In the Midnight Hour Read online

  She was silent for a moment. “Is that good or bad?”

  “It’s sexy.” He drawled the word and was pretty sure she blushed some more.

  “You talk like that and I’m going to want to bite you,” she said, sounding breathless.

  “I think I need a matched set of marks. You want to help out?”

  “Start the new year off with a bang?” she asked.

  Damon laughed. “Something like that. Maybe moan or a muffled scream.”

  “You’re wicked. Maybe even dangerous.”

  “I’m trying to be.”

  She caught her breath and Damon hoped. “How soon can you get here?” she asked, all in a rush.

  He smiled. “I’m on my way.”

  Chapter Five

  Sex with Damon could easily become an addiction.

  Haley threw off her clothes and raced to the shower. If he took a cab, she’d only just be able to clean up after what had seemed like an endless shift. She didn’t take the time to wash her hair, but hurried out of the bathroom, wrapped in a towel. She looked around the apartment, thinking it looked a bit plain and dimmed the lights. It was the best she could do on such short notice to make it look more welcoming.

  Maybe she should get some candles and cushions.

  Or would Damon notice and think she was primping the place for him? She didn’t even have a television, although the last thing she wanted to do with him was watch sitcoms.

  She was wondering what to wear when the buzzer sounded from the lobby.

  Her heart skipped as if she was a teenager with a crush. “Hi,” she said, trying to sound calm.

  “Hi.” One word and it was enough to melt her knees.

  She buzzed him in and stood motionless, knowing he’d be at the door so quickly that there was no hope of getting dressed in time.

  And maybe that was a good thing.

  Maybe spontaneity and a direct approach would work the best.

  This was her year for trying new tricks, it seemed.

  He rapped on the door once, and she peeked through the peephole, then opened the door. If anything, his eyes were darker than before and his gaze more intense. That almost-smile was tugging at the corner of his mouth as his gaze swept over her, then he smiled. “Expecting someone?” he murmured.

  “Only you.”

  He looked again, his approval more than clear. “I was just going to say thanks.”

  “I prefer actions over words,” she dared to say and he actually laughed.

  “I was counting on that.”

  Haley seized the collar of his leather jacket and tugged him into the apartment. She shut the door with one hand and turned the dead bolt, slamming him against the door with the other. She stretched to her toes and touched her tongue to his lips, then met his gaze. “Unless you’d rather shake hands?”

  “Not a chance.” Damon caught her close and lifted her in his arms, locking his mouth over hers in a demanding kiss. Haley didn’t know when or how she lost her towel, but she felt his hands on her skin, caressing her and holding her tighter. He shook off his jacket and she helped push it over his shoulders, never breaking their kiss, then his hand was between her thighs. “You’re wet already,” he whispered, his words husky.

  “Anticipation. I knew you were on the way.”

  Damon groaned and crushed her against the wall, holding her captive as he kicked off his boots and unfastened his jeans. Haley’s hands were under his T-shirt, pushing it up to his shoulders, wanting to feel his skin against hers. They were kissing as if they’d invented it, as if they’d eat each other alive, and the realization that this man wanted her so badly was enough to drive Haley wild. She gripped his shoulders and wrapped her legs around him, hearing him catch his breath as his jeans fell away and she rubbed herself against him.

  “The condom,” he whispered.

  But Haley wanted him immediately. She hooked her heel around his hips when he hesitated and pulled his head down for another incendiary kiss. He moaned in surrender and gripped her butt, lifting her as he buried himself inside her. She was crushed between him and the wall, trapped between the hard strength of his body and the wall, and there was nowhere else she wanted to be.

  Then he moved and his cock rubbed against her in the most perfect way. Haley groaned and moved with him, the heat rising inside her even more quickly than before. He whispered her name and she felt like they were going to explode together as he moved faster and faster, driving into her as she got wetter. She was starving and only he could satisfy her; burning and only he could quench the flames. All too soon she was clutching him closer, on the cusp of release. She bit her lip, desperate to not make any noise and he smiled before he kissed her with possessive ease.

  It was enough for her to let go and he swallowed the sound of her pleasure, even as he buried himself inside her and came until he was shaking.

  “Much better than a handshake,” he murmured as they were catching their breath.

  “I like how you say thanks,” she replied and they smiled at each other.

  “I’m not nearly done.”

  “Oh good.”

  Damon laughed and threw her over his shoulder, heading for the bathroom. “You should have let me get a condom.”

  “I didn’t want to wait.”

  “Neither did I.”

  “Didn’t it feel better?”

  He put her down and gave her one of those simmering looks, the ones that set her blood on fire. “Of course it did. But I expected you to be all about safe sex.”

  “I should be. I usually am.” She trailed a fingertip over his chest and to his shoulder, then traced the outline of that tattoo. “But it’s different with you. I feel wilder. Like taking chances.” She flicked a glance upward to find him listening avidly. “Trying something new.”

  “It’s very hot,” he admitted quietly.

  Haley smiled. “You like your partners to be ravenous for sex?”

