Lucas smoothed the fluffy, white hotel comforter down before taking a seat at the end of the bed. He scanned the room slowly; it was exactly liked he remembered. Exactly like it was the last time he was there with her. He had called her to meet him there again to talk, but if he was honest with himself talking was the last thing he wanted to do. He wanted her again. Badly.

He still remembered the way her hair smelled that night. The way her lips felt on his. The way her body felt in his arms. Neither of them meant for it to happen. Both of them felt terrible afterwards. But a part of him, the really selfish part of him that had fallen ass-backwards in love with his childhood friend and sister-in-law, wanted it to happen again.

If you had told him seven years ago that he'd be where he was now he wouldn't have believed you for anything in the world. At that point in his life, he finally had everything that he wanted in life- Peyton was his wife, and they had a perfect daughter, and a dog, and a white picket fence, and all of that other stupid cliché stuff that for some strange reason meant everything to him. But it all fell apart, almost as soon as he got it. They only had a few happy months away from Tree Hill before Peyton started acting differently. He thought that Peyton had gotten over her pattern of self-destruction and depression after high school. He thought that she had faced her demons and grown into a stronger person, but as soon as she started drinking that all seemed to be blown to hell. She grew increasingly reckless, and drawn into herself. It was clear that she was unhappy and that broke Lucas's heart, but nothing he did seemed to help. Eventually Peyton felt like she couldn't hold the family together anymore at all, so she did the only thing she could think of to ruin it for herself. She took up with a bartender at some dive outside of town. With him things were simpler; she could indulge in her drinking habit without feeling the guilt of letting her family down. At that point even her little girl wasn't enough motivation to get better. She was in too deep, an alcoholic in the truest sense of the word. Peyton left Lucas and Sawyer with nothing more than a note, and he was absolutely devastated.

And then there was Haley. Beautiful Haley. She came back into his life like an angel and pulled him out of the world of misery, regret, and self-pity he was living in after Peyton walked out of his life. He wasn't quite sure that he would have made it if it weren't for Haley and her balance of compassion and toughness. He could still hear her voice in his head. "What you are going though is absolutely awful, but you need to pull it together because your daughter has already lost her mother. She can't afford to lose her father too!" That had been exactly what he needed to hear. He felt secure with Haley. He knew that she loved him, but she'd also kicked his ass if he deserved it. She was his gravity, the pull to the earth that kept him sane.

He wasn't sure exactly when the dynamic between them had changed. When he fell in love with her. Maybe it was the first night she came to see him after Peyton left and she put him in his place, or maybe it was the next time he saw her when she leaving the café in a rush, her hair drenched in rain and make up running down her face, or maybe it was the time after that when he watched her sing for the first time. Really watched her sing, and saw how happy and in her element she was.

His whole life he had seen Haley as nothing more than a friend, but as he sat there in that room and waited for her, he couldn't imagine a time where he could ever want anyone else again. All he wanted was to run his hands through her wavy honey-blonde hair and feel her soft pink lips against his. All he was to hear her crazy cackle of a laugh. All he wanted was to hold her in his arms forever.

It was selfish. It was beyond selfish. He knew it wasn't the best thing for any of the people he loved. Not Sawyer, or Haley, or Jamie, or Lydia, certainly not Nathan. But for the first time in his life he didn't care. The way he saw it, there were only so many chances in life to be happy. Truly happy. So when one comes, you should hold on to it for dear life.

He stared at the clock and began to feel nervous. Haley was about 40 minutes late. What if she wasn't coming? What if something happened to her or one of the kids? His dark thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. He took a sigh of relief as he opened it and saw her standing there.

"Haley" he sighed. "You came."

"I did" she responded coldly as she walked into the hotel room. "But not to have sex with you again."

"I know that" he nodded. "But I think we need to talk again, don't you?"

"Yeah" she nodded as she took a seat on the bed. "Let's talk."

"Are you okay?" he asked with worry in his voice.

"No" she scoffed. "I cheated on my husband, Lucas. With his brother. With… you. You're Lucas. The Lucas I grew up with, and…"

"And what?" he asked as he sat closely next to her.

"It's wrong" she spat back, thoroughly frustrated.

"It is" he agreed. "But in a way it also feels inevitable, doesn't it?"

Haley understood what Lucas meant. "I guess in a way I've always been in love with you" she admitted sadly.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked with a smile. Even before he fell in love with Haley, she could have told him anything.

"I always told myself to forget it because I didn't think you felt the same" she shrugged. "And then I chose to be with Nathan, and all the feelings I had for you, I swear they went away until…"

"Until Peyton walked out on me?" he asked.

"Until you kissed me" she corrected. "It was pretty clear that there was something there. That there was a lot there. A lot of pent up feelings, and frustrations, and… love. I love you Lucas. I'm in love with you. I'm not sure how long it's been true, but it is."

A wide smile broke out across his face. She felt the same. She felt it too. He felt like a teenager again, and all he wanted to do was kiss her.

"But I'm married" she said as tears filled her eyes. "And I love Nathan. We've been through so much together, and the kids-"

"You aren't leaving him for me" Lucas said sadly. He knew that she wasn't from the beginning, and he didn't even know if that would be what he wanted if given the choice. But damn it, it hurt like hell to think that they couldn't be together.

"When we had sex-"

"Made love" Lucas interrupted, correcting her. "We made love Haley." As far as Lucas was concerned that was the only way to describe what he felt for her.

She nodded at him sadly. "I told myself that'd be it. That I'd let myself be with you just that once and then never again, but-"

"But what?" he asked as his eyes widened.

"I want more" she said shyly. "I want you, and I don't know how to stop it."

"What are you saying?" he asked as he brushed a strand of hair out of her face. Was she going to let him take her again? The anticipation was killing him.

"I want you to leave town" she said, avoiding eye contact as she stood to her feet.

"Haley" he said desperately as he stood in front of her and grabbed her by the shoulders. "No. No, I can't leave you."

"I can't be around you" she cried. "I can't be around you because if I am-"

"If you are, what?" he asked.

"I'll keep wanting you!" she said exasperated. "Every time I see you, I'll ache. I'll ache with guilt knowing I cheated on my husband with his brother. I'll ache because I'll know you can never touch me again. I'll ache because I'll want to touch you."

"So touch me" he dared as his voice broke. "Please Haley; let me make love to you again."

"I can't" she said as tears filled her eyes.

"You can" he whispered in her ear as he pulled her coat away from her body.

"I hate you" she said as a sob rocked her body. She wanted to push him away, but a part of her couldn't. She was too lost in her feelings. Her will power was strong enough to keep her from touching him, but damn it, it wasn't strong enough to stop him from touching her.

"Shh" he soothed as his tongue invaded her mouth. "It's going to be okay Haley" he said gently as he lifted her into his arms. "I'm going to take care of you."

Please Review! It's a one-shot for now, but if there's a good response I'll write more!