Chapter 11

Seeing Beckett in the ER was a happy surprise. He stood in the hallway in his uniform and looked positively edible. Outside his home, he was so calm and in control that it made it difficult to reconcile with the shy, quiet guy who called me Daddy. Just the idea that I got to see a hidden part of him was enough for my dick to take notice. I knew standing there ogling him like a creep was poor form, but I couldn't help it. He was like a sculpture that needed to be admired.

When I'd originally been called down here, it was to speak with Mr. McCade. The doctor had told me to hold off on it as they were having trouble getting his blood pressure under control and didn't want to upset him by bringing up potential issues they couldn't resolve right now. Because I wanted to keep looking at Beckett, I'd stayed in the ER to do my paperwork. It was slow-going because I kept stopping to admire the scenery. And by scenery, I meant his ass. You could bounce a quarter off that perfection.

My eyes narrowed when I noticed that Jude, one of the EMTs for the fire department, was checking out Beckett as he stoodin the hallway updating his notes after speaking with McCade. We had decided to be exclusive while this played out and, bless him, I'd bet money Beckett was completely clueless about Jude eye-fucking him.

I, however, was not, and he was sniffing at the wrong damn tree. I'd chatted with Beckett earlier, but it was time to stake my claim. At least for now, Beckett was mine, and the EMT gym-bro could get his kicks elsewhere.

Tonight was my monthly bar trivia night, and I was going to have a date. I made my way over to Beckett, where he'd moved to the extra desk to finish his paperwork. As I approached, he looked up and gave me a small smile. Prior to today, he'd always been very detached and almost stone-faced. That smile turned me to goo.

But my baby was going out with his Daddy tonight. And that Jude would be there because he never missed a trivia night when he was off-duty was just a bonus. He'd definitely get a clear understanding that Beckett was off-limits to him. As a first date, trivia night at a pub wasn't great, but I'd make it up to him soon. But tonight, we would go out and have some fun. I just needed to get him to agree.

I sidled up to the desk right next to Beckett. I leaned down and whispered close to his ear, "Hey, sweetheart, any plans for tonight?" It was hard not to laugh at the shock on his face at the nickname. Speechless was a good look on him.

"No," he hissed. "You can't call me that here." I looked around to make sure no one was paying attention. Everyone was occupied except Jude, and he watched Beckett like he was the last steak at a buffet. Get jealous, motherfucker.

Beckett glanced around with wide eyes, but there was no hiding the blush that tinged his cheeks. "C'mon, tell me who I am," I cajoled. Absolutely no one could hear us and a quick glance down at Beckett's lap made it clear he was into it.

"Daddy, you shouldn't talk like that here." Well, fuck me, I'd just played myself. His words went straight to my cock. A shift in position alleviated the obviousness of my problem. Beckett took a furtive glance down and then smirked. "Looks like you've got a problem, Daddy. Everything okay?"

"Yeah, baby, everything is wonderful. It's going to be great because you are coming out with me tonight."

Ha! Beckett rarely put on his stoic mask with me, and I loved it. The surprise on his face was priceless. "Tonight is trivia night at the Sea Shanty. We have a team, and well, we suck, but you are going to join us." I could tell he was gearing up to argue with me. "Sweetheart, could you give me an hour? I promise if you hate it or my team, we'll leave."

The Sea Shanty was already crowded when we arrived at the pub that sat on the marina. Trivia night had cheap beer and burgers, so it wasn't that hard to be okay with losing every damn week. I wasn't lying when I said we were terrible. We were bad. The best I could offer about us was that we tried hard. When we arrived, we went straight for the table to claim our seats and get our order in ASAP.

As much as I wanted to stake an over-the-top claim on Beckett in public, I knew it'd mortify him. For tonight, I would just be his handsy friend. His close friend. His overprotective friend, who would make sure Jude knew Beckett wasn't available. I swear, I'd piss in a circle around him if I thought I could get away with it.

At our usual table by the window were Jessie, Alyssa, and Thayer, all from other departments in the hospital. I tugged Beckett along to stand by me so I could introduce him to everyone at the table.

"Everyone, this is Beckett, my friend and neighbor. Beckett, this is Jessie, Thayer, and Alyssa." They all raised their hands in greeting and made room for us at the table. I knew Beckett would be nervous about being out with us, so I maneuvered myself to sit next to him. Beckett hunched his shoulders and ducked his head. My friends, like me, were a bunch of geeks, so I hoped that not being loud and aggressive at the table would help him feel more at ease.

