2- Bad Decisions

EVELINE

She woke up with a headache.

And as she opened her eyes, as she sat up on the bed, heavy sunlight hit her without warning.

“Oh, what the hell…”

She surrendered quickly, pulling a pillow over her eyes. The fabric smelled like cedarwood and lemon and sweat. None of those scents were hers.

Eveline sat up, ignoring the sharp throb in her head. Memories of the previous night flooded in as she stared around the luxurious hotel suite. The filthy words, the sweat, the stranger, and the sex in-between.

“Oh God.” She rubbed a hand over her face.

The stranger was gone. She could tell she was alone in the suite. Her purse and car keys sat on the nightstand, but there was no note, no sign he had ever been there…except for his scent still clinging to the sheets and her skin.

Eveline got out of bed, pausing only to pick up her blouse from the floor. Her legs felt sore from last night, but the memory brought a small, satisfied smile to her lips.

She hadn’t had pleasure like that in a long time. It was like killing two birds with one stone: getting out on Damon and satisfying herself.

She stopped in front of the bathroom mirror.

There was a fresh bite mark on her neck, red against her skin. She touched it gingerly. Heat flared under her fingertips, sending a shiver straight down her spine.

The stranger had marked her.

The thought bothered her far more than she expected. She didn't even know his name.

How would she cover this up? She couldn't go to work like this either-

Her phone buzzed loudly on the nightstand, jolting her out of the moment. She rushed back into the room and snatched it up.

“Hello?”

“Miss Hart?”

“Yeah, this is her.”

“We need you at Reed Medical Center.”

“What?”

“It’s your father. He’s had another episode.”

Eveline’s heart sank. She had seen his calls and ignored every single one…

She didn’t wait. Grabbing her purse, she dashed out of the room. A few minutes later, she was driving out of the hotel, searching for the hospital on her map.

Her father had been battling an unnamed disease for years, one that sent him into fits at unexpected moments, but he had managed it so well. Only in the past couple of months had it worsened dramatically.

It was probably the reason he had pushed the marriage alliance even harder than she had.

The strong smell of antiseptic hit her like a slap as she walked into the hospital. But the sight of Damon was what stopped her short.

He was standing at the front desk, in the same clothes he had been wearing the night before.

His eyes lit up with relief when he saw her, but Eveline felt nothing but cold anger. Her hands curled into fists as she ignored him and turned to the nurse.

“Hi, I’m Eveline. I’m here to see Marcus Hart.”

“Hey, babe,” Damon moved toward her, arms open. “I’ve been worried sick. Where did you disappear last night?”

She ignored him again, waiting for the nurse to finish giving her the room information. Then she headed straight for the elevator.

Damon followed her inside and pressed the button for the fourth floor.

“Evie, talk to me-”

“Don’t you fucking touch me,” she snapped, yanking her hand out of his grip. “Don’t.”

His eyes flashed with anger, and for a moment the old fear crept up inside her. She used to be afraid of hurting him, but now…now she hated him too much to care.

“You left me,” he said, like an accusation. “You left the party, and your father-”

“Don’t talk about my father.”

He opened his mouth again, then stopped. His eyes narrowed on her neck.

“What is that?”

His voice was sharp as a knife. Eveline turned away. She wanted him to see the mark, even though her skin felt like it was on fire.

“Evie?” He stepped closer. “Who did that?”

“Why don’t you go back to fucking Ruby and keep your nose out of my business.”

His eyes widened slightly as the elevator doors opened.

Eveline ignored him once more and headed straight to the first nurse she saw. The woman told her that her father was being stabilized in the intensive care unit.

“I’ll need you to wait out here, ma’am. The doctor will be with you shortly.”

Eveline wanted to ask the nurse for more details, but then the elevator opened again.

Tammy stepped out, her brown curls bouncing as she hurried over. Eveline had texted her earlier, explaining why she hadn’t replied and about discovering her fiancé with her stepsister.

That was why Tammy’s eyes burned with malice when she spotted Damon.

“Hey. How is he?” Tammy asked.

“I don’t know. I just got here,” Eveline replied, pulling her into a hug. “I’m waiting for the doctor.”

“Everything will be fine, hon.” Tammy patted her back, then stepped back and studied her. Her gaze dropped to the mark on Eveline’s neck, and a frown appeared, but she said nothing.

Then she turned to Damon. “I was wondering when you'd finally show up.”

He just tucked his hands in his pockets and said, “Hello, Tammy.”

She opened her mouth to fire something back, when the door to the treatment area opened behind them.

“Family of Marcus Hart?”

Eveline froze. She had heard that voice before.

The doctor stepped out, wearing a white coat that did nothing to hide the build underneath. Tall. Broad shoulders. Sharp jawline. Piercing blue eyes, and a faint scar over his left brow.

Their gazes met. Heat traveled from Eveline’s neck to her entire body.

No, this could not be happening…

The man shifted his attention from her to Damon, then he cocked his head slightly. His eyes narrowed in recognition.

“What are you doing here?”

Damian had gone stiff beside her as he replied, “I could ask you the same thing, uncle Lucian.”