A/N: Settle in, this is a long one...

Many, many thanks to all my reviewers...and to lalaurala-bones for her encouragement and support. If you haven't read Laura's fics, you're missing out because she has a way of drawing you in - even when, like me, you're a new fan. Show her some love and thank her for helping me find my way with this story. You won't be sorry.

Spoilers: Ghosts

Disclaimer: I don't own Castle.

Chapter Four: Stripped

The writer observes the scene before him. His mother has abandoned her seat to pour herself more wine. Esposito shuffles and deals the next round of cards, declaring that this will be the final hand. Ryan peeks at what's in front of him without a hint of emotion. Captain Montgomery strokes his fingers over his chips as he decides on his bet. And then there's Kate.

Things shifted back to their regular routine shortly after her visit. She'd called when she'd gotten cases and accepted the coffee he'd bought for her as if nothing had changed. He wonders if it would've been bad to let something happen. At least he wouldn't feel like such a fool. Even if she'd pushed him away afterwards, he'd at least have known, right?

"It's not even midnight," Martha laments, looking at her watch as she rejoins the table with a fresh glass of chardonnay.

Rick glances at the detectives, smiling at their relaxed postures. It's nice to be around them like this. Sure, they're great on the clock and under pressure, but this makes him feel even more like one of the guys - even with his mother occupying the chair next to him. She's a good buffer between him and Kate at the moment.

"Some people have jobs to go to in the morning," he says, giving Martha a look he hopes silences her.

"Ah, my son. The working stiff," she says, shaking her head as she looks at her hand before placing her cards on the table. He marvels at how she could be so oblivious of the way the detectives try to hide their amusement. "Phooey. I fold."

Esposito's brow furrows as he looks at the older woman. "If you don't mind me sayin', Mrs. R., you fold a lot."

Martha leans on the table rather theatrically. "I just don't believe in stringing along a bad hand. Why waste time?"

The detective nods in acceptance as Rick decides to give his mother a taste of her own medicine. "Actually, Mother's game isn't Texas Hold 'Em. It's strip poker," he deadpans.

Ryan's eyes shift to his partner at Castle's comment, his eyebrows raised. He's not sure how he gets himself into these situations.

"Keep things hummin' along, if you know what I mean," Rick continues, his eyes meeting Esposito's.

"Frankly, I prefer strip because even when you lose, you win," Martha says, winking at Kate.

Rick watches the female detective blush, a wide smile lighting her face as she looks down at the table. She's beautiful. So beautiful, he's startled when Ryan raises and the captain calls.

"Make it a hundred," Kate says as she looks at her hand and tosses in her chips.

"Whoa!" Martha says and Rick's eyes widen.

"A hundred bucks?" Esposito questions.

Kate smirks, her eyebrows wiggling as she speaks, "Man up, bro."

Rick's mouth twists as he stares at his own hand and the entire table is surprised when Montgomery adds $100 in chips to the pile.

"Out," Esposito calls, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"Slop," Ryan follows, showing Martha isn't the only dramatic one as he slings his cards against the leather table top.

"What about you, Castle? You're already in for the blind," Kate taunts. "Not scared of a little action. Are you?"

And there it is. She's finally called him out for not kissing her. He's a fool for thinking she'd let it go that easily. "Action," he answers, tossing his chips onto the pile, "is my middle name."

"Ah," Martha says, glancing from her son to Kate. "Don't worry, sweetheart. He's bluffing. Whenever he blinks too much it means he's got a lousy hand."

"Mother!" he complains, his gaze not leaving Kate's. Her smile is warm and her eyes dance. She's openly flirting and his body responds to hers as though she actually touches him. The corner of his mouth twitches.

"Alright. Here we go," Esposito says, dealing face up onto the table. "There it is."

Rick does nothing to hide his smile. He taps the cards in his hand with his index finger.

"Uh-oh," Martha interrupts.

"What?" Kate demands.

"He's not blinking," she replies. "But now he's tapping, which means he might have the nuts."

It becomes a staring match. Green eyes hold blue and it's almost as though everyone else fades into the background. Kate's expression is fierce and Rick takes the opportunity to turn the tables on her. "What's the matter?" he asks, throwing her words back, he adds. "You're not afraid of a little action. Are you?"

Kate shakes her head. Her eyes are defiant. Rick likes it. Her spirited "all in" turns him on that much more. The slight twinkle in her eyes seems to hold a deeper meaning. At least he hopes it does.

Montgomery folds. Martha and Esposito look on in awe. It's Ryan who picks at him. "Can't write your way out of this one. Huh, Castle?"

Rick doesn't want an out. He's confident in his hand, but he wants to send her a message. Still your move, Kate.

