Castle looked down at the slim, still sleeping, Kate Beckett that lay beside him. Her still naked body was covered modestly by his sheet, and though in the past he had been unable to resist the urge to sneak a peek under when his previous conquests had been sleeping, now his gaze drifted no lower than her lips. Those perfect lips, the ones that moved so perfectly with his, the ones that parted to allow soft, sensual moans escape her during their love-making, and most of all, the ones that whispered his name over and over again throughout the long, passionate night. He raised a hand, ever so gently stroking her plump bottom lip as he watched her eyelids flutter in her sleep.
She moaned slightly, turning to press her body even closer to him. Her hand was resting lightly on his chest and she moved to lay her head next to it. Castle felt his heart swell with an emotion he thought he had previously experienced with his two ex-wives, but now realised he had not. His heart had never skipped a beat for any of the previous women that had made a fleeting impression on his life. He had never lain awake the whole night just to watch them sleep. Yet as Kate Beckett's chest rose and fell gently in time with her breathing, he felt that which he had only ever felt for his mother and daughter. Love.
His hand absent-mindedly drew small patterns on her lower back, and he felt her stir against his chest. He looked down to see those eyelids open and reveal the beautiful brown eyes that had hidden behind them for far too long. He found himself lost in those eyes, lost in their sparkle and the love and sheer joy that they contained. He found himself imagining future mornings, and she was there in every single one. He thought of their wedding, their children, their grandchildren. This was their first morning together, and already he knew he wanted to spend every moment of the rest of his life with her.
Little did Castle know, their first morning together would also be their last…