Chapter 18

After Bryce got home, he changed into sweats and poured himself a bowl of Captain Crunch. Why the hell was he still hungry when he'd eaten a huge bowl of curry and a plate of bacon-wrapped dates at Undertow? Nerves?

Just as he took his first bite, his phone rang. He glanced at the screen. Toby. He couldn't answer fast enough. "Hello."

"Bryce?"

"Yeah?"

"Would you… um… would you come over? Matt wants to see you, but he's not going to call you himself, and I… It would mean a lot. I saw it last night, okay? You were right, but please forget about how pissed off you are and come see Matt."

"Pissed off?" Did he really think that?

"Yeah, we were idiots. Okay? I admit it."

"I'm not angry with you. I'm… I'll be there in just a few minutes."

"Thank you." The words were quiet and shaky. Toby hung up before Bryce could say anything else.

Bryce wolfed down his cereal and hopped in the shower. He'd washed off after he'd gotten back to the station last night and again that morning, but he didn't feel like he'd ever get the scent of the fire off his body. He knew it was all in his head, but he would swear he still smelled like he'd just stepped out of the building.

By the time he was ready to leave for Matt and Toby's apartment, his heart was beating nearly as hard as it had been when he'd lowered Matt's limp body to the ground. Matt could have died, and despite Gray's words, Bryce still struggled to accept that it wasn't his fault. He should have gone in first and not worried about whether Matt was in a snit or not. He should never have been Matt's officer in the first place.

Toby opened the door before Bryce knocked as if he'd been watching for him. "Matt's lying down." He turned away, never looking Bryce in the eye. Was he scared? Hurt? As nervous as Bryce? The last time he'd been there, he'd tied Toby up, then he and Matt had proceeded to drive Toby out of his mind. Why had he run? He hadn't been doing what was best for himself or for them. He'd just been scared. Was there any chance they could put the pieces back together again?

Matt looked up when Bryce entered their bedroom. Bryce simply stared for a few moments before he found his voice. "How're you feeling?"

"Like shit," Matt said. His foot was propped up on several pillows, and he had an icepack on his ankle.

"I think the ice has been on long enough. I'll put it back in the freezer," Toby said in a not so subtle attempt to leave Bryce and Matt alone.

Bryce sat on the edge of the bed. "I should never have let you go in first."

"So you could be the one injured?"

Bryce hated hearing the bitterness in Matt's voice. "It was my place."

"I acted like an ass and you let me. None of this is your fault."

"But you're pissed at me anyway?"

Matt shook his head, and his expression softened. "I'm pissed at myself. You saved my ass. How can I be angry with you when you're such a good man?"

Bryce looked away, uncomfortable with Matt's praise. "Not always. Not when I say things I don't mean just to hurt people."

"Yeah, people who don't care enough about you to stop putting your job in jeopardy."

"People who expect you to lie for them when you hate lying," Toby said, stepping back into the room. Obviously, he'd been listening from the door.

"I agreed to it," Bryce insisted.

"Yeah, but I seduced you." Toby waggled his eyebrows, lightening the mood. Bryce couldn't help but laugh.

Toby laid a hand on Bryce's shoulder. "I meant what I said on the phone. I get why we have to stop working together, but I'm scared."

"Not half as fucking scared as I am," Matt said. "I've never done anything without Toby."

Toby shook his head. "You're the strong one, Matt. I'm the one who just turns everything into a joke."

"Or a flirtation," Matt added.

Toby huffed. "If I hadn't flirted with Bryce?—"

"We wouldn't be in this mess."

Bryce didn't think Matt meant for those words to hurt, but they did. He'd made a mess of their lives. All the encouraging things Mason, Jack, and Gray had told him fled from his mind, replaced by apprehension. He took a step back, his chest so tight he couldn't get air in his lungs. Breaking up had hurt them, but staying with them wouldn't have done them any good either.

"I should go. I really ought to get some rest. Last night was…"

Matt looked up, panic in his eyes. "Don't. I didn't mean that like it sounded. I was just…"

Toby glared at Matt. "Just being an idiot. Bryce came to see you. Don't you think he's ready to admit he didn't really want to end things? We might have a chance to?—"

"Shut up, Toby. You know this is fucking impossible."

Bryce took a few more steps toward the door.

"Please stay," Toby begged.

