Disclaimer: All the characters belong to Andrew W. Marlowe, though they have found their own way into my heart.

Castle opened his eyes to the most stunning image his brain could have ever conjured. He was lying on his side and the most gorgeous creature lay nestled against him. Kate's head was resting on his arm and one of her hands was pressed to his chest, right above his heart. Her other arm lay draped over his middle, while his was wrapped around her waist, his fingers lightly touching her lower back.

The morning sun streamed in through the windows, enveloping the room in a haze only seen in movies. But what left Castle breathless was the way the soft light created an aura around Kate's form, highlighting her beauty. His gaze leisurely studied the most delicate shadows cast on her peaceful face, the subtle profile under her long eyelashes, her nose, her lips... He could almost make out the hint of a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. And the way the light shone on her hair, reflected in thousands of golden sparks; he was in absolute awe. He may have stared at her for hours.

Her chest slowly rose and fell with every breath she took, the air fanning softly across his stomach. She looked so peaceful, so at ease, with him, in his bed. Castle finally tore his eyes away from her face to slowly trace the curve of her neck. But his heart jumped at the sight of what he found there. Dark patches —shades of blue and purple bruising— stained her flawless skin. His gaze traveled further down and he had to swallow hard before gently lifting the sheets, revealing one of the worst bruises he had ever seen. It was the size of his hand, if not larger, and it covered part of her side and ribs. Castle lowered the sheets; the sight of it was starting to make him dizzy. He closed his eyes for a few seconds and took deep breaths, trying to steady the pounding of his heart. When he opened his eyes again, his fingers started tracing gentle patterns on her back.

A tender caress on her spine, as subtle as the touch of a feather, woke her up. Her eyelids fluttered almost imperceptibly but she didn't open them. Not yet. Instead, enveloped in Castle's scent, feeling warm and comfortable, she arched her back into the velvety touch of his hand and let out a sigh of contentment. He continued with the stroking and Kate felt him drop the lightest of kisses on top of her head. In response, her lips curled up into a smile. The sudden desire of wanting to see him was overpowering and it made her open her eyes to the bright room. He was staring down at her, love and tenderness written all over his face. She gently ran her fingers through his ruffled hair and then placed her hand on his cheek, the hint of stubble scraping her palm.

"Good morning," Kate whispered with a big grin on her face.

Smiling back at her, Castle said, "Good morning to you too." He leaned in and kissed the tip of her nose. She moved her hand around to the back of his neck and her fingers tangled in his short hair. "Definitely the best morning ever," he added.

"Most definitely…" she agreed shyly. "Yeah." The realization that she couldn't stop smiling caused a chuckle to escape from her lips.

"How are you feeling?" Castle asked, lazily running his fingers up and down her arm.

"Fine. More than fine, actually," she replied, feeling perfectly relaxed and at ease. A long beat of silence followed where they just stared at each other. And then she noticed something in Castle's eyes, something he was trying to conceal. Worry? Concern? The corners of her lips fell a little. "Why?" she asked him, her eyebrows slightly furrowed.

Castle didn't answer. Instead, he reached down with a hand and lifted the sheet covering her body. Kate moved the arm she had around him and craned her neck to take a look at herself. Oh, she thought when she saw the side of her waist. She winced and fell back down onto the pillow.

"That is some nasty bruise I have," is all Beckett could say as she tried to keep the mood light. His serious eyes bored into hers. "I'm okay Castle. These bruises will fade away. There's nothing to worry about," she told him with conviction. The expression on Castle's face didn't change, so she ran her thumb over the deep crease between his brows, trying to smooth it away, and he closed his eyes at her tender touch.

"I should have been—" he started to say.

"Don't," she stopped him, placing a hand over his mouth. "Look at me," she demanded. He sighed and opened his eyes, reluctantly. "We can't change what happened. If there is anyone to blame, that would be me. You warned me and I didn't listen." Castle dropped his gaze but she lifted his chin and locked her eyes with his baby blues. "So we are going to forget and move on, okay?" He studied her face for a long moment. She cocked a brow. "Castle?"

"Fine... Okay," he yielded.

Her face relaxed and she smiled up at him. "Okay. So… can I make fun of your bed hair now?" she chuckled.

"Oh, you wicked woman!" he laughed, the sparkle returning to his blue eyes.

Castle leaned in until their mouths were only a breath apart and then held still. He waited for her to come the rest of the way and press her lips to his. Kate's arms snaked their way around his neck, pulling him closer to her. Then she deepened the kiss and moaned inside his mouth. Minding her bruised body, Castle slowly rolled her onto her back, gently pinning her down to the mattress, and moved on top of her. He leaned his bare torso on her naked chest and wound his arms under her armpits, pressing his hands against her shoulder blades. A minute later, out of breath, Castle broke the kiss and rested his forehead against Beckett's left side temple, touching his lips to her cheek. He then started kissing up and down the line of her jaw but soon let out something between a frustrated chuckle and a groan.

"Damn," he murmured and a growl rolled off his tongue.

Kate's body stiffened under his. "What?" she asked, nervous and with an edge of alarm in her voice. "What is it, Castle?"

He tilted his head back to look at her, giving her a wry smile. "I'm so screwed up," he said, finally.

Looking confused, Kate moved her hand to his cheek, her thumb rubbing under his eye.

"What's wrong?" she whispered.

Castle exhaled, his eyes rolling skyward, and lightly shook his head. "I don't think I can ever stop kissing you," he confessed.

Kate let out a sigh of relieve and smiled, brushing her lips over his mouth. "Well… I don't think I would mind that much."

"I suppose it'd be okay if we never left this room," he murmured, burrowing his face into the crook of her neck.

He grazed his teeth over her skin, sending a shiver down her spine, and her eyes closed in response. "I am growing rather fond of your lips," she breathed out. "Think they're quite skilful" She couldn't keep the tremor out of her voice as he sucked the skin of her throat into his mouth.

"Glad to hear that." Castle's tongue flicked over her pulse point, what made her gasp. "But we will eventually have to go outside, be around other people... You know, socialize…" he slurred with a deep voice against her smooth skin.

Her breathing soon became labored, coming out in ragged, short gasps, and her heartbeat seriously picked up a frantic rhythm. Castle kept his mouth working on every inch of skin it could find and she could feel him smile against her flesh, pleased with the reaction he was getting from her.

"I didn't know you were such a cuddler," he voiced out in a deep murmur.

"I am not— I mean…" She was having a hard time concentrating, couldn't quite make sense of what she wanted to actually say. "I waaa—," a high-pitched moan escaped from deep within her throat as his lips moved over the swell of her breast. Her brain still hadn't gotten used to the idea of him being all over her. "I wasn't... until now," she finally exhaled.

Castle lifted his head and she looked up at him with dark, hooded, lustful eyes.

A huge smug expression crossed his face. "You seem flushed," he chuckled and wiggled his eyebrows. She rolled her eyes but it didn't change the fact that her cheeks were scarlet red and all of her body fully awake and overstimulated.

"What time is it?" she asked, trying to divert Castle's attention to another subject. His smile widened even more and he stared a bit longer before glancing sideways at the clock on his nightstand.

"It's almost eleven," he answered. "Alexis should be here shortly…" His voice trailed off, the sudden realization slowly dawning on him.

Beckett's eyes opened wide. "What?" she shrieked.

Hope you liked it. Thank you!