STORY EXCERPT 

Jade got into his truck and headed to the fire station. Sometimes he wished he was back in Virginia. He liked the slower pace of Wildfire, but he missed the nightclubs, the fast action, and the city noises.

He also missed his mother. They stayed in touch, but it wasn’t the same as going to her house and being fed like a king. Jade growled when he thought of his brother. Noah had finally shown what a true asshole he was when he’d come to Wildfire to bring Mo his motorcycle and had attacked Lewis.

Jade had seen the writing on the wall, had known Noah was a pervert, but their mother hadn’t believed him. Jade guessed that no parent wanted to believe that about their child, but her ignorance had burned Jade up.

He pulled his truck into the parking lot and got out. The sun was just peeking over the horizon, sweeping away the shadows. Jade stretched, yawned, and headed inside.

He came to a stop when he spotted the guy Ollie had hit on sitting behind the reception desk, talking on the phone. He glanced up at Jade and smiled, holding up a finger.

Jade nodded, leaned against the counter, and waited. When the man hung up, he asked, “How can I help you?”

Jade looked at the name plague on the desk. Brett Kozak. “I’m here to see Chief Harvey.”

Something twitched in Jade’s gut. He pressed his hand against his stomach, hoping it wasn’t the muffin he’d eaten.

“One moment while I let him know you’re here,” Brett said. “Can I have your name?”

“Jade Sheppard.” As Brett made the call, talking quietly into the phone. Jade noticed the dark circles under the his eyes.

Brett hung up and smiled at Jade. “He’ll be right with you. You can have a seat over there.” Brett pointed to a few chairs butted against the wall. “Can I get you some coffee?”

Jade eased away from the counter as his stomach twitched again. “No, I’m good, but thanks.”

God, he hoped he didn’t have to use the bathroom. He should’ve known better than to eat bran early in the morning, but the feeling wasn’t so much cramps as it was a flutter.

Maybe Jade was coming down with something. He’d been working hard for months now, hardly ever taking a break. Maybe he’d ask Mo for a week off and head home to see his ma.

Chief Alexander Harvey came out of his office, heading toward Jade. He was a few inches taller than Jade, with a touch of gray at his temples and a smile on his face. He shook Jade’s hand before he said, “Let me show you what I’m talking about.”

From the gossip Jade had heard, Chief Harvey had been in a committed relationship with his partner for twenty years. Jade couldn’t imagine being with someone that long and wondered how it felt to love someone so much that he'd want to see their face every single day.

He cringed at the thought of Julia. No fucking way would he even think about spending the rest of his life with her. She acted crazy as hell when he tried to call things off with her, but Jade had seen her around town with other guys. He wasn’t her only bed partner.

Jade spent the next hour crawling over the roof, examining where the leak was coming from, and damned if he could figure it out. The roof was solid.

What really puzzled him was that it hadn’t rained since they’d repaired the roof, so how on earth did the chief know it leaked?

“I’ll have to talk with Mo about this,” Jade said as he headed back inside the fire station through the back door. “I couldn’t find the cause.”

“One of my men mentioned it,” Chief Harvey said. “I just want to make sure it’s not a problem before it rains.”

“How does he know there’s a leak if it hasn’t rained?” Jade asked what he'd been wondering.

“He had to put a bucket in the middle of the bunk room,” Chief Harvey said.

Maybe it was the pipes. Jade would have to talk to Casey—a guy on Darien’s crew. He was the plumber, not Jade. But first, he’d have to let Mo know what was going on and suggest Casey have a look.

“I appreciate you coming by,” Chief Harvey said.

“Not a problem.” Jade shook his beefy hand.

He headed down the hallway toward the front of the station. The closer he drew to the reception area, the louder the heated whispering became.

“I can’t just take off from work because you have a hair appointment and can’t take the kids with you,” Brett said. “Having your hair done does not constitute an emergency.”

Jade saw he wasn’t the only one with female problems. Maybe he and Brett could get together at Gallagher’s and have a beer while ranting and raving about women.

When Jade passed the desk, Brett looked up at him, and that damn flutter twitched in his gut again. Frowning, Jade stopped and gazed at Brett. He'd never seen anyone with such sadness in their eyes.

“I gotta go.” Brett hung up. When he smiled at Jade, it didn’t reach his hazel eyes. “Was there something else you needed, Sheppard?”

“You new in town?” Shit, that had sounded like a pick up line. It might not have if they weren’t in a gay-friendly town. “I mean, I haven’t seen you around here before.”

That hadn’t sounded any better. Jade wasn’t sure what to say that wouldn’t sound as though he wasn trying to hit on Brett.

“No.” Brett shook his head as he set his cell phone aside. “I’m not new. I was born and raised here.”

Now Jade wasn’t sure how to ask him out for a drink without sounding as though he was asking Brett out on a date. But Ollie had said that Brett was straight.

He stuck his hand out. “I’m Jade.”

Jade closed his eyes for a brief second before opening them and grinning, trying to play off his stupidity. “But you already knew that.”

Brett sat there and simply studied him. “Are you trying to pick me up?”

