Part two! Enjoy!
Home is Where the Heart Stops Part II
Kate woke up from her long-overdue nap at a quarter to four, which meant she'd had about 6 or 7 hours' rest. It also meant she had a little over two hours to shower and change for her date with Castle.
Wait! No! It was not a date! It's was just him paying her back for a favor and them both taking advantage of an already-paid-for dinner at one of the nicer restaurants in town. But it was most certainly not a date!
Though she supposed she would have to dress formally and that most likely did not include her pantsuits. God, she hated him.
Kate pulled out her cell and sent a quick message to Lanie as she walked towards her bathroom.
Kate: Lanie, I need to borrow a dress. –KB
By the time she came out there were three texts waiting for her.
Lanie: What? Why?
Lanie: Gurl, u btr answr me.
Lanie: Kate, wat the hell r u doin? Y do u need a dress?
Not even bothering to get dressed, Kate dialed Lanie's number. It didn't even ring twice before her friend's annoyed voice came over the line.
"Hello?" Lanie greeted.
"Hey, Lanie," Kate said, "look I'm sorry I didn't answer but-"
"Why do you need one of my dresses? You know it's not gonna fit you."
"What? Why wouldn't it? We're about the same size!"
"No we are not! I am about a food shorter than you and two cup sizes bigger so even if one of my dresses did fit you it'd be too short and too loose around the girls! Now you wanna tell me what this is about? Is Castle dragging you to another event?"
"Well…um…not exactly…"
"What?" Lanie said, her ears perking up. "You meet somebody else there? You see, I told you that man had a gift with pickin' out dresses. You should be calling him, not me."
"Lanie, I-I can't ask Castle for another dress…"
"Why not? He seemed more than happy to give you one last night…ooh, that sounded dirty, didn't it?" Lanie chuckled.
Kate rolled her eyes. "Incredibly," she deadpanned. "But, really, Lanie, I can't because…"
"Because…?"
"BecauseCastle'stheonetakingmeouttonight!"
"What? Girl, you gotta slow down there. What's this about Castle now?"
Kate was silent, as if by waiting too long to answer the question, Lanie would completely forget all about it and just move on.
She should know Lanie better than that by now.
"Kate!" Lanie said, firmly, not yelling. "Girl, you better explain before I come over there and smack you til you get whiplash. Now, what's this about Castle?"
Kate sighed. There was no keeping anything from Lanie and she had no doubt that she would follow up on her promise and the last thing she wanted was for Lanie to show up and be around when Castle came to pick her up.
"Fine," she grumbled, "but you might as well get yourself a glass of wine and sit down because it's a long story." Kate checked the clock, seeing that it was barely twenty past four now. She put the cell on speaker as she climbed into a pair of panties and some sweats, sitting down on her bed to start the story.
She explained to Lanie about the bidding war and how she'd bid most of her life savings on Castle to save him from going on a date with some boring socialite and how he'd promised to pay her back and then how Martha arranged for them to have an all-expenses-paid dinner at Le Cirque, which meant that Kate had to find something nice to wear for their dinner which she would be picked up for in about two hours now and she couldn't wear the dress Castle had gotten for her two nights in a row but she really didn't have anything that was worthy of Le Cirque and Lanie would really, really be helping if she could just dig something out of her closet that might fit her and Kate would be forever in her debt.
When she'd finished and finally caught her breath, it was a quarter to five and she was no closer to having something to wear until…
"I'll be there in ten," Lanie said before hanging up and Kate sighed in relief, thankful to have such a great friend.
As promised, Lanie was at her door within ten minutes, holding three garment bags and a box. Kate didn't even speak, just stepped aside so that Lanie could enter, making her way straight to Kate's bedroom and laying down the garment bags, side by side.
"Alright," she said, as Kate joined her at the foot of the bed, "I have three dresses that might fit you. Two of them are adjustable halter tops to help with the itty bitty titties there," she said, motioning towards Kate's chest. Kate gave her a look and covered her chest with her arms. Lanie laughed. "Oh, relax, girl! I'm just kidding! Beside, when you've got girls as big as these, you wish you've got ones like yours. Gravity is a bitch, my friend. Anyway, the third dress is one my grandma sent me, obviously forgetting how much shorter I am than my Daddy and sisters, but definitely not forgetting my chest size. But this one is actually pretty okay for you because it's one of those Toga-type deals, like from Ancient Greece? It's white and looks like it was made for a Goddess and you can add a belt or something to make it more form-fitting and it shows off great cleavage," she winked at Kate, "so I brought some belts with me just in case you chose that one. Now, which one do you want to try on first?" she turned to Kate with an expectant look and her friend couldn't help but throw her arms around her in a great big, bone-crushing hug.
"You're the best!" Kate exclaimed.
Lanie chuckled, hugging her back. "And don't you forget it. Now, come on, which do you want to try on first. The halters come in yellow and red, but they might not even cover your hoo-ha, unless you don't want-"
"Lanie!"
Lanie laughed. "I'm just kidding, girl. Now, go ahead, pick!"
Kate nodded and picked up the red halter, noticing how tiny it was, wondering if it would even cover her belly button, let alone her…"hoo-ha".
In the end, Kate ended up picking the toga dress with a gold-chain belt. It was by far the longest and the belt accentuated her waist while the deep V-neck made her chest look much bigger than it was. And the sleeves were split lengthwise, with a sort of cuff around her forearms and a knot tied at either shoulder. The skirt, which might have reached the floor for Lanie, reached halfway down Kate's shins and there was a slit up the side of it, going up to mid-thigh. Kate admired herself in the mirror, thinking that Lanie was right; she looked like a Goddess.
With her page-boy haircut straightened with one of Lanie's hair clips that had a lotus decoration on it, Kate looked like Aphrodite in the flesh. She smirked imagining Castle's reaction to seeing her when he picked her up in…half an hour.
