Behind the Stick

by K. Evan Coles

  Luka warmed at seeing his family fill Kyle’s apartment, and particularly his mother hugging his boyfriend.

  “Thank you for inviting us,” she said, her voice and smile warm.

  “You’ve made me feel so welcome at your Sunday dinners,” Kyle said. “It was my turn to treat you.”

  Luka had been enjoying those dinners more than ever. He loved seeing Kyle sit down to dinner at the Clarke-Padilla home. Despite the rocky start for Kyle with Luka’s family, they’d done their best to make him feel welcome since, and it made Luka happy to watch their easy conversation and camaraderie.

  “Hey, baby.” Lydia kissed Luka’s cheek. “You’re looking well and happy.”

  “I am,” he said with a smile in Kyle’s direction. “I definitely am.”

  Kyle slung an arm around his brother and raised his voice. “Before I forget, I’d like to introduce you to my brother, Oliver. After years of my pestering him, he’s decided to move to Manhattan. I may live to regret this someday, but for now, I’m very happy to see him more often.”

  Oliver scoffed. “Be honest. You just wanted someone to take over the shoebox so you could move closer to your hot fireman.”

  Luka grinned. He could handle being called that.

  “Oliver may be on to something,” Kyle admitted with a laugh. “Oh! But I feel like I’ve been a bad host, making you all stand in the entrance. I’m not used to having all this space. Please, come in.” Kyle waved Luka’s family into the apartment. “Grab a bite to eat, have a drink and make yourselves comfortable.”

  Kyle and Luka had decided to go for small bites and some prepared pitchers of drinks to help people mingle, as opposed to a sit-down dinner. Kyle was more than ready to mix cocktails, too, however.

  “I brought empanadas,” Tomas said as he walked toward the kitchen. “Mind if I borrow the oven for a few minutes? I want to heat them up a little.”

  “Go right ahead.” Luka rubbed his hands together in anticipation. “Thank you, Pop.”

  Tomas scoffed. “Did you think I’d let you down?”

  “No, but tax season just wrapped up and I wouldn’t have blamed you if you didn’t have time.”

  “The new people we hired have taken a lot of the load off.”

  “This is the most I’ve ever seen my husband from January to April in years,” Lydia said, the delight in her voice clear. “It’s a nice change!”

  “I’m enjoying it, too.” Tomas leaned in to kiss her. The sight made Luka smile. He liked seeing a couple who had been together for such a long time so happy together. He glanced over at Kyle, who was talking with Regina, Wade and Marcus. For the first time, Luka was with someone he could picture spending his life with, too.

  His mother’s gaze followed his and she smiled at him as though she’d guessed his thoughts.

  Tomas had just laid the reheated empanadas on a platter when the intercom buzzed again.

  “That’s got to be Ruby,” Regina said with a laugh. “That woman…I swear, we should just tell her everything starts a half hour before it does to get her there on time!”

  “She’s too smart for that. She’d be onto us in a minute and then she’d just show up even later out of spite.”

  Regina hummed. “Honestly, you’re probably right.”

  They fell quiet as Kyle pressed the intercom again. “Identify yourself!” he teased.

  “I come bearing desserts!” an unexpected but familiar voice to Luka called back. “Please let me in!”

  “Daniela!” Luka strode to Kyle’s side. “Do you need help?”

  She laughed. “I didn’t bring that many. Just buzz me in, please.”

  When Daniela knocked on the apartment door, Luka took the boxes from her hands and gave her a one-armed hug. “You are always welcome, desserts or not.”

  Daniela grinned. “I’m not sure I believe it, but that’s nice to hear!”

  “I’m so glad you could come! It’s been a while since I’ve seen you.”

  “I can’t stay for long, but I’ve heard so much about Kyle from everyone that I just had to meet him for myself.”

  Kyle held his hand out to Daniela with a big smile. “It’s nice to officially meet you. I’ve been enjoying your pastries and cakes so much I feel like I already know you.”

  She beamed. “You liked the guava cake for your birthday then?”

  Kyle hummed. “It’s so good. I think it may be my favorite flavor. I’ve been trying to figure out a guava cocktail that would echo the cake but it’s a work in progress.”

