For people who have read "Big News" this is nothing new, but, um... sorry.

Beckett made an incoherent noise into her phone, still fast asleep.
"Beckett," she managed drowsily.

"Kate," a gruff voice replied on the other end.

"Castle?" She checked the time. The clock read 02:03am.

She'd thought they'd figured this time-zone thing out.

"I'm sorry, I need sleep. I have work."

"I need you." His voice was desperate.

She knew what he was talking about and she wasn't exactly in the mood.
"Castle, I'm sorry -" she started again.

"It's been two weeks since we've had our... special phone time, Kate."

She groaned. "Castle, you know I've been busy with these last couple of cases."

"I know. "

"Can't you just... take care of yourself for a while, Babe? Just until I get the time."

"But I can't... take care of myself any more without you."

Despite her grumpiness, he had caught her attention.
"What do you mean, you can't?"

"Not without your voice."

'So, you haven't... for two weeks?"

"Every time I get close, I stop myself. I just can't bring myself to... arrive without you. It feels wrong, like I'm cheating on you. I haven't since we got together. Before this tour, I never needed to."

This should not be sweet. This should not be melting her heart. This should be creepy. It was creepy. And disturbing. And gross.

"Well, you have my permission to... arrive without me any time you want, as long as you don't bring anyone else with you."

"I don't want to without you."

"Well, it's either that or a cold shower. I'm not a twenty-four-hour sex hotline you can just call whenever you need to... lighten your load."

"I don't want a hotline. They don't participate. They don't know my body like you do. They don't know exactly what to say, and how to say it – and they definitely don't have your voice. That voice could melt stone."

"I'm not in the mood."

"Then why haven't you hung up on me?"

Crap. Truth was, she missed his voice. They hadn't really spoken much in the last few weeks, both being too busy; relying on letters, emails and tweets instead. So, she liked hearing it. She just didn't want to have phone sex.

Although, he was starting to test her resolve with his version of dirty talk. Really, it wasn't dirty at all. He liked using euphemisms and subtext. Well, they both did. It was kind of their thing. It was only natural it should spill over into their sex-life.

He also liked to be poetic, of course, playful with language. He was a writer.

"Because you're the one who's going to pay the phone bill," she said.

"Come on, Kate, don't you need me, too?"

She sighed.
"Don't."

"Answer the question," he commanded.

She wished she had the energy to chastise him for telling her what to do.

"Right now, all I need is sleep. I'm really not in the mood for anything else."

"So, you don't miss the way I used to touch you?"

The way he said used to, offended her - as if that part of their relationship was over when really, it was taking a hiatus.

"I've got things handled in that department."

He let out a soft growl.
"Oh, I bet you have. I bet you're much better at meeting your needs than I ever was."

There he went again. Was. Was he doing that deliberately?

"After all, I'm just a man. What do I know about how to please you? I wouldn't know how to make you scream, or moan. What do I know about your body? What do I know about your skin? I wouldn't have the faintest clue about how soft or how hard you like to be touched, that little spot on your left collar-bone, or how to flick my tongue in just the right way - "

Damn him. Her pulse increased, her breathing hitching,at the memories he was conjuring up of a very adept Castle who knew exactly how to please her.

"What do I know about that look you get on your face when I rub circles on the back of your hand with my thumb? It's probably boredom."

He really was trying to piss her off.

"Castle," she breathed.

"I have no idea what I'm doing, Beckett. I don't even know how you can stand my hands on your breasts, my mouth covering your nipple."

She bit lip to suppress a whimper.

"God, Castle."

"You know how my mouth feels on your soft flesh. Cold and dry. And my tongue probably feels like sandpaper."

How was this turning her on? This made no sense. Very odd reverse psychology.

"I'm a terrible lover, aren't I, Kate? You can't possibly get aroused by anything I say."

Even as he said that, she could feel the damp warmth forming between her legs. She grabbed on to the sheets with her other hand.

"Damn it Castle," she growled.

She could hear the grin in his voice.

"I know you don't want me to slowly slide my hand down to your panties."

She had a sharp intake of breath.

"Yeah, that's horrible, isn't it?" he said, pretending to misread her reaction. " I don't know how to touch a woman, let alone you. I'm a mess down there, aren't I? My thumb moves in all the wrong ways, my fingers fumble clumsily in all the wrong places. When you bite down on my shoulder it's because you want me to stop, right?"

She couldn't take any more. Her hand released the sheets, slipping beneath her underwear.

"I guess I'll just stop."

"Don't you dare," she hissed.

"Detective, you couldn't possibly be touching yourself , could you?"

"Don't stop talking," she demanded.

"Your wish is my command," he said, all teasing leaving his voice, now dripping with pure lust. "Do you have any idea how tightly wound I am? How badly I need to be inside you?"

She pumped her fingers harder at his words, applying more pressure to her clit, moaning softly.

"I missed you so badly, I can't think straight," he continued. "I miss waking up next to you, bringing you coffee and bear-claws, distracting you from your paperwork, the way you stare at me when you think I'm not looking.
"I have trouble paying attention to questions when I'm being interviewed. I'm vacant when people ask me for autographs. I'm distracted by the things we'd be doing together if I were there with you."

Her breath caught as she rose higher and higher.
"Oh, God, I miss you, too," she admitted. "I want you so badly right now." She felt a pang in her stomach as she voiced her feelings of longing.

"How badly?"

"Really badly," she husked. "Almost as bad as – hmm - when I didn't have you at all, when I thought I might never know what it was like to feel you against me, all of you."

His breathing had gotten laboured. It sounded as if he was panting, and she wondered how close he was to his own release.

"Castle?" she breathed.

There was a knock at the door.

She stilled in shock. After a moment, she took a deep, shaky breath.
"That'd better be you, Castle."

"What?"

She jumped out of bed, removing her hand, definitely wide awake now.
"Castle, I swear, I'm going to jump the bones of whoever it is behind the door. If it isn't you, I'm gonna make you listen," she warned, running out of their room.

He sounded worried. "Kate, seriously, that isn't me. I'm in London. Don't do anything rash. Remember how much I love you."

"You'd better hope you're lying," she said before opening the door.