A Diagnosis Dark & Deadly: A Dark & Deadly Novella (A Dark & Deadly Series Book 4) Read online

  Olivia didn’t have a crush or anything on her boss, but she wasn’t blind; he was definitely attractive in a rough-around-the-edges kind of way. He was six foot one, with short, light brown hair that was going slightly grey. He had a long face, and a constant five o’clock shadow that normally clashed with his sharp suits. He had the clearest blue eyes Olivia had ever seen, and was quite fit for his age, which Olivia guessed to be around late forties. Owen had seen Hadley a couple of times, and even he seemed threatened by the older doctor.

  Olivia locked the door behind them, and when she turned, she nearly ran into Hadley. Her eyes first saw his suit, a sharp beige number with a silk white shirt and a matching tie. For whatever reason, instead of wearing loafers, he wore tattered tennis shoes.

  “Your suit,” she said, not noticing the intense stare he was looking at her with. She looked up at him, meeting his eyes. “It’s wet.”

  “Funny thing about rain,” he said in his low, gruff voice, “it gets things wet.”

  Olivia rolled her eyes and walked around him and into the living room. “Make yourself at home,” she told him. “I’m going to get you some dry clothes you can change into.”

  “I see you’ve prepared for this exact moment,” he called after her, watching her retreat into where he assumed her bedroom was.

  While she was gone, he took a seat on her couch and glanced around. It was definitely a nice, kept apartment. The walls were somewhat bare. There was a television in front of him, and coffee table mere inches away from his legs. A couple of photos were sitting on the clear, glass table, and he couldn’t help but lean forward and study them. He rarely ever saw Olivia in casual clothing, but even then, she wore somewhat baggy clothes, hiding her figure. She wasn’t fat or anything; he wondered what she was ashamed about.

  She was standing next to her new ex-boyfriend. He definitely wasn’t someone to brag about. His dark brown hair was military-style short with a prominent widow’s peak. Mason couldn’t make out the color of his eyes, but if he had to guess, they were definitely a form of brown. He was about five foot ten, and slightly overweight. For the most part, he was clean shaven, but a dark goatee was plastered over his chin. He was smiling, and while it was obvious he didn’t have braces, his teeth weren’t noticeably crooked.

  Mason’s eyes drifted back over to Olivia. Her smile was big and maybe even sincere, but it didn’t reach her eyes. The thought troubled him; what had she seen in him?

  “I wasn’t planning on doing it today,” a voice explained quietly.

  Mason wasn’t startled and looked at the picture a moment longer before placing it on the coffee table. He looked at her, studying her. She didn’t seem sad, maybe just numb. She reached for the photo, and he handed it to her.

  “Ah, yes,” she said, a memory formulating on her full lips. “The Space Needle. Wasn’t exactly the kind of anniversary date I was planning on, actually.” She handed the clothes she brought Mason to him, and as she opened the frame to take out the photo, said, “Those are my brother’s. He’s about as tall as you are.” After slipping the paper from its confines, she set the frame back on the coffee table and ripped the photo apart. She took the pieces and walked into her kitchen to throw them away.

  The act surprised Mason. Most women who broke up with their boyfriends of two years needed time to grieve, to fully accept the fact that things were over before disposing of sentimental items. When Olivia threw away the photo, it seemed almost easy for her to do. He didn’t know if that was exactly healthy or not.

  “I’m going to take a shower,” she announced. “I’ll grab you a towel so you can dry off and you can change in the guest bedroom if you want.” She walked over to him as he stood, clothes in his arm. “I’ll show you the way.”

  As he followed her, he studied the back of her. The damp clothes naturally seemed to cling tighter to her body. Whatever she was hiding, he noticed, was nothing to be embarrassed about. She stopped abruptly and bent down to open a hallway cupboard before grabbing two towels. She handed one to him and kept the other one for herself.

  “The guest bedroom is down that way,” she said, pointing down the hall. “When you’re finished, there’s coffee and tea in the kitchen. I’m sure you know how to make coffee or tea?” She arched an eyebrow at him, her smile revealing her teasing nature.

