth. “Are you done?”
“Not by a longshot,” Heim said, throwing his arm around Welsh’s shoulder. “Now, if you have a medical condition, it doesn’t change the man you are. Inverted penises need love, too.”
“He doesn’t need to follow me to the bathroom,” Welsh told Heim.
“Commander’s orders,” Big Boss replied.
Yeah, a little support mission for team building: follow the spiraling soldier around and keep his head on right. Welsh recognized it for what it was, resenting both Davidson and Big Boss for the lack of confidence. Welsh was a good SEAL, and he’d die for each of his team members. They’d escaped wrongful imprisonment, lived to tell about their breakout from GITMO, and had found an internal traitor in their former commander. Welsh might be broken, but he knew how to do his damn job.
Welsh rolled his eyes. “It was a figure of speech.”
“I don’t understand some of your idioms. He said stay with you, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do,” Big Boss replied.
“Over my dead body,” Welsh returned.
Big Boss stood taller, a darkness filtering into his gaze. Oh, bring it on. “That can be arranged, SEAL.”
Welsh tensed, muscles compact and hard. This. He needed a distraction, a battle to wage and a war to fight. Stuck on security detail for a Special Operations Surgical Team and MSF doctors wasn’t going to give him what he needed.
A piercing cry stopped Welsh’s impending attack, and all six men shifted into battle mode. Big Boss stepped to Welsh’s right, palming his handgun. “Move, I’ll cover you.”
Welsh nodded, chagrined at his sudden rage. He’d almost attacked a team mate. What the fuck was wrong with him? Big Boss tapped his shoulder, and the men moved in a single line toward the sound. Other military personnel came running out the barracks, stopping when they saw the SEALs already in motion, guns drawn.
“We got this,” Heim whisper-yelled.
The personnel slipped back, standing at the ready just in case. Another cry. Welsh moved faster toward the showering areas. Heim directed with one raised hand for them to split up. Like a well-oiled machine, Big Boss stuck to Welsh’s right—the space having been left vacant since Hawk left—and swept the area. A pang in Welsh’s heart only fueled his need for a fight. The gut-wrenching cry swelled, but now Welsh recognized it for what it was—and who it came from.
“Back off, Heim,” Welsh muttered into his mic. “It’s the doctor, and she’s crying. I got it.”
“Stand down men, and spread out. I’ll leave it to you, Welsh. It’s your turn anyway,” Heim said.
Welsh ignored the last comment as the SEALs broke off and headed back to the main area of the camp. Except for Welsh, Glitz, and Big Boss, all the other SEALs had found the women meant for them. Welsh was still surprised at how the last few years had gone, and he could admit he probably was ready to settle down. But Aleppo wasn’t made for love, and the timing was off. He was too angry, too lost, and maybe a bit disillusioned right now to have love. He’d stick with dealing with his most recent headache, as well as the loss of Hawk from the team. Big Boss, of course, stayed close. But he had the presence of mind to back off a bit and turn his back. Welsh should be thankful for that bit of privacy, he supposed.
“Dr. Delgado?” Welsh called. She continued to cry, the wretched sound breaking his heart.
He knew what the pain of war sounded like. Most times he didn’t get a chance to cry. He fought, succeeded at his missions, and tried to be the best SEAL he could be. He’d suffered betrayal and loss. Pressing his hand to the side of the shower wall, the sound of her tears drowned out the shower water. He knew that sort of pain and the perseverance required to get through it. Pride swelled in his chest when he thought of how she’d taken care of her patient in the ambulance. Through it all, she never faltered, even though now he could see it had broken her.
“Rose?” Welsh tasted her name on his tongue, and he liked the sound of it. The way it rolled over his tongue, his accent twisting the syllable, evoked a new feeling of protectiveness for the doctor into his gut.
Her sobs ended on a choked sound as she sniffled. “Who’s there?”
“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.