Chapter 10 – SUNDAY morning

„Hey! Wake up, sleepy head," a low whisper filled the quiet of the morning.

Caleb leaned his upper body over Hanna who was lying on her stomach with her head turned away from him and still sound asleep. He nudged her temple with his nose, layering feather-light kisses on her earlobe and slowly stroking the soft skin of her arm that was lying bent next to her head.

She didn't even stir.

When he softly murmured"Hanna? Do you wanna go for a walk on the beach? It's beautiful outside," a mumbled "mmmmh" was all the response he got from her at this moment.

His head hovered above her face and he kissed the tip of her nose lightly. This caused her to turn her head around looking in the opposite direction, and it came lying buried under her long ruffled hair.

Caleb chuckled at the sight and brushed her hair away so he could see her full face at last. She looked so peaceful, so completely at ease, he faltered waking her.

But then again, he wanted to talk to her before they went to have breakfast with Mitch in order to get her opinion on the whole Washington job issue.

Another soft kiss landed on her cheek. "Good morning, beautiful."

At that, the corners of her mouth twitched a little bit, eventually forming a small smile. However, Hanna didn't open her eyes, instead kept him guessing the status of her wakefulness.

He decided to try a different approach and pulled the covers down to reveal her naked back and bottom.

He was instantly turned on by the view of her tan and perfect shape.

On second thought…

The beach could wait. It would still be there after breakfast. It would still be there for another million years to come.

But the perfect opportunity only came around once.

Through the thick of her hair, he started nibbling at her neck, and Hanna instantly giggled, squirming a bit. "You know that tickles…"

Caleb laughed softly, the sound vibrating against her jawbone. "I know…," he breathed hovering above her ear.

But still no signs of further movement on her side.

He nuzzled her some more, his morning stubble brushing roughly against her sensitive skin.

Shifting a bit, he came to lie above her back and slowly retreated downwards, showering little kisses along the course of her spine, supporting his weight on his forearms. His hands traveled the short distance to where her body was, dipping below her sides to feel for her breasts, eventually splaying his palms over their shape.

As soon as his hands had made contact with her nipples, Hanna's arms were covered in goosebumps, her body reacting to being exposed to both the cold of the room and the touch of his soft hands. He could feel the hard buds pressing into his palms.

She stretched along his body, her muscles tensing. Caleb watched her through half-closed eyes while continuing to trail her back with kisses as light as the touch of a butterfly.

He saw her back arch beneath him. He saw her eye shut tightly in utter faith, and he saw her hands dig into the thick pillow beneath her head to withstand the light spasms that occurred when he reached the ticklish stretch of skin at the small of her back where the luscious curves of her butt cheeks began.

When the tension became unbearable for her, she slowly turned around to lie on her back. Caleb helped her by lifting his hips to allow her more space to move. Yet the side of her thigh touched his throbbing erection, sending little jolts of electricity through his body.

Hanna noticed his pent-up arousal and instantly let her hands go around his neck to pull him closer.

Caleb saw her eyes, now wide and alert, shine with love. He saw her full lips part and felt himself drawn to them.

"Good morning …" she whispered, her eyes locking with his.

"Good morning yourself," he answered before his mouth closed over hers.

She loved kissing Caleb. She loved the way his lips pressed against hers, softly yet urgently. She loved the way his mouth met hers, like two pieces of a puzzle fitting together. She loved the way his tongue played with hers, first tentatively, then more insistently as the passion grew between them. Hanna felt herself drowning in the feelings and sensations.

It had often been like this when they were living together before, these early morning makeout sessions. The passion and desire rising quickly between them, both of them needing to be together physically.

She grasped his erection and guided the tip to her opening. Her breath was shallow and ragged.

Caleb gasped for a second and then grinned at her, enjoying it tremendously when she took the initiative to speed things along.

Hanna moved her hips so that his tip was just inside her. She held him there, loving the feeling of anticipation that was beginning to build within her. Her one hand went around to the small of Caleb's back. She pressed, telling him wordlessly what she wanted.