Bryce sighed. He couldn't ignore Toby's pleading tone, but he wasn't going to come between them. The last thing he wanted was for their relationship to end because they were fighting over him. "What if Matt's right and this won't work?"

"If you believe that, why did you come when I called you?" Toby asked.

"Because…" There were so many things Bryce could say, some of them lies, some of them half-truths. Would those really help? "Because I missed you. I needed to see Matt, to know he was truly okay."

Matt blew out a long breath and laid a hand over his eyes. Tears ran down his cheeks.

Bryce sat back down on the bed and laid a hand on Matt's chest. Was this impossible? He didn't want it to be. He loved both these men. He wasn't ready to say it out loud, but he could admit it to himself. The strength of what he was feeling didn't leave him any choice. Mason, Jack, and Gray had worked it out. So maybe…

"This isn't impossible, improbable maybe, but if we want it badly enough, we can make it work," Toby said as he joined them on the bed. He was twirling his hair with one hand, but he laid his other hand on top of Bryce's. Bryce hated how agitated he made both of them.

"You guys are so young. I don't want you changing your lives for me. You don't know what you might want in a year, or in six months, even."

"We can't keep working together whether we're all together or not. You know that. So we've got to make a change anyway," Toby said.

Matt nodded. "Even if you hadn't realized Toby and I were together, someone would have eventually seen it."

Bryce had to admit that was true. "And someone is going to realize how I feel about you both."

"How the fuck does WT not see it?" Matt asked "The way you look at us, protective and tender at once. It's so obvious."

"I warned you I sucked at secrets."

"You suck?" Toby said, an incredulous look on his face. "What about me being ready to charge into the building and get my ass disciplined because Matt was hurt?"

Bryce grinned. "Last time I checked, you loved having your ass disciplined."

"Well, yeah, but only by you or Matt."

"I'm not going to change my mind," Matt said. "Not in a few months. Not in a year. I want you, both of you."

Bryce took a deep breath, not sure how to respond.

"You have to know I feel the same," Toby said. "I'm the one who's pushed for this from the beginning."

Bryce realized this was one of those no-turning-back moments. Did he take the risk? Hell yes. "I'd been thinking about a job with the fire marshal's office before I left Atlanta."

Matt's eyes widened. "There's an opening downtown. I saw it posted on the board yesterday."

Bryce froze. He'd never believed in fate, but this seemed too good to be true. "Really?"

"Yeah. You'd have to do police training unless you were just doing inspections, but I think this position is for someone doing primarily investigations."

"I want to be an investigator. That's why I was considering it in Atlanta."

"Are you going to consider it again now?" Toby asked.

Bryce nodded. "Yes. Yes, I am."

Toby squeezed his hand. "Are you also going to consider other options as well?"

Bryce knew Toby didn't mean work options. He looked from Toby to Matt and back again. "Yes, if one of those options is both of you. I still think this is totally crazy, but I won't walk away again. I was a fool to deliberately hurt you. Can you forgive me?"

"Yes," Toby said, just like that, with no equivocation.

Matt reached for Bryce, pulling him into a kiss instead of answering with words. Toby knelt on the bed so he could get in on the action. Bryce tried not to jostle Matt and hurt his ankle, but it wasn't easy with all three of them trying to devour each other.

Finally, Matt pulled back for air. "We missed you so much."

"We missed this so much," Toby said, nibbling Bryce's neck.

"We can't," Bryce protested. "Matt's ankle."

"I'm fine," Matt insisted, licking his way down the other side of Bryce's neck.

Bryce was quickly losing the will to argue. "I don't want to hurt you."

Matt scooted low so he could recline more and pulled Bryce down on top of him. After a thorough kiss, he whispered in Bryce's ear, "I want to suck you. I need to taste you again." All thought of restraint fled. Matt and Toby were right. It had been too long. Surely he could be gentle enough not to cause Matt pain.

Bryce glanced at Toby. He was sitting on his heels watching them and rubbing his hand over the erection tenting his sweats. "Strip," he ordered.

Toby sighed dramatically. "God, I've missed you telling me what to do."

"I've missed telling you."

"Sometimes, when you go all dominant, I think I could get off just listening to you give me orders."

Bryce grinned. "We'll have to find out some time, won't we?"

"Really? We're really doing this?" Matt asked. "This isn't a dream?"

"No, this is real," Bryce said. "Very real." For better or worse, he was done avoiding the fact that he'd fallen for them. It was time to admit this was a real, actual relationship and to let go of the fear that had weighed him down since Atlanta. It was time to allow himself to be happy.

