by Abigail Roux
“Who wants to go through his fun bag?” Owen asked.
“Guarantee you he has it booby-trapped,” Ty muttered.
Ty and Owen shared a glance. Nick held out his fist and the other two followed suit. “Two out of three.”
Ty slapped Owen on the arm. “Close your eyes, man.”
“Why?”
“You got a tell.”
“I have a tell at Rock, Paper, Scissors?”
Ty and Nick both nodded.
“And you tell me ten years later? You’re both assholes!”
Zane chuckled from across the room, but Liam walked away in disgust. “You’re all bloody idiots.”
Zane lay on one side of the full-sized guest bed, unable to sleep as the plans for the next day ran through his analytical mind. There was so much that could go wrong. Too much. People would probably die tomorrow. He might be one of them. Ty might be one of them.
Ty had set up a staggered watch so no one would be on together too long. He obviously didn’t trust Liam, but with a man down, they had to use him. Zane could hear the occasional creak of steps as Digger and Liam moved about, taking their turns.
Owen and Nick had argued over going to the hospital to check on Kelly. Nick insisted there was no way to connect Kelly to them, and the best way to keep him safe was to stay away from him. Owen seemed almost desperate to get news, though, and Zane’s heart went out to all of them. Not knowing if Kelly was alive or dead had to be driving them all crazy. Nick and Owen had moved to the larger bedroom, still arguing, leaving Ty and Zane to share this tiny bed in awkward, weighted silence. Ty had retreated to the shower with very little to say, and Zane had crawled into bed with a heavy heart and mind.
Now, Ty curled in the bed beside him. His back was to Zane and he had a pillow over his head so it was impossible to even see him. But Zane watched him anyway in the moonlight that filtered through the window.
He couldn’t get over the fact that he’d met Ty years ago. An introduction so fleeting he hadn’t even remembered what Ty looked like. When tragedy had struck Zane’s life, that simple meeting had influenced him in ways he had never truly pondered. Ty had done that, touched his life even before he knew him.
Ty had said it was fate. But Zane didn’t believe in fate.
Zane reached across the bed and poked him.
Ty jerked, and the pillow moved as he raised his head. “What?”
“How’d you know he was here?”
“What?” Ty asked. He rolled enough to be able to see Zane.
“Liam. You hallucinated him in the hospital before you found the note in my pocket. So how’d you know he was here?”
Ty settled onto his back, rubbing at his face. “I don’t know. I hadn’t thought about it.”
“Yes you have, Ty. You think about everything.”
Ty turned his head to look at Zane.
“How’d you know he was here?”
Ty’s focus drifted until it was on the wall over Zane’s shoulder.
“You think it was magic, don’t you? Voodoo. Fate.”
“I don’t know.” Ty sighed and pushed the pillow away. “You don’t believe in any of it, so what does it matter?”
“I believe in you,” Zane whispered. Ty looked at him sharply. “I believe you used to be one scary son of a bitch, Ty. Everything I’ve been told, the glimpses I’ve seen from you. What I’ve heard from Miami.”
Ty was hoarse when he spoke. “What’s your point, Zane?”
“I think you put that person behind you because you hated him. Because it scared you.”
Ty swallowed hard and snorted.
“You’re not a coward, Ty. I know what it takes to scare you. And I think the thing you’re afraid of more than anything in the world is yourself. But when Richard Burns told you I was in trouble, you brought that man back out. For me.”
Ty stared at the ceiling, unwilling or unable to meet Zane’s eyes. He was holding his breath, and as Zane’s eyes adjusted to the dark, he could see Ty trembling.
“I’d still do it again,” Ty finally whispered.
Goose bumps rose all over Zane’s body. He wondered what it would be like to see the man Ty was so frightened of showing him. He could see Ty closing off, so he switched directions. “When did you learn to speak Russian?”
“I can’t.”
“Liam said something to you today. He spoke in Russian.”
Ty sighed. “I can understand it okay but I can’t speak it. I could never get the hang of it. He tried to teach me.”
“What did he say?”
Ty licked his lips, staring at the ceiling. “He told me there was no use in getting hurt in a fight for a man I’d lost.”
