All Consuming Read online

  Copyright © 2021 Jaci Burton, Inc.

  Cover image © Claudio Marinesco

  Author photograph © Steve Ervin

  The right of Jaci Burton to be identified as the Author of the Work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

  Published by arrangement with Berkley,

  An imprint of Penguin Publishing Group,

  A division of Penguin Random House LLC.

  First published in the United States in 2021

  First published in this Ebook edition in 2021

  by HEADLINE ETERNAL

  An imprint of HEADLINE PUBLISHING GROUP

  Apart from any use permitted under UK copyright law, this publication may only be reproduced, stored, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means, with prior permission in writing of the publishers or, in the case of reprographic production, in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency.

  All characters in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  Cataloguing in Publication Data is available from the British Library

  eISBN 978 1 4722 7087 0

  HEADLINE PUBLISHING GROUP

  An Hachette UK Company

  Carmelite House

  50 Victoria Embankment

  London EC4Y 0DZ

  www.headlineeternal.com

  www.headline.co.uk

  www.hachette.co.uk

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  About the Author

  Praise for Jaci Burton

  Also by Jaci Burton

  About the Book

  Dedication

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Epilogue

  Fall in love with the rest of the Brotherhood by Fire

  Don’t miss The Best Man Plan!

  Have you followed Jaci Burton’s Play-By-Play?

  Visit a town called Hope

  Find out more about Headline Eternal

  About the Author

  Jaci Burton is a New York Times bestselling author who lives in Oklahoma with her husband and dogs. She has three grown children, who are all scattered around the country having lives of their own. A lover of sports, Jaci can often tell what season it is by what sport is being played. She watches entirely too much television, including an unhealthy amount of reality TV. When she isn’t on deadline, Jaci can be found at her local casino, trying to become a millionaire (so far, no luck). She’s a total romantic and loves a story with a happily ever after, which you’ll find in all her books.

  Find the latest news on Jaci’s books at www.jaciburton.com, and connect with her online at www.facebook.com/AuthorJaciBurton or via Twitter @jaciburton.

  Praise for Jaci Burton:

  ‘A wild ride’ Lora Leigh, No. 1 New York Times bestselling author

  ‘It’s the perfect combination of heat and romance that makes this series a must-read’ Heroes and Heartbreakers

  ‘Plenty of emotion and conflict in a memorable relationship-driven story’ USA Today

  ‘Strong characters, an exhilarating plot, and scorching sex . . . You’ll be drawn so fully into her characters’ world that you won’t want to return to your own’ Romantic Times

  ‘A beautiful romance that is smooth as silk . . . leaves us begging for more’ Joyfully Reviewed

  ‘A strong plot, complex characters, sexy athletes, and non-stop passion make this book a must read’ Fresh Fiction

  ‘Hot, hot, hot! . . . Romance at its best! Highly recommended!’ Coffee Table Reviews

  ‘Ms Burton has a way of writing intense scenes that are both sensual and raw . . . Plenty of romance, sexy men, hot steamy loving and humor’ Smexy Books

  ‘The characters are incredible. They are human and complex and real and perfect’ Night Owl Reviews

  ‘Spy the name Jaci Burton on the spine of a novel, and you’re guaranteed not just a sexy, get-the-body-humming read, but also one that melds the sensual with the all-important building of intimacy and relational dynamics between partners’ Romance: B(u)y the Book

  ‘As usual, Jaci Burton delivers flawed but endearing characters, a strong romance and an engaging plot all wrapped up in one sexy package’ Romance Novel News

  By Jaci Burton

  Brotherhood by Fire Series

  Hot to the Touch

  Ignite on Contact

  All Consuming

  Boots and Bouquets

  The Matchmaker’s Mistletoe Mission (e-novella)

  The Best Man Plan

  Hope Series

  Hope Smoulders (e-novella)

  Hope Flames

  Hope Ignites

  Hope Burns

  Love After All

  Make Me Stay

  Don’t Let Go

  Love Me Again

  One Perfect Kiss

  Play-by-Play Series

  The Perfect Play

  Changing the Game

  Taking a Shot

  Playing to Win

  Thrown by a Curve

  One Sweet Ride

  Holiday Games (e-novella)

  Melting the Ice

  Straddling the Line

  Holiday on Ice (e-novella)

  Quarterback Draw

  All Wound Up

  Hot Holiday Nights (e-novella)

  Unexpected Rush

  Rules of Contact

  The Final Score

  Shot on Gold

  About the Book

  Can they rekindle the passion that once burned between them?

  When firefighter Kal Donovan transfers to the Tactical Rescue Team, he’s determined to give work all his attention. This proves more difficult when he encounters his first love, Hannah Clark, at their high school reunion. She’s still smart, funny, and beautiful but, now divorced with a son, she has zero interest in exploring an old romance.

  Hannah’s focus, after the disastrous end of her marriage, is getting her hair salon up and running, and making sure her son is happy. Kal is part of her past and she intends to look only forward.

