All Consuming

by Burton, Jaci

  He waited, but she snuggled into the pillow and that was it. She was out.

  He wondered what she’d wanted to talk about. It seemed important enough to have the driver bring her here.

  Then again, she was drunk. And who knew what had been in her head?

  Either way, he wasn’t going to get any answers tonight.

  He got up and closed the bedroom door, went downstairs and grabbed his phone and called Paige to let her know where Hannah was, and what condition she was in.

  Paige laughed. “How drunk?”

  “Pretty drunk, from what I can tell. We only had a short conversation before she went upstairs and passed out cold in my bed.”

  He heard Paige’s sigh. “Poor Hannah. She’s been so stressed this week. I told her to relax. I guess she really did.”

  Kal laughed. “Apparently.”

  “Her car is at Veronica’s, and I think she mentioned she had a ten a.m. hair appointment tomorrow.”

  “Not a problem. I’m on shift tomorrow anyway, so I have to be up early. I’ll drive her to Veronica’s to pick up her car.”

  “Thanks, Kal. I appreciate you taking care of her.”

  “Sure. I’ll talk to you soon, Paige.”

  He clicked off and laid his phone down, then went into the living room to turn off the game he’d been playing. He headed to the kitchen to fix himself a glass of water, glancing upstairs to his bedroom.

  What he really wanted to do was go upstairs, strip off his clothes and wrap his body around the woman in his bed. The woman who was passed out naked in his bed.

  Instead, he grabbed his glass, went into the living room and turned on the TV, figuring he’d watch sports for a while until he got tired.

  He already knew he wasn’t going to get tired for a very long time.

  CHAPTER 21

  HANNAH WOKE UP TO THE FEEL OF A WARM BODY SURROUNDING her. That was nice.

  She also had a dry mouth and a pounding headache.

  Last night came back to her in a rush. All that drinking, and then getting into the car, and then . . .

  And then . . .

  Her eyes shot open. Where the hell was she? She tried to get up, but those arms around her held her still.

  “It’s okay, Hannah. You’re with me.”

  Her pounding heart settled at the smooth sound of Kal’s raspy voice. She relaxed against him.

  “I came here last night.”

  “Yeah.”

  “And then what happened?”

  “You stripped naked, climbed in my bed and passed out.”

  She did not remember that part at all. “Really? That was it?”

  “That was it.”

  “Huh.” How disappointing. “I need to pee.”

  He let go of her, and she slid out of bed and went into the bathroom. It was still dark outside, which was a good thing, because she had work today. She used the bathroom, washed her hands, found Kal’s toothpaste and rubbed it around her teeth, which helped a little. She went back into the bedroom and sat on the side of the bed.

  “There’s a glass of water and some acetaminophen on the nightstand.”

  “Bless you,” she said, feeling around in the dark for the glass. She found the tablets and took them, then slid back in bed, positioning her body back against his for warmth. “What time is it?”

  “Five thirty.”

  “Are you on shift today?”

  “Yeah. But I’ve got plenty of time. I called your mom last night and let her know you were with me. She told me she’d take Oliver to school.”

  “Thank you for doing that. I’m sorry about barging in on you last night.”

  “You didn’t. You know I never mind having you around.”

  “I can’t believe I just popped in like that.”

  He smoothed his hand down her arm and over her hip. Her body responded with a flash of goose bumps. “You don’t need an invitation, Hannah. You’re welcome over here anytime.”

  “I don’t want to assume.”

  His hand stilled. “Assume what?”

  “That you’re available all the time. You could have had someone else here.”

  He laughed and nuzzled the back of her neck. “There’s no one else but you.”

  “You mean last night.”

  “I mean at all.”

  Her belly fluttered at his words. So powerful and important, making her want to roll over and have a serious conversation with him about where they were in their relationship and what it all meant. But that was a conversation meant for later, when they both had the time to really talk it out.

  “And if you hadn’t been passed-out drunk, I would have come up here and gotten naked with you.”

  His erection brushed against her thighs. She was damn sorry she’d missed that. “You’re naked now.”

