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The Make Up, Part 1
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The Consumed Series The Make Up, Part 2
We sit in his car in the driveway for a while, the both of us staring up at a house that takes my breath away, a house I never imagine a man like Seth to live in. For him, I imagined a grungy bachelor pad above a nightclub, the floor littered with men's magazines and discarded t-shirts. I sweep my attention along the tidy, landscaped garden on either side of the drive and onto the perfect lawn, not a single blade of grass higher than another."Is this your parent's place, or yours?" I wonder aloud."Mine.""Do you do the gardening yourself?"He laughs and opens his door. "I do all the yard work myself, yes."I lift my eyebrows, impressed by the creativity and precision of his landscaping. Seth exits the car and closes his door. I wait in the silence, barely three heartbeats, before he opens my door and helps me out. He takes my backpack off the floor and slings it over his shoulder, then escorts me onto the pebbled path I strolled along earlier and, this time, it feels welcoming. I gli
The Consumed Series The Make Up, Part 3
"I want to kiss you a little more," Seth murmurs, flicking his chin. Our breaths clash as we stare at each other, neither one of us moving our hips and stirring the water. "Come here."I dip my head and press my mouth to his. I don't know how long we kiss for. Seemingly lost in it, in each other, we kiss until the bubbles die. We kiss until the water no longer burns our skin, until its sudden coolness stirs goosebumps on our exposed flesh instead."My bed," Seth demands, breathless, digging his fingers into my thighs. His dark, chaotic midnight eyes flash. "Now."I place a quick peck on the tip of his nose and lift myself off him. We stand at the same time and the bathwater drops. Water trickles off our bodies and splashes, making music, and we leave the tub behind, barely running the towels over our bodies on our way out the door.Laughter escapes me as Seth scoops me up and carries me to his made bed. He tosses me from his arms and I land on the mattress with a bounce. His body is on
The Consumed Series The Pick Up
"O?"Stirred from my dreamless sleep, I open my eyes. My eyelids are heavy as if tiny bricks hang from my lashes, so I close them again. Nausea from being woken too soon churn in my gut, and I shift on the bed, pulling the blankets higher, tucking them under my chin.A warm finger brushes softly over my cheek, pushing more sleep away. "Olivia?"I open one eye. It's dark, but I can just make out Seth's silhouette as he hangs over me."What is it? I ask, my voice husky with sleep. "Is everything okay?""I need to pick up Mom." He gently teases my cheek with his knuckle. "Do you want to come with me?"Inhaling deeply through my nose, I arch my back and stretch. "Yeah. Yes, of course."I sit up and rub my face, desperate to chase away the exhaustion plaguing me. My vision adjusts to the darkness as Seth places my clothes at the end of the bed, his car keys jingling in his hand. I shove the blankets off and swing my legs over the edge of the mattress. My hair, still damp, sticks to my back,
The Consumed Series The Bet, Part 1
I don't know if I fall asleep or not. All I know is, when I blink, the sun is higher in the sky and I'm alone in a bed much too big for one person. I sling my arm over my face with a groan. How is it morning already? I open my eyes and shoot up in the bed. Morning already! Shoot! I shove the blankets off and roll out of the bed. "Seth?" I call, rushing across the bedroom floor. "Olivia?" He appears in the door frame at the same time I do and we collide. I bounce off him with a shriek and flail. Swearing, he catches me by my shoulders and steadies me on my feet. He laughs. "What's wrong with you?"I push my hair out of my face. "What's the time?""Early," he simply says and I settle, blowing air from my cheeks. "Early? How early?" "Early enough to have breakfast together, attend my training session, then take you to work." I lift my eyebrows, then frown. It's that early? "What time do you wake up?" "Early." Smiling, he leans forward and kisses me on the lips. "Come to the kitche
The Consumed Series The Bet, Part 2
I can't get to the row of treadmills fast enough. I pick the first one, climb on without stretching, and jog. When my treadmill hits the thirty-minute mark, and the generous serving of embarrassment Dad heaped on me has melted away, I peer over at Seth. He's still in the ring with his team. While he spars, Dad watches him closely, his eyes wide with awe like a kid in a candy store. Seth and his partner touch gloves, then Seth turns away and approaches my father. Dad tugs at Seth's gloves, pulling them off his big hands, and pats him on the back.An ear-splitting whistle demands my attention. I slow my treadmill and look for the source of the noise-to Jackson who waves his arm, gesturing for me to come over. I stop the machine and drop off the end. I grab my backpack, eyeing Seth and Dad chatting over the ropes. I don't join them in fear of what my father will say next, so I go to Jackson and join him in Seth's training room."Cute babies, huh?" He gestures to a stack of long, thick mat
The Consumed Series The Team
I hiss as I catch my fingers in my wet, tangled hair. I tug them free, and my scalp burns. I thought the shower would help reduce some of the frustration that's built up under my skin. It doesn't.Then quit. I'll cover it, recalling Seth's tone grates on my nerves. I pull a face at the tiled wall, scowling as if Seth is standing right in front of me. And don't get me started on my father. My fingers catch in another tangle. I clench my teeth and rip through it, cursing the fact I had no conditioner in my locker to help with the knots. How dare he make me feel like I'm being unreasonable. He's lucky he's still allowed to come to work and participate in Seth's training.I squeeze grapefruit and pomegranate-scented soap onto a loofah and scrub under my arms and across my chest. The delightful scent emanating from the bubbles takes the edge off, easing some of my agitation.Knock. Knock. I pause, holding my loofah to my stomach."I'm showering," I call out."You think that will make me go
The Consumed Series The Bomb Drop
I run my fingers over the keyboard, desperate to stay on top of the emails, of sending the requested clinical notes exactly where they need to go. Import. Export. Attach. Type. Send. Rinse and repeat. I catch my tongue between my teeth and hold it prisoner as I get to the end of a lengthy email to an insurance company who refused to pay out on our last patient's appointment even though it was pre-approved."Excuse me." I lift my head as an elderly woman slides her slender arms along the glass top of the reception desk. "I've been waiting for over an hour. My appointment was meant to be forty minutes ago."I fake a warm smile. "Thank you for being so patient. Mason won't be much longer."With an elongated sigh, she turns away from me, and I hit send on my email. I sit back in my seat as Mason exits his therapy room with his current patient. The man, who goes by the name of Gary Voss, keeps his head down and strolls from the clinic without so much as a glance in my direction."File this,
The Consumed Series The Hospital, Part 1
My heart stops dead and my throat constricts. My veins surge in my hand which tightly grips the phone's handset. The plastic creaks and the static is a knife in my ear. A cold sweat slides from the nape of my neck and down my back as I swallow thickly, tears welling in my eyes. At the forefront of my mind, all I can see is Dad's heart breaking in his face when I made Seth deny him his trip to Boston. Has this happened because I argued with him? Did I cause him more stress than his body could handle?"Olivia?""Is..." I force a sharp pinch of air into my lungs. "I-is he okay?"Mason leans forward, planting his hands on the desk, his body softer than it was moments ago."He's okay."I gasp and fall into my seat. I swipe my hand over my forehead, then press my palm to my cheeks, encouraging blood to return to my face. My welling tears empty themselves of grief and fill with relief. I let them spill over the edge and roll down my cheek, then I swipe them away."We're at the Portland Hospit
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