"Don't get hyper. I'm not in need of rescuing." Although there was a playful tone to his words, she sensed the underlying hurt.

She embraced him from behind as he continued typing. But she wasn't about to be ignored.

She nuzzled the side of his face and tongued the edge of his ear before tugging at the lobe with the little silver hoop that drove her crazy. While she did so, she ran her hands down to his midsection and pressed herself tight against him.

"If this is an effort to distract me-"

He didn't finish the thought. Instead he rose and turned until she was trapped between him and the wall. He was hard against her belly. She rubbed her hips against him and draped her arms over his shoulders.

"I guess it worked," she said. Her tone was bold and a little seductive. She wasn't normally the vixen type, but Sebastian had rocked her world and all her perceptions of herself. He'd let loose the spirit inside her that had been trapped for so long. And not just the s.e.xual spirit.

"This is something new for you, isn't it?" he asked before he brushed his lips against hers. She answered him with a hint of wonder in her voice. "Maybe. Maybe not. You let me be me."

Sebastian pulled back, feeling both amazement and that gnawing bit of fear he hadn't been able to dispel. "This is getting serious, you know. You and me."

She chuckled and smiled broadly. "I would hope so. I've done things with you I never even imagined were possible."

"But it's not just-"

"The s.e.x. I know." Tenderly she ran her thumbs along the planes of his face, her eyes a dark sapphire-blue with emotion. "It's still a little scary, thinking this might last."

Sebastian knew what she meant. For days he'd been wondering how, with their crazy lives, things had gone so smoothly.

Between scanning the journals and playing bodyguard and sharing her bed, he'd managed to answer calls from his clients and get some programming done. He'd meshed his life and needs with hers, almost too flawlessly. Perhaps he was avoiding what he knew he'd have to face: the true harshness of her existence. In the back of his mind, fear remained. Could he deal with the danger?

But right now, he only wanted to think of her. "We can last thanks to the wonder of power naps," he replied in a teasing tone.

"Do you always hide behind a joke?" Melissa asked, echoing his question from nearly two weeks before. It seemed more like years, thanks to all that had followed.

Shoving off the wall, he freed her and himself, needing the s.p.a.ce. "You let me be me, as well, Melissa. I've never been able to do that with anyone else."

She took a few steps closer to him. "And that's bad because...?"

"Too much is going on right now. There are too many things messing with our heads and-"

"My life will always be like this, Sebastian. If it isn't this c.r.a.p with Sloan, it'll be something else having to do with Ryder or the hospital."

As exposed as he felt, he realized her emotions were just as raw. He wrapped his arms around her. "I know, Melissa. I've been doing what I can to fit into your life."

"It's not easy-"

"No, it isn't, but..." He hesitated. If he couldn't be open with her, where could this relationship go? "I don't want to fail you."

"You won't." There was no doubt in her voice. No hint of hesitation.

Sebastian stood there, watching her as she intently resumed the experiment. When he returned to his laptop, he switched to the video signal of Melissa hard at work.

At some point she must have realized he was no longer typing, for she turned. He quickly shifted back to his client's program.

He forced himself to concentrate on the code, knowing he had to get the project done. But in the back of his mind, all he could think of was that she'd set the bar high with her unquestioned faith in him.

Which would make it that much harder a fall should he fail her.

Sebastian was determined not to fail her.

Melissa lay in her bed alone for the first time in the nearly two weeks she'd been with Sebastian.

Sebastian had gotten beeped while she was doing rounds. An important client with a major problem. After failing to solve the problem by remotely connecting to the client's computers, he had told Melissa he should probably visit the client. But he hadn't been sure about leaving.

She was almost done at the hospital and wouldn't be returning to the lab until the next day. There was minimal risk in her short walk home.

She told Sebastian he should go to his client. He'd given her more of his time lately than she'd thought possible. With it being dusk, Ryder had stood in Sebastian's stead, watching her from afar as she'd made her way to the apartment building.

It had been a little creepy knowing Ryder was there, but unable to see him. Despite that, she'd been grateful he was nearby.

