“I want you to find me, as soon as you’re free,”

“So, Mr. Grady, how did you find yourself in the FBI?” (…) Ty gave her a charming smile. “The Marines didn’t want me, and it’s hard to find a job where you can shoot things without getting arrested.”

“How do you want me to touch you?" Zane asked in a voice that rasped against Ty's skin. "I just want you.”

“I like being able to wake up to you. I like knowing you’ll be there if I need you,” he continued, obviously uncomfortable with what he was saying but refusing to be deterred now that he’d begun. “I like being with you, Zane. And I’d like to keep that up now that you’re here,” he admitted shakily. He met Zane’s eyes determinedly. “I want you.”

“You’re not dessert, Zane. You’re the main course, Ty informed him in a husky drawl. And you have about five seconds to take your pick of flat surface before I do it for you.”

“Why a compass?” Ty asked. He hadn’t taken his eyes off Zane’s yet.Zane smiled and ran his thumb across the pendant. “Because you gave me direction when I was lost. You showed me the way.” He looked up to meet Ty’s eyes. “You’re like my very own compass.”

“You told me one time that . . . I was your compass. I gave you direction when you were lost,” Ty said, nearly choking on the words. He glanced up, eyes reflecting like liquid in the low light. “Well, you were my anchor. You were something solid for me to hold onto. I wanted you to remember that.”