Caridad Pineiro – Danger Calls (страница 6)

Melissa realized for the first time that there was very little room beside her. Unfortunately, there was also no chair nearby. To refuse him would seem rude. She shifted to the edge nearest the window and inclined her head in invitation.

When he eased down beside her, his broad shoulder brushed against hers. His denim-covered legs were not as close, but still too near. She was finding it hard to ignore him. He was attractive, with his gleaming dark hair and eyes accented by well-defined cheekbones. His skin had the kind of tanned color that didn’t fade in the winter. And his lips…

Don’t think about those lips, she warned herself and forced her thoughts to something else.

Like the fact that he wasn’t tall. Barely five foot ten, but his leanly muscled body gave the sense of greater height. His sculpted arms were bared by his short-sleeved T-shirt. She had tried to put his physical strength out of her mind, but now, with him nearly on top of her, it was hard not to appreciate how compellingly masculine he was. Even harder to just sit here beside him and stare. She grabbed her cup with two hands and shimmied closer to the edge of the bench. He smirked wryly.

“Don’t flatter yourself,” she said.

“I guess I invaded your space, huh? Sorry. I’m Cuban. We’re physical with…” He paused, as if searching for the right words. Finally he said, “Friends and family.”

“Well, have MCI take me off your list,” she replied sharply, then shook her head. “I’m sorry. That was harsh.”

Sebastian gave a careless shrug, which stretched the fabric of his shirt across the width of his shoulders. He took a sip of his latte. “But you’re right. We’re not family…or friends. Still, you want my help.”

She was grateful he was enough of a gentleman not to mention their night together. Things were uncomfortable enough. She examined his face but couldn’t read his mood like she had the other night. “We’re not friends yet,” she said, realizing how weird it was that she had known this man intimately, but didn’t really have a clue about him.

“There’s time for you to make my list,” he said. “What about you and Ryder? Have you been friends for long?”

She stared at her coffee and avoided his gaze. “Ryder’s more than a friend. He’s all the family I have.”

“I guess you’ve known him a long time?”

“All my life.”

Motioning with his hand, Sebastian asked, “All your life as in—”

“Forever.” Melissa took another sip of her latte.

Sebastian cocked his head, seemingly perplexed. “Didn’t you notice that, well, Ryder didn’t get any older-looking?”

Out of the corner of her eye, Melissa glanced at him. “No more than I wonder about Dick Clark every New Year’s Eve.”

Sebastian laughed. Melissa joined him and rolled her eyes, realizing just how unbelievable her whole situation must be to an outsider like him.

“And you’ve been his keeper…Do you think we can call you something else? Like his companion, maybe?”

“A rose by any other name—”

“Do you resent it?”

“It’s what I have to do.”

“Why?” he challenged with a cocky shrug.

“Because it’s my duty. Because my family has honored that call for nearly six generations.” Suddenly she had the urge to leave. The conversation was exposing too much to a virtual stranger. This meeting was supposed to have been about him helping, not about her. “Come to think of it, it’s time I returned to the hospital.”

She began to rise, but Sebastian laid a hand on her arm and applied gentle pressure to keep her beside him. She stared at his hand and followed the line of his muscled arm until her gaze met his. “I have to—”

“No, you don’t. In fact, rumor has it that the only two things you have to do are die and pay taxes. Only I guess you don’t have to die, do you?” His voice trailed off at the end, as if he, too, realized what an awkward situation they were in.

“If you’re like Ryder, time doesn’t matter.” But it mattered to her and to this man sitting beside her, looking at her way too seriously and with too much compassion.

“I respect what you feel about honoring your family’s loyalties, only—”

“It’s an outdated concept in today’s world, where anyone can do anything and not worry about the consequences?”

As if she hadn’t harshly interrupted, Sebastian calmly continued, “I know how hard it is. I just wish that you could find some peace with that duty. With what you want most for you, in here.” He emphasized that statement by pointing to the spot above his heart.

Melissa struggled for something to say, something that could break the connection she was experiencing with him, only she couldn’t find the words.

