Chapter 8
Troy
I woke with a start, disoriented by the familiar beep of my watch alarm. The fire station dormitory was bathed in pre-dawn light, and around me, my shift mates were beginning to stir. I searched for Rhett, finding him three cots away, already sitting up and stretching his sexy shoulders.
I was already addicted to the heat of his skin against mine, but our next shift at the fire station had rolled around way too quickly. And a slow twenty-four-hour work shift with your brand-new lover sleeping three cots away was pure torture.
Rhett caught my eye, and a small, private smile played across his lips.
I felt that smile like a physical touch, warmth spreading through my chest and settling low in my belly.
We hadn’t defined what we were to each other yet.
Our forty-eight hours off had been filled with lazy mornings, make-out sessions on our couch, and a lot of sleep. We always had sleep to catch up on.
“Matthews,” the captain’s voice cut through my thoughts. “You planning on sleeping through shift change?”
“No, sir,” I replied, jumping to my feet and grabbing my uniform shirt. “Just taking a moment to remember how comfortable these five-star accommodations are.”
Captain Dunn snorted, used to my bullshit by now, and moved on to wake Saunders, who could sleep through an actual five-alarm fire if left to his own devices.
I made my bed with military precision—one habit from childhood that stuck with me despite my otherwise chaotic approach to life.
Growing up with nine siblings, my dad had run our house like a military barracks.
Make your bed wrong, and you’d get the cold shoulder for days.
Get a B instead of an A, and you might as well be invisible at the dinner table.
I pushed those thoughts away. I was used to compartmentalizing that shit.
By the time shift change rolled around, I was more than ready to get home.
Rhett and I had managed to keep things professional throughout our twenty-four hours on duty, but the tension between us was palpable.
Every accidental brush of hands, every shared glance across the engine bay—it all felt charged with possibility and promise.
I was halfway to the locker room when I heard Battalion Chief Ramirez’s voice boom across the apparatus floor. “Matthews! My office, now.”
My stomach dropped. That tone never meant anything good. I exchanged a quick look with Rhett, who raised his eyebrows in question. I could only shrug before heading toward the chief’s office, mentally cataloging every possible fuck-up I might’ve committed in the past week.
Ramirez was already seated behind his desk when I entered, his weathered face unreadable. “Close the door and sit down, Matthews.”
I did as instructed, my mind racing. The chief shuffled some papers on his desk before looking up at me with an expression I couldn’t quite parse. “I’m going to cut right to the chase,” he said. “You’re being offered a lieutenant position at Station 12.”
That wasn’t what I was expecting. “What?” “Lieutenant. Station 12. It’s yours if you want it.
” Ramirez leaned back in his chair. “I’m sorry we didn’t have anything here at this station when you put in your application a few months back, but your performance has been outstanding.
When I heard about the opening at 12, I put your name forward. ”
I sat there, stunned. A lieutenant position. It was exactly what I’d been working toward, what I’d applied for months ago when the testing cycle opened up. It was validation, proof that I wasn’t coasting by on charm and good luck.
But Station 12. Different battalion, different shift rotation possibilities. Away from Rhett. “I…” I started, then stopped. What was I supposed to say?
Ramirez studied me, his dark eyes sharp. “You don’t seem as excited as I expected.”
“No, I am. I mean, thank you, Chief. This is huge. I just—” I ran a hand through my hair. “When would this start?” “Three weeks. They’re in a bit of a rush over there. Their battalion chief had a heart attack last month.”
“Oh shit.”
“He’s going to be fine, but he’s retiring early. The current lieutenant got offered the BC promotion, but there’s no one at 12 qualified to take his place.” Ramirez tapped his pen against the desk. “You’ve got a week to decide before it gets offered to the second choice.”
A week. Seven days to decide whether to take the career advancement I’d been chasing or stay at a station where I’d never move up, with the crew I was comfortable with. And my best friend, or whatever he was now.
“Okay, um. I’ll think on it.”
“You do that. Now go.” He shooed me out of his office, and I hurried back to the locker room, hoping Rhett hadn’t noticed my absence.
I wasn’t ready to discuss this with him yet.
I rounded the corner to find him by his locker, grabbing his duffel bag.
I grabbed my own bag and headed for the parking lot, careful to maintain the appropriate distance between us.
The guys didn’t know about us yet, and I wasn’t sure how Rhett wanted to handle that.
We clocked out side by side, nodding to Mitchell and Jackson, who were coming on for the morning shift.
“Quiet night?” Mitchell asked, slipping his radio into his belt.
“Like a graveyard,” I replied. “Two medical calls and a false alarm at that apartment complex on Madison.”
“You guys heading straight home?” Jackson asked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.
My heart skipped. Did he know? No, the guys all expected us to leave together. I forced a natural laugh.
“Yeah, man. My bed is calling my name,” I said, which wasn’t even a lie.
“Later, assholes,” Rhett said good-naturedly, clapping Mitchell on the shoulder.
We walked out to the parking lot, still keeping space between us until we reached Rhett’s truck. Only when the doors closed behind us and Rhett had pulled out of the station lot did I finally let myself exhale. I reached for his thigh, squeezing the solid muscle beneath his jeans.
“Fuck, I missed being able to touch you,” I groaned. “Twenty-four hours of looking and not touching should be classified as cruel and unusual punishment.”
Rhett’s lips curved into that half-smile that always made something flutter in my chest. “Like what? What did you want to touch?” His voice was low, teasing, with an edge of hunger that sent heat straight to my groin.
I let my hand slide higher up his thigh, chasing away thoughts of what it might be like to work at a different station as my fingers traced the unmistakable outline of his hardening cock through his jeans. What would it be like to not have mornings with him?
