Page 55 of The Devil's Embrace

“As badly as I was hoping we could grab lunch together,” Aodhan said, “you should probably go do that now. I’ll distract Officer Paige.”

“You sure?” He hesitated, knowing he was right, but also kind of bummed about having to skip out on spending time together.

“Yeah, the sooner we can prove I’m either right or wrong, the better.”

“Thanks.”

“I can think of a better way you can thank me, Detective,” the suggestive lilt to his voice gave him away.

It was super unprofessional, especially given all the circumstances, but Calix moved in and kissed him anyway.

Chapter 17:

After the heavy make-out session in the supply closet earlier, Calix was less surprised by the knock on his door this time.

He’d been going over his notes—again—piecing together Rhett’s whereabouts on the nights when the murders had taken place. It was starting to seem like he was a really good suspect, but he’d cooperated with Troya earlier, and the Inspector said there’d been nothing suspicious about his behavior.

Cal knew that didn’t mean anything, but still. Either this orderly really had flown under everyone’s nose all this time, or there was more going on here. All he knew for certain was they had four dead guys, and if they didn’t come up with something concrete soon, he was going to get an earful from his commanding officer.

“Hello, Detective.” Aodhan grinned at him as soon as he opened the door. “Mind if I come in?”

“And if I said I did?”

Aodhan chuckled and then brushed past him, entering the hotel room with confident steps. Like the first time, he set a paper bag on the kitchen table and began fixing them a meal.“I’m guessing you didn’t eat lunch even after we parted ways earlier?”

“That would be a good guess.” Cal ambled over and smiled at the pizza and garlic knots pulled from the bag.

“Brain food,” Aodhan explained.

“I don’t think that’s accurate,” he drawled. “Not very heart-healthy either, if I’m not mistaken.”

“I’m the doctor here, and I say it’s good for you.” Aodhan came around the table and settled his hands on Cal’s waist. “I figured you could use some stress food after what I told you today. Come on, I swear by G’s Red Hot Slice. They’ve got the best pizza in town. Got me through some of the worst double shifts at the hospital.”

“I actually love G’s.” He hadn’t had it in years, but recalling how good the slightly sweet and tangy homemade sauce was with the gooey cheese had his mouth salivating.

“Perfect. Looks like I chose correctly again.” Aodhan glanced at the blank wall across from the couch where Calix had the notes from his tablet projected. “Working hard, Detective?”

“I don’t know why I bother. It’s not like I give a fuck about this job.” Cal went still. “I shouldn’t have said that. You’re a doctor who saves lives and cares about people, and I just confessed I don’t. Can we pretend this didn’t happen?”

“I do save people,” he agreed, “and so do you. You don’t have to enjoy doing your job to be good at it.”

“Yeah, well, apparently I’m not that either.” He motioned toward the projections. “It’s been a month, and I still don’t have any answers. The only upside is that there hasn’t been another murder, but that’s also a downside, because it means we won’t be getting any more clues.”

“The killer knows you’re here,” Aodhan surmised. “They’ll lie low until you’re gone.”

“Or jump planet, if they haven’t already.”

“Unless it’s Amory.” He shrugged when Calix scowled. “Do you really like her that much, Detective?”

“It’s not that…” Although he didn’t dislike her. “I told Bruce about it earlier and he had the same reaction. Amory is a hard worker and, unlike me, she’s not only good at her job, she also likes it. I just can’t see her being a murderer.”

“What about me?” Aodhan took a single step closer, his gaze turning intense. “Can you see me being one?”

Cal felt his heart leap in his chest and tried to get it to calm down. Considering the topic of conversation, the last thing he should be experiencing right now was lust, and yet… “You do something odd to me. I can’t put my finger on it, but whenever I’m around you, I feel…”

“We have a similar energy pattern,” Aodhan said, smirking when Calix’s brow furrowed at that. “It doesn’t matter. We can talk about it later. What I’m really saying anyway is that we’re compatible.”

It took him a moment, but then it clicked. “Ah, you mean sexually.”

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