DISCLAIMER: If any of this was mine, I'd so be in the Hamptons with Richard Castle right now doing things that make what you're about to read pale in comparison. Castle and its characters are the sole property of ABC Television, Andrew Marlowe (the BEST show runner in the business) and everyone else that is involved. The only thing I own are my DVD sets, my subscription to Hulu Plus, and the three published Nikki Heat books. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Mr. Marlowe/ABC, so please don't sue? :)

Title comes from the song "In my Veins" by Andrew Belle.

Could this really be happening?

A mere two minutes ago he had been content to open up a two-hundred dollar bottle of scotch and drink himself into oblivion while watching John Woo movies.

But now? Kate Beckett was standing in front of him – dripping wet, shivering, and tearful – telling him she was sorry. Even more amazing was the fact that she'd said she wanted him. Those words affected him more than he wanted to admit, but as he pressed her into the door of his loft, their lips tangling together, he knew that she was aware of how much she had aroused him with those five simple words: All I want is you.

His primal instincts had taken over then – his mouth racing from one spot of her delicate skin to the next, always moving back to her lips momentarily to taste those delicious lips. He felt her go weak in the knees as his mouth first, then tongue, traced over her collarbone while his hands roamed everywhere. He was so caught up in the delicious assault on her body and the noises she made that accompanied his movements that when his lips met the small patch of puckered skin on her chest, he had to stop. He felt tears well up in his eyes, but fought through them. Pulling away, he gently unbuttoned her blouse to find the small oval scar – the vicious reminder that someone had almost taken her from his life. Tentatively he lifted his hand to touch, but was met with hers as she guided it to her chest - heaving with passion for HIM, for his touch - and as she placed it over her heart, he could feel it beating fast and strong.

She was still here. She was alive. She wanted him as much as he had always wanted her.

From now on, there would be no more games. No more secrets.

Right now, they were the only two people in the world.

She leaned in and kissed him once again before releasing his hand to drop beside hers as they allowed their fingers to intertwine. Her eyes spoke volumes as she bit her bottom lip and pulled him gently toward the door that led to his area of the loft.

"Kate, I..." His voice was heavy, his breathing labored.

She turned as they approached the threshold of his office. "Shhhh," she purred, placing her lips over his to silence him.

He did as he was told. Rick lifted her up, coaxing her to wrap her legs around his waist as he kissed her throat, her chest. His tongue dipped beneath the black lace of her bra, each time moving closer toward the nipple he could feel straining against the satin and lace. Her hands dove into his hair as the room went dark, the only light now coming from the streaks of lightning outside. His vision was blinded, not only by the power outage, but also by the beautiful woman whose body was pressed against his, her lips pressing into the skin right below his ear.

"God, Kate...I've dreamed...fantasized about this moment for so long."

She lifted her head from his neck and bit his earlobe. "Me too." She slurred the words as her head dove back to the juncture where his shoulder met his neck, and she could feel, rather than hear, his growl. "Right here, too."

Castle's hands slid up her sides as he placed her on the edge of the desk. "Right...here?"

A bolt of lightning lit up the sky, and he could see that she was nodding, her bottom lip pulled into her mouth, "Right here. On this desk." His attention was diverted from her words as her hands reached up to the top button on his shirt. Deftly she released the first, then another. With each button loosed, she placed a chaste kiss on his chest. "I want you – no, I need you, right here, right now." As the final button fell open, Kate pushed back on the shirt until it landed at a puddle at his feet. Her hands worked over the planes of his chest, his stomach. "You're all I've ever wanted, Rick, and - I love you, too."

She could see the lust and desire in his eyes as he took in her words, his heart pounding beneath her hand.

Leaning forward, he pulled the wet blouse over her head, leaving her in only her bra. He towered over her now, his hands pushing away the tendrils of wet hair from her face. Cupping her cheeks in his hands, he leaned in and kissed her softly. It was soft, gentle - nothing like the kisses they'd shared mere moments ago, but the impact of this one left him breathless. He sighed as he felt her hands working slowly, meticulously on the buckle of his belt, and dropped his hands from her face, tracing them gently down her neck, her shoulders. "Kate, you're trembling."

She pulled him closer, her mouth open and wet, planting kisses along his chest. "I am."

"Cold?" he questioned, the tone of concern evident in his voice.

