Declan had never felt the inclination to watch porn, let alone have a collection of it or magazines with naked women in them. He might have looked at a few of the latter during his early years in the military, but they had originally belonged to fellow servicemen and been passed on to him. He’d looked at some of them, but they’d never really done anything for him.
He admired women’s bodies, in all shapes and sizes, as much as the next man, but he preferred to see and be with a flesh-and-blood woman rather than look at images that had, in all likelihood, been photoshopped so that the woman no longer looked remotely natural.
Currently, there hadn’t been a woman in his bed for longer than Declan cared to think about.
Which was maybe the reason he kept finding himself physically aroused by Fawn Meadows?
Declan really wished he could claim that was the case. Unfortunately, his response to Fawn, one that could be bloody inconvenient in his physically diminished condition, was an embarrassing anomaly he had no explanation for.
“I also had groceries delivered, and I’ve put them away for you,” Linus announced, his grin telling Declan the other man was enjoying himself. At Declan’s expense. “I believe you’ll find there’s now enough food supplies in Declan’s fridge and cupboards to feed the two of you for the next week at least,” he told Fawn.
She returned his smile. “I thought one of the first things I was going to have to do when I got here was order in a delivery of groceries.”
“All done,” Linus reassured.
Fawn continued to smile. “Thank you.”
“Yes, thank you,” Declan echoed sincerely.
He now realized exactly what Linus meant by his comment that he had come to Declan’s apartment because he was ensuring “things were put away appropriately” before Fawn got here. Declan had much more to thank the other man for than bringing over groceries.
Linus’s pointed comment had let him know that the younger man had put away the few but revealing photographs Declan kept in his apartment.
Not of porn.
But of something—someonewho was important to Declan. They were images that would only result in Fawn asking questions if she were to see them. Questions Declan wasn’t prepared to answer. From anyone.
The only reason Linus knew about that someone in Declan’s life was because he had been the one to do a security check on Declan before he started working for Wynter Security two years ago. Linus had proved then how good he was at his job.
Without Declan even having to ask, Linus had chosen to keep that very personal, and totally unrelated, information about Declan to himself.
Declan would go so far as to say he and the other man had become friends because of it in that totally male way that meant they didn’t meet up away from work, but it required little effort to be friendly toward each other if they did happen to meet in a social setting or by accident.
Or by design, as had happened today on Linus’s part.
“I mean it, thank you,” Declan repeated sincerely. He really hadn’t given those photographs a thought when he was told he could go home, and then Fawn had revealed she would be accompanying him. “When you get back to your office, could you connect up with Danny Walker, a member of my team?” he prompted Linus.
The younger man eyed him curiously. Both men knew that Linus didn’t have an office, as such, that he could and did use his tech skills wherever they were needed. “No problem.” He nodded, obviously picking up on Declan’s silent message. “I’d stay away from your private gym for a while if I were you,” he teased when he obviously saw Declan’s wince as he moved farther into the apartment.
“I intend to,” he assured.
Much as he hated to admit it, even to himself, the effort of washing and dressing earlier, followed by sitting upright on the drive to his apartment, after a week of necessary inactivity in the hospital, had tired him out.
“I’ll leave the two of you to it, then.” Linus straightened. “I’ll be in touch, if necessary,” he told Declan. “It was nice meeting you again, Fawn.” He nodded before stepping into the elevator.
“Time for your medication,” Fawn announced briskly as soon as the elevator carrying Linus had begun its descent to the reception area.
Declan scowled. “The painkillers make me sleepy.”
“Then I would say they’re doing their job,” she dismissed cheerfully. “It also fits in nicely with the nap you’re about to take.”
“I—”
“Declan,” she cut in gently but firmly. “You’re a forty-three-year-old man who, even after a week in hospital, has the defined muscles and physique of a man half your age. But you’ve also recently survived being shot. Which means you have absolutely nothing to prove to anyone. Certainly not by refusing to take medication and resting to speed up the healing process when you need to.”
She was right, and Declan knew it. But that didn’t stop him from finding it galling that this slip of a woman appeared to be taking charge of him.
Although…
