Declan had been only twenty-five, and he only had to look in a mirror to see the differences in himself from then to now. The young man lying next to the enthralled little boy, as they watched the red train circle the track, still had thick, dark, curly hair, and the lines beside his eyes were from laughter and happiness, not age and sadness.

  If Declan was feeling generous, nowadays he would call himself craggy. On the days he wasn’t, he would just call it like it was: he was middle-aged, and looked it, and any hint of real happiness had eluded him for a very long time.

  He raised his head to look across the room in the direction of the bedroom across the hallway. He’d meant what he said earlier; he had wanted to kiss and touch Fawn from the moment he first saw her. Trouble was, he didn’t have anything else to offer her other than passion. He had loved once, unwisely, and he associated losing his son with that ill-fated love.

  The number of times he had asked himself if Connall had been with him that day, instead of with Bridget and her husband, whether his son would still be safe and here with him.

  The answer to that question was always the same. Connall wasn’t here, safe or otherwise. He never would be.

  After one last lingering look, Declan put the photograph back in the drawer before closing it and turning his attention to taking the pills Fawn had left on the bedside unit, along with a glass of water. He’d barely had time to swallow them down when the vibration of his cell phone in his pocket told him he had an incoming call.

  A glance at the screen identified that caller. “Linus,” he greeted tersely.

  “The one and only,” the young man came back unabashed.

  Declan released a heavy sigh, knowing he was redirecting his current frustration onto the other man. “What can I help you with?” he returned in a pleasanter tone.

  “Just reporting in. I thought you would want to know that the man your pretty nurse shares her apartment with⁠—”

  “Is named River Meadows, and he’s her younger brother.”

  “She told you, huh?”

  “She told me, yes. And she might be pretty, very much so, but she isn’t mine.”

  “No?”

  “No.”

  “Looked like she could be to me,” Linus murmured speculatively.

  “What else do you have, if anything?” Declan prompted when the other man made no move to end the call after relaying this information. He certainly wasn’t about to get into further conversation about Fawn.

  “The thing is…much as I’ve searched, and I really have, I couldn’t find a registration of birth for either the brother or the sister.” Linus sounded deeply puzzled by this anomaly.

  Declan recalled Fawn’s remarks from earlier, especially the one about her parents not wanting any “government interference” in their lives. Which, it seemed, had also included registering their children’s births.

  “But presumably, they managed to get the necessary paperwork because Fawn works?” Fawn had mentioned that her brother also worked in bars and coffee shops, although both of those businesses could be paying him off the books.

  But somehow, Declan didn’t think that would be acceptable to Fawn. She might have loved her parents, but she gave no indication of wanting to live as irresponsibly as they had.

  “Brother and sister both applied for a National Insurance number and signed on with a doctor, dentist, etc., when they reached the age of eighteen,” Linus confirmed.

  That pretty much tied in with what Fawn had told Declan. To him, this amounted to gross negligence on her parents’ part, but to Fawn, it just seemed normal, probably because it was the only situation she had known growing up.

  “What about Koslov?” he asked, changing the subject.

  “Still looking for him.”

  “Isn’t this taking an unusually long time for you?” Declan knew that Linus was usually able to find whoever he was looking for within hours. Koslov had now been missing for half the afternoon and the whole evening, with Linus apparently no further forward in locating where he was now.

  “It happens sometimes, especially if the person I’m looking for is as wily as this guy,” Linus dismissed. “But I will find him, never fear.”

  “Maybe ask Nikolai if he’s seen him?” Declan drawled. “He seems to have a way of finding and eliminating any members of the Koslov family who annoy him.”

  Lucas gave a snort of laughter. “Already asked and been told, in no uncertain terms, that this member of the Koslov family is of no immediate interest to Nikolai or the bratva.”

  As Declan had guessed might be the case. “Did he say when or if it might become so?”

  “Nope.” Linus popped the p noisily. “But as Nikolai isn’t one for sharing information, until he decides otherwise, I’m just going to accept his word for now that he hasn’t seen Koslov and keep up my search for him. Let’s face it, he can’t have gone far.”

  “Let me know when you find him.”

  “Will do.”

  “And Linus… Thank you. I appreciate your help on this.”

  “Anytime,” the other man assured.

  “Thanks,” Declan said again before ending the call.

  By which time, his engorged cock had definitely deflated and required absolutely no attention from him!

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  The next three days passed without incident. Well…almost without incident.

  Fawn got up each morning, gave Declan his medication, fed him breakfast, and checked his wounds before they both got on with the rest of their day.

  Declan spent most of that time in the lounge reading or answering and making telephone calls. He’d had several visitors, predominantly Thea Morgan and Fergus Wynter. They had visited several times together.

  Fergus had come on his own once, and Fawn had clearly heard him growl at Declan to “hurry the fuck up and get better so you can walk my bride down the aisle.” Fergus’s impatience to marry the love of his life could clearly be heard in the fierceness of his tone. Just as Thea’s stubborn insistence to have Declan be the one to walk her down the aisle was unrelenting. Declan had been smiling when Fergus left, so he obviously wasn’t in the least bothered by the other man’s frustration.