Caleb smiled. He slowly entered her, filling her, taking delight in her soft moans of pleasure, stretching her completely until he was fully inside her.

She gasped for air, enjoying the feel of him on top of her and inside her. Her arms went around him, pulling him even closer, as if that were possible. Slowly, she tightened her inner muscles and smiled at Caleb's groan in response. She squeezed again, feeling the familiar tension building.

She squeezed once more, Caleb responding with an even deeper thrust. He raised himself off Hanna slightly, looking down at her, seeing the flush of color on her face. He brushed a strand of hair back from her face all the while continuing to thrust his hips forward and back, creating the friction and drive that he desperately needed and that he knew Hanna craved. He quickened the pace and reached between them to stroke her clit.

His touch on her took Hanna over the edge into a pool of pleasure and ecstasy. She moaned as her orgasm came over her and her muscles involuntarily spasmed, clenching around him, urging him to follow her.

He thrust once, twice more before he shuddered, spilling his warmth into her, feeling the final tremors go through her body.

They both gasped for air as they slowly returned to reality, sharing sweet little kisses while still basking in the afterglow of their lovemaking, exchanging loving glances.

Caleb carefully withdrew from her, moving off of her and onto his side of the bed.

Hanna shifted to lay her head on his chest, listening to the still ragged beat of his heart, matching her own. He hugged her tightly, placing a kiss on the top of her head.

And for a while, they just lay still and let the minutes tick by. None of them dared moving, content in each other's arms.

But then, glancing at the clock on his phone lying next to him on the night stand, Caleb realized that they would have to get up now if they wanted to make it to their breakfast appointment on time.

If he really wanted to work for Mitch again, he wouldn't want to make a bad impression by showing up late for business negotiations.

"Han, I'm gonna go have a shower. I won't be long."

"Why don't we take that shower together?" she teased him, lifting her head to look at him.

"Because I want to talk to Mitch and I don't want to be late. He really doesn't like that as far as I can remember." He combed through her silky hair using his fingers, then added, "And if I get into the shower with you, I just know that we're not gonna make it out of our hotel room for the rest of the morning." He smiled at her, his eyes begging for forgiveness.

Hanna released him from her tight grip. She knew there was no need to feel disappointed as they had had a wonderful time already before they went to sleep and again right after waking up.

No, there really was no reason for regret. But she somehow dreaded being confronted with Caleb's life and job choices, she so desperately wanted to have a say in, but didn't know if she had any right to do so after the short time they had only been together again.

Caleb brushed a final, tender kiss against her lips and sighed before he got up at last and strolled to the bathroom, disappearing inside to take a quick shower.

Hanna rolled over to her side of the bed and pulled the covers back over her body. Then she picked up her own phone that had been sitting on her night table, unnoticed for the past twelve hours. She looked at the display and saw that she had received a text message from Spencer late last night, telling her she would be released from the hospital Monday morning, but also asking if Hanna and Caleb had heard anything about Toby and Yvonne's medical conditions.

Her fingers danced across the keypad, typing in a short message, offering Spencer a ride home from the hospital and telling her that she hadn't heard anything from Toby yet, before her gaze accidentally fell on the moving shape behind the wall-high window.

She settled back against the pillow and enjoyed the view with a grin on her face, knowing he also was very well aware of the situation.

Minutes later, Caleb came back to her bedside, wearing nothing but a bath towel wrapped around his waist. He chuckled when he saw that Hanna didn't make a move to go to the bathroom, clearly acknowledging that she had been watching him all along.

"'like what you saw?" he couldn't help teasing her when he noticed her dreamy look.

"Always," she breathed right back.

He sat down on the edge of the bed right by her side. "Hanna? I promise I'll give you the full floor-show as soon as we're back home, locked in our bedroom… for all I care… or not... And I know that you're scared of what's to come for us."

His eyes searched for hers. He continued with a sincere voice "But you see, this is a really great opportunity for me to get back into a job someday that I might be really good at. And I just wanna hear what he has to offer. I'm not gonna sign anything today. Not before we've talked about everything."