Lanie made quick work of Kate's makeup, giving her smoky eyes and light lip gloss, with a tiny sprinkle of blush to give Kate a little bit of color, and dug a pair of gold heels out of her closet, allowing Kate to slip into them before rushing off to fine her a shawl to go with the dress.
"Lanie, you don't have to do everything for me, you know," Kate called after her friend, who was comically throwing things over her shoulder, out of Kate's closet. "All I needed was the dress. You can go home and relax if you want."
"Not a chance, girl! Not until I see Richard Castle marvel at my beautiful creation!"
"Um…I think my parents might have something to say to that…"
"Well, they named you so I get to dress you up and make you look even more gorgeous and irresistible! Ah! Here we go!" Lanie crawled out of the closet holding a shiny gold shawl in the crook of her arm. "Where did you get this?"
Kate laughed. "Oh my God! I bought that when I was seventeen at some Flea Market on a dare! I never thought I'd actually get around to wearing it! At the time, I thought it was just way flashy and over the top!"
"It is, which is why it's perfect for your date with Writer Boy! He's gonna love it!" Lanie unfolded the shawl and placed it delicately around Kate's shoulders, smiling as her outfit was completed. "You look so beautiful, girl! Castle won't be able to resist!"
"That's not why I'm going tonight, Lanie," Kate reminded her, shaking her head. "I'm only going so that the reservations won't go to waste and Castle can give me my money back. Also, I hear they have great pasta and I am starving."
Lanie chuckled. "You exude elegance, you know that."
"Naturally," Kate said, grinning cockily. The girls both laughed, but their breaths caught when there was a knock at Kate's door.
They both looked at each other with wide eyes before Kate took a deep breath and made her way out of her bedroom towards the front door. The plan was for Lanie to wait until they were gone fifteen minutes, then lockup as she snuck out.
But, Lanie being Lanie, she couldn't help peeking around the corner to watch Castle's reaction.
Kate took a moment to smooth down her dress before reaching out and unlocking the door, pulling it open to reveal Castle, standing there with a bouquet of roses held in front of his face, his eyes peeking up over the top.
"Before you shoot me, these roses are a gift from Mother and Alexis; I had nothing to do with them! Although, I do have your signed first edition of Storm Season, though." He grinned at her over the flowers, the hand that was not holding the voluminous bouquet of red roses appearing with the hardcover book in his hand. He held out both for her to take and Kate smiled in thanks, inviting him in as she went to find a vase for the roses, placing the book on her counter as she scourged her cabinets for the vase.
Castle sat down tentatively on her couch, folding his hands together as he waiting for Beckett to reappear. He had no idea why he was so nervous; it wasn't a date, for Christ's sake! But he couldn't deny that he'd been waiting for this. He'd been waiting a great deal for this, in fact. He'd been flirting and hitting on Beckett for months now, trying to get her to go on a date with him and now they were finally having dinner together. Granted, he was supposed to be paying back the fifty grand he owed her and the dinner wouldn't even be paid for by him, or her for that matter. But it was still…something.
Not to mention the fact that it was at Le Cirque, the one place he took women on dates, hoping to get something or start a relationship. Mostly, it was the latter. Though Castle was known as a playboy, he'd only ever had two one-night stands and both were by women who only wanted to land on page six as they did their walk of shame and had gladly spoken to the paparazzi about their little trysts with the Richard Castle. Neither of them had wanted to take their relationships any further when he called and he had been fine with that, never one to push.
But Kate Beckett….she was different. She was one of the only women, since college anyway, that had not completely draped herself all over him or fallen quickly to his advances, as all the others had. She was a challenge and that's part of the reason he was here right now, helping her with these cases, writing his next book about her, about to go to dinner at a nice place for the first time since he met her…
Castle had to rub his hands on his pants to get rid of all the sweat as he willed his breathing and heartbeat to slow down. He'd just closed his eyes to compose himself when he heard Beckett reenter the room. "Hey," she said, "I'm just gonna go put the book on my bookshelf and grab my purse. Then we can head out, okay?"
"Sure," Castle practically croaked. Thankfully, Beckett didn't hear it as she walked back to her room, Castle's book in hand. She saw Lanie still peeking around the corner, amusement in her eyes and shot her a look, causing her friend in back into the room, holding both hands over her mouth as she began to giggle uncontrollably.
"Girl," she whispered, grinning, "that boy's got it bad."
"What?" Kate hissed back. "What are you talking about? He's just sitting there, doing nothing!"
"Nuh-huh! I just saw him wipe his palms on his pants leg; he's nervous! It's so cute!"
Kate rolled her eyes, trying to hide the tiny smile she could feel blooming up on her face. She knew that Castle liked her-he'd been trying to bed her since day one-but she never thought the notorious playboy, Richard Castle, would be nervous about going to dinner with her. It's not like it was a date or anything…was it?
Suddenly Kate was nervous, her heart rate picking up and her face heating up. She tried to hide it as best she could as she placed the book Castle had given her on her bookshelf, along with all the other books of his she already had. She shuddered to think about Castle's reaction if he ever saw how big her collection was.
He would never let her live this down. Not that he would ever get to see it, anyhow. She kept all of his books locked up in her room. Ryan was currently borrowing one after the other, doing his research, but Esposito had given up on them a while ago, since they had solved the Tisdale case. Though he vowed he would read the Nikki Heat series, just to tease and torture her.
Kate wasn't looking forward to that.
She shook her head clear of those thoughts as she set the book in chronological order, next to her first copy of Storm Season, not even bothering to read the signature since it was probably just the generic one he always wrote, where he only used his name and some variation of "Thank you" or something like that. She had three books with that exact signature in it already, though she doubted he remembered even signing them all those years ago.
Kate turned to see Lanie holding out the small, gold clutch purse out towards her. "Your cell and wallet are already in there," she informed her, "just don't forget your keys cause I'm gonna be locking that door on my way out."
"Got it," Kate said, smiling at her friend, "thanks for helping, Lane. I really appreciate it." Lanie smiled at her, pulling her into a hug.
