I apologize for the delay in getting this chapter out, but the characters and I disagreed on where to take this chapter. Needless to say, they won out and this is the story they wanted to tell. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to write a review for this story. They are much appreciated. This chapter is for IMW. I hope it comes close to what you were hoping to read.
Castle pulled the last chair over to the poker table and then headed into the kitchen where Kate was setting out the batch of cookies she and Alexis had baked. When he reached around her to try to steal a cookie, she slapped his hand away. "You've already had a sample, Castle. These are for our guests."
He wrapped his arms around her instead and leaned his head on her shoulder. "Are you nervous?" he asked.
She shrugged and looked over her shoulder to meet his gaze. "A little."
"There's no need to be," he assured her. "These are still our friends. And it's just a poker game."
"True," she acknowledged as she turned in his embrace and wrapped her arms around his neck. "But it's the first poker game with our friends since we moved in together."
"I think it's more because it's the first time we've hosted anything here together," he pointed out. At her slight nod, he continued, "Don't worry, Kate. I'm sure they'll probably feel more relaxed today knowing that they're visiting our place than they ever did when it was just mine." After a brief pause, he grinned. "And I'm quite certain we can use that to our advantage and whip the socks off of them."
She laughed then and shook her head. "You're impossible."
"Yes, but you love me anyway," he replied.
"I do," she conceded.
He waggled his eyebrows at her then. "Why, Detective Beckett, I love the sound of those two words coming from your lips."
She moved her hands to his chest to push him away, but he caught her hands in his and lowered them to her sides. "Oh no, you don't, Kate. After the 'I do,' I'm supposed to get to kiss you."
As he leaned forward, she leaned back until her back was pressed against the counter. "Playing hard to get?" he asked as he met her gaze.
She lifted her foot off the floor until her knee brushed against his crotch. "Do you really think you're in control here, Rick?" she teased him. "I could drop you in a heartbeat."
Instead of releasing her, he pressed his hips forward; rubbing against her knee and letting her feel the effect her proximity was having on him. "I have no doubt who's in control here, Kate," he replied as he moved his lips to her neck.
She tilted her head to give him better access as he trailed open mouthed kisses along the column of her throat. "As long as we're clear on that," she stated as she lowered her foot back to the floor and leaned into him.
"Crystal clear," he murmured as he released her hands, placing his on the counter beside her, effectively trapping her with his body.
"Then kiss me already," she ordered as she slid her arms around him and settled her hands on his ass, pulling him more firmly against her.
He quickly obliged; his mouth hot on hers as he teased her tongue with his. When she sighed into his mouth, he moved his hands to her waist and effortlessly lifted her onto the counter. Her legs opened in invitation and he stepped closer, the shorts she was wearing doing little to mask the heat of her. His mouth slanted over hers as he rocked his hips against hers; feeling himself harden even more at her soft moans of appreciation.
Her hands slid beneath his shirt until she felt the warmth of his skin. "We really don't have time for this," she murmured against his mouth as she broke off their kiss. "The guys are going to be here any minute now."
"Trust me, they might not say it, but they know how incredibly hot you are. They'll understand," he said as he leaned back into her.
Kate laughed and leaned her forehead against his, her hands drawing random patterns on his lower back. "Sometimes I think you confuse your imaginary world with the real one," she told him.
He leaned back until he could meet her gaze. "And sometimes I wonder how you can really not comprehend how incredibly sexy you are."
"These are our work colleagues," she reminded him as she brought her hands to his shoulders.
"And they're red blooded men," he pointed out.
The doorbell rang before she had a chance to respond. Giving him a wicked grin, she reached down and cupped his length in her hand. "I suppose I should get the door while you do something about that."
He closed his eyes as she squeezed him gently. "I know exactly what I'd like to do about it," he groaned.
"Later," she promised as she released him and hopped off the counter.
"I'm going to hold you to that," he called after her.
Kate smiled as she made her way to the door and opened it to reveal Ryan and Esposito. "Hey guys," she said by way of greeting. "Come on in."
"Nice place, Beckett," Esposito said with a knowing grin in Ryan's direction.
Beckett arched an eyebrow at him. "Don't forget that I can have you riding a desk for an entire month."
"Good to see you, too," he shot back.
They all shared a laugh, and Beckett realized that her nerves from the morning had completely dissipated. Her "boys" had been nothing but supportive of her relationship with Castle from the beginning. Their teasing had always been good-natured and in fun and she realized that she'd come to expect it from them.
"So where's our boy?" Ryan asked.
"Hiding in the kitchen, I believe," Kate replied as she closed the door.
"I'm not hiding," Castle called out, having heard their comments. "And I'm in the family room."
Kate led Ryan and Esposito into the family room and couldn't suppress her grin when she saw that Castle had chosen to hide the evidence of their earlier activities by having already claimed his seat at the poker table. "Snacks are in the kitchen," Castle said by way of greeting. "Help yourselves."
Kate watched them make their way into the kitchen, then deciding to tease Castle just a bit more, she walked behind his chair, settled her hands on his shoulders and then leaned down to whisper in his ear. "What I want to snack on isn't in the kitchen, Rick."
