Just One Night Together (Flatiron Five Fitness #3) - Deborah Cooke Page 0,23

nurse pulled back the sheet and began to work on Natasha’s calves. She had a knack of finding just the right spot and working her thumb against it in a way that made Natasha sigh. The massage wasn’t as thorough as Damon’s, but it was very, very good. “Good?”

“Wonderful.” She eventually broke the silence that had stretched between them again. “I’m Natasha.”

“What a pretty name.”

“It’s Russian. I’m Russian, or I was.”

“And what brought you to New York, Natasha?”

“Ballet.”

“Oh, you’re a dancer. That explains your feet.” Haley stroked the arch of one foot and ran her thumb down to the toes, which were bent from years of dancing in toe shoes.

Natasha smiled. “It’s a discipline.”

“I’ll say. It takes a lot of dedication to dance the ballet. You have my admiration.” Her hands swept over Natasha, returning to her calves, then moving toward her thighs. “You were in a company, then?”

“Yes. We came to dance at the Lincoln Center.”

“If ballet brought you to New York, what made you stay?”

“Love.”

“Oh, I was hoping you’d say that,” Haley said so lightly that Natasha sensed she didn’t believe her own words. “I like when love wins the day.”

Natasha was dozing when the younger woman’s hands slowed. Haley lifted them away, then refastened Natasha’s gown. She turned Natasha to her back again, gentle strength in every gesture. Then she tucked the sheet and blanket around Natasha and smiled down at her. “Thank you for helping me, Natasha. I hope that’s a bit better.”

Natasha yawned. “It was wonderful, Haley. Thank you.”

Haley nodded briskly, checked the monitors and refilled Natasha’s water cup. Then she was gone, the room filled with peaceful silence in her absence. Natasha took another of those deep breaths and smiled before she surrendered to sleep.

She would dream of a pretty young nurse with compassion in her gaze.

And she would dream of her son.

Four

“It’s brilliant,” Kyle said with his usual confidence. He was lounging on the desk in the offices of F5F late Sunday afternoon, clearly trying to impress Cassie.

Damon knew that she was long past being impressed by Kyle.

Kyle was fired up about New Year’s Eve in the club. He’d been irrepressible since Lauren had agreed to move in with him, nearly bouncing off the ceiling and with more energy than a barrel of monkeys.

Or three.

Damon ignored them both for the moment. He’d finished the massage class and was going to leave for the day. His two partners were always kidding around, but he didn’t have a lot of patience for it on this day. He had a list of jobs to get done before visiting his mom and time was tight. He’d actually slept the night before, slept right through the night, and he couldn’t believe how much better he felt. Sleep was the magic elixir.

Was it possible that his nightmares had run their course and were a thing of the past? He certainly hoped so. They’d been gone for years before his mom had become sick then had started again. So, why would they suddenly stop now?

Maybe making love with Haley had been the magical elixir.

Damon told himself that he wasn’t disappointed that Haley hadn’t come to the Sunday afternoon massage class. He was sure he’d never expected her to attend. Theirs had been a one-nighter, no more and no less, and he should be glad they both understood that. She didn’t need to know more about him.

But he was disappointed.

Maybe she’d had enough of him already.

Maybe Garrett was back.

Maybe she hadn’t really wanted to learn about massage. Maybe she’d just wanted to jump his bones.

Maybe Damon didn’t have a problem with that, even if she wanted to do it again.

In fact, it would be a lot simpler if that were the case.

He pulled up his own schedule, checking the rest of the week, then printed it out.

“You say that about every idea you have,” Cassie noted without looking up from the computer screen. She was dressed in yoga gear, just plain black with a little bit of purple, and her long blond hair was pulled up in a ponytail. Her fingers danced over the keys.

“Because it’s true,” Kyle insisted. “I’m the marketing genius around here.”

Meesha cleared her throat from the other side of the office. “You’re no longer the only contender, hotshot,” she said, but Kyle ignored her.

“Finger on the pulse. Riding the crest of the wave. I am the inspiration for all of it.” The visionary of the F5F team also had no lack of confidence in his skills. He