Touch&Geaux (43 page)

his fingers massaged Zane’s balls.

Zane couldn’t stop the shout, but it came out muffled as

Ty’s cock filled his throat. He shoved his hips upward, knees

squeezing at Ty’s shoulders. Ty’s needy noises came nonstop.

Zane’s cock brushed along the back of Ty’s throat.

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Zane reached down to drag his fingers over Ty’s shoulder

in warning. The muscles shifted under his touch as Ty bent

his elbow and lowered himself further, still sucking and now

sliding Zane’s balls against his palm. Ty’s thrusts into Zane’s

mouth turned short and quick and hard as he began to

shudder.

Zane moaned nonstop, the stimulation coming from

every possible direction. He dug his fingernails into Ty’s

thighs. He was going to come, and he was going to do it down

Ty’s throat. He wanted nothing more than for Ty to do the

same to him.

Ty’s hips stuttered to a stop before he arched his back and

started to spill over Zane’s tongue. Zane sucked and swallowed

and moaned, burying his nose against Ty’s balls, loving that

Ty’s cum was spurting down his throat and wondering how in

the hell he had never tried this before. Ty slowly dragged his

lips up, teeth grazing along the shaft of Zane’s cock.

Zane sucked and swallowed as his body twisted and he

shoved his hips up, chasing Ty’s mouth, barely realizing he

was doing it. His cock slid on Ty’s tongue, and Ty jerked and

inhaled in a rush before shuddering and starting to suck again.

Zane arched his back and threw his head to the side,

releasing Ty’s spent cock and dragging his teeth against the

tender inside of Ty’s thigh. Ty groaned appreciatively and

Zane bit down as his orgasm washed over him, wishing like

hell he could see what Ty was doing.

As the orgasm wound down, Zane’s death grip on Ty’s

waist loosened, his teeth sliding against Ty’s thigh, and his

body began to relax beneath Ty’s. His breaths were harsh and

hard. After a long moment, Ty pushed himself to the side with

a grunt and rolled off the couch to the floor. He sat with his

back against it, his head coming to rest on Zane’s thigh. 334

Zane settled his fingers in Ty’s hair. “That was fun,” he

panted.

Ty couldn’t comment. Zane’s fingers tightened in Ty’s

hair.“Why the hell couldn’t you have tried that when I could

watch?” Ty finally gasped.

Zane began to chuckle, low and dark. He wiped his mouth

with the back of his hand. “Either get back up here with me or

go get me a bottle of water,” he muttered, still recovering from

the ful -body meltdown.

Ty’s low laugh turned into a hum of approval. He knelt

at Zane’s side, leaning over to drop a kiss at Zane’s hip before

hovering over Zane again, this time face-to-face.

“Why the hell didn’t you make me do that before?” Zane

asked him. He claimed Ty’s lips for a torrid kiss that prevented

Ty from laughing. But Ty was grinning when he pulled back.

Zane shook his head minutely, clutching Ty to him and

shifting his shoulders until they were both on their sides on

the couch. Ty sighed and closed his arms around Zane. Zane

raised his chin so Ty could fit his head against his chest, and

he held him as close as he could get him.

His familiar smell permeated Zane’s world.

“Who are you, Ty?”

Ty smiled against his cheek. “I was an assassin,” he

whispered. “I’m a Marine. I’m the man who doesn’t miss. And

I’m yours.”

Zane bit his lip on a smile.

“Who are you, Zane?”

Zane cocked his head. “I’m an artist. I’m a geek.” He felt

Ty smile. “I am one badass motherfucker on a motorcycle.”

Ty began to laugh.

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Zane dipped his head until they were staring into each

other’s eyes. “And I’m yours.”

The next day, Ty drove Zane to work and went up with

him to say hello to everyone. A celebratory mood hung in the

air. Zane wasn’t the only one who had missed his partner.

Ty was wearing tattered jeans and a gray T-shirt with an

angry elephant on it, holding a knife, that read “Elephants

never forget, and they never forgive.” It had made Zane laugh

when Ty had pulled it out, and now Zane had a hard time

keeping his eyes off Ty as he settled at his desk.

They weren’t there for five minutes before McCoy called

them into his office. Ty and Zane trudged along amidst the

taunts and catcalls of their coworkers. Zane pulled the door

shut behind him, and was shocked to see Richard Burns

leaning against a file cabinet in the corner of the office.

“Glad to see you back, Grady,” McCoy said to Ty. “Garrett,

have a seat.”

Zane sat, looking between McCoy and Burns

apprehensively. McCoy got up and made his way out of the

office, leaving them alone.

“I’ll make this brief,” Burns said as soon as the door shut.

He moved toward the desk, bending and sliding his hand

underneath it.

Ty and Zane shared a confused look.

Burns placed both hands on the desk. He waved Ty and

Zane over, and after another moment of confusion, Ty got

up to step around the other side of the desk. Zane followed.

Burns spoke as they moved.

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“Because of your recent exposure in the media, we’re

going to be taking you off undercover work permanently.”

They’d already been warned of that much. They were in

a fucking calendar, after al . Zane supposed they were just

moving up the timeline after what had happened in New

Orleans.

Burns pointed under the desk. Ty studied him cautiously,

then knelt and peered underneath. When he looked back at

Burns, his eyes had widened. Zane crouched to inspect the

desk as well, and his heart stuttered when he saw a small

microphone taped to the desk. A listening device.