  “I might have forgotten,” he said shrugging. “You know Hayes gets into work early just to make the coffee exactly the way he likes it.”

  Olivia smiled at the comment about her fellow team member. “That’s true,” she said, before reaching up and patting him on the shoulder. “I’m sure you know how to follow directions. Well, reading directions at least.”

  He smiled and nodded. She headed back down the opposite way and into her bathroom. Before long, Mason could hear running water and figured Olivia was in the shower. He padded down the hallway and into the guest bedroom. When he entered, he shut the door. As he began to run the towel over his hair, his eyes scanned the bedroom. Like the apartment, it was normal.

  What did he expect to find?

  He was trying to figure her out, trying to see if her apartment could tell him anything about her. He had never expected to be in her apartment, although there were many pleasant dreams he had envisioned of being there. After slipping out of his wet clothes, he tugged on a grey t-shirt and blue pajama bottoms. Olivia was good in her assertation of his size; the clothes fit comfortably.

  But what to do with his wet clothes? He couldn’t actually use the dryer without having her offer it first. While he was rude at times, he wasn’t completely obnoxious… most of the time. Maybe she had a hamper in her room…?

  That was his excuse, his reason to be in her room. Maybe the apartment itself would not reveal who Olivia was, but her room had to. Cautiously, he knocked lightly on the slightly ajar door. When he heard no response, he stepped inside. The water was still running, so she must still be in the shower. Instead of trying to look for a hamper, his eyes drifted around the room. Her bed was covered in a sage green bedspread. Blinds were drawn from a nearby window, overlooking the city. Raindrops slowly rolled down the glass. A dresser was across from the bed, with pictures on it. Before he could closely examine them, the door to the connected bathroom opened abruptly. Mason quickly turned around, his eyes meeting Olivia, clad in nothing but a white towel.

  No, whatever she was hiding definitely was not something she should be ashamed of.

  Her eyes looked inquisitive, but when he opened his mouth to try to explain, no words came out. Instead, he opted for blatantly staring at her. Her shoulders were slender, her neck long and feminine. She had a peachy color to her skin tone, but it seemed to get paler concerning the skin that was always hidden. The towel stopped just above her knees, revealing toned calves. Her curves rivaled those of an hourglass, and her long hair was damp and softly waved down her back, much like it had when it was exposed to the rain. She was… beautiful. He knew that; that was easy to decipher, but seeing her like this… he was surprised.

  Olivia was uncomfortable under his gaze and yet excited at the same time. She was frozen, nearly completely vulnerable under his thorough eyes. He never missed anything, and like everyone, she had her own set of flaws. She didn’t want him to see her this way. She never actually said she was perfect, but she didn’t want him to see her imperfections. After a long moment, she got frustrated and opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by his lips touching hers.

  She was surprised at such a forward action, and then silently wondered why she had been. Dr. Hadley was nothing if not forward. She had frozen once again underneath his touch, as though she suddenly forgot how to kiss. The towel that had seemed once so thick as she wrapped it around herself seemed to nearly transparent now. His lips were gentle and yet prodding; he wanted a response out of her. His whiskers tickled her smooth cheeks, and slowly, she felt herself slip underneath the spell he was casting on her. She began to kiss him back.

  Mason’s hand slid up h
er bare arm, leaving goosebumps in its wake, until it reached its destination of cupping her cheek with his palm. She had never been kissed like this, and she never expected to be kissed by her boss. And yet, she felt completely comfortable, completely safe with him. This was what she needed right now; she needed companionship, she needed to know that she could be appreciated, and while it was coming from a very odd source, it was coming. He tilted her head back very slightly as he ran his tongue along her bottom lip. She eagerly obliged his silent request and opened her mouth so he had full access to her.

  He slipped his tongue between her lip, tasting the inside of her mouth with much enthusiasm. His thumb stretched down to gently trace the line of her jaw and she instinctively leaned into his touch while keeping their lips intact. He coiled his other arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him so that he could feel her pressed against him, and she could feel his impending desire for her grow.

