All Consuming

by Jaci Burton

  “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. “That 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?

  No, no, no. She had custody. That couldn’t happen. Stop panicking.

  “What are you doing here, Landon?”

  “I came to see my boy. I thought I’d pick him up tomorrow and we could hang out.”

  She kept her frustration buried deep. “He has school tomorrow.”

  Landon shrugged. “He can miss a day.”

  “No, he can’t. Oliver needs structure, and that includes making sure he goes to school every day. If you want to see him, we can make arrangements for Saturday.”

  Landon looked down at his feet. Whenever he avoided eye contact, that typically meant bad news. “Well, that’s the thing. You see, I’ve got this great business opportunity, so I’m moving to North Carolina. I’ve gotta get going and I don’t have a lot of time. Got all my stuff in my truck and I’m joinin’ up with a new crew.”

  Same old story, just a different state.

  “Uh-huh. So you thought you’d do a one-day drive by, mess up your son emotionally by saying hi and bye and blowing on out of his life once again? Come on, Landon. Can’t you see that’s not good for Oliver?”

  He gave her a pleading look. “He’s my son, too, Hannah.”

  “I know he is. And I know you love him. And because I know that I also know you want what’s best for him. Seeing his dad once or twice a year isn’t what’s best for him.”

  She saw the tears well in his eyes. “I miss him. How’s he doing?”

  She fought back her own tears, refusing to let Landon manipulate her with his emotional pleas. “I know you miss him. He’s good. He broke his wrist at school a few weeks ago. But he’s got a cast on and he’s handling it great.”

  “He did? Aww, poor kid. I’m sure he’s fine. He’s always been tough, like his dad.”

  “Yeah. Anyway, tell me about the job in North Carolina.”

  “It’s an auto repair store. Nothing too fancy or more than I can handle. It’s a franchise and these guys that are gonna run it with me are really good. They got a head for business. And I’ll handle the mechanical side.”

  Nothing she hadn’t heard before. “And you’re sure this one’s on the up-and-up? Do you have the capital to invest?”

  He nodded. “I’ve been working for people instead of trying to go out on my own. Got some money saved this time. I’m sure this is gonna work out.”

  He toed the gravel, then lifted his gaze to hers. “I met a woman, Hannah. She’s real nice and has her head on straight. Kind of like you. She keeps me on my toes and makes me save my money and tells me when I’m screwing up. She’s finishing up packing her things and she’s gonna drive out next week and meet me up there.”

  A new woman in his life. In theory she sounded good and just what he needed. If it was true. And for Landon’s sake, she hoped it was. “Good. I’m happy for you, Landon.”

  “Thanks. I’m tryin’ to do things right this time. And when I get it all lined out, and I’m workin’ steady and got money in the bank, maybe I can take some time and come visit Oliver.”

  This seemed to be a new side to Landon. Thinking things through. Planning for the future instead of just today. Maybe the new woman in his life who was helping him mature had made all the difference.

  Maybe. He still had some work to do. And she wouldn’t believe anything until he proved he could follow through.

  “You can see Oliver anytime you want, Landon. I’m just not pulling him out of school for you to do that. If you want to come over tonight after he gets out of school, you’re welcome to stay for dinner. I know he’d love to see you.”

  He mulled it over, ran his fingers through his hair. “I do wanna see him, but maybe you’re right. Maybe just a one-day thing will mess with his head. I wanna see him when I can spend a week with him, where we can go fishin’ and we can really hang out, ya know?”

  Now he was starting to think like an adult. “He’d really like that.”

  “Would it be okay if I started calling him, though? After I get up there and get settled?”

  “I’m sure he’d love that, too.”

  “Okay. As soon as I get up there I’ll give him a call. By next week for sure.”

  “You do that.”

  “Thanks, Hannah. You always knew what was best.”

  She walked him out, then came back inside to check on her client’s color. It was still processing, so she went into the back to take a long swallow of her iced tea while she went over what just happened.

  Delilah walked back there. “That your ex?”

  “Yes.”

  “Was it bad?”

  “Sort of. He wanted to see Oliver. I talked him out of it.”

  Delilah leaned a hip against the washing machine and crossed her arms. “Do you have formal custody arrangements?”

  She nodded. “I have full custody. But I never stopped him from seeing Oliver and he never p
ut up a fuss about me leaving Georgia after the divorce. He just never made an effort to see Oliver after I moved back here. But maybe things will change. I don’t know. We’ll see.”

  “I hope so, for your kid’s sake.”

  “Me, too, Delilah.”

  She went back to work on her client’s hair, but the rest of the day felt like a fog. By the time she got home she was exhausted. Only she couldn’t wind down because Kal was coming over for dinner. She got in the shower to rinse off, then climbed into leggings and a T-shirt.

  Oliver had finished his homework and was playing in his room, and when her mom got home she had gone to her room, which gave Hannah some quiet time to start dinner prep. When the doorbell rang, Oliver ran to open it and Kal came in.

  “Hey, buddy,” he said.

  “Hi, Kal. I had a pop quiz in math today and I got them all right. Got all my spelling words right, too.”

  “So, what you’re telling me is you’re the smartest kid in your class, right?”

  Oliver laughed. “Yup. That’s me.”

  Kal came into the kitchen and brushed his lips across hers. “Hi. How was your day?”

  “It was fine,” she murmured. “Yours?”

  “Good. Got some stuff done. Do you need help with anything?”

  “No, I’m good, thanks. Fix yourself something to drink.”

  He did, and then he and Oliver went into the living room, giving her breathing space again. She fixed the turkey burger patties, sliced sweet potatoes for fries, and made a salad. Her mom came in.

  “Need help?”

  “I’ve got it.”

  “You sure?”

  “I said I’ve got it.”

  She studied Hannah with a look of concern on her face. “Okay, you had a bad day.”

  “My day was fine. Go sit down and relax.”

  Her mother shot her another look, but made herself a glass of iced tea and disappeared into the living room.

  Hannah knew she was being short with everyone, but she couldn’t help herself. Landon’s sudden appearance today had reminded her that she wasn’t as in control over her life as she’d thought.