Page 51 of Burning Up

“Pissed off?” Did he really think that?

“Yeah, we were idiots. Okay? I admit it.”

“I’m not angry with you. I’m… I’ll be there in just a few minutes.”

“Thank you.” The words were quiet and shaky. Toby hung up before Bryce could say anything else.

Bryce wolfed down his cereal and hopped in the shower. He’d washed off after he’d gotten back to the station last night and again that morning, but he didn’t feel like he’d ever get the scent of the fire off his body. He knew it was all in his head, but he would swear he still smelled like he’d just stepped out of the building.

By the time he was ready to leave for Matt and Toby’s apartment, his heart was beating nearly as hard as it had been when he’d lowered Matt’s limp body to the ground. Matt could have died, and despite Gray’s words, Bryce still struggled to accept that it wasn’t his fault. He should have gone in first and not worried about whether Matt was in a snit or not. He should never have been Matt’s officer in the first place.

Toby opened the door before Bryce knocked as if he’d been watching for him. “Matt’s lying down.” He turned away, never looking Bryce in the eye. Was he scared? Hurt? As nervous as Bryce? The last time he’d been there, he’d tied Toby up, then he and Matt had proceeded to drive Toby out of his mind. Why had he run? He hadn’t been doing what was best for himself or for them. He’d just been scared. Was there any chance they could put the pieces back together again?

Matt looked up when Bryce entered their bedroom. Bryce simply stared for a few moments before he found his voice. “How’re you feeling?”

“Like shit,” Matt said. His foot was propped up on several pillows, and he had an icepack on his ankle.

“I think the ice has been on long enough. I’ll put it back in the freezer,” Toby said in a not so subtle attempt to leave Bryce and Matt alone.

Bryce sat on the edge of the bed. “I should never have let you go in first.”

“So you could be the one injured?”

Bryce hated hearing the bitterness in Matt’s voice. “It was my place.”

“I acted like an ass and you let me. None of this is your fault.”

“But you’re pissed at me anyway?”

Matt shook his head, and his expression softened. “I’m pissed at myself. You saved my ass. How can I be angry with you when you’re such a good man?”

Bryce looked away, uncomfortable with Matt’s praise. “Not always. Not when I say things I don’t mean just to hurt people.”

“Yeah, people who don’t care enough about you to stop putting your job in jeopardy.”

“People who expect you to lie for them when you hate lying,” Toby said, stepping back into the room. Obviously, he’d been listening from the door.

“I agreed to it,” Bryce insisted.

“Yeah, but I seduced you.” Toby waggled his eyebrows, lightening the mood. Bryce couldn’t help but laugh.

Toby laid a hand on Bryce’s shoulder. “I meant what I said on the phone. I get why we have to stop working together, but I’m scared.”

“Not half as fucking scared as I am,” Matt said. “I’ve never done anything without Toby.”

Toby shook his head. “You’re the strong one, Matt. I’m the one who just turns everything into a joke.”

“Or a flirtation,” Matt added.

Toby huffed. “If I hadn’t flirted with Bryce?—”

“We wouldn’t be in this mess.”

Bryce didn’t think Matt meant for those words to hurt, but they did. He’d made a mess of their lives. All the encouraging things Mason, Jack, and Gray had told him fled from his mind, replaced by apprehension. He took a step back, his chest so tight he couldn’t get air in his lungs. Breaking up had hurt them, but staying with them wouldn’t have done them any good either.

“I should go. I really ought to get some rest. Last night was…”

Matt looked up, panic in his eyes. “Don’t. I didn’t mean that like it sounded. I was just…”

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