"Whatever is going on between us is complex. Definitely uncertain. I'd be a liar if I said that I didn't worry." He brushed his hand through the thick silk of her blond hair.

Meeting her gaze so that she'd have no doubts, he continued, "About me and whether I'm strong enough to handle the kind of life you lead. About whether you can believe that what's going on between us is real."

Melissa looked away and in a voice so faint he had to strain to hear, she said, "It is, but this morning...I hate that I've complicated your life. That you've risked so much for me."

Sebastian gently urged her to look at him. "Because you doubt yourself, mi amor."

His brightness and warmth spread to her and she found herself smiling. "So can we rewind? Go back to this morning and all the plans we had?"

Sebastian wrapped his arms around her and brought her close. Laying his face alongside hers, he whispered in her ear, "Like a long nap. Waking together. Maybe sharing lunch?" She cupped the back of his head and dropped a kiss on the side of his face. "I was actually thinking of something else first."

"Breakfast?" he teased.

She nipped his earlobe playfully. "Are you playing hard to get?"

He pulled away, his dark eyes glittering with both merriment and desire. "Maybe."

She chuckled and shook her head. "You enjoy this way too much."

Sebastian laid a finger on the line of her cheekbone. "I do. I enjoy making you blush." He trailed his finger down to her lips and traced the edges of her mouth. "The way you smile and how those lips warm next to mine."

As if to emphasize his desire, he gave her the barest whisper of a kiss. As he pulled away, she found herself leaning toward him, wanting more. He gave it to her, but not in the way she had expected.

He ran his finger down the open neckline of her oxford shirt, then swept it to the center of one breast, where with a mere flick of that finger, he brought her nipple to a tight bud. "I enjoy the blush on your b.r.e.a.s.t.s when I kiss them." He replaced his finger with his mouth.

Even with the barrier of the fabric, the heat and wet of his mouth rocked her to the core. She clasped his head to her and he urged her backward until her backside was leaning on the edge of the kitchen table. But that wasn't enough and she lay down on it and urged him into the vee formed by her legs.

Sebastian braced an arm on the kitchen table and glanced down at her. Her cheeks were flushed. Her eyes, wide and dilated with pa.s.sion, followed his every move as he worked free the b.u.t.tons of her shirt and opened it wide to display the delicate lace bra she wore. He touched her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, tugging at her nipples with his fingers until they peaked. She wrapped her legs around his hips until he was pressed tight to the center of her.

He knew then there was no stopping.

Chapter 22.

H e undid the front clasp of her bra and her b.r.e.a.s.t.s spilled free, her nipples a sweet caramel color against the paler vanilla of her skin. He cupped them and she sucked in a breath. When he moved his fingers to play with their hardness, she moaned and closed her eyes against what she was feeling.

"Open your eyes, Melissa." He kissed her lips, then worked his way down to her b.r.e.a.s.t.s.

He risked a quick glance upward and was pleased to see she had responded to his request. Her eyes, blazing bright blue with her desire, were glued to his every move. It made him swell tighter against the fabric of his jeans. Made him want to bury himself inside her and watch those marvelous eyes darken even more with pa.s.sion.

Somehow he controlled the urge to rush. He took her nipple into his mouth. She was warm and so sweet. She urged him on with her soft cries and the shift of her hips against his body.

He repeated his caress for the other breast, and slowly moved his way downward, trailing kisses along her midsection, pausing at her navel to dip his tongue into the sweet indentation and thank whoever had invented low-rise jeans.

Moving a little farther, he encountered the waistband of those jeans and quickly undid them. Then he stayed away from her only long enough to peel her jeans and panties from her body. He paused for a moment to examine all that he had revealed.

Her skin was flushed and glistening. The curls at the juncture of her thighs were a slightly darker blonde and soft, he thought as he pa.s.sed his hand over them.When he looked up, she was still watching him. As his gaze locked with hers, she seemed to experience a moment of shyness.

She covered his hand as it rested against her most intimate spot.

Without breaking eye contact, Sebastian reversed the position of their hands and gently urged her hand downward. He joined his fingers with hers at the center of her. Exhorted her to move them.