Zane pushed onto his elbow, his eyes raking over the shadows that made up Ty’s face. “He’s you, isn’t he?” A frown marred his features. “He’s what you were like ten years ago.”
Ty took a shaky breath. “Yes.”
“What changed you?”
“Richard Burns gave me a cause.” He closed his eyes and turned his head away.
Zane fell silent, trying to connect the new pieces of the man in front of him. Nick had said the only thing keeping Ty on the ground was a sense of purpose. A cause. Now that Burns had turned his back on him, what would happen to Ty when this was over? Would he spiral away? Zane remembered the piece of silver Ty had melted down for him, the anchor etched into it. Pain and fear flooded him, squeezing his chest.
The only thing he could make of it was that, tomorrow, Ty intended to risk a bullet to the chest for him. Zane wanted to shake him, to scream at him. As angry as he had been, as willing to walk away as he’d thought he was, the thought of never finding all these pieces to the puzzle, of losing Ty now, setting Ty adrift in that big sea of his mind, was terrifying.
Zane reached out, sliding his hand over Ty’s waist beneath the covers. Ty tensed under his fingers, but Zane scooted into the neutral territory of the bed anyway, wrapping his arm over Ty’s waist, pulling himself closer. He shoved his face against Ty’s cheek and inhaled deeply. Ty’s shoulder was rigid against him.
But then, Ty reached up for him. His fingers brushed through Zane’s hair. His hand was cool against Zane’s skin when he placed it on Zane’s ribs.
He pushed his forehead against Zane’s lips. Zane kissed his skin. “You’re still,” Zane whispered. “That means you’re expending so much energy worrying, your body doesn’t need to fidget.”
Ty laughed, but it was a hollow sound. “I love that you know that about me,” he said sadly. His fingers tightened against Zane’s back. “I don’t know how to make this better, Zane.”
Zane closed his eyes. He didn’t either. The words settled in the room like fog rolling in off the Mississippi. Zane’s mouth went dry. “It can’t be over,” he whispered. “Right? Not when neither of us want it to be.”
Ty lifted his head, and they lay facing each other in the dark.
“We’ve never made it simple,” Zane finally said.
Ty laid his hand on Zane’s cheek. “I swear to you, Zane. I thought what I was doing was right. I searched for you after I left New York. You were out of my reach. When Burns read me in, the only thing I could think of was that it was the only way of getting back to you. Being partnered with you full-time, being able . . . being able to see you every day, to have you in my life. When he said you might need protecting, it was the only thing I heard. I swear to you. All I wanted from the day I left you in that hospital was you. To be back there with you.”
Zane throat tightened. The sincerity in Ty’s eyes, the desperation in his voice, those weren’t things he could fake, were they? “Ty . . .”
“What do you need me to do? I’ll do it, Zane, whatever you need to save us.”
Zane swore before he captured Ty’s lips in a desperate kiss. When he pulled back, it was only barely, and their lips brushed as he said, “Goddamn you, Ty.” By the time he got the last word out, Ty was pulling him closer by the back of the neck to kiss him again. “Feel like I’ve be
en on a goddamn seesaw,” Zane growled, his fingers dragging over Ty’s skin.
“I’m sorry,” Ty breathed. His hand trailed along Zane’s hip, fingers sliding under his boxers. He pulled away from the kiss and pressed his face against Zane’s, sliding his nose against Zane’s cheek.
A shiver ran through Zane. Ty’s hands were warm against the goose bumps. Zane kissed him again, leaning back so Ty would have to roll on top of him to continue the kiss.
“You were worth it,” Ty murmured.
That jolt of intense arousal and connection made its way through Zane’s body. The effect Ty had on him was something he would never find anywhere else, he knew that much. He shivered again as Ty’s fingers brushed his skin.
Ty slid his hands under Zane’s shirt, pushing the material up. Zane sat to help him get the shirt off, wrapping his arms around Ty’s waist lifting his head for a kiss. Ty’s hands cupped his face. The kiss was gentle and tentative, so unlike what Zane was used to.
“You were right, you know,” Ty whispered.
“About what?”
Ty swallowed hard. “I sold my soul a long time ago.”
Ty gripped Zane’s shoulder and pressed him down, laying him out again, then stretched out over Zane, his hand dragging down Zane’s body to push at his boxers.