She placed her elbows against his chest, and pushed his face upward to meet her gaze. "No, not cold. Anxious for the man I love to make me completely and wholly his."

He pulled her closer to him, wrapping his arms around her body, his hands tracing small circles along the smooth skin of her back. "I love you," he whispered into her hair. "I love you so much."

"Show me then?"

The neediness in her voice pushed him into a frenzy. His hands went immediately to the closure of her bra, unhooking it in one swift movement. As he pulled it away from her skin, she pressed into him, her delight in finally feeling his warm skin against hers made known in a contented moan. His hands were back on her now, working up her sides until he was dangerously close to her breasts. He could feel her heartbeat once again, hear her breathing heavy. "Lean back," he whispered into her mouth.

This time she did as she was told, falling back on her elbows against his desk, and as one hand rested on her hip, the other cupped the underside of her right breast. His thumb traced gently over her now taut nipple, and he felt the chill bumps beneath his palm. "So beautiful," he breathed against her skin before hovering over her, taking it into his mouth, gently sucking on the peak. Kate leaned up, her hands now in his hair, her back arching at the new sensation. Quickly he moved to the other, his tongue darting against her flesh as he enjoyed the salty sweet taste of her. "And this?" His finger once again traced over the reminder of just how close he'd come to losing her forever. His lips pressed against it gently before his tongue traced its circumference. "God, Kate – I...I'm so sorry."

"Please," she sighed as she pushed him from above her and his desk, and grabbed his belt loops, pulling him to her once again. She'd never been one to be needy in lovemaking, but the thought of having him inside her now was the only ambition she had. Her fingers quickly maneuvered the button and zipper of his pants as she wrapped her legs around him once again, using her feet to push them to the floor. He pulled away from her embrace only long enough to kick them off, then was back pulling her waist towards his as he sought to rid her of every last stitch she was wearing. The wet denim was difficult to maneuver, so she helped, biting her lip as she glanced down at the obvious protrusion beneath his boxers. She slid off of his desk and pulled the zipper of her jeans down agonizingly slow, the entire time watching his face – his eyes widening as she slinked them to the floor before kicking them in his direction.

"Nice," he growled, hooking his thumbs into the small straps of satin on either side of her panties. "I always wondered..."

She silenced him with a kiss as her hands dropped to his erection; her fingers skillfully working up and down his shaft through the thin material. "Now?"

He wasted no time lifting her back up onto his desk as she worked his waistband down past his ass, using her foot to once again push them to his ankles. Now that he was freed, Kate reached for him once again, her hand working deftly up the smooth skin of his cock.

"Mmmmmm," she breathed into his open mouth, her tongue darting out to catch his. "Soooo perfect."

He reached for the sides of her panties. "Favorites?" he asked.

His question shocked her, but she answered. "No, they..."

The distinct sound of ripping fabric met her ears as his hand pulled the sides, followed by his capable fingers teasing her newly exposed flesh. "Good."

Kate moaned loudly as his finger slid inside of her, curving upward to increase the tension inside.

"God," he sighed before his mouth completely enveloped her left breast as his finger pumped one, two, three times inside her before he pulled it out and steadied himself against the edge of the desk, his thighs bumping into the expensive wood.

Placing his hands on her knees, he pushed her back, not worried about the various trinkets that fell from the surface. He slowly parted her legs and traced along her inner thighs, causing her hips to buck slightly. "Don't move. Stay perfectly still." Her eyes never left his as his hands slid beneath her legs, pulling her to the edge in front of him as her back lay flat against the top of his desk. Kate bit her lip as he touched her, running his fingers lightly over her slickened skin, applying hardly any pressure against her.

"You're aching for me to touch you, aren't you? To taste you?" he asked.

Her whisper of yes was hardly audible, yet he heard it as clear as day.

He smirked, the one that Kate was sure he reserved only for her, and dropped to his knees, slowly running his tongue along her clit, feeling the muscles in her thighs tense as they pressed against his shoulders.

"Fuck!" she exclaimed through clenched teeth, her head falling backward as her back arched, pushing herself closer to his mouth.

He backed away slowly, removing every trace of his touch from her and standing up. He gazed down upon her body now, completely naked and waiting to be his. "Detective Beckett, such language."

