Page 58 of Just One Night Together

Then he saw the bottle of massage lotion on the end table. It wasn’t where he had left it.

Haleyhadbeen with her.

She’d come.

Relief flooded through Damon and he knew he had to do something to thank her.

He could think of one thing he was more than ready to do.

She might not be interested, though. He had called an end to it.

Damon lifted the blanket and tucked it over his mom, smelling the familiar scent of the lotion as he did so. His mom smiled and reached for his hand without opening her eyes. She gave his fingers a little squeeze, as if he was the one who needed comfort, then her hand slid away as she slept more deeply again.

He watched her sleeping for a while, then went back to the nurses’ station. He learned that Haley hadn’t just given his mom a massage: her touch had meant that his mom hadn’t needed the extra morphine to get to sleep. The nurse enthused about the effect upon his mom’s vitals and Damon was more than glad to hear it.

Haley had gone above and beyond.

And now he owed her.

He was sufficiently honest with himself to be glad.

* * *

Haley tooka chance at the end of her shift and went back to the oncology ward. It was quiet, the nurses all answering calls and she was glad that there was no one to see her visit Natasha’s room. The door was almost closed and she listened for a moment, noting the slow and steady sound of the monitor. She smiled, assuming that Damon’s presence was responsible, then eased open the door just a little bit.

But Natasha was alone, sound asleep.

He’d either left or never been.

Haley bit her lip, unable to keep herself from wondering why. There were lots of possibilities. He had a date. He was having sex with someone else. He’d moved on to another willing partner and she was still thinking about him. Pathetic, but she supposed she was still useful to him.

Even that would end too soon.

Haley pivoted to leave and ran into an obstacle.

A man-sized obstacle, one that smelled of perfume and cigarettes. Damon was wearing a black T-shirt that fit like his second skin with the F5F logo over his heart, jeans, and a leather jacket. The smell told her that he’d been at a party and she was disgusted that he could go out and enjoy himself as if his mom hadn’t been waiting for him. Haley spared one upward glance to let him see her opinion, then pushed past him with annoyance. She marched down the corridor, not wanting to talk to him.

She heard Damon striding after her but didn’t stop. The elevator was there so she hurried into it and jabbed at the button, but the doors didn’t close quickly enough to stop Damon. He got in, looking determined and formidable. The doors closed, and the elevator started to descend. Haley folded her arms across her chest and tried to ignore him, which wasn’t easy since he practically filled the space.

Damon hit the stop button and Haley glared at him. She reached to start the elevator’s descent again but he caught her hand in his.

It wasn’t fair that his skin was so warm and his touch so gentle.

“What’s the matter?” he asked, his voice dangerously low.

“You. Start the elevator again, please.”

“Answer me first.”

Haley took a shaking breath. “How dare you ask me to visit your mom because you decided to go to a party?” she demanded and his eyes flashed. “I thought you cared about something more than yourself...”

His fingertip landed across her lips. “I had to work.”

Haley took a step back and found herself in the corner of the elevator, with Damon still looming over her. “Well, they’ve changed gyms a lot if dancing and drinking is work...”

“I wasn’t dancing. And I wasn’t drinking.”

“Why should I believe you? You smell like you’ve been to a party.”

---