Page 61 of Gwen's Delta

“Maybe.” Merlin struggled with the yearning to kiss her. Instead, he reached for her hand as they taxied down the runway.

The pilots were CIA, and the flight plan they’d filed was for a nonstop trip to Cairo. When he’d read that in Roe’s text, it had surprised Merlin. Maybe this was a CIA plane, since most private planes didn’t have the fuel capacity for such a long trip.

It would give them extra time to firm up their plan once they had boots on the ground. The clock was ticking, and every minute counted.

Once they made cruising altitude, Merlin pulled the cake out of his bag, unwrapped it, and put it in the center of a table.

“Gwen’s grandmother sent cake to thank us for our help. It’s horrible, so you probably won’t want any,” Merlin said, trying to keep a straight face.

Gwen giggled. “Don’t listen to him. He raved about it. He just wants it all for himself.”

“Traitor,” he mumbled with a smile.

Her return smile took his breath away and sent a jolt of arousal straight to his crotch. This mission would take every bit of his control, and every time she smiled at him, it got a little harder—literally.

Less than five minutes later there was nothing left but crumbs.

“Do you have more?” Zip asked.

“That’s it. You’re stuck with whatever is in the fridge.” Merlin tried to keep a straight face.

“Destiny has the recipe now,” Gwen added with a grin.

“That’s the best news I’ve heard all day,” Zip teased.

The guys’ banter helped Gwen unwind. She needed to relax and get some sleep, so she’d be ready for whatever they would find in Cairo. There were so many things that could go wrong—too many unknowns—but if there was a way out of this shit show, they’d find it.

Woof and Jangles made a bunch of sandwiches and put them on the table. Then, Zip pulled out two decks of cards.

“Do you know how to play poker, Gwen?” Zip asked.

“I do, but I’m kind of rusty.”

“You shouldn’t have told them that, it’s just asking for trouble,” Merlin told her. But then she winked at him. The guys were in for a surprise.

“How about a friendly game? We’ll keep the betting low,” Woof said.

“Sure. But is this just to distract me? I figured you’d spend the entire flight planning,” Gwen answered.

“We’ve planned all we can until we land. Poker is a distraction for all of us,” Jangles said.

“Okay. What are the stakes?”

That should have been a dead giveaway, and Merlin turned away to hide his smile. They were underestimating his little bookworm. This would be fun.

“Merlin, you in?” Zip asked.

“I’ll sit this one out.”

“Chicken shit, you’re just worried we’ll clean you out again,” Zip said with a chuckle.

“You wish. I want to go through my email and check for updates.”

“How about you, Duff?” Woof asked as the others pulled two tables together.

“Sure, it’s that or sleep.”

“You’re really not going to play, Luke?” Gwen asked.