"Anytime, girl," she said, "now go get that boy and leave before he passes out from the anticipation. And let yourself live a little tonight; have fun!"
Kate gave her a look, before quirking her lips up in a smile and laughing. "Thanks, again, Lanie. I'll see you at work tomorrow, ok?"
"You got it," Lanie replied. "Now go!" Lanie practically shoved Kate out the bedroom door, barely giving Kate enough time to compose herself before she was walking out to greet Castle.
"I'm ready," she said, smiling down at him. He was fidgeting on the couch like a six-year-old, looking very impatient. He smiled up at her when she entered to room and got to his feet.
"Wonderful!" he exclaimed, putting his arm out for her to take. "Shall we?"
Kate smiled playfully at him. "We shall!" she replied, taking his arm and allowing him to lead her out. Castle was so shocked by her willingness that he didn't even notice that she didn't lock her door or turn off any of the lights in her apartment as they left.
Lanie waited until they were surely out of the building before she made so much as a movement. The first thing she did was rush over to the bookcase and pull out Beckett's new signed copy of Storm Season, opening it up as her eyes searched the inside cover for the signature, wondering if Castle had…
Yes! He had! Lanie nearly squealed as she saw the flowing handwritten message on the inside cover.
"To Kate," it read. "Thank you so much for allowing me to help out on your cases and for saving my ass more than a few times as well. You are the most extraordinary person I've ever met and I owe you more than I can say and I will be right by your side for as long as it takes to pay you back. Yours, Richard Castle."
Castle had hired a town car to get them from Beckett's apartment building to their restaurant and he'd even held the door open for her getting in and then out of the car, surprised by her willingness to let him hold open her car door. Kate decided that she would just humor him tonight.
When they arrived at the Hostess podium for Le Cirque, the woman who greeted them gave Castle an extra approving look that didn't go unnoticed by Kate and made her roll her eyes. But, to Kate's surprise, Castle pretty much ignored the flirty hostess and firmly told her his name and their reservation for two, placing his hand softly on the small of Kate's back, making her shudder slightly as a tingle went up her spine at the contact. This did not go unnoticed by Castle, who chose to keep the little observation to himself lest Beckett decide to produce her gun from the tiny gold purse she was carrying.
When they arrived at their table, the hostess made one more pass at Castle, which was blatantly ignored as the man only had eyes for the pretty girl he was dining with so she decided to just give up. She wished them a happy meal and told them that their server would be out soon to take their order.
As she walked away, she couldn't help but look over her shoulder and smile at the way the man was looking at his date, who seemed oblivious to it. Lucky girl didn't know what she had.
Kate was pretending to look over her menu, trying to ignore Castle's unwavering gaze on her as she looked over her menu. She knew that it was all paid for already but couldn't help the habit of looking for the cheapest things on the menu-and even those were over twenty or thirty dollars.
Instead she focused on the wine, hoping that they had white because she really didn't want to ruin Lanie's dress with red.
And, as soon as her eyes sought out the wine menu, she wished she hadn't. The wine was sold by the glass and their cheapest white wine went for twelve dollars per glass! She hoped the glasses were fish-bowl sized.
"May I take your order?" a voice startled her. Kate looked up to see a young woman with green eyes and blonde hair pulled back into a French braid. She even spoke with a slight French accent.
Castle smiled up at her. "Viola! Is that you? You look so grown up!"
The waitress smiled down at Castle. "Hi, Uncle Ricky!" she greeted. "Yes, it is moi!" She giggled. "I just got back from my study abroad in Paris!"
"That sounds wonderful! You enjoying college so far?"
"Very much! I find the international studies very stimulating." She turned to smile at Kate. "And who is this, Uncle? Another beautiful date, perhaps?"
Castle chuckled, shaking his head. "No, Viola, this is Kate, my uh…friend?" he looked to her for acceptance and she nodded, smiling at him, before looking up at Viola and putting out her hand.
"Nice to meet you, Viola," she greeted. "Rick has told me absolutely nothing about you."
Viola laughed, shaking her hand. "And why would he? I only babysat his daughter for two years of my life and he's been like an uncle to me since I could barely even walk, but what does that matter? Hmm?" She turned expectant eyes on Castle, who pretended not to notice, looking around comically before his eyes landed back on the young blonde and his face split in a grin.
"It never really came up?" he offered as an excuse. "Really. Kate and I are not really that…open with each other. I mean…well, I don't usually go into detail and we…we've only known each other a short time…and…well…I'm going to shut up now." He buried his head in his plate.
Kate laughed and smiled up at Viola. "He has such a way with words, you know," she joked. "But, anyway, what he means is that we really haven't known each other that long. Rick is a consultant for the NYPD and I'm a homicide detective so things don't really go past murder and violence there. I think you should feel blessed that he didn't think of you in all that."
"I guess so," Viola huffed, teasingly, before reaching out to pinch Castle's cheek. "It's okay, Uncle Ricky. I shall let it slip just this once, but you must promise to come back and visit me more often. Papa has me working here now that I am back for the summer and all these stuffy socialite types are so boring. We need a little excitement here! You must come back and bring your friend; I like her."
Castle grinned up at her. "Will do," he promised. "Now how about some champagne?"
"Oui, very good. Dom Perignon, as always?" she asked, her pen poised over a notepad.
"The very best," Castle said, grinning. "One bottle, please?"
"Of course. Any appetizers?"
"I would love some lobster risotto, if it's not too much trouble. Kate?" He looked over at Beckett, whose mouth was gaping open due to the fact that he'd ordered one of the most expensive drinks on the menu. And a whole bottle of it, at that! And now he was ordering one of their appetizers? "Kate?" Castle said again, bringing her out of her thoughts. She looked at him, expectantly. "Appetizer?" he asked. "I recommend the Trio de Luxe. Very good."
