a/n: Thanks to Heather/shimmeryshine for letting me pilfer a couple bits of this from her brain! Ura jedi.
red, white, blues in the sky
summer's in the air and baby
heaven's in your eyes
i'm your national anthem
She's been reclining her head against the passenger seat of Castle's Ferrari, taking in the sights of East Hampton as they pass by the open convertible, wind-whipped ponytail from the drive up the highway now tickling her in wisps around her face. The length of her bare thighs are sticking out of a pair of jean shorts, light cotton t-shirt hanging off her frame and she revels in the breeze cutting through the late summer humidity.
Castle is silent for once, an oldies song playing softly from the radio between them and she sighs, closing her eyes and basking in the weekend of freedom ahead of them. Free from the city, free from her job, free from hiding their relationship and their suspicious friends, just free.
He pulls into a driveway just as she opens her eyes, and they instinctively widen when she sits up in the seat to peer up the drive at the house – it's huge, a white fence surrounding the brown and white exterior that seems to reach farther and farther back as more of it comes into view. She can feel Castle glancing at her from the driver's seat as they round a circular driveway and he puts the car in park, turning off the engine and waiting.
"It's gorgeous," she finally says, craning her neck beyond the house as she tries to get another glimpse of the water she saw extending from the backyard.
His response sounds like a sigh of relief as he makes a move to hop out of the car, leaning into the back to pull out their bags and she takes her time while he does, stretching her legs and stifling a smile as she feels his eyes on her.
She follows his lead up to the front door and into the house, toeing off her boat shoes and leaving them against the wall next to his sneakers. She looks at the picture that creates for a moment, her heart skipping a beat, and she turns to sidle up to him, wrapping one of her hands around his bicep and slipping her other hand into his, giving a tug as she lifts up on her toes to brush his ear with her mouth.
"Give me the grand tour, Castle."
She's speechless through most of the house, happy to listen to the history, traipsing behind Castle and running her fingers over the texture of the furniture, the hard wood of the railing up to the master bedroom, the array of picture frames in the hallway of Castle with a young Alexis at the beach. They've finally made it outside and she's anxious to see the view, but her mouth drops open as they exit through a side door.
"Is that a trampoline?"
He looks a little sheepish when she turns to him, a hand coming up to run itself through his hair.
"Alexis really wanted one, and–"
"Oh, Alexis really wanted a giant trampoline." She regards him with a knowing smile and then takes off for the side, hoisting herself up and looking out through the mesh to see a surprised Castle still on the ground.
"You coming?" She bounces a few times, enjoying the whoosh of air against her skin, and he hurries over, climbing up and towards her. She bounces away, stumbling as she tries to run in between his jumps. He's grinning predatorily behind her and she's laughing over her shoulder when suddenly he stomps down on one of her hops, sending her flying.
She shrieks, unable to catch her breath from the unexpected air combined with her laughter and she lands on her bottom, limbs sprawled around her and still bouncing as Castle bounds toward her. Her ponytail has fallen out at some point and her hair is all over, a curtain around her face and in her mouth as she tries to gather herself together.
She's still laughing as she gets to her feet, brushing her hair messily out of her face and meeting Castle's eyes again. He's ceased moving, staring at her now, and she stops short at the look of awe on his face, breath catching again for a completely different reason. She's never felt cornier thinking that his face looks like it's bathing her in love but then again she's just the muse, not the writer, and she can't stop smiling as she curls her toes against the tough fabric.
They have dinner on the back porch, Castle's cooking and a bottle of wine between them, and she feels lazy, full, but gives in to his request for a swim; heads upstairs to change into a simple black bikini while he cleans up their meal.
She's standing by the pool admiring the view when she finally hears him come out of the house behind her, the cooling night air rippling over the water as he gets closer to her side.
"It's beautiful," she murmurs, still staring out past the yard. He wraps his arms around her waist, lips coming to her neck, taking advantage of the exposed skin there that her tied-back hair offers.
"Isn't that my line?" His voice is a vibration against her but she rolls her eyes through the shiver at the sensation, spinning them in a swift motion to push him backwards into the pool.
She grins saucily at him when he sputters up for air, pleased at the expression of complete surprise on his face and dives in after him, swimming away when he tries to grab her. They both play along for a while until the chase becomes less urgent and she starts to slow, letting him wrap a hand around her ankle and pull her towards him.
He gently pushes her over to the side of the pool, her back scraping against the concrete as his mouth slants over hers. There's no urgency to his kiss; he's keeping it slow, lazy, and she splays her hands across his chest, lets him keep her afloat.
He pulls away eventually, grabbing her wrists and pulling her back towards the center of the pool, cocking his head to one end.
"I'm gonna swim laps?" It comes out sounding like a question so she nods, content to watch the broad line of his back as he swims away from her, muscles working as he strokes through the water.
He's lost weight over the summer, seeming to have shed pounds as he had shed the stress and anxiety that had haunted him over the last year. She hadn't even noticed the enormous weight of it hanging over him until it had begun to dissipate, layer by layer – every time he was able to look right her and say I love you, every time she caught him staring and let herself return the gaze, every time he made her come apart in bed with his name on her lips.
