Page 21 of Playing with Fire

The need to get some kind of retribution on her behalfhad been and still was quite strong, but knowing that was the exact opposite of what she really needed had Beckett calming himself. After a few deep breaths, he managed to release his desire for revenge. Willa’s need for comfort and reassurance was greater than Beckett’s caveman desire to punch something, or specificallysomeone, so he did exactly as she asked and helped take her mind off her past troubles.

After spending a good amount of time reacquainting themselves and exploring one another’s bodies in the bedroom, they went out into the kitchen where Beckett made them some ham and cheese sandwiches chased by bowls of cereal while listening to Willa tell him a little more about what she might need from him going forward. It basically boiled down to not being an overbearing asshole, something that should be pretty easy for him. What would be a bit more difficult were the nuances of the situation.

Sometimes well-meaning concern for Willa’s safety could come across as condescending, just as it had when he’d worried about how she’d gotten home the other night. Beckett’s wanting to help her with a task might be construed as not trusting her to do things for herself, even if he was actually motivated by his love of aiding other people. Even something like his wanting to pay for dinner might put her on edge. A lot of how Willa handled things would depend on the day and her state of mind at the time, but Beckett’s own attitude mattered too, something that was proving difficult already.

It wasn’t the need to reel in any desire to protect or help her that was the problem, although as a public servant, it was a little ingrained in him to take charge in any situation. Rather, it was Beckett’s wanting to hit the fast-forward button on their relationship. Not being able to do that made him itch, as if his skin had been stretched too thinly over his large frame. He told Willa they could take things one day at a time, and he had meantwhat he said.

If she needed to proceed with caution, Beckett would give her that because even after only knowing her for a short while, he wanted to give Willa everything. The problem was that he wanted her so badly that he was worried about coming off as too intense. His feelings were already running pretty deep, and he knew that if he told her about them she would likely bolt faster than a rabbit chased by a fox. The last thing Willa needed was another man being too much for her or for the relationship to move too quickly. At least knowing that made taking the slow route more bearable.

With a grunt, Beckett finished his set and replaced the bar just as Chief Trilby strolled into the room, a jaunty tune whistling through his lips before they morphed into a shit-eating, though it faltered slightly once the music finally hit his ears. “What the hell is this?” He boomed. Walking over to where Dale’s phone was connected to the sound system, he took one look at the device and shook his head. “Your musical tastes could use an upgrade, probie.”

“Yes, sir,” Dale agreed with a huff. He was currently doing a set of one-armed push-ups, and for a moment it looked like the chief wanted to add a weight plate to his back, something he’d done to Beckett during his first few weeks at the department. Trilby seemed to think better of it and walked over to Beckett instead.

“Kemp,” he barked, the smile back on his face. “You’ve got yourself a visitor. She’s out front.” His eyes took in Beckett’s bedraggled appearance and turned up his nose. “Need me to stall her so you can clean yourself up a little?”

Taking a gander at the sweat-soaked shirt clinging to his torso and the athletic shorts that were fraying at the edges, Beckett wiped his damp face with a groan. It was probably a good idea to go and change, try to make himself look at leasta little bit more presentable, but then again, maybe his current state would be a good thing. They were taking things slowly and nothing pumped the brakes on a relationship faster than looking like a mess and smelling like an old gym locker.

“You know what?” Beckett remarked, popping up from the bench. “I think I’m good.”

The chief’s eyes widened as he shot a skeptical look at Beckett. “Between the probie’s music and you going out to see a beautiful woman looking like a wet gym towel, I don’t think I will ever understand people younger than me.” Shaking his head, Trilby left the gym, Beckett right behind him

“Trust me, Chief. I know what I’m doing.” Beckett would probably always be tempted to pull Willa into his arms the moment he saw her, but at least this time presenting himself to her with questionable hygiene practices in place would help ensure that while it would be difficult for him to resist, she’d have no problem doing so.

The man gave him one last look of utter disbelief before turning into his office. “If you say so,” he mumbled.

Chuckling, Beckett made his way to the front, his sure steps faltering when he took in the sight before him. Willa’s graceful body stood tall in front of the framed photo wall as she gazed over pictures of firefighters past and present. Her honey hair fell in loose waves over the bare skin of her shoulders, the smoothness on display causing his mouth to water with the need to kiss and lick every inch.