Kate glanced down at the dish on her menu. She wasn't really in the mood for seafood but the soup looked good. "Um, the Butternut Squash Soup, I guess…" she ordered and Viola nodded, taking down her order.
"I shall be back shortly with your champagne," she informed them before smiling once more at Castle and making her way back to the kitchen.
When she was gone, Beckett reached out and flicked Castle's hand. Castle reacted instantly, bringing his hand closer to his body. "Ow!" He whined. "What was that for?"
"Why in the hell did you order a five hundred dollar bottle of champagne?" she hissed.
"Actually, it's only about 200 dol-ow! What was that for?" He pulled back his other hand, which Beckett has also flicked.
"Castle, that is really expensive. Even the freaking soup is expensive here!"
"Well, what do you expect? It's a five-star restaurant, Beckett. They tend to get expensive. Besides, it's already paid for, so relax." He grinned at her and sat back in her chair. Kate took a deep breath, deciding that he was right, but it was still hard to relax with the knowledge that she could spend an entire month's rent on one meal here.
When their champagne finally came, Castle uncorked the bottle and poured Kate a flute, handing it to her before pouring his own and raising it to clink against hers. "To health and safety for us, our family, and our friends." He smiled at her and she smiled back.
"Cheers," she replied, clinking glasses, before taking a sip and moaning at the wonderful, bubbly taste of the champagne.
It was worth every penny.
They finished their meal in companionable silence, sharing a meal for two of Whole Roasted Black Truffle Chicken, which was carved right in front of them and, to Kate, tasted heavenly.
And, for dessert, she ordered a chocolate soufflé while he got a Mont Blanc and they traded off bites as they ate, moaning in appreciation of the fine French desserts. By the time they finished, they were both filled to the brim, feeling the imminent food babies coming up quickly. Thankfully, Viola came up immediately with their leftovers and to inform them that they are free to go whenever since everything has already been paid for. Castle thanked her and handed her a wad of cash for a "tip", making the young girl smile and give him a hug goodbye.
"Come back soon, Uncle Ricky!" she said, before rushing off to her next table.
"How much did you give her?" Kate asked as he helped her to her feet.
"About three hundred dollars," Castle responded, wrapping her shawl around her arms, trying not to stare at the sight of her beautiful bare shoulders and the effect they had on him.
"Three hundred?! Isn't that a little much?" Kate asked, allowing him to lead her to the door.
"Not for a meal at Le Cirque," Castle reasoned. "That's a basic fifteen percent gratuity for the meal we had tonight. Besides, she's a college student so she could probably use the extra pocket money she earns from here. I know most of the patrons don't tip so handsomely. Also, Viola and I go way back. I've known that kid since she was in diapers."
"I got that," Kate said as they stepped out into the fresh air-or as fresh as Manhattan could get at least. "What's the story behind that, anyhow? Are you friends with the owner or something?"
Castle laughed. "Yeah, but Viola's not his kid. She belongs to the head chef, Luc, who I met the first night I came here just after I wrote my first bestseller." He opened the car door for her and Kate slid in. Castle slid in right next to her, telling the driver to take a ride around town since it was still young and neither had any place to be.
"I was still flying high after getting my book on the bestseller list and I decided that a little celebration was in order, so a few buddies and I made reservations and made this big show of ordering the most expensive wine and dishes and desserts. And one of my friends, who I'm proud to say I no longer associate with, kept jokingly sending his dish back, coming up with ridiculous demands and reasons why it was not up to par with his likes. I told him to knock it off, but he didn't listen and sure enough, Luc comes out in a huff, demanding to know why his signature dishes were being sent back before so much as a bite was taken from them. I tried to assure him that my friend was just kidding and that we would behave, but then my jerk of a friend started calling him a horrible chef and that he should just leave and find work in some McDonalds or something. I could tell Luc was about to hit him or do something incredibly violent that would cost him his job and I didn't want that so I turned to my friend and told him to just leave. I said that I would pay for every meal he ordered and even give him some money for dinner and a cab somewhere else, but that he just needed to leave before somebody got hurt. And, thankfully, he did. Not without a fight, of course. In fact, as he stumbled out, the ass grabbed a bottle of wine, which I had to pay for, and food off of somebody else's plate."
"Wow, nice choice of friends, Castle," Kate deadpanned.
"Yeah, well, like I said: I don't associate with him anymore. I had no idea that he was like that, which is what I told Luc. I ended up paying for everything and I personally gave Luc a thousand dollar tip for his troubles and telling him that I thought he was an amazing cook and I hoped he didn't hold my friend's actions against me. And Luc, big-heart lug that he is, invited me to dinner at his house the next night where I met his lovely wife, Vivienne, and his adorable baby girl, Viola. Oh, you should have seen her, Beckett. All green eyes and tiny blonde pigtails. She looked just like her mother and still does to this day. She was only wearing a diaper when I met her because she had this strange aversion to clothing, but she was still the cutest little thing I ever saw. Besides my own daughter, of course."
Kate chuckled. "I bet. She sounds like a cute kid."
"She is. She's nineteen now; it's hard to believe I first laid eyes on her when she was only a year old. Time sure does fly, huh? Before you know it, they're all grown up and studying abroad in Europe in their home country." Castle flicked a fake tear from his eye and Kate rolled hers.
"Hard to believe Alexis will be there soon, huh?" she said, grinning as he gave her a mock glare.
"Bite your tongue!" he gasped. Kate laughed.
"Relax, Castle. If I know Alexis, which…actually, I'm not sure I know her all that well. But, from what I've seen, she's going to be Daddy's Little Girl her entire life long."
"Promise?"
Kate smiled at him before reaching into her purse and pulling out her wallet. Castle was confused until he saw what she was pulling out of it and smiled of the picture of a teen Kate Beckett sitting on a much older man's lap when she was far too big. She was grinning at the camera, her teeth shiny with braces, her father's chin resting on her shoulder. Castle grinned at the sweet photo.
