One Day Soon (One Day Soon, #1)(103)

I was still in a haze of hormone laced desire, so it took a few minutes for me to register what he was saying.

“Yoss—” I began.

“No! Don’t say whatever you’re going to say. We can’t do this. It’s just not possible.” He grabbed his shirt and put it back on with shaking hands. “We can’t have sex. Not now. Not ever.”

I hopped down from the counter and grabbed his arm so that he couldn’t leave the room. “You need to listen to me for a second.”

“You work in a f*cking hospital, Imogen, you know the damn risks! How could we have been so f*cking stupid? Just being around my blood exposes you to what I have!” He yanked on his hair in his frustration.

I gave his arm a squeeze, my nails digging into his skin. “Are you done self-flagellating?” I demanded, gripping his chin and forcing him to look at me. “We need to be careful. I shouldn’t have bitten you. But that doesn’t mean we can’t…that you and I can’t…be together.”

Yoss looked at me as if I had grown another head. “What are you talking about?”

“For starters, working in a hospital, I have to be vaccinated against all sorts of diseases. Including hep B.” My fingers curled up to cup his cheek. “And if we take precautions.” I leaned up on my tiptoes and kissed his mouth. “We can be together, Yoss. It is possible.”

“I’d never forgive myself if I made you sick.” He closed his eyes briefly.

“There’s no rush. We don’t have to do anything tonight. Just being here together is enough.” Even though I was a quivering mess of unfulfilled desire, I gave him a reassuring smile.

“It’s late, we should get some sleep,” I said softly, taking his hand and leading him down the hallway.

We walked past the room where Yoss had been staying. Neither of us said anything when I opened the door to my bedroom. He wouldn’t be sleeping in another bed. Not tonight.

Never again.

Without saying a word I quickly changed into a T-shirt while Yoss stripped off his clothes. Together we got under the covers and I rolled onto my side as Yoss pressed himself against my back.

A simple dance we had performed a hundred times before.

His hand found mine in the darkness.

He began to hum a song. A tune I didn’t really recognize. It didn’t matter.

I fell asleep wrapped in his comforting familiarity.





Fifteen Years Earlier

After my shower I curled up beside Yoss on the bed and fell into a deep, uninterrupted sleep.

When I woke up hours later, the room was pitch black and I was disoriented. All I knew was that I was warm. Deliciously so. I snuggled underneath the blankets, making a cocoon.

Then I realized I was alone. That wasn’t right. I never slept alone.

For a few strange minutes I thought I was back at The Pit. Which made no sense because I was never warm there.

Then I remembered where I was.

And what had happened.

Bug.

I sat up in bed and rubbed my eyes until they adjusted to the dimness. Yoss wasn’t in bed with me. And from what I could see he wasn’t in the room. I quickly put on my jeans and sweatshirt before checking the bathroom. It was dark. No Yoss.

The first threads of anxiety uncurled in my gut.

Where was he?

I slipped on my still damp shoes and opened the door to the room, a blast of cold air and cigarette smoke hitting me in the face.

Yoss leaned against a post staring out into the night, watching the snow fall steadily. The glow from the end of his cigarette flared as he inhaled.

He turned around at the sound the opening the door.

“Hey,” he said softly.

“Hey.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “What are you doing out here? It’s freezing.”

Yoss blew out a lungful of smoke and looked back out across the parking lot.

“Couldn’t sleep and I didn’t want to wake you up with my tossing and turning.” Another puff on the cigarette. “It’s still early, you should try to sleep some more.”

I made sure I had the room key in my pocket and quietly shut the door behind me, moving to stand beside Yoss.

“I’m awake now.” I rubbed my hands up and down over my arms. My breath came in puffs out in front of me.

Yoss rolled his cigarette between his fingers. “I should quit. It’s a nasty habit.”

“Yes it is,” I agreed, making a face.

Yoss dropped the butt on the pavement and crushed it with his toe. “Why couldn’t you sleep? You must be exhausted,” I asked when he didn’t head back into the room.

He stuffed his hands into his pockets. “Just thinking about Bug. I can’t believe how little I really knew about him. I thought we were family. I had no idea he already had one somewhere else. A family that wanted him.”

I leaned against the other side of the post and blew on my cold hands. “How could you have known if he never mentioned them?” I pointed out.

He looked over at me, his brow furrowed. “He had a family, Imi. One that loved him. He should have been with them and not with us. I should have asked more. His brother was right, I should have made him go home. I knew about the drugs. That should have been enough to make him do something.”

“His brother apologized for what he said, Yoss. He was just angry and upset. He didn’t mean any of it,” I added.