I watched Parker looking at Easton as he complained about something to do with the coffee machines. He smirked, but it was his eyes that held most of my attention. Besides his naked chest, which was damn distracting. Still, his eyes fascinated me the most as I hadn’t seen them so bright before. Maybe it also had to do with how he hadn’t clenched his jaw or fisted his hands in annoyance or anger since we started talking. Even when I got pissed at him over quitting and not talking to me about shit.

He seemed calmer.

It was so fucking good to see him like that.

Yeah, he had his good days when we worked together. He wasn’t always broody with me, but this was more than even those good days.

It looked as if a weight had been lifted off him.

Had we done that?

If we had, I didn’t know how. Hell, maybe it was the norm for him after shooting two huge loads of cum the night before. Whatever it was, I damned enjoyed seeing him this way.

I wondered if he even noticed the change in himself. Did Easton notice it?

Couldn’t believe he’d stayed, though, but I still reckoned it had something to do with me not being in the house when he woke. He would have been edgy as fuck, but I’d known Easton would have eased him in the best way by acting his usual shy, nervous, and goddamn cute self.

Easton came back to the table with two mugs, Parker’s and his. I swallowed the rest of my protein shake.

“Black,” Easton said, handing it over. Parker nodded, leaning to grab it and I noticed Easton’s eyes on Parker’s chest and stomach. His brows dipped. “I’ll be back.” He put his coffee down and headed out of the room.

Parker glanced to me, his brows arched. I snorted. “I think you’re about to be clothed.”

Parker’s eyes widened before he laughed. Shaking his head, he told me, “He said I was distracting.”

“You are,” I said.

His laughter subsided. He stared at me. “Another thing I never thought I’d like.”

“What’s that?”

“You likin’ the way I look.” He sat forward, elbows to the table. “I do like it, but what happens if Easton doesn’t like you lookin’ or the other way around? I won’t get in the middle of what you two got going on already. I should have thought of it last night but….” He shook his head, pink tinting his cheeks. He’d been too eager to see what would happen without thinking of the consequences. Luckily, Easton and I were already cool about it.

“You don’t need to stress. East and I have talked.”

“Talked?” he questioned, a smirk resting on his lips.

“Yeah.” I smirked back.

“We’re both attracted to you,” Easton said as he came into the room carrying Parker’s tee from the night before. He thrust it out to Parker. “Please.”

Parker chuckled, grabbed it, and slipped it over his head. He sat back with his coffee. “How can this feel…?”

“Normal? Easy?” I offered.

Parker nodded.

“From the start you and I got along. We were already good around each other. East”—I smiled at him—“creates a serene zone around him.”

“Especially when he’s nervous,” Parker added.

I chuckled and tipped my cup his way. “Exactly. Makes a person feel calm.”

Easton glared at us both. “Are you two done? I have attitude as well.”

“Oh, I know. I remember the first time you got in my face,” Parker said. “I like that too. Both of your attitudes.” His brows came down as he shifted in his seat. Seemed he was uncomfortable telling us that, but hell, I liked it. A lot.

A phone rang. Easton’s work tone. He groaned. Still, he got up and went to the counter to grab it. “Hello? Can’t another team do it? Have you called Oliver? He said yes?” He closed his eyes, jaw clenched. He didn’t want to leave. “Okay. Yes.” Still, he’d do it. Only I knew he wouldn’t be doing it for himself, but to cover whoever couldn’t make the shift before his and for the people who’d be in need of a paramedic. Unfortunately, it also meant he’d be doing a double shift. He wouldn’t get home until tomorrow morning.

Fuck it.

He hung up and faced us. “I’ve got to go in early.”

“You gonna be right?”

“Yes. I’ve done a double shift many times.” He smiled warmly. “I’ll need to grab a few things before I go. Sorry to have to leave, but I know you two can get everything sorted. Besides, you both have to talk about work.” He tipped the rest of his coffee in the sink. “I’ll get my stuff, be back.”

Easton already knew I was going to take Vi up on her offer even if Parker hadn’t liked it.

“Why did you quit, Parker? You took Vi up on her offer without talkin’ to me? Didn’t you want to work alongside me anymore?” I asked. Before the previous night’s action, I’d presumed it was to get away from me. Hoping I wouldn’t hear about the offer or take the job. But after last night, I wasn’t sure anymore.

Parker looked into his mug, then drank the rest before putting it on the table. He sure did know how to make a man wait for an answer, or was it because he didn’t know what to say or he didn’t want to hurt me from what he had to say?

Fucking Jesus. I just gave myself a headache.

He leaned into the table, picked up the salt shaker Easton always left there and started playing with it. He didn’t look at me when he answered, “I quit because you’ve been talkin’ about slowin’ down, wantin’ a change for a long time. I knew you’d snap up Violet’s offer. I wanted to be sure, before you found out about it, I’d be in the position to follow you. Knew you’d try and talk me out of quittin’ because you’d think I’d want to stay being a detective, but I wouldn’t if you weren’t there. I want to still be able to work with you.” He shrugged. “Slowing down sounds good to me. Means we get the chance to help out the brothers more if they need it. Also, Vi’s like us, follows her own rules.”

Holy fuck. I was still stuck on I want to be still able to work with you.

“You chose to do it even before last night,” I stated.

He nodded, then shrugged. “I’m used to havin’ you in my life.”

