Sighing, Zane let his shirt fall. It was already open down the front, unbuttoned, exposing his chest. He hadn"t bothered to put his undershirt back on after the massage at the spa. He"d been in the process of getting ready for bed when he"d been arrested by the strange sight of himself in the mirror. He started to pull the shirt off his shoulders, but he heard a key in the front door and moved out into the hallway on bare feet, listening as someone entered the apartment. It could only be Ty; he was the only person Zane had ever given a key, and Zane never left a door unlocked. When Zane peered around the corner, though, a stranger stood there. It took him a little too long to realize it was Ty after all, and Zane was glad he didn"t have his gun in hand.

“Don"t shoot me,” Ty said in a flat, tired voice, obviously thinking exactly the same thing Zane had been. He began to loosen his tie and unbutton his shirt as he walked closer, tossing pieces of his clothing haphazardly to the floor and furniture as he approached Zane.

“Are you just getting done with the—”

“Yes,” Ty muttered as he yanked his tie off. His shirt fell open as he bent and pulled off his shoes.

Zane looked over the long, tan body before him, his brows rising slowly the more he took in. The people at the spa had done the works on his normally scruffy partner. He was Ty, but… not. He was clean-shaven for the first time in months, and his short hair had been bleached an unnatural white-blond. It stood straight up, as if offended by its new color. Ty"s entire body looked retouched, his tanned skin shinier, smoother—and likely softer—than it had ever been. His well-defined chest was devoid of its usual dusting of dark hair, and the effect made him sleeker.

Zane wasn"t sure what he thought of the hair, but the rest of Ty was a walking wet dream.

Which was… hysterical, really. Zane blinked several times and pressed his lips together hard.

“Go ahead. Get it out of your system,” Ty invited as he tossed his dress shirt at the couch. He waved his hand at his newly waxed chest.

Zane let the smile loose. “You look….” He crossed his arms and shook his head. “Different,” he settled on, trying to not laugh outright.

“Yeah? Well, you look sleazy,” Ty told him with a smirk as he looked Zane up and down critically. He took a few slow steps, circling Zane as he sized him up.

Tipping his head to one side as Ty walked around him, Zane lifted one shoulder in a defensive shrug. “It"s the gel they put in my hair.”

Ty shook his head, pursing his lips thoughtfully as he tried not to smirk. “No,” he drew out. “Something else.”

Zane waited, sure that Ty would enlighten him. “You look airbrushed,” he observed once Ty stopped in front of him. “Like in a skin mag.”

Ty lifted his chin and squared his shoulders, looking Zane in the eye as he mulled over a response. “Yeah,” he finally said slowly. His lips curved into a wicked grin. His hazel eyes seemed almost neon-green with the platinum-blond hair accenting them. “But I make this shit look good.”

Zane raised an eyebrow as he pointed at Ty and twirled his finger.

Ty clucked his tongue. He raised both arms to the sides, holding them out as he turned in a slow half-circle. The muscles of his shoulders and back were, as always, well-defined as he stood with his arms raised. The flex of Ty"s bicep drew Zane"s attention to the unblemished skin. It was odd not seeing the tattoo on Ty"s shoulder, but Zane was too distracted by the rest of him to ask about it. Ty turned his chin to look over his shoulder at Zane, and Zane could see a smirk on his lips. Ty never flaunted himself, not that Zane had ever seen anyway, but the man had a mirror. He wasn"t immune to a little cockiness, not when it was well-deserved.

“The word that comes to mind is „beefcake",” Zane drawled, looking Ty over, appreciating the view.

“Mission accomplished, then!” Ty said happily as he turned to face Zane again. He frowned suddenly. “Is beefcake one word or two?”

Zane laughed. “Who cares when you"ve got a great ass?”

Ty narrowed his eyes. “I"m not used to you being the brains of the operation,” he murmured. “You know what I think we need? I think we need some practice.”

“I wonder if I should be insulted,” Zane posed, narrowing his eyes as he set his hands on his hips. “I"m the one with a degree in statistics,” he reminded.

“You"d seriously rather argue credentials than fuck me?” Ty asked with an incredulous laugh.

“Well, if you"d said that,” Zane said as he took a couple of steps closer to Ty.

