Hello everyone! Just wanted to say thanks to all you lovely people who have been kind enough to leave a comment on the last few chapters. I'm so glad that people found this story, and the feedback is very motivational! :D

There was supposed to be plotty things happening in this chapter, but the characters would not cooperate. Therefore, what we have is basically fluff. With a little extra smut. And some cuteness. Della and Bell better not get used to this treatment! More notes at the bottom, as usual (you guys know I can't keep my mouth shut for long)!

The Arrangement
Chapter 5

Dawn arrived all too quickly for William Bell, which probably had something to do with the fact that he had been up having wildly passionate and energetic sex for half the night. Now that he and Della had taken that definitive step, he found he couldn't get enough- not that he was the only one. She had awakened him first with a series of strategically placed kisses at one o'clock in the morning, sliding on top of him and initiating a second round that had him gripping her hips and grinding himself breathlessly upward into her willing body while she braced her hands on his shoulders and rode him with enthusiasm. Several hours later it was his turn to choose the terms. He'd buried his face between her thighs and teased her with his tongue and his fingers until she cried out in abandon, then flipped her over and fucked her hard, driving in and out relentlessly as she grasped the headboard. In point of fact he was totally shagged out, and it felt bloody fantastic.

Looking over at the clock on the bedside table, he sighed. If he didn't move soon, he would be hard pressed to make it home for a change of clothes before heading into the station. For once, it seemed, he had a reason to wish for that locker full of clean shirts that he had never allowed himself to accumulate. He had reversed positions with Della at some point during the night, waking with his lips on her shoulder and his nose buried in her hair. One arm was wrapped possessively around her exposed torso, joined in its total body embrace by a leg thrown across her lower half. He extricated himself slowly, noting her sleepy noise of displeasure as he rose.

Bell managed to find his boxers and his shirt, throwing them on haphazardly and moving toward the bedroom door with quiet purpose. There was movement from the bed, and he looked back to see Della's disheveled head peeking at him curiously. "And where d'you think you're going?"

He stifled a smile, observing that her accent seemed a bit stronger in her drowsy state. He walked back to the bed, placing a lingering kiss to her forehead as she reached out sleepily. Managing to resist her attempts to ensnare him, he chuckled. "Don't you worry about me. I've got a very important task to attend to- I assume there's coffee somewhere in this flat?"

Della waved a listless arm in the general direction of the kitchen. "Second cabinet." With that she rolled onto her front, burying her face into the pillow.

After determining which of Della's many cabinets was the fabled second one, Bell put the ever-important coffee on to brew and made an effort to locate his remaining clothes. Most were a bit rumpled, and the necktie was patently unnecessary. He stuffed it into the pocket of his miraculously dry overcoat once it had been retrieved from the carpet in the entryway and given a good shaking out. He hung the overcoat next to the door along with Della's denim jacket. Locating the remaining piece of his suit somewhere in the middle of the sitting room, he smoothed the jacket as best he could and draped it over the back of the sofa.

Returning to the bedroom in his shirtsleeves and wrinkled trousers, he arrived just in time to find Della leaning over to shut off the alarm clock. She had pulled on what appeared to be a well-worn Led Zeppelin t-shirt, bare legs hanging off the side of the bed. She peeked up at him, eyes fixing hungrily… on the cup of coffee he was holding toward her. She beckoned, shuffling back onto the bed and inviting him to sit.

They sipped their coffee in comfortable silence, leaning against the headboard, shoulders touching. Della's head tilted to the side in an aspect of surprise as she swallowed. "This is exactly the way I like my coffee. How did you…?"

There was a long pause before his answer, as the two of them had forgotten themselves and found both their glances straying from eyes to lips and back again. Regaining his composure, Bell answered with a shrug. "We've had coffee together several times now. They didn't make me a chief inspector for nothing, you know."

"Us journalists know these kinds of things too."

"Is that so? How do I take mine, then?" He lifted his mug above her eye level. "No peeking."

Della regarded him with amusement, quirking an eyebrow. "Hmm. William Bell. Strong, silent type. Tough on the outside but secretly rather sweet. Got to be black, two sugars."

Deflating, he shot her an astonished look as his arm returned to a more natural position. "You really are ridiculously clever, aren't you?"

