Zach couldn’t help tugging at the neck of his shirt. Looking in the mirror, the three-piece suit with white undershirt looked good on him. He saw Tynan approach him from behind, a strong arm hugging his waist.

“You look good. Now take it off.” Tynan bent his head, nibbling at his ear. He felt warm breath fan his cooled skin causing his body to heat up.

Zach stepped out of his hold. “You’ve been talking about this party all week.”

Tynan didn’t care about the party. He cared about neutralizing Rain and finally making a move on his uncle. It was also important because it was Zach’s debut to the social circles in Lor City.

“I would much rather spend time with you naked.” Tynan pulled Zach against him. A dark, musky smell filled his senses. Zach didn’t usually use cologne. It was an interesting addition that added to the man’s allure.

The blue-eyed imp gave a disgusted snort. “Is that all you think about?”

He held out his hands and handed over a pair of silver cufflinks. Zach gave him a suspicious look before stepping forward to help him put them on. “It’s not all I think about. But, I think about it a lot.”

Zach had his head bent as he adjusted the cufflinks. Tynan kissed him on the crown of his head. He was in that phase of the relationship where all he wanted to do was touch and kiss his partner.

“Behave.” Zach moved back, making sure he was out of arms’ reach. It annoyed him how much control Zach had. It was hard to tell which one of them was older sometimes. Though, it made the moment when Zach lost control all the much sweeter.

An image of Zach naked, his body being caressed with water, popped into Tynan’s mind. He loved the way the man's voice echoed in the bathroom, the contrast between his skin and the black tiles. It was the same effect as Zach wreathing on black sheets, his eyes misty with pleasure.

“Wherever your mind has gone, come back.” Zach stood with his arms crossed and his foot tapping out an impatient beat. He checked his watch before walking out of the room. “Let’s go.”

Tynan massaged his jaw that ached from smiling too much. He took a final look in the mirror. He also wore a black suit. The only difference was that his shirt was black, and he’d opted not to wear a tie.

The cufflinks that they wore were a couples pair that he’d had made. He laughed when he remembered the look of disgust Zach had on his face when he saw them. He looked at his partner standing in the doorway. He was shrouded in darkness as he tugged on his sleeves. The matching cufflink reflected the limited light.

“Coming.” Tynan didn’t realize he was a sentimental or romantic person till he got into a relationship with Zach. He didn’t have plans to go as far as to have couple's outfits, but having jewelry and accessories in pairs gave him a mushy feeling.

Zach rolled his eyes at the dopey look on Tynan’s face. It was strange rectifying the image he had of Tynan in his mind with the man that he was getting to know. He often had to remind himself that this Tynan was a lot younger than the person he was used to seeing.

The relationship between him and his friends hadn't fractured, and he wasn’t enduring hardship from his uncle's actions.

He didn’t look when a warm palm held his and entwined their fingers. Tynan was very tactile. It hadn’t taken him long to adapt, but there were moments when he was sensitive, almost uncomfortable with the amount of contact they had.

Zach never considered himself a social person, and as he aged, he’d become more of a loner, sticking to his family and a few close friends. He knew Tynan was worried about his lack of friends.

“What is Theo’s brother’s name?” Zach realized as he was heading out the door that he didn’t even know the name of the person whose birthday he was attending. The present in his lap was picked out by Tynan.

“Jeremy Graham. You don’t have to concern yourself with him too much.” Tynan didn’t care much for Theo’s brother. Jeremy was a surprise baby, who was born when the Graham couple was much older, and as a result, he was quite spoiled.

“Hmm.” Family dynamics could be complex, and it was worse in wealthy families. “Anyone I need to watch out for?” Tynan looked sexy with one hand on the steering wheel and the other resting on his thigh. Zach couldn’t explain what he found sexy about it. Maybe it was the suit or the light woody smell tantalizing his nose.

“It’s most close associates and friends that will be there. No one that you have to be wary of past taking general precautions.” Tynan looked over, having heard something strange in Zach’s voice. He saw the way the younger man was looking at him with hooded unfocused eyes, and he wanted to turn the car around. “Zach.” His words came out more like a groan.

Zach tore his eyes away. Looking out the window, he did his best to get himself back under control. This man is mine. The thought had come out of nowhere, and it did funny things to him. “Keep driving.”

Tynan focused on the road with his jaw clenched.

****

It was a miracle that they made it to the party without incident. The car had slipped into tense silence after that. Both of them were content to focus on their own thoughts.

Theo was waiting on them when they arrived.

This was the first time Zach was seeing Theo other than on TV. Theo expanded his entertainment company into V country and relocated there. Zach hadn’t known it then, but he imagined it was another consequence that came about because of Rain’s actions.

“Nice to meet you.” Zach extended his hand.

Theo gave a firm shake and a charming smile that hid something dangerous. “It’s good to put a name to the face.” Theo gave Tynan a one-armed hug. “This guy talks about you constantly. Wouldn’t be surprised if you walked on water.”

