Chapter Five

Theywalked into theswanky restaurantindicated ontheirever-demanding itineraries,anda cheerfulhostesswearing the ship'scolors and a green Santa hatasked them to follow her through the candlelit diningroom.Zaneglancedaroundcasually:itwasyourtypicalfancy sit-down place with painted cream wallpaper, glittery chandeliers, china, crystal, andlinenon the tables,and one bank of floor-to-ceiling windows. Nothing surprising. The hostess led them to a raised dais that ranalong one sideof the roomnextto the wide windows thatdisplayed the dying sunset and stopped by a table.

Afteramoment'spause,Zanewalkedtothefarsideandpulled the chair closestto the wallout,indicating for Ty to sit.Not thathe was tryingtobeextrasuave,buthefiguredhe'dgoaheadandgive Ty the seat that would put his back to the wall. Zane didn't like people walking up behind him either, but he wasn't likely to react violently out ofinstinct.Andbesides,Ty wouldwarnhimlong beforeanyone suspicious got close enough to do damage.

Ty raisedone eyebrowathimin warning despite hisgood intentions.Toomuch gallantry onZane'spart mightcause Ty tolose it. Whichmightbefuntowatch.Tonight,though,Ty satobediently inthe proffered chair and laidthe linen napkin acrosshis lap as he watched Zane step around the table to sit down across fromhim.

The hostess wishedthem a pleasant dinneranddisappeared with surprisingly littlefanfare.Consideringhowstaffmembershadbeen consistently trippingoverthemselvesandeachothertohelptheguests, Zane was mildly impressed.

"Atleastwehaveaview,"Ty mumbledashelookedoutthe windows at the settingsun.The fading sunlightfoughtwiththe candlelight, casting odd shadows across his face.

Zane did glance outside, but he preferred to watch his partner instead,stillstudyingtheoddcontrastof Ty versusDel.Heopenedhis mouth to comment on it when a waiter stoppedatthe table, leftthem menus,awinelist,andaspecialscard,andwhiskedaway after promising to return posthaste.

"Well," Zane said, leaning back comfortably."Isn't this schmanzy."

"You're such a cynic," Ty accused under his breath.

"Why do you say that?" Zane asked curiously as he looked around them again. He had to admit that the decor wastasteful. Just upscale,whichhe'd learnedalongtimeagodidn't necessarilymean you were gettingyour money's worth.

Typointedoutthewindowatthelastbrilliantraysofsunasit faded below the horizon. The pale blue sky was streaked with pinks and orangesandonesplashofbrilliantcrimson."Thatisfree,"Ty said quietly.

Zane nodded slowly. Every once in a while, Ty came out with one of these commentsthatreally madeZane step backand appreciatewhat he had. Right now, he definitely included Ty in that tally. "It's gorgeous. We should see about eating dinner on our balcony sometime."Theirsuitewasonthestarboardside,sotheycouldget some sunsets all to themselves, if they wanted.

Ty smiled,butitwasamelancholy one wholly uncharacteristicof him. Zane watchedhimfor a long moment,and then he reachedoutto cover Ty's hand on the table with his own. "You okay?" he asked quietly.

"Just trying to remind myself not to get too comfortable."

"It'sokay toenjoyyourself,"Zaneanswered,phrasinghiswords carefully."We've gottwoweekshere.Busyandeventfulweeks,but two of them. To ourselves, mostly."

"We don't haveanything toourselvesuntilwe've doneour job," Ty remindedsoftly.Hisvoice was even, notat allbitter or resignedlike it mighthave been. But there was something beneathit that was hard to identify.

"We're together," wasZane's simple answer.

Ty'slips compressedashe continued to holdZane'sgazeacross the table, and his eyes warmed like he was trying to hide his amusement.It was enough. Zane would rather see humor at his expense in Ty's eyes than any kind of pain.

"So.Wanttolookatthespecials?"heaskedasheheldupthe card. Ty snortedandsnatchedthecardoutofZane'shand,flippingit overtoperuseitwithpursedlips.Themelancholywasgone,replaced by hisusualuniquestyleofbravado.Zanepulledoneofthefullmenus closer. "Anything lookgood?"

Ty didn'trespondforamoment,and whenhe did, hisvoicewas totallydevoidofinflection."Iseefish.Andmorefish.Andohlook, shrimp. With fish."

