Desperate to burn off some of his pent-up energy, Z began swimming laps. He didn’t bother to count, wanting simply to outrun the thoughts that had plagued him for most of the night.
Face it, Dad. I’m a good actor because that’s part of my job, but when it comes to a situation like this—pretending with Z—I’m not sure I’m that good.
Z hated the fact that RT’s statement had hurt him so much. He would’ve preferred not to hear the words at all, rather to go forward without knowing how against the idea of pretending to be with Z that RT was.
But he couldn’t undo it now.
And it wasn’t as though he could confront RT because Z hadn’t exactly been invited into the conversation. Still, he had allowed those words to get to him.
What the hell had RT meant? Was he seriously contemplating the ruse? Pretending to be a couple the way Bryce had evidently intended? It really wasn’t a bad idea. Not that they necessarily needed an in with Jericho—the man had hired Sniper 1 for a job—but it could make the guy feel more comfortable. Then again, they hadn’t even met Jericho yet, so they could very well be jumping to conclusions.
So what had RT meant? That he didn’t think it would work? Or that he couldn’t even fake it for the sake of the op?
Z knew without a doubt that he’d seen interest in RT’s gaze on more than one occasion.
Like that night.
And yesterday.
In RT’s office.
At lunch.
In the ocean.
Slowing to turn, Z used the wall to propel himself forward, the water sluicing over him as he began another lap.
RT thought he was good at disguising his feelings, but he wasn’t. As far as actors went, RT wouldn’t win any awards. Not when it came to pretending not to be interested. But Z knew RT. If he continued to tell himself that, there was no way Z would ever get close to him. The man locked up his feelings and kept them close to the vest. Better than anyone Z knew. In fact, RT’s emotions were like a steel wall surrounded by concrete, then encased in diamonds. Damn near impenetrable.
Surely the guy wanted to find a man, fall in love…be happy.
Not that Z was that man.
But they’d never know until they tried, right?
Turning once more, Z dove beneath the water, kicking his feet, propelling himself forward.
Z wasn’t dreaming of a white picket fence and babies, but he wasn’t interested in a brief fling with RT, either. He’d had plenty of those over the years, though far fewer than Trace gave Z credit for. No, his best friend didn’t even know the goings-on in Z’s life, and Z intended to keep it that way.
But here…in this secluded place, Z recognized there was an opportunity that he simply couldn’t pass up. Things had fallen into place, giving him the chance to pursue RT the right way, to show him just how good happiness could be.
And what better way to do it than by setting it up ahead of time? That was the way RT’s brain worked. He needed structure and this would provide that. From there, they could see where the cards fell. Wasn’t that the way it worked?
Breaking the surface of the water, Z sucked air into his lungs and scrubbed the water off his face with both hands.
Would he pressure RT? Nah.
Hell, he wouldn’t even know how to do that.
But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t take advantage of the situation.
As far as plans went…pretending to be a couple in order to get close to the principal…this was good. It was as good a plan as any, honestly. And if RT would give in, Z also knew there wouldn’t be any pretending involved. However, getting the stubborn man to agree… That wouldn’t be easy.
After three more laps, Z stopped at the end of the pool facing the horizon, resting his arms on the infinity edge and watching as the world broke into brilliant color. The sound of seagulls nearby combined with the gentle crash of waves down below lulled him into a sense of peace, erasing the irritation he felt from the entire situation.
Z could so easily get used to this. The early morning swim, the view, the peace and quiet. This moment, right here, right now, was one Z would never forget for the rest of his life.
The whooshing sound of the glass door being propelled open pulled him from his euphoria.
“You’re up early,” RT called out.
Glancing over his shoulder, Z saw RT walking his way, dressed for the day in snug-fitting jeans and a black T-shirt. God, he looked good.
“Problems sleeping?” RT inquired.
If he only knew.
When Z hadn’t been thinking about RT’s statement last night, he’d been envisioning himself slipping into RT’s room, sliding into bed with the man, and wrapping his entire body around him, claiming his mouth, then his body...
“Not too bad,” Z finally said, shaking off the thought. “You?”
“I’m usually up early.”
Z knew that about RT. The man was dedicated to the job, spending endless hours working and worrying. All work and no play. Z was pretty sure that particular proverb had been created to describe Ryan Trexler to a T.
“I wouldn’t complain if I could wake up to this every day,” RT muttered absently, staring out at the ocean.
Though he knew RT wasn’t talking to him, Z responded anyway. “Me, either.” But Z was referring to more than the ocean view.
Turning back to face the sun, Z watched as the small waves crashed along the shore, the water reflecting the orange and pink from the lightening sky.
Stunning.
Twisting around, Z rested his elbows on the wall behind him, keeping himself above water as he faced RT, something else equally stunning to look at. “So what’s the plan for today? I doubt you’re gonna say we’ll be playin’ the role of beach bums.”
RT smiled. A real smile. Z longed to see those, probably because they were so infrequent. It made his body harden instantly. That was when he remembered that he was naked and the sun was coming up. In a few minutes, RT would see Z in all his glory.
He wondered if RT could see the smirk that tilted his lips. The thought of RT seeing him naked again…
No, Z wasn’t modest.
“I thought we’d get breakfast, then meet with Jericho. I emailed him last night, told him we were in town. He’ll need to show us the painting, let us know what we’re working with.”
“Works for me,” Z said, pushing off the wall and swimming to the shallow end. “I just need to shower, then I’ll be ready to go.”
Without looking behind him to see if RT was watching, Z took the steps leading out of the pool. After grabbing his discarded underwear and the towel he’d stashed on a chair, he proceeded to dry off—slowly—before going into the house.
As he was closing the sliding glass door behind him, Z glanced over at RT.
Z smiled.
There, with a dumbfounded expression on his handsome face, was RT blatantly staring.
Nice.
GOD HAD BEEN IN A good mood on the day he created Z, that was all there was to it.
Ryan couldn’t turn away from the incredible view of Z’s naked body, even when he saw Z looking at him. Yeah, he’d been staring at a very impressive, very naked Z, and while he had been transfixed by Z’s perfection, his dick had stirred to life.
Thankfully, Z went inside.
Memories of the night he’d spent with Z rushed him, overwhelming him with their intensity. Although he had spent the last couple of weeks blaming that incident on the alcohol, Ryan had been sober when he’d taken Z. And he’d been sober every single day since when he replayed that night over and over in his head. Despite knowing better, Ryan wanted a replay, and seeing Z naked… It didn’t help his desire to get him in bed once more.
Ryan was tempted to jump in the water to cool off, but he doubted that would help. Plus, he’d just taken a shower before coming downstairs. When he’d woken up, he’d expected Z to still be asleep, so finding him outside, staring out at the morning sun as it crested over the horizon, had been unexpected. He wondered whether Z saw the same thing Ryan did when he viewed the world like that.
It wasn’t often that Ryan allowed himself time to slow down. He preferred constant motion. It offered him less time to dwell on his personal life. Something that had been seriously lacking before he and Z had...