At her prolonged silence, he finally said, “When did you find out what Ryder was?”

“I’m not sure I like all these questions,” she replied softly.

Sebastian laid a hand on her arm. “I just need to know more before I commit.”

Seeing that he wasn’t going to give up, Melissa relaxed against the back of the bench. Sebastian removed his hand from her arm. Funny how she sensed the absence of it. Of the quiet strength in his long slender fingers. “I found out about Ryder a little over a year ago. When my parents died.”

“Is that when—”

“I became his…personal physician,” she answered and shot a quick look at him to gauge his reaction.

He smiled as she acquiesced to his earlier request, but then he became serious once more. “You resent it, don’t you?”

“Broken record time. I think you asked that already.”

He held up a finger. “But you didn’t really answer.”

Maybe she hadn’t answered because she didn’t want to discuss it. Especially not with Sebastian. She had given him her body, but she was afraid of giving him more.

“This is the point where I should realize this is something you’d rather not discuss,” he said.

Melissa hated the tension between them. Trying to ease the strain, she adopted a lighthearted tone. “I would very much appreciate a change of topic.”

He smiled sadly, but the sadness faded as he leaned his head against the padded bench, clearly thinking about something.

Melissa was suddenly impatient to hear what he would say next, and realized she liked that he was unpredictable.

“Okay, so let’s talk about your favorite kind of food.”

The very abrupt change in subject threw her, but brought a hesitant smile to her lips. “And why would we want to do that?”

He turned the full force of his gaze on her. Her heart did that funky thing again in the middle of her chest.

“So I know what kind of restaurant to take you to.”

His interest shouldn’t have pleased her. She didn’t have time for a normal life. She couldn’t become involved with him. He was carefree, fun…young. Not the kind of guy who’d want to live her kind of life. Despite that, she found herself exercising a rarely used skill—flirtation.

“What makes you think I’d want to go?” She bestowed on him her best come-hither smile. Or at least, she hoped it was that and not a grimace. Her smile muscles felt stiff.

Sebastian scrutinized her face, obviously unsure of where he stood, before shooting her a quick grin. “Let’s just say that I know you want to go, but that you also want to keep it all business. So we will.”

“We will what?” she asked, perplexed.

“Keep it business. You can tell me more about the journals while I think about what equipment we need and how I’ll program things.”

She shouldn’t have been disappointed. He was doing the right thing, just as he had done the morning after. He hadn’t pressed, almost as if he’d realized she was uncertain about all they had shared the night before. Instead, he’d been tender and concerned, tracing the dark circle beneath one eye and excusing himself so she could rest.

She suddenly wanted to know more about this complex rebel with a gentle touch and a heart that…She stopped herself. She shouldn’t be thinking about things of the heart. She’d never been good with emotion and now, as Ryder’s doctor, there was even less space for that in her life. “Maybe you should just come over to the apartment and do whatever you need to. That might be better.”

After a long pause, he said, “I could bring food so we could eat while we talk. So is it Italian?”

Melissa chuckled at his stubbornness. “Yes. With lots of garlic. And garlic bread. Maybe even Parmesan garlic salad dressing.”

He laughed. “It’s tough caring for a vampire, isn’t it?” he said.

Melissa nodded. “So about this business meeting…”

Chapter 4

Sebastian struggled with what to wear, not sure of the message he wanted to send. If he had been meeting a client, he’d replace the T-shirt and faded jeans with more suitable attire. Of course, since Melissa had not mentioned remuneration, and even if she had he would have refused it, he wasn’t quite certain she would fall into the client category.

He grabbed an X-Files T-shirt but didn’t put it on. After all, he wanted her to take him seriously, even if the only kind of relationship they had was a professional one. At least for now. Sebastian couldn’t help hoping the good doctor was battling a personal desire having nothing to do with work.

The T-shirt suddenly seemed juvenile. Or was it the ghost of his father whispering in his ear? Tossing the shirt aside, he rifled through his closet and finally settled on a sharply pressed pair of khaki slacks, a cream-colored button-down shirt and a russet suede blazer to chase away an early winter chill.