  However, as they spend time together, Hannah realizes that her feelings for Kal aren’t nostalgia, but red-hot attraction. He’s intent on showing her what it’s like to be cared for, romanced, and consumed with passion – and Hannah loves it. As Kal vows not to lose her a second time, does she have the courage to risk her heart again?

  For my husband, who puts up with my moods,

  brings me food and makes me pie.

  You’re a true romance hero. I love you.

  CHAPTER 1

  EVEN WITH SWEAT POURING DOWN HIS FACE AND MUSCLES straining until they hurt, Kal Donovan was deliriously happy to be doing his job as he made his way through the rope rescue skills activity. He was adept, sure with his hands, balanced twenty feet above the beams in the Technical Rescue Team training room as if he’d been ma
de for this.

  Because he had and he knew it. He didn’t falter once as he snaked his way down the rope, using his hands to carefully maneuver toward the rescue dummy dangling precariously off the platform below him. Kal was secured by his harness, his teammates above him holding on to his rope and making sure he was safe. In a real-life scenario, this would be a lot scarier. Instead of swinging twenty feet off the ground, it could potentially be twenty stories or more. He made every connection, then rescued the dangling dummy and brought it to safety, his muscles screaming in pain. He was drenched in sweat, but he’d gotten the job done.

  And when he finished, everyone on the team applauded. Well, almost everyone. He felt the eyes of a couple of his team members glaring at him in judgement, as if what he’d done wasn’t good enough. Even though his lieutenant nodded in satisfaction, there were still a couple of members on his team who felt he didn’t belong.

  Sure, it had only been four months since he joined the TRT, but in that time he’d more than proved himself, both in training and on calls. He had no idea what the issue was with Phil Beckwith and Dean Starling.

  He pulled off his gloves and returned them to his bag, the feel of their eyes still burning on his back.

  “Good job, Donovan.”

  He straightened and smiled at Micah Brown. “Thanks.”

  Meg Garcia joined Micah, leaning an arm on his shoulder. “You’ll never be as good as me, of course. I’m the best here. But still, you’re not too bad.”

  Micah shoved her off. “What’re you talking about? I’m better than you’ll ever be, Garcia.”

  “Wanna put those words to action? I’ll rope climb you for bragging rights.”

  “You’re on.”

  And they were, climbing the rope side by side, using only their hands and arms to bring them up. Kal had to admire the effort it took to do it without gloves. That had to hurt like hell.

  Meg won by a hand. She slid down to the applause of the squad, including Starling and Beckwith.

  Micah and Meg shook hands.

  “You’re pretty good for a—”

  Meg pointed a finger at Micah. “If you say ‘for a girl,’ you’re gonna lose your balls.”

  “I was gonna say . . . uh . . . for a . . . uh . . .”

  “Better quit while you’re already behind, Brown,” Lieutenant Anderson said. “Clean up in here. Irish said lunch is ready.”

  “Yes, sir,” Micah said, the first to make his exit from Meg.

  “Good thing he’s a fast runner,” Andy Redmond said.

  “Yeah, he needed to run,” Meg said, then turned to Kal. “And what about you?”

  He held out his hands. “I’m no match for you. I already know that.”

  She grinned. “Smart answer. Let’s clean this up. I’m hungry.”

  They put the training room back in order, then everyone hustled into the kitchen.

  Kal loved this station. The TRT shared space with Station 38 since it was a large fire station, with plenty of room for all of TRT’s gear and vehicles. Though they often went on calls with all of Ft. Lauderdale’s fire stations, depending on who needed their expertise. And sometimes they went out on their own.

  Station 38 was out on a call, which meant the TRT could spread out at the large table.

  Irish Smith had made amazing Cubano sandwiches for lunch. The smell of the pork cooking had been driving Kal crazy all morning, so when Irish handed him one, his mouth watered. Gooey cheese hung out the sides of the sandwich.

  “Irish, you missed your calling,” Kal said. “You should have been a chef.”

  “Nah,” the big, burly firefighter said. “Cooking is just for fun. Firefighting is the real job.”

  “Amen to that,” Starling said. “A real firefighter knows that firefighting is the blood, sweat and tears of what we do.”

  Starling made sure to give Kal a direct look when he said it. And Beckwith, right behind him, offered up a smirk.

  Whatever. Kal had given up trying to figure out why those guys had it out for him. He knew it wasn’t the color of his skin, because Starling was black like him. So it had to be something else.

  He made his way to the table and took a seat, diving into his sandwich, enjoying the flavor of the pork, ham and all the spices.

  “Heard you did good on the ropes, Kal,” Irish said, coming to sit down across from them.

  “Thanks,” Kal said.

  “Yeah?” Phil Beckwith asked. “Who told you that? He ain’t that good.”

  Irish pinned Beckwith with a hard stare. “Yeah? Who died and made you the judge of this team?”

  The one thing Kal had learned straight off was never to argue with Irish Smith. He was mean as fuck when crossed.

