Cut and Run 3 - Fish and Chips

muscle at the base of his neck, his frown growing, his mood gone sour as he grew restless. This was why he tried to avoid any topics that evoked the thought of being in love. It always ended with the depressing knowledge that it was very much a free fall. A solo one.
    “How about we take a break and go walk around while it’s still light out?” Zane suggested from behind him.
    “Sounds good to me,” Ty muttered. He threw the folder onto the small sofa in the sitting area.
    “Well, let’s go, then, doll,” Zane drew out in Corbin’s voice.
    Ty winced and made a derogatory sound as he turned and looked at Zane. “Hold on, I have to put on my British,” he said with a long-suffering sigh.
    Zane’s smile reappeared. “I’ll wait.”
    Ty snorted. He’d been struggling with the persona of Del Porter, flitting in and out of it when he attempted to sink himself into it, worrying about the accent and his ability to maintain it when around other passengers. He slid his feet into a comfortable pair of loafers and waved Zane toward the door. “I’ll get it,” he told Zane with false confidence.
    Zane appeared at his side rather than walking away, and he reached to curl his fingers around each of Ty’s wrists, capturing them firmly and slowly pulling them down and around Ty’s back as he leaned in close.
    Ty raised one eyebrow, flexing his fingers against Zane’s grasp. He didn’t try to get loose though, and he didn’t feel the edge of panic threatening that he once would have, if his hands had been restrained. The handcuffs he knew he couldn’t handle.
    But he trusted Zane.
    “Maybe you should change into something nice,” Zane suggested smoothly. “Give me something gorgeous to look at while we walk around.” He kissed the soft skin under Ty’s chin.
    Ty lifted his chin for the kiss, then looked back down his nose at Zane carefully, trying to decide if he was helping him become Del or making fun of him. Then Ty’s expression warmed, and he smiled wryly. There was a part of him that was almost enjoying the idea of the roles they were supposed to play, even though he’d spent most of the morning griping. It was certainly a far cry from who he really was.
    “What would you like to see, darling?” he asked, the British accent back in full force.
    A gentle tug on Ty’s arms had him arching back enough that Zane could nip at his throat. “Something that will get you noticed,” Zane murmured before he bit down and then licked over the abused skin. “You know how much I like that.”
    Ty laughed even as he tried not to lose his balance and take them both down. “You hate that,” he corrected wryly.
    Pursing his lips, Zane made a noise of agreement. “I suppose what I really like is seeing people covet you and knowing you’re mine.” He nipped at Ty’s earlobe before he released Ty’s wrists. “Go on then.”
    Ty snorted, smiling almost sadly as he met Zane’s eyes. He sort of wished Zane meant it, rather than saying it as part of the character he was supposed to be playing. But wishing would get him nothing but heartbroken, and they had a case to concentrate on.
    “We can do this,” he assured them both in a low voice.
     
     
    T HE itineraries told them which classy restaurant they were expected at for which meals, so picking a place for lunch the next day was a decision they didn’t have to make. Zane made a quick study of the finely appointed dining room — also decorated in greens and golds for the holidays—as the hostess led them to a table seating four other diners. That would leave two empty seats besides them, and they’d be able to socialize with relative ease. Zane pulled out a chair and nodded for Ty to sit down. His lips twitched as he watched Ty and waited for the show to start. Zane didn’t intend to stay quiet, but he definitely imagined “Del” as the bigger talker of the two.
    Ty glanced at him and gave him a wicked grin, silently saying “watch this” as he sat down in the seat Zane had picked for him. Zane wouldn’t consider Ty an attention whore, but he definitely didn’t mind having the spotlight either. In another life, he probably would have made a great actor.
    Ty greeted the other diners happily, smiling widely at them and receiving the same sort of warm response Ty always got when he turned on the charm. This was a whole new level of charisma, though, uninhibited and unfettered by Ty’s usual tough-guy image. Zane didn’t try to hold in the