  He laughed and shook his head, then cupped her chin in his hand. “I like the contrast in you. You look so organized and in control at work, but there’s this wildcat inside, just looking for a chance to break free. It feels like a secret side of you, one that you choose to show to me.”

  “Or one that you awaken.”

  His eyes glowed. “You’ve never been like this before?”

  Haley shook her head. “Just with you.”

  His smile was slow and hot. “Good.” He kissed her again. “But I think we should use condoms. In the morning, you might worry about it.”

  “I might,” Haley admitted, liking that he understood her and didn’t think her nature was a bad thing. “Thanks.”

  He smiled down at her. “Come on. You know a better way to say thanks than that.”

  Haley laughed until he kissed her to silence. “I want to make you scream,” he whispered in her ear, his breath making her shiver.

  “I know I’m noisy,” she said, feeling self-conscious about it. “I tend to hold back to keep from making noise.”

  Damon leaned against the bathroom door, holding her close. “So, you cheat yourself of the big release?”

  “I don’t think of it that way...”

  “Of course, you don’t.” He shook his head, looking amused.

  “What does that mean?”

  “That I think you worry more about everyone else than you worry about Haley Slater.”

  Haley opened her mouth and closed it again, because he was right. “So?”

  “So, maybe I’m glad to be addressing that imbalance.”

  “Tonight?”

  He met her gaze. “Tonight.” He nodded. “Tonight, you’re the queen, and the only thing that matters is your satisfaction. Whatever you want, I’ll do my best to deliver.”

  “Oh, there’s an offer I can’t refuse.”

  “And that’s a relief.” He pushed his hand into her hair, cupped her nape and pulled her closer. “Because I’m ready to please you all over again. Let’s start the new year off right, Haley.”
He kissed her then, one of those demanding and possessive kisses that turned more than her knees to butter.

  Haley collapsed against him in satisfaction.

  More, more, more. What could be wrong with more of Damon? Not one thing as far as she was concerned.

  * * *

  Haley slept in the next morning. She wasn’t surprised that Damon was gone by the time she awakened, although she was disappointed that he hadn’t left a note or a card.

  They’d tried out the massage oil and ended up making love three times more. Contrary to his expectation, she wasn’t particularly worried about them doing it once without a condom. She knew it was the wrong time of the month for her to conceive and she couldn’t imagine that a guy who was so fastidious about his health wouldn’t be clean.

  She’d liked how impulsive it had felt.

  She’d taken a chance and she didn’t care.

  It was 2018 and this was the new Haley. She was going to embrace risk, be passionate, try new things.

  She ran some errands before going to work, then stopped to visit Natasha. The older woman was curled up on her bed when she arrived. Haley was sure she got thinner by the day.

  “Good afternoon, Natasha,” she said softly. She didn’t want to wake the older woman up if she was sleeping but didn’t want to startle her either.

  “Haley,” Natasha said, the name no more than an exhalation. Her head was bare and she’d lost her hair, which made her look almost like a large child.

  “You look cold today,” Haley said, trying to sound cheerful. “Should we try to get some circulation going?”

  “That would be nice, thank you.”

  “Where’s your chemo hat? Did you drop it?”

  “It’s too itchy,” Natasha said. “I can’t bear it.”

  Of course, her skin would be extremely sensitive. “Maybe I can find you another one,” Haley said as she eased Natasha to her stomach.

  “You’re so nice to me.”

  “It’s easy to be nice to you, because you’re nice.”

  Natasha smiled. “I thought you might like my son.”

  “Why would you think that?” Haley began the massage, even more gently than she had before.

  “I think he’s nice. Too nice to be alone.”

  “Are you matchmaking, Natasha?” Haley asked, teasing her a little.

  Natasha smiled, the expression making her look mischievous. “He needs someone and if I don’t find her, who will?”

  “Won’t he find his own someone?”

  “He hasn’t yet and I’m running out of time to help.”

  Haley didn’t know what to say to that. To her relief, Natasha dozed off during her massage and there wasn’t any need to talk about Damon as if she didn’t know him at all. She finished up and put the itchy chemo hat back on Natasha’s head and tucked her in. Then she blew her a kiss, sent a prayer to heaven for her, and headed to her own ward for her shift.

  It made sense that Natasha was worried about Damon’s future happiness. It was quite sweet, really. Haley knew that she couldn’t give him that kind of relationship—she wasn’t prepared to lose her heart over anyone ever again—but she could give him something else.

  Just sex, especially when it was just sex with Damon, was a very good thing.

  And maybe it was exactly what he needed to forget his concerns for a couple of hours.

  When Haley got off the elevator, she pulled out her phone and pulled up Damon’s number.

  She shouldn’t.

  She would.

  “Hi.” He answered on the second ring. His tone was friendly but she noticed that he hadn’t called her by name.

  “Working today?” she asked.

  “You know it. I’ve got to pay for being off last night. You?”

  “Absolutely. I just gave your mom a massage. She’s sleeping, by the way.”

  “Thanks.” His voice warmed even more and Haley took a breath.

  “How disappointing,” she said, then sighed.

  “What is?”

  “I prefer the other way you say thanks.”

