At her questioning look, he shrugged and gave her an almost apologetic smile.

She was lying there, exposed to him, her legs dangling over the edge of the bed, Sebastian tucked inside her. She should have felt sated, but somehow, even with the remnants of her climax lingering, she didn't.

Melissa couldn't get enough of him, and as Sebastian slowly began to move, his actions tender and gentle compared to moments before, she realized he couldn't get enough, either.

Chapter 15.

R yder lingered in the night air, savoring the crisp chill of the coming winter. Enjoying the freedom the darkness gave him from the four walls of his apartment. Dreading the visit to Diana.

He'd walked for blocks and blocks until he'd reached the buildings along the avenue in the midthirties. As he stopped at one corner, listening to the sounds of jazz filter from the open door of a restaurant on one of the side streets, the urge Ryder had been battling rose up, stronger than before.

He slipped from the avenue into a small alley. With a single leap, he landed noiselessly on the first level of the fire escape. A second jump, followed by a third and he was up on the roof, staring upward at a full vanilla-colored moon.

He outstretched his arms, let the beast loose, knowing he had to tire it out before he got to Diana.Diana. He growled at the thought of her. At her anger and her pa.s.sion. Heat built within him and his fangs slowly slipped down.

Taking a deep breath, he jumped from one rooftop to the next until he neared the ledge closest to the street. Gathering speed, he raced toward the gap and launched himself across the breach.

His landing was not as smooth this time. Ryder had never become sure of his vampire footing. He'd battled hard to hang on to his humanity. In the last few months, however, his enforced confinement during the day and his increased need for the blood that healed him had upset the balance he'd developed.

The surprising thing was, Ryder had found that giving in to the animal within him every now and then had brought with it an invigorating sense of power. An alluring and altogether dangerous sense of power.

Energized by the animal, he continued his flight along the rooftops, drawing closer and closer to Diana. His need grew until he arrived at her building.

Bracing himself on the granite ledge of her roof, he took a step and let himself plummet downward.

Jab. Jab. Punch. Jab. Jab. Roundhouse.

Diana repeated the routine over and over, striking the heavy bag with speed and precision. Alternating occasionally with a dropkick. Uppercut subst.i.tuted for the jab-punch combo.

Her arms were growing weary, but she kept at it. The workout helped to release the anger and frustration from earlier that night.

Finally, she couldn't go on anymore. With one last series of blows, she lost her footing and had to grab the bag to keep from falling. As she held on to the leather and took a deep bracing breath, the hackles on the back of her neck rose.

Easing away from the bag, she turned to look out her bedroom window. That was when she saw a silhouette on her fire escape.

His silhouette. There was a slight movement as he realized he'd been seen, yet he remained outside where he was.

Fine, she thought. She undid the Velcro on her boxing gloves and pulled them off. Tossing them to lie at the foot of the heavy bag, Diana unwound the wraps around her wrists and hands, and flung them onto the floor, as well.

He still didn't make a move and the anger from earlier that night flared to life once again. Wanting to exact some kind of punishment, she stared straight ahead and reached for the drawstring of her sweatpants. With a quick tug, she loosened the ties and eased the pants down her legs, kicked them aside. She grabbed the hem of her T-shirt and dispensed with it, as well.

Diana stood there in nothing but her string bikini panties and sports bra. Slipping one finger beneath the miniscule band of her panties, she began to draw them down.

It was then she finally got a reaction.

He was through the window and standing before her so quickly, all she had seen was a blur. He placed his hand on her hip to stop her.

When she met his gaze, she experienced a little fear, followed by fascination and longing. With one finger, she traced the edge of his brows above his electric gaze. Then she allowed herself to cup his cheek and run her thumb across the hard edge of his lips and the slight hint of fang protruding beyond their fullness.

"Into the whole creature-of-the-night routine lately, aren't you?" she said in challenge, but didn't stop moving her thumb across his lips. The fangs grew slightly longer and more p.r.o.nounced.

"Does it bother you?" His voice was a low, almost rumbling growl. As she shifted her thumb across his lips again, he grabbed it with his teeth, bit down on it just a little. Not enough to draw blood.

