All Consuming

by Jaci Burton

  “After I . . . got over you, I partied my ass off in college. I met a lot of girls. But I also studied my ass off, too. My parents wanted each of us to get a degree, even though it’s not required to apply to be a firefighter. So while I had a lot of opportunities back then, I didn’t take as many as you might think. I mostly hung out with my friends.

  “After college, I applied to the Fire Academy. Once I got in, I put everything I had into making it through that first probationary year. Not only to prove myself worthy as a firefighter, but to make sure I didn’t do anything stupid to disgrace the Donovan name. So while I dated, I didn’t want to get serious about anyone—not when I couldn’t put a hundred percent of my focus on a woman. It wouldn’t have been fair to them when all of my efforts were going into becoming a firefighter.”

  Hannah was listening with interest. Not judgement. So he continued.

  “It wasn’t until the past couple of years that I’d say I’ve done any long-term dating. My first and only serious relationship was with you, Hannah. And if that makes me an asshole for being honest with the women I went out with, then I guess I’m an asshole.” He shrugged.

  She reached out and swept her palm against his cheek. “You’re not an asshole. And I’m sorry I said that. I guess I just had some different experiences with guys on those dating apps.”

  “I’m not surprised. A lot of guys on those sites are assholes. I just don’t happen to be one of them.”

  “I’m sorry. Again. Sometimes I react instead of thinking things through. It’s my worst fault. Forgive me?”

  He took her hand, flipped it over and kissed her palm. “Forgiven.”

  “You know, I always had it in my mind that you were sleeping your way through the entire state after I left.”

  He laughed. “No. That’s not how it went down. For a long time I kind of just . . . wallowed.”

  She tilted her head to the side. “Wallowed?”

  “I missed you, Hannah. I took our breakup pretty hard.”

  “You broke up with me, remember?”

  “Yeah. And I felt shitty about it. But staying together wouldn’t have worked, and we both knew it. Doesn’t mean leaving you was easy.”

  She gave him a sympathetic look. “It wasn’t easy for me, either. And then I rebounded with Landon. He was supposed to be my escape, my ticket to freedom, and well, we know how that ended up.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Not your fault. My choices were my own, and I’ve had to live with the consequences of them. I’ve also left them in the past.”

  “Not me, though.”

  She frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean I was part of your past. But you haven’t left me there. The exceptional part of your past.”

  She laughed. “Yeah, okay, sure. Most of my past has been left behind. Except for you.”

  “Good enough. Hey, how about we go out for breakfast?”

  “That sounds good. I need to make a stop at home to change first, if you don’t mind.”

  “I don’t mind.”

  He went upstairs to put other clothes on, then they drove to her place. He was surprised it only took her ten minutes. She came out of her room wearing jeans, a white button-down shirt and white tennis shoes, her hair pulled up into a messy bun at the nape of her neck. She’d scrubbed her face, and she looked fresh and unmade-up, with only gloss on her lips.

  “You remind me of high school,” he said.

  She flipped her head to the side. “What?”

  “No makeup, tennis shoes, your hair pulled back. You look exactly the same as you did when we were in high school. Fresh and beautiful.”

  She stepped forward and smoothed her hands over his chest. “That might be the nicest compliment any man has ever given me.” She raised up and kissed him.

  Her kiss was a soft caress across his lips. He let her lead, and when she wanted more, he opened, her tongue slipping inside. When she grabbed hold of his tongue and sucked, his cock went instantly hard. The kiss was hot and passionate and demanding. He grabbed her butt and drew her against him so he could rub his aching erection against the softness of her body.

  She moaned, then pushed at him and stepped away, taking his hand and leading him into the living room.

  “Sit on the sofa,” she said.

  He wasn’t about to argue with her, especially if that meant they could get more comfortable and make out some more.

  “Undo your pants.”

  He blinked. Okay, more than making out. He was down for that. He undid his pants.

  “Drop them to your ankles.”

