He was standing in front of the fire place at his loft watching her stalk toward him, glass of red wine in each hand.
"Thank you", he extended a hand to take the glass from her, intentionally stroking her fingers.
Her eyes were focused on him, the light from the fire reflecting softly off her hair, her eyes, her countenance.
"So, here we are," she started.
"To partners," he said, clinking their glasses.
"Is that what we are?" She echoed their old argument.
"You want a label Kate?"
She blinked, surprised at the turn. This was more serious than she was prepared for when she'd slipped off her shoes and poured the wine. She was expecting him to get down to a different kind of business.
"Do *you* want a label?"
"I want people to know we're together. I want celebrate what we have."
"Well," she said, breaking the intensity, "how to you want to celebrate?" She took his glass from his hand and turned to place them both on the table. His arms were ready for her, but her finger was poking into his chest pushing him back as soon as she turned around.
"Kate, don't you want to celebrate with me?" He smiled treacherously.
"Yes," she said slowly, "yes, I do." She'd backed him into corner on the couch, where he plopped unceremoniously.
She kneeled above him, placed both hands on his shoulders and leaned in to kiss him, long and slow and sweet.
Exhilaration ran though her as he pulled her low into his lap, cradling her head on the crook of his elbow and the arm of the couch. She reached up with her free hand to caress his face.
Silence skipped a beat as he leaned in to kiss her, his free hand trailing her hip, thumb stroking the curve of her body.
For all his goofy awkwardness at times, he was a good kisser. Lips soft, heart tender.
She was ethereal, and his. He moved to pinch her rear.
"What the hell was that?" She reluctantly broke their kiss.
"Pinched you."
"Why?"
"To see if you were real."
She laughed into his mouth as he leaned over her again. This time his free hand came up to her jaw, he caressed her face and then placed his flat palm high on her chest, slowly moving his hand down to the top button of her shirt. He worked the fabric open and ran two fingers down to her scar.
She froze. No one had touched that scar. He was looking in her eyes when she finally opened them.
"Kate, thank you. Thank you for not leaving me." His voice was hoarse.
"You were worth living for," she whispered.
He kissed the tip of her nose.
She sat up, still in his lap, put her arms around his neck, pressed her face against the side of his and closed her eyes.
He rubbed her knee with one hand and squeezed her around the waist with the other.
After a long moment his voice was soft, "Hey, celebrate, right? Not the time for regret."
"Yeah."
"You're here, you love me, we're good."
"I'm happy Rick, really."
She kissed the corner of his mouth sweetly.
"Good, because if you are happy with this celebration, you are going to be ecstatic with what I do next."
"Mmmm, what's that?"
He looked her in the eye as reached in her open shirt to cup her breast and then leaned in to touch his lips to her neck. She looked at the ceiling but saw nothing. Her soft moan told him there was no turning back. He'd found his muse.
He'd worked his way through her buttons, got her to move enough to pull off her shirt.
"Cas," she called him breathily, his hands were everywhere, the plane of her stomach and the top of her thighs with one hand, her back, her neck, in her hair with the other. She was mesmerized, "make love to me."
He wrapped an arm around her stomach and pushed her forward with his other hand, standing up behind her. Her hair was a wild mess around her face, her smile, full tilt as he dragged her across the apartment, arm around her waist, half draped over her.
Laughing he flopped her callously across his mattress and was rewarded with a sexy- Kate smirk.
"Can you handle all *this* Detective," he started unbuttoning his own shirt.
"Um hmm," she leaned back on her elbows perusing him as he pulled his button down off his arms and shed his undershirt.
He moved to lay directly over her, press her down to the mattress. She moved her hands to his chest. Face to face, they sobered as they heard the echo of unspoken words, their physical position an intimate and devastating reminder, Kate, stay with me, don't leave me, okay? Kate, I love you, I love you, Kate.
She lifted her head to kiss away the old memory. He kissed her to celebrate a new one.
He lifted himself enough to find the waistband of her jeans, dragged them down her legs and tossed them.
He surprised her by standing and removing the last of his clothes, like they did this all the time.
"Little excited there Big Castle?"
"Oh my God, thank you for that." He grabbed her ankle, she startled then laid back as he lifted her foot to his lips. "Now, just so you know Kate, I intend to kiss every…"
He kissed the inside of her calf.
"Single . . ."
He kissed her knee.
"Inch . . ."
His kissed the crease of her hip, the edge of her panties. She gasped.
"Of you . . ."
He kissed her through her panties, squirming as he put his palm where his mouth had just been, holding her still as he moved to lay beside her.
She brushed the hair from his face and pulled him to kiss her, strong and searing, scraping him out. He rolled her toward him enough to unfasten her bra, tossing it over his shoulder. He had a thing for throwing her clothes. He was pretty sure he'd never want to break that habit.
Rolling her back he took in the sight of her. Naked breasts, breathless smile. He wanted to burn every moment into his brain, into her body. Kissing his way down her chest, her hands buried in his hair, he ran his tongue across her breast and her body became a live wire of response. An involuntary moan escaped her. He sucked at her nipple, lightly biting and she pulled his hair in response. He moved his devotion to her other breast and felt her arch, pushing herself into his mouth.
Silence surrounded the moment. Sacred but expected. They were always destined for this.
As he moved to kiss his way down her body, she let go of his hair. He hooked his hands on her panties and pulled them down. He stopped his erotic assault on her body long enough to get her attention as he took the panties and moved to open the drawer on the bedside table.
"Like finding a penny," he grinned and put them in the drawer. She laughed at him, every one of her bright teeth showing, but sobered when she saw he had protection in his hand.
"I'm on the pill," she said softly, "and I'm clean."