"How old were you?" he asked.
"Eighteen," Kate answered. "This was just before I got those damn things taken off and headed off to college. I would show you the picture of us at the airport but I don't think you want to see my father's tears."
"I'm sure he wasn't the only one crying," Castle commented, grinning at her.
"Yeah, Mom was sort of a softy, too." Castle gave her a look and she sighed, dramatically. "And I may have shed a few tears, as well."
Castle chuckled and handed back the photo. "Well at least you can admit to it."
They were silent for a few moments as Kate replaced her wallet back into her purse. They were still driving around, aimlessly, the chauffeur having turned off the main roads, now giving them a fantastic view of the West Side brownstones and apartment buildings. It took a few moments for Beckett to realize something.
"Castle," she said, "where are we going?"
Castle's eyes widened and he looked out the windows, not recognizing where they are. He leaned forward. "Driver, where are we going?" he asked.
The chauffeur shrugged. "You told me to take a ride, Sir. I didn't think you had any specific destination in mind and the traffic right now is terrible. Do you anywhere you would like to go? Perhaps one of your apartments?"
Castle turned to look questioningly at Beckett, who shrugged and gave him a little half-smile.
Suddenly, Castle's eyes widened. "Can you bring us to the Bleecker playground?"
"You got it!" The chauffeur made a left turn and they were on their way.
"Why are we going to the playground at…nine o'clock at night?" Beckett asked, lifting one brow.
"Because it just so happens to be the only time of day we can go and there won't be any kids to take up the swing set." He was grinning like an excited child and all Kate could do was roll her eyes and shake her head, but she couldn't suppress the amused smirk on her face.
By the time they got to Bleecker, it was about a quarter to ten and there were very few people on the street. Castle got out and offered his hand to Kate, who took it, gratefully, pulling her shawl tighter around her shoulders against the windy spring air. Castle noticed this and immediately removed his suit jacket, offering it to her.
"Oh," Kate said, her eyes widening, "Castle, no, you don't have to-"
"Don't be silly," Castle said, placing the coat over her shoulders, smiling as it dwarfed her more slender stature. She looked adorable in his coat; Castle didn't even mind the chill that was now starting to seep into his own body through his thin suit vest and button-down.
After he paid the driver and retrieved their leftovers from the restaurant, Castle led Beckett into the playground, going straight for the swings. He deposited their food on a bench and kicked off his shoes first but before Kate even knew what was happening, Castle was jumping onto the closest swing, standing on it as it swung back and forth and laughing like a schoolboy, clutching the support chains for dear life.
"I'm King of the World!" he shouted with a crazed laugh.
Kate chuckled, shaking her head. "You're gonna break your crown if you don't get down," she warned and Castle laughed, swinging harder on the swing, before jumping off and sitting down.
"Come swing with me, Beckett!" he called out to her, still grinning madly. Beckett rolled her eyes at him but ended up slipping off her shoes and sitting on the swing adjacent to his, anyway and pumping the swing, matching his rhythm and height.
They swung silently for a few moments with nothing more than the creak of the chains to disrupt it before Castle spoke again. "I bet I can go higher than you!" he wagered, childishly.
Kate rolled her eyes but decided to play along. "In your dreams, Writer Boy!" she shouted back as they both began to pump their legs harder so that their swings went higher and higher.
Because of Kate's lower body weight, she went higher than Castle but he wasn't giving up on victory so easily. "I bet I can jump farther than you!" he called out and Kate laughed.
"Bet what?" she said. "Your dignity? I think we both know it's already too late for that, Castle!" she laughed.
"Ha ha!" Castle deadpanned, pumping his legs harder in a vain attempt to match her height. "Very funny, Beckett! But, no! I mean a real bet!"
"I'm not taking your money, Castle!" Kate called back. "Except for the fifty grand you have yet to pay back!"
"I'm not betting any money!" Castle responded, his legs becoming tired from the exertion of keeping up with her.
"Then what are you betting?"
"Kisses!"
"What?!" Kate asked, slowly down a bit as her legs stiffened. It was enough so that Castle was finally able to catch up.
"Don't worry," he said, "you can bet whatever you want, but I'm betting a kiss that you can't jump farther than me off these swings! If I win, I get one kiss from you! You in?"
Kate swung in silence for a moment, contemplating this. She had never been one to turn down a dare-which had gotten her in trouble plenty as an adolescent and caused her parents more than one headache-but bets were different. Their allure was about the same as a dare to Beckett, but she had been known to turn down one or two. She could just turn down this one. But then…what if she actually won? She already had the upper hand, being lighter than him and all, and able to pump higher than him on the swings. If she let go at just the right time…
"Deal!" she said, grinning. "But if I win, you have to kiss Esposito!"
"WHAT?!"
"You heard me! On the lips! Deal?"
Castle groaned but then nodded. "Alright! Whatever! You're going to lose anyway!"
"In your dreams, Castle!" Kate laughed as they got higher and higher before Castle started the countdown.
"Three….two….one!" He jumped off the swing and landed a good five feet away, landing on his feet first before losing his balance and falling to his hands and knees. He laughed aloud before turning to see how far Beckett had jumped, his eyes widening when he didn't see her next to him. He looked ahead of him, expecting to see her standing there triumphantly but she wasn't, so he looked back, seeing her still on the swing, pouting as her swing began to slow.
"What happened?" he asked, with a grin.
"I'm stuck!" Beckett called back, moving his jacket out of the way and pointing to where her belt had apparently locked with the chain of the swing.
Castle couldn't help himself as he burst out laughing, falling back on the soft sand. Kate frowned at him.
"It's not funny, Castle! I'm really stuck! Now come and help me!" she yelled at him.
Castle chuckled as he got up, brushing the sand off himself as he jogged over to Kate, helping her come to a complete stop, his hands grabbing the chains. Her body bumped against his a few times and he reached out instinctively to steady her, laying his hands down on the sides of her thighs, the tips of his fingers brushing against bare skin, causing a tingle to spread throughout Kate's body. She ignored it, though as Castle bent over to see what he could do about the tangled belt and chain.