The purple dress Willa wore draped over her body in a way that outlined her gentle curves without putting them on display, stopping just below the creamy expanse of her thighs, thighs Beckett wanted to bury himself in until he was struggling to breathe. She looked like an angel and the devil on his shoulder was whispering all kinds of ideas about how to debauch her into his ear. His hands were already twitching with the need to holdher and pull her body into his, so much so that he was cursing the stupid plan he’d just formed to help him keep his distance.

After getting his fill of her beauty, Beckett cleared the lump from his throat to garner her attention. “Hey there.” Willa’s head whipped toward his, a brilliant smile pulling across her face. “I didn’t expect to see you.”

“I know,” she shrugged. Beckett followed the line of her shoulder up the side of her neck, his chest rumbling with pride when he spied the faint red mark he’d put there.

As Willa approached, Beckett’s eyes were hypnotized by the gentle sway of her hips and he started to thicken in his pants as his mind flashed back to the other day when his hands had been all over her as he slid home in one swift movement. When she was finally in front of him, her scent washed over Beckett and he nearly whimpered. Instead of letting it overtake him, he let the hint of sunshine and rainwater calm his need to drag her into his tiny station bedroom and show her just how happy he was to see her.

Beckett could practically feel Willa’s touch as her eyes raked up and down his physique, and by the look of barely tethered lust in her eyes, she was not as turned off by his sweat-soaked body as he thought she would be. “You lookgood.”

A chuckle broke free from his lungs. “Well, if I look good then you look fucking amazing, Wild Woman.” Beckett gave up on the pretense of staying away from her and opened his arms, a ridiculous smile coming over his face when she stepped into them readily. Swaying the two of them for a moment, he finally kissed the top of her head and leaned back to get another look at her. “What are you up to today?”

Willa’s eyes flicked to his lips before she dragged her tongue across her own. “What?”

Cupping her cheek with his large hand, Beckett smiled wryly at her. “I asked what you were up to today, but maybe weneed to get something else out of the way first.”

Leaning down to her, Beckett hesitated only for a split second before slanting his mouth against hers. Willa’s lips were so soft, and she tasted like the fruity cereal she loved to consume so much of. Licking her bottom lip and smiling against her mouth when she opened for him, he drove his tongue inside to get another hit. Willa whimpered as her fingers clutched at his forearms, her body plastered against his. They continued to gorge on each other until he was so uncomfortably aroused that he wasn’t sure he’d be able to walk straight for at least a few hours.

“Fuck, Willa,” Beckett breathed out. “You are making me want to do all sorts of things that aren’t allowed while I’m on the clock.”

Willa smiled mischievously up at him. “Having some workplace fantasies are we, Beck?” Nodding, he pulled her against him so she could feel just how hard she made him, her small gasp the only confirmation he needed that she got the point. “Maybe tomorrow night you can wear your uniform for me and I can play damsel in distress.”

The thought of a little role-play with Willa had his chest rumbling with need once more, but as much as he wanted it to be, this was neither the time nor the place, and he didn’t want to jeopardize his standing at the station by getting carried away. Trying to think very unsexy thoughts and not the ones that were currently playing out in his head, Beckett leaned away just enough to quell some of the heat between them.

He smiled wryly at her. “I like that idea very much, but right now I need to think about anything other than that.”

“Okay,” Willa relented, a small pout on her face. Pulling him over to the set of plush chairs, she sat them down before presenting Beckett with a small bag he hadn’t noticed before. “I originally came by to ask you to lunch on Monday and bring yousome cookies that I made.”

Smiling, Beckett opened the bag and peeked inside to see a good amount of chocolate chip cookies staring back at him. “Lunch Monday sounds wonderful, and thanks for the cookies,” he grinned. Snagging one, he took a bite and chewed, only to stop and flick his gaze over to Willa. With a 4-H champion home baker like his mom and a master chef brother who could whip up a batch of delicious cookies in minutes, Beckett was probably a harsher critic than most, and while the cookie wasn’t bad per se, it did taste a little off. “I didn’t know you baked.”

Willa waved off the comment. “Oh, I don’t really. These were the slice-and-bake ones you get at the store.” That would explain the funky flavor, but he was distracted from his cookie critique when he noticed her biting her lower lip and looking a bit nervous. “I just wanted to do something nice for you. You’ve been really understanding about the whole ditching you last week thing and being so patient with all my issues. This is me saying thanks.”

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