  Olivia’s hands slid from around his neck, dropping so they rested flat against his chest, drifting downward until her fingertips slipped underneath his shirt to grip the edge of his shirt’s hemline. The feel of her on his bare skin caused him to moan softly, which only encouraged Olivia’s action. She gripped the shirt tightly before pulling it up, over his head, and tossing it carelessly on the floor.

  The two stood there, a couple of meters apart, their breathing ragged. Olivia’s eyes shamelessly traveled up and down his torso. Sprinkles of hair covered his chest, while his stomach was toned. Granted, he did not have defined abdomen muscles, but he was fit and very, very sexy.

  “What?” he asked her, his eyes trying to read her face. “Are you surprised?”

  “Yes,” she said, finally meeting his eyes and smiling. “Pleasantly.”

  She stepped towards him again, and pushed up on her toes, reaching around his neck so she pulled him towards her. He chuckled at her eagerness but obliged her demand for him. Her lips captured his with just as much passion as they were once engulfed in. Olivia pressed herself against him, loving the feeling of his body against hers. He wrapped both arms around her slender waist, enjoying the feeling of the small curve of the small of her back underneath his hands. But he wanted more- he wanted to feel her.

  Mason broke the kiss but quickly repositioned his lips on the crevice of her neck. She tilted her head back slightly, giving him more access to her neck. She ran her hands up and down his back, enjoying the muscles involuntary twitch at her touch. She let out a low moan once his lips hit the spot where her neck and shoulder met. She didn’t know how her towel managed to survive all this moving without slipping off, but she wanted it off. She wanted it gone. Luckily for her, Mason seemed to want the same thing. He met her lips again, and as they kissed, he backed her up so the back of her knees hit the bed. Before she knew it, she was lying flat on her back, with Mason positioned on top of her, maintaining the kiss.

  When they had to break for air once again, Mason looked down at her pensively.

  Olivia sighed, looking into his blue eyes. “I know that look,” she said, slightly breathlessly. “What are you thinking?”

  He smiled at her knowledge of him, before reaching down and curling an errant strand of her hair behind her ear.

  “I’m thinking,” he replied huskily, “of yanking this towel off of you before I have my wicked way with you.”

  “What’s stopping you?” she asked lowly, cocking a brow up and looking at him expectantly.

  “I… don’t know,” he said, before leaning down and kissing her once again.

  While her fingers lost themselves in his hair, Mason’s hand slid down her face, past her neck until it finally stopped at the edge of her towel. Gently, he released the towel’s hold on Olivia’s body before discarding it on the bedroom floor.

  “I… want… to see you,” he told her against her lips, and then pulled away from her.

  His eyes traveled hungrily over the body he had so long fantasized about. Her breasts were full and round, her nipples hardened due to both the cold and her desire for him. Her waist curved in slightly, revealing her flat and yet soft stomach, before reaching her defined hipbones. His eyes continued to move downward, to the well-maintained curls that hid her sex. Then he followed her legs down until he reached the tips of her toes. For someone so short, she really did have long legs.

  Olivia thought she might have been nervous or even self-conscious during his scrutiny, as she was when he caught her wearing nothing but a towel, but she seemed to feel relaxed, comfortable, and even content. She liked watching him watch her. His blue eyes began to travel back up her body until they rested in her eyes.

  “You’re beautiful,” he stated as though it was one of the many medical facts he knew.

  She smiled in response but said nothing. He dropped his head so he kissed the side of her neck while his hand cupped her left breast. Her back arched up, into his touch, which excited him even further. His fingertips fondled her erect nipple, and he dropped his lips down ever further, capturing her right nipple in his lips. Her breathing began to quicken, and soft sighs escaped her lips. She reached towards the elastic of his pants, and before he knew it, her fingers wrapped tightly around his member. He let out a surprised groan, suddenly distracted. Her fingers were so soft, so warm against his shaft, that it took him a beat to remember that he was also pleasuring her.