  Beckwith didn’t answer, just shoved his sandwich in his mouth, which was a smart move.

  Kal had just finished the last bite of his lunch when the alarm sounded for the TRT.

  They climbed into their turnout gear and headed to their trucks.

  “Two tractor trailers collided on I-95,” their lieutenant relayed to them. “One on fire on the overpass, one dangling over the overpass, the driver trapped inside. Station 17 is on scene working the fire. We need to rescue the driver and secure the trailer before it falls.”

  Kal closed his eyes and got a mental picture of what the scene looked like, what they’d need to do once they got there.

  Fortunately, it didn’t take long to get to the area, which looked like a disaster. At least it was still daylight, which meant it would be easier to assess the situation. Lieutenant Anderson met with the lieutenant of Station 17 to get a sitrep.

  Kal studied the scene. They could rappel down and get to the cab of the truck. Wouldn’t be easy, but it was doable.

  “All right, everyone,” the lieutenant said, grabbing their attention. “Brown, Donovan, Starling, I want you all harnessed up to rescue that driver. Be ready to go as soon as the rig is shored up.”

  They all nodded.

  “The rest of you get rigging in place to shore up that semi right now. We’ve got two heavy-duty wreckers on the way to pull that semi up, but I want that driver out of there in case something goes wrong. Ladder 24 is arriving on scene below to provide assistance.”

  Kal had gotten into his harness, grabbed his ropes and was ready to anchor and rappel down with his team. They met at the guardrail, and once the rest of the team secured the load and the rig, they started to rappel. Regardless of what Starling thought about him, they worked together to make their way down to the semi cab.

  They tossed their ropes over the side of the concrete, Beckwith and Redmond providing anchor support.

  Since Micah Brown was the senior firefighter of the three of them, he was lead on this.

  “Swing around, Donovan, and make your way to the door.”

  “You got it,” Kal said, inching his way across the cab, trying to do it as lightly as possible so the cab wouldn’t sway. Fortunately, there was no wind today, which helped.

  He peeked his head inside the door.

  “You okay?” he asked the driver.

  “Scared shitless. Get me out of here.”

  “Are you hurt anywhere?”

  The guy shook his head. “I’m fine. I just want out.”

  “Try to stay calm. Don’t move. We’ll get you out soon. What’s your name?”

  “Larry.”

  “All right, Larry. I’m Kal. Keep your seat belt on and stay still. I’m going to open the door. You’ll feel like you’re falling, but I’m not gonna let that happen.”

  Larry looked out the window. “Okay.”

  Starling had made his way next to Kal, and looked over at him.

  “Turn around so I can get the harness,” Starling said.

  Kal pivoted, and Starling unhooked the harness from his belt.

  “Hey, buddy,” Starling said. “My name’s Dean, and when Kal here opens the door, I’m gonna grab hold of you and slip this harness on you. Then I’ll hook it to my harness, and we’ll head out
of here.”

  Larry nodded. “Yeah, sounds great.”

  Micah hovered just to the side, helping to provide rope support.

  “You ready, Larry?” Kal asked.

  “No, but let’s do it.”

  “Okay, Larry,” Kal said, keeping his voice calm and even so the guy wouldn’t freak out. “You hang tight to the steering wheel, and don’t lean toward the open door. We’ll handle the rest.”

  Kal looked at Starling, who nodded. Kal opened the door, and Starling slipped inside, grabbing hold of the driver. Kal made his way around to support both Starling and Larry, and before long they had secured the driver with the harness and unhooked his seat belt. Then it was a matter of getting him to Station 27’s ladder team, which was already in place. Kal, Starling and Micah all followed the ladder team down.

  Once Larry was securely on the ground, the two wreckers could start the job of pulling the semi off the side of the overpass.

  Lieutenant Davenport of Ladder 27 came over to them. “Good save today, guys.”

  “Thanks,” Kal said.

  Micah followed the lieutenant over to make sure Larry was okay. Kal turned to Starling.

  “We did good today.”

  “You were lax on the rope. And you didn’t back me up fast enough once I reached the driver. If I wasn’t as fast as I am, both he and I could have fallen. Next time, step it up.”

  Starling walked away, and Kal just stared after him.

  What the fuck? Kal knew he’d done that job clean and perfect. So what the hell was Starling’s problem?

  He shook his head and went over to talk to the ladder team, because there was no point in having a conversation with someone who completely disagreed with you.

  Ladder 27 gave them a ride back up to the top of the overpass, reuniting them with their team. They did cleanup and returned to the station. Fortunately, the rest of the day was uneventful, and Kal was damn glad when shift was over the next morning. He was frustrated and tired, hadn’t slept well the night before and was grouchy when he got home.

  He pulled into the driveway at the same time as his brother Jackson.

  “How was shift?” Jackson asked.

  Kal shrugged. “Saw some action. The two semis on I-95. Rappelled down and helped get the stranded driver out.”