"Hey, did you hear about Beckett's weekend?" Esposito asked, trying to get a rise out of her or Castle.
"No. Big plans?" Castle responded coolly, though she could sense the smirk he was hiding internally. He always became great at keeping up the pretence if he was able to tease her in the process.
"She's going away with her boyfriend!" Ryan chimed in.
"Beckett! A boyfirend! Really!?" Clearly he was enjoying himself immensely and the smug grin that was twinkling beneath his eyes said it all. "So what's he like? You know, this boyfriend of yours?" He took a sip of his coffee and smiled into his mug. Richard Castle was a foolish man to think he would get off so lightly.
"Well he's handsome.." she said "...and smart...Really sexy.." Self-satisfaction was not an adequate adjective to describe the grin on Castle's smug face. "...But there's just one tiny problem..."
And just as she had planned, he had taken the bait beautifully. He looked up from his coffee, still grinning, but hook, line and sinker he was caught. "And what's that?"
"Well he's a bit disappointing really... you know... when it comes to...well..." She let the sentence trail off, counting the seconds until her message was absorbed. Espo and Ryan were a little confused as to what was going on between the two, but after all these years of 'reading between the lines' they just sort of went with it. The two burst into laughter at Beckett's provocative comment but Castle had taken a swig of coffee at the same precise moment and found the liquid a little harder to digest through his lungs.
Coughing, he managed to splutter out "P..phh..Pardon?" Now she was the one wearing the satisfied grin as her teasing achieved its desired effect.
"Yeah, well. You know what they say; all talk no game." and he began coughing again. "Anyway. I'll see you boys later. Have a good weekend." She was glowing with her victory and made her way to the elevator when a hand shot in between the doors just as they were closing. He was there, eyebrows raised, then walked silently in and stood behind her.
"Bit disappointing?" He asked when the doors had shut. She simply smiled, not taking the bait as easily as he had, and wanting to draw it out a little longer. What was that saying? Torture makes the heart grow fonder?
"What's worse is he has this annoying habit of entering games he can't win..." She smiled fully and turned to face him.
"You are so going to pay for this." He said with as much anger as he could muster when she looked at him like that.
"Oh I hope so." and Beckett wrapped her arms around his neck. She leaned into his ear and whispered "and its not disappointing... you're the best by far."