At that, she finally looked at him, feeling her worries fall off her chest, saying "All right. I understand." She kissed him and added, "I'll hurry up."

Caleb approvingly closed his eyes while she slid down to the end of the bed, shoving the covers to the side, revealing her naked body. Then she walked over to the bathroom, feeling his eyes on her body all the way across the room.

When she stood under the hot spray of water, she considered giving him something to think about, as she knew for sure that he would be watching her through the window just like she had. But she quickly dismissed the idea when she remembered her situation standing on the pier the night before. She remembered thinking that she was willing to give him the chance to go and pursue his own career. She didn't get to tell him that last night. But she would make an effort to let him know that now.

She hurried up to finish her shower so she would be ready on time to show him she was going to be supportive.

Caleb knelt by his suitcase thinking about what to wear. For a second, he caught a glimpse of Hanna behind the window.

He cringed at the enticing view, but then he pulled out a neatly folded pile of casual pants and shirts from the suitcase while inwardly letting his mind ramble about different set-ups for the time when they got home again. And that gave him something to look forward to.

XXXXX

Caleb and Hanna spent the next hour and a half discussing job openings at Mitch's IT Security Solutions Company, sharing a large round table by the picture window with a view over the vast spread of greens belonging to the hotel's golf course.

Hanna sat listening while Mitch explained the progress his company had made in the time after Caleb had left, stating the great beneficiary system for working mothers and fathers, flexible hours, home office, and over all making a really good impression on her.

They were joined by a very tired looking Maddie who, however, beamed at her husband the entire time, pleased he had gotten her favorite breakfast pastry for her.

Her good mood carried over to Hanna who was starting to relax at the prospect that maybe she had had nothing to worry about. But then the topic came to finding the right position for Caleb to fit in, meeting his expertise and experiences.

And even though Mitch's company had about a dozen subsidiaries on the east coast, there were only two job openings matching Caleb's expectations.

One in New York and the other one in Washington, D.C.

Caleb let him explain the details, responding with a courteous nod here and there, but not giving away anything about how he felt when it came to the numbers on his potential pay check, inwardly taking into account that Mitch turned out to be a generous boss yet again.

Just when the details about the jobs were beginning to bore Hanna causing her to look away and watch other people in the hotel's exclusive sunroom, another guest joined the breakfast party.

Flopping down next to Hanna in a wicker chair that she had pulled over from the neighboring table, Ruthie laid her hand on Hanna's arm and leaned in close by her ear, whispering, "Don't worry, my dear. I can tell by the way he looks at you that he's not going anywhere."

Hanna, surprised by the sudden intervention by this basically unfamiliar person, glanced up at a pair of crinkled, yet friendly eyes, amused by the look of bewilderment in Hanna's own eyes.

"Oh, you wonder how I know?"

Hanna frowned at her, whispering back, "I'm sorry, but… Who are you?"

Ruthie continued to pat her arm, snickering. "Mitch, have you tried the new Italian fully automatic coffee machine they set up at the buffet just now? Would you be so kind and bring us a round of fine Italian espresso? And take Caleb with you, he'll help you carry."

Mitch, ever the polite son-in-law, got up and turned his head to Caleb, "Caleb, you heard my mother-in-law. She needs some alone time with your girl." After leaving the table, he checked to see if they were out of earshot and shaking his head at Ruthie's relentless humor he said, "She hates coffee."

When the men had been half way to the buffet area, Maddie got up as well and left Hanna and Ruthie alone to fill up her plate at the buffet.

Caleb followed Mitch to the side of the room where the buffet was set up. He watched him comply to his mother-in-law's wishes anyway, chuckling at the way his possibly prospective boss was taking his time on purpose, allowing the women to have a heart-to-heart without the two of them listening in.

Hanna sat in her chair feeling slightly uneasy. She picked up her Danish and started nibbling on it only to feel like she had something to do with her hands and mouth while Ruthie thoughtlessly closed in on her.