Zaneopenedthemenuandskimmedtheentréelist."Itappears this would be a seafood restaurant. Besides salad. Althoughwe're paying enough thatI'm sure they'd hoofasteak upherefrom somewhere foryou ifyou asked."

"I likefish," Ty mutteredashereviewedhisownmenu.He sounded almost insulted.

"I know that.Butyoulikesteakbetter,"Zane pointedoutwitha smile.

"Shutup,"Tymutteredwithashakeofhishead."MaybeIcan orderfish andchipsandfeel likeI'mat home," insaid afalsely wistful voice.

Thewaiterappearedathiselbow,andtheymadetheirorders, Zane passing when theman offeredwine withthe meal. Again, Ty hesitatedwhenthedrinkswerebroughtup,asifnotsurewhetherhe should order one.

"I highly recommendtheVerdicchio,"ahearty,accentedvoice said, interrupting the waiter's explanation of thewine choices."They'd do well to have an Orvieto, but alas, we must make do."

Zaneturnedhisattentiontothemansittingatanearby tablewho had spoken. He had darkItaliancoloring and featuresto matchhis accent,andZaneguessedhimtobeinhisearlytomid-fiftiesbythe depthofthevoiceandthegrayathistemples."Soundslikegood advice. Doll?Want to try that?"

"Perhapsanothertime,"Ty answeredsoftly,watchingZanewith narrowed eyes.

"The wine list is not soextended, butI would call it sufficient,I suppose, considering the surrounds," the man said, his deep voice easily carrying across the aisle between their tables.

Zaneglancedovertoobserveastatuesquebrunettesittingwith the man who had just spoken, and she was commenting in what sounded like Italian, her sentence ending with a name:Lorenzo. And by the tone of her voice, she was chiding him.

"Ah,yes,excuseme.Idotendtogoon,"themantoldZanein apology.

Zane smiledinresponseandcheckedtoseeif Ty hadcaughtthat exchange.Aprobably-ItalianmannamedLorenzoeatinginthesame rotationastheywere.Chanceswerereallygoodthatthiswastheir other main contact,Lorenzo Bianchi.

Ty waslooking devotedly athis menu,hisheadcockedina mannerthatsaidhewasindeedlisteningintentlytothecoupleatthe neighboring table.AsZane looked athim, Ty glanced up athimfrom under his lashes. He hadheard.

Zane ordered the first dish that caught his eye. Then the waiter turned to Ty and took his order before making himself scarce.

"Ah,andyouwillfeelthewantfortheOrvieto,choosingsuchan exquisite and lightgrilled fish withoutsauce," Bianchisaid,wagging a finger in the airatZane expansively.

"I'msuretherewillbeplenty ofopportunity forwineduring the cruise,"Zanesaidsmoothly,turninghisbody slightly inthechairsohe was more open to the Bianchis.

"Ah, champagne with breakfast, mixed drinks at lunch, cocktails withtheappetizers,winewithdinner,andcognacwith my cigar.I do indeed like that,"Bianchi said with a smile as helaid his napkin on the table next to his plate.

Zanehadto ignorehowdry hismouthhad justgotten.That laundry listofdrinkswasappealinginitsownscary way."Well,itis vacation, after all," he commented.

"Bah,vacation.Lifeisallaboutloveandliquor,"Bianchisaid witha grandgesture to the womanwithhim. "Isn'tthat right,Norina?" She smiled indulgently andnodded,andZane sawthe lightof itsparkle in her dark eyes.She matched Bianchifor coloring, thoughZane would place her as younger than Ty, early thirties at the most. "Ah, to beautiful womenin love!" Bianchiproposed,holding up hisnearly empty flute before finishing it in two swallows.

Zaneletoutachuckleandnodded."I'msurewewouldjoinyou in some variation ofyour toast if we had glasses."

Bianchi narrowed hiseyes, looking betweenZane and Ty curiously, when Norinaspoke up in a spate of Italian,and his eyes widenedinsurpriseforamomentbeforehebrokeintoafulllaughas he stood andofferedhishand. "Well, then tobeautiful people in love.I amLorenzo Bianchi,and it is a pleasure to meetyou finally. You are Mr. Porter, no?"

Zanesmiledashestoodandshookhandswith Bianchi."I agree with both those sentiments. Corbin Porter,yes."

Bianchi continued tochuckle as he pumpedZane's hand. "Well, well, Mr. Porter,it is as Norina supposed. Perhapswe meetearlier than planned, but it was indeed a goodfirst discussion, don'tyou agree?"