“Ty,” Zane gasped.
Ty kissed him. Zane trailed the tips of his fingers down Ty’s arm, sliding over the tattoo and the scars and the muscles.
“Do you really believe that?” Zane asked.
“I know it. I will never be the man you think I am.”
Zane’s breaths came harder. “We’ve both been trying so hard to be worthy of each other.”
Ty nodded and pressed another kiss to Zane’s lips, drawing it out, deepening it, putting some fire into it. He tossed Zane’s boxers over the edge of the bed as soon as Zane shimmied out of them, then rested his weight over Zane, propping on his elbows and sliding both hands into Zane’s hair. He dragged his body against Zane’s and Zane spread his legs around him, squeezing his ribs with his knees. He slid his hands up Ty’s back and hooked his arms under his, effectively latching onto him. Ty began to rock, his muscles twisting and bulging, the movement pushing their thickened cocks together.
Zane’s entire body throbbed. He thought Ty would be able to feel his heart, it was beating so hard. Breathing was difficult as he inhaled Ty’s familiar scent. They were on the eve of battle, making love in the calm before the storm, and it heightened Zane’s senses to know this might be the last time Ty touched him.
He arched, feet sliding down the backs of Ty’s legs, body writhing to increase the friction between them. He squeezed his thighs against Ty’s hips, loving the way it felt when Ty thrust against him. He wasn’t concerned with the endgame. He didn’t care if either of them came. He didn’t desperately need Ty inside him. He just wanted this feeling to last.
His hands found Ty’s hair, tightening. Ty hitched against his body, continuing to rock and slide as he kissed him harder.
“I love you, Zane,” Ty gasped. “Nothing I’ve done will ever change that.”
Pleasure curled in Zane’s groin, but it was joined by another curl, deep in his chest. He found Ty’s eyes, gone dark with arousal. His body was hard and solid on top of Zane’s, nothing wasted. The lines around his eyes and mouth bore witness to the trials he’d faced, and his skin was marred by years in the trenches of good and evil, battling back again and again to become the only person Zane had ever trusted with his life.
Zane ran his thumb over Ty’s cheek, seeing him suddenly with new eyes. Ty had never tried to be something he wasn’t. He’d never tried to hide what he was. Warrior. Weapon. Bad guy. Zane knew what he was. The pain and betrayal faded. The world faded.
Ty turned his face under Zane’s thumb and kissed his palm. Zane raised his hips, pushing his cock against Ty’s thigh.
“Zane,” Ty moaned, lowering his forehead to Zane’s shoulder and flexing his back and hips to keep the wildly arousing rhythm going. “I need you.”
Zane didn’t answer. He knew Ty needed him, could feel it in the very air they breathed. He pressed his nose and mouth against Ty’s cheek, clenched hard at Ty’s shoulder and hair, body writhing beneath Ty’s. His cock slid against hard muscle and soft skin. Ty’s cock drove against his hip and stomach, pressing against his.
Ty bit down on the curve of Zane’s neck as he shoved a little harder against him, and a jolt went through Zane’s body. Ty hummed against his skin until it degenerated into a low growl. The rocking stopped, shifting into a more sinuous, deliberate pressure.
“Oh Jesus, Ty,” Zane gasped out.
Now he needed Ty inside him. It felt like he’d stuck his finger in a light socket, electricity zigzagging through him wherever Ty touched, settling deep in his belly, coiling. Ty knew exactly what he was doing to him and exploited it mercilessly, egging on the pleasure racking Zane’s body with a violent kiss. Zane bucked his hips as Ty’s tongue lapped at his. Ty grasped Zane’s hands, lacing their fingers together, slid them under Zane’s head until their chests touched, and pinned them to the mattress. Zane’s body was completely at Ty’s mercy.
Zane forced his eyes open and found Ty’s as he surrendered all control to him. He trusted him, despite everything, despite trying to convince himself he couldn’t. He trusted Ty with his body. He always had. He trusted Ty with his heart. It was his very soul that Ty had the power to break.
Ty captured Zane’s mouth in a kiss.
