DAY 8: Dealing with it
Despite popular belief, Kate Beckett was not a bad cook. The infamous Styrofoam temple in her old apartment had merely been a testament to her busy schedule, not to her abilities in the kitchen.
Kate usually enjoyed cooking, loved the smells that reminded her of home, liked to experiment with new tastes (although she was not quiteas experimental as Rick, who knew absolutely no boundaries when it came to creating allegedly edible things), but there was nothing she hated more than having to rush in the kitchen. Rick had quickly found out that this was the real reason why she seemed to live on takeout and delivery.
So, like only a man as foresighted as Rick would do, he ensured that they ordered in or that he cooked when they were on a case. And when they weren't, he made sure that she had the kitchen to herself.
This Sunday, the cooking also offered Kate an opportunity to mull over what had happened last night. Her hands were busy collecting ingredients for her home-made lasagna, but her mind was on that kiss.
It had definitely broken their rules. There had been teeth involved and the hint of tongue – it had definitely been a passionate kiss.
She was sure that they were both aware of that.
Kate opened a drawer and took out a sharp knife. I want to kiss him like that again, she thought to herself, grabbing a tomato and starting to peel off the thin layer of skin with the tip of the knife.
I want to do a lot more than just kiss him, she admitted, but hastily pushed the thought away. If she let her mind wander, she'd cut her finger before long.
She noticed it immediately when Rick came in. She could feel his presence in the room as if someone had ignited a candle. There was a sudden warmth behind her, although not physical, because he stood too far away from her to actually cause any difference in temperature. It was more of a mental thing, a connection that had forged a strong bond between them over the years.
Without turning around to look at him, she knew exactly where he stood, exactly what his expression was and how he had crossed his arms over his chest in a rare display of insecurity.
Nevertheless she didn't acknowledge it. He would speak up when he was ready to say whatever it was that was on his mind, she was sure of it.
She felt him stare at her back, but he remained silent. After a minute, she heard him come closer. He tried to be quiet about it, but that man was about as subtle as a hippopotamus.
When he took a deep breath, she smiled softly. She was dying to know what bothered him. It had to be either something completely crazy, something very serious, or something embarrassing, because he wasn't usually that quiet. He was more of a 'speak now, think later' kind of guy. Usually with interesting consequences.
He cleared his voice to let her know that he was there. As if she hadn't known for five minutes already.
"Hi" she played along, greeting him without turning around, her hands still busy with the tomatoes.
"Hi" he answered, and she knew from the scruffiness of his voice that whatever he wanted to talk about was very difficult for him to turned around just when he started to speak.
"Is this bet about you resisting me and me resisting you, or is this about us resisting sex?"
She blinked at him. "I beg your pardon?"
He looked to the ground, not wanting to meet her eyes.
Was he so nervous because he wanted to call off their bet? she mused. That would probably make him a little nervous, having to say out loud that he couldn't hold out any longer, that he wanted to have her now after only one week of abstinence.
"Can we…you know…take care of it on our own?" he asked, suddenly shy despite his usual self.
That wasn't what she had expected.
But it made sense. Even a man as confident and shameless as Rick would feel a little insecure discussing masturbation with his partner.
Kate recovered quickly and decided that she had every right to use this against him. An image of Rick in the shower with his hands on himself suddenly flashed in her mind and a thrill went down her spine. She sucked her lower lip between her teeth and teased him with a sultry look from between her long lashes.
"If you want to fuck yourself, go ahead" she purred and grinned in victory when his jaw muscles clenched. "Call me if you need help" she added and went back to slicing the tomatoes.
It took him about 40 seconds to regain the ability to speak.
"Seriously, though. Wouldn't that defy the purpose of this bet?"
She laid down the knife and stepped closer to him. They were not quite touching, but she could already feel the heat radiating from his body, this time a thoroughly physical thing. Kate was sure that he could feel it too.
She wasn't trying to keep the smile off her face. She had never been more sure that she was going to win this bet.
"I believe my words were somewhere along the line of 'You won't be able to keep your hands off of me for that long', so I think as long as your hands aren't on my body, you are fine" she quipped.
She was completely aware of the fact that she was a hypocrite. If those were the rules, she'd have lost their bet yesterday morning. Oh well, what he doesn't know won't hurt me, she thought.
His lips were pressed to a thin line and he was trying really hard not to breathe in her scent. "What if my hands end up on somebody else's body?" he asked, knowing that it would never happen, but wanting to provoke a reaction from her anyway.
"Then you would not only lose the bet, but also never see me again" Kate answered honestly, her voice completely devoid of emotions.
She turned back towards the counter top and he nodded. "That's what I thought."
A/N: So, what do you think? What do you want to see happen next?