"Yes,Ithinkso,SignorBianchi."Zaneturnedpartwaytoward Ty. "This is my husband, Del Porter."

"Very nicetomeetyou,Mr.PorterandMr.Porter,"Bianchisaid asheofferedhishandtoTyashegesturedwithhisotherarmfor Norina to stand. "And this is my gioia,Norina."

Toallthreemen'sshock,theItalianbeauty stoodandthrewher armsaround Ty enthusiastically,talking rapidly inelatedItalianasshe hugged him. Zane caught himself before responding with anything more thana laugh, butthat certainly wasn'tsomething he'd expectedto see.Hewassure Ty hadn'tbeenexpectingit,either,andglad Ty had been able to repress the Instakill.

"Ah,they spentsomuchtimeonthecomputerplanningthisand that,"Bianchisaidwithawaveofhishand."Thatwillbewhyyouand I sit in peace at the poker tables."

Zane rubbed at his chin as he suppressed the reaction to frown. So Norina andDel were email pals. That could be good. Or not."I'm looking forward to it."

"Come,Norina, you andMr.Portercancatch uptomorrow," Bianchi said pleasantly. "We have that concert to see."

Norina chattereda littlemore as she huggedTy one lasttime beforegivingZaneabrilliantsmile.Zanereallyhopedwhatshewas saying wasn't something Del was supposed tobe understanding and answering, because it was obvious Norina expected Del to understand Italian. They all said their goodbyesjust as the waiter appeared with the appetizerandsalads,andZanesatdowninhischairtotakeadeep breath and process.

Tyremainedstanding,watchingthemgowithasmilefirmlyin place.HewavedonelasttimeasNorinaBianchiturnedandwaved backatthemexcitedly.Assoonasthey wereoutofsight,Ty turnedto Zane,smilegoneandfaceexpressionless,andhesatheavilyinhis chair.Helookedlikehedesperately wantedtosay something,rail againstMcCoy andGodandDonaldDuckforputting themonthis cruise ship in this position. But he remained silent.

Zane couldn'tthinkof asingle thing tosay,sohe startedonhis salad as he reviewed theconversation, committing details to memory, andwatchedTypokeathisbowlofvinaigrette-coveredgreens.Zane could almost physically feel Ty restraining himself. He knew his partner'stemper well,having seen Ty lose itonvarious occasions.Ty's mood was whatone might callmercurial. Depending on the subjectof his ire, it was oftentimesamusing to watch himgo off. Other times, like on a mountaintopin West Virginia wherehe'd started lecturing men on the best way he could kill them, it could get a little iffy.

Tonight couldprobably be considered iffy,too,ifZanecouldn't figure outhow to getTy to letoff some of thatsteamhe couldsee slowly building.

Finally,Tylookedupfromhissaladandnarrowedhiseyesat Zane. "Doyou speakItalian?" he asked calmly.

"No," Zane said in apology.

Tyjustnoddedjerkily,asifhehadalreadyknownthat."Crap," he muttered under his breath as he went back to his salad.

Zaneunderstood Ty'sconcern.Any littlethingcouldbreakan undercover assignment,much less a big problemlike notspeaking a language. Maybe... maybe Corbincouldbefeeling a little possessive anddecidehedidn't wantDelgoingoffonhisown,evenifitwere withthelovely Norina,who,intheory,wouldbelessofathreatto Corbin than her manly Italian husband. "She didn't act like she expected a reply as shewent on atyou inItalian,"Zanereasoned. "She just seemed excited to meetyou."

"God,IhopeshespeaksEnglish," Ty murmuredasheputdown his fork and pinched the bridge of his nose. "If she realizesI'm not Del, she goes to her husband, and we're royally fucked."

Zanedecidedtothrowhisideaoutthere."I coulddecideI don't want to spend evenanhour withoutyou, andyou could blameit all on your jealous husband."

Ty sighedandlookedupatZaneseriously."Thatwon'treally move thingsalong. Andyoudon'tcomeacross as theoutrageously jealous type,anyway.No,you handleyour end,I'll deal with mine."

"Corbinstruckmeasavery possessiveman.I'venotpushedthe idea," Zane said as he pushed his empty salad bowl aside.

Ty cockedhishead,theItaliandilemmamomentarily forgottenas he looked atZane curiously.

