14. Matty

My muscles achedwith almost every move that I made as I dragged myself off the fire truck after another long, stressful shift. I looked behind me as Zoe, Jae, Garrett, and Gabe followed, all of them looking as tired as I was. There had been two arson cases today on opposite sides of town.

What made it worse was that they’d happened so close to each other time-wise. There was maybe fifteen or twenty minutes between each call, which made us have to rush all over the place when we were already tired from the first call. It felt like things were getting worse, and it doubled the tension in the fire station.

“Going to hit the shower. See you in a minute,” Garrett told Zoe, giving her arm a squeeze before heading off to the showers.

Zoe shared a small smile with Gabe and Jae before they walked off as well, leaving me alone with her. She turned to me and shook her head.

“It just doesn’t make sense. Can one person cause so much destruction almost at the same time on two different sides of town?” she inquired.

“You think there is more than one person involved?” I questioned as I pulled off my gear, releasing an exhale of relief as so much weight fell off my body.

With a grave look on her face, Zoe nodded.

“That would make the most sense. This is too big for just one person to pull off. They’re sneaky and careful and calculative,” she explained, her eyes widening a hint as her mind started racing. “But I don’t know what their motive is.”

“We’ll figure it out,” I assured her with an encouraging smile. I hoped that was true because all of us were getting worn out from all of these fires. All I could do was put on a brave, encouraging face and forge forward. “Meet you in the kitchen? I’m going to talk Jae into making us all ramen.”

Zoe laughed a little.

“Oh, really?” she asked.

I chuckled and nodded, remembering all the times Jae whipped us up ramen that had us running for the milk in the fridge.

“It has a kick, but it’s damn good,” I promised her. With a playful kiss to her cheek, I headed off to the showers, letting the hot spray pound down on my head for a few minutes as I washed up.

I would’ve been lying if I claimed that she hadn’t crossed my mind in the shower. Or during certain late nights. That kiss rocked my damn world. I wasn’t afraid to admit that, but I wanted more.

By the time I got dressed in a pair of black shorts and a black t-shirt, everyone was finishing up getting ready in the locker room.

“Jae, Zoe wants you to make ramen for everyone,” I called out to him from my locker.

“That sounds like you want me to make ramen, but you’re using Zoe as a scapegoat,” Jae accused as he walked to the doorway of the locker room, passing me an amused look as the Wallace brothers laughed.

“Well, I already promised her you would. Do you really want to disappoint her?” I taunted him as I cocked an eyebrow at him.

Jae smirked and shook his head at me before leading everyone to the kitchen where Zoe was sipping on a bottle of water.

“Hungry?” he asked her.

“Honestly, I’m starving,” Zoe admitted with a sheepish smile.

Jae stood next to her and reached down into a lower cabinet to grab a pot.

“Let me blow your mind,” he said, making Zoe laugh.

“Look who’s suddenly being cocky,” I commented from the other side of the small kitchen.

Jae shot me a silencing look before digging out a few packs of ramen and the seasonings that he needed.

“Do you know what my special ingredient is?” he asked Zoe as she lingered next to him while he cooked.

“Um… an egg?” Zoe guessed.

Jae chuckled.

“I do add that, but I also add cheese,” he said.

“Really?” Zoe asked as she lifted her eyebrows.

I couldn’t help but watch them interact, enjoying the way Zoe smiled and engaged with Jae, who could be pretty quiet and reserved. She coaxed him to open up, and I liked seeing everyone relax whenever they could. Especially lately when things were so stressful and hectic.

“Whatcha staring at?” Gabe murmured as he leaned closer to me.

“More like who,” Garrett added as he moved to stand on the other side of me.

“You guys are hilarious,” I muttered. No one had directly spoken about it, but I was pretty sure that something happened between Gabe, Garrett, and Zoe. The looks they shared and flirty comments they made toward each other were far from innocent.

Maybe there was a little tinge of jealousy inside of me, but I had enjoyed our kiss, and I’d been yearning for more since then, but I kept those desires to myself. For now.

While Jae finished up a large bowl of ramen to distribute among everyone, I reached deep into one of the kitchen cabinets, my fingertips brushing the top of a whiskey bottle. We kept it here for rough nights after our shifts, and I was planning on sleeping here anyway.

“Let’s do shots,” I announced as I pulled the bottle out of the cabinet.

Zoe’s eyes widened in surprise, laughter bubbling from her.

“You’re such a party boy,” she teased me.

“Aw, come on, babe. Do a shot with us,” I pleaded with her as I bumped my shoulder against hers, making her blush. Obviously, there weren’t shot glasses at work, but regular plastic cups did the trick. I handed them out after Jae turned off the stove, lifting mine up. “To the newest member of our crew and all the adventures we’ll have together.”