Ruthie watched the rest of her family from afar, then turned around to look at Hanna again. "Hanna, I'm getting straight to the point here. Mitch values Caleb, more than he likes to admit. I know my daughter's husband. He's a good man. And actually a really good boss. Your boyfriend Caleb is humble and decent. He kind of reminds me of my late husband. He always did what was best for his family. So you shouldn't worry. Mitch always manages to get the best people for his staff, so he's open for compromise." She winked at Hanna.

When she didn't show a reaction, Ruthie carried on "I took over this company from my late husband, Paul. He died when Maddie was in her sophomore year in college. You know, I had always had this idea in my head… of having my own law consultancy. But then Paul happened and I got pregnant and I postponed my plans until after Maddie would have finished college. However, there was this accident…" She had started to sob a little and now stopped speaking altogether.

Ruthie pulled a handkerchief from her purse. "The company was Paul's baby. He had very strict standards on who's allowed to work for him. It was written in the founding contract that the CEO had to be at least forty-five years of age with an array of work experience. But then he died and I was left to lead the company. Maddie never wanted to have anything to do with it. And I let her pursue her own career. It was only until just recently that I was able to sign over the company to Mitch."

She dabbed at her eyes, wet from the sad memories. Hanna swallowed, feeling uncomfortable watching her cry.

When she had shed a few more tears, Ruthie spoke on. "What I'm trying to say is… You have this idea in your head, am I right, dear?" Hanna just sat there nodding silently. "You want to do something great in business, put your own label out there?" She paused to wait and see Hanna nod her head. "Well, my advice for you is, don't throw it away. You never know if there'll ever be the right time to realize any of your plans. And if you wait too long, you might never get the chance again."

She took a sip from her glass of water and continued, "If you two love each other, you will find a way to make things work. True love survives everything. Take it from me, dear. Paul and I made it through the seventies, that's something." She giggled remembering her younger years.

"Have you two been thinking about having children?"

Hanna almost choked on her Danish and her cheeks turned slightly red. "No. We've only been together for a week," she explained.

Ruthie's eyes widened in astonishment. "A week? Oh my, you look like you've been together an eternity, like high school sweethearts, so attuned to each other," she beamed at her.

"Well," Hanna concentrated on tearing a piece from her Danish, uncertain about how much she was willing to go into details about her relationship with Caleb to a complete stranger. "We had been together for four years before we broke up three years ago."

"Ha, I knew it," Ruthie grinned at her, "And you found your way back to each other after three years apart?" She laughed out loud, leaving Hanna bewildered.

Not even waiting for Hanna's response, she stood up and emptied her glass. Then she leaned down saying, "I saw you last night. You two clearly look like you are very much in love. And you both still have the hots for each othe. That always helps, too. Mark my words, you're doing fine. Just remember that a relationship is a two-way street. It's about making each other's dreams come true."

At that, she grabbed her purse and winked at Hanna one last time before she walked away just as Mitch and Caleb were returning with steaming beverages. Hanna looked after her, lost in thought.

"Sorry, that took a little longer." Mitch explained. "The directions for use were in Italian, so we were screwed and had to call a waiter to help us out."

Seeing Hanna so quiet and preoccupied, Caleb put a miniscule mug of espresso in front of her and sat down next to her again, asking "Hey, is everything all right? Sorry I left you alone for so long." He smiled at her, and Hanna tried her best to return the facial expression.

"Yeah. No. I'm fine. Did you and Mitch get to any sort of agreement by that coffee machine over there?"

XXXXX

Instead of answering her question, Caleb had winked at her asking if she'd like to take a walk to the beach when they were done with their espresso shots.

And so they were headed for the beach yet again, but this time there was no storm raging in the sky above them. It was a bright and sunny day, and Caleb found the weather matched his mood.

Within just a few days, his world had turned completely upside down with having Hanna back by his side. Just being able to bare their souls to each other and reveling in the physical closeness all over again was everything he needed right now. No job in the world could outweigh the tingling sensation in his belly every time he looked at her. There was no way he could ever have a long-distance relationship with her. That just wasn't enough for him. And talking to Mitch had made that pretty clear to him.