Ty took a step back and put his hand on Zane"s chest, raising one eyebrow playfully as he used the other hand to point at himself. Zane now saw that Ty"s usually callused hands and fingers were now well-manicured and relatively smooth, making the newest scar on his hand even more noticeable. “Hold your horses, Lone Star. Are you calling me stupid?”

“No way. I have a sense of self-preservation,” Zane said as he set his hands on Ty"s hips, their chests brushing.

Ty bit his lip and sucked air through his teeth, raising his chin as if considering what Zane had just said. “Since when?” he finally asked softly.

Surprised, Zane straightened, reviewing his words. He inhaled slowly, pushing away a slight dizzy feeling. Ty made him feel like that more and more lately. “Since I got a partner I trust,” he answered.

Ty looked at him seriously as he stepped closer, letting Zane"s arms encircle his hips. He put one hand on Zane"s upper arm, fingers digging into his bicep. He reached up with the other hand to touch Zane"s face, gliding his fingertips along Zane"s lips as he looked him over. It was an odd gesture from his normally undemonstrative partner, one that struck Zane silent as he waited for Ty"s next move. He had expected Ty to make another comment or wisecrack, but Ty said nothing, letting his fingers slide down Zane"s neck, over his chest, down to his waist to disappear under the unbuttoned shirt Zane still wore. Zane shivered.

“Care to help me get into character?” Ty whispered with a mischievous smile.

Zane hummed slightly and pulled Ty flush against him. “What kind of help do you need?”

Ty pushed up on the tips of his toes, brushing his parted lips against Zane"s. They were warm and moist, and Zane slipped his tongue out to wet his lower lip practically as soon as Ty pulled back and moved both hands over Ty"s body in slow, deliberate motions, coasting across that incredible-looking amazingly silken skin.

Ty slid his hands up and down Zane"s chest and arms and then wrapped his arms around Zane"s neck—something Zane didn"t think he"d ever done before—and kissed him again. It was a soft, tantalizing kiss, one that begged for Zane to come and get more.

Zane"s body reacted in a hurry: his pulse picked up, and he could feel his cock swelling in his pants. With a soft growl, he wrapped one arm around Ty and trapped him against his chest as Ty tried to take a step away. Ty laughed softly, and Zane answered the teasing kiss with a firmer, wetter one.

Ty gave him a low moan as he arched his back just enough to press closer against Zane. The sound was something else wholly unlike him, at least at this stage in their fondling. He seemed to be trying his best to make Zane drag him to bed. If this was what he meant by getting into character… then damn. The passive-aggressive seduction was a hell of a turn-on and a successful enough tactic that Zane wasn"t going to worry about being manipulated right now. Instead, he slipped his hand into the back waistband of Ty"s suit pants and dragged his fingers around to the front, where he pulled at the button.

Ty didn"t move to help like he usually did, just ran the fingers of both hands through Zane"s hair as he waited patiently for Zane to get his clothes off. It was so odd, Zane couldn"t help but chuckle. It was obvious Ty was enjoying the teasing. It probably wasn"t a role he"d ever had much opportunity to play. When Zane paused, Ty moved closer, pressing into him again as he nipped at Zane"s ear.

“Doesn"t seem like you need much practice. What"s gotten into you?” Zane murmured as he dragged his lips along Ty"s exposed throat. He unfastened Ty"s pants and started pushing them down over his hips.

“Nothing, yet,” Ty answered with a slow grin. “That"s your job,”

he said softly, his breath gusting across Zane"s cheek.

Zane groaned as he moved his hands to squeeze Ty"s ass and captured Ty"s lips with his own, this kiss hungrier as Zane shifted to grind himself against Ty"s thigh. It was a good thing Ty wasn"t this agreeable more often, he thought distantly. It was blowing Zane"s mind with how sexy it was. Ty would have him eating out of his hand if he behaved like this more often.

He"d probably be better off not mentioning that.

“Come on, beautiful,” Ty coaxed as he began to gently pull at him with the hand he had tangled in Zane"s hair. He steered him toward the bedroom door, kissing at him with those same soft, enticing kisses as he did so.

Zane lifted his brows in silent comment, but he wasn"t about to speak and ruin the moment. He wasn"t willing to release Ty for one second as he let himself be drawn along. But he did stop them long enough to push Ty against the doorjamb and suck and nip along Ty"s shoulder. Ty raised his chin and closed his eyes, moaning wantonly again as he let his fingertips slide down Zane"s neck.

