Page 72 of A Not So Merry Rescue
“Good plan.” I submergea corner of the grilled cheese in thetomato soup and put it in my mouth. It’s the ideal temperature and the perfect combination of savory flavors. Beckett watches my every move, waiting for my reaction. “Wow. Delicious.”
“There’s something special about Bonnie’s soup. I’ve tried recreating it, yet it’s never as good.”
“That shocks me. The meals coming out of your kitchen are delicious, too.”
He nods, not quite accepting the praise. I’m no food critic, but when flavors and ingredients appeal to me, I’m the first one to let the cook know.
We fill the rest of the meal with idle chitchat, not getting back to his earlier proposition. Once our tummies are full and fed, Beckett doesn’t allow me to pay the bill. We walk out of the cafe, his hand on the small of my back. It’s not possessive or anything but a quiet gesture, a comfort. His touch alone sends warmth through my body. It’s both a good and bad problem to have.
“What time do your duties require your attention?” He switched the truck for the SUV and opens the passenger door for me.
“I’m trying to get out of them, but I don’t think my sister will let me.”
My lips draw into a frown. “Why would you want to get out of them?”
“More time with you.” He doesn’t allow me to get a response to his statement. He also doesn’t take his eyes off me as he rounds the hood of the car, his expression stoic. Does he do these things on purpose to rile me up?
I’m guessing yes. He likes the rise he gets and enjoys throwing me off-kilter.
Well, he hasn’t seen anything yet.
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beckett
I expected a response.Any answer to my statement. Instead, I’m met with silence as I climb behind the wheel.
Maybe I finally pushed her too far out of her comfort zone and I need to back down. The combination of the conversation about having sex in public and wanting to shirk my duties to spend more time with her is her breaking point.
Damn, if I fucked this up for myself, I’m gonna be pissed. Guess I should have let what was transpiring between us happen naturally. I always have to be the nudge, the one to take it just beyond the line of uncomfortableness.
“Shit, I can’t do this.”
Her words filter in slowly through the hazy fog of uncertainty in my mind.
I’ve yet to start the car, so I twist to face her. “Can’t do what?” I hesitate, not sure I want the answer but asking it anyway, needing to be on the same page as her. Even if it’s not where I want to be, I’m not the guy to take what she isn’t offering.
“Feign indifference of wanting to spend more time with you. Pretend I don’t want to find out what else is on your agenda for today. Fake that our earlier conversation didn’t dredge upfeelings to turn me on.” Her sentences come out in a long whoosh, and Willa gulps air to refill her lungs.
Instead of responding with words, I pick up my wallet from the console, checking I have at least one condom, praying for two. They’re not expired because it hasn’t been long since I put them in there. Holding them out to her, I inquire, “You trust me?”
“Yes.” No hesitation. Which I admire and love about her.
Errr, not love. Greatly like. I greatly like the way she doesn’t hesitate.
For fuck’s sake. It’s way too soon for the “L“ word in any capacity with Willa.
I abolish these wayward thoughts. “Great. Let’s do it.”
I start the car and work out where this can happen. When I suggested it, I didn’t think it all through. Where we would go if she said yes. I hadn’t planned for her agreement. I had hope, but I couldn’t gauge how she’d react. If she’d accept it. Now that she has, I have to reassess the plan.
It’s too cold for much. If it was spring or fall, I’d take her to the park, set up a blanket, and go to town.
I don’t really want to do it in the car, but it’s a last resort.
Willa rearranges the strap of her bra that’s fallen and the best idea hits me. And it hits on three different pleasure points: sex in public, getting to see what’s underneath her clothes sooner rather than later, and letting her pick out something new. A souvenir to remember me—and this escapade.
I direct the car to the mall in the next city over. She’ll have her choice of Victoria’s Secret or Soma. From what I can gather, hers come from less commercializedstores, but this will do in a pinch.
