Sticks & Stones Page 9

  “Well,” Ty said with a shrug of one shoulder, “with them, pretty much anything goes. If you stay away from religion, politics, and the designated hitter, you’re gonna get along fine.”

  Zane chuckled and shifted uncomfortably, pulling the pillow slightly under his chest and tucking his hands under it. “How’s the floor treating you?” he asked.

  Ty grinned and stretched toward the lamp to turn off the light. He waited a couple minutes in silence until he could see again in the darkness that followed and scooted closer to Zane. “I like it much better here,” he whispered.

  Zane grunted in agreement, grasped Ty’s chin, and pulled him sideways into a soft kiss. Ty responded eagerly, shifting closer and sliding his hand over Zane’s waist to tug at him. He rolled until he had Zane under him, but his actions were gentler than they usually were—he was trying to keep the noise down. He knew his old bed was liable to creak and groan even if you weren’t being overly active.

  Zane obviously sensed that he was trying to be quiet. He didn’t do anything that might be heard, keeping his hands under the pillow and leaving his mouth upturned to receive more kisses. Ty let his hands slide up Zane’s arms to his wrists; he pulled them free of the pillow and held him against the mattress, still kissing him slowly. Zane’s hands splayed as he stretched out his fingers, but he didn’t try to pull free. He chased Ty’s tongue with his own, drawing the kiss out. It was a disconcertingly tender moment, a rare thing for them.

  It was long moments before Ty pushed himself up and looked down at Zane hesitantly.

  “What, you having second thoughts now that I’m awake?” Zane prodded, dragging his wrists free of Ty’s fists so he could slide his hands down Ty’s back.

  “Is it worth getting banged over the head with a shovel if we make too much noise?” Ty asked as he dug his foot between Zane’s legs and pushed them apart, settling between his thighs.

  Zane moved his legs without resisting and bit back a snicker. “You’ve been banged both by that shovel and by me. Is it worth it?” he parroted as he squeezed Ty’s ass and slid one hand down the back of his thigh.

  Ty grinned crookedly and began shaking his head. “Not really,” he answered dryly.

  “I’ll risk it,” Zane said, grabbing the back of Ty’s neck and pulling him down for a harder kiss.

  The bed creaked in warning with the rapid movement. Ty growled in frustration and pushed himself up, looking around the dim room briefly before he threw the blankets off them and tossed the pillows down to the floor. He grabbed Zane tightly and rolled them right off the bed, causing another muffled thud when they hit the floor. Thankfully, it was a low bed.

  “Better,” Ty decided as he pulled the blankets off the bed to fall back on top of them.

  Zane groaned and gasped as he tried not to laugh. “Ow… what about being quiet?” he asked in a harsh whisper as Ty settled on top of him again.

  “Give it a second,” Ty whispered in return, cocking his head to listen.

  Zane closed his eyes, and Ty focused on the sounds around them as he kissed lightly at Zane’s neck and chest. He could hear Zane’s soft breathing above the noises of the house, the creaking as it settled in the cold, the click and whir of the appliances downstairs, the hum of the large freezer on the porch just off the kitchen, the soft scattering of leaves scratching against the window.

  Zane’s eyes were still closed when Ty’s lips brushed his again. He slid a hand under Zane’s briefs and tugged at the elastic.

  “Mmm. What do you want?” Zane murmured, shifting on the cool wood floor to give Ty’s hand more access.

  Ty shook his head and grinned. “Just you,” he answered.

  Zane smirked and held his arms out to his sides. “Go on then,” he invited in a rough purr. “Snag the duffel.”

  Zane’s bag was only an arm’s length away at the foot of the bed. Ty reached for it, pushing himself down into Zane as he did so, getting a soft groan that made him smile. He got the bag between his fingertips and pulled it closer, pausing to steal a kiss.

  Somewhere in the house, a door snicked shut, and Ty paused long enough to listen and hear the water running before he continued. Once the bag was next to them, Zane twisted around and dug through it, pulling out his shaving kit before pushing the duffel away again. He unzipped the bag and pulled out a familiar tube and a plastic packet. Ty waited impatiently for perhaps ten seconds before he pushed himself off Zane and began peeling off the rest of his own clothing.