By the time she'd arrived at the apartment, night had fallen. She entered to see Ryder stepping through the balcony door. "Just trying out some newfound skills," he said.

Ryder's experiments with his vampire side were a little troubling. How far would his interest take him? She hoped it would be good for all involved. His vampire power was strong and she worried it might lure him to a darker side of himself, one he would eventually be unable to control.

That was part of the reason she was lying in bed now, fully awake despite a long and tiring day. The other part-the much bigger part-was how much she missed having Sebastian beside her.

She'd come to count on his presence in her life much too quickly. Her insecurity made her wonder...Was she capable of keeping Sebastian in her life? Would the demands she made on him be too much?

She'd already had so much disappointment in her life. What would she do if this relationship with Sebastian didn't work out?

What if their feelings weren't strong enough to bear the challenges of her daily life?

Melissa didn't doubt Sebastian was strong enough to deal with it. Her fear was that she couldn't deal with it. What if she was unable to balance all that was demanded of her with her relationship with Sebastian?

The last thing she wanted to do was fail him. He'd given her too much for her to disappoint him like that.

She only hoped that what she could give him in return would be enough to keep him in her life.

Chapter 26.

T he hospital cafeteria was teeming with staff and visitors, making it easy for Melissa to hide in plain sight. Not to mention that Sloan, elitist that he was, wouldn't be caught dead mingling with the ma.s.ses.

She looked around and finally spied a small table for two in a far corner. "Over there, Diana."

They reached the table before another pair of diners, and cleared the debris from the earlier inhabitants of the s.p.a.ce. The table was out of the way and private, yet allowed an un.o.bstructed view of the entire dining area.

"Any chance of Sloan popping in?" Diana asked as she undid the napkin from around her cutlery.

Melissa shot a quick look at the busy dining room. "Slim to none. Edward never struck me as the kind who mingled with the rest of us."

"Good. I've got some news for you."

"Bad news," Melissa said, sensing unease in Diana's voice. "Detective Daly had to pull his man off Sloan's tail. His captain wants him to shift his focus elsewhere. Possibly close the cases for now."

She leaned back in her chair, disheartened. "So we have nada. Zip. Zilch."

Diana laid her hand over Melissa's. "It sucks, I know. But we'll get something soon."

"How?" Melissa expelled the word harshly. "It's been quiet here and at the lab. Sloan seems to be one cool character."

Diana motioned to Melissa's plate of food. "Eat up. You could use it."

Melissa stared down at the turkey sandwich she had taken just because Diana had insisted. She wasn't really hungry. There was too much happening, or rather not happening. But when Diana picked up her own sandwich and again motioned to Melissa's, she relented and grabbed it.

Diana resumed her report. "I asked Peter to let the files sit on his desk for another day or so. I've got the feeling something is about to happen."

Melissa wished she could be as optimistic. "I hope so, Diana."

"Trust me. And keep alert. Don't let Sloan's apparent inactivity fool you." Diana finally took a bite of her sandwich and Melissa followed suit. The turkey was surprisingly moist and tasty. In response, her mouth watered and her stomach growled.

"Good thing I forced you to go to lunch," Diana teased with a smile.

Diana's visit to her office had been a surprise, Melissa had to admit. Although they'd known each other for months, up until recently, they hadn't really bonded. "Thanks for that. I think if left to my own devices-"

"You'd starve?" she teased again. "Good thing you've got Sebastian and me around now. Maybe we can even get some good Cuban food in you, put some meat back on those bones."

Melissa was a little taken aback by Diana's comments. "Why do you think I need more meat-"

"From the pictures you have in your office and back at the apartment." Putting down her sandwich, Diana leaned closer to the table. "Look, I know how hard it can be when you lose someone. After my dad died..."

"It's hard, isn't it?" Melissa was intrigued by the emotion visible on Diana's face. For the most part, she'd only seen FBI Agent Diana. Always tough and ready to rumble. This was a new side to Ryder's girlfriend.

