You Sexy Thing

Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone in regards to Castle; the show and its characters belong to a bunch of people who aren't me. I am merely borrowing the characters for my own amusement. Dance puppets, dance.

Author's Note: This is dedicated to all the Nathan lovers out there, who think the man is dead sexy despite people claiming he's fat. He's handsome and incredibly yummy. Thank you to Smacky30 and Mingsmommy for their awesome beta skills and encouragment. They are mad geniuses...but the good kind


The first thing Kate registered when she woke up was the delicious smell of her bedmate. She had her nose buried in the nape of Rick's neck. Nuzzling back and forth, she inhaled the warm, musky scent of his skin. She could feel every muscle in her body relax, sinking even further into his decadent mattress.

She giggled; she was sure they painted a comical picture in their sleep. Kate was doing her best impersonation of a koala as she wrapped herself around Rick's back while slept on his side. Their legs were tangled together, and her arms encased his massive chest.

Slowly, Kate felt Rick start to wake up. He stretched his limbs languidly, like a cat waking up from an afternoon nap in the sun light. Turning over, he gave her the sleepy smile that never failed to turn her insides into mush.

"Morning," he mumbled.

"Good morning." Leaning forward, she gave him a kiss. But when she moved closer to deepen it, he pulled away.

"I should probably get up," he said, pushing up on his elbow.

But Kate wanted none of that. She wrapped her arms around his back with a content hum. "It's still early. We don't have to be at the precinct for a while. Besides, we can be late."

Gently, he reached back to take her hands away from him. "You can sleep. I want to get in a workout."

Oh this was new! The man never, ever turned down sex. And he was turning her down when she wanted to be late for work? Something was definitely up.

"Hey," she said, before he could get out of bed. "What's going on?"

Rick just shrugged. "Nothing. I'd just really like to get to the gym."

That really worried Kate, and she had a good idea as to what was bothering him.

"Wait…is this about yesterday?"

Yesterday, photographers had come by to take pictures of Esposito for next year's NYPD calendar. Unlike the last time, where he participated in a group shot, Esposito posed alone as Mister July. As they photographed him outside the precinct, shirtless, a group of women had gathered to watch him flex his muscular form.

Kate and Rick had come back from lunch in time to watch Javier soak up the attention. But she'd overheard a couple of women commenting that they were glad "this hot cop had been chosen, and not the fat writer that followed them around." Another woman said Rick used to look handsome, but it was very obvious from his picture on the book jackets that he needed to go on a diet. Unfortunately Rick had overheard these women too, his teasing smile and cat calls to Esposito stopping.

He spent the rest of the day in a quiet funk, sneering a little when he saw the boys down a half a box of doughnuts. After dinner, Rick passed on dessert and chose to write a little before they went to bed. Normally he had no qualms about changing in front of her at bedtime, but last night he went into the bathroom and the door closed.

When Rick didn't meet her eyes and acted as if a loose thread on the sheet was the most interesting thing in the world, Kate knew the truth.

Huffing slightly, Kate shook her head. She had a half a mind to find those women and wallop them. Fat writer…how dare they? Rick Castle was not fat! The man was damn sexy.

Sure he'd been thinner in his younger days, she discovered in skimming his old photo albums. Who wasn't? But the extra weight fit his broad frame perfectly.

"Rick…" she started, but than immediately changed her tone. She didn't want to sound too patronizing. Tugging him back down on the mattress, she put her hands on his face.

"It's not that," he answered quickly.

"Really? Because normally-" She nuzzled her lips against his ear. "- -You don't care about undressing in front of me." Moving slightly, she took his ear lobe between her lips and nipped gently. "So if those stupid asshats didn't hurt your feelings, what gives you the right to deny me my nightly Rick Castle peepshow?"

Feeling Rick work his jaw, made Kate pull back. She noticed his tight brow, knowing he was trying to formulate an answer.

"I…I…just think…I've gained a lot of weight," he quietly admitted.

"Okay, so you don't have a six pack, but you still have a smaller gut than most guys." Snuggling even closer, Kate slipped her fingers under his shirt to run over his abs. She could feel him sucking in his stomach muscles. "I think the softer skin fits your personality better anyway. Your marshmallow center is right where I can touch it."

At least that got a small smile out of him, so she went on.

"And where you think you lack muscles in the middle you more than make up for in your arms and back." This time Kate ran her fingers over the warm skin covering his biceps. God she couldn't even wrap her whole hand around his muscles.

"Don't you know watching you open a jar or whisking eggs shows off your arms, and makes me want to jump you in the kitchen, every damn time?" She gave his bicep a firm squeeze and it made her shiver. "You never put it together that the first time I saw you lift at the precinct gym I couldn't get you to bed fast enough?"

His face relaxing into a smirk, Rick drawled, "As I recall, we didn't even make it to bed."

"Right. Because when I dragged you in the shower, I came just from watching your arms hold me up."

This time his grin widened considerably into just plain smugness. There was the man she loved.

"But that's not the only place where you have defined muscles." Slipping under his shirt again, Kate ever so slowly ran her hands up and down his back. She nuzzled close to his ear again, whispering, "I love the feel and flex of your back muscles when we make love; gives me something strong to hold on to when I lose control." In the middle of one of paths up his back, Kate grabbed on to the tight muscle suddenly, like she did in the middle of a passionate moment. She could feel the shudder that ran through Rick's body.

With her arms still wrapped around him, Kate scooted just enough to give him an Eskimo kiss. "Put all of that together in this big, broad frame, and you have the recipe for the world's best hugs."

He blinked. "Really?"

Nodding emphatically, she snuggled as close as she could, wanting her whole body against him. "Not only do you put all of your love into your hugs, but you make me feel safe. I like being completely wrapped up in you."

His eyes soften to an incredibly pure shade of blue, his happiness sparkling from the depths.

Finally she was getting him to understand that a perfect physique did not make a perfect man.

Now smothering a sly smile against his shoulder, Kate's hands wandered to his ass. "And now by far, my favorite feature..."

Rick jumped a little as her fingers explored the subject in mind. "Dah!" he squeaked.

She giggled at his girlish response. "Rick, you have the best ass there is. Smooth, supple…great in jeans, and even better out of them."

He squirmed again when Kate took more than a pinch. "So you really think I'm all that?"

"And a bag of chips." With that she flipped Rick on to his back and slithered on top of his body. Kate finally took the good morning kiss she wanted, tasting and nipping his delicious mouth.

"You know," he mumbled against her lips. "I'm beginning to think you're just using me for my body."

"Duh."

They were naturally late for work…but Rick still got his workout in.