  He chuckled, surprised but not really. “That can be delivered, if you give me a time.”

  “I get off at 2 a.m.”

  “And I know where you live,” he agreed easily. “I’ll see you there.”

  “Sounds good,” Haley said, finding herself out of breath. She ended the call and stood there for a moment, gripping her phone. Since when had she become a woman who ordered booty calls?

  Since she’d met Damon.

  And she had no regrets.

  Look out, 2018.

  * * *

  Damon had time to feel a bit of anticipation after Haley’s call before his phone rang again. It was his mom’s oncologist.

  “I apologize for not calling this morning, Mr. Perez.”

  “The nurse said your hours might be different today. It’s fine.”

  “Do have a moment right now?”

  “I do. Let me just shut the door.” Damon closed the door to the F5 office and sat at his desk, fighting a bad feeling. He’d been restless after leaving Haley’s place and had only managed to doze for an hour or so before heading to the club. He had a sense of pending doom and that had kept him vigilant.

  He had a feeling he was going to learn why in the next few minutes.

  “As you know, we’ve been pursuing an increasingly aggressive course of treatment with your mom, since the first round of chemotherapy had little discernible effect.”

  “It was still spreading,” Damon said.

  “It is still spreading, Mr. Perez. Unfortunately, your mother’s leukemia is particularly resistant to treatment. We’re not seeing much progress at all.”

  “Is there any reason why that might be?”

  The doctor sighed. “Well, there are still a lot of variables that we haven’t identified. We do find acute myeloid leukemia more resistant to treatment in adults over sixty years of age, which your mom is. The other variables that are known don’t seem to apply. She never smoked.”

  “No, she didn’t.”

  “She’s certainly not male and she hasn’t had cancer before. There’s no exposure to radiation in her history, is there?”

  “Not that I know of.”

  “It’s impossible to say exactly why we’re not making progress, but her blood work makes it very clear.” He paused. “I am not certain how much will be gained by beginning the next course of chemotherapy.”

  “I thought there was always a chance of improvement...”

  “There is always a chance, Mr. Perez. The universe works in mysterious ways. But there are also statistical probabilities, and there is your mom’s quality of life to consider, as well as her comfort.” He cleared his throat when Damon didn’t speak. “I see that you have already arranged the power of attorney.”

  “Yes, my mom insisted on it when she was home in the fall.”

  “It’s probably wise to have those details arranged while everyone is thinking clearly. It means, though, that you have a decision to make, Mr. Perez, regarding your mother’s care from this point onward.”

  “You think treatment should stop.”

  “I am looking at six month’s of data, Mr. Perez, and the only thing that I see making a difference in your mother’s health and welfare is the calming effect of therapeutic massage.”

  Damon nodded and bowed his head, then realized the doctor couldn’t see him. “I see,” he said and it was hard to force the words free.

  “She was talking in her sleep this morning to someone named Marco,” the doctor noted.

  “My dad.”

  “And has he been to visit her?”

  “No. He’s been dead for thirty years.”

  “I see. Is there anyone else your mother would enjoy seeing again?”

  Tears pricked at Damon’s eyes. He was being warned and he knew it. “Maybe a few people. Can you give me a timeline on this?”

  The doctor hesitated for only a moment. “When we reach this p
oint, Mr. Perez, sooner is always better.”

  “I understand.” Damon struggled to think clearly. “And if you don’t continue with the next phase of chemo, what happens?”

  “I think you know what happens, Mr. Perez, although I don’t think chemo is going to make any difference to the end result. Or even, really, to the timeline. The main difference will be in your mother’s comfort.”

  “Will she come home?”

  “Would someone be with her all the time?”

  “No. I have to work.”

  “You could have nursing staff come in. Those services can be arranged.”

  “I’ll talk to her about it when I visit tonight.”

  “She could also remain here, Mr. Perez, although you’ll also need to decide if there should be a DNR on her record.”

  DNR. Do Not Resuscitate.

  Damon took a shaking breath. “No more chemo,” he said in a rush, knowing it was the right choice but hating that he had to make it. “No more radiation. I’d like her to be comfortable. I’ll sign the DNR tonight.”

  “I’ll ensure that everything is ready for you.” The doctor paused. “I’m sorry, Mr. Perez.”

  “Me, too.”

  “There are some research programs, but I don’t believe your mother is a good candidate in her current condition. The choice, however, is yours to make and I can make some recommendations...”

  “No. I agree with your advice. I think this is the right path.”

  “So do I, Mr. Perez, if that’s of any consolation. I’ll leave all the paperwork with the nurses for you to sign and continue as you’ve decided.”

  When the call was over, Damon braced his head on his hand and let futility sweep over him. His mom was leaving him soon, and he didn’t know what he was going to do without her.

  He certainly shouldn’t be having a fling with Haley.

  Two nights would have to be enough.

  This time, he’d say thanks with a handshake.

  * * *

  Haley smiled when she saw Damon’s silhouette in the foyer of her building.

  She paid the fare and got out of the cab, almost tripping over her feet in her hurry to get to the door. Damon held open the door for her, but his expression was grim.