Her eyes flew open and stared deeply into his. The look upon her face was one of sheer desire. He pulled her back to him now, one hand gently gripping her hair as he pressed his hips forward, grinding against her slick flesh. "Feel what have you done to me?" His mouth was close to her ear, his hands gently exploring every inch of her body. "I could be inside you so easily," he murmurred. "But not yet."

She groaned loudly as he slid against her skin, their sweat mingling between their bodies. "Why not?" Her voice was soft, dejected.

"I want to hear it again, Kate. Do you want me?"

"Yes," she breathed out heavily, digging the heels of her hands into his back as they moved up to his shoulders.

"That doesn't sound very convincing," he said, taking his length into his hand, guiding himself to where his cock head was at her core. "How bad do you want me?"

Her nails dug into his shoulders and her body tensed against him. The look on her face told him it was taking everything in her power not to thrust her hips forward. "Rick...so bad..." It was said with such want; such desperation.

He pressed his hips forward a fraction more, and the groan that came from her mouth was so primal that he might as well have plunged into her all at once. Her hands fell to the edge of the desk beside her.

"Now?"

"Fuck!" Kate exclaimed, her head thrashing to the side. "I fucking need you inside me. For christ's sake, Rick – please..."

He leaned against her, brushing his lips against the pulse point in her neck. "That's all I needed to hear."

In one swift movement he pulled her against him, sheathing himself inside her, their mingled moans and curses filling the already electrified air around them. She held onto him for dear life, weaving her hands through his hair as he began to thrust inside her insistently, his finger digging into the skin of her hips.

There was no gentleness. No sweetness. It was primal, raw and so fucking intense.

"Fuck, Castle...so close." she panted against his neck. "So..."

Her face turned to the side and rested on his shoulder as her forehead creased slightly and her whimpers grew louder with each of his movements.

Sliding his arms between them, his thumb found her clit and began to stroke it, softly at first, slowly gaining both speed and pressure. "Come for me, Kate."

She gasped loudly as his hand moved between their slick bodies, lightly pinching the sensitive, swollen skin between his fingers and rolling it between them.

Her teeth dug into his shoulder as she shuddered violently against him, her orgasm claiming her and surprising him as he plunged over the edge shortly afterward. He held onto her tightly, pressing his lips firmly against her skin while his hips thrust erratically against her, until the throbbing between both of them had subsided.

Kate lay her head on his shoulder and gazed up at him as her hand reached for his. "Oh...that was..." she whispered against his lips before sealing them over his, gazing into his eyes the entire time. "I was beginning to wonder if the suave, sophisticated, sexy Richard Castle was real or just a myth."

He chuckled, running the backs of his fingers along the sweat dampened skin of her neck. "And the verdict is?"

Kate smiled up at him. "Well, he's definitely put both of us in need of a shower."

He gasped. "Is that all you can say?" He rolled his eyes as he moved an errant strand of sweat-soaked hair from her face.

"No, I've got more." Her words were jumbled and her breathing was still erratic as she pulled away from his chest, her hands resting on either side.

"And that would be...?" he said as he lifted her from the edge of his desk, her legs still wrapped around his torso as he walked through the door to his bedroom in route to his shower.

"He's a tease, but he's definitely suave. Sophisticated? I'm sure with some work he could get to sophisticated. What I saw tonight was more caveman."

His hand swatted her ass. "Anything else?"

"Sexy? " she whispered. "Hell yes."

He put her down, and she struggled to stand upright on the warm marble tile of his bathroom floor.

"Is that all?"

She watched as he reached into the glass tiled shower and adjusted the water. "I have realized one thing, though. He lacks a little bit as a writer, though."

His look of shock made her smile, and as he placed his hand over his heart in a mock symbol of hurt, he asked. "How do you get that?"

She leaned into his body once again, pressing herself to him as she pulled him into the steamy water with her. "Page one-hundred five? That's NOTHING compared to what just happened here."

AUTHORS NOTE:

So, there you have it. My take on what happened after the make-out session against Castle's door. I hope it doesn't read as too contrived, but it's what I would like to see open up the first scene of 5x01.

Thanks for reading this, and if you feel so inclined, leave me a comment or message letting me know what you liked, what you didn't, and what could be improved on. I really do appreciate my readers and their feedback.

Again, thanks for reading, and long live CASTLE and CASKETT!

Until next time, ~j~