Where There's Smoke (Heroes of Port Dale #7) - Romeo Alexander Page 0,2

the truth?” Cade demanded.

Elias glanced over his shoulder before pulling Cade in for a quick kiss. “Absolutely. And I’m crazy about you.”

“Gross,” Cade muttered, wrinkling his nose and going in for another kiss.

Matt chuckled, starting to pull his gear off to put it away. “Am I allowed to take a shower without you two coming in there for a quickie?”

“We do not fuck at work,” Cade contested hotly.

“Of course not,” Elias said, though it was said in the most unconvincing tone Matt had ever heard in his life.

“Irons is here, huh?” Matt asked, glancing toward the hallway that would lead to the back of the station, including their chief’s door.

“No,” Elias said, narrowing his eyes. “He’s not supposed to be in for another couple of hours.”

“Keith?”

“He’s got the day off, picking up his brother from the airport, remember?”

“Ah, well, then this is as good a time as any to inform you both that your lies won’t work when I’ve caught you both doing the dirty in the shower room.”

Cade gaped at him. “You’re lying!”

Matt snorted. “Right, because I wasn’t witness to your sword swallowing skills. A large sword, I might add.”

Cade jabbed a finger at him. “Anyone who shared a shower with Elias in the past few years would know that he’s hung like a horse. That’s not proof of shit.”

“Hung like a…” Elias trailed off, frowning at Cade. “You’ve never complained.”

“And I won’t,” Cade insisted. “Not the point.”

Matt sighed. “You have a birthmark on your ass.”

Cade frowned. “Again, we’ve shared a shower. Thank you for looking at my ass.”

“You like it when he takes over,” Matt added.

Cade’s eyes widened. “Excuse me?”

Elias raised a brow. “Just how long were you witness to this?”

Matt grinned, kicking his boots off. “All of three seconds before I ran out of the locker room as quickly as possible. I had no idea Cade was a big bottom bitch until he admitted to it just now.”

“Oh,” Elias said with a chuckle. “You are an evil creature.”

“You ass,” Cade barked, trying to pull away from Elias. “You tricked me.”

“And you’d think someone who came from the wheeling and dealing, political, rich people background like you would have caught the trap before it snapped closed,” Matt pointed out.

Cade whirled on Elias. “You have to back me up. He’s evil in disguise. That cute, innocent face is a lie.”

“The only people who think I’m innocent are the ones who haven’t dated me,” Matt pointed out. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to leave you with that thought, a horrifying one I’m sure, and go shower.”

“I really don’t want to know,” Cade muttered.

“I kind of do,” Elias said.

“Elias!”

“What?”

“You’re lucky I love you.”

“Probably.”

Matt smiled as he stepped into the hallway that led deeper into the station. He knew full well that Elias was trying to get a rise out of Cade and was succeeding spectacularly. Elias would no sooner pay attention to the details of Matt’s sex life and preferences than he would a random rock discarded on the side of the street. Formerly straight or not, the only man who mattered to Elias was his boyfriend, and Cade knew it.

Pushing into the locker room, he yanked open his locker and grimaced at the sight that met him in the mirror he’d hung on the back of the door. His face was smeared with black soot, making what few patches of clean skin there were look even more pale than usual. Flecks of white-gray ash had settled in his mop of black hair, reminding him for what felt like the umpteenth time that he needed to get a haircut. Even his eyes weren’t untouched from his recent long shift, the bright green color that he was privately proud of was ruined by the fact that the whites were streaked with red, and the bags underneath were big enough to make him wonder if they would ever go away.

“Morning, Matt,” came another familiar voice.

Matt looked up at the sound, smiling at one of their fellow firefighters. “Heya, Davis. Didn’t know you were working this morning.”

Davis shrugged, water dripping from his hair as he stepped up to his locker. “Wasn’t going to, but Chief called me in since Keith wasn’t going to be working today.”

“Ah right, Elias reminded me earlier that he was picking up his brother today.”

“They’re close. Really close. Even Keith admits his brother is a big deal to him.”

“Jealous, Davis?”

Once, the comment would have more than likely made Davis guarded and defensive. Even the slightest hint about the