EMS Heat 10 - In His Hero's Shadow (3 page)

“Of course not.” The corners of Kiefer’s mouth twitched.

 

“In fact, that’s kind of slutty behavior on his part. You may want to talk to him about that.”

 

“Funny, and here everybody thoughtyouwere the slut.”

Had that comment come from anybody other than Kiefer, Brody would have been insulted. Although, to be perfectly honest, up until a year ago, it’d been damn accurate. While not proud of the fact, Brody had never been able to say no to any request if it came from a sexy, hot bodied guy.

Then Chauncey had to go and ruin that too, damn him. Now, whenever Brody saw another guy, instead of checking the man out, all Brody could do was compare him to Chauncey. Every time the other guy came out on the loser end.

“You do have a point about my sluttiness. Chauncey makes sure to always bring that topic up, too.” Brody pasted on his best saucy grin. “Besides, what’s wrong with a little variety in life? Not all of us want to find our happily-ever-after and settle down like you.”

Kiefer grew pensive. “I worry about you sometimes.”

 

“I can take care of myself. I’ve been pretty much doing it for ten years now.”

 

“News flash! When you say stuff like that, it only makes me worry more.”

Brody finished his coffee and tossed the cup into the garbage. “You needn’t concern yourself at all. I’m perfectly happy with the way my life is.”

He quickly got up and left the room before Kiefer could figure out that Brody just told him the biggest lie ever. Because Brody knew deep down that he’d never been more miserable. Things were only going to get worse, too. Because it was only a few weeks until Brody had to remember the worst moment of his life, September 11th, the day his father died and Brody’s family was forever shattered.
Chapter Three

God, what in the hell possessed me to come here tonight?Chauncey scanned the inside of the bar.

It’d been several months since he’d last visited this particular establishment because whenever he’d wanted to go to a gay bar this was always the last place on his list. Not only was it smaller than all the others, but it looked as if it hadn’t been cleaned in the past decade.

The floors were so filthy and crusted over that nobody could decipher the original color of the tiles. The walls were equally filthy—the yellowed, peeling wallpaper and dented wood paneling looking as if it hadn’t seen the business end of a cloth in ages.

Several tables dotted the cramped space. Most of the chairs were mismatched and broken. A large dance floor took up the front of the building. Save for one couple, who were slow dancing, it was empty.

“Again, why in the hell am I here?” Chauncey grumbled under his breath.

Oh yeah—because of Brody. Now it seemed as if the brat was fucking with Chauncey’s personal life instead of just his professional one. This particular incident was proof enough.

It all started off innocently enough. Just a simple call coming into his cell phone. By the timesaid call had finished though, Chauncey had been pissed and certain that his night would be a wash.

Chauncey swept his gaze over the place, looking for the brat. When he finally spotted the medic sitting at the bar, Chauncey let out a huff of aggravation. Just as the caller had promised, Brody wore a devastated expression as he nursed a drink. Which confused and annoyed Chauncey all the more since Brody shouldn’t legally be drinking for another year.

Chauncey made his way to Brody. Along the way, Chauncey had to elbow past a few guys who were eyeing up the medic like he was a chumsicle and they were Great Whites.

As he studied Brody, Chauncey noted the man wasn’t dressed up for a night on the town. True, they were in a dive, but he’d never known Brody to step out unless he was dressed to the nines and his hair was styled perfectly. Now, however, he wore a pair of baggy jeans and a loose fitting, bright red, FDNY tee shirt. The front of his hair drooped over his eyes and he seemed oblivious to all the attention he was receiving.

“Hey,” Chauncey said as he sank down on the stool next to Brody.

Brody glanced up. While he had a few empty glasses in front of him, his eyes seemed bright and alert enough. “What are you doing here? I would think that somebody like you wouldn’t be caught dead in a dump like this.”

“Tanner called me.”

A smirk crossed over Brody’s lips. “Is he still pissed because I told him to fuck off when he tried to get me to leave here an hour ago?”

“No, he’s worried about you.”

 

Brody spun his glass in a tiny, neat circle. “There’s nothing to be concerned about.” Chauncey pointedly looked at the empties. “Are you sure about that?”

A spark of anger went through Brody’s eyes. “Yes, I just had a shitty day at work and wanted to unwind. It was just a few drinks, nothing more. I’m not one of those weak types who drown their troubles in booze.”