  Now it was getting even better. He shrugged out of his pants and boxer briefs and slid them down. He expected Hannah to get naked, but instead, she got on her knees in front of him, spreading his legs apart so she could crawl between them.

  His balls quivered at the sight of her sliding her fingers over his thighs, lifting his shirt and smoothing her hands over his skin.

  “Babe,” he whispered, but that was all he could manage because she took his cock in her hand and began to stroke his length. He kind of forgot to breathe because all he could do was watch the way her hand slid up and down on his shaft, her thumb rolling over the crest, teasing so softly he thought he might die from it.

  And then she leaned over, tilted her head to look up at him and smiled in the most wickedly sexy way, right before she took him in her mouth. His cock disappeared inch by inch into her warm, wet mouth, her tongue swirling over his flesh as she took him to heaven with torturous licks and sucks. He tensed up and grabbed hold of the couch cushions to keep from blowing his load right then and there.

  He breathed heavily, lifted up to feed more of his cock into her mouth and leaned forward to grab hold of her hair—one, to keep it off her face, and two, because he had to be able to see the beauty of her mouth moving, to see what he was feeling.

  It was good. So damn good. And he was about to lose it, because she had taken him all the way in, and he was going to come.

  “Hannah, I’m gonna come.”

  She kept working him, though, reaching under to massage his balls with one hand and using the other to stroke the base of his cock. And there was nothing he could do to stop the explosion now, because he was there, his body jerking in hot spasms as he came with a groan and a hard shudder.

  He fell back against the sofa and lay there, utterly useless and completely satisfied. Hannah kissed his thigh, climbing up his body to press a kiss to his neck and then his mouth.

  She licked her lips and smiled at him. “Be right back.”

  He nodded, only vaguely aware of reality at the moment. His pants were still around his ankles, and he wasn’t even sure what time it was, or what day it was. His brain had gone into a fog.

  Eventually, he managed his bearings and got up, got dressed and went into the guest bathroom to clean up a little. When he came out, Hannah was in the kitchen going through her purse. He went over to her and turned her to face him.

  He planted a long, deep kiss on her lips, then said, “Thank you for that.”

  “Oh, it was my pleasure.”

  “Definitely mine, too. Are you sure I can’t return the favor before we go?”

  She patted his arm. “I’d love that, but maybe later, because my stomach is telling me I’m hungry.”

  He couldn’t argue with that, so they got in his truck and headed a few miles down the road to a restaurant. Hannah ordered a mushroom and spinach frittata, and Kal decided he wanted the standard bacon and eggs, along with pancakes.

  When the food arrived, Hannah snagged a bite of his pancake.

  She shrugged. “I needed something sweet.”

  “You need the extra carbs and sugar after that morning cardio workout.”

  She laughed, then slipped a piece of her frittata onto his plate. He scooped it
up and ate it.

  “That’s good. I’m gonna have to make one.”

  “Always experimenting, aren’t you?”

  He shrugged. “I like food. Experimenting with new recipes is fun.”

  “Maybe I should have you come over and make me dinner on your days off.”

  He took a sip of his juice. “I’d love to.”

  “I was joking.”

  “I wasn’t. I’d be happy to cook for you and your family anytime. Just say the word.”

  She stared at him across the table while she ate.

  “What?”

  “You’re just . . . unique, Kal.”

  He grinned. “Yeah? That’s good. I like being unique. I mean, besides my incredible good looks and all.”

  Now she rolled her eyes at him. “Never mind. I take it all back.”

  He laughed, and they went back to eating. But he couldn’t deny her compliment felt good.

  After their server cleared their plates, she asked, “So what’s on the agenda today?”

  “What would you like to do? I’m game for anything.”

  “Actually, there’s an exhibit at one of the museums I’ve been meaning to catch. I know it might not be something you’re interested in.”

  He shrugged. “What kind of exhibit?”

