Ball & Chain

“Jesus Christ, what happened to you?” Ty gasped.



“I was sitting at my desk, wanting to shoot myself,” Zane said as he kissed his way down Ty’s neck. “And I remembered that you were at home, just sitting around doing nothing.”



Ty made an insulted noise, but he couldn’t even argue because it was true.



Zane kissed him again, shoving Ty’s jeans down his hips and sliding his fingers against Ty’s bare skin. Then he stopped and met Ty’s eyes with a smile that crinkled his laugh lines. “And I couldn’t fucking wait to get home.”



Ty moaned when Zane sank to his knees.



The first touch of Zane’s tongue to the soft, sensitive skin at the crease of Ty’s thigh and groin made his entire body shudder. Zane’s bristly cheek glanced along the side of Ty’s cock as Zane paused to suck hard on a patch of skin just inside the curve of Ty’s hipbone.



Ty gripped the back of Zane’s neck as he tried to catch his breath. This was the kind of ’70s porn situation he had played over and over in his mind while he’d been gone. This was why he’d continued to fight when they’d been outnumbered, continued to duck when bullets flew. Not the sex, though that was certainly a bonus. But coming home to this, to Zane.



Zane’s reply was a drawn-out hum, and he didn’t stop until he’d placed a kiss at the base of Ty’s cock.



“Jesus, Zane,” Ty gritted out as his fingers tightened in Zane’s hair. He didn’t know whether to pull Zane’s head back and ask him what the hell he was up to or hold his head there until he finished what he’d started. Because like it or not, Zane did not often come home from work ready to go at it against the kitchen wall. Ty missed working with him, missed seeing him at all hours of the day. And he hated, absolutely loathed, being out of the loop like this, wondering what the hell Zane was up to when he made advances.



Ty didn’t care what his motives were once Zane licked all the way up his cock to the sensitive head.



He called out wordlessly and grabbed at Zane’s shoulders with both hands, his back bumping against the brick of the kitchen wall. He tried to push his hips forward but couldn’t, instead settled for watching Zane. It wasn’t messy or hurried; Zane was taking his own sweet time, tonguing and kissing and tasting and rubbing every millimeter of skin his lips met. Thoroughly and repeatedly. Just the sight of his lips on Ty’s cock was enough to get Ty’s blood pumping. Ty held his breath, his entire body thrumming with anticipation and teasing jolts of pleasure.



Then Zane took Ty into his mouth and sucked gently, and tipped his head back enough to look up at Ty. Ty couldn’t take his eyes off him. “Don’t think because your mouth is full you’re not expected to explain.”



Zane pulled off Ty long enough to press a kiss to his belly. He smirked up at him, then picked up where he left off, sucking carefully but with more strength while the fingers of his free hand curled into the muscles of Ty’s hamstring.



Ty sucked in a breath and let his head fall back as his dirty fingers flattened against the rough brick behind him, and when he looked back down, the urge to sink his fingers into Zane’s dark curls was almost overwhelming. It left him grasping for anything else to hold on to because he knew what he’d do to Zane if he got a handle on him.



“Zane!” he gasped again as his knees began to go weak. He wasn’t even close enough to the stairs to grip the railing.



Zane’s answer wasn’t verbal; he simply gripped Ty’s hips and pinned him to the wall as he continued his slow and methodical approach. Ty had to give Zane points for attention to detail. Classic Garrett.



“Fuck,” Ty groaned plaintively. He banged his head back against the wall. Then somewhere close, amidst the pile of clothing Zane had yanked off him, his cell phone began to ring. He distantly recognized his brother’s ringtone. “Christ, not again.”



“Do you need to answer that?”



Ty shivered all over and shook his head. No way in hell could Deuce have anything to say to him that was more important than Zane on his knees with his mouth on Ty’s dick.



“Are you sure?” Zane drawled before licking from Ty’s balls all the way to the head of his erect cock in one wet swath. “Might be important.”



