Page 90 of Christmas with Three Firemen

I look at all three of them. Then at Danny, who is doing an outstanding impression of a man not enjoying this at all.

“Hers,” I say. “Just build out hers. Bigger, if he can manage it.”

Nobody corrects me.

Grant reaches over and takes her hand on the table, plain as anything, not hiding it, not performing it either. Wes’s hand finds the back of her chair.

I grin so wide it probably makes me look unhinged, and I don’t care, because weeks ago this woman walked into my station glaring at Christmas lights as they’d personally wronged her, and tonight she just told my crew, out loud, over coffee, that she’s staying.

“Well,” Danny says, standing, gathering his mug like the show’s over and he’s satisfied with the ending. “That’s settled, then.”

He leaves the kitchen looking far too satisfied with himself. The door swings shut behind him and the four of us are left sitting around the table in the sudden quiet.

Grant still has Noelle’s hand in his on the table. Wes’s hand rests on the back of her chair. I’m grinning so hard my face hurts.

“Well,” I say after a second, “Danny’s going to be insufferable about this for at least a week.”

Noelle huffs a small breath that is almost a laugh. Grant’s mouth twitches.

We sit there a little longer. Nobody rushes. The tree is still blinking in the common room. The station feels quieter than it has in weeks.

Eventually Grant stands. He keeps hold of her hand and looks down at her.

“Come upstairs?” he asks, voice low.

She nods.

We follow them down the hall without discussion. Grant pushes open the door to his room, and we all step inside.

The door closes with a soft click.

The room is dim and warm. Snow is still falling straight down outside the window.

Noelle sits on the edge of the bed first. Grant sits beside her. I settle on her other side. Wes takes the chair for a moment, then moves to the bed as well when she looks at him.

For a while we just sit close. Grant leans in and kisses her slowly. I watch for a few seconds, then press my mouth to the side of her neck, soft and unhurried. She tilts her head to give me better access and reaches back to rest her hand on my thigh. Wes moves in on her other side and kisses her when Grant pulls back.

There is no urgency in any of it. Just the quiet certainty of four people who already know they belong here.

I smile against her skin and murmur, “This is just our life now, huh?”

She turns her head and kisses me, soft and sure.

We take our time undressing each other.

I pull her shirt over her head while Grant works on the button of her pants. Wes helps slide them down her legs. She does the same for us, unbuttoning my shirt with slow fingers, then Grant’s, then reaching for Wes.

There is no hurry.

Every piece of clothing comes off with quiet kisses and soft touches. I take my time with the buttons of her shirt, pressing my mouth to each new inch of skin I uncover. Grant does the same with her pants. Wes helps slide them down her legs and leaves a slow kiss on the inside of her knee. She returns the favor for each of us, unhurried, almost thoughtful, like she’s learning us all over again now that everything is out in the open.

When we are all bare, she lies back in the middle of the bed. I settle on one side of her. Wes takes the other. Grant moves between her legs.

He doesn’t rush. He kisses his way up the inside of her thighs first, lingering until her breathing changes. Only then does he put his mouth on her. I watch her face the whole time; the way her eyes flutter shut, the soft sound she makes when he finds the right pressure, the way her fingers curl into the sheets.

I lean in and kiss her mouth slowly while Wes kisses along her collarbone and down to her breast, taking one nipple between his lips. She reaches for both of us at the same time. One hand wraps around my cock, stroking me with the same unhurried rhythm Grant is using on her. The other finds Wes. We stay like that for a long time. Grant between her legs. Me and Wes on either side of her. Her hands working us while she softens under our mouths.

Eventually Grant shifts up the bed and lies on his back. Noelle climbs over him without being asked. She sinks down onto him slowly, taking every inch, and stays completely still once he’s fully inside her. I watch the quiet pleasure settle over her face.