Touch&Geaux (4 page)

years.He was so intent on the certificate and what it meant that

he didn’t realize he had company until Ty sat on the edge of

his desk.

Zane smiled and gazed up at his partner. “Where’d you

run off to?”

19

“I was here,” Ty told him. “Wanted you to enjoy your day

in the sun so I made myself scarce.”

“Would’ve been just fine with you next to me,” Zane said,

but he smiled and shrugged. It was a sweet thought on Ty’s

part, and they’d been making a point not to hover over each

other at work functions. “Maybe you could have kept them

from ragging on me about my age. Apparently I’m the old

man of the department, which I find hard to believe.”

“No, I’m pretty sure you are.” Ty’s voice was teasing, but

there wasn’t much heart behind the effort. He reached behind

himself and picked something up he’d been hiding with his

body, setting it in front of Zane with a wistful smile.

Zane stared at the row of delicate white flowers stemming

from a sleek black pot, nonplussed until he realized what it

was.“An orchid.” He laughed, remembering the day Ty had

suggested they cut and run to start a flower shop together

and sell black-market orchids out of the back. He glanced

up at Ty as warmth spread through him. Anyone who knew

Ty may have said differently, but Zane knew he had a knack

for sentimental gestures. Of the two of them, Ty was the real

romantic.

Ty was smiling, but it didn’t reach his eyes. He was

fidgeting, messing with the USMC signet ring on his finger.

“Hey, what’s that about?” Zane asked, keeping his voice

low as he nudged Ty’s knee.

Ty looked up at the ceiling and inhaled deeply. “I think

you could call it melancholy,” he admitted. He didn’t even try

to deflect it with a joke or a denial.

“About . . . me being older than you?” Zane asked.

Ty shook his head and looked back down at the ring. “It’s

just . . . what am I going to do when you retire?”

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Zane blinked. “Retire? I . . . can’t say I’ve ever thought

about it.” The words grew more painful as they came out, as

it sunk in what Ty was thinking about. Them, apart. Or not

together, anyway. No longer partners.

“Well, I think about it all the time.” Ty reached out and

ran his hand down Zane’s face. “You ready to go home?”

The intimacy of both Ty’s comment and touch stopped

Zane’s immediate reply, and he considered his lover for a long

moment before nodding. “Yeah.”

Ty slid off the desk. He reached across it to gather his

keys and coat. Zane’s mind flashed back to the photograph of

them in bed together and suddenly it was important for him

to say something. He stood up and stepped around the desk

to stand close, catching Ty’s elbow with one hand. “Hey.”

They were close enough that Ty couldn’t even turn to

face Zane. He tried to, brushing his cheek against Zane’s

nose. Zane whispered in his ear. “I’m not going anywhere.

Not without you.”

Ty smiled, crow’s feet appearing briefly. He was staring at

Zane’s hand on his arm. “Okay.”

“Okay,” Zane said, even though it didn’t feel like the

subject was resolved at al . He watched Ty for a moment,

wondering if it was something they’d need to bring up later

or if the melancholy Ty had admitted to would pass naturally.

That’s how Ty usually handled these things.

“C’mon. I’ve got a hotel room all lined up for something

dirty. I also have cake,” Zane growled as he stepped back to

pick up the napkin-covered plate Alston had given him when

he’d cleaned up. He dropped his voice to a near-whisper and

grinned. “I’ll feed it to you.”

Ty laughed breathily and turned toward the elevators,

shaking his head.

21

Zane glanced at the framed certificate and decided to leave

it on his desk. It wasn’t something he wanted to think about

at home. In the reflection, he caught sight of a figure moving

down the hal way. They weren’t alone, after al . He turned to

look over his shoulder and saw Richard Burns stepping into

the stairwell. The door shut behind him, not making a sound.

Zane stared for a moment, then hurried to catch up with Ty.

“I didn’t see Director Burns here during the party, did

you?”

