It had been a long day, from our emotional morning to working with the crew so that whatever Jaelyn had that didn’t have to go to the cleaners was brought to our home and put away.
“Welcome home, baby,” I whispered. “Welcome home.”
Epilogue
Jaelyn
When I pulled up at the softball field, Rand was waiting for me in the parking lot. He had our four-month-old son strapped to his chest, which seriously added to his hotness factor. Not that he needed any help in that area since he was already sexy as hell. But seeing him with our baby boy always melted my heart and made my ovaries explode.
He was a great dad, and I couldn’t wait to give him more children—which I expected to happen sometime soon since Rand wasn’t a fan of ever having anything between us when we had sex. Something I’d never complain about since I loved how it felt when he filled me up with his hot come. Crap, now I was going to have to sit through the entire game with damp panties.
“Hey, baby,” Rand greeted after he opened my car door for me. When I stepped out, he wrapped his hand around mine to tug me near and claim my lips in a deep kiss. He was careful not to get too close so that we didn’t squash Nolan, but our baby boy still let out a disgruntled squeal and kicked his legs. “Okay, little cock-blocker. No need to put up a fuss. I was just getting a kiss before I handed you off to Mommy.”
“If you keep calling him that, he’s going to think it’s his name,” I warned, reaching to pull Nolan out of the black harness. Staring at the outfit Rand had dressed him in, I rolled my eyes. I should’ve known he was up to something when I’d called to make sure he didn’t need me to stop at home and help get the baby ready before the softball game.
My husband normally didn’t pass up an opportunity to make sure we rode together when we were going somewhere—especially if there was going to be a bunch of other guys there. Getting married and having his baby hadn’t dimmed his possessiveness in the tiniest bit. Not that I was complaining since it usually resulted in me getting plenty of orgasms. Plus, I was equally as territorial when it came to my sexy husband.
But that didn’t mean I didn’t bust his balls from time to time. It was good to keep him on his toes, after all. “So now the babies are part of the pissing contest you and Ewan have going on?” I turned Nolan in my arms and pointed at the custom printed onesie.
Future Champion
Big Hoses Are Better Than Big Guns
“Where did you even get this?”
“Ordered it online last week.” He grinned at me. “The package arrived this morning, just in time for the big game.”
Shaking my head, I sighed. “I don’t think I’ll ever understand how guy friendships work.”
“It’s not my fault there’s a long-standing cops versus firefighters rivalry.” Rand winked and flashed me a sexy smirk. “But you can be damn sure I’ll do my part to make sure my side wins whenever I can.”
“Well, then I guess you’d better get out there and warm up before the game starts.” I squeezed his bicep. “It’s a good thing you had such a hearty breakfast this morning. You’re going to need that energy if you want to win the championship.”
His grin widened, and the gleam in his eyes turned mischievous. “I liked what I ate in bed before breakfast a fuck of a lot more than the omelet I made.”
My cheeks heated as I remembered how he’d woken me up early so he could devour my pussy before fucking me long and hard. His sense of timing had been perfect. We’d still been panting after our simultaneous orgasms when Nolan had woken up crying. It’d been the perfect way to start the morning. It was also the perfect way to end the day. “Go kick some cop butt, big guy. If you win, I’ll come up with a fun way to help you celebrate tonight after Nolan goes down.” I trailed my fingers down his chest and traced the top of his pants above his hard-on. “And if you pitch a no-hitter, you can name your reward.”
“It’s a deal.” He claimed my lips in another kiss before whispering, “Even though we both know you’d give me whatever I want even if we lose.”
Of course, I would. But that didn’t stop him from pitching his best game ever and claiming his reward that night—along with knocking me up again.
Epilogue
Rand
“Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!”
Nolan ran up the sidewalk in front of our house at full speed. I bent down and caught him, sweeping him up in my arms before the five-year-old head-butted me in the jewels. “What’s up, buddy?”
He clapped his hands excitedly. “I know what I wanna be when I grows up!”
“You do? Well, let’s hear it, little man.”
“A pleece ocifer!”
My jaw dropped as I stared at my son. What the hell?
Footsteps behind him snagged my attention, and I peered around Nolan to see my sister and brother-in-law approaching with their kids and my four-year-old daughter, Kacie, in tow. The kids had been at a birthday party for Tyler’s oldest. Since it was only a few blocks up the street, Ewan and Kaia had volunteered to walk them back to our house.
Ewan was grinning from ear to ear, and Kaia had an apologetic grimace on her face. She had their three-month-old son in her arms and swiftly transferred him to his daddy. Almost like she thought I might take a swing at Ewan if he weren’t holding an infant. She might have been right.
I shot daggers out of my eyes at Ewan but smiled when I looked back at my son. “Is that so?”
He nodded vigorously.
“Awesome.” I almost choked on the word, but I would never make my son feel bad about his choices. That wasn’t to say I was going to stop trying to convince him to come back over from the dark side. “You don’t want to put out fires like Daddy, huh?”
He tilted his head to the side and thought for a moment, then shook his head. “No. Cause I want to eat doughnuts all day.”
