Zane studied him for a moment before glancing up the cliff. “I"d rather have the company for at least part of the time, doll.”
Ty looked him over carefully for a long moment before nodding.
“If you insist,” he said with a smile, then began making his way toward the narrow trail.
The climb wasn"t terribly steep, since the path was cut into switchbacks up the mountainside to preserve the natural flora, so it took a little time to get up there. They walked quietly for a few minutes before Zane spoke up. “It"s not the height, you know.”
“It"s the falling,” Ty finished for him with a nod.
“Yeah,” Zane murmured. “You know me; always want to be in control.” He snorted like he"d made a joke.
Ty watched his footing diligently, smiling to himself while Zane couldn"t see his expression. He knew all too well how anything Zane couldn"t control, or at least figure out, drove the man to unbearable reaches of crazy. “Yeah,” he finally said softly. “But sometimes you miss the best things because you can"t control them.”
“Like what?” Zane"s voice was relaxed and reflected some curiosity.
Ty smiled wider, glancing behind him to get a look at Zane. “If you have to ask….”
“There are things I do even though I can"t control them,” Zane said pointedly as he swatted at Ty"s ass. “But choosing free fall? No.
I"d rather face… snakes in the mountains,” he said with a little chuckle at the end.
Ty snorted derogatorily, unappreciative of the attempt at humor.
He still found very little about that episode of mountain hiking gone wrong funny.
“Right. It"s the difference between something just edgy enough to get a high and something truly scary,” Zane said as they slowed near the top of the cliff.
Ty shook his head and sighed. The view up here was beautiful, but it was often depressing for Ty to catch a glimpse into Zane"s thought processes. He would much rather stare at the ocean beyond the cliff. “You"re all about the high,” he said sadly.
Zane edged one shoulder up. “Can"t deny that, I guess.”
Ty would have had to call bullshit if he"d even tried. Ty turned to look at him. The sun was setting, casting a warm glow over everything, including Zane. Sometimes Ty wished he knew what to say to help Zane, but then he reminded himself he wasn"t exactly what one could call stable, either. There was a lot of pot and kettle going on here.
Instead of anything particularly inspiring, he just waved his hand at the cliff"s edge. “Endorphin rush is one hell of a high. Sure you don"t want to jump?”
Zane raised a brow and walked over to the railing, where he peered over the side and watched another man jump, screaming and flailing all the way down to the dark pool of water far below. He turned, a wry smile in place, and rejoined Ty with a pleasant, “Hell no.
You go right ahead.”
“Fair enough. Are you going to freak out if I do it?”
The smile stayed, but Ty could see Zane"s shoulders tense slightly. “No.”
“If you"re going to lie, baby, at least do it with flair,” Ty said wryly.
Zane rolled his eyes. “Oh doll, if something were to go wrong, how would I ever go on without you?” he drawled in a melodramatic singsong. Then he shook his head. “I won"t freak out,” he said more seriously. “I don"t like it, but I"ll deal.”
Ty gave him a thorough appraisal, not certain why he wanted Zane to take the chance and jump with him. But he did. He also knew he wouldn"t be convincing him to do it. He knew that with the same certainty he knew Zane wasn"t in love with him. The comparison dampened the thrill of jumping, that was for sure.
Zane reached out, clasped Ty"s wrist, and pulled him gently closer. Then he dipped his head to brush their lips together for a few bare seconds. When he straightened, the smile was Zane"s, not the fake smirk he"d been using to play Corbin. “Go on. You"ll enjoy it.”
Ty found himself smiling wanly, appreciating the effort. “I"d enjoy it more if I could shove you off first,” he said in a teasing, coaxing voice.
Zane"s physical reaction wasn"t one Ty recognized right off. It was almost a wince, barely there, a caught breath that he overcompensated for, eyes blinking hard. It was gone in a couple of seconds, but when Zane"s gaze darted to the edge of the cliff and back, Ty realized Zane was truly scared. He hid it well, but not well enough.
“I"ll have to see what I can do tonight to make it up to you,” Zane said after a little too long of a pause.
“You do that,” Ty said softly, regretting the teasing. He stepped discreetly to the side to block Zane"s view of the cliff, and he kissed him quickly. “Now head back down so you don"t see me jump. I"m not walking back down that freaking hill when there"s a faster route.”
Zane nodded slowly and backed away a couple steps. He paused, as if he was going to say something, but he managed a pretty convincing smile before he turned and followed the path down.
Ty waited a breath, then turned to find the attendant near the edge of the cliff watching him expectantly. There were a few people still milling about, but they all seemed ready to turn back rather than going through with it.
“My turn?” Ty asked the attendant brightly. The man smiled and nodded.
Ty took one last glance down the path, patting down his pockets to make certain he"d left everything with Zane, spending those last seconds to steel himself.
He"d told Zane once, but he wasn"t sure if Zane remembered that Ty was afraid of heights too.
With one last hesitation, Ty turned and sprinted for the cliff"s edge, throwing himself over before he could have second thoughts about the jump.
The part Ty both dreaded and loved about falling was the rush of fear itself.
Chapter 9
THE assignment was starting to wear on them. The experience of living in a fancy stateroom, eating incredible food, and enjoying the excitement of their daily itineraries had quickly faded into a slightly fearful, somewhat dreadful obligation that was certainly convincing Zane that they were here to work instead of play.
He had hoped yesterday"s evening of shopping on St. Thomas would turn up some business, but it had been tense, dull, and disappointing, just like the rest of the week had been. That dangerous amalgam made for a cranky partner but some seriously hot sex at night.
Sex. He and Ty had been all over each other for days now. While Zane had no complaint whatsoever, it was really bizarre trying to remember that they were supposedly working. The waiting was getting to both of them, and the sex was the only outlet they had aside from the rare foray into a carefully planned adventure like that zip line across the treetops. Each night—or day, as the case proved to be more often than occasionally—grew progressively more heated and intense.