“No.” Jade shook his head. “I was trying to figure out how to ask you if you wanted to grab a beer without sounding like I was picking you up.”

“A beer sounds good.” Brett nodded. “When?”

Jade shrugged. “I knock off at six.”

“Same here,” Brett said. “I can meet you at Gallagher’s around, say, six-thirty? But I can’t stay long.”

It never hurt to make new friends. Although Jade was close with Ollie and Chase, having someone else to kick with while he was in town would be nice.

“Sixty-thirty.” He rapped his knuckles on the counter before heading out the door.

ADULT EXCERPT 

Jade backed them up until Brett was pressed against the house. “No one will see us. ” He kissed Brett a few more times, all tongue and teeth, getting Brett even hotter than he was.

No one lived near Mo’s house, so they wouldn’t have to worry about peeping toms. The kids were asleep, and their bedroom window faced the front of the house. For now, they were the only ones in their own little private world.

Brett pushed away from Jade and lowered to his knees, eyeballing the bulge trapped behind Jade’s jeans.

Jade brushed his fingertips under Brett’s jaw. “Don’t be shy, sexy.”

Brett arched a brow. “Shut up.”

Jade made the motion of zipping his lips. Fuck, he was sex on two legs, and Brett wanted to lick every inch of Jade’s gorgeous body.

“You owe me for this.”

Jade’s eyes darkened. “Whatever you want.”

Of course Jade would say that while both of them were so aroused. Brett would hold Jade to his word, later. Truthfully, Jade would owe him nothing, but Brett felt playful as he unsnapped Jade’s pants and lowered his zipper. Jade took in a ragged breath as Brett palmed the heavy, large cock and pulled it free from the underwear trapping it.

Fuck, Jade was huge! Brett grinned before he sucked Jade’s cock to the base. A wave of fire consumed him as the head of Jade’s dick worked its way down his throat.

“Oh, fuuuuck.” Jade’s hands clamped Brett’s head as he began a slow, rhythmic stroke, his cock pushing and pulling in and out of Brett’s mouth.

Brett licked the heavy veins, teased the slit, and swooped around the head, sucking down as much pre-cum as he could draw from the honeypot.

“That’s it, baby. Just like that.” Jade’s fingers curled into Brett’s hair, pulling at the strands. “Shit, I knew your mouth would be heaven.”

It’s just a blowjob. It’s nothing special. Don’t you dare to try to make this anything more than it is. You’re just friends. Brett worked Jade’s cock with expertise, using the muscles of his throat to grip him tightly, and his tongue to send waves of pleasure through Jade.

He pushed back his insecurity about what they were doing, about how this would totally screw up their friendship and gave Jade everything he had.

With a guttural cry, Jade came down Brett’s throat, his hips jerking awkwardly, stiffly as he pumped Brett’s mouth full of cum. He lapped at the head, greedy for every last drop.

Before Brett had time to catch his breath, Jade grabbed him, pulled him to his feet, spun him so Brett’s back was to Jade’s chest, and undid his pants. Jade palmed Brett’s cock and stroked him with an unleashed frenzy.

“Come for me,” Jade growled into Brett’s ear. “I want to see you explode.”

Brett arched his back, whimpering and moaning as the fire inside him built higher and higher. When Jade bit his neck hard, Brett shattered. His cum erupted in waves, shooting out in front of him as Jade kept up his strong, long strokes.

“That’s it, baby,” Jade whispered. “Give me all of it.”

Brett shuddered as he fell against Jade, sucking in much-needed air as his body tingled with heavy aftershocks. He hadn’t expected Jade to help him out. Brett thought he’d have to jack off in the shower. He was so glad it hadn’t gone down like that.

Jade curled his arms around Brett and kissed his neck. “See, not awkward.”

Brett chuckled. “I hate you.”

Jade smiled against his skin. “No, you don’t.”

When a door slammed, Brett shoved away from Jade and quickly stuffed his junk back into his pants as Jade pulled his jeans up and fastened them. They made it back to the chairs just as Mo and Lewis came around the side of the house.

“You guys have a good time?” Mo asked.

Jade and Brett glanced at each other, and Jade grinned as Brett nodded. “It was an uneventful evening. But I’m glad Jade came over. ”

Jade winked at him before he got up. “Well, I’m gonna shove off. Gotta get up early. Got a boss who’ll have my head if I’m late.”

Mo growled. Jade grinned.

“Later,” Brett said before he hurried inside, still smiling and still tasting Jade on his tongue. When he got to his bedroom, his phone rang.

It was Jade.

“You just left,” Brett said with a goofy grin when he answered.

“Just wanted to say I’ll still respect you in the morning.”

Brett rolled his eyes. “You’re such a dork.” But Jade’s words eased his insecurities.

Jade chuckled. The sound was deep and smooth and made Brett’s soft cock twitch. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Sunshine.”

“Tomorrow,” Brett said before he hung up. He sat on his bed, cradling his head in his hands. “What the fuck am I doing?”

It was a friendship with a little sex thrown in, but Brett felt the winds shifting, and he hoped he could keep his heart separated from whatever the hell this was.