All Consuming (Brotherhood by Fire #3) -Jaci Burton Page 0,63
she headed over and climbed onto one of the chairs at the island. “You always this cheery and talkative in the morning?” she half grumbled.
“It’s not like you don’t know me.” Kal grinned at her.
“I knew you at school. That’s not first thing in the morning.”
“Ohhkay, and you’re not a morning person. Obviously.”
“I’m a delightful person—after I’ve had a cup of coffee.”
“Duly noted.” He went quiet and climbed onto the chair next to hers, trying not to notice how his shirt had ridden up on her, showing off her amazing legs. Instead, he grabbed his phone and checked the news and weather for the day, giving Hannah the space she needed. He noticed she drained her cup and went to the Keurig to make another.
After taking a few more sips, she asked, “Where did Jackson and Becks go off to?”
“Breakfast. Then to run errands and do stuff for the day. They weren’t too specific. I think some wedding planning things were part of the day.”
“That could be fun. For Becks.”
“I dunno. I think Jackson is really into all the wedding planning.”
“Really? I’m surprised. He doesn’t strike me as the type to want to get involved.”
“He loves all things Becks, and he wants to marry her. So if she’s excited about wedding planning, he will be, too.”
“Aww. That’s sweet. How about you?”
“The wedding? I’ll be there for both of them.”
“No, not theirs. Your own someday. Will you be as excited about it?”
He shrugged. “Depends on the woman I marry, I imagine.”
She frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I mean if I’m heart and soul, head over heels in love, and she’s the be-all and end-all of my existence? Then yeah. I’ll be into it.”
She laughed. “What other woman would you marry, Kal? Some chick you met when you swiped right on Tinder?”
“Hey. It could happen. People who met on Tinder have gotten married.”
“Really? You know this for a fact?”
“Well, no. But I’m sure it’s happened. It has to have happened.”
“Not a single person I know of has ever met a decent match on a dating app. Most men are only looking for a hookup.”
“Not true. I’ve met women on dating apps. And went out with them.”
“And subsequently had sex with them, right?”
He didn’t answer.
“I thought so. And since you’re not currently in the process of marrying any of them, I rest my case.”
He rolled his eyes. “You can’t damn an entire dating app based on my history. I was out for fun. And, for your information, so were the women I dated.”
“And you know this to be true, how?”
“I put in my profile I wanted fun, not forever.”
She gave him a scathing look. “Aren’t you just the most charming asshole? So you set the women up at the beginning not to fall in love with you. Or else, right?”
“Hey, I was being honest. I wasn’t in a place to be in a relationship at the time I was on those dating apps. I figured being up-front and clear with anyone I met was the right thing to do. Tell me that’s a bad thing.”
Now Hannah was the one who went silent.
He reached out to grasp her hand, but she pulled it away.
“Hannah.”
“I don’t know.”
“Talk to me, Hannah. Tell me what you’re thinking right now.”
She took in a breath and let it out, then swiveled her chair around to face him. “What about now? How are you feeling about dating now?”
“You mean with you?”
She nodded, and he read the uncertainty on her face. Did she really think he was comparing her—them—to what he’d been doing four or five years ago?
Then again, she hadn’t been in his life then. She’d known nothing about what his life was like in his early to mid-twenties. Or anything after they’d broken up when they were eighteen until now. Ten years was a long gap.
“After I . . . got over you, I partied my ass off in college. I met a lot of girls. But I also studied my ass off, too. My parents wanted each of us to get a degree, even though it’s not required to apply to be a firefighter. So while I had a lot of opportunities back then, I didn’t take as many as you might think. I mostly hung out with my friends.
“After college, I applied to the Fire Academy. Once I got in, I put everything I had into making it through that first probationary year. Not only to prove myself worthy as a firefighter, but to make sure I didn’t