Alex never thought of himself as gay and had even less of a clue that Shawn might be gay. This was an assignment and you did whatever was needed to survive.  The fact that he actually liked kissing Shawn and his body came alive every time Shawn touched him only made their undercover identities more believable.  Once the sting was over and they made their case, things would go back to normal, so Alex believed.

A Matter of Necessity was a romantic comedy with added suspense and drama.  Shawn was a lovesick puppy who drove Alex absolutely batty and I loved every minute of it.  Who wouldn't want this gorgeous g-man with a sexy Australian accent declaring to anyone who would listen how much he loves you?  Alex wanted to believe he didn't want Shawn, but he knew he would be lying.  He wanted Shawn just as much as Shawn wanted him, but Alex was afraid of the stigma of being gay.  I did feel for Alex and his struggle to come to terms with his attraction to another man, and Shawn's sweet, lovingly aggressive pursuit of him only added to his struggle.  Even though Shawn and Alex took a while to see eye to eye about their relationship, they never lost respect for one another as teammates or their fierce protectiveness of each other.  The reactions of their other teammates from the Bureau to their relationship was a mixed bag, with some reactions fitting perfectly to the comedic tone of the story.  I very much enjoyed reading A Matter of Necessity, a definite Joyfully Recommended read.