Free Danger Calls by Caridad Piñeiro

of her pastel pink T-shirt clung to her curves and rode up with her stretch to expose the taut muscles of her midriff. Get your mind elsewhere, he warned himself. “Ryder clearly didn’t think so.”
    Melissa shrugged. “Ryder needs to lighten up. Lose that broody immortal act.”
    It was Sebastian’s turn to chuckle. “Give Diana time. I’m sure she’ll shake him up.”
    Melissa rested against the arm of the sofa. “I guess all I’ve seen is FBI Agent Diana. It’s hard for me to see her as—”
    â€œA wild and crazy kind of girl?” Sebastian glanced her way. “I’m sorry again. I know it couldn’t have been easy to hear Diana tell you about your parents tonight.”
    Another shrug, only this time she wrapped her arms across her midsection, belying her unease. “Thanks. This may sound weird, but I wasn’t feeling sad. It kind of made me angry.”
    Sebastian sat next to her on the couch. “Care to explain?”
    â€œWhen they died the first time, I was angry. At myself for not calling the police right away. At the weather and God and even at my parents. Especially my parents.”
    Sebastian could understand the anger, having lived through it himself when his father died. “Unresolved issues.”
    A confused look crossed Melissa’s face. “How—”
    â€œMy dad was killed in a drive-by shooting when I was eighteen. We hadn’t really had a good relationship.”
    Melissa reached out and covered his hand. He was surprised by her actions, but when he faced her, her gaze was tender. “ I’m sorry.”
    He smiled tightly. “So why the anger again?”
    â€œBecause whoever killed them robbed me of the chance to settle things between us. To maybe make things right,” she admitted with no hint of evasion.
    Another first. From her touch to her being open with him, this was something new. Something…He stopped there, because this something was supposed to be all about business. Only sitting here, holding her hand and talking with her was definitely about something more. He liked it and wanted to keep the conversation going. “I felt the same way. Like there was so much more I could have said to my dad. So much more I could have done to make him proud of me.”
    â€œHe’d be proud of you now.” Melissa gently squeezed his hand as if to reassure him.
    When Sebastian met her gaze, Melissa realized he didn’t agree with her assessment. It was almost a repeat of the other night when he’d left her on the balcony and she wondered what could have made Sebastian so uncertain of his worthiness.
    As if you don’t know, a little voice in her head challenged, reminding her of her own failed relationship with her father.
    â€œYou don’t know me all that well, yet,” he said, but there was a hint of both challenge and jest in his tone.
    â€œNot yet,” she replied. “But there’s time.”
    â€œDefinitely.” He grinned and a deep dimple formed on one side of his face. “So this isn’t business, but I like it.”
    So do I, Melissa thought, but couldn’t admit it just yet. “Well, people have friends at work. Friends they talk to about things. So why can’t we be like those kind of friends?”
    Sebastian narrowed his eyes. His grin grew broader as he pointed at her. “I’ve been a bad influence on you, haven’t I? Admit it.”
    She grabbed his finger and gave it a teasing pull. “I’ll admit it on one condition.”
    â€œShoot. What do you want?”
    â€œWhy’d you cut your hair?”
    A simple enough question, but with an answer too complex to explore right now, Sebastian thought. With a shrug he replied, “Remember those unresolved Dad issues? Just trying to look respectable.”
    Melissa reached out and ran her fingers through the longer strands at the top of his head. He