Matt put his hands on Bryce's hips and tugged. "Come up here where I can taste you."

Bryce wasn't sure he'd last two seconds once Matt put his mouth on him. He'd been in such a funk he'd hardly even jerked off since he'd walked away from them. He hadn't done much of anything but work and sleep.

"I missed you," he said, looking first at Matt and then Toby, who was now utterly naked. "I wouldn't have made it much longer without calling you."

"We almost called you so many times," Matt confessed.

"I wish you had. I wish you'd told me what an idiot I was. Mason tried, but…"

"You wouldn't listen because you're stubborn as fuck?" Toby asked.

"And you're not?"

Toby huffed in mock offense.

"Come back," Matt begged as Bryce pulled away from him and stood.

"I've got to get out of these clothes if this is going to work."

"All right, but hurry," Matt pleaded.

Toby teased Matt's cock through his shorts, and Matt groaned, arching up into the touch. Toby began to stroke himself with his other hand, and Bryce paused to watch. They were so beautiful. He didn't deserve them.

"You're thinking too hard," Toby scolded.

Bryce laughed. "You caught me."

"So stop."

"Okay." Bryce finished shucking his clothes and climbed back on the bed.

"Straddle me," Matt said.

"Not yet." As horny as he was, he was afraid of getting too rough. "I need to know we're really not going to hurt you. How's your head?"

"It's fine. Toby's been fussing over me enough to cure anything. I need you, need to feel surrounded by you both."

Bryce didn't like the pain in his eyes. "You're thinking about last night, aren't you?"

"I didn't think we were going to make it out when the ceiling started coming down. I thought…"

Toby leaned over and laid a line of kisses across Matt's chest.

"You're okay. We all are. And we're going to be even better." Bryce actually felt the truth of those words as he said them.

"Are we going to hurt him?" Bryce asked Toby.

Toby drew in a slow breath. "I don't think so as long as we're more gentle than usual. He's not shown any serious effects from his concussion. The doctor said is was mild.

Matt nodded, and Bryce shifted position so he was stretched out alongside Matt. He kissed him, gently at first and then harder, until he was thrusting against Matt's side, his cock aching. Bryce finally pulled away when he couldn't go any longer without air.

"If Toby rides you while you suck my cock, will you be okay?"

"God, yes."

Bryce looked at Toby for confirmation.

"I'll be careful. I swear."

"I expect you to keep your leg on the pillow and stay still. Let us do the work. You got that?"

"Yeah, I got it," Matt responded.

Bryce still wasn't confident he was going to obey. "If you start moving too much, Toby and I will stop, and you can forget getting off."

Matt sucked in a breath. "I can be good."

Toby winked at Bryce as he grabbed lube and condoms from the nightstand drawer. Then Bryce turned his focus back to Matt, straddling him and holding on to the headboard. He lowered himself until his cock was a few inches from Matt's red, kiss-swollen lips. "Open up."

Matt reached for him, wrapping a hand around his cock.

"No. Hands at your sides."

"I—"

"Do what I say, or you won't get my cock or Toby's tight little ass. You got that?"

"Yes."

Bryce raised a brow.

"Yes, sir."

"Good boy." Somehow he sensed Matt needed him to push harder than he had before, that he needed to submit utterly. Bryce wanted to take him there, wanted it more than he would've ever thought possible.

He brushed his cock against Matt's lips. Matt kept his hands at his sides, but he raised his head, trying to get more. Bryce pulled back. "Keep your head on the pillow or we'll both stop."

"Fuck," Matt grumbled.

He looked over his shoulder to see Toby putting a condom on Matt and slicking himself up. "Take him slowly. Hold his hips down if you need to. I want him desperate."

"Yes, sir," Toby said, his voice low and sultry. He swung his leg over Matt and took Matt's cock in his hand, positioning it so he could sink down. But before he did, he looked up at Bryce. "This is all so fucking hot. You. Matt. Us."

Bryce nodded. "I know. Now show Matt how much you need him."

Toby groaned as he lowered himself. Matt sucked in a breath and squeezed his eyes shut.

"Don't move," Bryce ordered.

Matt whimpered. "You're killing me."

"No, I'm loving you."

"Yes," Toby agreed. "I love you, both of you."