Ty shook his head and pushed the button on the elevator.

“No, why?”

“He was here.”

Ty turned and glanced past Zane at the empty floor.

“Pretty sure he wasn’t.”

“I’m pretty sure he was. I just saw him,” Zane said with

another look at the stairwell. “We can probably catch him if

the elevator hurries.”

But Ty shook his head. “Why would Dick be here?”

“You’re the one who said he called you.”

“I just used his name ’cause I knew you wouldn’t argue

when I said we had to come here.”

Zane searched Ty’s eyes for any hint of a lie, but saw

nothing to indicate one. He gave the stairwell door another

hard glare. He knew what he’d seen. Why the hell was Richard

Burns in Baltimore on a Friday night? And why wouldn’t he

come say hello? What was brewing? The elevator dinged and

Ty stepped in, holding the door.

“Zane?”

Zane nodded, eyes still on the stairwell as an uneasiness

began to settle in his chest.

22

y began to laugh when the Valkyrie turned toward the

T
waterfront instead of the row house.

“He’s actually going back to the hotel,” Ty muttered,

following in his old Mustang.

By the time Ty found a spot for the car, Zane had already

disappeared inside. Ty gave the front of the car a pat as he

walked by. He’d intended to spend the Easter weekend

working on her, since he’d only managed to restore the

mechanical and interior parts so far, but he had a feeling Zane

had other plans. Ty strolled into the lobby, expecting Zane

to be waiting for him, but he didn’t catch sight of his partner

anywhere.

“Special Agent Grady?” a woman asked from the front

desk.Ty walked over, still grinning.

“Your partner said to give this to you,” the young woman

said with a polite smile. She handed him a room key.

“Thank you.” Ty turned toward the elevators as he

searched for the room number on the envelope. He’d gotten a

suite. “Jesus, Zane. You go all out, don’t you?”

He hadn’t even gotten through the door of the suite when

he was grabbed and shoved against the wal . Hands found

their way under his tailored suit and lips pressed against his.

“Zane,” Ty gasped.

“You better hope it is,” Zane growled. “You ready to be

fed cake?”

23

Ty grinned, looking into Zane’s nearly black eyes. He

dragged his fingers over Zane’s shoulder, tugging at his dress

shirt, enjoying the way Zane’s eyes were drawn to his lips

when he licked them.

Zane’s voice dropped. “And some cream too?”

“Bad pun penalty,” Ty announced in the deep tones of a

sportscaster as he held up an imaginary red card.

Zane grabbed his wrist and pressed it against the wal .

“Oh, punish me,” he said as he started unbuttoning his shirt

with his other hand.

“I think I’m the one being punished.” They both laughed.

Ty tugged Zane’s shirt out of his pants and ran his hand

up Zane’s belly. Zane pressed against him and dragged his lips

over Ty’s. His grip tightened on Ty’s wrist and Ty’s heart sped

up. This first round was going to be hard and messy, he could

tell that much.

“Let’s get to the bed,” he managed to grumble. “Last time

we did this against a wal , my calves cramped for a week. And

my back has been killing me the last couple days.”

Zane chuckled and nodded. He put his lips against Ty’s

ear, then cupped Ty through his trousers. “Tell me where you

disappeared to tonight.”

Ty huffed against Zane’s cheek. “You think you can

torture me for information?”

“Yeah I do.” He nipped at Ty’s ear, and a shiver ran all the

way to Ty’s toes.

Ty tried to laugh, but it came out as a gasp as Zane

squeezed him again. “I had to get your orchid from the car.”

Zane turned his head to brush his nose against Ty’s cheek.

He was humming, as if trying to decide whether to accept Ty’s

explanation. He finally chuckled, then ran his hand up and

down Ty’s torso and kissed him.

24

“You’re lying.” Zane’s harsh whisper broke the kiss. Ty

groaned. “What were you up to?”

