Free Men of Station 23 [Uniform Fetish 1] (Siren Publishing Menage Amour) by Stacey Espino Page B

pop the lock. Look, the shape is molded into the wood.”
    “Take a look around to see if anything’s missing. I really don’t want to call the guys from the department down here for nothing. We’ve all got enough paperwork from all these garage fires.” Darius trusted Conall’s final analysis. He’d been through the prison system in his youth. If one of them could recognize the signs of breaking and entering, it would be Conall.
    The station looked clean and untouched. Darius checked on their defibrillating machines and other expensive equipment, but it appeared everything was in check. What could thieves have wanted? They weren’t a store and didn’t carry cash. Then he thought to check their living room. Maybe the crook was after their electronics. They’d invested a lot of their personal money to make their living quarters comfortable. For the amount of time they spent at the station, it was literally their second home.
    Aaron was taking Tammy to the animal shelter to drop off the cat. She’d wanted to keep the poor animal, but protocol said it had to be left at the shelter for a couple weeks in case the owners called to claim it. Even without a collar, the owners could be looking for it, or it could be microchipped.
    Conall and Jake followed behind him, probably having the same idea about the electronics. He couldn’t imagine Jake without his Sports Network or Conall without his Discovery Channel.
    After they’d all spilled into the large room, Darius did a quick visual sweep. The flat screen was in place, the surround system untouched, and the stereo where they left it. Aaron’s iPad was even lying on the coffee table, an easy score for a would-be thief.
    “He must have got scared off,” said Conall, flopping down on the end of the sofa.
    “Or there wasn’t a break-in at all.” Jake leaned against the support pillar. “Maybe the door’s been like that for ages and you’re just noticing now, Darius.”
    Conall sat up higher. “You’re questioning what I said?”
    “What if Frank got locked out once upon a time? It’s not hard to pop a lock.” Jake paced the room.
    “I would have noticed the busted doorjamb.”
    Jake gave up, finally shrugging before heading to the stairs.
    Darius sat on the coffee table once he was gone, facing Conall. “So what are we gonna do about Tammy?”
    “What do you mean?”
    “You forget our little afternoon foray?”
    Conall smiled. “How could I forget that? It’ll be branded in my head even when I’m old and gray.” He shrugged off his overcoat and tossed it on the back of the sofa before settling in comfortably.
    “And?” Darius felt the weight of the many conflicting emotions inside of him. The firefighter wanted to make amends, do the right thing, and treat the journalist with respect and professionalism. The man wanted to connect with her, to nurture the budding relationship, to finally know what it felt like to commit to a woman. His body wanted to fuck her again.
    “I didn’t hear her complaining, Darius. Stop analyzing everything to death.” He flicked the television on and began surfing through the channels. How could he be so nonchalant about this? Tammy wasn’t the type of woman to screw around. There had been an obvious connection between the five of them, a heat so intense that none of them could resist its energy. Now that they could think with level heads, the reality of what they’d done came crashing down on Darius. What would he even say to her when she returned to the station?
    “So that’s it? One time and you’re through with her?”
    Conall dragged a hand through his mop of blond hair. “I’ll take her again if she lets me.” There was a tense moment of silence. Darius was about to lash out, defend Tammy’s honor. His father raised him to respect women and never to use them just to sate his own lust. But Conall spoke first, his voice more solemn. “Darius, she’s a businesswoman, beautiful, with a good head on her