She's brought back a lighter Castle, and from the way he's been looking at her over the changing months, she suspects he's done the same for her as well.
They move to the Jacuzzi after awhile, her feet resting on his lap from the adjoining seat as they both look up at the sky, water jets creating a lovely pressure against her back. She can't remember the last time she's seen the stars, trying to pick out constellations from the little bit she remembers from her college astrology class while Castle makes his own shapes in the sky, just having pointed out a chicken beak.
He's running his fingers lightly up and down her legs, ghosting around her ankles and then up again, inching dangerously close to her bikini bottoms. She kicks her feet a little in his lap as his fingers dance around the elastic edge without going any farther.
"Stop teasing." It's supposed to be a command but he only laughs, completely ignoring where she wants him and bringing his fingers up to her stomach, drawing patterns on her skin just above the warm water. She grabs his hand in her own, trying to move it lower and he removes it entirely, bringing it back down her body to resume his earlier ministrations.
She huffs, kicking her feet to the floor and rising over his lap, triumphantly swallowing his responding groan with her mouth. Her own grunt of pleasure escapes her as she settles over him, finally getting the pressure she wants as her hips start to move. Her elbow hooks behind his head, trying to get some leverage on the seat below them, pulling back from his mouth and leaning her forehead against his. She attempts to steady herself with the other arm but her body is too shaky, slippery, legs sliding as she tries to get purchase under the water.
His hand comes to her hip, palm spanning her tiny waist as he stills her above him and she growls at the loss of friction, trying to maneuver her body back down but he firmly holds her in place, his other hand hooking behind her to untie her bikini top.
"Is this my punishment for pushing you in the pool?" She's panting, would be embarrassed for herself if she weren't so past the point of turned on, closes her eyes as she feels her top slide off her body and into the water.
"If you think this is a punishment, Beckett, I apparently haven't been working you hard enough."
Her retort dies on her lips as his mouth closes around a nipple, tongue and the scrape of his teeth a jolt that goes straight between her legs. A high-pitched whine escapes her at the same moment that his hand leaves her hip and pushes her bathing suit aside, entering her with two fingers, making her eyes snap open. She grabs at his shoulders as her head falls forward and she finds her gaze cast down into his lap, struck by the sight of herself riding his hand and she's unable to tear her eyes away, watches his thumb come up to flick against her.
His fingers slow just as her hips begin to pick up speed and she clenches her teeth, managing to bring her head up through her haze of lust to glare at him. He pulls his hand away entirely, unfazed, pushing her backwards and giving her not a moment to protest before he's pulling her bottoms off and throwing them somewhere on the deck and quickly divesting himself of his own swim trunks. He stops her when she starts back towards him, spinning her around instead so that her back is to his front, positioning them so that one of the jets of water hits her just right as he suddenly pushes into her from behind.
Her mouth falls open, the angle he's hitting inside her combined with the pressure from the jet overwhelming and she can't do anything but gasp once, twice, sucking in air. She isn't a fan of this position, doesn't usually like the submissive feeling of being taken, but the thought that this is Castle, that this isn't for him but for her – much like everything in his life has been for the past few years, for her – erases all other thoughts from her mind as she throws her arms out to brace herself against the side of the hot tub.
He hasn't moved yet, giving her a moment to adjust, wrapping an arm around her waist as he presses a kiss to her shoulder blade. There's a murmur against her skin, asking for reassurance and she mumbles out something that must be consent because he moves, pulling out and thrusting quickly back into her, ripping a guttural noise from her throat. He begins to alternate between shallow and deep strokes and she lets him take control, hearing herself as if she's outside of her own body, existing for nothing but the unrelenting coil of tension.
She starts to slip as the pressure against her front becomes too much, pushing back into him as she tries to escape, knees buckling and it's suddenly only her hands clutching at the edge that are keeping her upright. Castle's grip around her waist tightens and he pulls out of her completely, giving her only a moment to whine at the complete emptiness before she's back in his lap and he's positioning himself at her entrance, letting her take control and slide down.
It doesn't take long, her jumpy hips grinding against his, still feeling that phantom pressure against her clit and suddenly she's flying, arms around his neck, face buried into them as she clenches around him and brings him with her, choking out a sob.
The undulation of her hips slows and finally stops completely but she doesn't let go of him, resting as their breathing returns to normal, letting the cool air settle against their sweat-soaked skin.
Her eyes are closing before he even joins her from the bathroom, head on his soft pillow and her satiated body sinking into the cool white sheets. She feels the slight dip of the bed when he climbs in with her, too tired to protest as he gathers her against himself, her head settling into the crook of his neck as their legs tangle under the sheets.
"And not a crime scene to be found in the morning," he hums happily, leaning away from her to reach over and turn off the lamp next to the bed.
"Bliss," she breathes out, a sigh against his skin as the room is bathed in darkness, asleep before his arms even have a chance to encircle her again.
His phone rings at approximately 8:30 the next morning.
"Mr. Castle? This is Detective Thire, East Hampton PD. We were wondering if we could enlist your help on a case we just received…"