Thayer, bless him, was one of the most gentle people I knew. "Thanks for helping our team tonight. You should make Will buy your dinner for making you join the perpetual last-place finishers. I'll be happy if we aren't complete losers in the rankings again this year. Oh! You can be our secret weapon."

Beckett gave him a tight but real smile and said, "I don't know about all that, but I can try." The MC called for everyone to get quiet so she could start calling the questions. As usual, they started with seafaring questions as a nod to the island's heritage.

Who knew that asteroid 316201 was named after Nobel Prize winner Malala Yousafzai Nobel? Beckett. That the lost years of Shakespeare were from 1585 to 1592? Beckett. That gorilla nose wrinkles could identify different individuals? Beckett. Inchon Landing changed the course of the Korean War? Beckett. The largest LEGO model ever built was a full-size working Bugatti? Beckett.

My baby was a trivia god.

Doing well in the trivia standings tonight was an amazing surprise, but nothing compared to the beauty of seeing Beckett's face light up with excitement after every correct answer. He came out from behind the mask he showed the world and smiled, high-fived, and even let me hold his hand a few times under the table. Beckett was happy. Between his twinkling eyes and relaxed posture, it was a breathtaking look.

It was hard not to imagine what it would be like if he let this thing between us be real instead of a situationship. When he suggested it, of course I said yes, but I'd known I wanted something real then too. Maybe I shouldn't read so much into his shy smiles, but if he let himself, he might want that too. Alyssa's nudge jolted me out of my thoughts.

"Dude, come back to planet Earth. I don't know where you found this guy, but we need him to come back next time. Look at that! We aren't in last place anymore. We are leaving the basement!" Alyssa pointed out the new standings on the chalkboard up on the wall. "I am so tired of being a loser."

"Sorry, my girl, but you're gonna stay a loser regardless of our trivia score." Alyssa laughed as expected, and even Beckett chuckled. Glancing around the room, I saw Jude sitting with the Hose Heros team—ego much?—and speculatively eyeing our table. Back the fuck up.

I slid my chair closer to Beckett and did the classic high-school stretch to put my arm over the back of it. He gave me a sidelong look, but I just gave him an innocent smile in return. Beckett said it was just an experiment, but I wanted to stay as the only one experimenting with him. Because I wasn't above petty, I made a point of catching Jude's gaze. He raised an eyebrow, and I responded with a toothy smile.

I wasn't giving up my spot in line to the handsome medic with golden skin and a sly smile. Jude was too cocky and loud. Beckett needed someone who would protect him and move at his pace. Someone more like me. Yeah, absolutely no one was moving in on Beckett except me.

Beckett was mine for as long as he'd have me.

"Baby, you ready to head out of here?" I whispered in his ear. I couldn't help myself. I knew I shouldn't call him that in public, but his wide eyes and faint flush were too cute for words. His quick nod was all the agreement I needed.

"You guys, we are going to head on home." I ignored the chorus of boos directed at me. My friends loved Beckett, just like I knew they would.

Yes, he was our new secret weapon on Team Support Syndicate, but it was more than that. When he was around people who didn't have expectations of how he should act or who appreciated his love of books, the stone facade dropped, and the real Beckett shone through. I could tell he was happy.

Even in this noisy bar, I'd created a cocoon for him because I was his Daddy and that was my calling. But this was enough peopling for one day, and now, I wanted Beckett all to myself.

After another round of insults to me and saying goodbye to Beckett, we headed out to the parking lot. My hand twitched with the urge to take his. I wanted to claim Beckett in front of our entire town or, at a minimum, the bar. I was so proud of him and how he'd stepped out of his comfort zone. He deserved a reward, and my mouth watered at the idea of giving him one.

Once we were alone in the parking lot, the urge to touch him was too much to resist. My hand went involuntarily to his, and I entwined our fingers. Beckett squeezed my fingers gently in return and kept his hand in mine.

He'd already told me there was no way in hell he'd let me drive when he was around, and it wasn't a hill to die on. My man card was still firmly intact.

At my car, I opened the door for him to slide into the driver's seat. I went to the other side and got in. Once inside, I leaned across the seat to check his seatbelt. The move brought his mouth dangerously close to mine, and the temptation was too much for me. I gave him a brief kiss on his delicious pink lips.