I mashed my lips together so that I wouldn’t burst out laughing, especially when I clocked Ewan’s shocked expression. “We also catch bad guys,” he grumbled.
Nolan shrugged. “I’d rather eat doughnuts.”
When I had my amusement under control, I cleared my throat. “Firefighters get to ride the big, red truck, though.” He scrunched up his face and thought really hard.
“But I wanna eat doughnuts all the time, and Mommy only lets me have one.” He sounded unsure, and I went in for the kill.
“Firefighters can eat doughnuts, too.”
Nolan’s brown eyes widened, and he gasped, “They can?” I nodded. “Can I eat them on the twuck?”
I nodded again and winked. “Yup.”
“When can I be a fireman?” he asked with a hopeful expression.
I laughed. “You helped Daddy wash the truck last weekend, so you’re already a firefighter in training.”
“I gotta tell Mommy!” he shouted and wiggled to get down.
“Tell her what?” I asked as I set him on his feet.
“I’m a fireman, so I can have as many doughnuts as I want!” Then he streaked past me into the house.
Oops. I was going to catch hell for that with Jaelyn. We always had doughnuts on Saturday mornings, but as Nolan said, the kids were only allowed one.
Still, I set that aside and smiled triumphantly at Ewan, outright laughing when he groused about stereotypes and doughnut bribes.
Kaia giggled as she walked up to me and gave me a hug. After she went inside, I high-fived their son, Carson, as he passed me and did the same with their daughter, Dillian.
Before they disappeared, I called after them, “Hey, do you guys want to be firefighters too?”
“Yeah!!” they shouted with glee and jumped up and down. Then they ran off toward the kitchen.
“You haven’t won this one, Rand,” Ewan growled as he followed me into the house.
We joined everyone in the kitchen where Kaia and Jaelyn were handing out doughnuts. Both women threw us disapproving looks. “Firefighters in training can have half of another doughnut,” Jaelyn conceded with a sigh.
/> “Awwww,” the boys all moaned dejectedly.
“They can also have no doughnuts at all,” I interjected. I’d been the one to create the chaos and didn’t want Jaelyn to end up as the bad guy.
The kids quieted down and politely thanked their moms before taking their one and a half doughnuts to the table to eat.
The girls, who’d been patiently waiting behind the gaggle of boys, each put out a plate, and Kaia served them each two full doughnuts. Then she winked and motioned with her head for them to go eat in the den. They threw smug looks in the direction of their brothers and cousins, then bent their heads together and giggled all the way out of the kitchen.
I walked over to stand behind my wife and slipped an arm around her waist to rest on her swollen belly. When I reached into the box to grab a vanilla crème, she swatted my hand. “Naughty firefighters don’t get any,” she snipped loud enough to make sure all the kids heard her.
I chuckled and lightly bit her earlobe. “If I’m an extra good firefighter from now on, do I get to eat my doughnut off my wife?” Jaelyn shivered and leaned her back into my chest. I scooped a finger into the filling that was swirled on top of the powdered treat and stuck it in my mouth. I sucked it off and removed it with an audible pop. “The only thing that could make that tastier would be eating it off your pussy.” Jaelyn inhaled sharply and gripped the counter with white knuckles.
“Unless you want me to come right here in front of everyone,” she whispered, “I suggest you hose down the fire, Chief.”
I chuckled and buried my face in the crook of her neck. “I fucking love how fast you get hot when you’re pregnant.” I kissed the sensitive skin and growled, “But you know I’d never let anyone else see what’s for my eyes only.”
She hummed her agreement and busied herself putting the rest of the doughnuts in a container.
It did not escape my notice that the two vanilla crèmes were separated from the others.
“Don’t you want doughnuts, Daddy?” Nolan piped up. He looked confused because he couldn’t fathom in his young mind that anyone would turn one down.
“Daddy’s going to have his with dessert.” My tone was ripe with innuendo that I knew would go right over his head but would make Jaelyn squirm.
Kaia made a tiny gagging sound, and I laughed when I saw her face scrunched up as though she’d smelled something bad. “Thanks for the images that will now have to be burned out of my brain, bro,” she griped.
Ewan sidled up next to her and leaned in to whisper in her ear. Her face flushed, and she quickly snatched a couple of Bavarian creams from the container before Jaelyn sealed the lid.
“Mommy?” Kacie came running into the room with Dillian hot on her heels.
“What, baby?”
“Can we have a sweepover?”
I perked up at her question. A night alone in the house with Jaelyn? She’d be able to scream as loud as she wanted while I licked up all her sugary sweetness.
A glance in the other couple’s direction revealed that they were having a similar thought.
In the next second, all four of us shouted, “Not it!”
Fixed Up
Rochelle Paige
1
Tyler
As I walked through the day room in the fire station I worked out of as a paramedic, one of the firefighters playing poker at the table looked up. “Want to sit in on the next hand?”
I went off duty five minutes ago and didn’t have any plans tonight. I had twelve hours to catch up on sleep and run errands before I needed to be back at the station again. That was more than enough time for what I had to get done, but I still shook my head. “I might join you guys for a few hands later, but I have something I need to talk to the captain about first.”
