“Here he is,” Lydia told Zach, rolling her eyes.
Zach walked over and simply stared him down for a long moment.
Finally, Zach spoke, “Can I talk to you for a minute, Tristan? Alone.” Zach grabbed his wrist and none too gently dragged him out of the room.
Shutting the door, he turned to Tristan. “Well?” he said, his hand still gripping Tristan’s wrist. “I’m here. Now what?”
Tristan pressed his lips together. “I don’t know what you mean. You’re supposed to be here, with me. You didn’t even bother asking for my permission—and no, a call to Lydia doesn’t fucking count.”
“Donna has come home for only a few days between her work trips. I told you what exercises you must do today. You don’t actually need me today.”
“That’s not the point,” Tristan said. “You’re my physio. You’re supposed to be here if I want you here.”
Zach raised his eyebrows. “And what do you want me here for? Hmm? To look at you while you lounge on the couch?”
Yes.
Tristan swallowed back the response that sprang to his lips. He didn’t know where that had come from.
“Admit it,” Zach said, taking Tristan’s chin with his free hand. His gray eyes pierced into Tristan’s. His thumb stroked behind Tristan’s jaw and dug in, hard. “You don’t need me here. You’re just a spoiled little boy, and you’ve spoiled my day just because you could.”
Tristan said with a smile, “Bite me.”
Zach’s eyes darkened. He lunged forward and bit Tristan’s lip savagely.
They both froze. Their breathing meshed together.
A beat passed.
Tristan licked his lip and felt the copper taste of his own blood.
Slowly, he lifted his eyes to meet Zach’s.
Zach let go of him and stepped away, but Tristan grabbed a fistful of Zach’s hair, yanked him close and bit his lip back. He gasped, feeling the bitter taste of blood and something purely male. He bit again.
Zach sucked a breath in before wrenching his mouth free.
They stared at each other, wide-eyed, their harsh breathing the only sound in the room.
At last, Zach turned away, but Tristan grabbed his biceps. Zach’s muscles tensed up at his touch.
“You have blood on your lip,” Tristan heard himself say. It felt distant, like a dream.
Zach didn’t move to wipe the blood. His face was blank, but his eyes were frightening in their intensity as he stared at Tristan. He looked at Tristan like he was a venomous snake. A venomous snake he couldn’t look away from.
Tristan leaned in and licked the blood on Zach’s lip slowly—just his tongue against Zach’s lip. Zach’s body vibrated with tension against him—
Zach pushed him away and stalked out of the house.
As the front door slammed shut after him, Tristan closed his eyes. He breathed in and breathed out before opening his eyes again.
He gingerly touched his split lip and looked at his fingers.
They were shaking.
He curled them into a fist.
The door behind him opened. “Is Zach gone already?” Lydia said, sounding bewildered.
Without a word, Tristan returned to the couch, pulled his knees to his chest, and wrapped his arms around them. He stared out the window.
“Tristan?”
“Get out,” Tristan whispered.
“What?”
“Leave me alone.”
Chapter 6
Jared called him just as he was getting ready for bed.
“What did you do this time, Tristan?”
“Hey, Jared,” Tristan said, pulling his t-shirt off. He sat on the bed to remove his sock. “What are you talking about?”
“Zach called me and told me he wanted to quit.”
Tristan paused. “Did he tell you why?”
“No. That’s why I’m calling you.”
Tristan removed the other sock. “What did you tell him?”
“That he’s signed a contract and has to give me a good reason to break it.” The disappointment in Jared’s voice was unmistakable. “He’s my friend, but he should know damn well that leaving patients in the middle of their recovery isn’t okay without a good reason. Tell me what you did. Normally, Zach is very responsible and never gives up on his patients, no matter how difficult they are.”
“Why are you assuming it was my fault?” Tristan stretched out on his back and looked at the ceiling.
“Are you saying you have nothing to do with it?” Jared said, his voice dry as sandpaper.
Tristan winced. Jared had said very little to him ever since his attempt to blackmail him. Once again, Tristan felt a pang of regret. He did like Jared. It was all Zach’s fault. If Zach hadn’t driven him mad, he would have thought twice before blackmailing the man who was going to be the senior club doctor in the foreseeable future. It was rash of him.
“I’m not saying that.” Tristan licked his lip. It no longer stung. “I’m saying that Zach is full of shit.”
Jared heaved a sigh. “Look, I’m not going to pretend to understand what’s going on with you two, but I’m tired of your constant fighting. Contract or not, if Zach really wants to quit, I can’t force him to stay. He doesn’t need this job, and he took it only as a favor to me. So sort it out, Tristan.” Jared hung up.