“Is it now?” Declan pockets the phone and rolls his shoulders.
“What are they building?” I ask.
“A bulletproof screen.”
“Here I sat thinking you’d put in a flower garden.”
“Nothing stopping you from buying a plant and putting it inside. I hear delicate plants do well when enclosed and under planned care.”
The way he says that makes me think we’re not talking about plants.
He continues. “The only thing that can penetrate that glass my team is putting up is a missile. But don’t worry, I will soon have an air defense contractor come in. I would have them here already, but those special units are busy in already-active war zones. We’re not yet active.”
I stare at him.
A worker bends over the railing. He picks up a towel and wipes the sweat off his brow. It’s a particularly humid morning, and the sun is shining brightly. The man reaches behind him and removes his shirt. He shoves the cloth into the back of his pants.
Declan stares at me.
I give him a side-eye.
His eyes narrow. “More things you like?”
It dawns on me that he thought I was checking out the man. I wasn’t, though, now that he brought it up, the men are fine. But the feeling of Declan being jealous of me checking out another man is priceless. I smile. “I see the men,” I explain.
“Keep looking and you’ll see corpses.”
When Declan glares, I move to sit across from him with my back to the terrace. “Is that better?”
“Yes.” He pours me more coffee and hands me the cup.
Amused, I look at him over the rim of my cup. Is it wrong that I think it’s sexy that he’s jealous of me noticing a man without a shirt? I don’t know what other straight women find attractive, but a shirtless man in jeans working up a sweat is eye candy. Or maybe I’m a pervert. Or maybe, as a woman, I should stop questioning myself about finding a shirtless man sexy, because if I were a man, it would be perfectly acceptable for me to eyeball every woman who showed even a sliver of skin.
Sergei eye fucked our neighbors. My clients. Waitresses. Chi-chi’s babysitter.
I don’t know how I put up with his flirty ways for as many years as I did. Some days, I think my friend did me a favor when she fucked him. And also, I should have more days when I think I’m blessed now that I’m away from him.
Slada reenters and nods in greeting. She drops a large black leather duffel on the seat I vacated. Banging from upstairs makes her look up and pause.
“Should I whistle?” she asks.
I laugh.
“Goodbye, Slada,” Declan says.
She winks at me and leaves.
Declan unzips the bag and digs inside. He pulls out a phone and a small pistol and puts them on the table along with pepper spray. “She already has the vest,” he mumbles to himself. “Is there anything I’m forgetting to give you?”
“I don’t think so. Declan, listen, I know it doesn’t look that way now, but I can take care of myself.”
“I disagree.”
I put down my cup. “How so?”
“You’re confusing taking care of your family with taking care of yourself.”
“I’ve been on my own, without a man for months now.”