Zaneshruggedslightlytoplayitoff."Idon't knowhowyou'll react.I didn'twantto risk itin a public meeting only to faceyour wrath after,"hesaidwithahalfsmile.Ifhehadhischoice,he'd bealot closer to his"husband" a lotof the time. Buthe wasstruggling to find that line they were supposed to bewalking onthisassignment,and he didn'twanttoconfuse whatwascoming fromhisinterpretationof Corbin and what was truly coming from his own desires.

Ty wassilentforamoment,andthenhegaveaderogatory snort and said, "Face my wrath?"

Zane leaned forward onhis elbows and spokeseriously."You haven't seen me jealous."

Ty laughedandshookhisheadasifhethoughtZanewasjoking. ThatwaswhatZane expected.Hewasgetting better atpredicting how Ty wouldreact,atleastinrelationtothepersonalsideoftheir partnership.He didn'tjoininthe laugh,insteadpicking uphiswater glass and leaning back in his seat to wait.

Tywasstillsmilingwhenhestoppedlaughing,watchingZanein amixtureofamusementandwary confusion.Afteramomentwhen Zanestilldidn'tspeak,Ty'sbrowfurrowed,andhecockedhishead. "Seriously?" he asked, forgetting the accent he'dmanaged to keep up until that point.

Zane glanced out the window at the now-dark sky,wishing he'd justletitdrop.Thiswasn't reallypublicdinnerconversation."We'll talkaboutitlater.Let'sjustsayI'msureI feelquitepossessiveof my very handsome husband."

Ty looked at him speculatively, the silence hanging heavy betweenthem.Itwasanawkwardnesstheyhadrarelyexperienced. Zane waitedfor somesort of response.He couldn't read Ty'sface,but hehopedTycouldrecognizethehonestyinhis.Yes,undertheright circumstances,Zanecouldseehimselfbeingvery jealous.Buthe honestlywasn't sureif hehad that right, as much as hesuddenly wanted it.

FinallyTyshookhisheaddecisively."Yougetlaidtoooftento be jealous," he announced flippantly as he reached for his glass.

Zanethoughtaboutarguingbutinsteadgave Ty asmileandletit go.Itwasallsemanticsanyway,jealousy versuspossessiveness. Dropping the topic now meant he could chew on the idea plenty himself later without Ty blowing him off with a joke.

It only hurt a little bit.

Afterdinner and almostan hour of browsing and shopping,Zane was stillpreoccupiedby Ty'sdismissivecommentintherestaurant."Youget laid too often to be jealous." Zanewasn't toosure.Even before playing Corbin Porter, he'd been fighting thinking He's mine about his partner, because the implicationswere justtoobig toget hishead around.

Not too many weeks ago,he'd stood next to Ty'shospital bed and admittedto himselfthat he didn'teverwanttolet Ty go.Buthe hadn't yetfoundaway toreconcilethatwiththerealityoftheircomplicated lives.And now,because thiscrazy case completely warpedtheir "reality," he could be aspossessive as he thought Corbin would be, and Ty—or Del—wouldn't complain. Not in public, anyway.

But what about when the case was over?

Before dinner,he'd assumedTy wouldn'twanthimstaking any sort of claim, physicalor emotional, exceptas part oftheircover,and thenonly grudgingly.Zanehadn'theardanythingtochangethat assumption,buthehadn'texactly asked,either.He'dputitoff,shying awayfromatopicthatfeltlikeatrip-wiredlandminesettlinginthe center of his chest.

Zaneturnedinplacewherehestoodoutsidearitzyaccessory storeandwatchedTy fingerthroughadisplay ofsunglasses. Ty turned to look at him, wearing a pair of aviator sunglasses justlike the ones he'd left at home,the tag sticking out sideways at his temple.Zane smiled despite his mixed feelings. "Don'tyouhave a pair like that already?" A legitimate question, Ty or Del.

Ty tookthemoffandlookedatthem,smirking."Youcannever havetoomuchawesome,"heclaimed.Hesetthembackdownandslid his hands down his sides, where his pockets should have been. He grumbledabout the softlinen pants and searchedfor something else to dowithhishandsasthey continuedtostroll.Hewasgetting twitchy, and his mood had steadily declined since dinner.

Whether the cause was the prospect of dealing with Norina Bianchi or the conversation they'd had regarding jealousy was anyone'sguess.Zanehadstartedcastingaroundforsomethingshiny, sweet, or sticky to throw in Ty's path as an emotional diversion.

