"So… I'm kinda disappointed," she said, "this is not how I pictured our John Woo marathon, to be perfectly honest."

He turned his head so he could see her face, which was currently resting on his chest. "Well, I totally did, to be perfectly honest, Beckett."

She couldn't hide her grin. It was such a Castle thing to say. Not that she minded his attitude. Especially after those last weeks. It was about time for them and finally – finally she was in the right place, too, she thought, nestled between his arms and one leg draped loosely across his thigh. She was just so damn happy.

"Are you… Is this you blushing?"

"No," she responded a bit too quickly, very much aware of the hot blush creeping up her cheeks at rapid speed.

"It's like you're glowing."

"How could you even see that, it's pitch dark in here."

Castle lifted his hand from her hip and lazily brushed a stray of hair off her face. "Actually, I can feel it–"

"Oh, please, that sounds so cheesy—"

"—on my skin."

"Oh."

He chuckled softly. She loved this sound; it was so different from the way he laughed when they were with the boys. So new and intimate. Just like… his warm hand, which had found its way back to her hip. God, she could never let him stop touching her. Not that she would ever admit this to him. (His other hand started tracing her lower back, light and gently.) Well, at least not now where she felt totally incapable of saying anything at all besides sighing sweetly.

"You know," he said, drawing circles over her shivering skin, "you're right. I didn't picture it like this."

She opened her eyes, which had fallen shut without her permission.

"At least not the part where you jumped at me right in the door frame. That wasn't exactly the classic Kate Beckett move."

She freed her arm from under his and let her hand rest at his cheek. "No, it wasn't. That's because you didn't deserve a classic Kate Beckett move." She pushed herself up high enough to look him straight into the eyes. "You deserve much more than that."

He hadn't let go of her for a second and held on to her back even tighter. "That's not true."

"Oh, yes it is. I was being a coward for the better part of the last four years."

"You weren't ready, Kate. We both weren't. It's not like I didn't want this, because, you know, I wanted this so badly, but I mean, look at me."

"…yes..," she said grinning down at him with hungry eyes.

"No, I mean—" He laughed, vibration shaking both of them. "I mean I wasn't in a place where I would have appreciated it the way I do right now. It wouldn't have been as great and beautiful and maddeningly complicated—" he was interrupted by her low chuckle, "as it was tonight."

"You know, the night's not over yet, Castle," she said biting her lip, her hand snaking around his neck so casually as if she'd been doing this every day for years already.

"I am very much aware," he said as he pressed his palm against her pelvis, urging her flush against him. He didn't see her huge smile. He felt it on his lips straight away.