He slides the cards across the table, taking the digs from the other players. "Guess it just wasn't my night..."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Castle ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

They're in the freight elevator heading to Lee Wax's apartment when she pulls a wad of cash from the pocket of her leather jacket.

"What's this?" Rick asks, stroking his thumb over the crisp bills.

"Your winnings from the other night," Kate answers smoothly, crossing her wrists behind her back as she gives him a once over. "I'm not an idiot," she adds. "I know you threw the last hand."

He stands there, completely stunned, for a moment. He thought she understood what he was doing. Maybe his mother and Alexis were right. Perhaps it had been stupid of him.

Like the criminal in one of his books, he pockets the wad and asks, "How'd you figure it out?"

Looking at him briefly, she turns her nose into the air. "That's not the point."

"Oh," he replies tartly. "My mother called you, didn't she?"

Kate advances and Rick finds himself pressed against the padded wall of the elevator. "You owe me a rematch," she hisses.

His heart quickens at the way their chests almost brush. He forgets to breathe.

"And, Castle?" she asks, glancing at the floor count on the elevator to gauge the time she has left. Slipping her fingers into the hair at his collar, she whispers across his lips, "I never ask. I just take what I want."

Before he can respond, her mouth is on his. The kiss is warm and wet. She suckles his lower lip, teasing over it with her tongue. Her fingers caress his neck, short fingernails scratching lightly and causing him to sway.

He swallows and is about to raise his hand to cup her face when the car lurches to a stop and pings to signal the doors opening. He's frozen, confused as she pulls away. It isn't enough and he wants more. So much more.

Kate calmly tugs at the front of her jacket and steps off the elevator, not bothering to wait for him. She reaches up to tuck her hair behind her ear and takes a deep breath.

Rick startles into consciousness when the doors begin to slide closed. Sticking his foot outside, he stops it and hurries. Flustered, he's amused that - just as she had in a gunfight - Kate has managed to keep control. He's fighting to catch his breath and she's walking away like nothing happened.

He wants to have that effect on her. Is determined to have that effect on her. It will happen. And soon. She has no idea what she's in for.

"Fine!" he calls after her. "You wanna play? Let's play. How 'bout tomorrow night?"

She stops, coming face to face with him and he wonders if - hopes - she'll pounce. "What? With your mystery buddies?"

"What? Are you kidding? No, no, no. Those guys would eat you alive," he chuckles. "No. I was thinking of something a little more local. My Gotham City crew. Guys I beat on a regular basis."

"Your Gotham City crew?" she repeats, rolling her eyes as she begins making her way down the hall.

"Yeah. The captain, the mayor and Judge Markaway. You know, your boss, your boss's boss and the guy that signs your warrants. Or would that make you nervous? I mean, I don't want you throw your game, but I also don't want you to feel patronized."

Her eyes twinkle mischievously and she grins at him. "Just set it up," she tells him. "And be prepared to get your ass kicked."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Castle ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Well, what about it, Castle? You're good with twists," the mayor says. "Where'd the money come from?"

Staring off into space, Rick answers, "I'm thinking..."

"Yeah," Kate says saucily, leaning back and resting her arm on the back of her chair. "Well, you might wanna think up some chips for the pot, 'cause it looks like it's just you and me."

He looks at her and at their mutual chips as the other players snicker and taunt.

"Alright, Detective Beckett," he says, his eyes not leaving hers as he calls her little elevator bluff. She better get this one...because every time he goes past subtext, he manages to mess things up. "I'm all in."

Kate's mouth falls open and he's sure she knows, but she doesn't reply so he goads her. "Ooooh. What's the matter? You afraid of a little action?"

Montgomery and the mayor chuckle, but it's Markaway who chimes in and voices what the others are thinking. "Do us a favor, Detective. Beat his pants off."

Giving her his bedroom eyes, Rick says, "Yes. Please. Beat my pants off, if you dare."

The look she shoots back is unreadable. He's not sure if it's game on or if she's calling him a child. Perhaps it's a little of both.

"Beckett," the captain says. "Do me proud."

"To hell with proud," Markaway snorts. "Make him cry like a little girl."

Rick lowers his eyes to the table. That's just freaky. He wonders if the judge has a camera in his loft. If Markaway saw the way he was after sending Beckett away. If he saw how he sat for nearly an hour with his head in his hands by the front door.

Snap out of it, Rick.

All eyes are on Kate. Three of the men are expectant. They wait for her to crush Rick. Rick just smirks as he watches her. They size each other up. Unbeknownst to the rest of the table, it's practically a mating dance.

Kate calmly places her cards on the table, tapping them with her index finger. "Sorry, fellas," she says sadly. "It's just not my night."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Castle ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Rick shifts in his chair next to Kate's desk, withdrawing a stack of carefully folded bills. "Your winnings."

