"Or that she had you. The doctors must have warned her against it," Sara interjected around her mouthful of taco.

Melissa had never considered it before, but given the severity of her mother's anemia, having a child would have been an issue.

Most people would have guessed her mother had gone to the extra effort because she really wanted children, but Melissa couldn't accept that. Her mother had never had much interest in her child. And her father's attentions had always been elsewhere. Melissa had been a very distant third, or possibly fourth, considering how much time her father had given to his patients and students.

"Earth to Melissa. Come in, Melissa," Sara teased.

Melissa shook her head in self-chastis.e.m.e.nt. "It was a risk, although I never thought about it. We weren't close."

"Mami and me..." A wistful tone crept into Sara's voice. "It's like having a big sister. She always has time for me. Makes me laugh. Keeps me on the straight and narrow."

"That must be great. I can understand why you're willing to try anything, only...Do you think my father's experiments had anything to do with my mother?"

"Definitely. It wasn't for the hospital or his cla.s.ses."

"No, not his cla.s.ses." Melissa had helped her father with those labs, which all consisted of preprepared histological samples for review.

"You know, Sloan might be able to help you out," Sara said. "He and your father were tight. If there's something to know, he's the one." Although Edward and her father had been friends, Melissa hadn't gotten the sense that they'd shared much in the months before her parents' deaths. On the contrary, at the hospital gala just a month before the crash, she'd detected almost a chill between the two men, but had written it off as due to the compet.i.tive battling that sometimes went on in hospital politics.

Since her parents' deaths, Edward had been the soul of propriety and helpfulness. "I'll see if he knows anything," she said, although with the information Diana had given her earlier that day, she wasn't sure how she'd approach her father's old friend.

It was a dumb move to visit her at the hospital, Sebastian thought. It would accomplish nothing good. But after scanning what Melissa had said was her father's last journal and tackling some of the earlier ones, he'd had enough of working and not enough of seeing Melissa.

On the short walk from Ryder's apartment, he debated the wisdom of what he was about to do. Reminded himself that the most logical thing would be to go home. His work was almost done, and after that there would be nothing else to keep him close to Melissa.

Except that since he'd left her last night, Melissa was the only thing he'd been able to think about. The realist in him said it was because of the almost painful physical condition their encounter had left him in. The romantic in him fancied the thought that they could be happy together.

To which the realist replied that all he could do was hurt her because he could never be the kind of man she needed. Melissa was a complicated woman with even more complicated needs. Needs beyond his capabilities.

To which the rebel in him said-f.u.c.k you. Sebastian told himself the voice of the realist was just his father talking, failing to see what Sebastian was truly capable of.

Right now, with all the arguments in his head Sebastian was certain of only one thing-if he could make Melissa happy for just one moment, that was enough. Armed with that knowledge, he pulled his black leather duster tighter around him and continued his walk to the hospital.

He paused at the door for security to check him out and then strode to the hospital directory. There was a moment of pride at seeing her name posted at this prestigious hospital, where only the cream of the crop practiced.

At the nurses' station where he stopped to ask the way to Melissa's office, an attractive Latina raised her head from the chart, gave him a smile. "May I help you?"

Sebastian peered at her name tag. Sara Martinez. The Sara Martinez, he realized, recalling her name. "I'm looking for Dr.

Danvers."

"Are you a friend?" she asked.

Was he? "Maybe more," he answered with a grin.

She responded with a broad welcoming smile of her own. "That's good. Melissa could use more friends." She leaned toward him until she could see over the top of the nurses' station. Pointing down the hall, she said, "Right at the end of that hallway. It's the first door to your left."

"Thanks."

He arrived at Melissa's office to find she wasn't alone. She was sitting on the sofa with an older man, having some kind of discussion. They failed to notice his arrival, so he tapped softly on the open door to announce himself.

There was a moment of confusion on Melissa's face, followed by a smile so warm and inviting, it sent a blast of heat through him. "Sebastian." Melissa rose and motioned for him to enter.

The older man slowly got up from the low-lying couch. When the gentleman was standing, he held out his hand to Sebastian. "Dr.

