Symon looked over his shoulder at Tanner and scowled. “And I told you that you wouldn’t be intruding. You’re our friend, we want you there.”
I wasn’t exactly sure if that was completely true, but I held my tongue. Part of me wanted Tanner there, of course, but another part of me wanted to keep Symon to myself and keep him far away from the man that’d broken my heart so badly. I wanted to be friends with him; I just wasn’t too sure how that would look. But I guess the only way to figure it out would be to try. I cleared my throat and looked right at Tanner. “He’s right, Tan, we want you to come with us.”
Tanner looked at me in disbelief, blinking rapidly before he whispered, “Okay. Thank you.”
“Alright, come on, we don’t have much of a break left, so we better get going.” Symon grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the door. “You get to ride in the ambulance with us. Just… don’t tell anyone.”
“Wow, is Symon Traux actually breaking the rules for me?” I asked.
He looked over his shoulder with a little smirk. “Maybe.”
I laughed a little, then called over to Alex, “I’m taking my break. Be back soon.”
Alex waved at me. “Have fun.”
Symon walked me out, then made me sit in the front passenger seat of the ambulance. Tanner sat in the back—but there was an opening so I could see Tan in the back—and Symon sat in the driver’s seat.
I looked at my boyfriend. “I’ve never been in an ambulance before.”
Sy smiled. “Want me to turn the sirens on for you?”
I chuckled. “No thanks.”
He leaned over, grabbed my shirt collar, then pulled me close to him to kiss more thoroughly than we had inside. He released me and immediately started driving. He only drove for about five minutes before pulling into a sub shop. “This is all we have time for, but maybe we can squeeze in a real dinner date this week.”
“I’d like that.”
Tanner leaned forward. “We better hurry so we can eat inside instead of in the rig.”
Symon nodded, turned the car off and we all got out, following him inside. Once we ordered our food, we sat at one of the few small tables inside. Sy sat beside me and held my hand with Tanner across from us.
After a few awkward minutes, Tanner asked, “Do you like being a photographer?”
I looked at him and nodded. “I love it. Flash Me Photos is a great place to work.”
Tanner nodded, looking thoughtful.
“How’s it going with being an EMT?”
“Great. Symon is the best partner I could ask for.”
For some reason that statement made me feel weird, but I couldn’t figure out exactly what that weird feeling was. I didn’t even know if it was good or bad.
Symon grinned and reached across the table to flick Tanner’s arm. “Shut up.”
One corner of Tanner’s mouth lifted. “I’m serious. I’m glad that Chief Callanan paired us up. You’re definitely the best option at the station.”
Symon tilted his head. “That sorta sounded like an insult.”
Tanner laughed. “I didn’t mean like that.” He reached over and flicked Symon’s arm back. “You know what I mean.”
Symon smiled. “Yeah… and I like having you as a partner, too.”
I sat back, watching the exchange and that weird feeling grew. The way Symon and Tanner were looking at each other, the way they smiled, the easy camaraderie, the little flicks and touches, all of it could only mean one thing. They liked each other. And not just as friends or partners or coworkers. They liked each other like Symon and I liked each other. And… I wasn’t jealous, not exactly. I was… turned the fuck on. Thinking about them kissing and touching each other, I mean really touching each other, was making my pants uncomfortable. It’d be one thing if Symon was going behind my back, if he was cheating on me. But I knew he wasn’t. He just wasn’t that kind of guy. But seeing them interact like this and thinking about what it’d be like to watch them together—naked—was… thrilling. I’d always been a fan of threesomes. I’d always loved having sex with two other people at once; I even liked being in a relationship with two guys at one time—not that I’d want that with Tanner ever again, because no, definitely not. But the sex part. The sex part would be hot. And I knew that Tanner enjoyed ménages, too. But would Symon?
No, this is stupid, get it out of your head. You don’t want to screw up your relationship with Symon already. You’re falling for him, so don’t fuck it up!
I couldn’t bring it up, not without hurting him or scaring him away, right?
