TAMED | FREENBECKY

11

Later at work, Becca was sore, exhausted, and happier than she had been in a long time. Maybe ever. She sat at her desk with the West Gate Park victim's file spread out around her, finalizing her forensic report with a grin on her face. Feeling this good made no sense at all when she had just spent the past hour staring at crime-scene photos of a woman who might have been murdered by the same man who had attacked her, but very little made sense these days. The past twenty-four hours with Freen had defied logic altogether, though that hadn't stopped Becca from enjoying every second of it.

"Knock, knock."

Becca glanced over her shoulder and waved at Dasha, who stood just inside the lab door. "Hey, you."

"Hey, back." Dasha raised an eyebrow as she stepped inside. "What's up?"

"Just putting the finishing touches on your forensic report," Becca said. She sounded chipper, didn't she? Dasha would definitely pick up on that. Becca was never this cheerful, even in her best moods. "I'll have it to you in just a moment."

"Thanks," Dasha said carefully. She approached Becca's desk and gave her a sidelong look. "But I meant what's up with the sunny disposition? You're...glowing."

Becca's face heated. Dasha was a detective for a reason, so she couldn't try to hide her joy. "I had a good night, that's all." She glanced up at Dasha. "Can't a girl be happy?"

"Of course." Dasha studied her face, probably trying to decide if Becca's good night was actually what it sounded like. "You just haven't been lately. Not that I blame you, of course. With what happened in the park and everything..." Dasha tilted her head. "Did you get laid last night?"

Clearing her throat, Becca made a big show of jotting a final note in Yasmin Mandujano's file. She refused to admit that she'd spent all of yesterday afternoon and last night making love to someone she'd just met. "Not that it's any of your business, but...I did have a date."

"You're kidding."

Becca frowned. The sheer disbelief in Dasha's voice offended her. Was she really so socially awkward that Dasha didn't think she could find someone who was interested? "Gee, thanks."

"No!" Dasha shook her head, propping her hip on the desk next to Becca's hand. She was so close Becca could feel heat radiating from her. "That's not what I meant. It's just...after what you've just been through. I'm surprised."

"Well, don't be. Life goes on."

"Apparently it does." Dasha folded her arms over her chest, clearly waiting for more. She'd have to ask. Becca wouldn't supply any more information than necessary. What she had shared with Freen was too precious to reduce to tedious gossip. And something about discussing Freen with her ex-girlfriend made Becca uncomfortable. Dasha held out for almost thirty seconds before she said, "Who is she?"

"Just a woman."

"I figured," Dasha said, smirking. "What else?"

"She's the one who helped me the other morning. In the park, after...you know. After."

"Huh." Craning her neck to meet Becca's eyes, Dasha winked. "She has a name?"

"Freen," Becca answered shortly. She was about done playing along with the interrogation. Closing the file, she offered it to Dasha. "She's very nice, we had a good time. End of story."

"Is it?" Dasha took the file and tucked it beneath her arm without glancing at it. Obviously she found Becca's personal life more riveting than something so trivial as solving a murder. "You said she found you in the park that morning?"