“Fuck,” Zane groaned as he arched into Ty"s body and got them moving again into the bedroom. He wasn"t having any luck remembering if they"d done anything resembling foreplay before now.

They each knew what the other wanted, and that was the release. But this new side of Ty was hot and seriously, almost painfully, arousing.

Ty let his hands slide across the fronts of Zane"s shoulders, pushing Zane"s shirt back and down off his shoulders, and he wrapped his arms around Zane and kissed at his neck, his jaw, and his ear, all slow, sensual touches of his lips to Zane"s skin as he caressed him. He pulled the shirt down and off Zane"s arms as he pressed their bare skin together and nipped at Zane"s ear again.

Zane shivered, let out a harsh breath, and shook his shirt loose before gripping Ty"s hips inside the open pants and dragging him the last few feet to the foot of the bed. His head fell back to allow Ty more access to his neck as he spread his stance and gathered Ty right up against him.

“Zane,” Ty murmured breathlessly as he pulled away just enough to push his own briefs down and tug at Zane"s pants. Fumbling as he reached between them to unfasten his belt and pants, Zane cursed under his breath as he finally got the button undone and the zipper down so Ty"s hands could snake inside to touch him. Zane was erect in his underwear, the soft cotton boxer-briefs doing nothing to rein him in.

Ty"s hands began sliding against his skin, trying to push the pants down and pull Zane closer at the same time. His lips just barely brushed Zane"s, tempting him, enticing him to dive down for the contact. Zane"s tongue slid along Ty"s lower lip as he chased those full, wet lips, and he nipped at Ty"s tongue when Ty"s hand closed over his erection.

“Fuck,” Zane hissed. “You"re driving me insane.”

Ty smiled against his cheek. “You"re the one in the driver"s seat.

Do something about it,” he invited in a silky voice as he let his lips move against Zane"s as he spoke.

Zane pulled back with a gasp and shoved Ty down to the bed.

Holding onto his aching cock, Zane pushed his pants down with his other hand and kicked them aside, staring down at his lover. He craved him; it was crazy how turned on Zane was.

Ty turned his head slightly to look up at him, and he smiled again, clearly pleased with himself. He kicked off his briefs and pushed himself back into the middle of the bed, laying himself out invitingly.

The ease with which he was submitting was all still very suspicious.

Narrowing his eyes, Zane looked over Ty"s nude body as he pushed off his own briefs, wondering just how amenable his lover was feeling tonight. After a moment"s consideration—and admiration—Zane pointed at him and rotated his finger in a silent “roll over” order.

To Zane"s increasing surprise, Ty"s smile widened, and he obediently rolled over onto his stomach and pressed his face against the sheets, pushing his hips up in a slow, sensual motion.

Now Zane knew something was up. But damn if he was passing on an opportunity like this one. If he had to pay for it later, so be it.

Crawling over Ty"s thighs, Zane rubbed his groin against Ty"s firm ass.

Humming slightly, he bent to bite hard at Ty"s neck as one hand slid down Ty"s spine.

Ty gave a soft, plaintive gasp when he was bitten, but he pushed his hips up to meet Zane without further complaint. He groaned softly as their bodies touched and Zane"s weight settled over him, the sound muffled by the much-washed cotton.

Zane grabbed for the drawer next to the bed and yanked it open, pulled out a condom and a tube of lubricant, and slicked his fingers. He reached down and tugged Ty"s hip up, holding him firmly as he dragged one finger down Ty"s cleft, leaving a thin trail of lubricant behind. He could see Ty shudder and clench, and it made his gut cramp in sympathy. He knew very well that moment of anticipation, waiting for Ty"s fingers.

Ty sighed loudly as he lowered his head and spread his knees wider, practically begging Zane to fuck him. “I don"t need that,” he told Zane with certainty. Zane sucked in a breath as he spread out his hand over one ass cheek, squeezing greedily. He knew Ty hadn"t been drinking this evening to mentally prepare himself for his less-substantial role on this cruise, but beer or drugs never made him this easy to handle, even when they were in the midst of fucking. Was this Ty"s interpretation of Del Porter? Was this the Ty he"d be seeing for the next two weeks?