She laughed in response, leaning against his shoulder. "Yes, but that's beside the point. We had coffee just last week, remember? Women are more observant that way, it's quite natural that I noticed."

"Only if you were… you know, looking." He placed his nearly-empty mug on the bedside table and glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

Her arm reached slowly across his body, depositing her own cup next to his. Instead of withdrawing, Della leaned closer, rising onto her knees and facing him. He could feel her breath on the side of his face. "I was looking."

It was impossible to tell which one of them moved first, but in the next moment they were kissing frantically. Their lips melted together, tongues stroking as he pulled her into his lap. She pressed herself against him, grasping the hopelessly rumpled collar of his shirt with both hands. He was dimly aware of the fact that she was most likely naked under the t-shirt she was wearing, and he made a small noise in the back of his throat as his hand slid up the outside of her thigh and just beneath the hem of the oversized garment. His other hand traveled up the back of her neck and into her hair. She seemed to take this as encouragement, straddling his upper thighs and tugging at his buttons.

"Mmmph, we shouldn't-" His voice broke as she licked along his collarbone and nibbled his earlobe. "I need to get to the station."

She ran her hands over his exposed chest, meeting his eyes with a fiery expression. "We'll have to make it quick, then." She scrambled to unfasten his belt and trousers and pull them over his hips, and he couldn't resist. His fingers found their way inside her shirt, gliding up her ribcage to tease a breast. His other hand wound further into her hair, tugging gently to expose her neck. She arched into him, squirming against the pronounced hardness now only concealed by his boxer shorts and vocalizing her pleasure by way of a small moan.

Mouthing at her throat, he felt one of her deft hands working him as she managed to free his erection from his boxers and stroke along its length. "Jesus, Della…" He released his grip on her hair, brushing his fingers over her flushed face where it hovered inches from his own. Della caught his index finger with her lips as it ghosted by, sucking it into her mouth and caressing it with her tongue and teeth.

Neither party seemed to mind the fact that they were both still half-dressed as she slid herself onto him. They swallowed each other's impassioned groans with a brief kiss as he wrapped an arm around her lower back beneath the old t-shirt she still wore, giving him enough leverage to increase the delicious friction as she rose up and pushed back down. His other hand continued to explore the contours of her body as he leaned against the headboard, wanting to feel every inch of her skin at once.

He could tell that she wasn't joking- at this rate it was going to be quick. Her breathing was already erratic, warm brown eyes glazed with desire as they locked onto his.

Leaning into his wandering hands, Della braced one of her own on the wall above them and stroked the other up the center of his torso to the junction of his neck and shoulder. He could feel her tremble, moving her hips in a swift and rhythmic back and forth motion with his cock buried deep inside. "Love the way you touch me. William…!"

Tightening his one-armed grip on her waist, Bell growled and thrust himself upward, desperate for them to come together. "Ohhh fuck that's good-" He trailed off, no longer capable of speech as her inner muscles squeezed and pulsed uncontrollably. She wrapped both arms around his neck and began to come apart, writhing and twisting in his hungry grasp as he exploded right along with her. He bit down hard on the soft spot just below her ear as he came in a flood, crushing her body against his and forcing her downward to prolong the sensual onslaught.

The two regained their senses after a long moment of happily fizzing euphoria, breathing in tandem. Both of his arms were still inside her shirt, holding her loosely while her body was draped across his torso with her head resting on his shoulder. She spoke first. "I hope you won't be too late."

"I'm a DCI. I'm never late- if I'm the last one in it just means everyone else happened to arrive early." He brushed her hair away from her face, gifting her with a rare unguarded smile. She returned it, leaning back far enough to straighten his collar and refasten a few of his shirt buttons.

