Cut And Run - Divide And Conquer Part 25

"Yeah, beer," Nick answered as they both moved past the base of the stairs into the kitchen. So Nick apparently was staying. Zane frowned, again trying to decide what to do. Listening to Ty talk to an old friend while sitting there with them was one thing. Skulking at the top of the stairs was another. Hed catch certain h.e.l.l from Ty if he were caught, and that was enough to have Zane moving back toward the bathroom, albeit reluctantly.

"You look like h.e.l.l, man," he heard Nick say. His tone of voice now, when they were away from the others, was different somehow. More serious and sincere, less teasing. Zane hesitated to call it intimate.

Ty didnt respond to the observation with a smart-a.s.s remark or try to deflect it. He didnt respond verbally at all, not that Zane could hear. Zane stood at the bathroom door, gripping the doorjamb, wondering if Ty would admit to Nick what hed tried to deny to Zane, that he was exhausted, scared, stressed, and uncertain.

Ty finally just laughed softly.

"Are you sleeping?" Nick asked. It was the same question Ty always asked Zane when he knew the answer already. "Some. I know I look like warmed-over c.r.a.p, man. I feel like it too," Ty answered, his voice hoa.r.s.e but managing to sound flippant anyway. "Its fine. You didnt stay because Owen kicks in his sleep. Or to ask me about my sleep."

"No," Nick admitted readily. "You two work well together?" "Zane?" Ty asked. He laughed again. "You wouldnt think so from the outside, would you?"

"He doesnt appear the type you usually get on board with, no. He sort of reminds me of that DOD guy-what was his name?" "Pike?" Ty responded, uncertainty lacing his voice.

"Yeah! Ramrod straight, Ray-Bans, always holding a file."

"No, man, Pike was an officious d.i.c.k. Zanes a good guy. Hes stellar. I trust him." "Good," Nick said, so softly Zane almost didnt hear it. He was silent for almost a minute, then added, "Was Pike the one we hung over the railing?"

Ty burst into laughter, the sound clear as a bell as it reached Zanes ears. Nicks laughter joined it. "Oh G.o.d, that was funny," Ty murmured contentedly. "The screams."

"Almost got the brig for it."

"Worth it," Ty acknowledged.

There was another long silence, almost enough for Zane to retreat to the bathroom again. But Nicks next question, seemingly out of nowhere, arrested his retreat.

"You still dreaming?" Nick asked, his voice lowered reverently like that of a man in church. Or a man with a secret. Ty remained silent for several heartbeats. "Mostly its just the desert," he finally answered, sounding somewhat troubled. "But its not bad, Im just there. Dont know which way is up, which way is safety, which way goes... back. I wake up tasting sand instead of blood, now. Theyre not like they used to be."

Zane was intimately familiar with the results of some of Tys dreams and nightmares, and he knew about the desert. He snorted softly. Hed never asked Ty to tell him, and Ty had never offered. "Dont know which way is up" described his own situation pretty d.a.m.n well right now. Lost. Lost in the dark instead of the sand. Maybe Ty really did understand, just a little bit.

He knew Ty and Nick had been close, very close, close born of blood and beer and sweat and tears and all of that cliched Band of Brothers s.h.i.t that really was true. Zane just wondered if they were still that close and how it was possible he didnt know about it after practically living in Tys pocket for almost half a year.

"How about you?" Ty asked. "You still dream?" "Every once in a while," Nick answered. He sounded almost haunted. "I still wake up screaming your name, man. Just like you never came back."

"But I did," Ty answered calmly.

Zane heard Nick snort. "And I dream about that d.a.m.n table." "Me too," Ty admitted, the whispered words painful and drawn.

Shifting uncomfortably, Zane laid his cheek against the cool wood of the doorframe. Something had happened to them, to Ty and Nick, something like how New York City and a serial killer had happened to Ty and Zane. Something horrible enough to make Ty sound like that when he spoke of it.

The silence below felt heavy with the past, and Zanes mind strayed toward painful memories of his own before Nick pulled his attention back.

"Anyone but you, man, and Id have died out there," Nick said, his voice harsh and laid bare. "We both would have," Ty responded, his voice calm again, in stark contrast. "Its back there, Nick. Stay right here." Zane heard his knuckles rap the wooden table. "Come on," he finally said gently, and Zane heard a chair being pushed back against the hardwood floor. "You can take the pullout. Ill bunk with Garrett."

"Hey, Ty? I may be drunk and I may be Irish, but Im not stupid," Nick drawled, letting the words run into each other almost insolently. "I remember what on the brink looked like, and it had your eyes."