Bryce felt an odd feeling rush over him at Toby's words. He wanted to reply, but he knew it wasn't the time. He needed to confess his love when they weren't all about to lose control.

Toby's thigh muscles visibly strained as he held himself still.

"More," Bryce said.

"Please!" Matt fisted the sheet in his hands, squeezing so hard his knuckles were white.

"All the way now," Bryce ordered Toby, and Toby lowered himself until he was fully seated. "Perfect, now stay there."

"But—"

"You need some torment too," Bryce said before turning to look down at Matt once more. "Now open up and take my cock."

Matt's eyes widened, but he did as Bryce said. Bryce pushed gently into his mouth, making a shallow thrust, holding himself so Matt felt none of his weight.

"God, that's… fucking amazing," Toby said, his voice strained.

Bryce pulled out. "You're going to suck me, and Toby's going to ride your cock now. I expect you to stay still and enjoy it. You got that?"

"Yes… sir."

"Good."

Bryce watched Toby for a few seconds as he worked himself on Matt's cock steadily but not nearly as hard as he obviously wanted to. Then Bryce rose back onto his knees and positioned his cock so Matt could suck and lick and torment it. He wanted so badly to truly fuck Matt's mouth, but he held back, determined not to hurt him.

"Look at me," he ordered, and Matt did, his dark eyes showing a depth of emotion that made Bryce suck in his breath. Nothing could have made Bryce look away from that intensity. Matt grabbed Bryce's ass and tried to pull him in deeper, but Bryce resisted. "When you're completely healed, I'll fuck your mouth until you choke, then keep going, but right now we're keeping this gentle or you're getting nothing at all."

Matt gasped, and Bryce took advantage of his open mouth to slide his cock back in. Matt held tight to his ass, encouraging him to stay right there. Seeing Matt like that, surrendering, longing for Bryce to fuck his mouth brought Bryce right to the edge. "Come for me," he ordered Matt.

Seconds later, he arched up, crying out and babbling incomprehensibly. Bryce pulled back and watched him ride out his orgasm.

"Want to watch you come now," Matt said, the words forced out between panting breaths.

Bryce settled on one side of Matt. Toby let Matt's spent cock slide from his body and then moved to his other side. Rising onto their knees, they positioned themselves so their cocks rubbed against each other, and Bryce took them both in his hand. Toby kissed him, fucking Bryce's mouth with his tongue, driving him ever closer to what was sure to be an explosive orgasm. Bryce tightened his grip, and Toby gasped. Bryce kissed and sucked his neck, then bit down just above his collarbone. That was all it took. Toby cried out and his seed poured over Bryce's hand. The slick, hot feel of it sent Bryce over the edge. He kept working them until Toby pulled away. "Can't… Too much… Wow."

Bryce nodded. "Yeah. That."

Matt reached for them, and they both collapsed to the mattress, snuggling against him.

"What do we do now?" Matt asked after they'd all dozed for a while.

"The same thing again," Toby suggested.

Matt sighed. "Not until I rest some more."

"Does your ankle hurt?" Bryce asked, worried he'd taken things too far.

"No more than it has been, but I've not got my usual recovery time right now."

Bryce nodded. "We should let you rest."

"What I actually meant was: what do we do to make this work," Matt said.

"We talk to each other, even when we think we can't. That's what Mason, Jack, and Gray told me. I hope you don't mind that I talked to them. They've known about us since the start, and they've been telling me I was an idiot since I walked away from you two. I'm so sorry for all the awful things I said."

Toby patted his leg. "We knew you didn't mean it."

"Toby did. I wasn't sure," Matt said.

"I didn't mean any of it. I knew that if I didn't push you away, didn't make you hate me, you'd try to change my mind."

Toby nodded. "That's what I figured, but it still hurt."

Bryce hated that he'd hurt them. "I'm sorry. I wish I could make it up to you."

"You are," Matt said. "By being here."

Bryce gave him a gentle kiss. "It was never just fucking for me, not even the first time."

"Me either."

"Or me," Toby said.

"I don't understand how this could have happened so fast, and I'm still worried that…"

"That what?" Toby asked,

"That I'm too old for you. That this is the wrong time for this type of commitment."

Matt shook his head. "I've known I wanted Toby since the first time I saw him when I was fifteen. I felt the same way about you the day you walked into the fire station. I can't explain it. I know it sounds crazy, but it's true."

"Every time you two argued, I felt like I was coming between you, messing up what you have with each other, and I couldn't stand the thought of that."

