Cut and Run 5 - Armed and Dangerous

wheel first, and then he gestured for them to follow as he ducked down the stairs. Julian and Cameron followed with murmured good-nights to Ty and Zane.
    Zane moved to sit in the booth near Ty. He wasn’t sure what Ty wanted to do, though he expected visiting with Nick to be high on the list tonight. Zane didn’t really want to visit with Nick, though, and he sure as hell didn’t want Ty doing it. It bothered him enough that Ty knew his way around Nick’s boat. But he had to trust Ty, and it had to start somewhere, so why not here?
    “You okay?” Ty asked as he fiddled with the controls of the yacht.
    Zane pursed his lips. “Every time I look at him I want to knock his lights out.”
    Ty shrugged as he kept his hand on the wheel and then glanced down the stairwell. “So do it.”
    “What?”
    “Do it, Zane. If it’ll make you feel better, slug him.”
    Zane took in a deep breath, truly contemplating it. But he knew it wouldn’t make anything better in the end, and he was suspicious of Ty’s easy agreement.
    Nick returned a few moments later.
    “VIP cabin’s all set up,” he told them as he stepped into the galley and opened the refrigerator. He still had his gun stuffed in the small of his back. “Clean sheets and everything.”
    “Improvement over last time,” Ty muttered.
    “You had a sheet last time. And it was sort of clean.”
    “Yeah, on top of a pool float that was anchored to the flybridge,” Ty said as he pointed up.
    “You were on a pool float because it squeaked when you moved; we had to make sure you were still breathing!”
    Ty gave a dismissive grunt and wave as he put the boat through its paces, apparently preparing to set it at anchor.
    “Few years in a suit and Princess is suddenly too good for a pool float,” Nick whispered to Zane with a smirk as he handed them each a water bottle. “I’ve got food, beer, sodas, and water in the fridge. Garrett, help yourself.”
    “Thanks,” Zane said, half laughing, wondering how often Nick got away with calling Ty a princess. He resented that Nick was a likable guy. He really wanted to hate him and be rude to him.
    “Go on and sleep,” Nick told them. “I’ll get us settled for the night and keep watch.”
    Ty left the wheel and stood. He looked from Nick to Zane, as if waiting to see if Zane was going to deck Nick. When Zane didn’t move, Ty took a few steps toward Nick and took his forearm instead of his hand, gripping it hard. “Thanks, Irish.”
    “You know it,” Nick said, and then he nodded at Zane and turned to slip into the pilot’s seat.
    Zane followed Ty down the stairs to the smaller of the two cabins. There was what appeared to be a queen-size bed tucked into the room, with wooden steps on either side to climb into it. Ty stuffed their bags onto a shelf that circled the bow-shaped room, then looked at Zane and smiled, albeit uncomfortably. He rubbed his hands up and down the material of his jeans just below the pockets, a nervous habit he only displayed when he couldn’t find anything else to do with his hands.
    “He’s a decent guy, isn’t he?” Zane asked, dejected.
    “Zane.”
    “I really want to hate him.”
    “So hate him. You have every right. Being drunk is never an excuse to do stupid shit. You’ll have to hate me too, though, ’cause I was there and I kissed him back.”
    The words hit Zane in the chest like a sledgehammer. He stared at Ty until he realized that he wasn’t breathing and he cleared his throat. His voice was flat when he spoke. “Really.”
    Ty let out a pent-up breath, his shoulders slumping as he looked away from Zane, unable to meet his eyes.
    “Did you like it?” Zane asked, his voice going lower, full of barely repressed anger that he was surprised to hear.
    “Zane, come on, what’s the point in that?” Ty asked, sounding frustrated and angry and possibly a little scared by the question.
    Zane narrowed his eyes to scrutinize his lover. Ty had his lips pressed into a thin line and was staring at him with his hands on his hips, his eyes unreadable.
    “Yeah,” he answered, spitting out the word. “A little.”
    Zane couldn’t help the twisting sensation in his chest. He didn’t want to think about that, and he certainly didn’t want his very active imagination providing him with any visuals. He pressed his lips together hard and looked up at the low ceiling to let out a long breath. “I kind of wish I hadn’t asked.”
    “I kind of wish I had lied,” Ty said in