“You’ll both be strictly investigative agents from now on,”

Burns said. He laid a notecard on the desk.

Your mole is here.

Zane’s heart stuttered again. Burns’s hand came to rest on

his shoulder, squeezing hard.

“Since you’re both so good at closing cases,” he said with

special emphasis. “Carry on, gentlemen.”

Ty took the card, crumpling it in his hand and turning

away with a last glance at Burns. He nodded, his jaw tight

and his eyes hard. Zane was numb, unable to process the

information. One of their coworkers was spying on them.

Trying to get them killed. How much did they know? How

much had they seen? How were they getting their information?

They left Burns in the office, passing McCoy in the

doorway. He patted Zane’s back, giving him his usual friendly

grin. Zane managed a smile and nod for his boss as they

headed back to their desks.

Neither of them said a word. There was nothing to say,

not here. Not now.

It barely registered when the elevator dinged, but when

Ty straightened, Zane caught the movement. The look of

concern on Ty’s handsome face spurred Zane to turn.

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Two men in Marine uniforms stood at the elevator,

speaking with McCoy and displaying a packet of official

looking papers. Burns joined the discussion when it got

heated.

Alston sat on the edge of Zane’s desk beside Ty to watch.

“This is odd.”

McCoy argued with the Marine, growing angrier until

Burns finally sent him back to his office. Burns continued the

discussion, but the stoic Marine merely answered with single

words. Burns finally headed to McCoy’s office too, pul ing his

cell phone out as he went.

Zane shared a glance with Ty, who shrugged.

One of the Marines took a few steps closer to the work

groups and stood straight and tal . “Is there a B.T. Grady

present?”

All eyes on the floor turned to Ty. Ty glanced around,

his expression a mixture of confusion and trepidation. Then

he stood, stepping away from Zane’s desk. He matched the

man’s posture, a parody in his Converse sneakers and elephant

T-shirt.

The Marine seemed startled, but he covered it quickly.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Staff Sergeant Grady.”

“Special Agent Grady,” Ty corrected.

The Marine gave a curt shake of his head and stepped

forward, handing Ty a blue packet of papers. “I’m here to

inform you that you have been recalled to active duty, Staff

Sergeant, by special authority of the SOCOM initiative you

agreed to when you were formerly released.”

Ty reached out to take the orders, looking shell-shocked.

He stared at the folded bunch of papers, then raised his head,

meeting Zane’s eyes briefly before looking back at the Marine.

“And what if I refuse?”

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“Then your team will be recalled without you, Staff

Sergeant. And you and anyone else who refuses will spend up

to three years in Leavenworth for dereliction of duty.” There

was no malice in the words, merely a Marine giving Ty the

answer he had requested.

Ty was trying hard to keep his expression stony. “Thank

you, Sergeant,” he finally said, voice tight. The Marine turned

on his heel and rejoined the other at the elevator, leaving with

as little fanfare as they had arrived.

“Did you just get conscripted?” Lassiter asked.

Clancy stepped forward to look at the papers. “Jesus

Christ, can they do that?”

Ty subtly turned the papers away from her and nodded.

“You’re . . . you’re going back to the Marines?” Alston

stuttered. “I thought SOCOM was defunct.”

“It’s MARSOC now,” Ty mumbled.

”But that’s special operations. You don’t have a choice?”

“No. I don’t.” He studied the orders. “I report in forty-

eight hours. Immediate deployment.”

Zane stood. His hands shook as he gripped the edge of

the desk. Ty looked up, seeking Zane out. Zane could see it in

Ty’s eyes. There was no choice. No way to wriggle out of it. No

way for anyone to save him.

“Oh God, Ty,” Zane whispered.

Ty stared at him for a moment longer as the others broke

into outraged babbling. Then Ty shook himself. He tossed

the packet of orders onto the desk and stalked over to Zane.

He grabbed his face with both hands and kissed him.

The room spun to a halt. The babble ground to a stunned

hush.Ty’s hands moved to the small of his back and he held him

tight, bending him just enough for Zane to have to wrap his

339

arms around him to keep from fal ing. He kissed him again.

In front of their coworkers. In front of King and Country and

anyone who would watch. It was the first purely honest kiss

they’d ever shared.

And it was a kiss good-bye.

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also by

Abigail Roux

The Cut & Run Series

#1: Cut & Run (with Madeleine Urban)

#2: Sticks & Stones (with Madeleine Urban)

#3: Fish & Chips (with Madeleine Urban)

#4: Divide & Conquer (with Madeleine Urban)

#5: Armed & Dangerous

#6: Stars & Stripes

Novels

The Gravedigger’s Brawl

According to Hoyle

Caught Running (with Madeleine Urban)

Love Ahead (with Madeleine Urban)

The Archer

Warrior’s Cross (with Madeleine Urban)

Novellas

A Tale from de Rode

My Brother’s Keeper

Seeing Is Believing

Unrequited

about

The Author

Abigail Roux was born and raised in North Carolina. A

past volleyball star who specializes in sarcasm and painful

historical accuracy, she currently spends her time coaching

high school volleyball and investigating the mysteries of

single motherhood. Any spare time is spent living and dying

with every Atlanta Braves and Carolina Panthers game of the

year. Abigail has a daughter, Little Roux, who is the light of

her life, a boxer, four rescued cats who play an ongoing live-

action variation of Call of Duty throughout the house, one

evil Ragdol , a certifiable extended family down the road, and

a cast of thousands in her head.