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Didn’t you understand what I said?”
    “No, I did, I just wondered.” Ari knew his insecurities sometimes ate away at him. Most of the time, he had them under control, but not always. “It’s not every man that would be willing to have a lover that won’t allow you to—”
    Ari grunted when he suddenly found himself flipped around. Vinnie was always so gentle, he often had to remember that the man was much bigger than him.
    And the bigger man’s eyes were narrowed little shards of anger.
    Not good.
    “I thought we had been over this,” Vinnie said. “You are not just a hole for me to fuck, Ari. You are my lover, and that means I love you no matter what. If you need to wait until we find the man to complete us before you allow me into your beautiful body, then so be it. I’m willing to wait.”
    Ari swallowed hard as he dropped his gaze down from Vinnie’s flashing eyes. He gently plucked at the hairs on Vinnie’s chest, running his fingers through them. “I’m not trying to make you angry, Vinnie. I just…I guess sometimes this all feels too good to be true.”
    Vinnie’s stiff features softened. His hand caressed the side of Ari’s face. “Oh, baby, I’m not going anywhere.”
    “I know.” Logically, he did know that, but love and fear weren’t always logical. “I just—”
    “You worry that you won’t be enough.”
    Ari glanced up. “Yes.”
    “Do I want to fuck you? Yes. Is not being able to a deal breaker for me? No. Do I understand why you want to wait? Yes. Am I sexually satisfied with jerk-offs and blow jobs? Yes.” Vinnie’s easy grin lifted some of the fear weighing on Ari. “Don’t ever think I am leaving. I am not. I’m here to stay, Ari.”
    Ari blinked away the tears rapidly filling his eyes. He didn’t like getting emotional. It was too…emotional. He was physically stronger than the average man on the street. He walked into raging fires for a living. He looked danger in the eyes and spit in her face.
    He didn’t do emotions. They were messy. They caused more emotions, explosive emotions. People got hurt. He usually got hurt, which was why he didn’t like doing emotions.
    For Vinnie, he’d do emotions.
    He wiped at his eyes and then turned to look back up at the handsome Italian. “ Tiamo con tuttal’anima , Vincent.”
    “I love you with all of my heart, too, Ari.” Vinnie leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to Ari’s lips before rolling to his side and gathering Ari into his arms. “Now, go to sleep. The chief is going to have our hides if we are late for work.”
    Ari smiled as he snuggled against his lover. So, maybe emotions weren’t that bad.

Chapter Five
     
    Vinnie sent Ari a reassuring smile before raising his hand and knocking on the chief’s door the next day. Before he went to his fellow firefighters and asked for their help, he needed to ask the chief. He had no doubt Jack would give his consent, but going through the proper channels was the polite thing to do for a man who Vinnie greatly respected.
    “Come,” came the deep voice from inside the office.
    Vinnie opened the door and stepped inside, Ari right behind him. “Hey, Chief, do you have a few minutes?”
    Fire Chief Jack Helmond raised his gaze from the papers on his desk. They darted between Vinnie and Ari for a moment before the man nodded. “What can I do for you?”
    “Do you mind if we sit?” Vinnie asked.
    Jack’s eyebrows rose. “This feels like it might take more than a few minutes. Is everything okay?”
    Vinnie scooted to one of the chairs in front of the chief’s desk, Ari taking the other one. Vinnie shot Ari a quick glance before looking at the chief. “We wanted to talk to you about this first, get your okay before we went to the guys.”
    Jack clasped his hands together and rested them on the desk in front of him. “I’m listening.”
    “Dorian James called us yesterday and asked us to pick a friend up from the airport,” Vinnie began. “He wasn’t going to be