The venom in Brody’s voice took Chauncey aback. Though they snipped at each other all the time, Brody never spoke with such disgust in his tone. Chauncey held up a hand. “Okay, got it. Sorry if I insulted you, Skippy.”

Brody tipped his head to the side as he gave Chauncey a speculative glance. “Since when were you ever sorry about that? You live to cut me down.”

Chauncey almost snapped that the insults went both ways, but clamped his lips shut. Brody wasn’t likely to listen to reason on most days so he sure as hell wouldn’t be amicable when he was down.

Brody took another sip of his drink, a slight shiver going through his small body. “So what was Tanner doing here anyway? He’s almost as uptight as you are so this bar really isn’t his scene either.”

Chauncey tilted his head into the direction of the bartender. “Colton is his brother.”

A flicker of surprise passed Brody’s face as he blinked at the worker. “Really? Who would have thought that somebody as dull as Tanner could be related to a sex god like that?”

A flare of jealousy slammed into Chauncey. It was so unexpected and strong that it took him a few seconds to realize that the one he was feeling possessive over was Brody. Which was crazy. They hated each other so why in hell should it hurt so much to think of the man being with somebody else.

Brody gave a wicked chuckle. “Did you know that Colton has a ten-inch dick?”

Okay, now there was no denying it—Chauncey was jealous as hell. He curled his hands into tight fists as he fought to keep his expression impassive. “Is that so?”

After giving a small shrug, Brody replied, “At least that’s what I heard. You know how rumors can be though.”

“So you’ve never seen it for yourself?” “No.” Brody gave the top of the bar a small scowl. “Just because I get around a bit, doesn’t mean I’ve slept with everybody.”

“Just ninety-nine percent of them.” As soon as he saw the hurt in Brody’s eyes, Chauncey wanted to take the comment back.

Brody said something in return, but it got lost in the dull roar of the bar.

 

Chauncey leaned in closer. “What was that?” “I’m not a slut. At least, not so much anymore. In fact, I haven’t slept with anybody in almost a year.”

Chauncey couldn’t have been more surprised had Paris Hilton announced that she was joining a convent. “Are you bullshitting me?”

Brody shook his head, a blush coming over his cheeks. “I’ll admit that I used to play around a lot, but I’ve been trying to be better.”

“Why?”

For a second, it looked as if Brody were going to answer that. He even opened his mouth to speak, but in the end, just shook his head again and kept silent. Chauncey almost pushed the issue, but decided to let it go. If Brody wanted to keep it a secret, why begrudge him that right?

“I heard about Mrs. Roberts,” Chauncey said.

Brody’s face briefly crumpled before he took in a sniff and seemed to compose himself. “I should have been able to save her.”

“From the sound of it, you did everything you could. Sometimes it’s just their time to go and nothing we do can change that.”

The medic glanced up, his eyes wet with unshed tears and a lost expression on his face. It made Chauncey want to gather Brody up in his arms so he could hold the man tight and make him feel better.

“You would have been able to help her.”

Chauncey’s chest grew tight with emotion. He’d never seen Brody so open, so raw, so vulnerable. “I don’t think so.”

“I do. I know I razz you sometimes, but you’re damn good at your job. You’re a whole hell of a lot better than me.”

It finally became too much and Chauncey had to reach out for Brody, even if it was just to touch the man’s hand. Brushing his thumb over the back of Brody’s fingers, Chauncey said, “You’re a great medic. Not only have I seen you on scene before, but Kiefer talks about how good you are all the time.”

“All I’m good at is fucking things up and being a colossal disappointment.”

The practiced way Brody said those words made Chauncey wonder just how many times they’d been tossed his way in the past. Worried that maybe he’d added to that pain, Chauncey said a silent prayer the he’d never used them against Brody.

“Why don’t you let me drive you home?” Chauncey offered.

Brody gave a nod and they both got up and headed for the door. No words were spoken as they walked to Chauncey’s car. He opened the passenger door for Brody before going around and getting in behind the wheel.

“So where do you live?” Chauncey asked as he put the key in the ignition.

A long, heavy silence filled the car. Chauncey stared at Brody, waiting for an answer, while Brody just stared at the dash. Chauncey repeated the question, yet Brody still didn’t reply. Instead, he ran his tongue over his lips in a nervous, yet sexy gesture.