  He cupped her breast, his thumb teasing lazy circles around her nipple. “Yeah, I am.”

  He played with her breasts and nipples until her body throbbed, slid his cock between her thighs, stroking back and forth, making her rock back toward him. “I like that.”

  “You’ll like it even more when I’m inside you.”

  He slipped away long enough to put on a condom, then he was back. He grasped her hip and slid inside of her, making her gasp at the electric contact.

  He rolled her over onto her knees. She braced herself on her elbows as he drove deep. The pleasure was so intense, so fiery-hot that she thought she might die from the sensations of his body pressed so intimately to hers. She reached down to rub her clit, to get herself there as he continued to thrust until she was right on the verge of orgasm.

  “Oh, fuck yeah, do it,” he said, his voice deep and guttural as he dug his fingers into her hips and drove his cock deeply into her. She couldn’t take these intense sensations, the way he moved against her, the way her body was so connected to his.

  She splintered, feeling as if a thousand stars had exploded within her when she came. Kal pistoned against her and groaned as he climaxed, only enhancing the waves of her own orgasm.

  He rolled them to their sides and kissed her shoulder while they both came down from that incredible high. He stroked her all over, and Hannah had to admit she liked the feel of his hands roaming her body. She wished they could stay like this all day.

  “Okay, so I meant for that to be a slow and lazy morning lovemaking session,” he said.

  Her lips curved. “Do you hear me complaining?”

  “I heard . . . something. Screaming, maybe?”

  She laughed and rolled over to face him. “I did not scream.”

  He swept her hair away from her face and kissed her. “I definitely heard yelling.”

  “Okay, stud. Whatever makes you feel good.”

  “You make me feel good.” He rubbed her bottom lip with his thumb, then kissed her again, this time more deeply, until she got lost in the taste of his lips, the feel of his tongue licking along hers.

  He rolled on top of her, and their limbs tangled, and this time when he put the condom on, he made love to her slowly, his hand entwined with hers as he rocked in and out of her with deliberate strokes until she broke in a cry that he absorbed with his lips on hers. He released with her, the two of them shuddering together in one epic climax that left her shaken.

  Something about the way Kal made love to her shattered her. The way he looked at her when he was inside of her was so much more than sex. It was unnerving. Monumental.

  Their legs were still entwined, his heart beating against hers. And she hated that she had to leave him today, when all she wanted to do was explore her feelings, to feel his skin against hers. To do this all day long until these feelings made sense to her.

  “I have to go,” he said.

  “I know. Me, too.”

  They got up and went into the bathroom to clean up. Hannah got dressed and paused in the middle of putting on her blouse. “Where did I strip last night?”

  “You started in the living room, and left me clothing bread crumbs a
ll the way across the house toward my room.”

  She tilted her head back to stare up at the ceiling in mortification. “Tell me Jackson and Becks weren’t home when I did this.”

  He laughed. “They were out.”

  “Thank. God. I kind of hope I wouldn’t have put on such a public display if they’d been here.”

  “You wouldn’t have.”

  She shimmied into her skirt. “How do you know?”

  He shrugged. “Because I know you.”

  He had such faith in her.

  They got dressed, and after having a quick cup of coffee, he drove her back to Veronica’s house, and she fished her keys out of her purse. He walked with her to her car, and she couldn’t help but admire how fine he looked in his jeans and T-shirt. Thick clouds were playing with the sun this morning, bathing the sky in a soft orange glow. She wished they had all the time in the world today, to talk, to take a walk, to just be together.

  But that wasn’t her reality. Or his, either.

  “Thank you for taking care of me last night. And this morning.”

  He leaned into her and laid his hand on her hip. “My pleasure. Twice.”

  She grinned and wrapped her hand around his neck to pull him toward her for a kiss. “Have a good day.”

  “You, too.”

  She got in her car, and Kal pulled away first. She headed toward home, realizing that tension she’d been carrying all week was gone.

  The night out with the girls had definitely helped. But the morning with Kal had been what she’d really needed.