"Me too, I mean not about the pill, just the clean part." And her awkward boy was back. She loved him too. Her Castle.
He moved back, surveying her as he lay down beside her again. "Naked Kate Beckett in my bed. Today is a good day."
"Ha," a humorless tone in her voice, followed by a bit of a challenge? "Prove it to me."
He kissed her hard, pressing in. She returned volley, just as intense. Rick slid his hand down her body, roaming over hill and plane, stopping at her core. His fingers explored her folds, deftly moving around her clit, finally dipping a finger inside her.
She gasped and moved her hand to cover his, guiding him to do what she needed. Kate had sexy moments with other men, but good god, this silent, mutual focus on her pleasure was the most erotic moment she'd ever had.
He moved to capture one of her hands,"still can't let me take care of you Kate?" That got her attention.
"Rick. Please." She was starting to feel her climax building.
"Tell me you like my moves, Kate."
She couldn't, couldn't speak. She licked her lips, eyes closed.
"Kate?"
"Just. Don't. Stop." Her free hand was groping the sheets, searching for release.
"Say it Katie, you know you want to."
"Say?" She repeated the word but couldn't comprehend it.
Eyes alternating between her face and his hand, he hit her sweet spot just right and she was powerless with need to fall over the precipice.
"Please. Rick." She was gripping, twisting the sheets with her free hand, he still had had one hand trapped.
Open. Exposed.
He couldn't keep up the tease, he wanted her happy.
One last move and she couldn't help the loud moan followed by his name that escaped, her body enraptured, pulsating with such strength. She was still panting when he crawled to lay between her legs, kissing his way up her body.
"Kate?" Her eyes were closed.
"Ummm."
"You okay there?"
"Mmmmm."
"Do you want me to make like our song? Shut-up?"
"Hmmmmm."
"Not an answer Kate." She was radiating satisfaction.
"One," she finally said.
"One?"
"That makes up for that first day, Castle, when you annoyed the hell out of me." She opened her eyes to gauge his reaction. "One."
"You going to let me do that for every day I annoyed you?" He massaged her shoulders with his thumbs, kissed her forehead.
"That? Yeah, that would make up for it." She was feeling her arousal return with her physical strength.
Suddenly, she flipped him, straddled him.
"Huhuh, that's hot; it could take me forever to pay off that kind of debt Kate."
"Thought you were rich Castle."
She kissed him, lips and tongue and teeth , tugging, pulling, pushing, heat.
He didn't have nearly the edge of control when she was in charge. Her attempt to work her mouth down his body ended mid-chest. She'd looked up at him after touching her tongue to his nipple and she felt his growing physical discomfort. How convenient, she thought, she was certain she'd remember that move for another time. He was becoming more desperate in his grip on her hips.
"Kate," he growled. He rolled them over and positioned himself at her opening. Achingly slowly he pushed into her, face to face, his size and hers adjusting to one another. Her hands came to his hips, squeezing his ass, trying to urge him a little faster. Once he began to move, Kate wasn't sure she could breathe. His eyes closed as he concentrated on their movements. She watched him, his intensity, his concentration. Such an uncomplicated thought came to her. I love this man. This man. I love him.
He was so close, but he wanted her with him, wanted them to celebrate together. This. Together.
"Kate, are you close?"
"Hmmm, ya." He thrust a little harder into her arch.
"Tell me when . . . "
He grabbed at her ass to pull her deeper. She felt her body coil, poised.
"Oh god, Castle."
At his name his release was inevitable. Together they shattered, his name on her lips.
Sated and weak, he lay on her a long time.
Just when she thought he might have fallen asleep, she felt him touch his lips to her collarbone.
"You were right," he whispered.
"Hmm?" His weight was heavy over her but she didn't care. She needed to bear the burden, hold him up a while. She didn't care.
"You were right . . . I had no idea."
Sometime in the night, their celebration began again.
Sometime in the night he watched her sleep, peaceful and vulnerable.
She woke up at the first light, pressed into his side, her hand on his chest, he on his back, still smiling in his sleep. On her face, joy unmasked. She watched him a long time before she spoke, eyes still shut.
"Rick, I love you."
He opened his eyes to look at her. No jokes, no humor, just precious truth pressing through the dam of delusions and hurt that held them both back for so long.
He moved to lie over her, her glorious hair radiating around an enraptured face.
His quirky laugh punctuated the air as he shook his head.
"What?"
"I'm going to have to work on this."
"God Rick if that wasn't your best , I might not be prepared for any more."
He huffed out a laugh as he kissed her cheek, jaw and to her ear.
"No, I mean I have filtered myself from saying 'you're beautiful Kate,' nearly every day for years and now that I can say it aloud, I need to. You're beautiful Kate. So beautiful, I've never wanted a woman more than I want you. I hope you know what you've started because I don't think I could ever let you go."
"Last night did it for you, huh?"
He explored her mouth, surrendered the words on his tongue for the words from his heart.
"Love you too, Castle. And for the record, I really, really like your moves Stud."
"Move the earth for you?"
"Mmmm, sun, moon and stars, but I will not be confirming that outside of this room."
"Come on Kate, a little street cred would go a long way with the boys."
"Castle, if you even think about sharing any of this with them, I won't be sharing anymore of *me* with you."
"Oh Kate, my lover, you think you can resist me? If last night taught me anything it was about this spot."
He kissed that spot on her neck and she instantly arched.
"And this spot."
He kissed the scar on her chest and she looked him in the eye.
"And this spot."
He moved down to kiss her just below her navel.
She shivered.
He moved to take her mouth beginning the ritual again, like a second leap off a high point into refreshing water, fear over, excitement and addiction awakened.
A/N: I don't do 'M' rated fanfic. If you leave a review, I might be able to look people in the eye again . . . someday.