  “Maybe we can discuss ideas sometime! You’ll be pleased to hear I brought a cupcake version of the guava cake today, by the way.”

  The way Kyle’s face lit up made Luka chuckle under his breath. If Kyle had a bad day in the future, Luka now knew exactly how to cheer him.

  “Please, come on in,” Kyle said, “I’ll introduce you to my brother and you can have a bite to eat.”

  “Where are James and the kids?” Luka asked her.

  “Oh, Julian and Eli have baseball practice,” she said. “I told James I’d bring May with me, but his mom volunteered to watch her.”

  Everyone congregated around the food table, laughing and talking, but Luka paused so he could check in with Kyle.

  “How are you doing?” He slid an arm around Kyle’s waist and pressed a kiss to his temple. Regina gave them a small smile that warmed Luka through.

  “I’m good.” Kyle nodded toward Oliver and Marcus who were deep in conversation. “Glad everyone seems to be having a good time.”

  Luka just shrugged. “I knew they would.”

  Once they’d gotten over all the hurdles, Luka had been sure his family would be just as supportive of Luka and Kyle’s relationship as they’d been of Regina and Wade and Daniela and James. That was who they were—loving, loyal and true.

  Kyle looked at Luka, his eyes so filled with love Luka’s breath caught. “It feels good to be a part of a family like this,” he said.

  “You are part of it,” Luka said. “And this is just the beginning.”

  Luka leaned in to kiss Kyle, but the buzz of the intercom interrupted them again. “This is getting to be a bad habit,” he muttered against Kyle’s mouth. “And if that’s not Ruby, then she ain’t comin’.”

  Ruby made her dramatic entrance, breathlessly explaining that she’d gotten stuck on a stopped train, and thrust a bottle of wine at Kyle and Luka.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t have time for anything more personal, but I hope you like this!”

  “We’re just glad you could come,” Kyle said. He pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Come in.”

  “Thanks.” She hugged Kyle, then did the same to Luka before moving on to the rest of the family. As she strode across the room, Luka heard her say, “Oh, good, I got here before you left, Daniela. I want to talk to you about something!”

  Oliver walked over with wide eyes. “That’s Ruby?” he whistled low. “Damn, hotness does run in the family.”

  Luka raised an eyebrow but stayed quiet when Kyle uttered a pained-sounding noise.

  “Nope. Please, no. We just got Luka’s mom and sister on board with me, Ollie. Don’t go there, for my sake.” Kyle clasped his hands together as if in prayer.

  “Don’t go where?” Oliver grinned at his brother, then shot Luka a wink. “I’m just stating facts. And relax, I’m not planning on hitting on her. Much.”

  “It’s a good thing I love him,” Kyle muttered under his breath. “A damn good thing.”

  Luka laughed and pulled Kyle close. “Hey, with everyone here, I want to make my announcement.”

  Kyle’s expression brightened. “Go for it.”

  “Hey, everyone!” Luka cleared his throat and raised his voice. “Now that I have you all in one place, I want to tell you about what’s coming up next for me. I just got accepted at the Fire Science Institute, and in the fall, I’ll be taking some classes. It’s time I think about a career after active duty. That way when I’m ready to transition to something
else, everything will be in place.”

  “Oh, that’s wonderful!” Lydia beamed. “I am so pleased to hear that, baby. I’m proud of you and what you do, but I will be thrilled the day you move to a desk job.”

  Luka chuckled and hugged her. “I know you will. And I’m happy where I am now—I’m just ready to start thinking about the future.” His gaze landed on Kyle’s face.

  He’d told Kyle about his acceptance first, of course, and he knew Kyle was relieved about a possible change in career for Luka. Kyle would never ask that Luka give up what he loved, but Luka knew everyone in his life would rest easier once Luka’s job was less dangerous, including Kyle.

  Anything could happen to them at either point—the attack in Brooklyn had shown them that. The scar on Kyle’s chin, faded now to a thin white line, was a reminder all its own, too, but if Luka stopped courting disaster daily, the odds of things going bad would be lowered. And Luka was determined not to miss out on a future with Kyle.

