Zach shifted as he felt something ticklish at his neck. He tried to roll over, but a stinging pain came from the same spot. He opened an eye to see brown hair. Tynan nipped at his neck mischievous hands wandered over his body. Those hands drifted lower. Zach tipped his head back, enjoying the sensations. This was a good way to start his day.

Tynan moved up, kissing Zach and sharing some of the sweet essence that was still on his lips. “Morning.”

“Morning.” Zach's voice was roughed with sleep and the after-effects of talking too much. “It's early.” His words caught in the middle as he stretched.

“I couldn’t sleep anymore.” Tynan’s thumb skimmed over a nipple that begged for attention.

Zach slapped away Tynan’s wandering hands. “So you decided to wake me up?” He rolled over onto Tynan. He crossed his hands over Tynan’s chest and rested his chin on the back of them. Tynan was propped up against the bed with an arm bent behind his head.

“Are you complaining?” Tynan’s eyes were soft as he looked at Zach. His head shifted through soft, black hair, massaging his scalp. He loved the way Zach’s eyes drooped like a kitten being scratched behind the ear.

He didn’t have any complaints but felt he should protest anyway. “Yep. Complain. Complain.” Zach was exhausted, but he also felt refreshed. Telling Tynan had taken a weight off of him.

Tynan swatted the back of Zach's head. “Silly.”

Zach rested his head on Tynan’s chest and listened to his heartbeat. They stayed like that until the automatic curtains opened and sunlight streamed into the room.

“What are you going to do?” Tynan trailed his fingers against Zach’s back. He noticed that there were light freckles across his shoulder blades.

The thoughts he’d kept at bay came rushing back. It was time to face the world and all its problems. “Can you put me in touch with Liam? It would also help if you had a contact in D County. On my end, I will see what I can find on the Mallory and Castor families. After that, I have to go and speak to my mother.”

He didn’t want to distress his mother with the conflicts happening around him. Nor did he want to open any old wound that surrounded her family. However, he couldn’t ignore the threat to him and the people he cared about.

If they targeted him once, they might have interfered on other occasions and he wasn’t aware. It would be hard to confirm those events, but he needed to be prepared going forward. He wouldn’t allow it to happen again.

“Do you need a mediator?” Tynan didn’t think it was a good idea to leave Zach and Liam alone together. Zach considered Liam an annoyance, and it was hard to determine how the younger man would react if he had to put up with Liam’s usual arrogance.

“Were adults. We can handle ourselves.” Zach crossed blackmailing Liam off his mental list. “If he’s civil. I don’t see why there should be an issue.” He could understand Liam being protective of the group, but he didn’t have to be a dick about it. He came in waving accusations around without confirming the citation or asking questions.

Tynan winced at the dry tone in which Zach spoke. Liam left a bad impression, and Tynan didn’t think it would be easy to correct in Zach’s mind. Since learning of Zach's past, he understood why his lover behaved like a crotchety old man sometimes.

It explained his love of orthopedic shoes. His picky food taste. The way he hurmphed and haaa’d every time he had to move. It wasn’t all good news. He did his best not to show it, but he’d had a hard time listening as Zach shared his story. It affected him and left a deep impact.

Zach had an entire lifetime of memories and experiences that he would never be a part of. He wouldn’t be able to comfort and help him through his trial. He couldn’t share in his joy. It helped that they had a future together and that they didn’t miss each other in this life, but he still had regrets.

Nina Paige. The name left something burning and acidic in his stomach. She gave birth to Zach’s children. She lived her life with him, a life Tynan was jealous of. Yet, she betrayed Zach in the worst way. She was only seventeen. He had to remind himself of that so that he didn’t do something terrible to her.

“I’ll ask Theo to sit in on the meeting.” Tynan didn’t trust them to be rational. Zach was emotionally charged because he thought his mother was in danger. Liam thought Zach was trying to take advantage of Cain and company.

This could be sorted out if Zach was willing to give Liam access to his information, but that wouldn’t happen now. If Liam hadn’t started their acquaintance in a combative way. Everything would have been sorted out after a few questions.

“Stubborn old man.” Tynan ruffled Zach’s head. He kissed the unrepentant smile off Zach’s face.

“I’ll play nice. Promise.” Zach held up a pinky finger.

Tynan spun them until Zach was pressed beneath him. He linked their pinkies together. “It’s a promise.”

Zach looked into Tynan’s eyes. They were solemn, he couldn’t figure out what Tynan’s gaze meant. He doubted it had anything to do with Liam. “Ty?”

Tynan couldn’t answer. He didn’t even know what he was promising other than he would cherish Zach to the best of his abilities. It seemed a trivial thing, but this was the first time he was committing to having someone in his life.

“Is it too early to meet your mother?” Tynan asked. It broke the mood.

Zach rolled his eyes. He wouldn’t push if Tynan didn’t want to explain. “Yes. It’s too early.” His mother knew that he was seeing someone. He’d also told her it was a man, but he hadn’t said much else. It wasn’t that he was ashamed or that he didn’t want her to meet Tynan. He was just greedy to keep this to himself for a while longer.  He already had to share Tynan with other people.

“I won’t wait too long.”