In almost no time at all, Castle had her unstuck, but he still hadn't moved away from her and was now smiling down at Kate.
"What?" Kate asked, looking up at him with wide eyes.
"I won," Castle replied, smiling smugly.
"What? No, you didn't! I was stuck! We have to redo it!"
"We didn't say there were do-overs allowed," Castle pointed out, still smiling and leaning towards her, "now pucker up." Kate glared at him.
"Now, wait one minute, I-"
Before she could say another word, Castle's lips were on hers, soft and sweet and warm, pressing lightly against hers in a kiss that it would be very easy for her to back out of.
Yet, she didn't. Kate's lips stayed attached to his, her eyes closing instinctively as she leaned into the kiss, surprising Castle, whose eyes opened. When he saw her closed ones, though, his closed again and he added more pressure to the kiss, opening his mouth to run his tongue along Kate's bottom lip, requesting entrance. Kate didn't even give it a second thought before her mouth was opening, allowing Castle to deepen the kiss, one arm coming up to loop around her waist. Kate moans as her legs open to accommodate his hips, not completely in control or even aware of her actions. Castle stepped closer, raising his other hand to cup the back of her neck, his thumb stroking the area just behind her right ear, making Beckett shiver.
When the need for air became too much, Castle moved back from her lips, allowing Beckett to breathe as he trailed his down her neck, not quite ready to stop touching her with his lips. Beckett didn't seemed to mind as she ran her hair through his hair, her opposite hand still clutching the chain above her head. Castle's hands began to roam as he nibbled at her pulse point, his fingers sneaking under the split hem of her dress, making Kate gasp.
Suddenly, she was pulling away. "Castle," she gasped, and he backed away, his eyes wide.
"Yeah, yeah, sorry," he said, removing his hands from her body. "I got a little carried away. I'm sorry; don't shoot me."
Kate nearly laughed out loud, but settled for grinning as she pulled his lips back to hers for a brief kiss. When she pulled back she was still grinning and his eyes were wide.
"Did you hear me say I wasn't enjoying it?" she asked, laughter in her voice. "Because, I assure you, I was. It's just…we're in a park. Where children play. I don't want either of us to be marked as sex offenders just because we got a little too carried away in a deserted playground. Do you have anywhere a little more private that we could go?" She gave him a seductive look and Castle could swear he almost lost it in his pants like a teenage boy.
"Uh…well, my apartment is down the street, as you know, but, um…Alexis," he grimaced, "I don't want to scar her with something like this."
"Haven't you brought women over before?" Beckett asked, raising one brow.
"Never while she was there and, besides Gina and Meredith, nobody that important to me."
Kate's eyes widened. "Important?" she asked, her heart thundering in her chest. Castle just smiled softly at her and nodded, laying another kiss on her lips.
"Your place?" he asked. Beckett found herself nodding and Castle grinned, pulling her to her feet as he took her hand and led her over to the bench where he sat her down, kissing her lips again before kneeling and helping her with her shoes.
She would never admit to it, but she felt like Cinderella.
When he stood up again, Castle toed on his own shoes, grabbed their leftovers and pulled Kate with him towards the street, hailing a cab.
They climbed into the back, closer together than they had been in the town car before and Castle nearly choked out Kate's address as the woman herself busied herself with nibbling and sucking on his neck.
Then he just sat back and allowed her to do as she pleased with him, which including untying the silly little bowtie that he had on that restricted her access to his muscular neck and Adam's apple. Castle groaned as she sunk her teeth into him, his arms sneaking under the jacket she still had on to rub over her back, his short nails scratching lightly over her spine, making her moan.
Castle grinned at the sound, delighted that he could make the beautiful, serious, Detective Katherine Beckett of the NYPD make such a sound. He would have to pat himself on the back for that one later.
When they pulled up to her apartment, Castle practically threw a fifty dollar bill at the cabbie, instructing him to keep the change as he pulled Kate out of the backseat, only reaching in once more for their expensive leftovers. Kate rolled her eyes at him.
"I don't understand why you can't just leave them," she chuckled.
Castle grinned back, snaking one arm around her waist. "One," he said, "these were expensive, cost me about fifty grand, which yes, I will pay back, and two," he pulled her tighter into his body, grinding their hips together, "we're going to need the energy later."
Kate grinned naughtily at him as she reached up to kiss him again, nipping at his lips, before pulling him towards his front door, thanking God as one of her neighbors came out with his dog, holding the door open for him, meaning she wouldn't have to get out and fumble with her keys just yet.
In the elevator, she was shoved against one wall as Castle attacked her lips once more, pulling one of her legs over his hip as he shoved his thigh between them. Kate moaned at the contact, willing the elevator to hurry up and get to her floor.
Finally, she let out a moan of satisfaction as the elevator dinged, signaling their arrival. Kate shoved Castle off of her before running towards her apartment, giggling like a little girl. Castle stared after her, dazed, for only a second before jogging to keep up, crowding her up against her door as she rushed to get her key in the lock.
Kate moaned as Castle began to run his hands up and down her body, one hand venturing low to run over her mound but staying above her dress. His middle finger found her clit through the fabric and he began rubbing circles around it, sensually, making Kate's hand shake as she finally found the right key and was fighting to get it into the lock.
Finally, it went in and she turned the key, shoving open the door, the two of them practically falling to the floor of the entrance as they stumbled to stay upright. Kate turned so that she was facing him and immediately attached her lips to his, causing his grip on the leftovers, which had been almost nonexistent, to completely fail him, the tinfoil swans falling to the floor as he allowed his arms to fully wrap around her, his tongue delving into hers as they moved towards the bedroom, Beckett barely having the presence of mind to grab her keys and shut her front door before leading him to her room, thankful that Lanie had left the dimmer on as she'd requested. The apartment was now bathed in a soft glow, which helped her see as they made their way towards her darkened bedroom.