“Like this,” I said, giving him a gentle squeeze that pulled a soft hiss from between his teeth. “And these.” I cupped his balls, exploring their weight, their heat through the denim.
“Jesus, Troy,” he breathed, adjusting his grip on the steering wheel. “You’re going to make me crash this truck.”
“Then pull over,” I suggested, only half-joking.
I traced the length of him with my thumb, admiring how he strained against his zipper.
“Or should I wait until we get home so I can properly thank you for that shoulder massage yesterday?” I leaned closer, letting my lips brush against his ear.
“That was fucking dirty, by the way. Getting me hard in the kitchen when Johnson could have walked in any minute.”
Rhett laughed, a deep rumble that I felt in my palm as it rested on his thigh. “You should have seen your face. Worth it.”
He shifted in his seat, and I could tell he was trying to adjust himself without being too obvious. Denver morning traffic moved around us, people going about their day, unaware of the thick sexual tension filling the cab of Rhett’s truck.
“I can’t stop thinking about it, Troy,” he said after a moment, his voice quieter, more serious. “About… having you inside me.” The words hung between us, charged and heavy with meaning.
My cock twitched in my jeans, and I inhaled sharply.
“Yeah?” I managed, my own voice strained.
“Yeah.” He glanced at me briefly before returning his eyes to the road. “I want to know what it’s like. I want to feel you stretching me open, filling me up. Want to look up and see your face while you’re buried inside me.”
“Fuck,” I whispered, adjusting myself in my seat. My cock was fully hard now, throbbing uncomfortably against my zipper.
“I’ve been daydreaming about it the whole shift,” Rhett continued, his knuckles white on the steering wheel. “Watching you handle that hose last night, and all I could think about was your hands on my hips, holding me down while you fuck into me.”
I swallowed hard, my mouth dry. “What makes you think I want to be the top?” I asked teasingly, despite the fact that the image of sliding into Rhett, feeling him hot and tight around me, was enough to make my toes curl in my boots.
Rhett shot me a look, eyebrow raised. “You don’t?”
“I didn’t say that,” I backpedaled quickly. “But don’t make assumptions. Maybe I want to feel you inside me too.”
His expression softened, and he reached over to squeeze my knee. “I’m happy to top you too, Troy. More than happy. But I… I need this. I need to feel that connection.” He hesitated, and I could see the flush creeping up his neck. “I can’t stop thinking about it. I want more. I want all of you.”
“I can’t wait to see you like that,” I said. “I could watch you come all day.”
He caught my hand, brought it to his lips, and pressed a quick kiss to my knuckles. It was such a tender gesture that something clenched in my chest. This thing between us was still so new, so fragile, especially with the added complications of the promotion offer and Aimee.
Before I could stop myself, that familiar thread of worry wormed its way back into my mind.
“And how does Aimee fit into all of this?” I asked, the words slipping out before I could reconsider.
Rhett tilted his head, confusion crossing his features.
After a moment, he said thoughtfully, “I suppose it depends on the position we’re fucking in.
” He stopped at a red light and turned to face me more fully.
“Like, if she’s sitting in my lap while I ride you, that would work.
But if you want me on my hands and knees, I could only eat her pussy from that angle. ”
I choked on air, coughing as he patted my back with concern. “That’s—that’s not what I meant,” I managed when I could breathe again.
“Oh.” Rhett frowned slightly, still not getting it. “Would you rather we double-team her? I’m open to suggestions.”
I stared at him, caught between exasperation and affection.
“You’re too horny to think of anything but sex, aren’t you?
” I let my hand slide between his legs, cupping and massaging him, and he moaned, hands tightening on the steering wheel as he guided his truck into his space in the parking garage.
Why was I freaking out over logistics when I had this horny, willing, sexy man ready to do anything with me?
Sure, this might all blow up in a few weeks’ time, but I didn’t want to think about that.
Didn’t want to think about all the ways this could go wrong.
And I certainly didn’t want to have some kind of deep, soul-baring talk.
I wanted him. And the instant the truck was in park, I climbed out and walked around to his side, catching him as he was getting out, pressing him back against the cab, and kissing him.
His response was immediate, his hand coming up to cup the back of my neck, holding me close as he kissed me back with equal fervor.
His lips were soft but insistent, his tongue sliding against mine in a way that made my whole body hum.
I tasted coffee and mint gum, and the way his body arched against the truck as he devoured my mouth told me everything I needed to know.
“Fuck, Troy,” he gasped when we broke apart for air. His pupils were dilated, just a thin ring of blue around the black. “Twenty-four hours,” he growled against my lips. “Twenty-four fucking hours of watching you and not being able to touch.”
“I know,” I gasped, my hands gripping his ass, pulling him closer.
My hand found its way back to his cock, palming him through his jeans, feeling him hard and ready. “Let’s go upstairs,” I murmured against his lips. “I want to see if reality lives up to all the fantasies you’ve been having about my dick.”
He groaned, bucking slightly into my hand. “You’re going to be the death of me.”
“But what a way to go,” I replied with a grin, giving him one more squeeze before reluctantly backing away.
We grabbed our bags from the back seat, and as we headed for the elevator, Rhett’s hand found mine, a casual touch that felt anything but.
My fingers tingled as I gave his hand a little squeeze, and I couldn’t wait to feel those hands all over me, to trace every inch of him with my fingers and my mouth.
The elevator doors closed behind us, and as soon as we were alone, Rhett pushed me against the wall, his body pressing against mine, his erection grinding against my hip as he kissed me hard, all tongue and teeth and desperate want.
And the promotion was so far from my mind it may as well not have existed.