I remain owning nothing but my imagination, which has become a rather fun place to visit.
For Diane, who demanded navy blue boxers!
Two in Love can make it.
You've been on my mind,
I grow fonder everyday,
Lose myself in time,
Just thinking of your face.
The phone flashed with her own apartment number, he was calling from her kitchen, she laughed.
"You can stop that now!" She yelled as she cut the song off. Throwing the phone haphazardly onto her bed.
"I geddit" she muttered to herself "I see what you're doing Richard Castle."
"Hurry up and I will" he shouted back from her kitchen.
She pulled the dress into place, wiggling in front of the mirror.
"It will be worth it!" she yelled again smiling.
"Promise?"
She caught herself mid skip as she left the bedroom, slowing to a walk, and then just for his benefit she put a little extra oomph into it. Forgetting he was cooking, she had to make herself known to get his attention.
"So" she said, entering her kitchen where he was stirring sauce into pasta "what do you think?" She held her arms above her head and spun on the spot. The dress swirled around her.
There was a loud clang, making her jump, and then she was splattered with tiny flecks of baking hot pasta sauce.
"OW!" she bit out jumping back "that's hot!"
"Yeah" he said his eyes wide " that's…that's pretty much what I was thinking".
"What did you do?" She reached for a towel, wiping off the sauce that had hit her skin.
"You twirled and I dropped the spoon" he said sheepishly "Oh and I ruined your dress" he pointed as the tiny spots of pasta sauce began to leech into the soft material leaving little orange and red oil stains all over it. He ducked as the towel she had been holding whizzed past his head.
"We have to leave in 20 minutes, you're still cooking, and now I have to get changed, we're going to be late". She tried very hard, but she couldn't force any real anger into her voice. It was very ego boosting to make him 'drop his spoon'.
" I can't help it if you look" he waggled his eyebrows and waved his hand at her " like that!" He smiled.
" Like what?" she asked all faux innocence.
" You look beautiful, ravishing, hot, delectable, and extra…". He let the almost said 'E' word hang between them.
"Don't!" she smiled and leant across the counter top to run her finger along his cheek, catching a fleck of pasta sauce, before drawing a line down his face to slowly rest across his lips silencing him. She grinned, not only because of the red line of tomato sauce she had left trailing his face, but because of the way his eyes had darkened when her finger touched his lips.
He stepped forward, smiling softly, he caught her wrist and used it to pull her to him, lifting her chin with his fingers until their eyes met again. He leant in gently kissing her. Watching as she relaxed into the feel of his lips on hers and fluttered her eyes closed, before he shut his own. It was a bit difficult, leaning across a boiling pan and a wooden counter top, the kiss was barely more than a peck and ended too quickly.
"Wow!" he said looking at the clock over her head.
"Yeah." she said straightening up, letting out a long sigh and opening her eyes slowly, completely lost in the moment, such a simple kiss leaving her weightless, floaty.
"No." he laughed, she glared at him "No, I mean yeah, but," he pointed at the clock "we are going to be very, very late. And you still need to change.".
He pushed her away gently, looking her up and down, taking in the handy work of his earlier pasta sauce catastrophe.
"Well" she said the fake innocence back in her voice, a playful gleam in her eye. "If you help me, I could change a lot faster.".
His jaw dropped at the implication. Oh this was a very good day and first 'official' dates were awesome!
She meandered slowly to the bedroom door, her eyes never leaving his, as she stepped into the secluded room, beckoning him with her finger. She laughed as he ripped off the apron she hadn't noticed he was wearing and threw it, before lunging around the counters and sprinting after her.
…
Ten minutes later the beeping of the fire alarm dragged her back to reality as she lifted her glazed eyes from his gaze and glared at the door leading to the kitchen, breathing ragged.
"Did you turn off the sauce?"
The bed underwent a mini earth quake as he scrambled over her, leaving her bouncing up and down laughing, as he leapt out of it shrieking
"Be right back, do NOT move!".
He ran into the kitchen in just his navy blue boxers, skidding to a stop in front of the counter. She rolled onto her front, chin in her hand, watching him. Her eyes followed the way his feet moved as he danced around her kitchen like he belonged there. The way the muscles in the backs of his legs contracted and tensed as he stood on his tip toes. She laughed as he hissed and spluttered moving hot pans into the sink, yelping as he forgot to use oven gloves, before dancing on the spot, sucking his fingers and singing
"Hot, hot, hot."
"Extraordinary!" she muttered under her breath grinning widely.
"I heard that!" he yelled from the kitchen, turning to face her. He pointed "Twice in one day!"
She face planted into the mattress groaning…the man had ears like a bat!
…...
When he returned to the bedroom she was dressed and slipping her feet into some very dangerous looking black heels.
"Clothes?" he said pouting.
"Yeah"
"Moment's over?" he questioned sadly
"Yeah!" she said putting on earrings and watching him in the reflection of her mirror.
"Moment coming back?" He asked watching as she pulled something down from the top of her wardrobe.
She laughed at the pathetic look on his face.
"Maybe later, get dressed."
She threw the, whatever it was, at him and he caught it mid air. He looked down, oh pants. As he pulled them on grumpily he registered his own reflection in the mirror.
"Err… Kate?
"Mmm" she glanced up following his gaze with her own until it too settled on his reflection, teeth holding her bottom lip in place as she fought the urge to laugh.
"Why, " he asked as he moved towards her "do I have a red line across my face?"
"I have no idea" she said smiling, tugging her hair into place and no longer meeting his eye. She made to turn around but was stopped by warm breath on the back of her neck, then she shivered as she felt a finger lightly dance its way along the bare skin on her arm.
She lifted her eyes and realised he was now standing behind her shirtless, having closed the distance between them, he looked dark and mischievous.
Their eyes locked in the mirror as he leaned in and rested his chin on her shoulder, fingers still dancing patterns up and down her arm, his other hand snaked around her waist and pulled her tight against him.
"Nothing to do with you?" he asked, his voice barely a whisper, deep and rich, playing hotly against the skin on her neck.
She let out an unsteady breath before shaking her head, not really trusting her voice, as warmth erupted through her stomach, and tingles shot directly from where his finger tips were now tracing along the hem of her dress, to the tips of her toes and other more interesting places.
She licked her lips unconsciously, before leaning back into him. Taking a steadying breath she whispered huskily "I have no idea how it got there, but I could help you get it off."
Her eyes focused on his, waiting for his reply, but she realised his eyes were still glued to her lips. She fought a smile and flicked out her tongue tentatively to draw it along her bottom lip again, watching his eyes darken further and feeling his fingers tighten against her skin.
She turned in his arms, her palms flat against his naked chest, one grazing low to rest on his abdomen and one winding slowly to slip around his neck and pull his head towards her. She pressed her mouth to his cheek, gently sucking on the tomato stain, feeling him shudder sensuously under her touch. Her tongue played over the soft skin just under his eye, tracing circles before she let out a deliberate moan.
"You're a good cook," she said arching back to smile at him, only to find his warm hands capturing her face and pulling her into a deep kiss.