Page 28 of A Diagnosis Dark & Deadly

This surprised Olivia. She picked her head up and turned to look at him, her head cocked to the side. "I like you too," she told him. She hoped he could read her eyes the way he could read the viruses and diseases that his patients had. She hoped he knew she was being sincere.

"I like being around you," he continued. He was still looking at the scenery in front of him rather than at her. She knew how difficult this was for him. He wasn't good at expressing his feelings. He could define some unknown disease, he could read people - strangers - like they were books. But God forbid anyone asked him about what he felt. He clammed up tighter than a zipper on a high-end jacket. So she waited patiently for him to continue, not wanting to scare him off. "I want to be around youmore."

Olivia smiled athim.

"So," she said slowly. "Does thismean -"

"I don't know if I want to label it," he said. "I don't feel like boyfriend adequately describes me no matter who I'mwith."

Olivia pressed her lips together to hide a smirk. "Okay," she said. "You can be my man-friend."

"I like partner," he said, though his blue eyes sparkled with amusement.

A warmth flooded through Olivia’s heart and her lips curled up into a smile. “So do I,” she agreed.

He looked at her with deep blue eyes. The intensity brought color out in her cheeks. No man she had ever been with had ever stared at her with such intensity, with such open depth. She almost felt as though his eyes could open up and swallow her whole. And, to be honest, she wasn’t completely resistant to theidea.

Hadley reached out and cupped her cheek with his rough palm. She loved the sandpaper feeling of it against her skin. She loved the contradictions this man continued to bring her, continued to show her. Slowly, he tilted his head down and captured her lips with hisown.

The kiss was slow at first. Methodical but not calculated, like he was really putting effort into the kiss, wanting to explore every single inch of her. Every crevice her mouth had to offer. He wanted to taste parts of her nobody else had before. His free hand found the back of her head so he could control her placement and the kiss itself. She loved being under his control, loved letting him do whatever it was he wanted with her. She got wet just feeling him touch her, just feeling his tongue slide past her lips in order to duel with her tongue.

At that moment, a familiar chirp sounded.

Olivia felt her conscious start to slip between the crevices of her delirium but she wasn’t completely pulledaway.

It chirped again.

Hadley growled as he forced himself away from her. His jaw was clenched, his dark eyes narrowed. To say he looked unhappy would be an understatement.

“What the hell,” he muttered to himself, reaching for the beeper on his waist and picking it up. He glanced at the message and his brow furrowed even further. “Bullshit.”

“What?” Olivia asked. She wanted to grab his pager and see what had gotten him so upset but she refrained. “What isit?”

Hadley took a step back and ran his fingers through his hair. “Fucking Carmen wants me to go to the ER for surgery,” he muttered.

Olivia felt her own brow wrinkle in frustration. “Don’t we have three surgeons who should all be on call?” she asked.

“Yes,” he said drolly. He sighed. “I think Carmen is trying to make a point by doing what she does best: be a bitch.”

Olivia clenched her teeth together. She wanted to tell him to stay, to ignore the page. But she wouldn’t do that. And she knew he wouldn’t refuse. Regardless of why he was the one being called in over anyone else, Hadley respected the oath he took. He might try to avoid clinic hours but he wasn’t going to avoid something like surgery.

She nodded her head once, twice, looking at the tops of her shoes. This night had been going so well already and now, this interruption ended a heated makeout session.

Olivia supposed it was part of thejob.

“I’ll stop by when I’m finished,” he stated, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead.

Olivia closed her eyes but nodded her head, following him back to thecar.

Sometimes, she really hated herjob.