Edward Sloan. And you are?"

Ah, Sloan. The one with the missing time in his life. If that wasn't enough to give Sebastian pause, there was the man's restrained air, which bordered on hostile. He shook the doctor's hand. "Sebastian Reyes. I'm Melissa's friend."

"A friend?" Sloan questioned. He raised one gray and rather bushy eyebrow and glanced at Melissa. "This is something new, isn't it?"

Definitely hostile. Sebastian waited, almost expectantly, for Melissa's reaction.

She didn't fail him. Slipping her hand into his, she smiled at the older man. "Yes, Edward. It is. We've known each other for several months now." Melissa glanced up at Sebastian and continued, "Edward is an old friend of my father's."

He strove for the right tone. Respectful. Courteous. Even though the look the man was giving him was anything but either of those.

"It's nice to meet you, sir. I'm sorry I never got to know Melissa's dad."

"So young man. What do you do?" The question was accompanied by another dose of the hairy eyeball.

"Edward," Melissa warned, but failed to dissuade the older man.

"My dear. With your parents no longer with us, I somehow feel as if-"

"It's okay, Melissa," Sebastian said and gently squeezed her hand. "I'm in computers. Security and programming, to be exact."

"Hmm. My stockbroker tells me that's a rather volatile sector right now."

Melissa stepped between the two men and motioned Edward to the door. "If you don't mind, Edward. I didn't realize how late it is. Sebastian and I need to go, and I have a few things to finish up before I leave."

With a polite incline of his head, Edward left and Melissa quickly closed the office door behind him. She faced Sebastian, a pained look on her face. "I'm sorry."

Sebastian waved off her apology. "It's okay. In a way, the old guy is right."

Melissa strode to her desk, where she shuffled a few files. "He's got no say in my personal life."

Her personal life, huh? Sebastian stood behind her, watching over her shoulder while she nervously made her piles of papers and files. "Is it personal now?"

She whirled to face him. "Don't you think? Considering how we left it."

Sebastian tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "How did we leave it?"

"Unfinished?" She brought her hands up to nervously grip the edges of his leather jacket.

"Really? And why would you say that?" He took a step closer, forcing her to lean against the edge of her desk.

"Because as I recall, the pleasure was all mine." There was a strong stain of color on her cheeks, and he rubbed the back of his hand against that flush.

His skin was cold against her cheek, which was a good thing considering how hot she felt from his nearness. When he took yet another step closer, she was forced to sit on the edge of the desk with her legs straddling his hips. "Sebastian?" "What do you suppose we should do about last night?" He rested both his hands along the outer slope of her thighs.

Locking her gaze with his, she said, "We take the next most logical step."

Sebastian laughed, but there was a tinge of hardness to it. "The next most logical step being s.e.x, right? Because for good girls like you, a romp with a guy like me-"

"That's not the way it is," she said quickly.

He arched one dark brow and forced himself even tighter into the gap between her legs. For good measure, he grasped her b.u.t.tocks and drew her close.

"Isn't it?" he asked at her sharp gasp of pleasure.

Chapter 13.

T his was truly getting interesting.

From the way this man had his hands all over her, he was quite a friend.

Or at least that's the way it appeared from the camera in the picture-the one of Melissa and her parents snapped during a hospital gala-which sat in the middle of her desk. It was in a frame like dozens of others the hospital had purchased and given out to the various attendees. Those pictures sat scattered throughout the building, gathering dust, unlike Melissa's photo, which rested in a place of honor. It was one of the few pictures of the Danvers family all together.

Swiping one of the other less-cherished photos had been easy. Inserting a fiber optic camera and then switching the frames had been a little harder. Monitoring her for nearly two months had been unbearably boring, until finally he'd stolen another journal.

And now this very fascinating development.

Melissa's friend shifted his hands back and forth along the edges of her skirt. He slipped one hand beneath its hem and moved inward while his other hand shot upward, out of camera range. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out the destination of that hand.

Surprising. Melissa hadn't seemed like the kind of girl to engage in a quick nooner at her desk. Or was it better to say on her desk?