Zoe smiled as her eyes swept around to look at everyone. She clinked her cup against everyone else’s before we all knocked back a quick shot. She grimaced at the burn and coughed a little.

“Woah,” she gasped.

“Wait until you have the ramen,” Gabe told her with a cheeky look on his face.

Jae smirked and started spooning ramen noodles and broth into five bowls.

“Alright, eat up. Don’t complain about the spice because you know what you signed up for,” Jae warned us as he started handing out bowls of piping hot ramen.

The spice made my nose burn, but my mouth had already started watering. We all lingered in the kitchen, twirling noodles around chopsticks because Jae was cool enough to keep us stocked. I tilted my head back and lowered a few long ramen noodles into my mouth.

“Damn, Jae. You keep making it spicier,” I laughed out.

Zoe resorted to fanning her lips as they burned.

“That’s so good, though,” she told Jae before eating even more.

It wasn’t long before sniffles and laughs filled the kitchen as we fought through the spice that complimented the savory, cheesy flavor of the noodles.

“I’ve been experimenting with new flavors and spices,” Jae explained after finishing up his ramen, not even looking fazed by the spice. “I think I’ll try a seafood flavor next time.”

“I have to be there for that,” Zoe told him.

Jae grinned at her.

“I won’t do it without you,” he assured her before taking her empty bowl from her so that he could wash it out. “Want to sit down for a little?”

Zoe nodded and followed him to the day room, leaving me and the brothers to share an intrigued look with each other.

“The ramen isn’t the only thing that’s a little spicy,” Gabe commented, making Garrett and I groan.

“That was a bad one. You can do better,” I told Gabe as we put our dishes up. “I do think she’s into him, though.”

“She’s into you too,” Garrett pointed out.

“And you two,” I replied.

At first, we all stared at each other in silence. What would we do about that? My mind started generating hot fantasies, my heartbeat quickening at the thought of her trapped between our bodies as she writhed and cried out in ecstasy. That was what we could do if she was game.

“Let’s see what happens,” I instigated with a coy grin before heading to the day room.

Jae and Zoe were sitting next to each other, engaged in a conversation that steadily reached my ears.

“The plan is to work hard for a while so that I can help my parents retire,” Jae explained as he rested his arm along the back of the couch behind her head. “They’ve done so much for me. I want to do this one thing for them.”

A look of awe filled Zoe’s face as she nodded.

“That’s really good of you. My family life is a bit complicated, but I want the best for my dad,” she said, now looking a bit bittersweet.

My heart ached for her. She took such a hard hit when she lost her mom, which I hadn’t brought up to her because I didn’t want to make her upset. It was probably difficult enough for her to be back here.

While Garrett sat on the other side of Zoe, Gabe and I sat on the rug, leaning our backs against the front of the couch.

“Cohen mentioned you were doing some research in the library. Did you find anything?” I asked, filling the brief silence.

Zoe nodded, her forehead creasing in thought.

“Yeah, I actually did. There was a string of arson incidents about four years ago, and my mom actually studied those fires. The librarian said my mom had proof of the fires, but… she passed shortly after that,” she said. Her voice wavered for a second, but she cleared her throat and took a breath. “Do you guys remember any fires that happened four years ago?”

“Yeah, I do. There was an uptick of fires, but it all stopped one day,” Jae replied as his brow furrowed. “I remember we did an investigation, but it went nowhere because there was no evidence to find. We had to move on.”

Garrett and Gabe nodded.

“We probably should’ve looked into them more. Even after they stopped,” Gabe sighed.

I faintly remembered a few arson incidents, but it felt like they happened so long ago and before I even joined.

“I think people were saying it was a bunch of high school kids being assholes,” I reminded them.

Zoe nodded as she listened.

“I think it’s worth looking into,” she said. “That’ll be my next move.”

Jae leaned closer to her, their eyes meeting.

“You know, if you need any help on the research side, you can ask us,” he told her. “You don’t have to go digging all alone.”

“I didn’t have the highest English scores, but I can research,” Gabe spoke up, eliciting chuckles from the rest of us.

Zoe looked touched, but she shook her head. Her fingers brushed Jae’s knee as they peered at each other, tension filling the small amount of space between us all.

“I couldn’t ask you guys to do that. You do enough putting out the fires and making sure people are safe,” she denied.

My shoulder leaned against her leg, prompting her to look down at me.

“We’re willing to help,” I replied as I angled my body toward her more. My fingertips brushed up her calf, grazing the rough material of her jeans. “With anything you need.”

Zoe’s breath hitched, her body stiffening for a moment. She put a casual smile on her face, but I could see the desire in her darkening eyes.

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” she teased me.

“I think with the help of my friends, we can pull off anything,” I assured her as I nodded to the others, who were eyeing her as well.

Zoe looked around at everyone, her eyes settling on Garrett’s hand as it rested on her thigh.