  They hadn’t hit the stage in their relationship when foreplay was something important. Ty, especially, knew he was unlikely to even think about such nuances. Zane didn’t need to be seduced. Ty didn’t suppose that Zane wanted to be seduced, either. There was never any question that Ty wanted him in bed, and that seemed to be enough to keep Zane happy.

  Ty fussed with his boxers and fell back to lay down to take them off, but then he struggled to get his legs untangled from the blankets in order to continue. It was all very difficult in the dark when he was in a hurry.

  Zane groaned, rolling toward Ty in an attempt to get closer. He reached to slide his hands under Ty’s T-shirt, gripping warm flesh, and then he tugged Ty’s shirt off, making sure to touch lots of skin as he went. Ty slowly laid his back to the cold hardwood floor again, pulling at Zane to follow.

  After kicking his briefs off, Zane leaned over to slide his tongue up the crease of Ty’s thigh. Ty tensed below him, just like he always did despite his continued efforts not to. Zane had either stopped caring or started pretending not to notice. Ty was grateful, either way. He lifted his shoulders off the hardwood to arch his back as he handed the lubricant and condom back to Zane wordlessly. Then he rolled in Zane’s arms, turning over onto his stomach.

  Zane leaned over him, grabbing hold of Ty’s wrist and squeezing it. “You sure?” he whispered into Ty’s ear.

  Ty didn’t bottom easily or passively even under the best of circumstances, and they both knew it. “I’ll be quieter than you are,” he answered anyway. Zane didn’t usually restrain himself when Ty was fucking him. It was a very vocal, very arousing experience, one that Ty rarely turned down the opportunity to enjoy. But…. “I’m not running into that shovel with my pants down.”

  Zane popped open the tube and soon slid his slick fingers between Ty’s legs as he leaned over to nuzzle against his ear. Ty’s fingers gripped the blanket, clenching slowly. He shifted again, pushing up onto his hands and knees, spreading his legs wider as Zane slid a finger into him.

  “Don’t have all night, Garrett,” Ty hissed at him impatiently.

  Zane shushed him and twisted his fingers harder and deeper before leaning back to grab the condom. Ty heard the crinkling plastic flutter to the floor and Zane’s hand grasped one of Ty’s hips, pulling him back as he leaned over him, one hand braced next to Ty’s on the hardwood floor.

  Zane was good at this, and Ty always reacted the same way: heartbeat racing, breaths shallow and fast, excitement and nerves churning in his gut. It was all part of Zane’s charm.

  Ty squirmed under him, pushing his hips back and lowering his shoulders, resting his head on the floor as he did so. Letting out a slow breath, Zane pumped his hips slowly, working himself inside. Ty groaned and bit his hand to keep from making any more noise as Zane forced his cock past the tense muscles and pain seared through him. It ebbed quickly, though, and he moved under Zane’s weight to help, his entire body flooding with heat as Zane rocked deeper into him. It always felt so damned good; Ty was never sure why he didn’t do this more often. But that just led to more questions he didn’t want to find answers to, and he’d rather focus on what Zane was doing to him right now.

  Zane drew a deep, quiet breath as he gripped Ty’s hips and pulled back, starting with slow thrusts. Ty closed his eyes and bit his hand harder, telling himself not to moan as Zane moved inside him. But it was difficult to keep quiet when Zane was sliding into him with slow, deep thrusts. It wouldn’t stay slow and sensual like this for long; it
never did with them, no matter who took the lead or how determined they both were to make it last.

  Zane’s hand slid up his back until he was gripping Ty’s shoulder, his fingers digging into Ty’s skin. The blanket beneath Ty’s hands began to slide, and Ty went with it, the weight of Zane’s body on top of him stretching him and the blanket out on the floor. When Ty was flat on the floor, Zane shifted to plant his knees outside of Ty’s. He pushed down on the backs of Ty’s shoulders as he worked up to a steady, heated rhythm that would please them both sooner rather than later.

  Ty found himself pinned flat to the floor, with Zane using his knees and shoulders for leverage as he fucked him. He gasped wordlessly against the blanket under him, liking the overpowering weight of Zane’s body on him. Zane snapped his hips down, hard, and Ty had to bite his lip to keep from crying out. He bent his knees and lifted his feet, pushing his heels against Zane’s ass to urge him on. Zane grunted quietly before lowering himself to hold Ty closer and speed his thrusts.

