“Will I return tomorrow to find you gone again?” Anger suddenly narrowed his eyes and sounded in his deepening voice.
“I’m not going anywhere.” A hundred things popped into her head that she wanted to tell him. “You’ll come back to see me?”
“Tomorrow,” he confirmed. “Medical wants me to return tonight for another checkup but they’re letting me go home tonight with Security standing by. Other than Security only Harley can be there. The doc wants to be sure I’m drug-free and safe to be around. You know how doctors are.”
“They are worried.” She could understand that.
The silence stretched as they watched each other. Moon broke eye contact first as he lifted off her and withdrew from her body. They weren’t locked together anymore now that the swelling had abated. He slid off the end of the bed and she sat up, grabbing at the covers to pull over her na**d body. It was slightly uncomfortable suddenly to be so exposed.
Moon kept his back to her while he dressed. A part of her resented that he wasn’t sticking around. She was reminded of the bitter history of her last boyfriend. Jeff had a way of making her feel used after sex. He’d never spent the night or even bothered to stick around to cuddle afterward. It was impossible not to compare the past with the present as Moon crossed the room.
Pride kept her silent as he opened the door. The rational side of her knew they hadn’t planned to end up in the spare bedroom for spur-of-the-moment sex and that Harley was waiting at Moon’s home for him to arrive. He had to go. Another part of her wanted to cry because he could have made a phone call to say he’d be late so they’d have some time to work a few things out.
He took one step into the hallway but stopped. He didn’t glance back but his body language indicated he was torn between going or staying. She hoped he’d turn around and come back.
“Don’t leave.” He still didn’t move, as if he were waiting for a reply.
“I won’t,” she answered.
That’s when he slowly looked her way and his gaze found hers. “I’ll see you tomorrow. And Joy?”
Her heart hammered at that intense look.
“What?”
“Be here.”
It was an order. Pure and simple. She nodded. “I promise, Moon.”
He closed the door when he left. Her shoulders sagged as she released the tight grip on the bedding. It slipped away from her br**sts. She glanced down and her fingers trembled a little as she traced the bite pattern he’d left there. The skin wasn’t broken but he’d definitely left another mark. It was sensitive but didn’t hurt.
“Damn,” she whispered.
She was madly in love with someone who might not be able to forgive her for the past. Just because he’d gone to bed with her after he’d become lucid didn’t mean he wanted a future with her. She wasn’t that naïve. Sometimes sex was only sex. The saving grace was that he wanted to see her again. It might be to tell her to go to hell but she’d have to wait until he came back to find out.
The sticky feeling between her thighs became more apparent. A shower was in order and food wouldn’t hurt either. She had a feeling that it was going to be a very long night. No way would she stop worrying about their next conversation until they had it.
She wrapped the blanket around her body when she stood, not sure if Moon had thought to lock the front door. The last thing she wanted was to walk down the hallway butt na**d and run into Security, checking on her well-being.
No one stopped her as she fled the short distance to the master bedroom and locked the door. The blanket dropped at her feet and she headed toward the bathroom, debating whether to take a long bath instead.
A slight buzz sounded and she paused, glancing around. It came from her purse, where it rested on the nightstand. She changed direction and slid her fingers into the outside pocket, glancing at her phone as she checked the caller ID.
“Great. Just what I need.” She slid her thumb over the screen and jerked it to her ear. “Hello, Eric.” Her boss had left six messages already and he was probably pissed that she’d taken off without giving him notice despite the calm tone he’d used. He was pretty mellow but he did have a business to run. “I’m so sorry I haven’t returned your calls. I told you an emergency came up and I haven’t had any free time.” She remembered his last voicemail. “Things are a little better but I still need a few days.”
“I’m glad to hear that.” He hesitated. “We, um, have a serious problem.”
Dread hit. Was he going to fire her? It was a possibility. As much as she hoped things would work out with Moon, being fired was not an option. She didn’t want that on her work record.
“Someone broke into our offices a little while ago.”
That was the last thing she’d expected to hear. “Was anyone hurt?”
“No. It’s Susan’s birthday and we threw her a party at the burger joint down the street. Our entire wing was closed so no one was there when it happened.”
She cringed. The receptionist was a sweetheart. She made a mental note to call a florist as soon as they hung up to send a gift basket. She had the woman’s address stored in her phone.
“That’s horrible. Did they steal the computers?” There was a television in reception too but nothing else came to mind that a thief might target. “How did they get past hospital security or down the elevator without being caught?”