Though it seemed Castle was a little more impatient than she thought, seeing as how they didn't even make it to her bedroom before he was shoving her up against the nearest wall, their lips still attached as he slid his jacket off her arms, removing her shawl next before moving to the straps of her dress when, suddenly, he stepped back, causing Kate to groan in frustration as she hit him with a particularly angry glare.
"Why'd you stop?" she practically whined and Castle grinned, cupping her cheek.
"I just realized that I really haven't taken much of a good look at you since I picked you up earlier and I just want to get one long look at you before I rip this dress to shreds."
Kate's mouth crooked up in an amused smile before she reached up to rub his scratchy cheek, reveling in the fact that he hadn't shaved that day, or at least in the last few hours, unable to keep herself from imagining how his stubble would feel against her…
She shook her head clear of those thoughts as she focused on the matter at hand. "You can do almost whatever you want to me but if you ruin this dress I can assure you that I can do nothing to help you when Lanie gets her hands on you."
"This is Lanie's dress?" Castle asked, his eyes widening. Kate nodded. Castle gulped. "Okay, then. I'll just remove this veeeryyyy carefully. But first," he stepped away, his eyes raking over every inch of her body. Kate could practically feel his hungry graze on her, causing every single piece of skin to heat up in a flush. Finally, his gaze met hers and he reached out to remove the lotus clip from her hair. "I like this," he said, softly, rubbing his thumb over one of the petals before tossing it unceremoniously over his shoulder, "but I'm pretty sure I'll like you with nothing on a whole lot better!" Kate's giggle turned to a squeal as Castle suddenly reached out and picked her up, bridal-style, carrying her over to the bed and laying her down on it, his eyes never wavering from hers as his hand cupped her cheek once more, stroking down over her neck to her collarbone and over to her left shoulder, where he began to gently lower the strap of her dress, following the trail of revealed skin with his lips, his tongue peeking out to taste her skin, which was probably the sweetest thing he'd ever tasted.
Castle couldn't suppress his moans at the feeling of finally being able to taste this woman he'd been chasing after for months. He couldn't believe it'd finally happened! He was here, in Kate Beckett's bed, his tongue tracing her skin as he slowly revealed the parts of her he had never seen before, both physically and figuratively. Soon, he had reached her wrist, where the bracelet kept the split sleeve of the dress on her body. He undid it quickly and kissed the inside of her write before moving to her other arms to complete the whole procedure over again.
When both sleeves were completely off, Castle allowed his eyes to travel over her exposed torso, moaning when he saw that not only was she not wearing a bra, but that her nipples were peaked in arousal. He wasted no time in placing his hot mouth over one of the stiff nipples, running his tongue around the areola before biting down on the pebbled peak. Kate cried out, running her hands through his hair, moaning as Castle soothed the bite mark with his tongue. He repeated his actions with her other breast, supporting his weight on one elbow while his opposite hand came up to stroke the breast that his mouth wasn't currently wrapped around.
Kate writhed underneath him as he did so, making Castle smile and growl as her hands pulled at his hair, then traveled down to shoulders.
"Castle," she gasped out, "too many clothes…not fair."
Castle chuckled, sending vibrations throughout Kate's body and making her moan out once more. And she practically whimpered as Castle sat up, straddling his body, beginning to divest himself of his vest and shirt. Kate acted quickly, slapping away his hands so that she could undress him how he'd undressed him, unbuttoning his vest with dexterous fingers, before shoving it off his shoulders and throwing it off to the side somewhere and attacking his shirt, which had much smaller buttons and was much harder to get off. Kate was having a harder time with it.
"Is this expensive?" she asked, her hands stilling on the second button from the top.
"What? Um, not really. I mean, I have more than just this one, but-" he didn't get to finish as Kate ripped open the shirt, sending buttons flying all over her room. Castle groaned.
"That is so hot!" he growled, making Kate giggle as she leaned up to begin laying kisses all over his newly revealed chest, pushing the shirt off his shoulders and to the ground. Castle groaned as her lips and teeth grazed his chest, his hands running through her short hair, encouraging her to go on. Kate smiled against his chest before her hands pushed on him, effectively turning them over so that now she was the one straddling him, rubbing their hips together, sensually, able to feel his arousal even through the layers of their clothing. Castle let out a strangled groan, moving to hold her hips steady.
"Kate, if you keep doing that, then I'm afraid I won't last very long," he warned.
"Then we better get these pants off quick, huh?" she said, grinning as her hands traveled down to his belt, quickly undoing it and pulling it out of the belt loops, tossing it over her shoulder. It took her less than ten seconds to unbutton, unzip, and pull down his pants enough to reach her hand in and find his erection, grasping it with slender fingers and giving it a soft tug. Castle gasped out at the feeling, his own hands practically clawing at her waist, attempting to get the dress completely off of her before he came in his pants like an adolescent. Kate sensed his frustration with the dress and immediately let go of him, smirking at his groan, and stood up, heels having been kicked off long ago, hooking her thumbs into the skirt of her dress and her panties, pulling them both down at the same time, revealing herself completely to his unwavering gaze.
Kate grinned down at his dumbfounded expression lifting one brow. "Your turn," she said, kneeling back down by his feet and making quick work of his shoes and socks before pulling at his pant legs. Castle lifted his hips off the bed to help her, using his own hands to push his pants and boxers towards her until they were completely off, disappearing somewhere in the vicinity of Kate's bedroom door.
Then, finally, they were both completely naked, revealing all to each other, their eyes raking over the other's body, taking in every detail they could manage before it all became too much and Kate found herself throwing herself back onto him, attacking his lips with hers. Castle gladly reciprocated, running his hands all over her body as she did the same, both moaning into each other's mouths as they nipped, sucked, and licked each other's lips, tongues fighting for dominance every now and then.