  Her phone buzzed, so she held up her hand and looked down at her phone, then frowned. “It’s Oliver’s school. I need to take this.”

  He waited while she answered the call.

  “Okay, what happened?” she asked. “How badly is he hurt?”

  Kal’s stomach tightened. He motioned for their server and got up to pay the bill.

  When he came back, Hannah was by the door. She looked pale and really worried, which meant he needed to get in his firefighter head and keep her calm.

  “Oliver fell playing ball on the playground. They think his arm might be broken. Can you take me home so I can go get him?”

  “It’ll be faster if I take you right to the school.”

  She nodded. “Thanks.”

  They got in his truck, and Hannah gave him directions to Oliver’s school. Fortunately, they weren’t far away. He pulled into the parking lot, and Hannah shot out of the truck, but Kal caught up with her.

  “Hannah.” He took her arm. “Before we go in, take a few deep breaths. The last thing Oliver needs to see is you panicking right now.”

  She breathed in, then out. “You’re right. Thanks.”

  They walked down the sidewalk toward the front entrance.

  “I broke my arm when I was six,” he said.

  She looked over at him and frowned. “You did? I don’t think you ever told me that.”

  He shrugged. “It’s because I was stupid. Who tells their girlfriend they did something dumb? Anyway, I was fine. And Oliver will be fine, too. Don’t worry.”

  She nodded, and they went to the front office, then were directed to the nurse’s office, where Oliver was sitting with his left arm cradled against his chest. The nurse had made a sling for him. When Oliver saw Hannah, he started crying.

  “It hurts, Momma.”

  Hannah came over and sat next to him, cradling him against her. Kal knew from his experiences with his own mom after she’d adopted him that motherly love was the best medicine when you were hurt.

  “Are you his father?” the nurse asked.

  “No, I’m Mrs. Clark’s—” He looked over at Oliver. “Friend. But I’m a firefighter and a paramedic.”

  She nodded. “It’s definitely broken. I can tell from the angle of his arm.”

  “Got it. We’ll take him straight to the ER.”

  Kal went over and crouched down in front of Oliver. “Roughing it up on the playground, huh, buddy?”

  “We were playing kickball, and me and Jose were fighting over the ball. I slipped and held out my hand and then something snapped in my arm. It really hurts, Kal.”

  Kal ruffled Oliver’s hair, then framed his face between his hands. “I know it does. We’ll get you to the hospital, and they’ll fix it right up.”

  After thanking the nurse, Kal didn’t even bother trying to walk Oliver to the truck. He picked him up, and Hannah walked next to them. Oliver laid his head on Kal’s shoulder, and Kal felt such a tug of emotion he didn’t know what to do with all these feelings. What he did know was he didn’t want Oliver to hurt.

  He buckled Oliver in the back seat, and Hannah sat back there with him while they drove to the hospital. They checked into the ER and waited for someone to call them. Fortunately, they didn’t have to wait long, and they were put into a room. He was surprised when he saw Carmen come into their room, looking efficient and totally in charge in her nurse’s scrubs. Even Hannah’s face brightened.

  “Oh, hey, Carmen,” Hannah said.

  “Hey, Hannah. I saw you two when they brought you in, so I thought I’d take your case. This must be Oliver. I’m Carmen Donovan, and I’m going to help take care of you today.”

  “Nurse Carmen is a friend of ours, Oliver,” Kal said. “And she’s a very good nurse.”

  “I fell in the playground and hurt my arm.”

  “Poor baby. Let’s take a look.” Carmen untied the sling and examined Oliver’s arm. When Oliver winced, Hannah did, too, but Kal kept a smile on his face and nodded at Oliver, letting him know it was all going to be all right.

  Kal could tell from the first look at Oliver’s awkwardly angled arm that it was broken.

  A doctor came in as well and introduced himself as Dr. Lance before examining Oliver’s arm.

  “Looks like you broke your arm, Oliver,” Dr. Lance said. “But we’ll need to get some pictures to be sure.”