“I’m not going anywhere.” A hundred things popped into her head that she wanted to tell him. “You’ll come back to see me?”
“Tomorrow,” he confirmed. “Medical wants me to return tonight for another checkup but they’re letting me go home tonight with Security standing by. Other than Security only Harley can be there. The doc wants to be sure I’m drug-free and safe to be around. You know how doctors are.”
“They are worried.” She could understand that.
The silence stretched as they watched each other. Moon broke eye contact first as he lifted off her and withdrew from her body. They weren’t locked together anymore now that the swelling had abated. He slid off the end of the bed and she sat up, grabbing at the covers to pull over her na**d body. It was slightly uncomfortable suddenly to be so exposed.
Moon kept his back to her while he dressed. A part of her resented that he wasn’t sticking around. She was reminded of the bitter history of her last boyfriend. Jeff had a way of making her feel used after sex. He’d never spent the night or even bothered to stick around to cuddle afterward. It was impossible not to compare the past with the present as Moon crossed the room.
Pride kept her silent as he opened the door. The rational side of her knew they hadn’t planned to end up in the spare bedroom for spur-of-the-moment sex and that Harley was waiting at Moon’s home for him to arrive. He had to go. Another part of her wanted to cry because he could have made a phone call to say he’d be late so they’d have some time to work a few things out.
He took one step into the hallway but stopped. He didn’t glance back but his body language indicated he was torn between going or staying. She hoped he’d turn around and come back.
“Don’t leave.” He still didn’t move, as if he were waiting for a reply.
“I won’t,” she answered.
That’s when he slowly looked her way and his gaze found hers. “I’ll see you tomorrow. And Joy?”
Her heart hammered at that intense look.
“What?”
“Be here.”
It was an order. Pure and simple. She nodded. “I promise, Moon.”
He closed the door when he left. Her shoulders sagged as she released the tight grip on the bedding. It slipped away from her br**sts. She glanced down and her fingers trembled a little as she traced the bite pattern he’d left there. The skin wasn’t broken but he’d definitely left another mark. It was sensitive but didn’t hurt.
“Damn,” she whispered.
She was madly in love with someone who might not be able to forgive her for the past. Just because he’d gone to bed with her after he’d become lucid didn’t mean he wanted a future with her. She wasn’t that naïve. Sometimes sex was only sex. The saving grace was that he wanted to see her again. It might be to tell her to go to hell but she’d have to wait until he came back to find out.
The sticky feeling between her thighs became more apparent. A shower was in order and food wouldn’t hurt either. She had a feeling that it was going to be a very long night. No way would she stop worrying about their next conversation until they had it.
She wrapped the blanket around her body when she stood, not sure if Moon had thought to lock the front door. The last thing she wanted was to walk down the hallway butt na**d and run into Security, checking on her well-being.
No one stopped her as she fled the short distance to the master bedroom and locked the door. The blanket dropped at her feet and she headed toward the bathroom, debating whether to take a long bath instead.
A slight buzz sounded and she paused, glancing around. It came from her purse, where it rested on the nightstand. She changed direction and slid her fingers into the outside pocket, glancing at her phone as she checked the caller ID.
“Great. Just what I need.” She slid her thumb over the screen and jerked it to her ear. “Hello, Eric.” Her boss had left six messages already and he was probably pissed that she’d taken off without giving him notice despite the calm tone he’d used. He was pretty mellow but he did have a business to run. “I’m so sorry I haven’t returned your calls. I told you an emergency came up and I haven’t had any free time.” She remembered his last voicemail. “Things are a little better but I still need a few days.”
“I’m glad to hear that.” He hesitated. “We, um, have a serious problem.”
Dread hit. Was he going to fire her? It was a possibility. As much as she hoped things would work out with Moon, being fired was not an option. She didn’t want that on her work record.
“Someone broke into our offices a little while ago.”
That was the last thing she’d expected to hear. “Was anyone hurt?”
“No. It’s Susan’s birthday and we threw her a party at the burger joint down the street. Our entire wing was closed so no one was there when it happened.”
She cringed. The receptionist was a sweetheart. She made a mental note to call a florist as soon as they hung up to send a gift basket. She had the woman’s address stored in her phone.
“That’s horrible. Did they steal the computers?” There was a television in reception too but nothing else came to mind that a thief might target. “How did they get past hospital security or down the elevator without being caught?”