Ty slung his free arm over Zane’s shoulder, holding on

tight. “You always know.”

“You have a tell.”

Ty laughed, then sighed. “If I tell you now, you promise

to still fuck me?”

“Depends,” Zane growled.

“Mac pulled me aside. He said we’re going to have to start

looking at options that don’t involve undercover work soon.”

Zane took a small step back, his grip on Ty’s wrist

loosening. “Well, we knew that’d be coming soon. We’ve had

too much exposure.”

Ty nodded. “He said we have until November when those

calendars hit the shelves. Then we’re off UC work and into

strictly investigative stuff.”

Zane chewed on his lower lip, a frown creasing his brow

briefly before it passed and his fingers tightened against Ty’s

wrist again. “Maybe we can start talking about the afterlife

then.”

A grin stole over Ty’s lips and he nodded. The afterlife.

Their plans for when work no longer called them, for when

they could come out and truly build a life together. That

familiar warmth began to seep through Ty as he stared into

Zane’s eyes. It wasn’t the blinding flare of consuming heat it

had once been. The flash and bang were gone, but the desire

had grown into something less glitzy and more intense. Ty

would never get tired of feeling that way when Zane was

close.“I love you,” Ty said, a hint of longing in his voice that he

was surprised to hear. He didn’t want to have to wait for that

afterlife; he wanted it now.

25

Zane took Ty’s face in his hands. “I’m not going

anywhere.”

Ty’s stomach flipped at the mere thought, but he nodded.

Zane huffed, then he was against Ty again, kissing his

neck, holding him against the wall and murmuring into his

ear. “I have something for you. Something I need to ask you.”

“Ask me anything,” Ty whispered.

Zane wrapped an arm around him. Ty could feel him

trembling. His hand delved into his pocket, searching for

something as he gave Ty a slow, sensual kiss. The moment held

a sudden weight, something intense enough to push aside Ty’s

odd sense of impending trouble.

His instincts were proven right when his phone began to

ring.“Don’t answer it this time,” Zane murmured. His lips

dragged against Ty’s. “Please.”

Ty shook his head. They both knew he had to. He always

answered his phone, no matter the time of day or what he was

doing. Deuce was constantly complaining about Ty answering

his calls during sex.

Zane stepped away with a growl. His hand was still in his

pocket. “Better not be work.”

Ty’s eyes stayed on Zane as he stalked toward the large

window of the suite. “Grady,” he answered, voice still hoarse.

“Ty,” Nick O’Flaherty said in a low voice, small and

distorted over the phone.

“Nick?” Ty cleared his throat. It hadn’t been one of the

ring tones Ty associated with the man.

“I need your help.”

The simple phrase hit Ty hard, and his stomach tumbled.

“Why, what’s wrong? Where are you?” Ty demanded as he

26

trailed after Zane. Zane returned to his side and placed his

hand on the small of Ty’s back, leaning close to listen in.

“I’m in New Orleans,” Nick answered, his voice still

pitched low. “I need you to come down here.”

“Why, what happened?”

“I’ve been arrested. They’re going to charge me with

murder, Ty.”

Ty stood in stunned silence for a few moments before

looking up and turning to meet Zane’s eyes. “What?”

Zane gestured for him to hit the speaker button, and Ty

did.“I’m in jail in New Orleans,” Nick said slowly, as if

speaking to a child. “They think I killed somebody, Ty. You’ve

got to help me, man.”

“What do you want me to do, come bust you out?”

“Ty, you were assigned here for almost two years!”

Someone yelled something unintelligible in the background,

and when Nick spoke again his voice was lower. “I’m not

asking you to come get me out of jail. I’m asking you to come

down here and find the real killer!”

Ty looked down at the phone and shook his head.

“They’re not looking for anyone else,” Nick insisted.

“Who did you kill?”

“Nobody!”

Ty winced. “I mean, who do they think you killed?”

“I don’t even know. But Digger and I have been together

since I landed.”