Then, just as Chauncey was about to repeat the question a third time, Brody moved in. Twisting his body to the side, he tilted his head up and pressed their lips together in a hard, hot kiss.

Chauncey froze, desire and shock coursing through his body at the unexpected move. Then Brody’s tongue darted out and caressed the seam of Chauncey’s lips, begging for admittance. That broke down all of Chauncey’s control. With a low growl, he reached out, cupped the back of Brody’s head and began to return as good as he was getting.

Brody made a frustrated little sound as he squirmed around, his hands floundering as if he couldn’t find a comfortable position. Finally, he tore his lips away and ordered, “Scoot your seat back as far as it will go.”

Lust had made Chauncey incapable of doing anything other than obeying. He reached down and pulled the lever, pushing his seat away from the wheel. As soon as the space was available, Brody filled it, his small body squeezing onto Chauncey’s lap.

The movement caused the most delicious friction as their hard, denim-covered cocks rubbed together. Brody’s eyes fluttered shut as he let out a soft sigh, a look of pure bliss on his face. His hands finally found a place to rest, his fingers curling around Chauncey’s shoulders.

“This is stupid. We could get caught,” Chauncey breathed even as he skinned his tongue up the front of Brody’s neck.

Brody tilted his head back, a long moan coming from his full lips. “Yes, it is. The cops are always watching this parking lot. They could come rolling through at any moment.”

Chauncey grabbed Brody’s waist and thrust up so their cocks ground together. Pleasure shot up his spine as they both moaned together. “Those cops would probably recognize us on sight, too. Everybody in the EMS community would know what we’d been up to.”

“Can you imagine how shocked they’d be?” Brody laughed as he rocked his hips in a slow sensual rhythm. “They all know how much we hate each other.”

Funny, at that moment, Chauncey couldn’t imagine how he’d ever been able to get mad at the sweet thing in his lap…especially when Brody took his own bottom lip between his teeth, a soft whimper coming from him as he continued to grind against Chauncey.

While it did feel damn good, Chauncey knew they couldn’t continue to carry on inside his car. Brody might be small, but there was still not enough space and Chauncey wanted to really take his time to explore the other man.

He leaned in and licked Brody’s neck—the salty, yet sweet taste making Chauncey’s hard cock throb with need. “Do you still want me to take you home?”

Brody paused, and for the first time ever, Chauncey saw a flicker of uncertainty on the younger man’s face. “Do you meanmyhouse so I can go to sleep alone?”

“No, I meanmybed so we can spend the rest of the night fucking our brains out.”

Brody smiled…a real, genuine smile that didn’t have any snarkiness or attitude behind it. Chauncey had never seen anything more beautiful either. It made Brody look younger and almost innocent.

“I think I can get behind that plan,” Brody crooned as he leaned down for another long, lingering kiss.

When they broke for air, Chauncey gave him a tiny pat on the ass. “Get back in your seat and buckle up. While it may be fun to have you in this position, I don’t think it’ll make for safe driving.”

“I guess we have to put safety first, given what we do for a living,” Brody agreed with a mock pout.

He slid off and put his safety belt on. Chauncey moved his seat forward and turned the key in the ignition. It was only then that he noticed a slight tremble in his hands.

He was really going to do this…with Brody. Chauncey felt a thrill of excitement, but at the same time, the moment had a surreal feeling to it. After having so much animosity between them, he could scarcely believe that they’d just been making out like a pair of horny teenagers.

He only lived a few minutes from the bar and neither one of them spoke. It was almost as if they were both afraid of breaking the mood and sending them back to their battling ways. When Chauncey pulled up to his modest, two-bedroom ranch, Brody let out a soft gasp.

“You live here?”
“Yeah, why do you sound so surprised?”

Brody gave a half-shrug. “I just thought you would have something bigger.”

Chauncey thought back to all the times Brody had mentioned them coming from two different worlds. It irked him that Brody always just assumed that since Chauncey came from a wealthy family he should act a certain way. Especially since that same prejudice didn’t carry over to Kiefer. Though they were cousins, they’d both come from the same upbringing, yet Brody never once called Kiefer rich, spoiled or over privileged.