Now it was time to involve Hanna in this decision.

After they had reached the strip of sand behind the beach road, Caleb laced their hands and led them closer to the surf. There, they stood looking out at the sea, musing in silence, enjoying the breeze.

The issue of where they were headed from here was out there, untouched. Hanna came in first asking the unuttered question, "So, how did you decide?"

Caleb turned his head, looking at her face still looking into the distant horizon from the side. He moved their clasped hands, motioning in the two different directions, asking, "This way or that way?" meaning for them to continue their walk.

Hanna followed the movement of their joined hands with her eyes, trying to decide, squinting her eyes to see clear in the bright sunlight.

To their right side, the wooden structure of the pier could be made out in the far distance. There were a few people on the pier and fishing rods stood propped up against the rail. But it would be a long walk. How in the world had she managed to get there last night?

To their left lay the vast stretch of a deserted beach. Miles of sand as far as her eyes could see.

"Actually, I don't really feel like walking. I keep getting sand in my shoes," Hanna said with a whiny voice.

At that, Caleb chuckled, shaking his head.

That's my girl.

"Okay, then why don't we sit?" He didn't wait for her answer, but instead took off his jacket and laid it down in the sand for them to sit on. She plopped down on the make-shift blanket, and he followed after her, sitting to her right.

He instantly laid his left arm around her shoulder to pull her closer, and also to draw from her warmth. Even though the sun was shining today, the temperatures were low, and he had only put on a t-shirt in the morning. There was a steady cool breeze coming in from the east, causing their hair to ruffle up.

Hanna laid her head on his shoulder. Her mind was racing, thinking a thousand thoughts a minute of why he wouldn't answer her question in the first place.

Brushing a tousled streak of her hair out of his face and gently pushing it behind her ear, Caleb bluntly asked her, "Hanna, where do you see yourself one year from now?"

A surprised look on her face, she lifted her head again and turned to see him. Their gazes met.

His eyes bore a questioning look, yet exuded so much love, ultimately making her feel a little more at ease.

Hanna gulped and looked out at the sea again. Had somebody asked her that very same question a mere ten days ago, her answer would have come like a shot.

But now?

So much had changed. Her prime suspect behind A.D. was dead, yet she couldn't shake the feeling that the nightmare wasn't over yet. Someone had pointed a gun at Spencer and didn't miss. Then Caleb had basically proposed to her the night they made up. She was still trying to wrap her head around this.

Sitting there in the sand, feeling his arm around her shoulder and his gaze on her face, she tried to imagine what her answer would be, had it been a real proposal.

After all, this was what his question where she would see herself in the near future was aiming at.

Wasn't it?

But it was too soon for them…

All of a sudden, the answer was right there in front of her.

Maybe it had been there all along, ever since he showed up on her doorstep at the Radley Hotel, voicing his concern for her well-being after A.D. had stepped back into her life.

Caleb patiently sat waiting, combing her wild mane of hair out of both their faces every now and then, just to be able and see her beautiful face in full.

And the next moment, her mouth opened. "I picture myself surrounded by two things, in no particular order." Her eyes fell back on his face. Trying to sound sincere, she continued, "You and a job in fashion. That's what I want. I don't care where we live or how much money we make…" She stopped herself, collecting her trail of thought when his loving look almost made her confidence falter.

A small smile played around the corners of his mouth.

"Caleb, I wanted to tell you this yesterday, but somehow I couldn't because my mind was playing stupid tricks on me again. But I had a talk with Ruthie this morning, and she really made me see things clearly… made me realize what really matters to me right this moment."

Without taking her eyes off of him, she moved her arm up to grab hold of his hand that had been resting on her arm. Then she laced their fingers to support what she was about to say.

"You have already given me every chance to make my dream job come true."

"Well, not every chance," he tried cutting her off, but she wouldn't let him.

