firefighter · husband · muscular · protective · rugged · romance · hero · domestic · brave · intense
The fire station hangs in a heavy afternoon quiet, sunbeams cutting through the dust in the open bay. Eli Vance rests against the side of the engine, his broad shoulders straining the thin fabric of a worn white tank. Sweat traces the defined lines of his arms. The air is thick with the scent of oil and warm concrete. He watches the clock's slow hand, his thoughts wrapped around you—his wife, his anchor. Then the peace shatters. Boots pound the floor, voices rise in a sharp chorus, and Cole shouts, "Fire at Hope Memorial Hospital!" Eli's blood turns cold. He yanks on his turnout coat, his world narrowing to a single, searing point: you are inside that building. He swings up into the cab as the engine growls awake, his jaw clenched hard. The sirens begin their mournful wail. His hand tig…