Rainbow by K.L. Savage

Rain.

Of course, it takes this moment to pour. The firefighters spent hours trying to put out that blaze only for it to rain in sheets now. No one seems to care—or at least, no one is paying attention to it. Everyone is in the waiting room. Kincaid, Lock, and Baldwin are still in their gear, ridden with soot as we all wait for word on Rainbow—I mean Kennedy—Taylor, and Saint.

The door opens, and I gulp when I see the Ruthless Kings Baton Rouge chapter waltz through the doors. Their boots are loud as they pound against the floor. A few of them have chains hanging from their pockets, and they rattle with each step they take. Front and center is their Prez, Jokester, and next to him is a guy that looks similar to Rainbow, damn it! I mean Kennedy. He’s my co-worker, and I can’t get comfortable calling him Rainbow.

Too late.

The one that must be related to Kennedy stares me down as he walks by. He doesn’t look angry; he seems devastated. His eyes are red and puffy, and as he drags them away from me, I swear his cheeks are wet, but that has to be from the rain. I’ve never met a biker who cries.

“This is Nathan Kennedy’s emergency contact and healthcare proxy, Greer Kennedy.” Jokester points to the guy that I knew had to be related to Rain—oh fuck it, I’m just going to call him Rainbow. “Are there any updates?” he asks the nurse behind the counter.

“They haven’t given us any updates,” the Captain chimes in and Jokester swings his gaze toward the man. And, I swear, at that moment, the room drops a hundred degrees and is suddenly chilly. My skin pebbles and I tremble under my jacket.

“I don’t think they’d tell you anything. You aren’t family like we are. You’ll do well to remember that, Cap.”

“We aren’t enemies here, Jokester. We’re all here for Kennedy. A few of your guys are firefighters, cops, S.W.A.T., yet you don’t hate any of their Captains.”

“Oh, you know why I hate you,” Jokester sneers, standing toe-to-toe with the Captain.

“Oh shit,” Sunday grips my arm and watches the scene in front of us as if it’s some sort of movie. “My money is on the Prez.”

“I’m sorry, but there isn’t an update just yet. If you two could please not start any drama. This is where people might be receiving some of the worst news of their lives. If you boys can’t keep your differences at bay, I’ll have to ask you to leave. Am I understood?” the feisty nurse intervenes, shaking a finger at each man. She’s an old woman who must be pushing seventy. I love her.

They each look away like scolded children. “Yes ma’am,” they say at the same time.

Just as they turn to sit down, a doctor pushes through the silver double doors and shouts, “Nathan Kennedy’s family.”

Everyone stands, bikers and firefighters alike, and for some reason I find myself getting to my feet. I barely know the man. This is silly. I sit back down, but someone grabs the back of my uniform and hauls me to my feet.

It’s a tight grip, too. The kind that tells me I’m about to get dragged to my death. Greer, Rainbow’s brother, steps in front of me, and I gulp. “Hi,” I squeak, giving a pathetic attempt at a wave as he drags me by his side.

Literally drags me.

My feet are hardly touching the floor.

We stop in front of the doctor and Greer grunts, patting his chest and mouths, “Brother.” He doesn’t actually speak.

I wonder if that means he can’t.

“And who is this? I can only allow family back right now,” the doctor huffs in annoyance.

Greer points to the doors, then to my ring finger.

“Partner? This is Mr. Kennedy’s husband?” the doctor questions, sounding just as confused as I’m sure I look.

I was never good at acting or going with the flow. I wear my emotions on my face. It’s how I got a C in drama class in high school, and that was just the teacher being nice cause she liked me. So here I am, needing to lie, so I just nod a little too enthusiastically. I’m not dumb enough to question a biker, and it seems everyone around us is dumbfounded, too, because they know their little Rainbow is straight.

“Right, okay. Mr. Kennedy is fine. He’s on oxygen for smoke inhalation. His helmet got cracked in the fire, which caused him to inhale soot. He’s awake and asking for his brother.”

Greer visibly relaxes, and the sudden change has me reaching up and patting him on the shoulder while he still has a good grip on the back of my collar.