"My winnings?" she repeats, feigning confusion.

"Oh, don't play coy with me," he answers. "You threw your hand."

Leaning back in her chair, Kate smiles. "Now we're even."

"Not quite," he tells her, shaking his head as he takes a deck of cards from the pocket of his suit coat. "Whatdoya say to a little showdown?"

Kate's tongue strokes over her lips and she looks around. Taking a deep breath, she inches her chair closer and lowers his wrist to the desk. "You're on," she says quietly. "But not here. Let's take this back to my place."

Her place. He likes the sound of that. It has promise. "Tonight?"

She rolls her eyes. "No. A week from Tuesday," she answers, standing up and moving toward the elevator. "You coming or what?"

The car ride is quiet. He can't help but wonder what she's thinking and how the evening will go. He says nothing for fear of snapping the illusion. The last time he was in her apartment, he'd kissed her.

And she did the kissing in the elevator.

Did that make it his move? He's not sure. Clearing his throat, he removes his jacket and tosses it over his shoulder as they make their way to her door. "What's the game?"

"Texas Hold 'Em?" she asks.

He nods, watching as her hands fiddle with the belt of her jacket. "And the stakes?"

Kate's eyes light up. She pops the buttons one at a time to reveal a dark green blouse. "I'm thinking strip," she teases, helping herself to the deck in his pants pocket.

Rick considers the proposition, unbuttoning his cuffs and rolling up his sleeves.

"What's the matter, Castle?" she asks. "You gonna chicken out on me?"

"You dealing or am I, Detective?" he asks darkly.

She shuffles the cards, serving up five a piece when she deals. Their gazes flit between their hands and each other. He tries not to blink too much or tap the plastic coated paper he holds. Tries not to do anything his mother called a tell.

Kate shifts on the couch, drawing a leg underneath her as she leans an elbow against the cushion. She tilts her head.

He can't focus. Can't think straight without the buffer of other players in the room. Not with her neck exposed. Not with her lips slightly parted and her eyes darkening. He nearly folds, but pride kicks in. "Call."

"Flush," she says, laying her cards between them.

He turns to face her, a grin spreading across his face as his drop on top of hers. A full house.

Putting her foot in his lap, she tugs the hemline of her jeans up to expose a toned calf. She draws the zipper on her boot down slowly and pulls it off. Rick's fingertips glide up the exposed skin and he'd swear she shivers beneath his touch. He envies Kate's focus and her ability to remove her other boot without missing a beat. She drops it to the floor with a thud and begins to shuffle again.

The next victims of the game are his shoes, followed by his socks. They're smiling and laughing. Then things turn serious. His next hand beats Kate's and she grows quiet before biting her lip. Setting the cards on the table, she straddles his lap.

Unsure of where else to put them, his hands slide up her denim clad thighs. They're close enough now that he can see the tiny flecks of gold in her irises. "Kate?"

Running a hand through her hair she leans toward him, grabbing the collar of his shirt. The vulnerability he saw a week ago is back. Only this time it has nothing to do with grief or loss. "Kiss me, Rick."

He watches her eyes drift closed, stealing herself for the possibility of rejection. Her mouth is slightly open as her grip tightens. Carefully running his hands up her sides, his thumbs brushing the undersides of her breasts, he pulls her close.

She melts into him as he captures her lips. A big palm cups her face for a better angle and he deepens the kiss. His tongue explores, tangling against hers and making her whimper.

Needing a breath, her head lulls back and she arches toward him. His mouth travels along her throat while her fingers twist into his hair. "Oh, Castle!"

He groans as she squirms slightly. A warmth spreads through his chest. It's unexpected but not unpleasant. It makes him feel different. Special.

Nibbling at her lower lip, he smirks. "Say it again," he whispers.

"Castle..." she complies breathlessly before kissing him with a renewed hunger.

Rick's hands smooth under Kate's blouse and spread across the small of her lower back. Her skin is impossibly soft. He growls when she leans away, but watches as she worries her lower lip with her teeth and begins to unbutton her shirt.

"Kate..." he murmurs, not wanting to push this too far. He's already convinced himself she's worth waiting for. And that he'll wait as long as it takes.

She rolls her shoulders back, letting the olive fabric slip off and flutter to the floor at his feet. His eyes follow the line of the chain around her neck down to the lacy edge of her bra. It's cream and wedgwood blue. Flirty and feminine, and the last thing he expected from her. His lips dance across her chest, his tongue darting out to sample her slightly salty cleavage. Mmm, so she does sweat.

"Are we gonna keep dancing around it, Castle?" she purrs. "Or you gonna take me to bed?"

He pauses to look at her face - to see the desire in her eyes - before pushing to his feet. She tries to get him to set her down, but he'll have none of it. The feel of her body against his own feels too good.

