Chapter 3
His mouth hanging open, Rick's stood in the doorway, swaying slightly. Kate's hand dropped to her side with a soft thud. They simply stared at each other, the writer and his muse. He shuffled his feet. She cleared her throat. What was there to say?
"I….I don't really know why I'm here", she stuttered out.
"Well I know where I was going", he responded softly.
She looked into his eyes. Really, really looked. And all she saw was pure, raw emotion and.…love. No one had looked at her like that in a very long time. It overwhelmed her. It filled her with hope and joy and so many other indescribable feelings. And then it all just exploded out of her. "Rick, I heard you. I heard what you said. I remember everything", she blurted out. "And….I love you too".
A dead pause hung in the air. Kate could feel her heart pounding in her chest, the blood running through her veins, the breath she was holding in her lungs. Waiting, waiting, waiting for his condemnation of her. Waiting for his anger and rage. Would he kick her out? Would he never speak to her again? What would happen to her without him?
She'd never have to find out.
"I know", he replied. "I think I always did".
He reached for her then. Her body tensed in anticipation, fear suddenly seizing her. Kate Beckett, who never let her guard down, who always had a plan, who rarely was unprepared for anything, couldn't even think. Her mind froze. Her breathing hitched. Was she ready for this? Did she care if she wasn't? Had she done the right thing? While her mind raced, Castle's arms encircled her waist. He moved cautiously, gauging her reaction. Looking into her eyes for confirmation, he found them wide and staring. He almost stopped and pulled away. But once Kate's brown eyes had met his blue, all her doubts disappeared. She knew where she belonged. Anywhere Castle was, she too would be. He was home. She reached up on her tippy-toes, flung her arms around his neck and closed the gap between them.
It was slow gong at first. Not that either of them were inexperienced, but they were new to one another. They were used to the physical presence of each other, but never like this. But it would never be uncomfortable between them; their love was too strong. Castle kept one arm firmly locked around Kate's waist, dragging her to him. His other hand wound itself into her soft locks, anchoring itself there as if it needed to wait out a storm.
And a storm was brewing. A storm that had been held at bay for so long and was suddenly being unleashed all at once. Kate clung to Castle as if he were her life vest and would keep her afloat. The pair was so absorbed they struggled to enter the room fully. A mass of tangled limbs clumsily closed Castle's front door. Tripping over stray items, the couple made progress towards the stairs. Kate was chewing on Castle's bottom lip and a low moan broke free from his chest. Lifting her up in his impatience, Castle's hands found Kate's all too prominent ass. He stared at it plenty of times, he'd fantasized about it, he'd even "accidentally" brushed against it. But this moment far surpassed any of the others. Because she was allowing him to be firm with her. He was gentle, yet firm. His fingers gripped her flesh as though some invisible force was trying to tear her out of his arms. Silly, when they both knew that wasn't going to happen. They had all night to be together, and hopefully much, much longer than that.
Kate's fingers were working desperately at the few buttons on Castle's shirt. His hands roamed along her lower back. One stair, than another. It was a torturously slow progression. But a good kind of torture. One they wanted to drag out as long as possible. This would not be passionate and quick. It would be passionate of course, but neither of them wanted to rush. After waiting so long for this moment, why would they want to speed through it?
So everything was slowed down. Their kisses were long and intimate. The caresses weren't a race. It was a slow burning fire, rather than one that ignited at once and fizzled out just as quickly. But that didn't mean it lacked the urgency of a one-night stand. Their desire was barely reigned in. Hands were everywhere, on faces, clenched in hair, gripping at muscles. It was as if they were trying to memorize each other's bodies Kate thought dizzily. And the SMELL emanating from Castle. It was a musky, woodsy scent. It infiltrated her nose, filled her mind. She was swimming in him. And he in her.
They had made it to the top of the stairs. Kate leaned away for a moment, gasping for air. And in that instant, Castle gazed deeply into her eyes. His face was suddebly serious.
"Kate", he said, "Are you sure about this?"
It hurt him to ask of course. It left him wide open. She could change her mind, untangle herself from him, walk out his door and never come back. That terrified him. But he had to give her an out. He was a gentleman after all. He had to make sure that this was what she wanted, 100%. Otherwise, he'd never be able to forgive himself.
As the uncertainty raged through his mind, Castle struggled to register the look on Kate's face. It was…..was she smiling? She was. Kate Beckett was not only smiling, she seemed to be holding back laughter. So much for her being serious all the time.
Kate let out a throaty laugh.
"Rick," she rasped, "I have waited far too long for this to want to stop now. And if you intend on believing that I am having seconds thoughts, I will shoot you."
A wide grin spread across Castle's face. He didn't utter another word; instead he picked her up, and nudged open the door to his bedroom. Entering the room, he fumbled for the light switch, succeeding in knocking over books, papers and other items in his haste. Kate continued to giggle against his lips, never releasing her hold on the hair at the nape of his neck. They were young and playful in their love, losing the serious sides of themselves that had to take precedence in their lives. In this moment, here, alone together, she wasn't a cop, he wasn't a father, and neither of them was damaged. Their love made them whole. It was the missing piece in both of their lives: each other. Overwhelmed by the emotion of the moment, Kate feared she would weep. But Castle, intuitive as always, sensed her oncoming emotion. He looked at her, with a mischievous spark in his eyes.
"Don't forget, my safe word is still "apples".
So my lovely readers, I am astonished by the reaction to my first ever fanfic. This is the final chapter I had written for this story (I know I had previously said I wrote 4, that was a mistake). I'm not sure if I should continue this or not. If I do, the rating will go up to M. If I don't, this is not the end. I will be writing more, seeing as my freshman year of college ends next week and then summer begins! Here's the deal, you want more from this story, please let me know you think it's worth continuing. If not, consider sticking with me. Either way, I love you all very much.
Remember, Review to save your favorite stories from ceasing to exist!
Grazie,
Amy