Zane opened his eyes even though it was to complete darkness. He ought to get into the bedroom now while he had the chance, ought to at least shut the bathroom door, ought to know better... but on the brink... of what?

"Talk to me, Grady," Nick urged, and after a moment of silence, he added, "I mean, Jesus, after what weve been through, if you cant tell me, who can you tell?"

"Theres nothing wrong, O," Ty insisted, his voice remarkably calm and honest. "I promise."

"Okay," Nick murmured, giving in and sounding unhappy about it. Zane could hear Ty moving, steps slow and measured and not nearly as quiet as when he was sober. "Good night," Ty said to Nick, the tone of the words effectively saying "dont ask me again."

Zane stepped inside the bathroom and pushed the door shut with a quiet snick, figuring Ty would be on his way up the stairs. Better for him to come out of the bathroom and be told where to sleep rather than picking the wrong place to be. He leaned back against the closed door, wondering about the tone of Tys voice. He sighed, wishing he hadnt listened. He hadnt heard anything inappropriate. In fact, hed heard Ty say some pretty d.a.m.n nice things about him. But it just raised more questions he couldnt get answers to. Shaking his head, he turned in place and reopened the door.

The impact with Tys body was almost immediate. Ty whuffed and wrapped his arms around Zane to catch his balance. "Slow down, Hoss," Ty murmured. Zane could sense a smile there, but there was also lingering discomfort or annoyance. And a lot of beer on his breath. "You going up?"

"I... I wasnt sure where to go," Zane mumbled, not knowing if Nick was right there or not. Tys hands came up to cover his cheeks, fingers pressed against the beard growing in after five days without shaving. He could feel Tys breath on his neck as he whispered, "I know I smell like beer. But Id rather have you in my bed tonight than the Irish."

Zane shivered. No Nick, then. "You smell like you, mostly," he said. Ty kissed him without another word. It was a quick, almost furtive kiss, but there was heat behind it, too, and the sour tang of the beer was fainter on Tys lips than Zane had expected. The steps below creaked, and Ty pulled away from him and gave his shoulders a turn, heading him in the general direction of the bedroom. A moment later Nick was murmuring goodnight to them both as he pa.s.sed on to the third-floor stairs, and Ty shut the door to his bedroom behind them.

"Wont he think this is weird?" Zane asked, keeping his voice down. "Theres only two beds in the house. He usually sleeps with me, the others fight over the couches. I told him you needed to be within stumbling distance of the bathroom, less stairs." Tys hand found its way to Zanes lower back. "Would you rather he sleep here and you go upstairs?"

"h.e.l.l no," Zane swore under his breath. "Its just... hes your friend and all. A Marine. I didnt know if you had... in the past... does he know that you...." Zane paused for a breath. "Never mind. Im tired and youre drunk. Time to sleep."

"Are you asking if Nick and I have f.u.c.ked?" Ty asked, plowing through all the gentle euphemisms he could have used, getting right to the point.

Something inside Zane curled awkwardly, and he flinched, aware of being silent for too long. "I actually hadnt gotten that far in thinking about the afriends through thick and thin. More along the lines of would he have any reason to think we might be more than work partners." But now he also wanted to know the answer to the question Ty had thrown out there.

"If youre uncomfortable, I can sleep on the couch," Ty offered, voice low and soothing, just like it had been for most of Zanes blindness. It was the same tone hed adopted with Nick, telling him to stay in the present instead of dwelling on trauma of the past. Zane had never consciously noticed Ty had that ability, to calm and rea.s.sure with his voice, or even that hed been doing it to him all week, until now. Zane remembered abruptly that Ty did have a degree in psychology, and he wondered if he was really that easily manipulated. Although Ty wouldnt even have to try, not really.

Zane frowned. "No. No, Im not uncomfortable." He wasnt sure he could explain this well enough to get through the filter of beer, stress, and exhaustion. "He doesnt know about us, right? Im just trying to be careful."

"He doesnt know," Ty affirmed. Zane could hear the rustle of clothing as Ty got undressed. Hed never actually answered the other question. Zane didnt feel right asking, though he knew it would bother him now. He took a steadying breath, pulled his T-shirt over his head, and dropped it to the floor. He made it to the bed and under the covers, leaving on his sweats. A moment later Ty crawled in next to him, his skin warm against Zanes, the smell of the bar just faint enough to be slightly arousing instead of nauseating.

Ty pulled him close and kissed him carefully. "Hes never been anything more than my best friend, Zane," he whispered. "Stop worrying."

Zane didnt realize hed tensed up until he relaxed after Tys words, and he set his forehead against Tys with another sigh. "You know me pretty well, huh."

