Page 52 of Protected from Torment

I also installed several explosives detectors, ran extensive background checks on all the employees, and ‌gave Mel a custom necklace with GPS and an emergency alert she can use to signal me if she finds herself in trouble. And I have Webb and Indy positioned outside the building for backup.

Still. I’d feel better if Mel was back at home. Resting. Relaxing. Not hunched over her computer, pecking away one-handed because her other one still has a cast on it. But three days ago, the morning after our game night, she brought up the idea of going back to work.

“I’m almost out of PT,” she explained over coffee. “And the doctor said I can go back to work, as long as I take it easy.”

“But you work on a computer all day,” I protested. “Too much screen time isn’t a good idea.” And yes, I knew I was sounding like a broken record. But shit, TBIs are nothing to mess with. “Besides, I can fix it so you have more PT. Arrange for an extended leave. You know I can.”

“I know,” Mel replied patiently. “But it’s not just that. Before I left, my boss wasn’t thrilled with me. I don’t want to give him an excuse to fire me.”

“I won’t let that happen,” I promised.

“But if I’m back at the office,” she said, “maybe you could come with me. As a temp or something. And we could see if anything else weird happens. If you’re there, I know it’ll be okay.”

Then Melissa looked at me with this pleading expression that blew the rest of my arguments away. Saying no to one of my teammates when they ask for something I don’t agree with? I have no problem with it. But when Mel looked at me like that? Saying no was nearly impossible.

So here we are. On the second floor of an office building in downtown Northville, where Melissa’s employer leases the space. Halfway through an uneventful morning of spreadsheets and stale coffee and advances from women I’m not interested in.

But Mel is okay, and that’s the most important thing.

“Oh, Tyler,” Jordan trills from beside me. “I was wondering, would you like to have lunch together? There’s this cute little diner down the street with the yummiest sandwiches.”

I turn to her with an apologetic smile. “Sorry, but I have plans for lunch. Thanks, though.” Then I pick up my phone and send a quick reply to Mel.

Water cooler rendezvous sounds great. See you in five.

Before she can respond, I shoot off another text.

You look really pretty, by the way. Not sure if I mentioned that already.

A moment later, Melissa looks at her phone. Her cheeks go pink. She casts a furtive glance around her before she messages me back.

You look really handsome today. Not sure if I mentioned that, either.

My chest warms.

Happiness unfurls inside me.

My smile expands, tugging at my cheeks.

Glancing at my phone, I message her back.

You look beautiful. Can’t wait for our rendezvous at the water cooler.

Then I flash Mel another quick smile before turning my attention back to my computer. I’ve already inputted all the data into the spreadsheet, but I don’t want to attract unwanted attention by making it look like I’m not doing any work. So I delete the numbers from a few rows of cells and type them in again to make myself look busy, while keeping one eye on the clock and counting down the minutes.

It’s funny, I never thought I’d like working in an office. I’ve always preferred a more dynamic environment. That’s why I joined the Army instead of taking a job at some tech company. And it’s why I like working for Blade and Arrow so much—I get to use my computer skills, but there’s an unpredictability to it. I never know what kind of case I’ll be working on, where I’ll be working, or whether there’ll be risk involved.

That being said, I like this—sharing secret smiles with Melissa from across the room, texting with her, arranging meetings at the water cooler… It’s not quite like the episodes of The Office, but it’s close.

I finish entering a row of data before looking back over at Melissa again. She’s studying her computer screen, frowning slightly in concentration. Absently, she tugs at a loose curl by her face, pulling it straight before releasing it.

Not for the first time, and I have a feeling it won’t be the last, I wonder what her hair would look like after having sex. Rambunctious, as I’ve taken to calling it, because the word makes Melissa laugh. Carefree. Wild. Sexy.

Yes, I’ve thought about having sex with Mel. And surprisingly, I don’t feel weird about it. I don’t feel guilty. Does that mean I’m going to take her to bed tonight? No. First off, we haven’t gone further than kissing and touching each other with our clothes on. So I think it might be a bit of a jump from here to there. On top of that, I have no idea if Mel would want to. And honestly, I’m not sure if I’m ready, either.

But if things keep going as well as they have been between us? I can see it happening one day.

Another minute ticks by, leaving only two until I meet Melissa at the water cooler. I decide to input one more row before getting up, and I click my cursor onto the top cell of it. Just as I’m about to start typing, the elevator dings, jerking my attention immediately towards it.