  * * * *

  “Hello, hello!” Jesse greeted Luka as he stepped into Under. Before Luka could blink, Jesse swept him into a hug and kissed him—a bit more than chastely—on the mouth. “Good to see you, Lieutenant,” he said when he drew back.

  “Good to see you, too,” Luka said, and he smiled when Cam stepped up to kiss him, too. Luka might never get used to how open Jesse and Cam were with their affections, but he certainly wouldn’t complain either. He liked having a great group of friends with whom he and Kyle could occasionally hook up, too.

  The rest of the crew was there, and he greeted Riley, Carter, Malcolm, Will and David, plus Astrid and a friend of hers Luka had never met before. Oliver waved at him from across the room where he was chatting with Jarrod, Gale and Matías, but Kyle was nowhere to be seen.

  “Your boyfriend’s in the office,” Will said with a smile. “He disappeared just a few minutes ago.”

  Jesse nodded. “The door’s unlocked. Just try not to make too much of a mess of that couch. And don’t forget,” he said with a smirk. “There’s a camera in there and I have access to all the footage.”

  Luka laughed and thanked Jesse and did indeed find Kyle in the office when he poked his head inside. Kyle gave Luka a big smile.

  “Hey there, darlin’. You’re early.”

  “Yeah, I made good time and caught the earlier train.”

  Kyle came around the desk. “I’m glad you did. I don’t mind a few extra minutes with you before I start slinging drinks.” He grabbed Luka and hauled him in before planting a hard, eager kiss on his mouth.

  “Jesse said we weren’t allowed to make a mess of the couch,” Luka said, a little breathless once they’d surfaced again.

  “Oh, did he?” Kyle smirked. He dropped his hands to Luka’s back pockets and dipped his hands inside. “That almost sounds like a challenge to me.”

  “Don’t tempt me,” Luka muttered. Kyle’s body felt so good against his and desire rose hot and fast within him. “Or I will fuck you over the back of that couch without giving a shit how much of a mess we make, regardless of the camera.”

  “Mmm.” Kyle shuddered against him. “Talk about tempting.”

  Luka kissed him some more, then pulled back. “I’ll behave for now. But if you can cut out early tonight…”

  Kyle grinned. “I can do that. Masen’s here ’til close and I know he won’t mind.”

  Luka and Kyle went back out into the bar a few minutes later, and Kyle headed behind the bar to mix Luka a drink. Luka took it to one of the couches where he sat beside Carter, content to listen while everyone else talked.

  “How was the housewarming?” Carter asked during a lull in conversation.

  “It was great. Almost my whole family made it, and they managed not to scare Oliver.”

  “That’s good to hear.” Carter smiled back at him. “Ollie’s tough just like his brother, so it’d take a lot to really freak him out.”

  “I’m surprised you haven’t moved in with Kyle,” Riley said from Carter’s other side. “I mean, now that he’s got the new place and all.”

  Luka shrugged. “We’re not far off from that. When my lease is up, we’ll talk about it. It hasn’t been that long anyway. Kyle and I have only been together around seven months.”

  “That’s true,” Carter said. “I guess it seems longer.”

  “Maybe now that you and Riley are off to tie the knot, you’re just in a hurry to pair everyone else off?” Luka teased.

  Riley laughed. “Don’t listen to Carter. It took us fifteen years to admit we had feelings for each other. We have no place telling anyone what the ideal timing for a relationship is.”

  “Have you set a date for the wedding?”

  “Not yet.” Riley took Carter’s hand. “We know we’d like to do it in Southampton at the beach house, but we haven’t settled on exactly when.”

  Luka looked at Malcolm, who was sitting across from him. “Looks like you’re the last relationship holdout around here, buddy.”

  “Looks like it,” Malcolm replied, his tone dry as dust, then glanced down at his phone.

  “Mal, please tell me you’re not still working,” Carter said. “It’s okay to turn yourself off once in a while.”

  Malcolm glanced up long enough to offer him a half-smile. “I’m terrible at it, and so are you. But I just want to check a couple of emails I got on my way up here. I promise I’ll stop after that.”

  “Carter shouldn’t give anyone grief about being a workaholic either,” Riley joked.

