The moonlight shines on her bare back which rises and falls with the slow rhythm of her breathing. The soft light is hugging her shoulders and the bare expanse of her skin, little shadows are playing on the edges of the light.
He feels the urge to just slide his thumb across the smooth tanned skin. She is still sleeping. She wouldn't notice.
He moves his arm towards her.
Slowly, cautiously he places his hand on her slightly protruding scapula. She is sleeping on her stomach, one hand under the pillow, the other lies somewhere under her stomach. He has noticed it before that it's her favourite sleeping position. She must feel safe that way, all tucked in and making herself as small as possible.
His thumb slides against her skin. Smoothly, slowly. One by one, he's tracing the small freckles there. He loves those little brown spots on her back. It makes her real. It makes her beautiful.
He raises his head to get a better view of her back. He needs to see all of her.
Some of the freckles remind him of the constellations. Unconsciously, his forefinger starts to trace the sign of Cassiopeia between the spots. It's the first star pattern he sees. Then, an Orion belt somewhere along her waist. She's perfect. She has stars on her back.
Tentatively, he slides over her spine with his fingers, stopping on every vertebra. In the moonlight, her backbone looks so strong, yet so fragile. It could take only one hit on the vertebrae and she'd be crushed forever. The thought startles him, so he places his whole palm to the centre of her back, not intending to let her go. Not tonight. Not when he feels like he could spend the eternity like this, lying in the bed and breathing in the essence of her.
Her skin is so soft, sinking softly under his touch. It feels like satin against his fingertips. And there's electricity running through him every time his finger makes contact with her skin.
She is facing him while she's sleeping, her body turned onto her left side. Her eyes are closed and she seems to be sleeping, still. Her golden brown hair is framing his face, the wild locks of her hair mussed around the pillow. A tiny lock has climbed onto her face and tangling over her nose. He catches it with two fingers and tucks it behind her ear.
She wrinkles her nose and draws in a sudden breath of air.
But she's not waking up.
Sighing contently, her features settle down and her eyes flutter once, twice. Then she calms down and her breathing evens out, slowly but surely.
He sighs blissfully, inching himself closer to her body. He can't stay away. Not anymore.
He places a kiss on her shoulder blade, pressing himself against her bare lower body. Then another kiss under the right scapula, his lips getting bolder. With his tongue, he traces the smooth line of her spine.
She takes in a deep breath and huffs it out. Her body tensing underneath his touch tells him that she's waking up.
"Hello gorgeous," he mumbles against her skin.
"Mmmmh…" he gets a sleepy answer from her.
He smiles. He loves her in this kind of state. Not sleeping anymore, but also not yet awake enough for the world to make sense.
He knows exactly what to do.
He presses his cheek against her back and it draws out a silent shudder from her. But when he rubs his soft stubble against her spine, he's rewarded with a sudden gasp.
"Cassle," she whispers sleepily, suppressing a giggle, "whutarya doin?"
"Shhh..." he just whispers and continues kissing her back, turning his attention to every tiny freckle.
"Castle..." she starts again, this time, her voice sounds more awake, but still breathy. Tremors are running through her as he moves his stubbled chin against her.
"That tickles," she says after another shudder of her body.
"I know," he grins between the soft, wet kisses.
"What are you doing?" she asks again. "It's 3 am. Shouldn't you be sleeping?"
He has moved closer to her, his front is now covering her backside. Her lithe body is sandwiched between his looming figure and the soft expanse of the bed. She sighs when his kisses finally reach her neck. She turns her head and bends her neck to make more room to his adventurous lips.
"No time for sleep at a time like this," he finally whispers, caressing her earlobe with his teeth.
"Uh huh?" she asks wordlessly.
His large palms slide from her sides to bracket her arms, then tucking her arms out from underneath her. He joins their fingers and places them down just in front of her face.
She is looking at their joined fingers. He stops kissing her neck and follows her gaze. He finds the object of her interest.
The ring.
It's there. Shining between their joined hands. It casts a spell on them and he halts all of his movements.
It's there. He still can't believe it.
The ring he had searched for for hours. He must have seen thousands of rings before this one popped onto his screen. And he knew. He knew instantly that this was it. This was her ring. This was perfect for her. And only her.
And now it's here. She is wearing it. She had said yes. She is going to be his wife. His wife.
As if she was reading his mind, she whispers. "Castle, it's beautiful."
He shakes his head against her neck, his nose bumping her chin. "No, you are."
She chuckles at that answer.
"You are better than the diamonds and pearls, the moon and the stars, you know," he continues kissing her neck, making her gasp and shudder against him. "You are beautiful, Kate."
When she doesn't answer, he continues. "You are beautiful. And perfect. And you wanna know why?"
She lets out a moan when his adventurous mouth latches onto the tender flesh of her lower neck.
"Ah..." she finally breathes out.
"You are perfect, because..." another kiss. "... because you are mine."
He untangles his hands from hers and makes his way underneath her, searching for the sensitive skin of her breasts. When he finds it and starts massaging the tender flesh and she can't hold back a string of moans.
"I'm not yours yet," she whispers between moans, her eyes closed.
"You will be," he whispers and pinches one of the nipples. The sudden pressure there draws out another moan from her throat.