  His hand left her breast, and trailed downwards, feeling her soft stomach, traveling through her dark curls until his finger slipped down below and found the pleasure center of her sex. Now it was she who stopped her gentle tugging to let out a moan and instinctively rose her hips slightly, wanting more. His mouth stayed on her nipple, his tongue flicking out while his fingers began to brush against her clit. He wanted her to come; he wanted to make her come. His fingers began to move faster, her breathing became shallow, and his mouth kept up the speed. Olivia didn’t know what to concentrate on; pleasure was radiating from every inch of her body that it was almost painful. Suddenly, there was a hitch in her breathing, and Mason knew she was at the peak. She had to release her hold on him to prepare for what was to come.

  His lips left her breast to tell her, “Come for me.”

  His voice was enough to send her off the edge, and she began to twitch involuntarily underneath him as a sense of erotic release washed over her. She let out a soft moan, her hazy eyes meeting his blue ones. He continued until after he knew she was finished, and she smiled up at him. Not her infamous dry smiles, or even one of her small, sincere smiles; this one was more like a beam. He had witnessed the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, he decided.

  For whatever reason, she twisted her torso towards her nightstand, and slid the drawer opened. He watched her with curiosity, as she stayed there for a moment. When she found what she was looking for, she shut the door and turned around, tossing the packaged condom at him.

  “Hurry,” was her breathless command, and he grinned at her request.

  It took him only a moment to slip out of his pants and slip the condom on. When he was ready, he hovered over her, the tip of his penis grazing her vaginal lips. She narrowed her eyes at him, obviously having trouble dealing with the amount of time it was taking him to enter her. He had to hold back a chuckle. He would never admit this to her, but he knew that this might only be a one-time thing, and he wanted to enjoy every moment of living his fantasy. He leaned down and placed a soft, chaste kiss on her full lips, loving the way her lips molded perfectly with his. He opened his eyes, looking into hers for a moment, not knowing what he was looking for, but knowing he would know when he saw it.

  Then she smiled, one of her small, sincere smiles, and he knew he had found what he had been looking for.

  He smiled back and slipped into her. Both of them let out content sighs. She was so wet, so tight, that he had to stop himself from moving against her so he could gather his thoughts. Olivia’s head had lifted up, her hands wrapping around him. Her fingertips dangled loosely, tracing a pattern in his back, giving him goosebumps.
She seemed to be enjoying this as much as he was.

  Then, when he was ready, he began to rock slowly against her.

  “You’re not going to break me,” she whispered after a moment. He raised his eyes to look at her face, and she smiled mischievously. “I actually like it rough.” To prove her point, she bucked her hips against him, causing him to groan.

  He leaned closer to her and began to move faster inside her. She smiled; this was what she wanted to feel. He fit perfectly inside her; his size incredibly satisfying as it touched every inch of her core. He could hear his breathing become ragged in her ear, feel his hot breath against the side of her neck, and pulled her closer to him. She tilted her head up to kiss his neck, only encouraging the increase of speed. Her eyes rolled back, and her head hit the pillow. There was that tingly feeling again. She whimpered, indicating that she was almost there.

  “Watch me,” he managed to growl at her, leaning on his left hand and cupping her cheek with his right one. Her eyes sprung open and into his. “Look at me. I want to see you.”

  She managed to nod as he continued to pound her insides. Then, she felt herself hitch in breath and she let out a low moan as she released the tension in her pelvis. The twitching sensation pushed him to his release, and they came together. He dropped his head so his forehead grazed hers. Both could not keep their eyes open any longer and slipped into a blissful ecstasy as they continued to rock together.

  Soon, their movements slowed until they stopped completely. They slowly opened their eyes, foreheads touching, and Olivia sighed. She smiled again, that big, beaming smile, and he couldn’t help but smile back. She reached her head up until her lips met his, returning the chaste kiss he had given her earlier on. He wished he could stay there, holding her, but he had to clean himself. He kissed her temple and slid out of her, making his way to the bathroom.