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Chapter 2 -- Everything is Eventual
The breath that Rick hadn't realized he was holding billowed from his lungs at the surprise of being enveloped in total darkness. And yet, all that was going through his mind was the jarring words Kate had spoken prior to the unexpected blackout. "You memorized the end of my novel," He said softly, incredulous but touched. Even though he could no longer see her face, he could feel the heat from her body due to their close proximity, and longed to reach out and touch her. But fear and hesitation held the normally brazen man back, for he could not read the look in her eyes, or base his next move off of her expression.
Every muscle in her body taut with tension, the detective shivered at the depth and vulnerability of his voice. An overwhelming urge to simply feel him against her suddenly struck her, and taken aback by its potency, she shied from it like a horse would a fast-moving vehicle. Forcing a sigh of exasperation, Kate replied sharply, "It doesn't take a brainiac to memorize a sentence or two, especially when they are as absurd as in your book." She could practically feel his recoil at her acerbic words, and instantly regretted them. Then again, it wouldn't be the first time she had given him an undeserved bitch-slap, and figured that he could handle it.
However, when the usually quick-to-respond author didn't make a sound, she felt guilt continue to gnaw at her resolve. Attempting to brush it off, Kate murmured, "I have a flashlight in my holster," and proceeded to reach for it. She rummaged around for a few moments, fingers moving blindly in the darkness, before she felt her skin caress something plastic. Though just as she seized it, the little bugger slipped from her grasp, and she listened with a growing sense of despair as it clanked to the floor and rattled away.
"Time to get on all fours, I suppose," Rick stated mildly, taking a literal stab in the dark at incorporating some humor into the situation. Kate was relieved that he hadn't taken her biting words to heart, and was finally speaking, however immature his statement might have been.
Easing to the ground, the two adults found themselves back in babydom once more, crawling around while groping for their 'toy.' After a few minutes of silent wandering, Kate struck gold, and was just about to grab the desired article when she felt a warm hand in a place it definitely shouldn't have been. "Shit, Castle!" She yelped, adrenaline kicking through her veins as she soared nearly a mile high off the floor. "Hands off the merchandise!" Now on her feet, she tried in vain to hide the fact that her breath had hitched, and her heart was pounding. Admittedly, it had been a while since she'd been 'handled' in that way, and there were thoughts flying through her head that she would rather have repressed.
"God, sorry! I didn't... I just... I mean it's dark, and..." A pause. "O, accursed hands, why art thou so... naughtieth!" Rick cried in typical Shakespearean fashion, arousing a snort from the previously startled detective. Even in the pitch black, he could picture her signature roll of the eyes, and grinned cheekily.
Somehow managing to mollify her raging libido, Kate feigned vexation as she replied, "Be grateful it's too dark for me to put a round through your philandering skull, Romeo." She ran a hand through her silky brunette locks, and added this time with genuine irritation, "Good going making me lose the flashlight yet again, real sua--" A burst of bright light silenced her, and she turned away from the source, wincing.
Rick held the flashlight just beneath his chin, eerily illuminating his prepossessing features. "Fear not, dear Juliet, for what is a light source but a terminator of improper endeavors?" He arched a suggestive brow, sending her a sex ray that nearly caused her head to explode. However, it wasn't long before an exuberant smile crept onto his face, for he was clearly enthralled by his own verbose brilliance.
Pursing her lips and shaking her head, the detective appeared as though she might let the comment pass undisputed, though this was before she sprang into action. Yet again utilizing the easy move of seizing his ear between thumb and forefinger, Kate drew disconcertingly near to his face as he squirmed in pain, nearly caressing his nose with her own. "Call me that again, and I swear to God, you'll never utter another sonnet." A smile of satisfaction settled upon her lips, as he desperately pleaded, "Apples, apples, apples!"
After milking the moment for all it was worth, Kate released the schooled writer, and gloated silently as he rubbed his reddened ear. In the process of her little torture session, he had dropped the flashlight to where it now lay shining upon the wall. Resting her hands on her hips, she demanded, "You gonna stand there lookin' like a wounded puppy, or suck it up and get that thing?" It was quite evident that she was enjoying herself, for there was a twinkle in her eye that even through his discomfort, Rick could appreciate. To be brutally honest, the man would've lopped off his own hand, had it guaranteed Kate Beckett smiling. Why? Because it didn't occur nearly as often as it should.
Still hunched over and caressing his sore appendage, Rick shuffled over to retrieve the flashlight. "Give a guy a break, Detective, sheesh. If my memory serves me right, you are the one who came to see me. Guests shouldn't abuse their hosts." Straightening to face her, he noted with some smugness that she now occupied the spot on the couch he had only recently vacated. He liked the way she sunk back into the cushions, and pulled her longs legs into an Indian-style sitting position. It gave him a glimpse of a more relaxed, casual Kate Beckett, a woman that was no longer a detective on duty, rather simply that -- a woman.
"Likewise, hosts shouldn't feel up their guests, no matter how dark it may get." She retorted, lifting her chin the slightest bit. With some unease, Kate noted the way he was gazing at her, and unconsciously fidgeted with her locket necklace. "What are you gawking at, Castle?" She inquired, an edge to her tone. All at the same time, she felt violated and delighted by the way he was seemingly studying her.
Aroused from his trance, Rick smiled faintly, and replied in a vague tone, "Oh, nothing." However, when she appeared dissatisfied by that answer, he elaborated, "It's just, as many times as I've pictured you here, it never quite compared to the actual image. Didn't do you justice."
His words caused Kate's breath to catch in her throat, and she couldn't keep her expression from softening. Their eyes locked, sparkling hazel on emerald green, and she once again experienced that peculiar urge to be nearer to him. And, like the time before, she shunned the sensation. Springing to her feet as though a hot coal had appeared beneath her ass, she blurted, "Does this palace have a ladies' room?" Internally chiding herself, she couldn't believe how transparently she had just behaved. It was worrying, really.
Chuckling at her abruptness, Rick walked toward her a few paces, sweeping the expanse of the loft with a grandiose gesture of his arm. "Allow me to escort you, m'lady." He grinned at her eye roll, and as she walked, lightly grasped her elbow while holding the flashlight in his free hand. However, as seemed to be the theme of the evening, something unexpected occurred when the detective stumbled over a certain pink rubber ducky lying forgotten on the floor.
In an effort to prevent her from a painful collision with the adjacent wall, Rick quickly slid an arm around her waist, and held her to him. There was mixture of shock and relief in her eyes, as she reflexively grasped his bare bicep. Where her shirt had peeled up the slightest bit, there was direct skin on skin contact that crackled with electricity, and prompted a stab of desire that started in her abdomen and traveled lower. Unconsciously, their faces drew nearer, until he could feel her breath tickling his cheek. Kate's eyes were heavily lidded, and she felt a sort of drunkenness fog her mind, as she inhaled the scent of his body. Their mouthes were ever so close, and hers even parted the slightest bit, as their lips just barely brushed...
"Dad, Dad, Dad! Dad, Dad, Dad!"
The pair both jumped, as Rick's phone began to shriek Alexis' specialized ringtone. Drawing in a breath, he dug in his pocket for a moment, before hitting 'send' and bringing the device up to his red ear. "Yes, darling? Your mother driving you bonkers already?" His arm dropped limply to his side, as Kate drew away from him and directed her gaze at the floor.