  “It hurts,” Oliver said.

  “I’m sure it does.” He said a few things to Carmen, who nodded.

  “I’ll be back soon to get you fixed up.”

  After he stepped out, Carmen said, “We’ll need to get some pictures of your arm with our X-ray machine.”

  Oliver looked up at his mom, his eyes wide with delight and pain momentarily forgotten. “I get to have an X-ray!”

  “That’s very exciting, baby.”

  Carmen rewrapped Oliver’s arm and kept the sling close to his chest. “I’ll be right back to get you some medicine for the pain.” She handed Oliver the TV remote. “Watch some TV. Would you like something to drink?”

  “Can I have a soda?”

  Carmen looked at Hannah, who nodded. Oliver took the remote and turned the TV on.

  “I’ll bring one to you. Hannah, can I talk to you?”

  “Sure.” She stepped out, and Kal said, “I’ll wait in here with Oliver.”

  She gave him a grateful smile, then walked outside with Carmen.

  “So, buddy,” Kal said. “Did you know I broke my arm when I was a kid?”

  “Nuh-uh. You did? Did it hurt like mine hurts?”

  “It hurt bad. I had to get it reset, then had a cast on for two whole months.”

  “No way. Did all your friends sign your cast?”

  “They did. It was pretty cool.” Back when he still went to school, when he still lived at home with his mom and stepdad. He could still remember how pissed-off his stepdad had been that day. As if he’d fallen off the top of the slide on purpose. His mother hadn’t even stepped in to defend him when, tired and crying after coming home from the hospital, he’d been forced to sit up in bed and listen to his drunken stepfather rail at him for an hour about how now he’d have to pay the hospital bill because Kal had been stupid and careless. Then his stepdad threatened to break his other arm so he couldn’t wipe his own ass.

  He’d never been happier to get the hell out of that house. Being homeless had been better than living in fear of being beaten all the time. Because those threats of beatings had turned to real beatings. And his mother had do
ne nothing to help him, too afraid of taking her own beatings to defend her little boy.

  As he looked at Oliver, who wasn’t much older than he’d been when the hitting had started, Kal couldn’t comprehend anyone wanting to hurt an innocent child. He’d sworn that one day he’d have kids of his own, and he’d shower them with unconditional love to make up for the painful childhood he’d endured.

  He had his adoptive parents to thank for turning around his mindset, for giving him all the love he’d never had during the first decade or so of his life. Because Josh and Laurel Donovan were the best, and he’d been damned lucky to have them as his parents.

  And Oliver? He might not have had the best dad, but he sure as hell had a fantastic mom.

  Carmen came back in with a soda for Oliver and some liquid meds, which Carmen said was for his pain.

  “Where’s my mom?” Oliver asked.

  “She told me to tell you she was going to go outside to call your grandma and let her know what happened.”

  “Okay. Thanks for the soda, Nurse Carmen.”

  Carmen smiled. “You’re welcome. And that medicine should make your pain feel better. They should be coming in to take you to X-ray soon.”

  Not long after Carmen left the room, Hannah came back. “Grandma says to tell you she’s really sorry you got hurt, and she’s going to fix macaroni and cheese for dinner.”

  Oliver grinned. “That’s my favorite.”

  “I know,” Hannah said with a smile.

  “Carmen gave him pain meds. It should dial down his pain pretty quickly, but might make him drowsy,” Kal told her.

  She nodded. “Thanks.”

  The techs came in to take Oliver off to X-ray, and Hannah went with him, so Kal had a minute to step out. Carmen was working the desk right near the room. He didn’t want to bother her, but she looked up and motioned with her head for him to come over.

  “How was the honeymoon?” he asked.

  She smiled. “Amazing. I don’t think I’ve been that relaxed in years. Rafe and I laid on the beach, sipped cocktails and napped a lot. We did some water sports and ate so much food I’m going to need to walk miles every day to lose all the weight I gained.”