“Saint? Taylor? I know you can give me their updates. I’m their healthcare proxy,” Captain takes a step forward. “And can you release my medic? You’re scaring the piss out of him.”

I blow a raspberry and wave away his concern. “I’m fine. I’m just hanging out.”

Greer snarls at Captain Warwick.

“I want to watch Saint for a few days. He has a hairline fracture in his leg and is also on oxygen, and Taylor—” The doctor grimaces. I’ve seen that face before. He’s about to drop some bad news. “Taylor is on a ventilator. His lungs, hell, his entire body is too weak and sustained too many injuries during the fall.”

“When will he get off the tube? He’ll be okay, won’t he?” Lock, I think his name is, asks. He has soot clinging to his face and hands, except his wrinkle lines are clean since they’ve been pinched with fear.

“I don’t know. I’m sorry. Right now, he can’t breathe on his own. It can go either way. It wouldn’t be bad if you prepared yourself for the worst.”

“Fuck. Fuck!” Baldwin, the only firefighter besides Taylor to come up and introduce himself to me, runs out of the hospital and into the rain. Everyone on the radio heard him tell Rainbow they should leave Saint and Taylor behind, so I’m sure he’s feeling a lot of guilt.

“I can take two people back.”

Greer shoves by the doctor with me still barely touching the floor. “You know, you can let me go. I’ll walk next to you. You’re stretching my shirt, and the collar will be too big.” I try to reason with the man, but he stomps forward like a giant looking for its beanstalk. “You don’t even know what room he’s in,” I point out.

Greer smirks.

And that’s when I hear the raucous shouts of a deranged patient. “I said I’m fine. I can leave. I have an entire shift to finish!”

“Sir, we can’t allow you—”

“—Oh, what, like you’re going to stop me?”

Greer gives me a look that says, ‘I told you.’ I can’t help but roll my eyes. He uses me to push open the door. My heart does a triple flip when I see Rainbow in bed with wires all over him and a nurse trying to get his oxygen mask on his face while another tries to reattach some of the wires.

Greer and I stand in the middle of the doorway, and when Rainbow sees us, he stops fighting, and Greer points to the mask.

“Fine. Give me the damn thing.” Rainbow snags the mask away from the nurse’s hands and places it over his nose and mouth. “Happy?” the word is muffled by the hiss of oxygen.

Why do firefighters, cops, and doctors make the worst patients?

A snap of Greer’s fingers has the nurses leaving so quick I swear I see smoke coming off their heels. The door shuts, and a lock clicks. It hits me only now that the only way out is the way I came in. And that won’t be by myself.

Greer shoves me forward, and my feet get the best of me. I stumble, and I’m running headfirst into the nightstand when Rainbow’s arm stretches out, wraps around my waist, and hauls me to his side.

His touch has my body burning as hot as the flames he just survived.

He’s dangerous.

I know the heat between us will destroy me if I allow it to happen. I’ve picked up pieces from my charred heart once because of a firefighter.

I’m not dumb enough to let it happen again.

“You saved me. The least I can do is take you out to dinner.”

Maybe I am that dumb.

I don’t get to answer, thankfully, because Greer shoves Rainbow on the shoulder. I stand next to the mattress and rub my palms on my pants. Greer picks Rainbow up in a big hug, wrapping his arms around him a bit too tightly, but Rainbow doesn’t complain.

He hugs his brother in return.

I wish I had that. They’re obviously close, and it makes me wonder how they became that way. I always found family challenging to get along with. Maybe that’s because I hid who I was for so long. I had to pretend to be the straight guy interested in the girl next door because my parents disagreed with someone being gay. They think it is a lifestyle, a choice. But honestly, if I had to choose, I’d still choose to be gay, even if it was a choice.

I was always at the opposite end of the spectrum of my mom and dad. I was the black sheep in a wealthy family. Anyone different, anyone who didn’t follow the path carved out for them was someone they didn’t want to be associated with.

When I was eighteen, I already knew what would happen when I told them I was gay. I’d packed my bags beforehand; I’d saved up enough money to move from Napa Valley, California, to Vegas, where I became a paramedic. Something I know my family frowns upon because I’m not a surgeon.