“Today was pretty stressful. Can you help take my mind off it?” she asked as her eyes met mine.

“Gladly,” I confirmed with a pleased smile.

Everyone moved. Jae and Garrett took turns kissing her, while working her long sleeve shirt off her body, followed by her bra. With Gabe’s help, we took off her shoes and guided her jeans and panties down her legs. I grabbed her hips and pulled her closer to the edge of the couch, my face soon burying itself between her soft thighs.

Zoe gasped into Jae’s mouth as my tongue lapped at her clit. She tangled her fingers in Garrett’s hair as he kissed her neck, her back arching as Gabe squeezed her breast. She quickly became a beautiful, writhing mess, chasing our touches as we left them all over her body.

I sucked on her clit as I worked a finger inside of her. She seemed to squeeze me, welcoming me in as I happily tasted her. She was even better than I imagined. My eyes shifted up as Zoe stroked Jae’s and Garrett’s cocks on either side of her, my own erection hardening even more.

Gabe stood behind the couch, tilting Zoe’s head back so that he could kiss her and praise her.

“You’re so good for us,” he praised her as he brushed her hair away from her face.

Zoe whimpered, arching her back and pushing her hips up toward me. She stroked Jae and Garrett faster, her eyes fluttering shut as they kissed her neck and teased her nipples.

I crooked two fingers inside of her, pushing against a spot that made her thighs tighten around my head. When Jae and Garrett reached down to pin her thighs apart, I set to work again, flicking my tongue against her clit and thrusting my fingers into she came on them with a cry.

“There we go,” Garrett encouraged, his voice lowering. “I’m right there too. Don’t stop, baby.”

Zoe turned her head and crashed her lips against Garrett as she continued to stroke him, sending him over the edge.

Garrett groaned as he finished, painting the top of her hand with white ropes of release. He exhaled hard, sinking back into the couch and watching her lick his release off her hand with a pleased grin on his face.

“I’m going to enjoy watching you get fucked,” he told her, kissing her one more time before dropping down on the lounge chair across from us.

“Come here, angel,” Jae beckoned her once we all stripped the rest of our clothes off. He sat on the edge of the couch cushion, inviting her to sit on his lap with her back against his chest. “Ride me.”

Zoe nodded eagerly and lifted herself enough so that he could line his cock up with her entrance. She sank down on him, the back of her head falling back against his shoulder as she adjusted to him. When she sat back up, she motioned for Gabe and me to come closer. With her fingers wrapped around our cocks, she turned her head, dragging her tongue up the underside of my length.

“Oh, shit,” I breathed out as a jolt of pleasure struck me. I watched her do the same to Gabe’s cock as Jae started thrusting up into her. This was hotter than any fantasy I had come up with in my head.

Zoe turned back to me, sliding her lips over the head of my cock. She sucked and licked, taking in more inches with each round as she went back and forth between me and Gabe. A few tears streaked from her eyes, which were dark and pleading for more. When her mouth wasn’t on us, she was stroking us, a melody of moans and gasps ringing from her glistening lips as Jae drove into her harder and faster.

“You feel amazing,” Jae groaned, watching his cock disappear inside of her over and over. He grabbed her hips, holding her steady.

Gabe leaned his head back, focusing on the pleasure as she almost took all of him into her mouth. He rocked past her lips a few times before she turned back to me. His jaw clenched as she continued working her fist up and down his length, still nudging him closer to the edge.

I was getting there quickly myself. Hearing her moans, feeling her touch, and watching her get fucked was everything I needed and more to reach the finish line.

“I’m right there, babe. Just a little more,” I told her as I thrusted into her mouth, pressing myself down her throat.

“Fuck, me too. Just keep doing that,” Gabe urged as he rocked into her grip.

Zoe lifted her teary eyes, giving me a look of pleading like she needed me to finish. She wanted all of me.

Gabe cursed as he finished, a heavy breath breaking from him.

I gazed down at her, only needing to see that look to release into her mouth.

“Oh, fuck…” I gasped as the pleasure crashed down on me.

Zoe moaned around me, swallowing me down before pulling herself off me. She slumped back against Jae, who leaned back more, allowing her thighs to part and rest on top of his legs.

Jae reached his hand around and rubbed his fingertips against her clit, making her arch back against him.

“You’re close. I can feel you,” he murmured next to her ear. “Come with me.”

Zoe reached back and gripped his hair, her eyes squeezing shut as the final wave of bliss crashed down on her. She came with a gasp, shuddering as Jae finished with her. She writhed in his lap before going still, her chest rising and falling heavily.

I had to take a seat on another lounge chair, feeling completely winded.

“Holy shit,” I breathed out, silent agreement filling the room as we all looked at each other.

I hadn’t ever experienced anything as intense as that. I hoped like hell that it would happen again, but what possible consequences would come with that?