Ty’s eyes fluttered shut, and he groaned desperately. “Damn you,” he gritted out. He reached for Zane’s hair and yanked at his head so he could step away from the wall and pounce on the jeans that had been tossed aside. He grabbed at the phone, then turned back to Zane with every intention of continuing what they’d started without further unnecessary delay.



Apparently Zane was thinking the same thing, because he latched onto Ty’s hips and pushed him back against the wall. Damn, he was determined.



Ty hung his head and panted for a few frantic breaths, trying to regain control before he answered the phone. He rested one hand on top of Zane’s head, his fingers automatically curling as he answered with a curt, “Call me back in ten minutes.”



Zane’s tongue flicked over the head of his cock, and Ty bit his lip against a moan.



“Oh God. You’re either having sex or being shot at, aren’t you?” Deuce asked with dread. “Why do you answer the phone?”



“Got to go,” Ty grunted as he swiped the phone off and tossed it into his pile of clothes, letting his hand join the other one in Zane’s hair.



Muffled laughter sent vibrations through Ty’s groin, and Zane pulled back, sucking all the way until Ty’s erection popped free and rubbed through the whiskers on his chin. “Who was it?”



“My asshole brother,” Ty answered tightly.



Zane bit his lip, peering up at Ty and waiting.



“Please, Zane,” Ty begged, shameless. He slid his palm against Zane’s cheek, his fingers digging into the back of his neck. Zane nodded slightly before leaning forward, taking Ty in on his tongue. He couldn’t fit all of Ty’s erect cock into his mouth, but it didn’t matter. He wasn’t teasing anymore; he was focusing on the endgame.



Ty did his best to keep his eyes open, watching as he disappeared between Zane’s lips. He wanted nothing more than to come down Zane’s throat. It was barely a matter of minutes with the visual stimulation, and Ty was soon gasping and tugging at Zane’s hair in warning.



Zane pulled off, wrapped his fingers around Ty to pump him hard, and leaned his forehead against Ty’s belly to kiss the warm skin.



Ty gritted out Zane’s name as he came hard, watching lasciviously as it splattered onto Zane’s throat and chest, onto his pressed dress shirt. As if on cue, his phone began to ring again. Zane jacked him through his orgasm, obviously not caring about how damn debauched he looked.



Ty’s hand moved to Zane’s shoulder and squeezed harder as his legs went weak and he began to sink toward the floor. Zane slid his arm around Ty’s waist, and Ty wound up on his knees, panting hard as they kissed. The phone continued to ring, ruining the afterglow with its obnoxious tune. Ty ignored it for as long as his conscience would allow. Zane hugged him close for a long moment before he nipped at his lower lip, then he reached for the phone.



“Hello?”



Ty grunted at him and flopped to his back on the hardwood floor, unashamed. He could hear the tinny sound of his brother’s voice through the phone. “Push the speaker button,” he said to Zane.



Zane laughed at something Deuce said before jabbing the button and holding the phone out between them. “How’s it going, Deuce?” Zane asked warmly. He wiped at his mouth and chin with the back of one hand.



“I hope he at least buys you dinner before you do that,” Deuce said to Zane.



“I don’t have to bribe my bedmates,” Ty shouted at the phone. His brother laughed heartily. Ty couldn’t help but smile. He looked at Zane and winked.



“I called to ask you a favor, Ty,” Deuce said.



“Shoot,” Ty said lazily, still lying on the floor and enjoying the post-orgasm high.



“I want you to be my best man.”



Zane grinned. “You’re getting married, finally?”



“Yep, we settled on the details.”



Ty sat up, suddenly wishing he was wearing pants. “I better damn well be your best man,” he muttered as he crawled closer to his jeans and lay back down to slide them on.



“Calm yourself.” Deuce sounded very pleased with himself. “Zane? I expect you to be a groomsman as well. We’re keeping the guest list small, and frankly, I don’t know that many people I like.”



“Sounds like a circus,” Zane teased. “You know we’ll be there for whatever you need.” When Ty glanced up, Zane raised a brow in question and leaned to tug at Ty’s jeans leg, trying to dissuade him from putting them on.



Ty narrowed his eyes in warning. “I need pants on to talk about this,” he whispered.