When I came out, my dad kicked me out while my mom cried, asking me what she ever did wrong. After that, I was happy to leave.

I never once looked back because they were toxic.

“I’m sorry I scared you, Mime,” Rainbow says to his brother. “I’m okay. I promise.”

Greer pulls away with tears swimming in his eyes. He points to his chest and shakes his head, then presses his finger in the middle of Rainbow’s chest.

Anyone who can see can tell what he’s saying.

“You don’t ever have to worry about being without me. Okay? I promise.”

Greer huffs and turns on his boots, then marches out the door, leaving me alone with Rainbow.

I sit on the edge of the bed again and do my due diligence not to touch him. Rainbow leans his head back on the pillow and stares up at the ceiling.

“Are you okay? Is he okay?” I ask, initiating conversation.

Like the big dumbass that I am, I should take a cue from Greer’s book and leave. I’ve done my job. My patient is alive and well. I need to walk out that door, but my ass won’t move from this side of the bed.

It’s always had a mind of its own.

“He’ll be fine. We have history when it comes to fire, and he doesn’t really like my job.” He takes a deep breath of the oxygen. “He worries. A lot. We’re the only family we have, so he’s nervous I’ll run into a fire and not come out.”

“Can you blame him? That’s a genuine worry. Today was a close call.”

The muscle in his cheek flexes, making the edge of his jaw seem even more defined. “It shouldn’t have been. I’m sure the owner is under investigation for having full propane tanks in the damn aisle.”

“Well, if all people were smart, there wouldn’t be chaos, and without chaos, we wouldn’t be employed,” I tell him with a lift of my chin. My hand falls onto the bed, and his pinky reaches out to touch mine—just enough to leave me wondering if he’s doing it intentionally or not.

“Smart words from a smart man. I can’t say I’m surprised,” he flirts through the oxygen mask, which somehow he makes look more like an accessory than a life-saving piece of machinery. He is that good-looking. He clears his throat, and he becomes bold enough to place his hand on top of mine. “Tell me, how are my friends? Do you know?”

Oh, god. They haven’t told him.

Great. I have the job of a husband when I’m not even a damn husband! How do I get myself in these positions? I take my other hand and sandwich ours together. “Saint will recover just fine. Fracture in his leg. But Taylor is on life support. They aren’t too sure what will happen. I’m so sorry, Nathan.” Using his first name makes the situation more personal, I think. Plus, I can’t deliver news like that and call him Rainbow.

“Oh.” He looks down, tilting his chin to his chest. His cheeks turn a dark shade of red. The shadows from his lashes dance on his ash-ridden skin. “I’d hoped…” his Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows thickly. “I had hoped I got to him in time, but I guess even our best can never be good enough to beat death, right?” he chuckles darkly. “Damn it, he doesn’t deserve that. He’s so young and has his entire life ahead of him.”

“Hey, so are you, and so do you. It’s unfortunate what happened to him. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, but what happened to him… it could have easily been you.” I do something that goes against all my rules. I lean forward, and I wrap my arms around him.

Damn it, what’s he doing to me?

The excuse to hug him is to make him feel better, but in return, it makes me feel better too.

His chest against mine is solid, muscular, and the wide palm settling in the middle of my back is bringing me comfort. But it’s also scaring the hell out of me. I go to pull away, but his arms tighten around me, and the scruff on his cheek scratches against my smooth one.

“Not just yet. I like how you feel against me. You make it easier to breathe.”

I unknowingly scoot closer, so there is no more space between us. I blame my body. Again, it has a mind of its own.

Like a fool, I bury my nose against the side of his neck. I swear his skin is still warm from the fire. The smoke clings to him; the earthy burnt scent is something I can’t get enough of. I’ll never be able to smell fire the same way. Instead, I’ll have Rainbow in my mind. His face, his touch, and when I smell it, I’ll remember him. And I’ll miss him.

I know I will because that’s who I am.

I’m the boy who naively loves and gives his heart when there’s no chance I’ll get love in return.

I don’t want to be that boy anymore. I want to be smarter, but having Rainbow hold me is making it really hard.

