Chapter Nine
~Beckett~
After his visit to Willa on Wednesday, Beckett had to restrain himself from texting her the whole time she was at work, even driving himself over to the farm to help Travis manage anyone who might have come up to try and tour the orchard during the warm summer months. It turned out that a fair amount of people had opted to explore the farm and to buy some apple butter and other pantry items, so Beckett had spent most of the day holding kids up to get a better look at the growing apples and ringing up the customers at the small farm stand near the property’s entrance.
After that, his mom invited him to stay for dinner, something Beckett would never pass up on. Her home cooking was comfort food at its finest. The pot roast he devoured warmed Beckett’s belly and touched his soul just as it had when he lived there. By the time he made it back to the apartment he shared with Nate, it was almost nine o’clock. Not texting Willa was something Beckett had considered for all of about two seconds before he stretched out on his bed and pulled out his phone, smiling at her contact name as he sent one off.
Beckett: Is it too late to be texting? I wasn’t sure if you were one of those people who didn’t keep their phone on silent and I would hate it if I woke you.
Beckett waited worriedly for a reply, but his worry dissipated the moment his phone vibrated.
Wild Woman: Who doesn’t keep their phone on silent these days? And you didn’t wake me, just interrupted my nightly reading. That’s okay though. I suppose the 17 th century can wait for a minute or two.
Beckett: A time traveler, huh? I enjoy the occasional historical fiction novel myself, though lately I’ve been much more interested in current events.
Wild Woman: And what events would those be?
Smirking, Beckett typed out his reply, hoping that Willa wasn’t lying the other day when she had told him subtlety was overrated.
Beckett: Trivia night at Branch and Brew on Saturday night. I happen to be off that day and would love to take you, that is, if you’re okay being paired with someone who only knows the answers to sports questions.
Time dragged as Beckett watched the little dots dance on the screen and disappear, only to show up again. It was the worst kind of tease and his heartbeat was erratic as he waited for Willa’s reply.
Wild Woman: I think I can more than make up for any deficiencies you might have. Dinner before or during?
Apparently, Willa had been telling the truth about not being subtle. Beckett loved how direct she was despite her somewhat hesitant nature when it came to him.
Beckett: During, if that works for you. Pick you up at six?
Wild Woman: It’s a date. Goodnight, Beck.
Beckett: Sweet dreams, Wild Woman.
The dreams Beckett had between Wednesday and Saturday evening were anything but sweet. They were spicy as hell. He hoped that he and Willa could turn a few of those dreams into a reality soon. Fantasizing about Willa laid out in his bed without a stitch of clothing on seemed to be a nightly occurrence that had even spilled over into working hours. The other day Beckett was washing the fire engine when he suddenly started imagining getting Willa all wet and soapy in his shower and damn near sprayed the chief in the face when the man walked up behind him and startled Beckett out of his reverie.
Even now as Willa sat across from Beckett at the high-top table in his brother’s brewery, her body encased in a flowing, paisley dress that split so high up the middle that the creamy, ivory skin of her legs was on full display, he was having a hard time concentrating on coming up with answers to the trivia questions. Round after round came and went with him forgetting just about everything he knew about sports, statistics, and all-star player’s names vanishing with every twitch of her perfect body and lick of her pretty pink lips. All Beckett could think about was how much he wanted to haul her into his arms and kiss the hell out of her.
When he missed another easy response to the question of who won the Heisman trophy in 1985, he tossed the pencil down on the table and sat back on his stool, pouting. “Well, Bo Jackson may know football, but, apparently, I don’t know shit.”
Willa tittered at him from across the small wooden table, a smirk stretching across her pretty face. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she admitted, nabbing a fry off the plate between them.
When Willa couldn’t decide between fries or loaded potato skins, Beckett ordered both for them to split. It was worth any extra cost just to see the smile light up her face when he had. Beckett watched with rapt attention as she dragged the golden stick through a pool of red ketchup before popping it into her mouth, his breath hitching when he thought about how the combination of salty and sweet would taste on her lips. His mind was still stuck on that thought when she started speaking again.
“So what was it like growing up on an apple farm? How are you not sick of eating them?” She pointed at his apple cider glazed Brussels sprouts with peppered bacon and raised a brow.
Chuckling, Beckett shrugged and popped another bite into his mouth, enjoying the sweet and spicy flavors. “I guess it’s in my blood now,” he told her as he wiped his mouth. After pondering her question a little further, he decided to stick with the directness that had led him well thus far. “And growing up on the farm was actually as picture perfect as you can get, though I think most of that had to do with my parents as much as it did the orchard itself. Mom and Dad were pretty great, always telling us how proud they were of our accomplishments even when it was something small, and making time for each of us growing up despite being busy with not only the business but five of us running around as well.”
Willa smiled and started ticking her fingers. “It’s Aiden, then you, Travis, Nate, and Felix. Did I get it?” She looked beyond pleased at the prospect of getting his family’s names correct. That alone warmed his heart. She had shown so much interest in getting to know all about him, but one thing Beckett had noticed over the course of the evening was that when he tried to do the same, she tended to deflect.
“Yeah, you got it. Growing up as one of five wasn’t always easy, but I love my brothers and wouldn’t trade a single one of them for anything.” Reaching across the table, Beckett held his hand out palm up, hoping Willa would trust him enough to place her hand in his. When she did so with a shy smile on her lips, he felt like he may as well have won the lottery. Beckett’s arm tingled as he tried to concentrate on their conversation. “What about you? What’s your family like?”
Willa’s eyes dimmed. He worried that perhaps he had inadvertently stepped into a messy topic, but Willa lightened up again as she gazed over at him. “I didn’t have anything nearly as awesome as a bunch of brothers and apple trees to play in, but my upbringing wasn’t so bad.” She stared off into the distance.
