Page 41 of Four Firemen For Christmas

Iwas supposed to be enjoying dinner with my crew, yet I couldn’t stop thinking about Emma. Not just her, but that she’d had sex with Samuel and Alex… at the same time. The thoughts that conjured kept me locked in my office most of the day after she left.

Samuel slid the pot of spaghetti over to me with a meaningful look. “You need to eat, Captain.”

Alex and Derek were already shoveling mouthfuls in. We all ate like we were starving most times because it never seemed to fail that the minute we sat down to eat, we got called out to a fire.

The large kitchen was situated so we could see the truck and anyone who might walk into the bay. Derek and Alex sat side by side across from me. Their voices were low and their expressions tight. Was Alex telling Derek about his day with Emma? The thought didn’t make me jealous. Well, yes, it did, actually. I wanted to be there with Emma. Even if it meant sharing her with Derek, Alex, and Samuel. We lived together during our shifts at the station. We ate together. Hell, we’d talked about renting a house together because why the hell not. In this economy, it made sense and we all got along.

I watched Alex while taking a careful bite. My stomach continued to twist with images of Emma in bed with not just Alex and Samuel but me as well. It was an intoxicating idea. The thought of a deeper sexual relationship with Emma pulsed through me. She’d responded well to our first session. Was it possible she would take more?

Thank fuck Emma didn’t work our same twenty-four-hour shifts. She’d gone home a few hours ago, leaving the atmosphere in the station tense and uncertain.

“Hey, Alex, you catch the game last night?” Derek asked while wiping up the last of his sauce with a slice of garlic bread.

Alex glanced quickly at Samuel, then shook his head. “No. What did I miss?”

The bells rang before Derek could answer. We all threw our napkins on the table and bolted out to the truck. We had our routine down to a science. We stepped into our gear and hopped onto the truck within minutes.

“Wells, take the wheel.” I jammed my helmet on and grabbed hold of a bar as Wells peeled out of the bay and screamed down the street. My heart kicked into overdrive. Man, nothing felt like this. The thrill of racing toward danger, the knowledge that we were the line between salvation and devastation, it never failed to give me a punch of adrenaline.

We all jumped from the truck as soon as Wells slowed enough for us to land safely. “Derek, you and Alex get a line on the house. Samuel, start on the hose. Wells, get that hydrant for Samuel.”

They all scrambled to their jobs. Derek and Alex rushed toward the squat brick home while I gave it a quick assessment. Houses like these, with old wood in the walls and dried out roofs, were the most common this time of year. People let their Christmas trees dry out and they catch fire, or an old heater gets plugged into a bad outlet. There were a hundred things that could spark a fire like this, and in a home this size, it was almost a guaranteed total loss.

That didn’t mean we wouldn’t try.

Anyone in the home?” I trotted over to the police already pushing back curious onlookers.

The lieutenant in charge shook his head. “Homeowner says it’s just her and her daughter. But her daughter was visiting a neighbor. So was she. She’s not sure what happened or how the fire started.”

“Great. Thanks.” I nodded and rushed back toward my team. “Alex, you and Derek hit the roof. Samuel, you and Wells see if you can keep it contained.”

Alex's head jerked up and he yanked his helmet off. “I hear someone.”

“Homeowner says no one is inside.” I tapped my helmet. “Get your helmet back on.”

He ignored me and ran toward the house. He jammed the helmet into place and raised both arms over his head while leaping through the open doorway.

“Alex!” Samuel shoved the hose at Wells. “Keep going.”

Derek tore off after Alex, leaving the hose.

“Shit.” I cursed and followed as another fire truck arrived. I recognized the captain and gave him a hurried explanation as I ran past.

“We’ll cover you.” He turned and started bellowing orders to his team.

I lost sight of him while plunging into the house’s smoky depths. All I cared about was getting my people out safe. Fuck Alex for breaking protocol and my orders. What the fuck was he thinking? I expected this from Derek, but I’d never expected Alex to turn into the reckless one. Maybe that breakup had been harder on him than I realized. Was this what Samuel meant when he said he was worried about the kid?

Did this have anything to do with Emma?

Acrid smoke filled the house, making it almost impossible to see. “Alex? Derek?” I kept bellowing their names as I moved from room to room.

Samuel appeared at my left side. “Any sign of them?”

“Nothing. One of you better fucking answer me.” They should’ve been able to hear me through the helmet’s comm system. I poked the floor with my fire ax, checking the stability before taking a step. Samuel did the same beside me. We move quickly but cautiously. If one of us fell through the floor, then we’d really be up shit creek.

“Kitchen.” Derek’s voice came through, raspy and thick. “Alex hears someone crying.”

“Do you?” I had to ask. With the way Alex had been behaving, I needed to confirm if he was cracking or if this was a legit call.

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