Page 18 of Just One Night Together

Haley opened her mouth and closed it again. “I take care of myself.”

“Of course.” His tone was soothing but she guessed he wasn’t convinced.

“Who takes care of you?” she countered and he laughed again.

“Touché. Tell me about the nieces and nephew.”

“I have two brothers,” Haley admitted. It was ridiculously easy to talk to Damon. The words just flowed, without her thinking about it at all. It was almost a relief to confide in someone, even though she wasn’t admitting anything that was a secret. “The older one’s a firefighter and the younger just finished med school. The older one’s married with three kids.”

“And the doctor?”

“Not married. He signed up for a stint doing relief work with Doctors Without Borders.”

“Is he in the picture on your fridge?”

Haley nodded, a bit startled that he’d noticed. “That’s him and his group when they arrived last month.”

“In Afghanistan.”

“Yes.” There was no question in his voice. How had he guessed that? It wasn’t written on the picture...

Haley thought then of how Damon stood. Straight and tall, maybe not just because it was good posture. No. He stood at attention without realizing he did it. A habit, and one she almost hadn’t noticed because men like him were familiar to her.

The silence invited her to continue and she did. “And I have a sister. She’s a paramedic. Not married but she lives with her boyfriend.”

“Parents?”

“My mom’s a nurse. ER.”

“Sounds like a family devoted to service.”

“Because of my dad. He used to say that giving back was his religion.” Her throat tightened and she realized just how long it had been since she’d mentioned her dad to anyone. She thought about him all the time. She felt his presence beside her often, but she didn’t talk about him.

“He’s gone?” Damon invited when she didn’t continue.

“Yes. He was a firefighter.” Haley took a breath, knowing she should stop but taking a chance all the same. “First responder.”

Damon let that linger in the air for a few minutes, his hands returned to that chakra at her lower back. When he pressed the flat of his hand against it, Haley wanted more, far more, than just this massage. “He died in the line of duty then.”

“Yes.” Haley found herself nodding. “You might remember the day,” she added, wondering at her impulse. She was never confided this much in anyone but something about Damon invited her trust. Maybe his massage was at root. She swallowed. “September 11.”

“2001,” Damon said quietly and his hands paused for a moment before he resumed. His voice was husky when he spoke again. “I remember.”

The apartment seemed to fill with understanding and a kind of communion that had become unfamiliar to Haley. Her apartment felt golden and warm to her, not practical like it usually did. A haven, not just a place to sleep.

Because of Damon and his touch.

She knew then that she had to convince him to stay. He would finish the massage and, if she didn’t act, he’d just leave. Maybe forever. She knew she couldn’t bear that, not after this.

She wanted more, and she wanted it enough to ask for it.

“You were here in the city, too?” Haley asked.

“Just about a mile away, at my mom’s house.” His hands continued their seductive moves. “You must have grown up in New York, then.”

“Mostly. I was a teenager when my dad died. My mom never liked the city so she took us all back to Illinois afterward.”

“And your big brother still became a firefighter.”

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