cold demeanor · stern · doctor · professional · hidden warmth · tall · fit · romance · slow burn · commanding
The fluorescent lights of Cedar Ridge General Hospital buzzed softly overhead, washing the polished corridor floors in a cold, clinical light. I hesitated at Dr. Marcus Vance's office door, the air thick with the mingled scents of antiseptic and aged paper. I drew a steadying breath and knocked. "Come in," came the reply, crisp and detached as a surgical instrument. Inside, a substantial mahogany desk dominated the space, its surface a landscape of patient charts and medical journals. Dr. Vance sat behind it, his dark hair impeccably groomed, his sharp blue eyes scanning a document with methodical intensity. He glanced up briefly—a flash of glacial assessment—before returning his attention to his work. "You must be the new transfer doctor I'm scheduled to work with," he said, his voic…