One of Castle's hands snuck down between their bodies, searching out Kate's heat and finding it immediately, his middle finger stroking over her folds, making the woman on top of him shiver. Castle grinned into her mouth as her hands tightened their hold on his shoulders and her hips rocked into his hand.
"Oh, God, Rick!" Kate moaned, making Castle groan at the sound of his first name on her lips. She rarely called him that-actually, has she ever called him anything but his full and/or last name?
Castle didn't have enough time to care as he felt Kate's hand gripping him and giving him a few firm tugs, making him moan into her mouth.
"Protection," he ground out, stilling her hand and removing it from his erection, while, at the same time, removing his finger from her wet heat.
"Birth control," Kate replied, breathlessly, writhing above him as he stroked his erection against her, grinding up so that the bones of their hips met. Kate gasped, her head lolling to rest on his shoulder, her teeth grazing over his collarbone, making him hiss out.
"Doesn't always work," he countered. "Trust me."
Kate groaned and moved her body off him, leaning over to her bedside table and rummaging around in the drawer for a moment before coming out with a foil square, making quick work of releasing the condom from the packaging and rolling it on him.
"Wow, you're good at that," Castle gasped out, wincing at the last second, hoping that he didn't offend her in any way.
"Yeah, well Sex Ed in high school helped," Kate joked, grinning down at him.
Castle chuckled. "God, I hated that class."
"What class? Ed was my first-"
Castle covered her lips with his hand. "Please, don't finish that sentence if you want to put this condom to use." Kate laughed, her tongue coming out to sensually lick his hand, mouth wrapping around his middle finger, the one that he'd had wrapped in her heat just moments ago.
Castle groaned, before removing the finger from her mouth with a resounding pop and moving it to her hip, taking her by surprise as he flipped her over, his thighs resting between hers and pushing them farther apart as he prepared to enter her. But, first, he had to know.
Looking down into her eyes, Castle asked her for the first and last time, "Are you sure about this?"
Beckett nodded, reaching up the stroke his cheek. "I'm sure," she said, knowing that he had to hear it straight from her lips to go on. Castle nodded, smiling down at her, taking her lips in one more soft kiss and effectively swallowing her moan as he entered her for the first time.
Kate shivered and writhed as Castle's length stretched her, making her feel more whole and complete than she had in…ever. She'd never felt anything like what she was feeling right now as this man lay above her, connected to her in the most intimate way possible.
And that scared the hell out of her. But it also excited her in a way that she was none too familiar with. The two feelings warred with each other inside her body, making her heart pound and her entire body shake, until she was no longer shaking from fear or excitement, but with need.
Need for him.
"Castle," she moaned, "move…please…"
Castle nodded, moving his hips experimentally, groaning at the pleasure that went up his spine as he pulled almost completely out of her, before stroking all the way in again, making them both call out at the feeling. He did it again, and again, moving faster and faster until their pace was almost frantic, clawing at each other as their hips moved in tandem.
Kate's legs rose to snake around his waist, her heels moving to his ass to shove him faster and deeper inside of her, gasping at the grind of his hips against hers. Castle's reaction was similar, with his teeth digging into her collarbone, soothing the mark with his tongue before making another. She would probably kill him for this later but he couldn't find it in himself to care right at that moment because she felt so damn good and her skin tasted like candy to him and he couldn't get enough of it.
Their pace continued like that for what seemed like hours, days even, but Castle could feel himself coming to the edge and he'd be damned if he let himself come before she found her release. Once again his hand snaked down between him, never losing their rhythm as he began to stroke her clit furiously, whispering naughty words in her ear.
"Come on, Kate," he whispered, breathily, "come for me. Let go, baby, let go. Come on, Kate, let go for me." That was all it took for Kate to go flying, headfirst, over the edge, nails digging into Castle's back as her teeth sunk into his shoulder, muffling her cries.
Castle followed shortly after, spilling everything he had into her, before collapsing on top of her, trying to keep his weight off of her. He was surprised when Kate kept her arms and legs wrapped around him, as if trying to pull him closer to her, feel his weight on her.
"Kate?" he mumbled, after a few moments when his brain was no longer a big puddle of mush.
"Mmm?" she purred, her cheek pressed against his shoulder. Castle chuckled, lightly.
"As warm and cuddly as this feels, I think it would feel even better if my…uh, Little Rick, wasn't covered in latex and sperm. Mind if I dispose of the condom? I'll be right back, I swear."
Kate was silent for a moment, then, "Little Rick? Are you serious, Castle?" she snorted, releasing him from her grasp, so that he could get up. He did so, stretching a bit, smiling at the slightly sore muscles that now littered his body. He quickly removed the used condom and made his way to the bathroom to dispose of it.
"I know; he's really not that little, is he? But I thought it sounded the least vulgar," he said, coming back into the room, leaning against the doorway to eye Kate's beautiful body as she lay atop the slightly mussed, yet not quite undone sheets, smiling up at him, looking gloriously rumpled and naked.
"Like what you see?" she asked, seductively.
Castle grinned, nodding. "Very much so," he said, sauntering over to lay back on to the bed, leaning over Kate to kiss her softly on the lips. "Hi, there," he said, softly.
Kate found herself smiling back at him. "Hi," she replied. "Fancy meeting you here."
Castle laughed, kissing her again, before pulling away. "You know, I think it's safe to say that our friendship is effectively ruined."
Kate chuckled and shrugged. "Eh, we weren't that close anyway."
Castle laughed again and reattached their lips, pushing her back down on the bed as they began round two of what was to be a ten round night…or something close to it, at least.
It took me four days and all my spare time to write this for you, so I really hope you liked it! Please REVIEW and I will be over there…doing…stuff.
PS: HOW AMAZING WAS THAT CASTLE EPISODE LAST NIGHT! ASDFGHJKL:JVUVNUWKCWGCCDBSHJCBDSHBVCJH GWBEUIKVF VNI NDHAJD
AND THEN THAT PROMO!
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