"No, please, let me finish. You paid for my college tuition, you moved to New York with me. Let me do the same for you now. If Mitch can offer you your dream job, I say you should take it. I mean I don't know if I'd be able to have my own business in Washington, but maybe I will. And if not, I'm pretty sure there's a job out there in fashion for me, too. I just have to-"

"Hanna?" Caleb calmly tried to stop her speech, causing her to frown at him. "I told Mitch I'm taking a rain check on signing a new contract with him. But he's keeping his door open for me."

He paused for significance, and Hanna shot him a skeptical look and asked, "Wh-"

Caleb cut her off, saying, "I'm giving you an entire year, so you can start your business in Rosewood and maybe make a name for yourself in fashion. Mitch wants me back and he's offering really good money, but I told him I needed another year. That's your window of opportunity. And when the year will be over, we'll just take it from there and see what's best for us. But whatever we'll decide, we'll do it together."

Hanna leaned over and kissed him. Her tentative brush against his lips soon turned more passionate, until their lips parted and both sat gasping for air.

Caleb cupped her chin, forcing her to keep her eyes on him. "When I look into my future, all I can see is you. After everything we've been through, I realized that I'm the happiest when you are happy."

Hanna looked down, smitten and at a loss for words, so Caleb had a chance to elaborate, "My job… or any job for that matter… that's just numbers and figures. It could never make me as happy as you, Hanna."

Her eyes were back on his now and the small grin on her face had turned to a sheepish grin.

Just what he had been waiting to see.

"I watched you last night… when we walked into that ballroom… how you were checking out all the dresses and accessories. The fire in your eyes was back. I felt like any moment you'd run off and ask people to switch heels and handbags."

At that, she had to laugh out loud. "Stop it, you know I would never do that."

He chimed in laughing with her, then stopped to watch her. "To be fair, you did tell Maddie her shoes would look good… in a different color!"

She remembered that conversation and turned red yet again. "Well, who wears brown heels to a charcoal dress?" She defended her audacity while at the same time thinking about Maddie's cool reaction, pulling out a spare pair of black heels from her oversized bag she had brought along just in case a heel broke. The memory made the corners of her mouth twitch.

"You see, that's just what I mean. I love it when you smile. Your beautiful smile on those damn perfect lips… That's all I need to make my day a little better. See, I'm sitting here shivering and yet I'm not feeling cold at all."

Caleb removed his arm from her shoulders and stood up, holding his hand out for her. Hanna took it and got up as well. He put his arms behind her back and pulled her closer. Their lips met again as they stood in each other's embrace.

Long moments later, Hanna broke the kiss, breathing "Do you know what I wanna do right now?"

"Does it involve a bed?" He whispered back, his voice hoarse.

Hanna scoffed at him, "No, for once it doesn't."

When he looked at her questioningly, she explained, "I wanna drive home and start drawing. My head has like a zillion ideas and I feel so energized right now. I really wanna show Lucas that the cheque he gave me is money well spent."

His eyes glistened, taking in the beautiful face of the woman in front of him, her hair blown every which way by the gusts of wind.

She was beaming, too, and he knew exactly why. It hadn't really been much of a sacrifice for him to say no to Mitch for now. Not if it meant Hanna would regain a small part of her old self, much less find delight in her life again.

With her arms still wrapped behind his neck, Caleb lifted her up, steadying his hold on her by crossing his arms behind her back, whirling them both around until the feeling of vertigo caused him to stumble and they both fell into the sand beneath their feet, giggling. Caleb had had the presence of mind to turn them over while falling so Hanna would not get hurt by his weight crashing down on her.

Enjoying the closeness of her body, he held her tight for a long moment.

"Sorry," he grinned at her.

"I love you," Hanna said smiling.

"I love you, too." He kissed her again before pushing his hand into the sand, gaining momentum to lift them both into a kneeling position.

As soon as they were standing on their feet again, Caleb picked up his jacket. Not bothering to put it back on, he grabbed Hanna's hand and pulled her along with him, saying "Now, let's get you home."

to be continued…

Yay, it's finally done. Hope you enjoyed the continuation of Haleb's weekend getaway. And if you liked it (or not), I'd be happy to read a review from you. Thank you, as always!

Zip