All Consuming

by Burton, Jaci

  “Dude. You’re the perfect firefighter.”

  “I look just like you, don’t I, Kal?”

  “Just like me.” Kal looked over his head at Hannah, who grinned.

  Hannah’s mom was going to stay behind to hand out candy to the kids who came to the door, so Hannah and Kal headed out with Oliver.

  They met up with Becca and Tony, who were taking Jeff trick-or-treating, so Oliver walked along with Jeff, and Hannah and Kal got a chance to talk with Becca and Tony.

  Tony was a police officer, so he and Kal bonded immediately and stayed in step with the boys as they went house to house, leaving Hannah and Becca to chat.

  “How are you feeling?” Hannah asked Becca.

  “Much better now that I’m past the first trimester. Nausea is gone and I have a lot more energy.” She rubbed her stomach. “Baby isn’t crowding me too much yet, so I’m enjoying these next couple of months before I have to pee every five minutes.”

  Hannah laughed. “I remember those days.”

  They walked along, enjoying the boys’ glee as they went house to house. They lived in a fantastic neighborhood where almost all the houses participated in Halloween. There were a lot of kids on their block, and Hannah knew almost all her neighbors. She hoped someday she’d find a house nearby since she’d grown up here.

  As Kal and Tony walked up to a house with the boys, Becca turned to her. “So . . . Kal seems nice. And incredibly hot and good-looking.”

  Hannah smiled. “Yes. We went to high school together and reconnected at our ten-year reunion.”

  “No kidding. That’s sweet. How does he get along with Oliver?”

  “Pretty great. They have a mutual admiration thing going on.”

  “That’s good, right?”

  Hannah waited to answer, since all the boys—both adult and child—met up with them again as they left the house.

  “They gave us three candies each!” Oliver said.

  “Wow, how awesome is that?”

  Tony held up a candy bar. “They gave Kal and me one, too. We may circle around back to this house.”

  Becca rolled her eyes. “I’m so happy for you. Next time grab one for me.”

  “Oh, like you aren’t going to rifle through Jeff’s bag when we get home anyway.”

  Becca lifted her chin. “For his safety and health.”

  “And to snatch all the Snickers for yourself.”

  Hannah and Kal looked at each other and laughed.

  “Do you do that?” Kal asked her.

  “I plead the Fifth.”

  “We all do,” Becca said as they walked along. “It’s a fringe benefit of parenthood.”

  “I need to borrow a kid every year to go trick-or-treating with,” Kal said.

  “You can come take Oliver anytime,” Hannah said. “I’ll stay home and read a book.”

  “Done deal,” Kal said. “As long as I get a percentage of the candy loot.”

  “You’ll have to negotiate that one with Oliver.”

  The boys headed toward the next porch. Hannah watched as Kal made sure to stay close to Oliver, to keep an eagle eye on what was being put in his bag.

  He was acting like a parent, as if the duty came naturally to him. Someday he was going to be an amazing father.

  He’s already an amazing father, you idiot. He loves your kid; can’t you see that?

  She pushed aside those unwanted internal thoughts. She had her own life and her own plans for the future. And she still wasn’t certain that those plans included Kal.

  It was too soon, and all of this was happening too fast. She wasn’t ready yet.

  Would she ever be?

  CHAPTER 27

  SINCE KAL HAD SATURDAY OFF, HE WANTED TO TAKE HANNAH out. They’d done a lot of family things lately, and he’d enjoyed those, because he sure had fun hanging out with Oliver.

  But they both desperately needed some alone time.

  Fortunately, she’d said she had an easy day and finished her last appointment at two. Oliver was spending the night at Jeff’s house, so Hannah was meeting Kal at his house. He told her to plan for fun afternoon activities and then dinner tonight. She showed up around three, giving them plenty of time to head out to their first stop.

  Luckily, she had dressed appropriately in workout leggings, tennis shoes and a T-shirt. The weather was perfect today for their first outing. It was a cool day, the sun was out and there was a breeze.

  Hannah got out of the truck and stretched, staring out at the Everglades that lay just beyond the parking lot.

  “Wow. This is amazing.”

  “I thought you might like to take a walk.”

  “I’d love to.”

  She put on her baseball cap and so did he. They slipped on their sunglasses, applied sunscreen and started walking.

  The trail was amazing, with a path adjacent to the glades.

  “Think we’ll see alligators?” she asked.

  “We might.”

  She took his hand and he smiled.

  “Don’t worry. I’ll let him eat me so you have time to run.”

  She laughed. “That’s noble of you. How about we both run instead so we both survive?”

  “I like your plan better.”

  They stopped at one point to watch a medium-sized turtle crossing from one side of the road to the other.

  “I think we’ll name him Alphonso.”

  Kal cocked his head to the side. “Why?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. It fits him, don’t you think?”

  “Sure. Why not.”

  She leaned against him, and he tipped her chin up with his finger and brushed his lips across hers. “But if we ever have kids together, Hannah, I get to name them.”

  She paused and gave him a look for a few seconds, and he was dying to know what she’d been thinking. Did he go too far? Then she smiled. “Hey. I did okay naming Oliver, didn’t I?”