The soft look she was giving him made his insides feel oddly tight and fluttery, and all he could think to do was to pull her head back down to his chest and hold her in his arms. God he was in deep, and he wasn't sure if the embrace was a celebration of this newfound tenderness, or if he simply couldn't handle being looked at that way and needed to hide. Either way, he wasn't ready to let go just yet- the crimes of Greater London would have to wait just a few more contented minutes.

xxxxx

Loved up. It was the only way to describe how Della felt, puttering aimlessly around her kitchen and trying to concentrate on the crockery as she listened to the subtle sounds of Bell moving around her flat. Yes, she knew it was far too soon to use words like that. Being a grown woman, of course she knew- a few intense shags, even coupled with a surprising amount of post-coital snuggling, did not warrant use of the 'L' word. Unfortunately knowing and feeling are two different things, and the butterflies in her stomach did not want to conform to the guidelines of mature pragmatism.

She had called into the office and told them she would be running a little late, which was unusual for Della but not completely unheard of. Bell walked into her line of vision and she looked over her shoulder at him, feeling very exposed in her brother's old and oversized Led Zeppelin t-shirt and some plain cotton knickers she had hastily thrown on. He stepped into the kitchen fully suited up and halfway through the act of pulling on his overcoat, looking more or less like the uncompromising DCI once again. The only noticeable incongruity was the absence of his necktie, which simply served to bring back memories of yanking it loose and tossing it over her shoulder last night.

Clearing his throat, he stood awkwardly in the entryway to the kitchen. Della blushed as she turned toward him and tugged at the hem of the t-shirt. Good god woman, get it together. You had the man naked in your bed all night long, what are you getting so jumpy about?

"Well, I should…" He gestured toward the door, rubbing at the back of his neck in what appeared to be a nervous gesture.

Della nodded, rocking on the heels of her bare feet as she peered up at him. "Right. Umm… bye then." She didn't know what to do with her hands, or the rest of her body for that matter. The awkwardness stretched. She wanted to kiss him one more time, but she wasn't sure if that option was still in play. Her brain was spinning so wildly that she almost didn't notice when he reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her against him.

He held her gently, his masculine scent enveloping her. She was interested to note that without any shoes she needed to go up on tiptoe to press her lips to his, even as he bent to meet her halfway. Della's nerve endings buzzed in approval. His height was certainly a scrumptious feature, along with many other things about him. The kiss was brief, but tantalizingly sweet. As they broke apart, her eyes were drawn to his.

"I'll call you later then?" It was more of a statement than a question, but he seemed to be waiting for her answer, or perhaps her permission. His irises were a calm ocean blue, with no sign of clouds on the horizon.

Smoothing down the front of his coat as a thinly veiled excuse to keep touching him, she smiled. "Okay. I'll be at the office until 6, maybe later."

In this they shared an understanding; both of their professions were highly unpredictable, so there was no way of being sure when they would have a chance to see each other again. And work wasn't the only complication- what about Bell's wedding ring? Della hadn't allowed herself to consider it during their night of unrestrained passion, but her conscience would never rest until she heard the truth of his situation from his own mouth. If they spent another night like this together, she would have to ask him. As for what she would do with that information once she finally had it…?

A smile flickered across his face as he turned to depart, one small quirk of the lips that made Della's insides twist. Whatever she found out, would it really matter? She was so far gone that she wasn't sure she could stop this now that they had started. Bell hesitated as he reached the door, spinning on his heel and stalking back to her. She found herself pressed up against the kitchen counter, arms flying around his neck as his tongue plundered her mouth. One of his hands cupped the side of her face, while the other wrapped around her waist and bunched the fabric of her t-shirt. Her knees felt like jelly as he finished the kiss by sucking gently on her bottom lip before releasing it, leaning his forehead against hers for a precious few seconds before he stepped back.

"Bye." Bell shot one more heated glance over his shoulder as he walked quickly away, opening the door and striding out into the corridor.

Leaning against the counter for support as the door clicked shut behind him, Della wondered how she was going to survive a whole day in the newsroom with thoughts like these running through her head. It's a good thing my colleagues aren't mind-readers, she thought, gathering the strength to propel herself toward the shower. What Della didn't realize was that no mind-reading would be necessary once the rest of the Herald staff spotted the rather obvious love bite she was sporting just below her left earlobe…

xxxxx

These two may have gotten a reprieve in this chapter, but contrary to what Bell's pretty blue irises may believe there are storm clouds on the horizon! Next chapter we'll return to your regularly scheduled angst and infuriating string of misunderstandings. Please don't hesitate to drop me a line and let me know what you think so far! :D