Ball & Chain (Cut & Run 8)

Eyes still shut, he reached out to his side and his fingers met Ty’s hip. He stroked the heated, damp skin. A moment later, Ty’s fingers tangled with his, lacing together. Ty didn’t say anything. They were content to hold hands as they lay on the floor together, soaking in the warmth of the fire and the morning sun stretching toward them.

Once their breathing calmed and the ringing in Zane’s ears faded, he heard the muffled sound of Nick and Kelly in their bedroom, catcalling and applauding. Ty must have heard it as well, because they both began to laugh at the same time.

“Is it wrong that I’m turned on by the idea of forcing your friends to listen to us having sex?” Zane asked with a frown.

Ty laughed harder. “Just don’t tell Nick that. He’ll offer to critique your performance. Or worse, join us.”

“Can’t have that.” Zane dragged Ty closer, snuggling him even though they were both still sweating and kind of gross. “Did you see the note in the bathroom about saving water since the island is run on a self-sufficient energy system?”

Ty smiled against Zane’s lips. “Must have missed that.”

“Means we should probably shower together again, don’t you think?”

Ty was already nodding. “For nature.”

“Obviously.”

Ty chuckled and they shared a languid kiss. Ty was smirking when they parted. “Marry me, Zane,” he whispered.

Zane burst out laughing and sat up. These weren’t exactly the ideal conditions for a proposal they needed to be telling to family. “Nuh uh.”

“Oh, come on!” Ty called after him as he ducked into the bathroom. “Lying naked on a rug in front of a fireplace in a f**king castle?”

“Nope.” Zane caught himself grinning in the mirror, but he didn’t even try to wipe it off when Ty joined him.

Ty shoved him against the sink to kiss him. He mumbled against his lips. “You might have to lower your standards.”

Zane hummed. “How about you . . . up yours?”

“Is that . . . is that a pun?”

Zane held to Ty as he tried to pull away.

Ty rolled his eyes. “Jackass.”

Ty and Zane were some of the first people down to breakfast, beaten only by Chester, Ty’s parents, and Nick and Kelly. The five of them were sitting at a table together, talking.

Ty glanced around the morning room, surprised by the nerves he felt when he saw Nick with his family. He gave Zane’s shirtsleeve a tug at the doorway, stopping him from entering the room before the others saw them. Zane let him draw him to the side, out of sight.

Ty hesitated and peered around the door again. Earl and Nick were carrying on what appeared to be a pleasant conversation. Earl was laughing, and Nick looked like he might be telling a story. Ty turned to Zane. “How much do you know about Nick’s father?”

Zane raised both eyebrows, obviously confused. “Nothing?”

Ty sighed. “Okay. Well, Nick’s dad used to beat the hell out of him. I mean legitimately should have spent time in jail for what he did. When we graduated from Basic, our parents all came down for the ceremony and they took us out for dinner that night. They got into an argument, and Nick’s dad started in on him and then walked out when Nick stood up for himself. Let’s just say Dad took offense and basically adopted Nick after that.”

Zane nodded, still frowning in confusion. “I thought Earl didn’t even remember Nick’s name from the snake incident.”

Ty shook his head. “He was just messing with you, trying to make you nervous about hiking. Nick spent practically every leave with us after that. Ma and Dad are pretty close to him. I’m telling you this so . . . just don’t let Nick know how Dad reacted when Grandpa outed us, okay?”

Understanding finally dawned on Zane’s face, and anger swiftly followed.

“Please?” Ty tried. “Dad can handle himself, he deserves what he gets, but Nick . . . Nick sees my parents as his own.”

Zane schooled his initial emotions, merely nodding instead. “I promise. For Nick, not for Earl.”

“Thanks, Zane,” Ty whispered, and he slipped his arm around Zane’s waist as they headed into the breakfast room.

They were greeted by the others with good mornings from Earl and Mara, and knowing smirks from Nick and Kelly.

Ty plopped down in the seat next to Kelly and peered over at his friends. “What the hell happened to you two this morning?”

Nick began to snicker and Kelly rolled his eyes as he took a sip of coffee. “I fell out of the bed.”

“Fell?” Zane asked. “Or you were pushed?”

“Legit fell. Rolled right out of that thing and took the covers with me. I dreamt I was being attacked by a giant squid and woke up thinking I was drowning.”

“I woke up cold and very confused,” Nick added.

Ty couldn’t help but laugh.

Kelly smiled slyly. “What happened to you this morning?”

“I wasn’t attacked by a giant squid, if that’s what you’re asking,” Ty drawled. He glanced toward the end of the table at his grandfather, giving him a smart salute. “Gramps, how’s it going?”

Chester grumbled over his bacon and eggs, piling them all together onto a piece of bread to make a sandwich. He glanced up at Ty and Zane, narrowing his eyes before turning his attention to Nick, who was sitting next to him and minding his own business.

Chester pointed his fork at Nick’s face. “When I was your age, sonny, they used to say redheads was relations of Satan.”

Kelly choked on his breakfast, but Nick just gave Chester an enigmatic smile.

“What do they say about you now?” Chester asked him.

Nick gave an easy shrug. “They say we have no soul.”

Chester pursed his lips, nodding thoughtfully as he patted one gnarled hand against Nick’s shoulder. “Eh. True enough.”

Nick raised both eyebrows, but then he held up his orange juice and Chester toasted him by tapping his coffee to the glass. Kelly was still coughing, trying to swallow and laugh at the same time. He finally had to excuse himself and stumbled out of the room to go find somewhere to spit it out.

Ty glanced at Zane and found the man hiding his face with both hands, laughing silently. At least now he knew it wasn’t just him Chester spoke to that way. But Nick had always taken Chester’s eccentricities in stride, probably even better than Ty and Deuce did because Nick just never gave a f**k.

Nick was still smiling, shaking his head as he ate. From the first time Ty had brought him home, he’d fit into the Grady family shockingly well. Earl had taken a special interest in him after the scene Nick’s father had made at their graduation. Whether Nick’s father would have tried to hit Nick in front of them all was questionable, because men like him usually worked behind closed doors, but Ty had known immediately that he was going to have to pull his father off Nick’s if a punch was thrown.