Free Now and Always by Charity Pineiro

the group hit the floor the second the sheet came off.” Connie emphasized her point by smacking one hand against the other, mimicking the sound her colleagues had made against the hard tile of the M.E.’s morgue. “I was close to losing it myself when the instructor forced me into a chair and made me put my head between my knees.”
    His laughter was full and unrestrained. “Hell, that’s as bad as my nearly passing out,” he said, but the thought of a floater did nothing to kill his appetite.
    Connie smiled. “Without a doubt. I was lucky to live it down, but only because one of the guys who hit the floor gave himself a concussion. My getting sick didn’t seem so bad in comparison.”
    “You must have your share of other interesting experiences.”
    Connie went on to regale him with stories of some of her misadventures at the academy, pausing now and then to take a bite of her sandwich or a sip of her shake. He was finished with his meal well before her, leaving him to devote his total attention to her. His interest only served to unnerve her and with a small portion of her sandwich left, she placed it down on the plate and announced, “I’m not that interesting, you know.”
    Victor smiled broadly, sending a blast of warmth through her system. “On the contrary, you’re fascinating.”
    “Really? I’m just an old fashioned kind of girl.” Taking a last slurp of her drink, she placed the glass on the tabletop and circled the straw around in the runny remains of the shake.
    He reached out and stopped the nervous motion of her hands. “Old fashioned kinds of girls don’t usually become FBI Agents. Besides, there are other things that make you even more fascinating.”
    Her head snapped up, resentment flaring in the feminist side of her. “I may just give you back that too macho, Victor.”
    He raised his hands as if in self defense. “Come on, Connie. It’s just that you’re a contradiction in a lot of ways.”
    She arched an eyebrow and considered what he had said. “In what way?”
    “You’re liberated and independent and yet you’re still living at home.”
    “I respect my parents’ ways and it wouldn’t have been worth the hassle right now to find an apartment. But little by little I’ll get them used to the idea that modern women don’t live with their parents until they get married.”
    “Is that what they still think?”
    Connie looked around, motioning to everything around them. “You know how hard it is to change some things,” she said and gestured to him. “So what’s your excuse for still living at home?”
    “It was easier while I was going to medical school and afterward during my residency. Somehow it continued even after I was finished.”
    She looked at the tabletop, considered what he had said for a second, and then raised her face, meeting his gaze. “You never felt the need for privacy? For your own space?”
    He gave her a sexy grin. “You mean for my many sexual escapades?”
    Connie stammered a half-hearted protest. “I’m not interested in your past history.”
    “Aren’t you?” He met her gaze straight on and didn’t waver as he recited, “I’m not into casual sex. I’ve been involved with only two women in the past five years, not counting you, of course.”
    “Are we involved?” she joked, wanting to defuse the increasingly awkward situation.
    “Don’t you want to be?” he challenged.
    She waved him off with a playful flick of a hand. “You are just too sure of yourself, aren’t you?”
    “With you, never,” he answered, all trace of humor gone from his voice. “With you I don’t understand myself anymore. All I know is that when I’m with you, I feel more alive than I have in a long time.”
    Which was the same way she felt about him, but couldn’t admit. To avoid a response she said, “I think it’s time to go. I’ve got to get to work early.”
    He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, clearly frustrated. “Connie, if I didn’t