But the more I sat there thinking about it, the better the idea became. My sex life with Symon was mind-blowing already, it wasn’t like I needed more, but having sex with him and Tanner was too appealing to just simply dismiss. Having sex with them both would be fucking phenomenal.
“Jax?”
I snapped my gaze to Symon and cleared my throat. “Sorry, what? I was daydreaming.”
Symon squeezed our combined hands under the table. “You okay?”
I leaned over and kissed his cheek. “I’m good, pumpkin. What were you asking me?”
The woman behind the counter called our number, so Tanner got up to get it.
Symon leaned a little closer to me. “I, uh, wanted to know if you would want to come over tonight after work?”
“Don’t you have to work tomorrow?”
He shook his head. “Normally I do, but Chief Callanan said I’ve put in too many hours this week, so he’s making me stay home.”
“Really?”
He nodded. “Yep. I have off tomorrow.”
“Oh, thank god,” I sighed. “I’ve been dying to get you alone all week.”
He smiled. “Me too.”
I kissed his lips.
“Does that mean you’ll come over, then?”
I nodded. “Yes, definitely, pumpkin.”
I kissed him again, then pulled apart when Tanner sat back down with a tray piled high with food.
As we ate, Symon pulled his phone out, then let out a huge breath of relief. “Oh, thank god.” He looked between Tanner and me. “Joel’s finally coming back home next weekend. Everything is completely set with the custody shit over Eva, so he’s bringing her home.” His eyes were wide and gleaming. He looked so incredibly happy.
I leaned over and kissed his cheek. “I’m glad everything worked out.”
“Me too.” Tanner offered him a smile.
Sy ran a hand through his hair and laughed a little. “He signed everything yesterday, but had to search for a new apartment and everything here. I can’t wait for you guys to meet him.”
I smiled at him and couldn’t help but notice that he looked at Tanner, implying that he wanted him to meet Joel, too. To what end, I wasn’t sure, but I liked having Tanner in my life again, and I liked that he and Sy were friends.
“We should have Joel and Eva over for dinner next weekend.”
“Yes! That’s a great idea.” He squeezed my hand, then looked at Tanner. “Are you free on Sunday?”
Tanner blinked in surprise, not that I could blame him because I hadn’t meant us, like all three of us, I’d meant us—Symon and me. Tanner glanced at me, so I nodded at him to show that I was obviously okay with it, then he cleared his throat. “Um, yeah, Sunday works for me.”
“Perfect. I’ll text people later. You should invite your brother and sister. I bet Eva would love to meet the kids.”
I smiled at Symon and ran my hand through his hair, then squeezed the back of his neck. “That sounds good, pumpkin.”
Sy, Tanner, and I hurriedly finished eating before they drove me back to work, and the rest of the night, my head was in the clouds imagining what I’d do to Symon when I got to his place tonight. But Tanner kept creeping into my fantasies, too. Picturing Tanner and Symon together in bed with me had me half-hard for the rest of my shift.
Symon
I pulled out two trays of lasagna from the oven—curtesy of my boyfriend since
he didn’t want to subject our friends to my cooking—and set them on top of the stove, then put the garlic bread in before stirring the dip. Jax walked into the kitchen and kissed my cheek.
“Why don’t you go get ready. I can finish up in here.” He grabbed the spoon from me.
I blew out breath. “Thank you so much.” It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him that I loved him, but I held back. We’d been together for a few months, and I felt like I was ready to say it, but for some reason, I wasn’t sure if Jax was ready to hear it yet. And the last thing I wanted to do was scare him off.
He shot me a smile as I exited the kitchen to finally change my clothes and freshen up. When I was buttoning my pants, I heard a knock on my front door, so I started rushing, but before I could freak out too badly, I heard Jax answer it. I took a deep breath as I calmed my nerves and headed back out.
Tanner was standing in my kitchen doorway with his back to me, and without my permission, my eyes roamed his back, ass, and amazing legs. Come on, Sy, he’s not your boyfriend, stop checking him out! He was just so much tight muscle that I’d started having dreams about what he looked like underneath all of those clothes. Not that it was okay that I’d been dreaming about him because I had a boyfriend. But maybe it made it better that my boyfriend always appeared in the dreams, too. Just thinking about being smooshed between Jax and Tanner was enough to make me sweat, and I was totally blushing.