  In between admitting visitors, Fawn took care of washing and cleaning, making Declan drinks, and planning and cooking their meals, as well as giving her patient his pain meds at the appropriate times.

  Who knew it would be the changing of the dressings on Declan’s naked and deliciously muscular back that would become Fawn’s daily torment?

  Declan usually sat on the bed with his back toward her, nullifying their height difference and so allowing Fawn to remove the old dressings and clean the wounds before applying new ones.

  Declan had such a broad torso and wide shoulders, the muscles defined. Touching all that bare flesh caused Fawn’s breath to catch in her throat and her hands to tremble slightly. Every time.

  She really, really hoped that Declan hadn’t noticed either of the latter, but she somehow knew that those shrewd blue eyes understood exactly what her reaction was to seeing and touching his bare skin.

  But neither of them spoke of it.

  No, instead, that total physical awareness stretched between the two of them as if there was an invisible wire extending from Fawn’s fingertips and pulling on her taut nipples and the swollen berry between her thighs.

  It had become so intense that Fawn’s calls to River every morning and evening were her only respite from this total sexual awareness of Declan, whether they were in the same room or otherwise.

  Luckily, all those phone calls had resulted in River reassuring her of his continued well-being, even if he could be a little testy at times.

  Fawn couldn’t fault him for that, knowing she would probably feel the same way in his position. She also refused to apologize for her fussing. This was the first time she could remember the two of them living apart, even if only for a few days, since River had moved to London to live with her almost three years ago.

  She didn’t tell River about the men standing guard outside their apartment, making sure he remained safe. If it became necessary for her brother to know about the man hunting Declan, then Fawn would tell her brother about the situation, but for now, she didn’t want to worry him unnecessarily. With any luck, this man Koslov would very quickly be found and dealt with.

  Fawn shied away from dwelling on thoughts of what “dealt with” might mean to men like Declan or the ruthless Nikolai Volkov who Declan had described to her.

  Despite Fawn’s increasing arousal whenever she touched Declan, there had been no repeat of the kisses the two of them had shared that first evening.

  Fawn wasn’t sure how she felt about that.

  Relief that they had managed to resume a nurse/patient relationship.

  Disappointment, because she would be lying, mainly to herself, if she didn’t admit to aching inside for a repeat of those hungry kisses.

  A constant longing that completely fled her thoughts when, on the fourth day of staying in Declan’s apartment with him, River failed to answer her morning telephone call.

  She immediately sought out Declan, finding him in the kitchen where he was already preparing a pot of the strong coffee he seemed to enjoy in the mornings. He had been doing more and more things for himself, with no apparent signs of strain, so Fawn very much doubted he was going to need her for the whole two weeks.

  “I have to go out,” she told him now without preamble, already pulling on her jacket after pushing her cell phone and credit cards into the back pocket of her jeans.

  He turned to face her before answering. “I installed your thumbprint on the system and gave you the code to use the elevator only as a safety precaution because you asked me to and in case of an emergency. I’ve already explained that I don’t want you to use them⁠—”

  “And I’m telling you that I have to go out!” She glared at him, sure that she must look like something feral, having no doubt her face was red, the expression in her eyes wild, and her long blonde hair a loose swirl about her shoulders.

  She didn’t give a damn what she looked like. Her concern for River was all that was important, and she didn’t have time to be polite to Declan on the subject.

  His eyes narrowed. “First, tell me why the urgency?”

  “River isn’t answering my calls.”

  His mouth twisted. “Maybe he’s hungover.”

  “River doesn’t drink.”

  “He works in a bar!”

  “He still doesn’t drink alcohol.”

  “Then maybe he got lucky last night, and taking a call from his big sister the morning after would put a dampener on that?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Do men ever think of anything else but sex?”

  “I’m not sure about other men, you would have to ask them, but I admit it’s been on my own mind almost constantly for the past seven days, but more so the last three.”

  The two of them first met seven days ago, Fawn realized, and she had moved into his apartment with him three days ago. Coincidence? Or was Declan really telling her that he had been having the same sexual fantasies about her as she had him for the past week? If that was the case, then he’d made very sure she hadn’t known about it.

  She shot Declan an impatient glance. “I don’t have time for this. I need⁠—”

  “You need to calm down is what you need to do.” Declan reached out and took a firm grip of her arm. “There could be any number of reasons River isn’t answering your calls right now⁠—”

  “No, there really couldn’t.” She pulled out of his grip, no doubt adding to the bruises she still had on her arm from the last time she had done that. “We have a deal that he is always to answer whenever I call him.”

  “Maybe he’s using the bathroom or taking a bath?”

  “He takes his cell phone in there with him too.”

  “At your request?”

  “Yes,” she challenged.

  Declan shook his head. “I never had a sister, but I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have appreciated her intrusion into my life on the level you seem to be in River’s.”