  “You sure did.”

  She gave him a warm smile, and they continued down the path. But that look when he’d mentioned them having kids together. He’d said it just as a random comment in passing. She’d had a scared look on her face though, as if he’d just proposed or something. He wanted to dwell on it, but he reminded himself of his conversation with his mom, about letting things play out like they were supposed to. He needed to let this one go. He was probably overthinking it anyway. It was just a look.

  “The colors out here are amazing,” she said as they walked along. “So much greenery, but a mixture of grays and blues and oranges, too. It’s like an artist’s canvas.”

  “I thought about taking you to a museum today.”

  She shook her head. “This is a museum. With fresh air and birds and turtles and, oh, God, there’s a snake.”

  They stopped as the snake slithered along the road. “That’s a rat snake. It’s not venomous.”

  “Sure is pretty, now that I see it more closely.”

  She was right about that. The snake’s coral skin was a blast of bright color in the sunlight.

  She inched closer, taking her time so as not to spook the snake, then crouched down and took some pictures with her phone. The snake seemed unbothered by her, probably because she didn’t make sudden moves. After she got a few shots, she slowly backed away and the snake went about its business, sinking into the marsh.

  “Glorious,” she said, smiling so brightly at him she dazzled as much as the shining sun.

  There were several birds flying around, some sitting on logs and seemingly watching them as they walked by. But then the path started to get crowded with people walking and biking, so they turned and headed back.

  They ended up walking a few miles by the time they made it back to the parking lot. Kal didn’t want to overtax her, especially since she had already been on her feet all day, but they had water with them and stayed hydrated, and Hannah hadn’t once complained.

  Then again, she never did.

  She leaned against the side of his truck. “Tha
t was amazing. I really enjoyed being out here.”

  “We’ll have to come out someday at sunset.”

  “I’d love to. I’ll bet it’s incredible.”

  “You know what I love?” he asked, moving in to slide his hands on her hips.

  “No, what?”

  He caught the fleeting look of panic in her eyes again, and even though he wasn’t intending to say those words to her just yet, he couldn’t help but feel disappointed that she wasn’t ready to hear them.

  Dammit.

  He pushed the disappointment aside, not wanting anything to ruin the day he’d planned. “I love the way you’re always so happy to dive into anything. Like this nature walk today.”

  She smiled, and he saw the relief on her face that he hadn’t said the L-word to her.

  “Oh, hey, this was fun. It was beautiful out there. Who wouldn’t enjoy it?”

  Let it go, dude. She’s not ready.

  They drove back to his place. Jackson was outside in the backyard, the puppy Edgar running circles around him.

  “Want something to drink?” Kal asked her. “Iced tea or a beer or some water?”

  “Iced tea sounds really good.”

  He fixed them both glasses of tea, then they went out back.

  “What’s up?” he asked his brother while petting Edgar, who furiously licked his hand.

  “Fixing a problem with the pool filter.”

  “What’s wrong with it?”

  Jackson frowned and swiped sweat from his brow. “Hell if I know, but the pressure’s not working right.”

  “Should we call someone?”

  Jackson craned his head to look up at him. “Why would we do that when I can fix it?”

  Typical Jackson response. “Okay, then. What can I do to help?”

  “Bring me something cold to drink.”

  “I’ll do that,” Hannah said, turning and going back in the house. Kal kneeled down and investigated the problem with his brother.

  Within an hour they had the filter problem fixed. There was a major clog causing the filter to slow its process. They cleaned everything out, flushed the system, and now everything was back in working order.

  “See?” Jackson said when they both stood and wiped their sweat away with towels. “I knew we could fix it.”

  “Ever the genius, aren’t you?”

  “And too cheap to hire help.”

  Kal laughed. “That, too.”

  Hannah had disappeared into the house, so while Jackson took a dip into the pool, Kal went inside to find Hannah at the kitchen table talking with Becks, who had come home from work. Edgar lay curled up at Becks’s feet, asleep.

  “Hey,” he said. “You’re home early. How was work today?”

  “Busy. And I have a hot date, so I didn’t schedule any tattoo appointments for tonight.”

  “Does Jackson know about your hot date?”

  “I hope so.” She wiggled her brows, then stood. “I’m going upstairs to take a shower.”

  After Becks disappeared, Edgar along with her, Kal leaned down to kiss Hannah.

  She licked her lips. “You taste salty. Did you fix the pool filter?”

  “Yeah, all done.”

  “Good.”

  “Wanna come upstairs and change for dinner while I take a shower?”

  “Sure.” She grabbed her bag and followed him up to his room. Kal closed the door and immediately stripped off his shirt, tossing it in the basket, then toed out of his tennis shoes, pulled off his socks and shrugged out of his shorts and underwear.

  He turned to say something to Hannah. She was sitting on the bed staring at him.

  “What?”

  “Oh, nothing. Just admiring you naked.”

  He laughed. “Come get in the shower with me and you can admire me up close.”

  “How can I resist?” She pulled her T-shirt over her head, shimmied out of her pants and kicked off her shoes and socks, leaving her in a hot pink lace bra and matching panties.