I took a couple calming breaths before walking over. “Hey, Tanner. Thanks for coming.”
Tanner turned and shot me a sweet smile that took my breath away. For such a big guy, he always looked at me almost… tenderly. “Hey, Symon.” He held up a tray. “I brought some brownies.”
“You didn’t have to do that.” I shot him a smile and took the plate from him to set it on the counter. “But thank you. I appreciate it.”
“It was no problem.” He smiled at me and gently pushed my shoulder with his.
“Hey, Sy?” Jax called out, making me look at him in question. He was shooting me a weird look, but I didn’t know why. “Can you grab the taco dip out of the fridge?”
“Yeah.”
Jax and I finished pulling out all of the food, and Tanner helped with a cute smile on his face. Not that I noticed or anything. When there was another knock on the door, I went to answer it, and as soon as I opened the door, I was squished into a giant hug. I smiled into my assailant’s chest and hugged him back.
“It’s good to see you, Joel,” I muttered into his shirt.
He gave me an extra squeeze before releasing me. “It’s good to be back home.”
I looked beside him and squatted down, opening my arms up. “Hey, baby girl. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you.”
Joel’s five-year-old daughter, Eva, stared at me for a few seconds before leaning in for a hug. I’d been afraid that she wouldn’t recognize me, but I’d video chatted with her a bunch while she and Joel were away taking care of his custody battle. Thank god he’d worked everything out and they were home now. I’d missed them both.
I hugged Eva tight and whispered, “You’ve gotten so big. Have you been eating magic growing beans again?”
She giggled a little. “No, Uncle Sy, I just eat my vegetables.”
I chuckled at that and released her. “I bet they’re making you strong, too.” She held up her arm and made a muscle, so I poked it and goofed around with her for a few seconds before I stood back up. “There’s some puzzles and coloring books and stuff on the table in the living room, sweetheart. You can go check them out.” Eva looked up at her dad for permission and as soon as he nodded, she ran off. I elbowed Joel. “She’s adorable, man. I’m glad you got her back.”
“Me too. Now we can concentrate on getting things back to normal after that shitstorm.”
“Just let me know if you need anything.” I squeezed his shoulder. “And you know I’m always happy to babysit if you need some time off.”
Joel shot me a smile. “Thanks, man.” I led him a little farther into the apartment and shut the door behind us, but Joel smacked my chest and nodded toward the kitchen. “What’s with all the man meat standing in your kitchen?”
I snorted. “That’s Jax and Tanner.”
Joel didn’t take his eyes off the men talking in the other room. “You’re shitting me.”
“Nope, that’s them.”
“Holy hell, Sy, what the fuck have you been up to since I left?”
I chuckled, and Jax glanced over at me with a smile and a wink. I felt my cheeks flush, but I answered Joel, “Do you want to come meet them, or would you rather stand here and gawk at them all night?”
He nodded, still staring. “Oh, definitely take me to them. Wait, which one is yours? I want to make sure I hit on the right one.”
I rolled my eyes at him. “Jax is the one with the dark hair. And don’t act like you didn’t already know that. You’ve seen pictures.” Jax and Tanner had already seen us, but I guess they decided to give us a few minutes to catch up because they stayed in the kitchen.
He rubbed his hands together. “The pictures didn’t do him justice. I guess that means the blond is up for grabs. Damn, he looks delicious.”
I frowned at the thought of Joel getting together with Tanner. That really didn’t sit well with me. “I thought you were dating that Rachel chick?”
He waved me off. “Nah, it didn’t work out. She’s back in Virginia, anyway, so it was never anything serious.”
I looked over at Tanner and my frown deepened. What if Joel wants to date Tanner? What if he just wants him for sex? My stomach turned sour.
I jumped when Joel smacked my chest again. “Hey, I thought you were with Jax, man. I thought you lo—”
“Shh! I am, I do, but don’t say it so loudly.”