With a little stumbling and a broken lamp, they make it into her bedroom. They laugh, their lips connecting as he steps over the shattered glass with a muffled promise of replacement. With a grunt he settles beside her, his body partially covering hers as she struggles to free his shirt from the waist of his pants.

It takes both of them to get it off, neither willing to break the kiss to take care of it on their own. Skin slips over skin as they continue teasing touches and open mouthed kisses. He watches in fascination as she starts to come apart in his arms. Moaning and squirming into his touch. Control falling along with her emotional walls.

Rick makes his way down her body. His tongue dips into Kate's navel and his teeth nip at her hip. He feels like a kid on Christmas morning when she raises her hips so he can remove her jeans and he notices her panties match the bra.

He settles back over her, finding her mouth as a long and muscular leg wraps around him. Varying pressure, he slides his hand over her silky skin of her arm and throat - fingertips to fingers to the full weight of his palm. She's an oasis. A cool, bottomless glass of water that will somehow never quench his thirst, yet always be enough.

"Tell me, Kate," he breathes against her throat. "Tell me what you want."

She arches into his touch, helpless to do anything but respond. His thumb strums along her inner thigh, fanning beneath the lace at her hip as he sucks lightly on her collarbone. "Castle..."

Tilting her head back as he recaptures her mouth, he greedily swallows her moan. Fingers curling around the strap of her bra, he lowers it as he uses his other hand to open the clasp. His breath catches as he draws the fabric away to reveal her breasts. She glows like a pearl in the dim light, her necklace shimmering against her pale skin, and he leans down to take one of the dusty rose crowns between his lips, a thumb teasing over the other.

Kate hums her approval, her fingers tangling into Rick's hair and drawing him closer. The ring of her cell phone pierces the air and she groans.

"Just ignore it," he murmurs against her nipple as his tongue flirts with the peak.

A whine of protest leaves her, followed quickly by a gasp as his hand slip beneath the elastic barrier of her panties. His fingers drag along her heat, eliciting a growl when he finds her soaked. Eyes shining a deep sapphire, he watches her pupils dilate and her head drop back as she squirms.

The phone doesn't stop ringing. Kate forces herself up, crawling to her discarded pants at the foot of the bed and digging into her pocket. Rick follows, his hands gliding up her bare back and brushing her hair away to expose the tender curve of her neck.

"Detective Beckett," she answers breathlessly, narrowly holding back a moan as he kisses along her shoulder. An arm wrapping around her waist he draws her back against his chest, feeling the weight of her father's watch on her wrist as her hand covers his.

"You okay, boss?" Esposito's voice comes across the line. "You sound out of breath."

"Yeah, I'm good. What've we got?" She listens as the other detective rattles off details about a case. His voice is a much needed distraction. It gives her something to focus on. Something other than the way Richard Castle's large palms cup her breasts, his fingers brushing against the skin-warmed metal of her mother's ring.

No matter how hard he tries - no matter how many times his name graces the best seller list - Nikki Heat would never come close to the woman in his arms. He's not sure he'd want her to. The facts are so much better than the fiction.

Kate's the real thing. She's resilient. A survivor. The necklace and watch prove it. They're part of who she is. Part of where she comes from. And he wants to be a part of her, too. A part of her life. Even the dark parts and rough edges.

The thought makes him smile against her skin. More than tonight - more than this moment - he thinks of tomorrow. Thinks of the next day and down the road. Thinks about climbing out of bed with her rather than late night or early morning meetings at crime scenes.

Rick doesn't listen in because he isn't motivated to. He wants to get back to what they started. Wants to get back to the promise of everything ahead. A wicked hand strokes over her lace-covered core. He teases her, making her close her eyes and suck in a breath.

"No," she answers with a tiny groan, somehow managing to keep her tone measured. He smirks. In his mind, whether fact or fiction, her annoyance is directed at Esposito and being called away. "I'll take care of calling him. See you in 20?"

Hanging up, she wrenches herself away from Rick's tempting hands and reaches to toss him his shirt. "Get dressed, Castle. We've got a murder."

"Oh, come on, Kate," he pleads, watching as she bends to pull on her jeans. "Just give me five more minutes. I'll make it worth your while."

Kate laughs softly, tugging on a soft sweater she's retrieved from the drawer of her bureau. "Funny, Castle. I pegged you for needing at least seven."

Oh, Kate. If you only knew...

Richard Castle, best selling author: 1. Detective Katherine Beckett: 2.

He probably could have claimed that one. But he lets it go. Leaves it alone. She'll find out soon enough...and he's confident she'll be satisfied.


A/N: This is about twice the length of the previous three. I could have broken this into two chapters, but felt it flowed better as one. Thoughts?