“He'd seen a phoenix waiting to rise from the ashes, and he still did. every time he looked into Zane, he saw something extraordinary.”

“They didn't know Zane like he did. Ty knew his partner had to take the issue from every angle, analyze it to death, resurrect it, and then study its dead, rotting body to see the results. Yeah, it might take Zane four months to decide if he loved someone, and then more to decide if that was a good idea.Ty didn't mind waiting.”

“And you,” Ty continued, his voice breaking. “You’re aphoenix, Zane. Rising from the ashes. And all I do is makeyou burn.”Zane’s throat was too tight to swallow past, and his nextbreath came out a choked sob. He had never imagined thatwas how Ty saw him, and hearing it now made him want totake back every harsh word they’d ever shared, every thrustand parry of their relationship.”

“he had never felt this type of heat and longing for another person. He didn't know how Zane did it, but Ty knew that there would never be anyone else for him. He wanted Zane to feel that too, to have that assurance both physically and emotionally. He would do whatever he had to make sure Zane knew he was his”

“Ty bit his lip, watching his lover just because he could. He firmly believed that being able to rile Zane like he could was one of the aspects of their relationship that had saved Zane from tumbling back into his destructive past. Every now and then, Zane just needed to feel like he was alive. Everyone should be able to feel that. And if annoying him to the point of homicide was what it took, Ty was up to the challenge.”

“At least he now he knew the truth about himself and Zane. Looking raptly into Zane’s dark eyes, Ty wondered why he hadn’t realized he loved the man earlier.”

“I love you, I will always be yours Zane- no matter where I am or where you are.I promise you that," he said, the words as serious as Zane had ever heard Ty utter.Zane felt flush all over, a little light-headed, and more than a little off kilter. What Ty promised.. . It was more than Zane had ever expected to want from anyone else ever again. But he did want that from Ty, desperately.”