“You know I can hear you, right?” Deuce said, voice wavering with laughter.



“Then you shouldn’t call when we’re in the middle of things! When’s this thing going to be?”



“Well . . . it’s next week.”



“Next week?” Ty blurted. “What’s the rush, man, you already knocked her up once!”



Zane smacked Ty in the head before he could duck.



“We’re getting married in Scotland. And we thought, what better time to do it than Christmas?”



“Scotland?” Zane echoed, perking up. “Does that mean Ty has to wear a kilt?”



“Christmas in Scotland sounds . . . cold,” Ty added.



“Get a hold of yourself,” Deuce said. “A week away, all expenses paid. I’ll email you the info.”



Zane looked positively gleeful. He offered Ty the phone as he shifted to get up. Ty watched him walk away, then pressed the speaker button again and put the phone to his ear. “Deacon,” he said softly.



“Beaumont,” Deuce replied in a low voice.



“Are you happy?”



“Very much so,” Deuce said. The answer would have been clear in his voice regardless.



Ty smiled. “Good.”



“I have another favor to ask you,” Deuce said quickly, his voice losing its enthusiasm.



Ty’s brow furrowed. “Anything.”



“Can you bring someone with you to the wedding?”



“What do you mean?”



“One of your Recon buddies.”



Ty sat up, his unbuttoned jeans forgotten. “What? Why?”



“Short version? Livi’s dad is concerned about safety. His company’s been getting threats, apparently. That’s why we’re rushing it. He’s got his own private bodyguards, but I’d feel a lot better if we had someone there who could put all his attention on the baby girl if anything goes wrong.”



“You want a bodyguard for the baby at your wedding?” Ty frowned harder. He glanced up when Zane came back into the kitchen, shrugging at the questioning look Zane gave him, and Zane turned to head back into the living room. Ty’s eyes lingered on his ass as he walked away.



“I know it sounds overboard, but I swear man, the way her dad talks, it makes me paranoid. And I don’t want to have to worry on my wedding day.”



“Yeah, no,” Ty said quickly. “I got it. I’ll call someone.”



“I’ll make him a groomsman so he’ll have access to all the crap we’re going to have to go through. Pay his way, everything. And give him a guest. It’s only fair. All on us.”



“Got it.”



“Thanks, bro.”



Ty nodded, grinning. “Now, if you ever call me again while I’m getting head, I’ll kill you.”



“Understood,” Deuce said with a laugh, and the phone clicked off in Ty’s ear.



Ty smirked, looking down at the phone for a moment before clambering to his feet. “Garrett!”



“What?” Zane called back.



Ty found Zane in the bathroom, shirt off, wiping himself down with a hand towel. “I’m not done with you. We have to celebrate.”



Zane smiled indulgently. “Celebrate Deuce’s engagement by engaging in copious amounts of hot sex?”



Ty spread his arms and cocked his head with a grin. “Sounds like a plan, right?”



Zane left the towel in the sink and moved until they stood chest to chest. He placed his hands on Ty’s hips, his thumbs stroking the skin bared by Ty’s unfastened jeans. “You know what that wedding means, don’t you? A whole week. The two of us. On vaca—”



Ty tapped Zane’s lips with two fingers, shushing him. “Don’t finish that thought.”



Zane blinked at him, smirking. “What else did he need?”



“Later,” Ty grunted, determined to get back to business. “There was an inappropriate celebration we were getting to, remember?”



Zane chuckled, a low rumble in his chest. “You can’t distract me that easily.”



“Watch me,” Ty growled.



It took Nick a long time to talk himself into climbing the front steps of the triple-decker he’d grown up in. He glanced at the upstairs window as he stood on the sidewalk. His father was laid up in bed there, dying from all the poison he’d put into his body in the last sixty or so years. He wanted to see all his children before he passed, wanted to make peace with them.



At least, that was what Nick’s mother had told them. Nick knew there was something more going on, though. It had taken his mother two weeks to contact him after he’d returned home, and the first words from her mouth hadn’t been to say she was glad he was home safe. Just that his father needed to see him.