Yet.

Heat twisted her insides into a knot of need. Bending her head to one side, she bared her neck to him. Daring him.

She was trembling with a combination of fear and antic.i.p.ation as he wrapped an arm around her waist and brought her close. He grazed the side of her neck with his fangs. The pressure of his teeth increased and for a moment, Diana thought she'd pushed him too far.

Ryder pressed his fangs against the pulse beating thickly beneath them. He remembered the sweetness of her. How her blood had tasted on his lips, rich with their pa.s.sion. The animal in him wanted to sample her again. Wanted to be buried deep within her as he savored her lifeblood, spiced with the flavor of their lovemaking.

Somehow he reined in the animal and let the human resume control again. The heat that signalled his transformation ebbed from his body as his fangs receded. Instead of the vampire's bite, he placed a gentle kiss on the spot she had offered up so readily, then released her.

"I came to talk. To try and convince you-"

"To break the law?" She stepped away from him. With a quick stride, she was at her dresser, slipping off her damp bra and panties before putting on a fresh pair of pajamas.

He approached her as he pleaded his case. "What if we can't get any more information on Sloan? Are you willing to risk someone getting injured-"

"Instead of hacking into the NSA computers? I'm supposed to uphold the law, Ryder."

He grabbed her arm as she walked past him toward her bed. "Things are never that simple, Diana."

She glanced down at his hand, her face hard and unyielding. "Sometimes they are, Ryder. I've built my entire life around doing the right thing."

He released her and dragged a hand through his hair. "And what of my life? Or should I say, my lack of life? Tell me what's right about it, Diana? Tell me what I did wrong to merit the life I have?"

Diana's heart ached with his pain. She embraced him and held him close for long seconds. Cradling his head to her, she said, "Did you ever think the reason you're here now-that you're the way you are-is because you were good?"

A harsh laugh escaped his lips. "And this," he said, transforming into vampire mode, "is my reward?"

Standing on tiptoe, she brought her lips to his and cupped the back of his head to keep him there when he would have pulled away. "If not for this, we'd never have met."

He answered her with a kiss so demanding, she wasn't sure whether it was the vampire or human in control. Frankly, at that moment, she didn't care.

Chapter 16.

S he'd woken up in a man's arms exactly three times in her life. Including this morning, two of those times had been with Sebastian.

The first had been with Ryder the night her parents had been killed. He'd arrived at what had then been the apartment she shared with her parents, about half a dozen blocks away. She'd managed to hold it all together until he'd arrived. After though, the floodgates had opened wide, and when she'd fallen apart, Ryder had held her in his arms until she'd calmed, and after, while she slept.Melissa much preferred waking with Sebastian.

She was tucked into his side, his arm slung loosely around her back, her thigh draped casually over his legs. Heat bathed her body from the contact with his body. She shifted slightly and winced at the soreness between her legs.

At her movement, small as it was, he roused and turned onto his side to face her. "Mornin'," he said, the tone of his voice low and slightly raspy.

There was a smile on his lips as she kissed him. "Good morning."

He slipped his hand onto her waist and eased over until their bodies came into full contact. At that touch, every nerve ending in her body flared to life. Although she hadn't thought it possible, desire rose to the forefront once again.

Sebastian didn't want to rush. Every minute with her might be his last. Whatever was happening between them...Even with her in his arms, he feared so much. Most of all, failing her.

And so because of that, and mindful of how they had pa.s.sed the night, his actions were gentle and oh-so-languorous. The pa.s.sion that came because of it reached deep, brought them to a level more intense than before.

He stroked her with his hands, mindful of what she liked. He needed her hands on him, stroking and caressing. Urging him on until he rolled her beneath him and gently entered her.

As he cradled her in his arms afterward, both their bodies shaking and unsteady, he realized he didn't know what he'd do without her in his life, and swore he'd do what he could to keep her there.

He just hoped it would be enough.

Melissa sat at her desk going through her typical routine. She sorted through all her mail, tossing aside the junk, putting magazines to the side and grouping everything that needed attention. As she did so, she shot a quick glance at Sebastian. A too-quick glance.

