Page 29 of The Devil's Mercy

Titus wasn’t one to complain. He’d gladly adjust and refine his palette to make the other man happy. It better fit his personal appearance anyway, since he was the one known for being stony and strict. At the hospital, he was admired for his rational thinking skills and his ability to separate emotions from nearly every aspect of his life.

Though their relationship was hardly a secret, they also had never waved it around. Even at Zane’s wedding a few months ago, they’d been careful not to get too close in front of their colleagues. It’d been hard for him to hold back, to stand idly by while the entire staff and every patient who entered the hospital who had eyes leered at what was his, but it’d been necessary.

Then.

Titus was calm and still, whereas Aodhan was brash and charming. The doctor could talk the pants off anyone he set his mind to—that was the major reason Titus had needed him to meet with Calix first—but it was also a trait that drove him a bit mad at times.

“These are from the shop across the street from the hospital.” He purposefully left the food untouched, settling more comfortably in his chair with his shoulders squared and his feelings on full display. “I believe we agreed you would stop going there.”

“You decided,” Aodhan corrected, moving to drop into the seat across from him at the small round table. “It was just the once. I had a craving, okay?”

“A craving?” He eyed the table more pointedly. “For dumplings?”

It’d taken Titus ages to get the other man to even try one. Aodhan had been so appalled by the thought of putting what he’d claimed was street food into his mouth. Rich little bastard hadn’t even understood the concept of street food orwhat it really was, but it’d been endearing in its own sort of way, watching him pout as Titus had insisted.

While naked.

With Aodhan tied up.

His finger traced the rim of one of the fancy golden-edged platters. “And who, might I enquire, is meant to eat these?”

Aodhan huffed and crossed his arms. “You wanted me to come up with a plan that didn’t involve my cock, remember? Well.” He motioned at the food with his chin. “This is it.”

He chuckled. “You really think you can win the detective over with a plate of dumplings?”

“After you had us starve him for nearly three days?” Aodhan quirked a brow. “Yeah. Yeah, I really do.”

“Touché.” He tilted his head. “Do you feel bad for him?”

“I feel hungry for him.” As if to prove it, the doctor reached forward and snatched a fried dumpling, popping the whole thing into his mouth. But when Titus merely snickered, he frowned.

“The fact you used your hands and not the chopsticks gave you away, baby. Your mind is clearly elsewhere. I can only assume it’s on Calix, and since your solution was to bring him food…”

“I operate on hearts,” Aodhan said. “That doesn’t mean I have one.”

“You have one. It belongs to me, remember?” Titus stood with a flourish. “But there’s enough to share, at least with our detective.” He sneered down at the dumplings. “No one else, little killer. Never anyone else.”

Aodhan rolled his eyes. “The girl you’re not so subtly alluding to doesn’t even work there anymore, Mercy. She quit ages ago.”

His eyes were already narrowing before the doctor seemed to catch his mistake.

Aodhan swore and dropped his gaze. “One of the nurses told me. That’s all. He recalled I used to order from there a lot and asked if I stopped because the waitress left.”

“Which nurse?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Are you protecting him?”

The doctor got up as well, shoving his hands into the pockets of his form-fitting black slacks. He hadn’t changed out of the clothes he’d gone to work in, and even though Titus had been teasing earlier, a closer look proved he’d been accurate in his assessment.

Aodhan was thinking too much.

That never boded well for others, Titus included.

“You’re trying to distract me,” Aodhan guessed. “Why? What happened after I left?”

“He failed to grasp his situation. Have you?”

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