When Willa’s gaze returned to Beckett, it was more resigned than wistful. He worried that her childhood might not have been as amazing as his. “I don’t have any siblings, but I always had friends to make up for any loneliness I felt. My parents were…” She trailed off for a moment before huffing. “Well-meaning would probably be the best word for it. They wanted what’s best for me, and still do I suppose, but what they think is best and what I do differs greatly most of the time.”
“How so?” Beckett had the feeling that it was about more than how she was raised, though clearly there was a story there as well.
Willa’s face scrunched adorably for a moment. “I don’t come from money, so when I worked hard enough to earn a college scholarship, they thought that choosing a degree in ethics and administration was a waste of a good opportunity. Things only got worse when I chose my career. They thought my desire to be an administrative assistant was aiming too low and that I should have tried harder to get a better-paying job, but I like helping people in that way. It’s not as noble or exciting as helping people as a firefighter, but it makes me happy.”
Beckett got so distracted by how much he loved her expression that he almost missed her talking again. The sight of Willa’s lips pulling into a wry smile had him laughing. “Well, I wouldn’t call washing a fire truck and getting cats out of trees exciting,” Beckett offered, running his thumb across the back of her hand, getting somewhat distracted by the feel of her silky skin. “But every now and then I get really lucky and get to play hero for a beautiful damsel in distress.”
Willa regarded him with a coy smile. “Beautiful, huh?” Her grip on his hand tightened, her finger running lightly over the rapid pulse in his wrist. Beckett was tempted to topple the table between them so he could pull her body into his, and it turned from temptation to need when he saw her tongue peek out and touch the corner of her mouth. “You’re pretty beautiful yourself, Beck.”
The words were music to his ears. Beckett seriously reconsidered his stance on public displays of affection for a moment before deciding to keep things PG. This was his brother’s place of business. He didn’t want to cause Felix any trouble. Furthermore, Applewood was a small town. There was no need to add fodder to the rumor mill, even if he wouldn’t care if the whole town knew how badly he wanted Willa. Still, he wasn’t sure how much longer he could stand sitting across from her without having tasted her at least once.
“Thank you.” Beckett’s eyes darted to the back door of the brewery as a light bulb went off in his mind. “Say, have you ever actually seen how cider is stored?” Willa shot him a questioning look, which was understandable given how cider storage was about as exciting as watching paint dry, before shaking her head. “Want to?”
“Sure.” At her agreement, Beckett slipped from his stool, his hand never leaving hers as Willa followed him to the back room where Felix kept the payoff of all his cider brewing. His brother was currently busy behind the bar, but he gave Beckett an approving nod when he saw him approach the door.
“It helps to be related to the owner,” Beckett explained. Pushing open the door, he led Willa inside and over to the line of barrels standing in the center of the room and glass growlers on shelves. For a minute, he attempted to explain why Felix aged the cider in them instead of something else before he gave up the ruse and pulled her into the darkened corner. “I actually don’t know what the hell I’m talking about. I just needed to kiss you and didn’t want to do that in a room full of people.” His eyes darted to her lips before he leaned down, pausing when he was halfway to her mouth. “How do you feel about that?”
Willa gulped as her eyes met his, the light green glowing brightly in the low light of the storage room. “I feel pretty damn good about it.” She licked her bottom lip. Beckett practically groaned as he watched her tongue trace along the delicate skin. “In fact, right now I’m wondering what’s taking you so long to make your move.”
With one swift slide of her hand onto the back of Beckett’s neck, Willa pulled him down to her. Her assured movements surprised him, but at the first taste of tart apple from the cider that lingered in her mouth, his shock faded and he got with the program. His hands moved to her hips, loving the feel of her strong yet delicately slender frame under his fingers as he pulled it toward his. When Willa licked his upper lip, Beckett slid his tongue into her mouth, tasting the real her for the first time. She was sweet with just the slightest lingering bit of spice, ginger maybe. He took in her flavors.
Beckett’s back hit the wall with a thud as Willa pressed herself up against him, undoubtedly feeling just how hard he was for her already. He groaned into her mouth, loving her forcefulness. He would give her everything he could to keep this momentum going. When his hands slid closer to her ass, Willa pulled back suddenly, her chest rising and falling with quick breaths.
“Too much?” Beckett’s hands started to move away, but Willa placed hers on top and slid them back, a few strands of gold falling into her eyes as she shook her head.
Beckett marveled at Willa’s beauty, noting that her pupils widened and her cheeks reddened. The sight puffed his chest out with pride. “Not too much.” She kissed his cheek and whispered in his ear, “I want more.” When Willa leaned back, Beckett saw a look of pure, unadulterated lust on her face and his already rock-hard cock knocked against the denim of his jeans, straining to break free. “Take me back to your place?”
Beckett smirked as he leaned closer, never wanting to be further away from her again unless he absolutely had to. “I would ask if you’re sure, but you look like a woman who knows her own mind.”
Willa watched as Beckett adjusted himself as discreetly as possible, smiling slyly at him. “Smart man.” She laced their fingers together and tugged on his arm. “Shall we?”
Nodding, Beckett took her hand and pulled her back through the door to the restaurant. Slapping some cash on the table, he gathered the light wrap Willa had brought and held it up to her, smiling when she turned around and let him slip it over her shoulders. After a nod to Felix and a wave to Lottie from Willa, they practically sprinted from Branch and Brew like there were hungry bears snapping at their feet. As Beckett drove them to his place, his hunger for Willa grew exponentially. He knew it would only continue the longer he was with her.