Tynan pushed Theo off. They all laughed and joked as they joined the group. Cain was there, he had dark circles under his eyes, but there was fire and determination in his eyes that Tynan was relieved to see.

The group formed and introductions were done. Zach held Ron’s hand for a minute more than was polite. He didn’t have an ulterior motive. He was just too stunned at seeing such a familiar face.

He pushed the panic he felt, and the thought of confessing that he was from the future was pushed to the forefront of his mind. Ron would die if he didn’t say anything. The thought haunted him, but he had time to think before he made a decision.

“Are you okay?” Tynan noticed there was something off about Zach from the moment he met Ron. At first, he thought that the two of them instantly disliked each other, but he was inclined to believe it was something else.

Zach didn’t want to lie. He didn’t want Tynan to misunderstand, and he didn’t think it would be healthy for their relationship if he made a habit of telling half-truths to suit his convenience. “Later.”

That familiar feeling swamped Tynan. This was something else that had to do with the secret that Zach was hiding. “Later will come?”

The question, while innocuous, made the hair’s on the back of Zach’s neck stand up. Tynan had a way of acting silly when they were together, but he should never forget how sharp and savvy the man was. “Eventually.” It was only as he was speaking that he realized he planned to share his life with Tynan. Both past and present. “When I’m comfortable.”

Tynan's gaze was intense as he stared into Zach’s eyes. “Okay.” He could wait. They had plenty of time and he had no intention of letting Zach slip through his fingers.

The evening droned on, and Zach met a host of people. Most of them he knew from his past life, but there were quite a few people he knew of but never had the chance to interact with.

Ron was passive-aggressive. Morris seemed amused by everything. Theo did his best not to hover over Cain while still keeping the man in his line of sight at all times. Tynan kept a possessive arm around Zach’s waist the entire evening. They attracted plenty of looks and raised eyebrows.

The birthday boy made a brief appearance before joining his peers in another section of the house. Nothing interesting happened, and the night soon came to an end.

Zach loosened his tie and undid the top button of his shirt. The six of them were moving towards the basement of the house. “Has Rain said anything?”

Theo’s face was grim, and his eyes never left Cain. “Not much, but I wasn’t trying that hard to get an answer.”

Zach didn’t want to know what trying hard would entail. He preferred to extract information online rather than to have to get physical. He was happy to leave that job to Theo.

They reached a door where two armed men stood guard. Cain Looked sick, but his fists were clenched, and everyone could see his determination. “Let’s get it over with.”

Theo nodded to the men, and one of them opened the door.

Rain sat on a bed with his back to the wall. Unfocused eyes stared at the ceiling, but he didn’t lose any of his grace or poise. “Finally willing to talk?” His gaze slid down, only for his body to freeze when he saw the group that came to visit. “Tynan?”

It was Zach’s turn to grit his teeth. It always set him on edge. The needy pleading way Rain said Tynan’s name. Just listening to it lets you know there were years of history between them.

“Is he the only person you see?” Cain moved from behind Theo. His face was ready, and his eyes wavered, but he didn’t cry.

Rain looked at Cain before dismissing him. His attention focused on Tynan. “Are you going to let them do this to me? To us?”

“There is no us.” Tynan tightened his hold on Zach. The look in his partner's eyes promised retribution. It made him happy to see his boyfriend jealous, even though there wasn’t a reason for him to feel that way.

“Is it because of him?”

They didn’t have to guess who the ‘him’ was referring to.

“Yep. It’s because of me.” Zach slipped away from Tynan, wandering further into the room. “Let’s not pretend. You know why you're here.”

Rain scoffed. His eyes would shift away, but they always went back to Tynan.

“The past doesn’t guarantee the future.” Rain sounded sad. Tears gathered on his lashes before spilling down his cheeks.

“Do you want an award?” Zach saw the way Cain flinched when he saw Rain crying. Tynan looked conflicted, and Ron stayed angry. Morris and he were the only two people not affected by the waterworks show Rain was putting on.

“This isn’t your place to talk.” Rain didn’t stop crying, but he broke character as he lashed out.

Zach grinned, having achieved the result he wanted. He was the key. Rain’s facade would crumble the minute he became involved. “I don’t want to waste my time on you. My question is simple. Who are you working for?”

Rain grit his teeth.

Cain stepped forward. You could see the fatigue and concern on his face as he faced Rain. “Please. For all of us, just answer.”

“Are you stupid? I have come this far. Why would I throw it away?” The sneer on his face was different from the sweet look he usually wore when Cain was around. It was clear that he didn’t see the need to keep acting. “Tynan. You will see, we are made for each other.”

“Do you honestly think I will ever fucking let you see the light of day again?” Theo didn’t raise his voice, but it caused a shiver to run through Zach’s body.