“Ehm.” Zach kissed Tynan on the neck, trailing his lips up to his chin before claiming his lips.

“I’ll still come with you to Jell City. We can stop in Pe City before coming home.” Tynan got off the bed. He did his best not to look at Zach lest he be tempted to get back in bed and savor him more.

“I can help you take care of that.” Zach’s eyes were focused on the hardening bulge in Tynan’s shorts.

Tynan dashed into the bathroom, laughter following him the whole way. He had already gotten relief once this morning. Why was he getting hard again? As he used his hand under the warm shower stream, he imagined mischievous blue eyes looking up at him.

Zach headed to the guest bathroom. It was usual Tynan who was banished here to take care of his daily needs. On entering, he couldn’t stop his mouth from dropping open. Floor-to-ceiling mirrors covered every wall. His mind conjured a thousand naughty scenes. Why hadn’t Tynan dragged him in here for some fun?

There was a certain charm to the all-black decor of Tynan’s bathroom, but this room was made for debauchery. Who designed this room?

He sped through his shower as random thoughts crowded in. He made plans to lure Tynan into here soon. He’d make good use of these mirrors.

 

Zach was back at Theo’s house. If this was a perfect world, he would be on a beach. Instead, he was finding out about buried family history, and the shit show his last life was.

Theo stood at the top of the steps waiting for him.

Zach did a finger wave as he got out of the car. The driver would park, and then find something to do while waiting for him.

“All is right in the world?” Zach asked in lu of a greeting.

“No worse than usual.” Theo couldn’t put his finger on it, but there was something different about Zach. He seemed more present and less bored with the world. “Liam is waiting. He also brought the Paige sisters.”

Zach's steps paused. Theo noticed his hesitations. “Is something wrong?”

“Tynan’s going to be pissed.” Zach felt conflicted about meeting Nina. Logically he knew she hadn’t done anything to him, but emotionally he didn’t care. He wanted her to suffer. Tynan, on the other hand, loathed her and didn’t much care that she was innocent at the moment. His lover seemed to have adopted an out of sight, out of mind policy when it came to her.

“Why?” Theo couldn’t understand Zach’s reaction to the news about Cassidy and Nina. His reaction toward them was stronger than finding out his birth certificate was falsified. It seemed Tynan also knew the secret.

“It’s nothing.” The smile he forced in place was lighter than what he was feeling inside.

They came to a sitting room. When he saw her, it was as if the years melted away. Her honey-blond hair hung in loose curls around her face small face. Laughter was in her green eyes and an easy smile on her lips.

She looked the same way when he first laid eyes on her. He and his mother were taking a walk through the park. She’d been sitting on a picnic blanket. She’d come to walk her dog. He went to that park every day for two weeks before he worked up the courage to ask her out.

It took all his restraint to keep his feet moving and his expression neutral. When she turned to look at him. The smile on her face died. Her sister had the same reaction.

“What is it doing here?” The older girl asked. He assumed she was Cassidy.

“It?” Liam was shocked. Cassidy was never anything but polite to him and around his social circle.

“Yes. It. That person.” She pointed a red manicured finger at Zach.

Zach sniggered. They looked alike, Nina and her sister. The main difference was their ages, and Cassidy’s hair had a reddish tint to it. The sneer on their faces was identical.

“That shouldn’t be allowed in polite company. It and its mother were banished from polite company.” Cassidy kept her nose high in the air.

Zach felt a low pressure emanating off of Theo. It was refreshing to know that he had someone on his side. He could only lament fools being ignorant and deciding their fate. Tynan was content to ignore them. If this conversation reached his ears, what would his partner do?

“Why is he here?” Nina asked. Her tone implied this was her house, and Zach was intruding.

The sweet shy girl he had in his memories was nowhere to be seen. He shuddered at the implications.

“He’s dating Tynan.” Liam supplied, not grasping the change in the situation.

“Gold digging trash. Just like his mother.”

Nina had an acidic tongue for someone who was seventeen. In a few sentences, she’d blown right past his bottom line.

Theo shifted away from Zach. The more placid his smile became, the more Theo worried.

Liam never guessed that Cassidy was brain dead. Couldn’t she feel the antagonism Zach was letting off? Cain had given him a brief on Zach. His younger brother didn’t know a lot about the boy, but what he did know was enough to make Liam weary.

“You recognize me?” Zach leaned back in his chair, not reacting to any of their comments. He wanted to have done his preliminary research before he met them, but things didn’t go that way. Did Liam deliberately set him up?

Liam loosed his collar. He could feel Zach’s gaze on him, but he couldn’t do anything. He hadn’t expected this. When he invited Cassidy to meet Zach, she’d been enthusiastic to meet her ‘Auntie’s’ son. If he knew it was going to go like this, he would never have invited her here.

If Tynan wasn’t bad enough, it was clear that Theo was on Zach’s side. This also didn’t factor in how dangerous Zach was on his own.

“Why wouldn’t we recognize you? You have a resemblance to the Castor family, but that isn’t a name someone like you can speak much less use. You’re just a toyboy, why am I explaining this to you?” Cassidy flicked her hair over her shoulder.

Liam felt a noose tightening around his neck. “It’s best you stop there.”