Chapter 4 #2
“What?” She stared at him, incredulous. “But I like to go for a run in the evenings once I’ve finished work.”
Declan frowned, not liking the idea of that at all.
Anything could happen to a lone woman out running at night in London.
Yes, it was still light in the evenings at the moment, but that would change with the season.
It sounded as if Fawn’s routine of running in the evenings had long been established. “Do you run alone?”
She gave him a quizzical glance. “Yes.”
“River doesn’t run with you?”
That amber-colored gaze became guarded. “No.”
Declan’s lids narrowed. “Why not?”
“None of your damned business— Sorry. I’m sorry.
” She closed her eyes, breathing deeply before opening them again, her expression one of self-disgust. “I apologize for swearing. That was completely unprofessional. I’ll understand if you want to contact Mr. Hargreaves and have him send someone else to take over your care.
Someone who can behave more professionally,” she added miserably.
Declan chuckled. “I swear all the time. Including several times in front of you this morning before we had even left the hospital.”
“You’re the patient. You’re allowed.”
“Really, forget it. I probably deserved it,” he dismissed. “But I would prefer you to use the gym here instead of going for a run in a public park. My gym has everything a public one does, including a treadmill.”
“It isn’t the same as being outside.”
Declan’s jaw tightened. “I said I would prefer it.”
“And you’re the patient?”
“Exactly.”
The narrowing of her eyes told him she didn’t like that he was using that leverage against her. At all. “I’ll also need to be able to go and see River whenever I want to.”
“Can’t stay away from him, hm?” Declan taunted.
“No,” she answered defiantly. “Does this level of security apply to the whole building?”
“Yes. I simply had a few extra fail-safes added to the penthouse apartment.”
“Why?”
“Why not?”
She glared at him for several seconds before insisting, “I can’t be kept a prisoner here.”
He shrugged. “As I said, it’s only until we get your thumbprint into the system and I supply you with the numbered code. Which, incidentally, changes daily.”
Her nose wrinkled her disapproval. “Is all that really necessary?”
As far as Declan was concerned, it was, even more so now that Fawn was living here too.
Taking that security down a notch, by either removing the new code every day or the thumbprint option, wasn’t something he was prepared to do.
He refused to put Fawn in danger because of the lifestyle he’d chosen for himself.
“Very,” he confirmed.
She gave a snort. “I’m guessing that Linus, being the tech wizard he’s reputed to be, managed to work his way around that? Which is why he’s been able to enter your apartment twice in the past week.”
“Linus installed the system. Not just here, but for the whole building.” Declan already knew, from working with the other man for the past two years, that even if Linus hadn’t installed the system, he could bypass any security to access any building he wanted.
And, Declan suddenly realized he was needlessly drawing out the conversation
He wasn’t ready to part from Fawn just yet. He had also now realized it was that feeling of wanting to be with her that had been the reason for his inability to stay in his bedroom and rest, despite being exhausted.
Part of the reason.
The other part was blatantly obvious from the hardness of his cock filling the front of his boxers!
The desire he felt for Fawn had only deepened after he touched her just now.
Feeling the smooth softness of her skin beneath his fingers had resulted in a tingling in his palm that had traveled the length of his arm and abdomen before centering in his balls.
He could literally feel the pre-cum now leaking from the tip of his throbbing cock.
“Declan…?”
He looked down to find Fawn staring at him, her gaze unflinching. Her expression was one of curiosity, as well as wariness, her head tilted at a questioning angle.
It was a curiosity that, whether he wanted it or not, was going to be answered if Declan didn’t excuse himself before the pre-cum soaking into his boxers resulted in an obvious wet patch. Which, in turn, would mean the air would become filled with the unmistakable aroma of his essence.
Nothing said I want to fuck you more than a wet patch on the front of a man’s boxers, accompanied by the added damning scent of the release of his arousal.
And yet Declan still couldn’t bring himself to walk away. “I want you to know that I’m here for you too. If you ever need me to be,” he added huskily.
Her throat moved as she swallowed. Her lips parted and then closed.
Opened and then closed for a second time.
Her expression was a strange mixture of confusion and want.
As if a part of her wanted to confide in him, but something was holding her back from doing so.
River?
Declan’s nostrils flared just thinking about the other man. A man Declan had decided he was going to know a lot more about once Linus got back to him with the information he had already asked the other man for, albeit by first having him talk to Danny Walker.
Declan hadn’t wanted to alarm Fawn by mentioning that Danny thought they might have been followed from the hospital earlier. Especially when Danny was unsure whether he was just overreacting. Hopefully, Declan would know more about that once Linus got back to him.
Which had better be pretty damned soon.