  The sound of their bodies slapping together was loud in the otherwise silent room, and Zane slowed his thrusts again, grunting in Ty’s ear. “Not much longer,” he warned breathlessly.

  Ty responded to his warning by tensing around the hard cock inside him, and he reached back to drag his short fingernails across the naked skin of Zane’s hip. Zane grunted and trembled with restraint as he continued. Ty panted heavily against the blankets under him as his body tightened. He wouldn’t last much longer either. He never did with Zane’s cock inside him.

  Zane bit the back of his shoulder, hard, and Ty grit his teeth against the shout of pleasure it almost produced. Zane pushed off him again, his hands on Ty’s shoulders as he pounded his cock past the tight ring of muscle, heedless of the sound their bodies made as they met or of the fact that Ty’s groans were steadily gaining in volume. It felt like his cock drove deeper and deeper, his grunts of exertion and pleasure in Ty’s ears, until Ty could do nothing but whimper helplessly as his body convulsed. His fingers dug into Zane’s hip, and he writhed beneath his lover as he spilled himself against the blanket.

  After a few more hard thrusts, Zane froze in place and his grip tightened, his whole body locked in the fight between climax and silence, shuddering. He rocked into Ty a few more times before he finally relaxed and rested his head against Ty’s back, breathing hard and trembling.

  “Good job,” Ty finally offered in a hoarse voice. Zane groaned softly before pulling free with a plaintive gasp. He lowered himself carefully to the floor beside Ty. Ty rolled onto his back, letting his body stretch out, investigating the aches. No matter how ready he was for it, Zane’s cock inside him always left aches. That was part of the fun. “I would have bet money we couldn’t be quiet,” he whispered as he stared at the ceiling.

  Zane smiled at him and shook his head. “Always glad to prove you wrong,” he said.

  Ty turned his head to look at him and laughed suddenly. “You wound up on the floor after all,” he observed with a snicker.

  “Funny guy,” Zane grunted before climbing to his feet and offering Ty a hand.

  Ty stared at him from where he lay flat on his back. Sometimes he wondered if Zane just tolerated him because he was a good lay, or if he truly enjoyed being around him as much as Ty did Zane. He told himself that was another question for a later time. Finally, he reached up and took Zane’s hand, pulling himself to his feet. “Thanks,” he whispered.

  Lacing their hands together, Zane leaned to kiss him, just for a moment. He squeezed Ty’s hands and nodded before loosening his grip. Ty sniffed daintily at the tender gesture as he turned away and bent to gather the clothing he’d shed. Well, maybe Zane did enjoy it a little.

  As Zane grabbed his shirt and used it for a quick clean before pulling his briefs on, Ty pulled his pants on haphazardly and headed for the bathroom to do a slightly better job of cleaning himself. When he returned, Zane was gathering up the extra covers and tossing them on the bed. Ty watched him with a smirk as he slid his T-shirt over his head. “Might want to flush that instead of tossing it in the trash,” he said with a nod at Zane and the condom he had yet to discard. “Ma’ll be wondering what we were doing when she empties the trashcans,” he joked quietly.

  “You think?” Zane muttered. He left the room quietly as Ty straightened out the sheets and blankets left askew from their fun.

  “Fucker,” Ty grumbled affectionately as he made up the bed. He knew he might never explain to himself the emotions Zane caused in him. He didn’t mind the mystery. It was another part of what made it fun. What he did mind was the uneasy feeling that Zane merely tolerated him rather than enjoyed him. Again, he told himself to worry about that later—much later—and he climbed into bed.

  When Zane returned, he slipped under the covers beside Ty and immediately wrapped around him, pulling Ty closer just as he would the pillows he liked to hold. With a sigh, Ty pondered over the question of whether his doubts were unfounded or if Zane was just a cuddler. They hadn’t had a lot of time to feel each other out. As partners, it seemed like they could read each other’s minds. But as lovers—or even friends—they barely knew each other at all.

  He sighed and scooted closer, twisting his body so he could brush an awkward kiss against Zane’s cheek. “Sleep well, Zane,” he offered quietly as he settled into the embrace. He closed his eyes and sighed again. Zane slept much better with Ty alongside him than he did when he was alone, and they both knew it.