"Thank you for coming tonight, baby. I'm so proud of you." The blush that I loved so much bloomed across Beckett's cheeks.

"Thank you for inviting me, Daddy. I had fun." Beckett looked like he had more to say, so I stayed quiet. "Do you think your friends liked me, Daddy?" He said it in such a lost voice that I knew there was more to it than just a silly game.

"Baby, of course, they liked you. You're super smart, funny, and pretty to look at," I added with a wink. "What's not to like. What's this about?" Beckett looked down at his lap and gave a little shrug.

"I know that my quiet comes across as an asshole, and I didn't want them to think that. Sometimes…" Beckett paused and took a deep breath before he continued, "Sometimes, I get lonely."

"Baby, they liked you because"—I paused between my next words to give him a gentle kiss—"you are a likable guy."

Beckett's smile and blush were back. I would never get tired of the unexpected gift of his smiles. They were so rare with anyone but me that I wanted to stash them away like a dragon's hoard.

Our neighborhood wasn't far from the bar, but with the trees, the deer, the lack of streetlights, and the windy, narrow roads, driving at night required full attention. Sitting close to Beckett and not having my hands on him was hard. I reached over to grasp his hand that lay in his lap and moved it to my jean-clad thigh. I felt the warmth of it all the way to my core.

"Baby, will you come home with me?" I quickly glanced over, and Beckett was stone-faced as he looked forward.

His fingers flexed on my thigh, though, and my cock, which had been low-grade chubbed all night, stiffened to attention. It was all in for some fun if Beckett was interested, and judging by the way he kept flexing his fingers, he absolutely was.

I directed Beckett to pass his driveway and pull into mine. Once there, he shut off the car and sat quietly.

Still in the car, I turned to him and asked the question I should have thought about before now. "Baby, are you okay with coming in? I know being around people takes it out of you, and you were around them at work and tonight. If you want to skip coming in, it will be fine, and I will still like you just as much tomorrow as I do today."

Beckett turned to look at me but said nothing. I held my breath and waited for him to decide what he wanted. He leaned over the center console and kissed me gently on the lips. I couldn't control my sharp intake of breath.

He peppered gentle kisses along my jawline while his hand continued to knead my thigh. "Daddy, I want to come inside with you."

My control slipped, and I crashed my lips onto his. My tongue snaked along the seam of his mouth. With a sigh, he opened his mouth, and I groaned deep in my throat. Beckett was oblivious to his sexiness. I couldn't keep my hands off the body he'd sculpted to perfection. My fingers traced a path from his abs to his pecs to his shoulders.

Beckett had allowed me his mouth, and my tongue thrust forward to claim his own. He tasted like the sweet coffee he'd been drinking at the pub and the unique taste that was all Beckett. His tongue stroked against mine in a frenzied dance.

We kissed until we both panted with the need for air. With a gasp, we broke apart and gulped air to fill our empty lungs. As if pulled by an invisible string, our foreheads came together. His breaths came in puffs as he tried to get his breathing under control.

One of my hands still gripped his fingers, and I raised the other to cup his face. His jawline was sharp and the stubble on his face was prickly soft against my fingers. Did he lean into my hand, seeking its warmth? Reassurance? Whatever it was, I wanted to give him any damn thing he wanted. My body vibrated with need, and I could feel the same coursing through Beckett.

The small confines of the car allowed for little movement. I needed to feel more of him. It seemed like my thoughts were preoccupied with him more every day. It wasn't a hardship, but it was a distraction.

"Baby," I groaned, "c'mon. I don't need to get arrested for indecent exposure."

Beckett smiled against my lips, and it felt like I'd won all the sports-ball trophies. I undid his seatbelt. It did something to me deep down when he stayed put after I asked him to hold on.

Beckett didn't need me to open his car door, but it made me feel like the Daddy I wanted to be for him. Beckett shyly looked down and gave his thanks when I grabbed his hand to walk up the flagstone path to the front door.

It occurred to me this was the first time Beckett had been to my home since we'd met. When I'd moved in a year and a half ago, the yard had been an overgrown mess. Countless hours had been spent cleaning it up, and I was proud of the perennial cottage garden I'd created. As pleased as I was to have him see it, right now was not time for a tour of my ferns.

Beckett quietly waited for me to unlock the door, but the knob turned easily in my hand. Oops.