“This isn’t a good idea,” I say honestly, forcing myself out of his arms. Because, if I don’t, I’ll stay there forever, feeling warm and safe.

“Why not?” He reaches for me again, and I pull away.

“Because I’ve done this before. I’ve been with a straight guy, and he hid me away. I won’t be your experiment, Rainbow. Last time I barely put myself back together, and I know if I allow you to get close to me, I’ll have to put myself together again after you decide I’m not what you want. Well,” I poke his chest, “I deserve to have a guy who’s all in, and I won’t risk that—”

He sits up and snags my wrist, yanking me onto the bed, and I make this embarrassing yipping sound a small dog does when their paw is stepped on.

“I think you’re lumping me with a group of men without even knowing me, and I’ll let it slide this time because I understand your fear,” he wheezes. I roll my eyes at him, grab his damn oxygen mask, and place it over his nose and mouth. He takes a few inhales before dropping it again. “But I’m not the guy who’s afraid of new things. I don’t ever want to hide. I don’t ever want to make you feel like a secret. Sure, my initial reaction to you took me by surprise. This is new for me, but that’s not a bad thing. I’ve never felt this way about a man before, but I’m not ashamed. I’ve never even thought about it. Never even gotten hard for a man before. But I’m proud to say I want to know where this can go, and I don’t give a fuck about anyone else. I’ve always been straight, but what’s that got to do with anything?”

“You really haven’t gotten hard for anyone else?”

“Really?” He takes another hit of oxygen. “That’s what you hold onto after my speech?” He brushes his lips against my ear and my body shudders. “You just want to know the two times I’ve seen you, I’ve wanted to tear you the fuck apart until you’re so strung out and high on the bliss I’ve given you, you’ll only want me.”

My cock plumps, threatening to come to life from the filth of his words, and I lick my lips. “You talk a big game for a guy who has never sucked cock before.” I know how brazen that sounds, but a straight guy never knows what to do at first. And there is no way in hell Rainbow does.

“Guess you’ll just have to see, won’t you? I don’t put out on the first date, so you’ll have to be patient.” He winks at me and covers his face with the oxygen mask again.

Why am I here talking to a man that needs rest?

“I can’t. I’m sorry. I just… I can’t go out with you.”

His smile falls, and the playfulness that skipped through the air is now gone. “Give me one good reason why, and don’t bring up the straight thing.”

“I… It’s always the same with you firefighters. I’m the faggot. The guy who takes it up the ass. I’m the twink, and it’s all fun and games until one of you want me—”

“—I don’t appreciate the brush you’re painting me with, and I’m not the kind of man to hang around others that treat someone that way. So tell me who called you a faggot and you won’t have to see them again.”

“You mean that, don’t you? You’d ‘take care of him’?”

“No one fucks with what is mine. You should remember that.”

“I’m not yours,” I correct him.

He crooks his mouth in that stupid grin that shows a dimple and a little more fight leaves me. “Whatever you gotta tell yourself, Sassafras. I like the chase, but if you want to make sure you escape me, you better be positive you can outrun me.”

My throat goes dry when I see the eagerness for that chase reflecting in his eyes.

“Give me your phone.”

I do as he says because… well, I care for my life, and I don’t want to die. What man would deny a Ruthless King?

I tug it out of my pocket and hand it over to him. His fingers fly over the screen, and a beep comes from the nightstand.

His phone.

“Turn around.”

“Uh, okay.” I give him my back, thinking he needs privacy, and I hear a snap of the camera. I peek over my shoulder to see the flash go off again. It takes me a minute to realize what he’s doing, and I dive for the phone. “You did not just take a picture of my—”

His hand grips my throat, and he flips me under him. I find myself flat on my back, rough, calloused fingers squeezing my airway, and a half-naked fireman hovering over me. “I did take a picture of your ass because it’s the hottest fucking thing I’ve ever seen, and I want to look at it whenever I want. I can’t wait to own it. To own you.”

As terrifying as that sounds, I want nothing more than for someone to want me so much they want to claim me.

I’ve never been wanted like that. But I’ll see if Mr. Fireman can put his money where his hose is.

And by the feel of it, it’s a big fucking hose.