  She had a smile on her face as she entered the highway toward home.

  CHAPTER 22

  KAL WASN’T SURE HOW HANNAH WOULD FEEL ABOUT AN invite to his parents’ home for Saturday night dinner, but the whole family was going be there, and he wanted Hannah to be there, too.

  Surprisingly, when he’d asked her, she’d said yes. His mother said to tell Hannah to bring Oliver along, too, since this was a family barbecue. Hannah had seemed happy that Oliver was included. And Kal was pretty pumped about it, too. He wanted everyone to meet Oliver, and for Oliver to meet his whole family.

  And since Oliver finally had his cast on, he was a lot more mobile now. Plus, Kal hadn’t seen much of Hannah in the past week because he’d covered a couple of shifts for one of the guys on another TRT who’d been sick, so he’d been working practically nonstop. He was looking forward to spending some time with Hannah today.

  He picked up Hannah and Oliver at their house.

  “Where’s your mom?” he asked Hannah.

  “She’s out on a date. She left this afternoon, didn’t tell me where she was going or with whom, other than she had a date.”

  “Hmm. Same mystery guy?”

  Hannah shrugged. “No idea. I asked, and she told me it’s none of my business.”

  “Secretive, isn’t she?”

  “Very.”

  Oliver came running out and threw himself against Kal. “Hi, Kal.”

  “Hey, buddy. I’ve missed you.” Kal hugged him back, happy to be around Oliver again.

  “I missed you, too. We’re going to your momma’s house today?”

  “Yup.”

  “And your daddy is a fireman, like you?”

  “Yup. And so are my two brothers. You remember Jackson from the day we went to the festival, right?”

  “Yeah. He’s a fireman, too? And you have another brother?”

  “I do.”

  “Wow. You’re so lucky.”

  Kal caught Hannah’s sigh. He wondered what that was about, but he didn’t have time to ask, because she gathered up a tote bag and handed it to him, and they headed out to the truck. On the way, Oliver asked him tons of questions.

  “Are we goin’ to the house where you grew up?”

  “No, my parents bought a new house a year or so ago. This one has a pool.”

  “Oh, a pool. Mom, did you pack my swim trunks?”

  “I did, but remember, you have the cast so you can’t get it wet.”

  “Aww, man.”

  Kal smiled.

  “Do they have pets?” Oliver asked.

  “No, they don’t. But they like animals.”

  “I like dogs. Someday we’ll have our own house and then I’m gonna get a dog, right, Momma?”

  “That’s right.”

  They turned onto the street and parked in the driveway behind Rafe’s truck.

  “It’s a lovely house, Kal. I can see why your mom wanted this one.”

  “Yeah,” he said as they got out of the truck and he looked at the house. “Mom said it was perfect for her. Just the right size.”

  “And the landscaping is gorgeous. All the flowers.”

  He figured Hannah would pick up on that.

  He gathered up the bags Hannah had packed, while Hannah picked up the bouquet of flowers she’d brought.

  Oliver ran up to the porch and was first at the door. Kal liked that he wasn’t shy, which was a good thing in his family. His mom opened the door before Oliver had the chance to ring the bell.

  “I saw you pull up.” She smiled down at Oliver. “You must be Oliver. I’m Laurel.”

  Oliver held up his arm. “Hi. I broke my wrist. I have a cast.”

  “I see that. It must have hurt.”

  “Yeah, it did.”

  Kal hugged his mom. “Hey, Momma.”

  “My sweet baby. How are you?”

  “Good.”

  His mom folded Hannah into a hug, which was her thing. She hugged everyone. If Oliver hadn’t dashed inside he’d have been hugged, too. “Good to see you again, Hannah. I’m happy you took me up on my invitation, and that you brought Oliver.”

  “Thank you for inviting us over today.”

  “Come on in, you two. I made iced tea and lemonade, and of course there’s wine and beer for anyone who wants that. Oh, and I made margaritas. Josh bought me a margarita machine for my birthday. He knows how much I love those.”