She didn't want to tip off whoever was watching to the fact that she was aware of their surveillance.

Sebastian was typing away on his laptop. He'd explained that wireless devices had a limited number of frequencies and that he could tap into the signal, even if someone had taken the time to activate encryption of the transmission. With a grin, he'd said it would only take a little bit longer if it was encrypted.

He loved the challenge of it, she realized. Even with only an occasional peek, it was obvious he was totally absorbed in what he was doing. With a wave of his hand and an even broader grin, he motioned that he had picked up a signal. His concern that she was being spied upon hadn't been off the mark.

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed her number. Her phone rang and rang, but she didn't pick it up.

Once he hung up, he said out loud, "It's only a video signal. No audio."

Melissa rose from her desk and grabbed one of the magazines, trying to make it appear as if she was just going somewhere else to read. But once next to Sebastian on the sofa, she glanced at the screen on the laptop. There was her desk in grainy black and white. Inspecting the rest of the room, she wondered aloud, "Could there be other cameras?"

Sebastian quickly looked around. "Possibly, only the more there are, the greater the risk of discovery. And if he-or she, for that matter-only wanted to monitor you, the one in the frame was probably enough."

"And if there's more?"

Sebastian shrugged. "Then they'll know we're on to them and maybe do something more drastic. Something that will draw them into the open."

"You're sounding very law enforcement-like," she teased.

Sebastian chuckled and paused in his typing. "One of the hazards of being related to too many cops."

No sooner had Sebastian said that, then he was back to his typing.

"What are you doing now?" Window after window was popping up on his laptop. Too fast for her to follow.

"I've jacked into the hospital network. Whoever is spying needs to send that signal somehow. The most likely way is through the network." His fingers flew over the keys.

He paused for only a moment as he said, "I'm in."

He resumed his typing and she watched as he began scrolling through a list. Melissa craned her neck to see.

Users. Files open. As he moved downward, she immediately saw her user name with an entry. She'd logged in that morning to look at her mail and access some patient information. Farther down the screen, she noticed a familiar user name. Gesturing to the entry, she said, "That's Sara."

"How do you know?" he began, then held up his hand. "Wait, don't tell me. You and Sara know each other's info in case of-"

"An emergency," she finished.

"At least you don't have your pa.s.sword on a Post-it note on your monitor, right? Please tell me that."

"No, I don't." She had it neatly written in her daily planner, which she kept in her top desk drawer where anyone could see it whenever she wasn't in her office.

Returning her attention to Sebastian, she saw that he'd shifted to another set of entries, apparently to confirm Sara's user name.

"How did you do that?"

"Used a back door. System sees me as the administrator. That means I can see whoever is on, what files they're using. Sara's in the same network files you are."

With a few key strokes, Sebastian moved down the list. The user names were a combination of portions of the users' names and random numbers. That made it easy to locate Sloan's user name, but according to the system, Sloan had no files open.

Turning to Melissa, he asked, "Is Sloan in the hospital right now?"

"He should be," Melissa answered quickly. "Why?"

Sebastian turned his laptop so she could see it more clearly. "You and Sara have similar files open."

"Probably the mail system and patient records."

Nodding, Sebastian continued. "If Sloan is in, he's not logged on to the system. Or he is and is hiding it somehow."

Melissa shook her head. "People Sloan's age aren't usually computer-savvy."

"NSA, remember? Sloan's not what he seems." He powered down the laptop and closed its case. "We won't get any more info here, Melissa. What about the journals?"

With a tired sigh, Melissa relaxed into the cushions of the sofa. "I'm starting the last one. The one before didn't give me much to work with. Just the kind of stuff I keep track of-anything unusual with Ryder that day. What I did to help him."

Sebastian sensed there was something else. Something she wasn't telling him. He cupped her cheek and applied gentle pressure until her gaze met his. "What else, Melissa?"

She looked away and in barely a whisper said, "Comments about my mother. Treatments that had been working before were no longer effective. She was dying."

Sebastian embraced her. She was a little stiff at first, but then she relaxed and grabbed hold of him. Definitely progress. And possibly even more rewarding than s.e.x.