"Shit. I forgot to lock the door again." Beckett's face went from soft to granite in the blink of an eye.

"What did you say?"

"Yeah, I know, it's terrible. I always forget to lock it."

"Will, are you serious? Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?"

Beckett, my baby, was gone, and a pissed-off cop had replaced him. Shit. "I need you to go back to the car and wait for me. Lock. The. Doors. When I've cleared the house, I'll come get you." His tone told me arguing was not an option, so I gave him a curt nod and hurried back to the car.

He waited by the door until I was in the car and gave him the thumbs-up that the doors were locked. He turned back to the front door and went inside.

A few minutes passed before Beckett came back to the front door and beckoned me into the house. I got out of the car, carefully locking it behind me, and met him on the front porch.

In the harsh light, I could see his mouth was in a grim line and his eyes were black with fury. Before I could get a sound out, Beckett held up his hand in the universal sign of stop. I closed my mouth without a sound and waited.

Beckett closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and made an obvious effort to control his fury. "Leaving your doors unlocked is not safe. It is especially unsafe when there is a string of burglaries we are no closer to solving. Mr. McCade was hurt today in a burglary."

Beckett's voice and body vibrated with anger. I could see his worry and concern, and I felt like shit for being the one to put it there.

Beckett wasn't ready to hear my apology, and I let him continue uninterrupted. "Your door needs to be locked all the time. If you are home, your door is locked. If you leave, your door is locked. Lock your goddamn door every goddamn time."

Beckett's voice rose as he spoke. He was full-on shouting by the time he got to the end. He loomed over me, fists clenched at his side, and bit out, "Daddy, do you fucking understand me?"

"Beckett, you're right. I'm sorry, and it won't happen again." There was really nothing else left to say. He was right, and I was wrong. The end.

Beckett took his job as a police officer seriously, and his anger was part of that, but in the deepest recesses of my brain, I hoped that part of his reaction was because he was falling for me the way I was for him.

It was never far from the forefront of my mind that he'd been the one who'd called this an experiment, and I'd gone along with that so I could get closer to him. Warning sirens screamed that I might be the only one who thought this was a relationship with potential, but damned if I would listen to my own good sense.

With the house cleared, Beckett let me inside. Of course I knew what my house looked like—the beige couch, the mostly dead houseplants on the window sill, the clutter on the coffee table. It looked like someone was around here, but it didn't look like a home, except for the kitchen. In there, I had recipe books, pot holders my mom had made, fruits and veggies that weren't about to die—very much unlike my houseplants.

For the most part, my house had about the same level of personality as a mid-range extended-stay hotel. When I compared it to the nest Beckett had created in his home, I realized how cold and sterile it was.

I instantly regretted coming back to my house. When I was at his house, I felt all the love and care he'd put into it. No one could walk into that man's house and not feel like they were in someone's home. Mine, on the other hand, was more like you'd expect to get a bill under the door that reminded you to check out by eleven or get an extra charge. My expression turned sour, and I tried to hide it from Beckett. This cold, sterile place was a mistake.

"Daddy, are you okay? I shouldn't have yelled like that, but you being hurt like Mr. McCade kept popping into my mind, and I saw red. If you want me to go, I'll understand."

All the fight had gone out of Beckett, and I knew instantly that all the peopling today had indeed caught up with him at once. I hated that he thought I might be upset with him instead of myself. My dumbass forgot to lock the door, and he had every right to be upset, especially after having to take the older man to the hospital.

"No, sweetheart. I'm just mad at myself."

"It's common for people to be unsettled after a burglary scare. I know you didn't have one, but my reaction probably put it in your mind. If you want, you can stay over at my house tonight." The damn blush that I found irresistible was back on his cheeks.

I must have spent too much time enjoying it because Beckett started fidgeting. "You know what? That's a stupid idea. Of course you're fine. You're not a kid. I'm just gonna go. Thanks for inviting me tonight." As he spoke, Beckett turned to leave, and I had to grab a belt loop on his jeans to keep him there.

"Baby, I was actually thinking how sterile the inside of my house looks and how much I love the nest you've created in yours. I should get some decorating advice from you."

I couldn't resist pulling his body into mine and plastering myself against his backside. I felt his breath sharpen when I wrapped my arms around his torso. I dropped small kisses across his muscled back between his shoulder blades, and his stomach muscles twitched in response.

"Let me pack a bag."