Diana nodded. "Very. I was lucky to have Sebastian afterward. He was my rock. If it hadn't been for him, I'm not sure what would have happened."

Melissa knew just what Diana meant. If it hadn't been for Sebastian during the last few weeks..."He's my rock, as well. I don't know what I'd do without him."

Diana once more grasped Melissa's hand, but instead of pulling away as she might have a few months ago, Melissa joined her hand with Diana's. "I know you care for him and he'll be there for you. That's the way he is. That's the way I am."

"Thanks. It's been easier knowing that I'm not alone anymore."

Diana gave her hand a rea.s.suring squeeze, and then returned to eating her lunch. Melissa did the same and they ate in companionable silence until Melissa asked, "This Detective Daly. What's he to you?"

With a small smile, Diana replied, "A friend and nothing more. For me, there's only Ryder." Her answer eased a little bit of the disquiet Melissa had about Ryder's feelings for the detective. "Glad to know that, but Daly must be a good friend."

Diana shrugged. "When I first met him, I wasn't sure whether he'd be friend or foe. But we reached an understanding of sorts.

He's come through for us, so I owe him."

"And what do you think the good detective will ask for in payment?"

"Not anything romantic, trust me. Rumor has it that Peter got burned by his wife and has absolutely no interest in anything romantic. And he's aware that I am totally not interested."

"That's good to know." Melissa finished her sandwich. "So what do we do now?"

Diana glanced at her watch. "I need to head back to the office and try and get more info from my sources, not to mention work on a few other cases. In the meantime, if you can find out for me where Sloan is, I can unofficially tail him."

"Sounds like a plan."

After grabbing one last chip from her plate, Diana rose with her tray in hand and Melissa followed. Once out in the hall, Diana said, "See if you can locate our friend. Then give me a buzz."

"I will."

For a moment they stood there awkwardly, and then Diana reached out and gave Melissa a tight hug. It was that Cuban, being- physical-with-friends-and-family thing, Melissa thought. Surprisingly, she found that she didn't mind. She hugged Diana back and said, "I'll call you as soon as I have anything."

Melissa returned to her office and tried to track down Sloan, to no avail. He wasn't on the floor, according to the on-duty nurse.

Calls to his home yielded only the answering machine.

Melissa reported in to Diana, who was clearly unhappy with the results.

"I'll call Peter and see if he has any ideas where else we can check. In the meantime, can you fill Ryder in for me?"

Melissa dialed Ryder and gave him the bad news about the surveillance and the pressure on Peter to close the cases.

"Seems to me there's only one thing we can do," Ryder said. "You need to make it seem as if you've started something with the rats. That might be enough to force Sloan to act."

"If I do that, we need to be careful. We can't take any risks."

"Sebastian and I will watch you. Do you want Diana to come by and stand guard, as well?"

Melissa picked up a pencil from her desk and nervously tapped it from end to end. She feared for the safety of all of them, given Sloan's past activities, and there wasn't anything Diana could legally do. "She's got enough for right now. Unofficially, of course."

"Melissa. Sloan is not someone to mess with, so expect me and Sebastian to be on you 24/7." He hung up before she could respond.

But who's going to watch after you? she thought, fearful that Sloan would eventually connect the dots from her to Ryder and decide to change his focus.

Or worse, that Sloan would realize Ryder was the source of the elusive cells. Her father had already placed them in enough jeopardy.Melissa didn't want to do anything to make the situation worse.

Sebastian was exhausted and no amount of power napping was going to make up for losing last night's and this morning's sleep.

His client had had a major network failure. It had taken Sebastian and one of the client's technicians the better part of a day to set up a new server, get all the network users and rights reconfigured, and restore the data and programs from the backup tape from the night before.

But no amount of exhaustion was going to keep him from meeting Melissa in the lab. If he needed to, he could catch a few zzz's while he waited for her to finish up whatever she was doing.

At the door of the building, he was stopped by the security guards asking for clearance. Melissa was waiting for him at the door, a slightly worried look on her face. When she saw him, she motioned for him to enter quickly.