  A nerve pulsed in her clenched cheek. “You know absolutely nothing about my relationship with River.”

  “I don’t need to know any more than I already do to know that you’re way too overprotective of a grown man⁠—”

  “Fuck you and the horse you rode in on!” Fawn bit out furiously, her hands clenched at her sides.

  Declan drew back with a splutter of disbelief. “What the hell does that even mean?”

  “Look it up,” she dismissed impatiently. “I certainly don’t have the time to explain it to you. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I really have to—” She broke off, deeply annoyed at having Declan silence her with a raised finger before taking his cell phone from the back pocket of his jeans and making a call. “What are you doing?” she demanded.

  “Just wait,” he instructed. “Declan,” he stated when his call was obviously answered. “Have you seen River Meadows this morning? No. Okay, go and knock on his door. If he doesn’t answer⁠—”

  “Tell them to break it down,” Fawn cut in, having now realized that Declan had to be talking to one of the men outside their apartment guarding River. Maybe Danny.

  “Hold on a minute, Danny.” Declan confirmed that guess before he slowly lowered his cell phone to stare at Fawn. “You really want them to break down the door of your apartment if your brother doesn’t answer when they knock?”

  “Yes!”

  Declan looked incredulous at her vehemence. “Isn’t that a little extreme when River could just be sleeping late or might have gone out for a carton of milk?”

  “River doesn’t sleep well, let alone late. Plus, you already said your men haven’t seen him yet this morning, so he can’t have gone out for milk,” she reminded forcefully. “Even if he had, he would have taken his cell phone with him.”

  “Maybe it needed recharging?”

  “Enough excuses,” she snapped. “Just instruct Danny to get into the apartment by any means necessary if River doesn’t answer when they knock.” She bit out each word individually in order to underline the urgency of her request.

  “Okay.” Declan nodded after seeing her rising agitation from the rapid rise and fall of her chest. “But as soon as I end this call, you’re going to explain to me why we’re doing this.”

  “Fine,” she dismissed. “Just please, please, ask Danny to check on River. When he has, ask him to call you straight back.”

  Declan issued that instruction, exactly as she had requested, before ending the call. “Now explain to me exactly what is going on.” It sounded like such an innocuous request. And Fawn supposed, in many situations, it probably was. Except in their case, Declan was asking for her to relate the reality that was her own and River’s lives. Mostly River’s, but as the big sister who loved him to the moon and back, it affected her life too.

  She drew in a deep and calming breath as she considered the situation. Finally, she came to the conclusion that she would tell Declan as much as she thought he needed to know. After all, despite having kissed each other three days ago, their relationship was still only that of a nurse and her patient. Which meant her private life, and that of her brother, was really none of Declan’s business.

  “Before you try to fob me off with half-truths, I want you to consider that I currently have a team of men from Wynter Security actively protecting your brother,” Declan reminded softly.

  “Only because they’re keeping him safe from the man who is seeking revenge on you,” she snapped right back.

  He grimaced. “Fair point. But it doesn’t change the fact that I can utilize that protection far more efficiently if I’m aware of all the circumstances.”

  Declan was right. Of course, he was. Fawn just didn’t like sharing what was River’s reality with outsiders. Even ones who had proven themselves to be as capable as Declan obviously was.

  From the evasive expression that flickered briefly across Fawn’s face before she managed to contain it, Declan could tell that she was going to try and fob him off by only telling him as much of the truth as she considered necessary to get him and his questions off her back.

  Which, in his opinion, wasn’t good enough.

  The daily verbal reports he’d received from Danny over the past few days told him that the team had followed River Meadows to his job at a bar the first two nights, with a visit to the hospital yesterday afternoon, followed by River Meadows spending the evening at his apartment. From the flickering of the screen through the drawn curtains, Danny had deduced the other man was either watching television or gaming.

  While his sister worked her butt off trying to support them both. A part-time bar job certainly wasn’t going to add much to their joint coffers.

  Unless… “Why did River go to the hospital yesterday afternoon?” Declan now demanded to know.

  Fawn visibly startled before that reaction was smoothed from her expression too. “He has friends there who he visits⁠—”

  “Don’t fuck with me, Fawn,” Declan warned from between gritted teeth, knowing that was exactly what she was doing. She had a tell when she lied, a slight shifting away of her gaze before it came back as challenging as ever. “I despise lies and the people who tell them.”

  She bristled at the accusation. “River does have friends at the hospital.”

  Which Declan could see was the truth. “But that isn’t the reason he was there yesterday afternoon, is it?”

  Declan could see by the flitting away of Fawn’s gaze, again, that she was about to deflect. By omission, if nothing else.

  Lying in any form, including omission, was something Declan wouldn’t tolerate. Fawn should know that, considering what he had told her about his marriage and divorce.

  It was probably as well that his cell phone vibrated again at that moment and so prevented Fawn from falling into the deep, dark abyss of earning Declan’s distrust.

  The caller ID told him it was Danny calling back. “That didn’t take— What?” Declan gave Fawn a sharp glance.

 

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