"Not as well as Id like," Ty replied, voice barely there. He kissed Zane again, letting his lips drag across Zanes. Then he sighed heavily and rolled onto his back, his movements restless and slightly inebriated. Zane let him sprawl, knowing that trying to hold onto Ty in this state would just make him squirm more.

He was fairly confident there wasnt anything he wouldnt tell Ty, besides some few select experiences better left buried. But it was a discussion theyd had before, and Zane didnt expect a reply, so he turned away and onto his side, pulling the pillow up against his chest.

A moment later Ty tossed an arm and a leg over him, snuggling up to him like Zane was his pillow. He nuzzled his face into the back of Zanes neck, pressing his hips against him. Zane could tell from the way Ty touched him, the way he couldnt quite keep still, that if Nick hadnt been in the house, they would already be f.u.c.king.

Awareness and arousal ripped through Zane like lightning. It was a toss-up whether theyd be able to do it quietly, especially with Ty drunk.

Ty made a frustrated grumbling sound, obviously thinking along the same lines. "Give him a few minutes to go to sleep," he told Zane. His hand slid down Zanes body, strong fingers gripping Zanes hip to pull him back against him.

Zane closed his eyes and smiled, reaching to take Tys hand in his. "You saying your Recon buddy upstairs sleeps like a baby?" Ty pushed himself up on one elbow, his knee sliding up Zanes inner thigh. Zane could feel Ty hardening against him, and his own body responded accordingly. It was wild having s.e.x with Ty when all his senses were working. But when he had to rely on the others to make up for what he couldnt see, Zane found that he responded faster than usual. Especially smell: the heady cachets of forbidden beer, forsaken cigarettes, and Old Spice, natural earthy musk layered just underneath that, they all combined with the scent of sweat on Tys skin, and every time Zane caught a whiff, it went right to his gut.

Ty shifted away and pushed Zane onto his back before moving to cover him, muscles tensed and fingers dragging over Zanes skin. The sound of Tys breathing, slow and careful, filled Zanes ears.

Zane exhaled carefully. f.u.c.k, how he wanted Ty right now. He wondered distantly if hed ever get enough of him. Tys hands moved to cup his face. "Shh," he requested quietly. Then he lowered his head and licked at Zanes lips. Zane hummed a negative and parted his lips, inviting a kiss as he nipped at Tys tongue. Ty propped himself up on his elbows and ran his fingers over Zanes hair, holding his head still as he kissed Zane hungrily. The moan deep in Zanes throat surprised him.

"Am I going to have to gag you?" Ty asked in a gruff voice as he began kissing down the line of Zanes jaw. "Ill be quieter than the bed," Zane murmured, pointing to the headboard against the wall. He almost laughed as he suddenly remembered the last time theyd done something like this-in Tys childhood bedroom at his parents home in Bluefield, West Virginia.

Ty began making his way down Zanes body instead of commenting, kissing and nipping at sensitive parts. Zane stiffened for a moment, wishing he could see. d.a.m.n, he loved to watch Ty do this! Ty pushed his sweats down, fighting against the sheets and the mattress to do it. Zane instinctively moved his hands to slide them into Tys short hair as he breathed, "Oh f.u.c.k...."

Ty hummed cheekily, kissing at Zanes hip as he slid his hands under the backs of Zanes thighs. Zane laughed weakly and shivered all over just thinking about what was coming. Without a word of warning, Ty ducked his head and took Zanes c.o.c.k into his mouth, running his tongue around the head and sucking.

Zane hissed, hips snapping up toward the wet heat of Tys mouth. His fingers clenched in Tys hair for a moment until he made himself relax. When Ty started sucking, Zane actually whimpered. Ty hummed again in response to the pitiful sounds.

Zane didnt necessarily enjoy s.e.x with Ty more when Ty was drunk, but it definitely changed the game. Ty was looser, more apt to be rough and manhandle him, more likely to do things to Zane that Zane would have to Google to know what to call them. He couldnt form enough coherent thought to even think about objecting to this tonight, with company in the house.

Ty hummed again, rising up onto his hands and knees and tugging Zane further down the bed in an animal display of possessiveness. Zane scrabbled a little on the sheets-the first pull of Tys hands sent a blast of pure hot desire through him.

Zane swallowed, breaths already coming fast. He had no idea what to antic.i.p.ate from his lover, and he realized the uncertainty was fueling the fire. Great, another kink he didnt need.

But d.a.m.n, he wanted this. Even better, Ty wanted this, wanted him, even blind, and the unadulterated joy Zane derived from that thought was overwhelming. He reached up to cup Tys cheek, kissing him for all he was worth. Ty responded to his desire, and he supported his weight with one hand, practically devouring Zane as he slipped his other hand between Zanes legs.