There was shock in her eyes, followed by the deepest of pleasure as he slipped a finger within her, and she did, as well. Slowly they stroked together, building her pa.s.sion. Building his as he imagined replacing those fingers with his erection. Feeling the same heat and wet surround him. Drawing him into the center of her.

Sebastian groaned and withdrew his hand. He fumbled with the b.u.t.tons on his jeans. Grasping her hips, he positioned himself to enter her, then cursed. He was about to move away for protection when she wrapped her legs around him to keep him there.

"I need to get something," he said.

The smile that came to her lips was shyly seductive. "I'm protected now. And I'm safe."

He nearly came then and there at her admission. At the latent request in her statement.

He managed to control himself. He tightened his hold on her hips and shifted her a little bit closer to him on the table. Slowly he eased into her, his eyes trained on her face. His heart focused on the wonder of being inside her, sharing his body and his pa.s.sion.

She'd thought it couldn't get any better than it had been the other night and yet it was. Grabbing his shoulders, she tilted her hips upward, increasing the depth of his penetration. The slide of him built a friction inside, generating heat and even more wetness until a quickening began within her, gripping him to her. It spread throughout her body until she was holding him with her arms and legs.

Pleading with him to drive harder and take her over the edge.

He pleasured one breast while he drove into her. He bit the tip of it, which released the tension that had taken over her body.

Sobbing, she let it wash over her.

Sebastian heard her cries, took a deep breath and stilled within her, wanting to feel the rush of her climax. As she clasped him tight, he moved again, fighting against the tide of her pa.s.sion, feeling his own answering swell that pushed him ever closer to his own release.

She surprised him by leaning upward and running her tongue around the edge of his nipple, teething it, which caused a pull deep in his groin. The sensation new and intensely satisfying, he continued to move in her until it was finally too much. With a groan, he gave one final shift of his hips, grinding himself into her as deeply as he could get. Spilling himself into the wet warmth encircling him.

His arms were shaky, his breath rough as he lay down on her, their bodies awkwardly draped on the table. When he finally withdrew, he scooped her up into his arms.

At her questioning glance, he said, "Time for some rest." His legs had a faint tremble as he walked to his bedroom, where he let her slip down to the ground.

When she tumbled into his bed, he paused a moment to capture the moment in his mind. It was the first time she'd been here.

He vowed it wouldn't be the last.

She didn't know what woke her. Possibly the hard press of Sebastian against her belly, although when she looked at him through half-open eyes, she realized he was still asleep.

Melissa hoped it was dreams of her that had him hard and with just the barest hint of a smile on his lips. Because there was a spot inside her that seemed empty without him, she shifted and drew her thigh up over the flare of his hips. Reaching down, she guided him into her.

He roused with a start, but quickly recovered. "I thought it was just a dream." He smiled sleepily, the dimple on the side of his face deep with his pleasure.

Melissa tracked her finger across his lips where he nipped at it playfully. "I was missing you."

Sebastian slipped an arm beneath her head, pillowing it. His other arm he draped across her waist. "I'm here, amor."

"Hmm," was all she said because the moment was too perfect to spoil with words. Instead she brought her lips to his, slowly exploring the contours of his mouth. Over and over, savoring each kiss until they finally broke apart, slightly breathless.

"That was nice," she said, and cupped the defined muscles of his chest.

"Very," he responded, his voice slightly husky. He mimicked the motion of her hand by bringing his up to caress her breast.

She watched the reaction of his body, felt it within her as he swelled. He, too, was watching, his gaze riveted to her breast, and Melissa looked down. The skin of his hand was dark against hers. The pads of his fingers slightly rough to the sensitive peak as he brushed them lazily across her. She liked when he touched her like that. Wanted him to do more.

Much as he had done last night, she covered his hand to still his motion. Feeling a daring she hadn't before, Melissa showed him just what she wanted and he eagerly complied. She let out a little gasp of pleasure and shifted her hips against his.

Sebastian bit back his own groan, pleased by her candor and by her need. He realized that what she was giving him, the sharing they had just reached together, was something totally new. Rewarding, but scary. It went beyond the joining of their bodies and he wanted it to be perfect. He wanted her to know he was hers.

He gripped the flare of her waist with one hand, slowly guiding her as he rolled onto his back and gave her total possession of his body. She took it, and gave more back.

