Page 33 of Protected from Torment

“It’s okay,” Melissa adds, unaware of my wandering thoughts. “I was just kidding about you helping me cook. I know that’s not what you’re here for.”

It’s an out. One I briefly consider taking.

But instead, I rub her shoulder and say, “If you’re feeling up to it, I’d be happy to help you cook.”

The little voice in my head stirs, but I shut it down. If Mel wants me to help her cook, I will, I tell the voice. And that’s the end of it.

Melissa smiles at me, her face lighting up along with it. “Okay.” She stops. Then she looks out the side window at the door that leads inside to the kitchen. “Can we go in? I really want to see Oscar.”

Shaking free of my conflicted thoughts, I nod. “Of course. Just wait for me to come around.” When her brows pull together in confusion, I add, “It’s safer that way. In case you get dizzy.”

But as I help her out of the car and put my arm around her waist, I realize my intentions aren’t purely altruistic. Because it feels shockingly good having her tucked into my side, her body a perfect fit against mine.

Just for a moment, my brain draws an unwilling comparison. Kaia was slender and at five foot eight, she was tall for a woman. Mel is shorter, maybe five-four at the most, and she has curves that are impossible to ignore. And while I always loved the feel of Kaia in my arms, I can’t deny liking the feel of Melissa next to me, as well.

On the heels of that, guilt pokes at me. How can I be thinking about how good it feels having Melissa snugged up against me when I vowed to love and cherish Kaia for the rest of my life? When Kaia was the only woman I was supposed to touch?

I almost pull away from Mel. Almost.

But then she looks up at me with her beautiful blue eyes, and I notice a hint of uncertainty there. Her delicate brows arch up into a worried V. “You don’t have to help me,” she says quietly. “I can make it myself.”

It’s another out. But dammit, I can’t make myself take it.

“I want to,” I insist. Then I adjust my arm around her waist, so my hand is resting just above the swell of her hip. “I’m sure you can. But it would make me feel better, if you don’t mind me helping you.”

Something unreadable moves across her gaze. Then she flashes me a small smile. “I don’t mind.”

So it’s settled. And I feel surprisingly good about it.

Once we reach the kitchen door, I rest my hand on the doorknob for a second. “Okay. Just as a reminder, Indy, Webb, and Levi are here. Indy and Webb are my Blade and Arrow teammates. You might have seen Indy around, since he was based out of Fort Campbell, too. And Webb used to be a Night Stalker⁠—”

“I know Webb,” Melissa interrupts. She bites her lip. “I met him through Vince. And he came to the annual fundraiser a couple of times.”

She hasn’t come out and said it, but from the times I’ve mentioned Webb, I’ve gotten the impression that Mel is anxious about seeing him. I’m not sure why, since Webb’s said only good things about her. But maybe she’s worried that, like many of the people she’s come across during the last three years, he still blames her for what she did.

He doesn’t, for the record. He feels bad about what happened, but he doesn’t blame her. “I can’t even imagine,” Webb confided when we spoke about Melissa the other day at the hospital. “If something happened to Noelle, I don’t know what I’d do.”

Then he got all apologetic, no doubt thinking about how I lost Kaia. But I couldn’t be mad about it. Just because I lost my wife doesn’t mean my friends can’t talk about how much they love the women they’re with. Maybe I couldn’t have handled it a few years ago. Now I can.

Hopefully, after spending some time with Webb, Melissa won’t be so anxious about what he thinks. And she’ll realize we’re all here because we believe in her, and we’re determined to do whatever it takes to solve this mess she’s in.

“They’re both looking forward to seeing you,” I tell Melissa. “And Levi, he’s an unexpected but welcome addition to our group.”

“He’s not a part of Blade and Arrow, though, right?”

“Nope. Although Levi’s older brother Matt is. Matt works for the Texas branch of B and A. But Levi, he was a Green Beret, too. He just separated from the Army last year, and he’s been working out in Austin for a survival school.”

“Why is he here, then? Not that I mind, I’m just curious.”

I meet Melissa’s questioning gaze. “Levi was visiting the New York branch, down in Sleepy Hollow. He’s got a few weeks before he needs to be back in Austin for the next session, and honestly, I think he’s feeling kind of restless since he left the Army. So when he heard we were helping you out, he offered to join us.”

“Oh.” She nods. “I see.”

“He’s a great guy,” I assure her. “And very capable. We wouldn’t have brought him on if we weren’t confident in his abilities. Plus, with his connection to Matt… He knows how we do things.”

Her lips twitch. “You mean hacking into police records?”

“Something like that. But he’s not a computer guy. Levi’s actually a really talented artist. We were thinking we might have him try doing some sketches of the guy who attacked you. Not today, of course. But once you’re feeling up to it.”