A cruel thought messed with my mind and put doubt in there. “That’s not why….” Why he stopped by last night? Why he thought he could change? For me, for Easton… all because he didn’t want to work with anyone else?

His scowl made an appearance. He stood, fists on the table and glowered down at me. “Do you seriously fuckin’ think I would do that? Change my life, take a risk, all so I wouldn’t have to work with anyone else because you know I don’t work well with others in the fuckin’ first place? You think because of that I would come here and mess with you two, get between you two, just for goddamn kicks to make sure you’d still work with me?”

“It crossed my mind briefly,” I admitted.

“Fuck you, Lan. You should know me better.” His fist pounded on the table. He straightened, crossed his arms over his chest and breathed hard through his nose. His temper was back in full force, and it’d been my damn fault it made an appearance.

“Everything okay out here?” Easton asked, walking over to stop beside my chair in his full uniform. He glanced from Parker, who glared at the kitchen, down to me and raised his brows.

Parker unclenched his jaw and snarled, “Lan thinks me being here was a play to keep workin’ with him. That I fuckin’ used you both.”

“I didn’t—”

Easton’s hand landed on my shoulder and squeezed. He then moved over to Parker, stood at his side and forced him, with his hand on Parker’s crossed arms, to turn his way. Parker glared down at him.

Easton scowled back up at him. “Lan can be a fool sometimes.” I snorted. “But he knows when to apologise when he’s wrong, and he’s wrong in this instance. Aren’t you?” Easton looked over at me.

“Yeah. Shit, yes,” I said, standing also.

“It would have been a passing thought because we never expected for last night to happen. Now don’t be a dick and get all huffy over it. I have to go to work, and I want things to stay good between you two or I’ll kick both your arses for cracking it over shit that can be sorted by talking through it.”

I waited. Parker remained staring down at Easton while Easton stared back. Then Parker lifted his head to look at me. “Does his scoldin’ make you want to laugh as well?”

Easton growled in the back of his throat. My lips twitched. “Most of the time.”

“Well, screw the two of you,” Easton clipped, and stomped off into the kitchen to grab some snacks.

“Well, it’s either laugh or…,” Parker said with a smirk.

Easton stopped and faced him, arms crossed. “Or?” he bit out.

Parker smiled. “Guess you’ll find out one day.”

If I had to guess, Parker was thinking either about kissing or fucking Easton. I’d felt that a lot around Easton, even when he was getting in my face about something.

“Okay,” Easton whispered. He picked up his bag and made his way over to me. I ducked my head to gain access to his lips. I kissed him hard and wet. It was long enough to get my dick pumping of blood. Fuck, he could kiss, so could Parker for that matter.

Easton gave a last peck, pulled back, and stared up at me. “I have to go.”

I smiled. “So go.”

His grumble made me chuckle. I grabbed his arse cheek, squeezed, and told him, “More of that when you come home tomorrow morning.”

“The dogs—”

“I’ve got them. You know that.”

He nodded and nipped at my lips again. “All right,” he said. He stepped back and slowly glanced to Parker. He’d be wondering what the situation was for goodbyes with him. Would it be like with me or something else?

I fought my lips twitching as Easton waved his hand at Parker. “Guess, I’ll see you, ah, I don’t know.” He shrugged and then stuck his hand out Parker’s way. I snorted when Parker looked angrily down at it then up at Easton, who was blushing. “Thanks—” He gasped. “I don’t mean thanks for last night, just that… shit, I don’t know why I said thanks. I don’t know what to do or say. I didn’t even think I’d be the one leaving early so—” He let out a sound when Parker took Easton’s hand he still held out and used it to drag him forward. Their chests collided, and Parker leaned in and claimed Easton’s lips. I heard Easton sigh and Parker then growled into his mouth.

Fuck me, it was an amazing sight.

Parker pulled back from a dazed Easton. “Like your attitude, but like you nervous more. That’s how, in this home, we’ll all say goodbye to one another.” Then Parker blanched, dropped his arms and looked over at me. “Unless—”

My hand came up. My chest expanded. He wanted this. Us. That was what counted. “Don’t even. Before East goes, we’ll get it out. I want both of you. See how it goes at least. Are you both willing to try? That’s all I’m asking for… is to try.”

Easton nodded, smiling. “I want to try. As long as you both don’t piss me off.”

I laughed. “No fun in that.” I lifted my gaze to Parker. “You?”

“I’m for trying.”

Easton’s smile grew. “Okay. Good, ah, yay.” He rolled his eyes. “I didn’t mean that yay. Shit, ignore I did that, I have to get to work.” With a quick peck to Parker’s lips and then to mine, he walked out of the house with a new spring in his step.

He was happy.

Hell, I felt happy, and from the way Parker’s eyes were back to shining, he did too.

We’d just have to see how well the three of us would go.

“So,” I started after Easton had left. We both still stood at the table. “Wanna sort out this new change if we’re both willing to take Vi up on her offer?”

He grinned, nodded, and then walked towards the cupboards, calling, “As long as I can have one of your protein shakes.”

“Help yourself.”

He stopped, turned, and asked, “How in the fuck is it not weird between us after last night?”

Surprised by the question, I laughed. “I don’t know, but I’m glad it’s not.”

“Yeah.” He nodded, his eyes drifting away in thought. Then he straightened and went to the pantry, adding, “I’m thankful for it too. Means things won’t be weird after it happens again.”

Knock me the fuck over with a feather.