Page 49 of Burning Up

“You need to call them again or just go the hell over there,” Mason insisted.

“What should I say?” Bryce immediately regretted the question. He held up his hand as Jack opened his mouth to speak. “I’m sorry. It’s not your job to tell me.”

Mason laid a hand over Bryce’s. “It’s okay to ask for help. You’re lucky enough to know an amazing threesome of guys ready to share their wisdom. You’d be an idiot—more of an idiot—not to use that resource.”

Gray rolled his eyes. “Just say you were stupid, and now you’ve wised up and you’re going to find a way to make this work.”

“But they might not want?—”

“Bullshit!” Mason interrupted. “I’ve seen them with you. They want you, and you all deserve the chance to make it work.”

“We all have to make changes at work, and they’ve always worked together?—”

“Then they’ve always been wrong just like Jack and I were,” Gray said. “Matt was fine this time and Toby stopped himself from going in, but what if that’s not the case next time? What if one of you or someone else gets hurt because you’re focused on each other instead of the job?”

Bryce knew Gray was right. He’d worried about the same thing for a long time. Despite that, anger at Gray and at himself, tightened his chest. “I’m not?—”

Mason touched his shoulder. “He knows what he’s talking about. Because of Jack.”

The anger and tension drained from Bryce then. Gray wasn’t trying to make Bryce feel bad about hiding their relationship. He truly understood what could happen when a relationship clouded your judgment. Jack had come after him, determined to rescue him, even though it went against protocol. He’d realized Gray had walked into a trap, and instead of waiting for backup, he went in after him and almost died.

Bryce looked at Gray. “You’re right. I need to say something to the chief either way, whether I get back together with Matt and Toby or not.”

Gray nodded. “Yeah, you do. And trust me. I get it. I was scared to tell Jack and Mason that I was applying for the detective position. I knew it was the right thing to do, but I hid it because I didn’t want to argue.”

Bryce could imagine how hard it was for Gray to admit to being scared. “I’m terrified to talk to them. What if we can’t do this long term? What if they regret it?”

“Whether you work things out or not, they’re in a relationship and they need to be separated. Are you still thinking about becoming a fire marshal?” Gray asked.

Bryce nodded.

“Then you’ll be making a change you want to make, and they’ll have to make one anyway.”

“I’ve only been here six months. Is this really the right time to change jobs again?”

“If you keep worrying over it, there’s never going to be a right time,” Jack said. “I kept telling myself it wasn’t the right time for Gray and me to come out or for him to go for the promotion he deserved. Finally, when Gray took things into his own hands, I realized there would never have been a magically right time.”

“It’s going to be hard as fuck working out a relationship with two men, but it’s worth it,” Gray said.

“Aww. That’s about the sweetest thing you’ve ever said, at least in public,” Mason said, grinning at Gray. “He’s right, you know. You’ll regret not seeing where this could go more than you’ll regret trying if things don’t last forever.”

Forever. Was he really thinking about forever? “Can I really have fallen for them so fast?”

Mason reached across the table and laid his hand over Gray’s. “Yes.”

Bryce loved how the three men showed their affection for each other. No one could doubt that they loved each other.

“So I should just call Matt and Toby and say ‘I was an idiot, let’s get back together’?”

Jack nodded. “For once, Gray has some good advice.”

Gray glared at him. “You’ll pay for that.”

“I hope so.” Jack lowered his voice to a sexy purr.

“I’ve got another question,” Bryce said. Heat rushed to Bryce’s face. He hated asking for more advice.

“What is it?” Mason asked. “You can ask us anything. No need to be embarrassed.”

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