  “I will,” Zane murmured, his breath warm against the back of Ty’s ear.

  BY THE time Zane got down to the kitchen the next morning, breakfast was on the table, and Ty and Deuce were sitting together, drinking orange juice while their mother bustled around them and scolded them for stealing some of her apples.

  “Morning,” Ty greeted as he gestured to an empty chair.

  “Good morning, Zane dear, how did you sleep?” Mara asked as she came up to him and pressed a glass of orange juice into his hands.

  “Ah, okay,” Zane hedged, taking the glass out of self-defense. “I don’t do too well sleeping in strange places lately, but….”

  “Well, Ty’s bed is about as strange a place as you can get,” Deuce offered under his breath. He followed it with a muffled grunt as Ty kicked him under the table.

  “Don’t mind them, we dropped ’em both on their heads when they was little,” Mara assured Zane as she moved back to her stove, where two different skillets sizzled. She’d been cooking for some time already; the kitchen was warm from the heated oven, and it was the smell of crisp bacon and fresh biscuits that had beckoned Zane downstairs.

  Zane turned a look on the two brothers, his eyes narrowing slightly. Under the brown Western-style flannel shirt Ty wore, Zane was pleased to see that he was also wearing another one of his signature T-shirts. It was oddly reassuring to see it. It was brown with white writing on the front, two crossed paddles advertising “Schitt Creek Paddle Co.” Zane didn’t bother to hide his amused snort, but the others paid him no mind.

  “Where’s your daddy?” Mara asked them as she sat at the head of the table.

  “Wasn’t my morning to babysit him,” Ty answered as he poured himself more juice.

  “Well, you and your smart mouth go find him so we can eat,” Mara responded without blinking an eye. Ty stood immediately, snatching a sausage link as he went. “And track down your granddaddy too!” his mother called after him.

  Zane watched over the edge of his juice glass as Ty headed out of the kitchen, taking particular notice of the worn jeans that were molded to Ty’s ass as he moved around the corner.

  “Zane, tell me,” Mara said, drawing his attention, “how do you enjoy working for the FBI?”

  Surprised by the question out of left field, Zane hesitated as he pushed the visual of Ty away for later. “It’s like any job, I guess. I like it some days, others not so much. Ty makes it interesting sometimes.”

  “My son does do that to people,” she agreed with a sigh as she sipp
ed at her coffee. “Both of them do,” she added wryly as she glanced at Deuce, who looked at Mara with an obviously feigned hurt expression.

  Zane chuckled and took a drink of his juice. “He makes up for it, though. He’s a good partner.”

  “Is he?” Mara asked with true concern. Her brow furrowed, and she leaned forward, meeting his eyes questioningly.

  Zane sighed and glanced at the door, weighing his options. Honesty and… honesty. “All right, he’s a great partner. But don’t tell him I said that.”

  The relief that washed over the poor woman was tangible. “Ty’s ego was never one of the things I fretted over being broken,” she assured Zane. “But I was so afraid after Jimmy was killed he would never be able to deal with a partner again,” she explained as she looked down at her coffee and stirred it slowly.

  “I don’t think it was easy for him,” Zane said slowly. Despite how they ragged on each other, he didn’t want to say anything that might be construed as badmouthing Ty in front of his family. Zane could imagine how angry he would be himself if the situation were reversed. He also knew that the Jimmy Mara referred to was Special Agent James Hathaway, who’d been partnered with Ty for more than two years before he was killed in the line of duty. It wasn’t a joking matter. “I won’t say we get along all the time, but we make it work,” Zane added.

  “You handle him the right way,” Deuce interjected.

  Mara nodded in agreement. “You have to give Ty as good as he gives you.”

  “Yeah, and it’s not easy. He can be hard to handle sometimes,” Zane said vaguely rather than trying to make light of it.

  “Try raising two of ’em,” Mara said wryly with another pointed look at Deuce.

  “You know I can hear you, right?” Deuce said in annoyance.

  Zane smiled just like Mara did. “Ty gets that look on his face, too, when he’s ticked off. Which is fairly often, so I’m familiar with the expression,” he added earnestly.

  “Shut up,” Deuce offered grumpily as he reached for a sausage link, only to get his hand slapped by Mara’s spatula for the effort. He opened his mouth to protest, but a call from the front of the house interrupted him.