  Hannah and his mom walked in front of him, side by side. “That sounds fun. I’ll bet those are great poolside during the hot summer.”

  “They so are. Would you like one?”

  “I’d love one. Fire that machine up.”

  “Momma, they have the coolest pool out back,” Oliver said, tugging on her hand. “Come look.”

  Hannah had barely gotten to the kitchen and set the flowers down. “Okay. Let’s see it.”

  Oliver dragged her to the door. “That’s a pretty great pool, isn’t it?”

  “Hi, Oliver,” Carmen said as she came into the room. “Isn’t that an awesome pool?”

  “Hi, Nurse Carmen. Did you see my cast?”

  “I did. And I thought you might want to go swimming today, so I brought a cover for your cast that’ll keep it dry in the pool.”

  “Really? I can swim today? Can I, Momma?”

  “If Nurse Carmen says you can, then you can.”

  “Cool!”

  Kal’s dad, Josh, walked over. “Hey, Hannah. Good to see you.”

  “Mr. Donovan.”

  He motioned to Oliver. “It’s Josh. And come on, Oliver, let’s go take a look at the pool. Later we’ll go for a swim.”

  “Okay.”

  Hannah exhaled now that she’d managed to take a breath. What a whirlwind.

  She walked over to the island where she’d set everything down and picked up the flowers she’d brought. “These are for you, Laurel.”

  “Oh, how sweet of you. They’re so pretty. Let me get a vase to put those in.”

  “I hear we’re firing up the margarita machine,” Carmen said, sliding into the seat at the kitchen island next to Hannah.

  “That’s what I hear.”

  “Momma, Jackson and Becks have their dog!” Oliver ran through the back door, his eyes wide with excitement.

  “They do? That’s so awesome.”

  “His name is Edgar and he’s a puppy, but he’s big. He’s German shepherd and . . . somethin’ else. I forget.”


  “Labrador,” Kal said, coming up to stand behind Hannah’s chair.

  “Yeah, that’s it. I’m gonna go back out and play with him. After I go to the bathroom.”

  “Down the hall and it’s the first door, Oliver,” Laurel said.

  Hannah tilted her head back to look at Kal. “You knew about this?”

  “The dog? Yeah. Remember the fall festival? The dog they were looking at that day?”

  “Oh, right. I remember that puppy.”

  Kal grinned. “He’s a lot bigger now. It took a while for the home inspection and paperwork and vet check and all of that with the foster organization. But he’s been at the house for the past few days.”

  “That’s great. How’s he doing?”

  “He’s a lot of energy.”

  “Oh. So like having a kid around, huh?” Hannah gave him a smile.

  “You would know better than me.”

  Becks came through the door just as Laurel had the machine going. “I’m just in time for margaritas, I see.”

  “Take a seat,” Kal said, grabbing a beer from the fridge. “I’m going out back to hang out with the guys.”

  Kal left, and Becks slid into one of the chairs.

  “You know, it wasn’t all that long ago that I was surrounded by nothing but men and boys,” Laurel said, filling glasses with margarita mix. “Now look at this room.”

  “We are pretty awesome, aren’t we?” Becks asked.

  Laurel slid glasses to Hannah, Carmen and Becks, and lifted her own glass. “Here’s to all the amazing women.”

  “To women,” Carmen said.

  “Cheers,” Hannah said, toasting these women who had become her friends, and Laurel, who she’d known since she was a teenager.

  Hannah took a sip. “Mmm, this is very good.”

  “Thank you.”

  Hannah turned to Carmen. “So, are you all settled back into work and home life after the honeymoon?”

  Carmen nodded. “More or less. Though my head’s still on that beach.”

  “I’ll bet it was nice,” Becks said.

  “So very nice. I was digging in my heels getting on that plane. I thought about a mutiny, but Rafe was the one who insisted on coming home. He’s such a practical guy. Wanting us to keep our jobs, pay the mortgage . . .”

  Laurel shook her head. “It’s one of his biggest faults. I did my best with him, Carmen.”