  “Hey!” Carter held up a hand. “I’m in recovery now. Mostly.”

  Malcolm’s curse cut through the good-natured teasing.

  “It’s a good thing I did check my email,” he said. “We have a problem, Carter.”

  Carter leaned forward. “What kind of problem?”

  “A big one.” Malcolm’s expression turned grim. “The caterer we had lined up for the upcoming fundraising event just pulled out.”

  “Shit.” Carter set his glass down. “That is big. Finding a replacement on this short notice will be tough.”

  “I can recommend some good caterers, but they’re out on Long Island,” David said with a frown.

  “What about the guy we took the couples cooking class with?” Riley suggested.

  “While you were still dating me,” Will teased. “Don’t forget that part!”

  Everyone laughed.

  “You mean Stuart?” Carter asked. His expression turned thoughtful.

  “Yes,” Riley said. “He gave you remedial cooking classes when you barely knew how to boil water, remember?”

  Carter nodded. “Definitely worth checking. He was a sous chef under Marisol King at her restaurant last I knew, but he still does the classes, and I’m pretty sure I remember him saying King’s does some catering.”

  “The food at King’s was excellent the time we went,” Riley said.

  “That’s good enough for me,” Malcolm said, “if you’re on board, Carter.”

  “Yeah, see what you can do,” Carter said. “We should explore every avenue we’ve got.”

  “King’s is the name of the restaurant?” Malcolm asked.

  “Yes,” Carter supplied. “Reade Street in Tribeca.”

  Malcolm’s fingers flew across his phone’s screen. “Got it. I’ll give them a call. Who should I approach first? The head chef? Or this Stuart guy?”

  “Stuart Morgan,” Carter supplied. “And, yeah, start with him. Ri and I know him enough you can lean on that angle, I think.”

  “If you meet him, try not to drool too much,” Riley said. “The man is hot. If you like sleeves of tattoos, that is. I don’t know if that’s your type.”

  “Does Malcolm have a type?” Jesse joked as he slid into an empty seat, but he winked when Malcolm sent a narrow look his way. “Just teasing, babe. Why haven’t you guys introduced me to this hot tattooed chef anyway?”

  “Because I don’t think he’s looking to be anyone’s very personal chef,” Riley joked.


  Jesse retorted with something Luka didn’t catch, and the group erupted with laughter.

  Kyle took a seat next to Luka and handed him a fresh drink. Luka thanked him quietly, then wrapped an arm around him. Contentment hummed through him as he sat listening to the laughter and happy banter fly around the room. His life was in a good place now.

  He loved his career and the possible changes on the horizon. He was in a relationship with a man who made him very happy and got along well with his family. Luka had a great group of new friends in addition to the people at Station 47, too.

  Luka turned to Kyle. “If life can get better than this, I don’t know how,” he said quietly.

  Kyle’s answering smile was blinding in its brilliance. “I feel the same way.”

  Luka captured Kyle’s mouth in a quick, heated kiss that he quickly got lost in. Dimly, he heard teasing from their friends and a wolf whistle that sounded suspiciously like Matías. It all faded away as he got lost in Kyle’s heat. Luka knew fire, and it was there, carefully banked under the surface. When they went home that night to the apartment on West 123rd Street—and it was very quickly beginning to feel like home to Luka—he’d stoke the flames until they burned bright and hot.

  Want to see more from K. Evan Coles? Here’s a taster for you to enjoy!

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  Excerpt

  “Hey, Luke, I’m going to Starbucks to buy coffee for everyone. You want?”

  Luke Ryan stared at the code on his computer monitors and nodded absently. “Sure.”

  “Okay. Grab your stuff and come with me.”

  Luke blinked. “What do you need me for?” He turned away from the monitors and faced his best friend and business partner, Simon Martin.

  Simon stood and eyed Luke across their shared office. “To help me schlep back the orders.”

  “Ugh.” It was nearly two p.m. and Luke’s concentration was flagging. As much as he wanted to keep working, fresh coffee sounded wonderful. The idea of going to fetch it, however, not so much. He stood and picked up his wallet and phone from his desk. “We wouldn’t be having this conversation if you’d let me buy a new coffeemaker.”