Either way, this new friendship might present either fresh opportunities or additional problems.

Only time would tell. For the moment, it was time to observe. And enjoy.

Melissa clasped her legs together as Sebastian shifted his hand upward. "Please, Sebastian. Don't do this."

He stopped and cupped the side of her face with his free hand. "Why? So you can be the good girl? Say you didn't really know what you wanted?"

"Because I care, d.a.m.n it. Because I want to be right with you." She pulled away from him, skirting back on the desktop.

"Right with me." Sebastian ground out the words and turned away from her, every line of his body tight with anger, but not at her.

At himself. He hadn't meant it to go this way.

Facing her once more, fists clenched at his side, he said, "Would your parents have approved of me?" "It doesn't matter what anyone thinks besides me."

She caressed his cheek. "I'm as afraid as you are, maybe more. I don't know about having a normal life. I don't know if I even can."

Covering her hand with his, he asked, "What if I can't?"

"Can't try?"

"Can't give you whatever you need," he answered honestly.

"Afraid I can't handle it? Well, I can," Melissa responded, even though in her heart, she wasn't sure she really could. Still, she wanted to try.

Sebastian met her gaze. Her eyes blazed bright blue with determination. Her chin tilted upward in stubborn defiance. He remembered that look well. He'd seen it the night she'd found out that her parents might have been murdered. It was her Girl Power look-the one that said, I don't need you to save me.

But he suspected that she did need him as much as he maybe needed her.

"Well?" Melissa prompted at his prolonged silence.

He liked the s.p.u.n.k that seemed to flare to life only around him. She needed more of that, so he said, "I can deal," and kissed her.

Sebastian picked up the picture of Melissa and her parents. Melissa had been called out of her office for a last-minute consultation, and he'd been intrigued by the photo since he'd sat down in her chair to wait for her return. He examined it carefully, wondering about the people the photographer had captured.

There was no doubting the connection between the three individuals. Frederick Danvers was in the center, with the two pet.i.te women standing before him. Most would have said Danvers looked distinguished. But there was a hint of strain evident in the furrow along his brow and in the tight set of his mouth.

Not so with the two women, who wore nearly identical smiles.

It was obvious where Melissa had gotten her good looks. Even with the stamp of illness on her persona, Elizabeth Danvers had been a beautiful woman. If not for the pallor and the frailty visible in the nearly birdlike bones of her shoulders, she would have been as stunning as her daughter.

Melissa.

Her name slipped from his mouth on a sigh, confirming to him just how bad he had it.

She was gorgeous in the photo, in a gown whose blue was as deep as a midnight sky. It matched the jewel-like gleam of her eyes and clung lovingly to her curves. Curves more ample than she had now.

She'd lost weight in the year since the picture had been taken. The photo just confirmed the toll her parents' deaths had inflicted on her. A surge of protectiveness welled up in him again, only this time he didn't battle it. He'd made his decision to give it a go with her, in spite of his misgivings, and he wasn't going to hold back on whatever he was feeling.

As he went to return the photo, something glinted from the edge of the frame, grabbing his attention and dragging something loose from his memory. Using guarded motions so as not to tip anyone off in the event his guess was on the money, he pretended to examine the picture once more. He ran his fingers across the surface of the gla.s.s as if in a caress while tilting the frame to catch the light.

Again there came the telltale glint from one corner where the carved black wood met a chrome accent piece surrounding the inner edge. Faking a smile, he placed the frame back on the desk and rose from the chair as if he didn't have a care in the world.

Walking out into the hallway to wait for Melissa, he closed the door behind him. He glanced at his watch. Only ten minutes had gone by.

Leaning against the smooth wall, he slipped his hands into his pockets. Was he just being paranoid, or was there a fiber-optic camera worked into the frame? If he was right, what had he and Melissa mentioned during their talk? What had Melissa discussed with Diana or Ryder from her office?

He was so lost in his thoughts, that he didn't realize Melissa had returned until she stood directly in front of him, waving a hand in his face.