Zane clutched at Tys shoulders and moaned under the onslaught of Tys sinful mouth. His hips rocked helplessly, and he gasped when he felt the first touch of Tys fingers.

"Shhh," Ty urged as he pushed one slick finger into Zanes grasping body. Zane bit his bottom lip and his eyes rolled back as he huffed and then relaxed, although his hands clenched in the sheets.

Ty kissed him harder, rocking into him demandingly as he curled his finger inside him. Zane cried out into his mouth and jerked as Ty stroked just right after a few tries. Then he was moving thoughtlessly, lifting up against Tys body and hand insistently, physically begging for more. Ty hummed in approval and continued to move his finger inside him. Soon he had added another and was sucking at the tender skin under Zanes ear.

Zane couldnt help but arch his back as the tingling turned to taut thrumming that echoed through his body, and he gasped out soft sounds of pleasure and encouragement, turned wanton by Tys mouth and hands. A long finger rubbed him just right again, and Zane bit off another cry. "Ty... oh f.u.c.k," he choked out.

"You want it?" Ty asked in a rough, harsh voice as Zane writhed beneath him.

"Yes, f.u.c.k yes," Zane begged. Ty moved ever so slowly as he removed his fingers and stole another, slower kiss. Zane sighed longingly against Tys lips and shifted his legs, pulling up his knees. "Want to feel you, baby," he whispered, sucking Tys lower lip between his teeth and worrying at it. Ty gave a low growl and complied, pushing against Zane and rocking just inside him.

Gritting his teeth for a moment and squeezing his eyes shut, Zane moaned as the stretch of Tys c.o.c.k just inside him started out feeling full and reached the edge of painful, and he arched his back against it, sucking in a breath that made him shiver all over. Ty curled his back and bent to kiss him, letting his body provide the friction that would edge the pain over into pleasure.

The slow, calming kiss did the trick, and Zane relaxed, the even rocking turning the sharp digging into a dull push and heat that bloomed into pleasure. He moaned soundlessly as he tried moving against Ty. Gently, for now. The twisting hunger was still there, only temporarily banked by the transitory pain. Ty groaned against Zanes lips, pushing into him and shuddering as pleasure rippled through them. He murmured nonsense and slid his hand under Zanes hips to lift him higher.

"Yes, oh yes," Zane hissed, raising his hands above his head to grasp the tangled quilt, curling his fingers through it. Ty buried his face against Zanes neck and began to rock his hips steadily, c.o.c.k sliding with the bare amount of slick Ty had used, and he breathed openmouthed against Zanes skin.

Zanes exhales shook, and he lowered one arm to curl around Ty and hold him close as they moved together. It was hot and smooth and mind-blowing, the slow slide something entirely different than hot, pounding thrusts.

"G.o.d, you feel good," Ty murmured, his movements becoming jerky and almost tortured, the need in them straining what little control Zane had.

"Took the words right out of my mouth," Zane gasped, raising one leg to wrap it over the back of Tys thigh. He bit his own lip as he felt the tension in his gut threaten to explode. "Ty, Im gonna lose it," he whispered shakily.

"Do it," Ty urged, either not caring if Nick heard them or forgetting the need for silence. "Oh h.e.l.l," Zane ground out, his entire body straining and tensing for another too-short minute until he threw back his head, jaw clenched to hold back a sharp yell. He clenched his fingers in the quilt and flinched with each shot of come against Tys belly and chest. Finally he couldnt hold back a broken, half-smothered cry of mindless pleasure.

"Zane," Ty breathed pleadingly as he pushed harder into him. As his body continued to squeeze convulsively around Ty, Zane moved both hands to clasp his face, wishing he could see Tys pa.s.sionglazed eyes. "Baby," he rasped before kissing him like there would be no tomorrow. Ty groaned into his mouth, nails digging into the back of Zanes thigh.

"Cmon... f.u.c.k me," Zane ordered against Tys ear in between harsh breaths. "G.o.d," Ty groaned, shuddering again and starting to slam into Zane mercilessly. Choking off a throaty cry, Zane curled around him as the thrusts reverberated through him, feeding the fire still crackling in him. Zane distantly heard the creak of the heavy bedframe.

The shudder through Tys body and the sounds escaping from his lips told Zane when Ty climaxed, and Zane held even tighter to his lover, chest still heaving. He knew already hed be feeling Ty for some time tomorrow. Just the thought made his c.o.c.k twitch in a useless plea for more.