"If we wantdessert later, there's no lack of places for snacks," Zanesaidasthey passedby abakery kioskandasodashoppe.Itwas justonefloorofthreeontheimpressive,very brightly decorated promenade,sort ofa high-class carpeted mini-malland foodcourt with anything from anOrangeJulius to a Godiva Chocolatier anda cheap T-shirtshopto a Tiffany Co.store.Allcomplete with a twenty-foot-tall glittering Christmas tree in the center of it.

"I wouldkillyouforsomegummybearsrightnow," Ty muttered. HereachedoutandlacedhisfingersintoZane's,apparently deciding that it was the best thing to do with his otherwise idle hands.

"You should have looked whenwe were in the store," Zane said, moving themalong the walkway.They'dfoundcondomsin a remarkably discreetcornerofamini-grocery,butinsteadofrisking exposureby purchasingthem,Ty hadpalmedabox.Whenthey'd stepped outside the store again,Zane had discovered the boxsafety tuckedaway insidehissuitjacket.Oneday Zanewasgoingtofindout howTy didthatandhowhealwaysmanagedtonabhiscigarettes without him knowing. Tonight, though, he was just grateful for his partner'sloose morals. "You want to go backandget some?"

Ty sighedunhappily andturnedhisheadfromsidetoside, crackinghisneck."Let'sgobacktothecomputersandseeifthere's newsfromhome.ThatshotI tookofArmenhastohaveproduced something."

"No,"Zane decided,reaching out to take Ty'selbow and pullhim closer."Wetoldthemwe'dcheckinevery morning.Wehavetostay predictable.Andbeforeyousuggestit,we'renotsittinginthatcabin fordayswhilewewaitforsomepredeterminedtimetoarrive.Weneed to be outand about,and there'sgotto be stuff here to keep usamused."

He started pulling Ty along, though his "husband" was reluctant.

"I hateyoua little bitrightnow," Ty claimed,thoughhewas conceding to the logic by not fighting with him.

"Andthat'sdifferentthanusualhow?Stoppouting,doll,"Zane drawledashesqueezedTy'shand.Heglancedathispartner."Surely we can find something to makeyou smile."

Ty steppedcloser,squeezingZane'shandbackasheloweredhis voice,losing thefake accent."Ifyoukeeppatronizing me, I'mgoing to kickyourasswhenwe're alone.And youwon't havesexfortwo weeks, just remember that."

Annoyed,Zanestoppedinplace,turned Ty towardhim,andput one hand on Ty's face,thumb under his chin to make him look up. "I'm teasing,andyouknow it.There'snoreasonforyoutobe thiscranky," Zane said, injecting a tingeofwarning into his voice,and it wasn't Corbin's influence.

Ty narrowed his eyes, his head tilting slightly in the way it usually didinthering beforeZaneendeduponthemat.Butheseemed to remain aware of the other passengers on the promenade and thefact that they couldalwaysbe observed.He saidnothing, justexhaling heavily inresponse.Playinghisrole,whetherhelikeditornot.Zane frowned.Itwasn'tlikeTy tobe thisdifficult,evenif hewasn'tthrilled with his part in the case.

Consciousofthepeoplewalkingaroundthem,hereleasedTy's chin,andwhenZanespoke,hekepthisvoicevery low,deliberately dropping Corbin'sdrawl."Istheresomethingreally wrongI needto know about?"

"Lookatme!" Ty hissed."DoI look likeI'mhaving agoodtime here?Stop enjoyingyourself so much,you prick."

It was difficultto decide betweena huff and a laugh, but regardless,Zanerolledhiseyes."Suckitup,"heanswered."You've hadahellofalotworse."HeslidhisarmaroundTy'swaistandgot him walking again. "Whatyou need is a drink," he announced.

"Damnstraight," Ty saidalmostangrily."ButI can'tdrink because who's an alcoholic?" he asked sarcastically. He was obviously frustrated,both by therolehehadtoplay and by thelackofoutletfor that frustration. He was tense despite all the "relaxing" he'd been doing, and Zane knew he'd be spoiling for a fightthat was not of the good by thetimethey gottothecabinifhedidn'tfindsomethingfor him to get into first.