  “Now those are sexy,” he said, coming over to reach around her and undo her bra with a flick of his fingers.

  “You have such talented hands,” she said, smoothing her palms over his chest.

  “Get in the shower with me, and I’ll show you just how talented my hands are.”

  “This offer keeps getting better and better.”

  She shrugged out of her panties and followed him into the bathroom. He turned the shower on and, as soon as the water was hot enough, stepped in, holding his hand out for her.

  The water felt good running over his body. The trail had been hot, and it was a relief to wash off some of the sweat.

  Hannah felt even better, especially when Kal rubbed his soapy hands all over her skin. Her body prickled with goose bumps as he dug his fingers into her shoulders, trying to massage out some of the stress from her day.

  “That feels so good,” she said.

  He loved when her voice got low like that. Knowing she responded to his touch made his dick hard.

  He pulled her under the spray so she could rinse, then let his hands roam over her body. She turned to face him, and he kissed her. It was like being under a waterfall, their lips tangling in a hot spray of water and tongues, a flaming passion that made him want her so fucking bad he couldn’t get enough of her.

  He pushed her against the wall and palmed her breasts, teasing and rubbing her nipples. She moaned against his mouth and reached between them to circle his cock, stroking him until he responded with a groan. He swept his hand across her pussy, using slow back-and-forth motions until she arched into him, craving more.

  He gave her more, slipping his fingers into her as he ground the heel of his hand against her clit. She was hot, wet, everything he needed as she adjusted the position of her hand to tighten her hold around his shaft, the softness of her hand making him push against her. She gave him long, even strokes, guaranteed to make him lose it.

  “You’re gonna make me come,” he whispered against her lips. “I’m gonna explode all over.”

  “Yes,” she said, her body moving against his in frantic motions now as he continued to push his fingers into her. “Make me come, Kal.”

  And now it was panting and heavy breathing and no more words as they worked each other over with their hands until they both came. He took her mouth with a hungry passion that left him spent.

  Kal leaned against her as he caught his breath, and she held on to him, her nails digging into his shoulder. He could feel the frantic pace of her heart beating against his, and he liked knowing he’d been the one to ramp it up.

  They washed off and got out of the shower. Hannah hung up her towel and left the bathroom while he finished drying off.

  When he walked into the bedroom, she was sitting on the bed.

  “Everything okay?” he asked.

  “My legs are still shaking.”

  “Mine, too.”

  She smiled up at him. “That was a very enjoyable shower. We should do that more often.”

  He came over to her, swept her damp hair to the side and pressed a kiss to her neck. When he pulled back, he said, “I wouldn’t mind that at all.”

  “I wouldn’t mind it, either. Though if we did that, I’d likely be late everywhere I went.”

  Just the thought of her living here with him made him want things, made him want to hold her hand and pour out his feelings to her. But then he remembered to take things slow, not push, do this at her pace.

  “Would that be a bad thing, though?”

  She gave him an enigmatic smile, grabbed her makeup bag and blow-dryer and went into the bathroom.

  Yeah, still no answers to all of his questions about where they stood.

  He knew he wasn’t going to get any tonight, so he went to the closet to pick out clothes for dinner.

  CHAPTER 28

  SIX HOURS. HANNAH HAD BEEN WORKING ON THIS ONE client for six freaking hours. But sometimes that’s what it took to get it right.

  Abriel wanted to
go from a very dark brown to a mermaid bluish green. And the client always got what they wanted, so it was a painstaking procedure that meant Hannah had to strip all the natural color from her hair, which was a slow process so as not to damage it. Once that was finished, Hannah had to apply three different colors to get the correct blend. Often the first application didn’t work just right, which meant Hannah would have to brighten the color over several hours. But the client never left the salon unsatisfied, no matter how long it took.

  Abriel’s hair was processing and Hannah was in the back washing her hands after finishing off her turkey sandwich and enjoying her large glass of iced tea. The front door opened, so she assumed that it was an appointment for one of the other stylists. But Delilah came back looking uncertain.

  “Some guy is here asking for you.”

  Hannah frowned. “Okay, thanks.” Delilah knew Kal, so it couldn’t be him. Maybe a client had come in to book an appointment. She walked out and stopped, her heart thudding against her chest as she saw the tall, lanky guy wearing jeans and a button-down western shirt. She’d know that unkempt wild hair anywhere. And that goofy smiling face was one she’d never forget.

  “Landon.”

  “Hey, babe. Bet you’re surprised to see me.”

  Surprised was an understatement. “What are you doing here?”

  “I stopped at your house but nobody was there.”

  Because people actually work for a living. Most people, anyway.

  “Yes. I’m at work, as you can see.”

  “Yeah. Anyway, I came here to talk to you. Found you on the web. Same salon name.” He looked around. “Pretty nice place.”

  She saw all the faces gaping at her. “Let’s step outside.”

  He followed her out the back door where they’d set up a small table and chairs under the awning. Hannah stuck her hands in the pockets of her jeans to keep them from shaking, her mind processing a million things Landon could have shown up here for.

  Money. A reconciliation. Their son.

  Oh, God. Maybe he was moving here to be closer to Oliver. Or did he want to take him back to Georgia with him?