As they lay together afterward, Sebastian held her close and silently prayed that this newfound love could survive the challenges that seemed to be a part of their lives lately.

He only hoped that when danger called, he'd be strong enough to face it.

Chapter 23.

T he coward's way would have been to wait for Diana to address his hacking. In retrospect, it was the pattern they'd fallen into during much of their childhood. Diana had been the problem solver and mediator between Sebastian and their dad.

But after walking Melissa to the hospital for her shift and armed with a new sense of resolve, Sebastian realized he couldn't wait for Diana. This was something he needed to address.

He took the subway down to her building and, after clearing security, rode the elevator to her office. He had been announced, so his sister wasn't surprised when he appeared at her door.

She asked her partner, David, if he wouldn't mind giving them a minute.

David glanced between the two siblings and excused himself quickly, but not before warning Sebastian, "Be careful there, bro.

She's got a thorn in her paw that's making her mighty ornery."

"David." The threat in Diana's voice was clear.

With a wave, David left, closing the door behind him."I'm surprised you came," Diana said, obviously not about to mince words.

"You could warn me a thousand times not to do what I did, but if I had to do it all again-"

"I'd hope that you'd ask me," she interjected.

"You would never agree to-"

"We won't ever find that out because you didn't bother to ask."

To say that he was shocked would have been an understatement. "You made your position obvious. I thought there was no room for discussion."

"Maybe you're right. Maybe there wasn't in this case. Mainly because we hadn't yet gotten to a point where such extreme measures were required." She sat behind her desk and, without waiting for his reply, she shuffled a few files around, located one and handed it to him.

Sebastian opened it up to reveal a history of Edward Sloan that detailed all the time before and after his employment at the NSA.

He skimmed the information quickly and a few pages down found a tersely worded statement he recognized from his break-in.

Closing the file, he held it up and asked, "How did you get this?"

"Through legitimate channels and some favors." She tilted back in her chair, leaned her elbows on its arms and steepled her fingers before her. "Not that any of that helps. Even with Daly tracking Sloan, we haven't managed to put together enough for probable cause."

Sebastian glanced through the file again and this time something else caught his eye. "Not even the fact that at one time Sloan was a research chemist working on a synthetic morphine product?"

Diana shook her head. "Gives him the ability to make the heroin, but doesn't establish motive or opportunity."

Anger flared in him. Even with all the information they had, it still wasn't enough. "I just love it when you get all official-sounding."

She lurched forward and snagged the file from his hand. "This isn't some game, Sebastian. It's life or death."

"Don't you think I know that? Melissa's parents are dead. So are two ex-cons. Any one of us-Ryder excluded-could be next."

"I want you out of this, Sebastian."

He laughed harshly and looked away. After a moment, he faced her directly. "Afraid I can't handle it. Afraid that-"

"I'll lose you. I couldn't bear to see you hurt or worse, hermanito. And I'm not so sure I can handle Sloan."

He searched his sister's face. Her anguish was transparent and he recognized just how hard that admission had been for her.

Special Agent Reyes was supposed to be able to control everything. "I can take care of myself," he rea.s.sured her.

"And Melissa? Can you take care of her?"

Sebastian considered what he and Melissa had shared that morning, the promise of it latent with all the inherent risks. "Melissa would be the first to say she doesn't need a hero, but if need be, I can try."

With a harsh breath, Diana replied, "Try? There is no try, Sebastian. It's not a game where you can reboot if you don't like the outcome. It's either do or fail." Her words stung, reminiscent, as they always were, of his father. "Is that what you really think of me? I'm not the little boy who needed to hide behind your coattails. I'm my own man now. I can take care of what I have to."

Diana was taken aback for a moment. There was steel behind his words that she hadn't heard before. A stiffening of his spine and a glint in his eye that confirmed his belief in his words. Pride filled her at the strong man sitting before her. But fear crept in as well.

"Do you love her enough to risk your life? To become involved with someone who can never have a normal existence?"

His gaze was steady as it locked with hers. "Did you have a choice when you fell in love with Ryder?"

Her answer was immediate. "No."

Sebastian shrugged. "She believes in me and because of that, I believe in myself. I can't fail her."