“C’mon, man,” he prodded. “All work and no play makes Tyler a dull boy.”
I rolled my eyes and scoffed, “Look who’s talking, jackass. If I’m dull, you’re dead.”
“Quit yanking Jennings’ chain. We all know the only reason you want him to join in is that you’re hoping his luck will be worse than yours,” one of the other guys taunted.
Thinking about what I was getting ready to ask Rand, I grinned at the guys. “You may regret the offer to play since I’m feeling lucky tonight.”
“Aw, shit.” He fiddled with his small stack of chips. “Never mind. The last thing I need is another player on a hot streak.”
I chuckled as I walked away, listening to the back and forth of their trash talk as I made my way to our captain’s office. The paramedics and firefighters worked different shifts, but we were still like one big family, which included the sibling rivalry even though we were all grown-ass men.
After rapping my knuckles against Rand’s door, I heard the low murmur of his voice under the muted roar of the guys as they hooted and hollered. Assuming he’d said that it was okay to go in, I opened the door and took a few steps into the room. I quickly recognized my mistake when I spotted him on his cell phone. Then I caught the soft look in his eyes that he reserved for his girlfriend, Jaelyn. I started to back up until he said, “Baby, Tyler is here, and it looks like he needs to talk to me about something important.”
I took that as an invitation to sit down and dropped onto the chair across from him. They hadn't been dating that long, but all the guys already knew that his calls with Jaelyn never ended quickly. After setting the paperwork I was carrying on the edge of his desk, I stretched my legs out and leaned back in my seat.
“It was a good thing I got comfortable,” I chuckled five minutes later when Rand finally hung up.
“When you find the right woman, you won't be in a rush to get off the phone with her either,” he grumbled.
“If,” I corrected.
His brow wrinkled in confusion. “If?”
“You said when I find the right woman, but that presumes I'm even looking for one. Some of us aren't in a rush to get pussy whipped like you.”
Rand flashed me a smug grin, looking like the cat that ate the canary. “Don't knock it until you try it.”
Considering how desperate Rand had seemed when he’d been trying to find out who Jaelyn was, I wasn’t in a rush to follow him down the same path. “The odds of me spotting the woman who’s meant to be mine at a softball game and then having her literally fall into my arms a few days later are slim to none.”
He flashed me a mischievous grin that I didn’t trust. Shifting in my seat, I grabbed my paperwork off the desk and handed it to him. He barely glanced at it before dropping the forms onto his keyboard. “I seem to recall you telling me that I owe you.”
“Yeah,” I confirmed, relaxing a little now that he’d reminded me of how I'd helped him when his relationship was first starting out. “Big time.”
“I think it's about time for me to pay up.”
Grinning, I figured the favor he owed me meant good things for my request. “How are you planning to do that?”
“I’m going to solve your social life problem.”
“Social life problem?” I echoed, shaking my head since that wasn’t what I was expecting him to say.
“Yeah, your lack of one.” While I sat there in shock, he added, “Don't think it hasn't escaped my notice that you’re the one who always volunteers for extra shifts whenever one of the other paramedics needs coverage.”
“And as our boss, you should be thanking me for it.” I narrowed my eyes. “Not holding my willingness to be a team player against me.”
“As thankful as I am for all the times you’ve pitched in to help one of the guys, I’m still worried about your ‘all work, no play’ mentality.” He tapped his finger against the paperwork on his keyboard. “This is what? Your third request for additional training this year alone?”
I folded my arms over my chest. “Ladder Company 45 only has two paramedics with hazardous material certification. One of them has a wife who has been talking about wanting to move to Florida to be closer to her family now that they’re planning on havin
g kids. I figured you’d want to have someone else lined up with the training in case he leaves.”
“I would,” he agreed with a gleam in his eye that made me worry. “Which is why I’m going to give you a twofer for that favor I owe you.”
“A twofer?” With his talk about my social life, I had a bad feeling about what the second thing was going to be.
“Yup. I’m going to let you do the Hazmat training next month even though I’ll probably take some shit from the other guys. I’m sure I’ll hear about how you’re getting more than your fair share of the training budget, but none of them has taken the initiative to search out training opportunities beyond their required continuing education, so I’m not worried about whatever bullshit they want to spout.” He grinned at me and rubbed his hands together. “But I’m also not going to take any of yours about the second part of what I’m going to do for you.”
“Fuck,” I groaned, dropping my head to stare down at the floor as I rubbed my hands over my face. “Why do I have the feeling I don’t want to know what the other half of the twofer is?”
“Probably because you’re going to be stubborn and refuse to see the brilliance in my plan.” He grinned at me as he picked up his phone and tapped out a text message. “I’m setting you up on a blind date with one of Jaelyn’s friends.”
“You really think fixing me up on a blind date is going to make us even?” I shook my head and chuckled. “If I didn’t know better, I would think you missed the part where I said you owed me big time. Where I come from, blind dates are not favors. Setting me up on one would actually mean you owe me even more. How about we skip that part of your repayment and call us even with the Hazmat class instead? Or you could throw in an early raise instead.”
Alpha Heroes Page 11