ButthisTy notdrinkingthing?Zaneneededtoputastoptothat thoughtrightnow.Hecaught Ty by bothshoulders,methiseyes,and spoke clearly but quietly. "Listen to me. You don't have to quit drinking just becauseI have. Seriously."

"I'mnotthatcruel," Ty toldhimfrankly."I've seen the lookin youreyeswhenalcoholismentioned.It'sthesamelookyougiveme, so I know whatyou're thinking."

"It's notcruel.Andwhatdoyoumean,thesamelookIgive you?"Zaneasked,frowningalittle."Whateverlookyou'reseeingin my eyesisn'tanythingotherthanmewonderingifyou'rewonderingif I'mgonna ditch the wagon and drink up."

Ty shookhisheadpatiently."It'sthelookofanaddictseeing something he wants," he said withoutmalice. He spoke with an almost-kindfranknessthatwasrarefor Ty,madeevenmoresurreal by the British accent he was again employing. He held up three fingers. "Alcohol,drugs,me. Youthinkof all of those thingsin the same way. I'mthe only onethatwon'thurtyoutoindulge,andI'mnotcruel enough to combine two of them in front ofyou."

ThesurprisekeptZanequietforafewmoments,andhehadto gatherhisthoughtsbeforehecouldreply. Why hewasconstantly surprisedby howobservantandinsightfulTy couldbe,hedidn'tknow. "I doappreciatethethought.Butreally,Icanhonestly tellyouthatas long asyou're around, it's no contest."

Ty snortedandlookedaway,hiseyesdartingbackandforthover the crowd of passengersshopping along the promenade. He came to some sort of decision, though,and he nodded andglanced back atZane uncomfortably. "I'll keep that in mind."

Zane noddedslowly anddecided thatwasthe besthecoulddofor now,atleastonthattopic.Hestillhadacranky andworked-uppartner who needed some kind of outlet. "C'mon."

HepulledTy along toamapofthepromenadeandlookedatthe entertainmentchoiceswhileTy fidgetedimpatiently.Itwaspastnine, and the dance clubs were rocking—Zane could hear the muffled music—but he wasn't sure something more soothing mightnotbe a betterchoice.Still,they'd walkpasttheclubs,checkthemout.He made note of a couple places and then steered Ty in the direction of the music.

"What?" Ty finally asked as Zane led him.

"Distractionforyouandentertainmentforme,comingrightup," Zane announced as they descendeda wide doublestaircase.

"Whatdoyou mean, ‘entertainment'?"Ty askedsuspiciously ashe looked back at the steps. "Are we headed down to the clubs?"

"Yes,"Zane answered ashe glanced to hisside to lookatTy. He stillcaught himself double-taking mostof the time. That obscene bleached-blond hair.

"Idon'tknow,man,"TysaidapprehensivelyashepulledZane closer and lowered hisvoice. He was having trouble maintaining the nuancesoftheaccent.Zanewassurprisedhe'dmanagedtodoitthis long. "It's usually allcrowds and strobelightsandpeople touchingyou whereyourgun's supposed to be in these places.I don't go out dancing unlessIknownoone's goingtocomeoutofthewoodworkwitha knife at my back."

"Considering everyone had togo througha metaldetectorand X-raytogetonboard,chancesofthathappeningarelowerthanusual, despitemeskewingthecurve,"Zanesaid.HesqueezedTycloseand smiledatacouplewalkingby."AndI'llbewatchingyourback,"he added quietly.

"Youwentthrough security, andyou're packing," Ty reminded him distractedly."You like dancing?" he added in a surprised voice.

Zane smiled genuinely as they reached the bottom of the staircase."No," he corrected, leaning over to bumpTy's shoulder with his own. "I love dancing."

Hedidn'tgettogonearlyasoftenasheusedto,andnotatall sincemovingtoBaltimore;hehadn't hadachancetoscopeoutthe clubs since he was spending hisevenings withTy. WhenZane had workedinMiami,he'dgoneoutalmostevery night,althoughhe'dalso had theexcuse of working. Clubsin Miamiwerenotorious for criminal wheeling and dealing.

"I didn'tknowthat," Ty murmured,soundingoddly disturbed by the fact.

Zane shrugged."I didtellyouaboutthesquare-dancing," he said under his breath."Who in their right mind wouldsquare-dance ifthey didn't love dancing?"

"That's entirelydifferent!"Tylaughedastheygotclosertothe pounding beat of the music.