Toby looked at Matt, then back to Bryce. "We fought plenty before we met you, and I'm sure we'll argue again, maybe before the night's over, but none of that is your fault. It's just part of trying to live together."

"But you've got so much history. And we've only known each other a few months." Bryce hated how pathetic he sounded. What was wrong with him? He hadn't felt this insecure since he'd come out to his mom. She'd taken it well, but she'd passed away a few years later, and the rest of his family had no interest in him. By then he'd been confident in his own abilities, and he'd known he was the man he wanted to be, even if outside of work he was a bit lonely. He didn't have to be lonely now if he could figure out how to keep from screwing this up.

"We want you with us. It doesn't matter how long we've known you." Matt pulled him into a hug, and Toby climbed on top of them so he could join in.

"We're going to figure this out, and we're not letting you walk away again," Toby said.

When they finally released him, Bryce took a deep breath and sat up. "I love you. Both of you. I've never said that to a man before, never thought I would, but here I am saying it and meaning it in a way I didn't understand before I met you two."

Matt reached up and cupped his face. "I love you too. I'm so glad you came back."

Toby's eyes glistened, and he turned away and swiped at his face. "It was all I could do not to come after you. I love you both, and I don't want to give this up. Ever."

Bryce nodded. "I know it can work. Look at Mason and his boyfriends. They're sickeningly happy. And surely we can do better than a couple cops."

Toby grinned. "Damn right we can."

"If I ran home and got Rollo, would we be welcome to spend the night?"

Matt smiled. "Absolutely. Any chance you're going to cook us breakfast? I'm supposed to stay off my feet so I'm going to be stuck with Toby's cooking."

Toby slapped his arm. "I ought to be insulted."

"But you aren't because you know how I'll suffer."

Toby grinned at Bryce. "That's the real reason we need you back, you know? Your cooking."

Bryce narrowed his eyes, glaring at Toby in mock annoyance. In reality he loved how much they enjoyed the food he made, and he was already planning what he'd make for breakfast: cinnamon raisin French toast, a recipe that had become a favorite for all three of them.

"So by the time we start our next shift, or Toby and I do anyway—I guess Matt will be out for a while—will we be ready to talk to the chief?"

Toby glanced at Matt, and Matt nodded. "Yes, we're ready. We're finally ready."

A day and a half later, Bryce stepped into his battalion chief's office.

"You needed to see me?" the chief asked.

Bryce's heart thudded heavily. "Yes, sir."

The chief waited silently for him to say something else. You can do this. Just tell him. "You already know I'm gay."

The chief nodded.

"Matt and Toby are too. They've been seeing each other, and now I'm seeing them too. We need to request a transfer for two of us."

Bryce had worried the chief would be angry. Instead, he looked relieved. "Thank God."

"Sir?" That was definitely not the reaction Bryce was expecting.

"After the warehouse fire, I wasn't going to be able to wait much longer to confront you."

"You knew?"

The chief smiled. "I suspected. Strongly."

"Even about me?"

"You're the main reason."

Bryce should have known. "I've never been accused of having a good poker face."

"No, if I were you, I would stay far away from casinos."

Bryce smiled. "I will." The chief didn't even looked shocked. Three of his men were fucking each other, and he didn't seem to mind. Either he had a fantastic poker face or his life was a lot more interesting than Bryce had assumed. "Can we work something out? I know I'm new here, but what I would like most of all is to work for the fire marshal. I'd inquired about a position in Atlanta before I decided to move. I noticed that there's an opening here. Would you be willing to recommend me?"

The chief nodded. "I'd be honored to."

The chief's reaction was even better than Bryce had hoped for. "Thank you, sir."

"I'll keep Matt and WT together. Toby can fill a position I've got at station eight. Assuming you get the position, and I think you will, you can start at the police academy this fall. Until then, you can take over Brad's unit, and he can take yours. I'll do the best I can to make sure you and Matt aren't expected to work together."

"You've already thought this through, haven't you?"

The chief smiled. "I have."

Bryce wondered how he'd gotten so lucky since he moved. He hoped to hell his luck was going to hold.

"I'm going to call Toby and talk to him, and I'll brief Matt once he's back. Now get out there and scrub some engines or do something else useful."'

"Yes, sir." Bryce hesitated at the door and turned back to look at the chief again. "Thank you."

"Go." The chief shooed him out, but he was still smiling.