Where There's Smoke (Heroes of Port Dale #7) - Romeo Alexander Page 0,1
one of their other fellow firefighters. “He hasn’t been saying anything to you when we aren’t around, has he?”
Matt couldn’t help his fond smile at that. For all the bullshit Cade put people through sometimes, his heart was always in the right place. He was more than happy to tease Matt endlessly about something they both knew wasn’t true but would get a rise out of Matt all the same, but the moment he thought someone was stepping over the line, he was ready to fight.
“Keith hasn’t said anything to me,” Matt assured him. “Which since I’m not the one gaying the station up anymore, that’s all on you and Elias.”
Keith remained the only person at the station who was still quite unhappy about the existence of anything gay. When Matt had first joined the station, and his sexuality had become common knowledge, the man had refused to shower or undress around him. It wasn’t something Matt was unfamiliar with, and Keith typically didn’t say anything too nasty. Even that had finally stopped when, during the process of understanding what was going on between him and Cade, Elias had threatened bodily harm on Keith if he ever said anything even remotely nasty. Ever since Keith glowered, but he said nothing.
Cade rolled his eyes. “We haven’t...shut up.”
Matt snorted, “Sure you haven’t. Go ahead, finish that sentence. Tell me you guys haven’t been the ones gaying things up. Do it.”
“I take it back. I hate it when you get sleepy. Grumpy, rude ass,” Cade muttered.
Matt grinned. “See what happens when you get too full of yourself?”
“I think I like you better when you’re well-rested and getting laid,” Cade shot back.
Matt shook his head. “Oh, sure. Make fun of the man who’s tragically single, and all because his ex-boyfriend couldn’t keep it in his pants.”
Cade shoved a finger across the seat in accusation. “That was over a year ago. You don’t get to use that to make me feel bad.”
Matt laughed. “Sure I can, because it still works. Kind of like you giving me shit over the little crush I had on Elias still works on me.”
“Not the same.”
“Uh-huh.”
In truth, bringing up his ex, Trevor, was no more a problem than talking about the weather. They’d dated for several months while Matt had borne witness to the budding relationship between Cade and Elias. Ironically, while Cade and Elias found strong ground to stand upon, Matt’s own relationship had been on thin ice the entire time and he hadn’t known it.
Trevor had been kind, intelligent, good looking, and very good in the bedroom. The problem Matt was soon to discover was that he wasn’t the only one sharing a bed with Trevor. It turned out there were several other men who had been sharing Trevor’s bed, couch, kitchen floor, and God knew how many other surfaces while he’d been with Matt.
And a day didn’t go by that Matt wasn’t thankful he’d always insisted on condoms with his sex partners, even if they had been dating for months.
“Oh, thank God,” Cade muttered when Station 231 came into sight as they turned a corner.
Matt laughed. “And here we were having such a nice conversation.”
“I hate you. I want you to know that. You’re actually evil, under all that niceness and smiles, you’re actually the devil.”
“I’ll be sure to let everyone know that you finally figured me out.”
They pulled into one of the open garage doors. Matt waited until they’d come to a full stop before opening the door and flinging himself out onto the hard concrete of the bay floor. Groaning, he bent forward, trying to touch his toes, but knowing his equipment was going to prevent that. Really all he wanted was to feel the stretch of his muscles that felt like they’d become a fist in his back during the ride.
“That sounds like a mighty good stretch,” a deep familiar voice commented.
Matt grinned, standing upright and turning to face Elias. “As someone who just walked in, you don’t get to start giving me shit.”
Elias chuckled, dark eyes glinting in amusement. “I see you’ve been enjoying being stuck with Cade for hours.”
“Only twelve this time. Any longer and I might start questioning my sanity.”
“True, long terms of exposure can be bad for your mental health.”
Cade rounded the truck, glaring at Elias. “You are supposed to defend me.”
“Baby,” Elias rumbled, smiling. “I love you to pieces, and I’ll never let anyone say shit about you that isn’t true.”