Cut & Run (Cut & Run #1)(34)
Author: Abigail Roux

“Evening,” Zane greeted quietly, voice still dark with sleep. He yawned and ran his hand through his hair. The short curls were riotous. “I’m hungry.”

“Ugh,” Ty groaned sleepily. “God, you’re worse than a date,” he muttered. “I have to feed you, too?”

“Hell, we sleep together, and you won’t spring for dinner? What kind of guy are you?” Zane climbed gingerly out of the bed and flopped his pillow over Ty’s face as he walked by to the bathroom.

“The kind who slept through the getting laid part!” Ty called after him as he grabbed the pillow and immediately confiscated it, tucking it under the covers and wrapping around it like a child with a teddy bear.

Zane leaned out the door after turning on the light. “Bad planning on your part,” he chastised before ducking back inside and pushing the door shut.

Ty gave a loud, slightly squeaky huff and snuggled back down into the bed. The mattress was hard as a rock, but he’d had worse. “You want room service?” he called.

Stretching carefully, Zane looked over his shoulder at his back in the mirror. “Yeah, that’s fine,” he answered, raising his voice. “I’ll eat pretty much anything.”

“I’m sure you will,” Ty muttered grumpily from his warm cocoon of pillows.

Zane turned on the shower, ready to risk washing down his back. The hot water would feel good, at least. He pushed his briefs to the floor and climbed in, standing facing the shower head (which was actually tall enough for him for once) before turning slightly to see how it would feel on his damaged skin.

Ty climbed out of bed when he heard the water turn on and hopped to the bathroom door, sticking his head inside the bathroom with wide, disbelieving eyes. “You’re gonna wet it?” he asked incredulously without even giving a thought to Zane’s privacy.

Jerking his shoulder out of the water and stepping back as the door pushed open, Zane swallowed against the surprise and tried to calm his pulse.

“What the hell are you talking about? I’m in the damn shower; it’s wet by default.”

“It’s gonna hurt,” Ty protested almost childishly.

Zane leaned back and pulled the curtain aside just enough to look at Ty. “Well, yeah?” he said, face displaying patent disbelief at Ty’s objections.

“Won’t hurt worse than the getting hurt in the first place,” he said as he pointed at Ty, catching the curtain just in time as it fell away and yanking it shut, blocking the flow of cool air. He felt like a f**king idiot, standing naked in the shower while he held the curtain between the two of them.

Taking an even breath, he turned in place immediately, standing far enough away that the hot water just sprayed on his ass and thighs. Then he took small steps backward, and as the hot water started raining on his lower back he let out a low, unconscious moan of pleasure.

“It’s gonna hurt,” Ty crooned as he leaned against the door, waiting almost gleefully for the howl.

Ignoring him, Zane stepped backward again, inhaling sharply as the hot water splattered across the cuts and slices and gouges. It did hurt, but it was all a heated flush that tingled and buzzed rather than actually causing blinding pain. He sighed and relaxed and moved further back so the water sluiced over his shoulders, and he groaned at how good it felt, the mélange of little prickles and bites of hurt mixing with the hot raps that jarred and soothed his tensed muscles.

“Like pain, huh?” Ty laughed as he listened. “I’ll leave you to it, then,” he snickered as he turned to go.

“Pansy-ass,” Zane murmured with a smile, just loud enough to be heard.

“Masochist,” Ty shot back.

Zane chuckled. “Lightweight.”

Ty stepped outside the bathroom again without bothering to respond.

The groan from Zane had sent an odd jolt through his body, and he wasn’t sure he liked it. He needed … to shoot something, maybe.

He stalked out into the room to pick up the phone.

Zane took his time showering, staying in the hot water until the steam in the room was making it difficult to breathe. With a sigh, he bent over and turned off the water, pleased by how much easier he could move now. He stepped out of the tub, grabbing a towel to wipe his face, and he flicked on the fan.

If he could get Ty to put more of that salve on the wounds, he might just be ready for action again.

In the outer room, Ty was on hold, desperately trying not to think as he waited. He didn’t need to be thinking about Zane Garrett in any form other than as an annoying partner. He glanced up at Zane when the man came out of the bathroom and snorted heavily through his nose in annoyance. “What do 100

you want to eat?” he asked him, letting his eyes take in Zane’s toned muscles and then turning off that instinctive reaction willfully.

“You haven’t ordered yet?” Zane asked as he came out from under the towel he had been using to dry his hair. Another was wrapped around his lean hips.

Ty growled at him.

Zane ignored him. “I don’t care. Burger, steak, chicken, pizza.

Whatever.” He shrugged and walked over to his duffel bag and started digging through it. Ty seemed to be back to his normal twitchy self, he thought, as he dug out clean briefs and a pair of jeans.

“Make a damn decision,” Ty huffed just before someone finally answered his call.

“Bacon cheeseburger, dressed, and fries. And a couple cans of Coke.”

Zane walked back toward the bathroom with his clothes and kit.

Ty repeated the order into the phone and then added his own order to it. The man on the other end took the order and politely ended the call, and Ty replaced the receiver slowly as he listened to Zane’s movements. After a moment he let out a long, slow breath and flopped back into his bed. “How’s it feeling?” he asked as he squeezed his eyes shut.

“Better,” Zane called out before making quick use of his toothbrush and then looking unsuccessfully for his comb. He slid into his clean briefs and pulled on the jeans, but he was still distractedly fastening them up as he padded back out into the main room and over to his duffel bag. “Will you put more of that shit on my back?” he asked as he searched.

“You’re going to smell like a racehorse,” Ty observed from inside his cocoon.

Zane looked up from digging in his duffel, brow furrowed in confusion.

Ty laughed softly and buried his head under the pillow again, burrowing tiredly. Zane smiled at him as he looked him over, letting his eyes slide up and down the lean body just once before shaking his head and pushing the thoughts away. “Have you seen my damn comb?” he muttered.