Page 96 of Casualties of War
Olivia shook her head. “He knows,” she repeated firmly. “Your bedside manner wasn’t good enough, Dr. Martin. Something you said or did gave you away.”
Martin didn’t look surprised. “Sometimes, patients do guess. Toward the end, everyone recognizes it. It is a small miracle he regained consciousness. It gives you time you would not have ordinarily got. I’m so sorry, Miss Davenport.”
Olivia didn’tcorrect him. “How long?” she asked, her heart limping along with a painful shuffle. “Weeks? Days?”
Martin hesitated.
“Hours…” she breathed, twisting her hands together. She yearned to be back in Acapulco, in Daniel’s arms and safely away from this bewildering agony.
* * * * *
Parris woke from a light doze when Adán stretched out his arm and felt around the sand near his discarded clothes.
She traced the soft edges of his muscles, under his olive skin, as they moved.
He brought his arm back, holding his watch. “Careful. I’m ticklish.”
“You are not!” She sat up, delighted. “That’s…adorable.”
Adán rolled his eyes and turned the watch around to look at it. “Hit the wrong spot, I’ll squirm so hard you’ll get dumped on the sand.” His gaze shifted from the watch face to hers. “If youtellanyonethat, I’ll have to kill you.”
She giggled and slapped her hand over her mouth, her eyes wide. She had never made that sound before.
Adán’s smile was full of wickedness. “Of course, I’mmostticklish right after a certain moment. Trail your fingers up my back just afterward and I’m likely to cause massive internal damage.”
Parris dropped her head to his chest and smothered her faceagainst his flesh as her laughter made her shake.
Adán’s arm came around her. He kissed her forehead. “As much as I don’t want this afternoon to end, I have to point out it is nearly five. Everyone will wake soon, if they haven’t already. I can’t figure out how I’m supposed to sneak back to my sleeping bag without them figuring out their boss has been indulging herself.”
“They’ll figure it out,anyway,” Parris told him, sitting up and reaching for the sports bra she wore under the combat gear. “When the sentries swapped out, they would have seen you weren’t there. I had to tell Locke, too.”
Adán didn’t move.
She pulled her hair out from under the bra straps and looked at him. “None of them are stupid. If I’m not flaunting it in front of them, though, they won’t comment.”
Adán satup and rested his arms on his knees. “You’re okay with them knowing? I thought it would undermine your authority.”
“Ten years ago, it might have. Now, though, they all know me. They know I won’t get distracted by my hormones.” She didn’t voice the tiny kernel of worry she held. This was the first time she had ever stepped out in this way. They didn’t know for certain there would be no fallout.All she could do was return to duty and not miss a beat andprovethis afternoon had not melted her brain.
As she finished dressing, Adán pulled his pile of clothes closer and shook the sand out of them, then put them on.
“You’re not asking questions.”
He thrust his legs into his jeans and pulled them up. His movement made the gold masks bounce against his chest. “I told you I wouldn’t. Nodemands, no questions, not until you decide you’re ready.”
“You can live with that? Go back to following us around? After this?”
Adán buttoned his jeans and turned to face her. “Are the brakes still off, Parris? Are you on duty yet?”
She bit her lip. “In about five minutes, I have to be. Until then, no. No brakes.”
He took her face in his hands and turned it up to his. His eyes were stormy,rich with emotion. “Do you remember what I told you about Vistarian men?”
“You mean, about your need to rescue women, to help them?” Parris frowned. “You’re the most undemanding man I’ve ever met,” she admitted. “You’venevertried to help me. Well, you’ve held my chair for me once or twice.”
“Which only means you deserve the courtesy,” he said. “Never when it counted, when it meant I didn’tthink you couldn’t take care of yourself. That’s what you told me, the first day at the station—that you can take care of yourself. I could see how important it was to you that you get to do that, so I…” He frowned. “I’ve held back andmademyself not help. Not even when it killed me to sit on my hands and let you figure it out. I left you alone when Stuart and you broke up, even though I wantedto help, even as a friend and a shoulder to cry on.”
Parris shivered.