"You seem to be pretty full of yourself," she smirks, suppressing another bubbling moan. Damn, his hands are good. Like smooth silk they caress her breasts, kneading and touching them with care.
The air hits her neck when he chuckles, mouth against her back.
"You said yes, didn't you?" he whispers and places another kiss to her spine.
She opens her mouth to say something back to him when he pinches her nipple again, making her cry out his name.
"Castle..." she moans, eyes closed and she surrenders to the feeling of him.
"Yes?" he smiles, knowing that it would only irritate her further. He loves to play this game with her. Teasing her relentlessly, annoying her to no end. He loves the feeling when she throws him a pointed glare to shut him up. But in a situation like this - when he has the power over her, he enjoys it even more. Just because it's so hot.
"I did say yes," she mumbles, trying to catch her breath between the moans he draws out from her. "But..." she continues.
"No buts," he whispers, making his way with his mouth from her spine to her ear, nibbling the lobe gently.
"You said yes and it's enough for me for now," he whispers, trying to make her understand, that they doesn't need to go through with everything right now. There is no hurry to have a wedding, there is no rush to get married. He just needs to know that she is his and he can be hers. Forever and ever. That she promises to be his. And this is all that really matters. Society be damned, it's just between them. Only them.
"We still need some time," she whispers again, repeating the same words he heard on the swings. "We need to work through things first."
"I know," he nods.
He does know. They need to work through their issues to get better. To be better. Both of them. Because as the past week had shown them, they both have their problems, still. In communication, in life. But from now on, they can work on them together.
"Is that enough for you?" she asks, her voice barely a whisper.
He stills his hands, one cupping her breast, the other circling her navel.
Ah, this is what is on her mind, making her worry. She thinks that she's not enough for him right now. That the promise of marrying him one day wouldn't be enough for him. Oh, Kate.
He tries to sound as reassuring as possible when he whispers out his response, "Do you really think I would have asked if I wasn't sure?"
Suddenly, he feels her body relaxing under him, just like a heavy stone has dropped from her heart, making her light, making her better.
"I know you," he continues. "I know me. We need time, we do. We need to work on things. But, I see no reason why can't we do it together. It's you I want. Nobody else. You. I want you. Your body, your words, your mind. And this is exactly why the word "yes" is enough for me. For now. I will always be there for you."
He finishes his words with a soft kiss to her cheek. She turns her lithe body in his arms to look up to him, searching his eyes. Their gazes meet and he feels the electricity jolt through him. They always had sparks. Chemistry between them. But when she looks him like that, the love and adoration in her eyes. It just blows his mind. Every time. He surrenders to the tight pull of her and closes the distance between their mouths, his lips latching onto hers.
She ends up on her back, his mouth fused with his. Never breaking the kiss, he buries his hands in her hair, angling her head closer to him, devouring her mouth deeper. He settles over her, their bodies sliding against each other. Their bodies sliding against each other is driving him mad. It's too good. No matter how much he has been with her, he always finds something new that surprises him. It's never boring.
But this.
The love, the energy they share. This makes it so much better.
She moans out loud, but he catches it with his mouth, not letting her make a sound.
When she slides her hands over his ass, to pull him closer to her, he groans out loud, unlatching his lips from hers. He raises his head to look into her eyes. They are both panting from lack of air and the shuddering energy between them.
Meeting her gaze and never letting it go, he slides into her. Her eyes widen in pleasure and her mouth opens in a soundless gasp. But she isn't letting go of their gaze either. No, she doesn't cut their connection, but with a smirk, she challenges him.
He pulls himself back, drawing another gasp out of her. Her hands travel from his buttocks to his arms, trying to anchor him to her.
He stops moving, sliding her hands under his and joins them beside her head, his fingers intertwining with hers. Together, as one.
Her leg slithers up to his thigh and he rolls into her again, making them both gasp in pleasure. There is nothing between them anymore. No reservations, no misunderstandings. She belongs to him. And he belongs to her.
He continues thrusting into her as her ankle traces the soft line of his butt. He breaks the connection of their eyes, just so he can lean back into her and kiss her thoroughly. Their mouths meet, his tongue plunging to her mouth the same way he is thrusting into her. Slow, strong strokes.
It doesn't take long until he feels her tighten around him, her breath coming in short moans and gasps. She's getting close.
So is he.
No time for slow anymore.
He speeds up the pace, rocking into her blindly, their mouths busy discovering each other.
He can't stop anymore, the overpowering feelings crashing into him like a tidal wave, flowing into each part of his body. She comes apart underneath him with a shudder, her legs surrounding him with a vice-like grip. Not letting him go and taking him in to the fullest.
He is there, too. His hips roll into hers with abandon until they are on the verge of falling. The orgasm hits him, flowing through his body, making him shudder. His shaky legs give up and he collapses onto her.
Floating in a cloud of ecstasy, he places a kiss on her neck and whispers, "You are mine."
She answers with another shudder and tightens her hold around his shoulders.
It's perfect. He is at home. Wherever she is, he is at home. She makes him feel at home. Feel. She makes him feel alive. Only her.
I felt like writing a post Watershed fic. I don't like angst. Much. So - I went for fluff and smut. I hope you liked it. Please let me know if you did. Reviews make me smile.
Thoughts?