Joel eyed me. “Then why do you look so upset about me wanting to hit on Tanner?”
I opened my mouth, but nothing came out, so I snapped it shut and bit my lip for a few seconds. “I dunno. It’s just weird, I guess. I mean… he’s my partner—work partner, so I think it might be… uncomfortable.”
Joel continued to stare at me like I had three heads, but eventually, he nodded. “Okay, man. I was just joking around, anyway.” He slapped my back. “Okay, introduce me to your new hot friends.”
I sighed and led him the rest of the way into the kitchen. After introductions and handshakes went around, I introduced Jax and Tanner to Eva. Luckily, before Joel had a chance to embarrass me or act like a total ass in front of my boyfriend, Jax’s sister showed up with her husband and kids. I was glad for the distraction, and that Eva would have other kids to play with. Luckily, Jax’s sister finally seemed to accept that Tanner was back in Jax’s life as a friend—or at least, Julia had stopped being outright rude to him. Jax’s brother came after that, and a couple of my coworkers showed up. Most of Jax’s coworkers couldn’t make it because they were all working, but we had a full house.
The night turned out to be fun and more relaxing than I’d anticipated once everyone was there and having a good time. It was nice to see Jax getting along with Joel. I’d been a little wary of them finally meeting in person, but everything seemed great. Before Joel left, he hugged me and whispered, “He’s a great guy, Sy. I approve.” He leaned back and looked me in the eyes. “I approve of Tanner, too.” Then he scooped up his daughter and made his way out before I could respond.
He approves of Tanner, too? What the hell does that even mean?
I shook my head at him, then made my way into the kitchen where Tanner and Jax were. The three of us ended up staying up so late talking that Jax and I made Tanner sleep in the spare room again. I went to sleep with a smile on my face, happy to be in Jax’s arms, and content to know that Tanner was close by.
Chapter Seven
Symon
“So after dinner, I wanted to talk to you about something, if that’s okay?” Jax said in between bites. We’d actually been able to see each other a lot over the past week, so I had no cl
ue what this was about.
I bit my lip and my stomach sank. This couldn’t possibly be good. What if he wanted to break up or something? What if he wasn’t as happy with me as I thought he was? What if he—
“Sy?”
I looked up at him when he said my nickname.
“Please don’t look so upset, this is nothing bad, I promise.”
I chewed on my bottom lip, but took a deep breath and nodded. “Can you just talk to me now, though? Otherwise, I’m going to be a nervous wreck, and now I can’t even eat because my stomach is in knots.”
“Oh, pumpkin, I’m so sorry.” He got up and moved to the seat beside me, then grabbed my hand between both of his. “I didn’t mean to worry you, Sy. I just… I’ve been thinking and I wanted to ask you something.” He cleared his throat and suddenly looked a little nervous. “Have you ever had a threesome?”
I blinked at him. Did he really just ask what I think he asked? “What?” Better to clarify before I embarrass myself.
“Have you ever had a threesome before?”
I kept blinking at him. This wasn’t exactly the type of conversation I’d been imagining. I felt my cheeks flush, but I shook my head and answered, “No, you know I’ve only been with a couple men.”
He smiled at me and ran his fingertips over the back of my hand. “I know, but I wanted to be sure. Have you ever wanted to have a threesome?”
Oh god, he knew! He knew I’d been having fantasies about him and Tanner sleeping with me at the same time. Oh god, what if I’d been talking in my sleep and he somehow figured it out? “Uh…” I cleared my throat and nervously chewed on my bottom lip. “I mean, hasn’t everyone?”
He smiled a little and ran his hand through my hair. “I don’t know. But I’m guessing that means that you have, then, right?”
I looked down but nodded.
Jax reached over and tilted my head up to look at him. “There’s nothing to be ashamed of, pumpkin. And in case you’re wondering, for me, the answer to both those questions is yes. Yes, I’ve fantasized about it and, yes, I’ve done it before. So my next question is,” he rubbed his lips together for a moment before he huffed out, “would you like to have a threesome?”
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