Zanegrinned,glad that he'dgotten a smile out ofhis partner. He feltthemusicreverberatethroughhimastheynearedtheentranceof one of the clubs. The name Neptune was scribbled in purple neon over the double door, andvelvet ropesblockedtheentrance.The crowd beyondwrithed in the dim room.

"Soyourplanistoliquormeup,getmeallsweatyandworked up, then take me back to the cabin?" Ty asked him, his tone placid.

"Oh,itmay nothavebeen my planbefore,butitsureashellis now," Zane agreed wholeheartedly.If he had achoice in hisnight's companion, he'dmuch rather have thearousedandpliable Ty fromthis afternoon than the cranky,fractious man of this evening.

"I likeit,"Ty saidapprovingly.HeledZaneintotheclub,the bouncerslettingthempassby thewaitinglinewithoutamoment's pause.Tymightarguedifferently,butheknewhowtousehislooks when he needed to.

He'd alsobeen rightaboutthe strobe lights,butit wasn'ttoobad. Theclubwasonthesmallsidebutremarkably full.Thereweretiered dancefloorsonthreedifferentlevelsandtablessurroundingthem.For once,therewasnosignofholiday decorations.Thebarwaswiththem onthegroundfloor,andZanepointed Ty inthatdirection,hopinghe'd get something, even if itwasn't alcohol.

Ty didn'thesitate,apparently havingmadehisdecisionafterhis brief discussion with Zane earlier. He letgo ofZane andcut his way through the crowd. AsZane watched him go, hecould see people in the club,bothmenandwomen,turningtotakeasecondlookat Ty ashe movedpastthem.Itwasdifficulttosuppresstheurgetopreenas people noticed,but then he rememberedhe didn't have to stop himself—Corbinwould flaunt hishusbandforall he wasworth. So he justslidahandintohispockettowait,knowingfullwellTywas comingbacktohimandonlyhim.Ohyes,smugwasagoodwordfor it,Zanefigured.AndashesawTymakinghiswaybacktowardhim, he really couldn't have cared less about being called possessive, either.

Despitehisprotestsaboutthedangersofthecrowd, Ty was already smirking,adrinkinonehandashemovedthroughthemassof people.Inorder to doit, a person had to shift with the rhythmofthe music or be knocked around for theirefforts. Ty did this expertly.Zane suspected he'd spent hisfair share of time in places like this. Only Zane imaginedthetypeofplaceTywouldhauntwouldhavefewerstrobe lights and more peanutson the floor.

Ty movingfluidly throughthethrong,shiftinghishipsorrolling his shoulders, was a beautiful thing, Zane reflected, and his body agreed. Ty wouldlookevenbetterdancing.Hisstreamlinedbody was practically made for it.

WhenTy reachedhim,he wasgrinning widely,holding hisdrink upoutofthethrong.Bodiesmovedaroundthemintimewiththebeat of the music. Ithad no words that Zane could discern, drowned out by thebass.Itwasjustaswell.Itmadeiteasiertoconcentrateonthe thumpunderhisfeetanddeepinhischest,drivinguphisheartrate, andfornow,thatwaswhatZanewasinterestedin.Hejerkedhishead inthedirectionofthecenterofthedancefloorandraisedaneyebrow in question.

Ty tookalong drinkfromthecupinhishandandmovedcloser, wrapping an arm aroundZane's neck to pullhim close enough to speak tohim.Itwasimpossibleforthemtoremainstillintheseaofdancing bodies,withthemusicpumping throughtheroom,andthey were moving by default.They didn'tactually have tomoveclosertothe dance floor in order to dance because the mobabsorbed them.

"Thisisafirstforme,"Ty practically shoutedinhisear."Never danced with a guy before. On purpose, anyway."

Zane smirkedand slid his hands down Ty's backto spreadacross hisassandsubtly pullhimnearer,notthatanyonewouldseeitforthe crowd. Zane wasn't missing out on this opportunity. He'd never thoughthe'dhaveachancetodancewith Ty atall;hedidn'texactly seem the type foramoonlitsway on theaft deck with the smalljazz band they'd seen the night before.

And they certainly couldn't do this in Baltimore.

Ty movedcloser,ascloseashecouldget,pressinghisbody againstZane's as they moved together. Peopleshifted around them, strangers touching andwrithing indiscriminately along with the beat. But Ty's eyes and handsstayed onZane and Zane alone.