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Easier said than done, fucker. And my name isn’t “buttercup”.
Worst of all? The way Z’s gaze bounced with amusement—as if the jerk were actually listening to his internal dialogue, and finding it as amusing as a Who’s On First reboot.
Franz narrowed his own glare. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”
Z’s lips twitched. “Immensely.”
Deep breath. Another. They didn’t help much, except for fortifying his posture. Better than seething here like a stooped old man.
“Glad to know you’re entertained.”
“Immensely,” Z echoed.
“All right then, smart ass.” He jerked up his chin, an unwritten version of paying deference to the guy who’d once been hailed “The Dark Night of Seattle” because of his own damsel-rescuing exploits—most notably with the woman who now carried his child. “You’ve been in these moccasins a little before, yeah?”
Zeke’s expression sobered by a few degrees. “You could say that. A little.”
“So how the hell did you fight it?” Franz demanded. “You know what I’m talking about, so don’t pretend you don’t,” he pushed. “When wanting to protect the girl so badly, you fantasize about just tying her up yourself…” He stopped. Exhaled hard. “And then doing other things…”
“While she’s still tied up?”
“Fuck,” Franz grated. “Yeah.”
A look of commiseration fell over the guy’s face. After seeming to make an inner decision, Z wheeled back toward the kitchen. Grabbed a new beer from the fridge then popped the cap by leveraging the edge of the counter. Before lifting the thing for a swig, he shrugged and tapped the bottle’s neck in the air. “Word of advice? Don’t.”
“Tie her up?”
“Fight it,” he countered. “I’m serious, Franz. Just don’t fucking fight it.”
Franz growled softly. “I was afraid you’d say that.” I was hoping you’d say that. “You know what you’re advising me to do, right? And to whom?”
Z plunked down the beer. Spread both hands along the counter. “I only know that you asked me how I fought the craving to have my woman beneath me, as opposed to protecting her behind me. I’m assuming you’re talking about my Ray-bird, and what I had to do when that asshole Mua came after her.” His head dropped for a second. Still shaking it slowly, he went on, “That was a crazy couple of weeks—that probably would’ve got a lot easier if I’d trusted my instinct about Rayna to begin with.” Strangely, a serene smile worked its way back onto his face. “And straight-up truth? You’re able to think much clearer about guarding them when you’re not preoccupied about getting inside them.”
John blew out a long breath. Scraped a hand over the top of his head. “Wasn’t exactly what I wanted to hear, man.”
“But it’s what you asked for,” Z rebutted. “Same as what you’ve always asked me for, my friend.”
Franz slid his hand to the back of his neck. Murmured dismally, “The truth.”
Zeke shrugged. “Sometimes it really can set you free.”
“Not what I wanted to hear either, assface.”
His friend’s teeth were a brilliant crescent as Z burst into a hearty laugh. “I love you too, honey.”