Sensation overflowed for a brief, shining moment. Ty’s lips against his. The warmth and weight of his body, the way he felt between Zane’s thighs. The sensual rocking of his hips, their cocks sliding, leaking. Then it all came crashing down. He arched his back, squeezing Ty’s hips, groaning Ty’s name into their kiss, his entire body spasming and tightening as his orgasm crashed over him. Ty didn’t let up, didn’t pull away, still rubbing against him, sliding slick now between their bellies.
“Zane,” Ty growled against his ear.
Zane was still gasping for breath, sensations and emotions washing over him in a jumble. He panted against the skin of Ty’s neck, unable to do anything more than inhale his scent.
Ty released Zane’s hands and pushed himself to his knees. Zane grabbed him by the shoulder. “You’re not done.”
Ty leaned over him to kiss him again. He reached between them, swiping one hand down Zane’s slick abdomen and cock, stroking down to Zane’s thighs and urging them apart.
Zane let his knees fall to the sides, spreading his legs wider. Ty kissed the inside of Zane’s knee, then crawled backward. He left the bed and went in search of one of their bags, leaving Zane to try to regain his breath alone.
When Ty returned, he crawled between Zane’s legs and ran his tongue along Zane’s stomach. Zane lifted his head to watch, fascinated as Ty licked his cum from his abs.
“Ty,” he gasped.
Ty knelt, running his hand through Zane’s cum, spreading it across his stomach. Then he added a generous amount of lube to his palm and used that hand to grip his own straining cock. Zane pulled one leg up and rolled over onto his stomach, inviting Ty to take him. Ty gripped one of Zane’s hips and moved in close, wasting no time pushing in.
Zane’s fingers dragged across the sheets. Ty’s hand found his and he laced their fingers together, clenching as he pushed in deeper. Once he was as far as he could get, he laid his body out over Zane’s, kissing Zane’s shoulder, enveloping him in strong arms. His breathing broke into sharp pants.
“Come on, Ty,” Zane panted, rolling his hips just enough to spur Ty into action.
Ty pressed his face against Zane’s back, groaning, kissing his skin. He pulled most of the way out before thrusting in again with a ragged curse. Zane gasped, arching. Ty tortured Zane with that incredible slow slide of his cock several more times, his breaths in Zane’s ear, before he lost control and shoved in deeper.
Zane would never enjoy anything more than Ty taking him from behi
nd. His chest pressed into the mattress, Ty’s lips at his ear. The way Ty held him close, found his way into Zane’s very soul.
Ty pulled Zane’s hips up, curling until he could reach to tease at Zane’s mouth with his tongue, trailing the taste of his cum along swollen lips. His hand slid over Zane’s shoulder, closing over his chest, hugging him close.
There was nowhere to go, nowhere to run from the intimacy or the pleasure. And Zane didn’t mind one bit.
When Ty moved again, it was a steady rolling of his hips, and he didn’t relinquish Zane’s mouth. More kisses, more intensity, faster rocking, harder thrusts . . . the thrill echoed through them as Ty held on tight. Zane managed to gasp out Ty’s name through the kiss, urging him on, begging him. Ty never sped up his motions, though, just continued to thrust in, rocking in time with Zane’s panting breaths.
Finally, he buried his face against Zane’s shoulder and gasped, choking out Zane’s name. His body locked up and he shoved in deep, shaking all over but still rocking as he climaxed.
Zane closed his eyes, drinking it in, sharing it with his lover. He shifted his hips and arched his back in an attempt to extend the pleasure.
Ty sagged over him, struggling for air, but each time he got half a breath, his chest caught and an aftershock tore through him. Zane could feel it echoing through Ty to himself.
After several long moments, Ty pulled out of him with a sound that was almost a sob and collapsed at his side.
Zane lay where he was, unable to move even if he’d wanted to. He snaked a hand across the short distance between them and slid his fingers into Ty’s. Ty’s hand closed around his with a gentle squeeze.
“I just need to be able to trust you, Ty,” he whispered.
“You can. I swear you can. I’d die for you, Zane.”
Zane’s heart was in his throat as he studied Ty’s profile. “I know.”
Ty had a handful of cartridges laid out in front of him, some the .40 caliber rounds for Zane’s Glock, and some the high-powered, armor-piercing monstrosities that loaded Liam’s sniper rifle. Ty wished they could have found less deadly ammunition, but this was all they had to work with.