"You are an evil, evil woman, Kate Beckett," Castle replied.
"You started it," she reminded him.
He turned his head until their lips were just centimeters apart. "And I'm going to enjoy letting you finish it later."
Kate smiled and then closed the distance between them, her lips closing over his as she slid her hands from his shoulders down to his chest.
"Ah, look at that," Ryan said as he and Esposito walked back into the room. "Mom and dad are making out at the poker table."
"At least they're not making out on the poker table," Esposito replied.
"Don't tempt me," Castle said as Kate broke off the kiss and straightened up.
"Behave yourselves," Kate said as the doorbell rang again and she headed out of the room.
Castle watched her walk away, his eyes following the sway of her hips until she disappeared from his sight. When he finally turned his attention back to Ryan and Esposito, they were both grinning at him. "What?" he asked.
"You should see the look on your face," Esposito said.
"Totally whipped," Ryan added.
"Put yourself in my shoes and tell me you would do something different than whatever made her happy," Castle pointed out.
Ryan and Esposito exchanged a look and then shrugged. "Valid point," Esposito conceded as Kate and Captain Montgomery joined them in the room and their game got underway.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Castle was seated in his customary place beside Kate's desk watching as she filled out paperwork. "Are you sure that I can't convince you to come with me," he asked.
She glanced up at him. "For two weeks?"
"The entire two weeks would be great," he replied. "But I'd be happy with just one."
"I've got to work," she said as she turned her attention back to her paperwork.
"I'd be willing to bet you've got about six weeks of vacation time sitting on the books," he said as he leaned forward in his chair. "I'm sure Captain Montgomery would let you use one to go with me."
Kate sighed as she set her pen down and leaned back in her chair to meet his gaze, not wanting to have this conversation, but realizing that she'd put it off long enough. "And what do you suppose I do while you're playing the part of the flamboyant writer?"
"Exactly what you always do," he replied. "Just be yourself."
Kate rolled her eyes and picked her pen back up. "I'm sorry, Castle, but I just don't think going with you on your book tour is a good idea."
"A week out of the city, just the two of us," he replied. "What part of that isn't a good idea?"
"The part where your days are filled with flaky bimbos wanting you to autograph their chests," she snarked, her eyes never leaving the paperwork in front of her.
"Something I haven't done since the first time you allowed me the pleasure of kissing you," he pointed out.
Kate had to concede the point. He really had stopped autographing women's chests since they'd been together. It didn't make her any more comfortable with the fact that they still asked though. For some reason, the thought of going on his book tour with him and being forced to watch as he played nice with a bunch of women who wanted nothing more than to be able to say that they had bedded Richard Castle held absolutely no appeal for her.
Turning her full attention to him, she met his gaze. "Give me more than a week's notice next time and I'll consider it."
He wanted to push the issue; to remind her that he'd been asking for over two weeks now, but Esposito chose that moment to interrupt. "We've got a body."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ryan held up the crime scene tape as Kate, Castle and Esposito walked under it, and then followed them to where Lanie was kneeling beside the body in the dirty alley.
"What do you have, Lanie?" Kate asked.
Lanie looked up at the four of them with a grimace. "White female, approximately twenty-five years of age," she began as she lifted the sheet she had draped over the body. "No identification on the body."
The four of them struggled to maintain their reactions as they saw the body. "The killer took her hands and feet?" Kate asked as she took in the grisly sight before her.
"Not to mention doing a whole lot of carving on her chest," Lanie replied.
"Not a mark on her face, though," Castle commented.
Kate looked around the area as Lanie lowered the sheet. "Not enough blood here for this to be our crime scene," she stated. "So it's obviously a dump job."
"I estimate time of death sometime between 8 p.m. and midnight," Lanie told her. "I should be able to give you more once I get her to the lab."
"Thanks, Lanie," Kate replied. Turning to Ryan and Esposito, she gave them their orders. "I want this entire area searched. See if you can find a purse or wallet, anything that might give us an i.d. on our victim. Castle and I will start knocking on doors and see if anyone recognizes her."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kate looked up from the stack of missing persons files she was sorting through. "Castle, aren't you supposed to play poker tonight?"
Castle looked up from his own stack and offered a weak smile. "Yeah, but there will be other games."
Kate shook her head. "Go on," she said. "Ryan and Esposito will be back in a few minutes to help me go through these. There's no reason for you to have to stay as well."
"I don't mind," he protested.
She smiled as she caught his gaze. "I know. And I love you for it. Now go on. I don't want to be blamed for keeping the mayor's favorite poker buddy away from their weekly game."
Castle returned her smile as he closed the file he'd been looking at. "Are you sure?"
"Positive," she replied as she picked up another file.
Castle got to his feet and walked to her side of the table. When she looked up at him again, he leaned down and kissed her gently. "I'll see you at home later."
She surprised him by reaching up and pulling him back down for a more substantial kiss. When she finally released him, she couldn't help but grin. "I liked the way that sounded," she offered by way of explanation. "Have fun."
"Try not to fall asleep here," he replied as he straightened and made his way out of the room.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Castle was awakened by soft lips caressing his chest. When he'd arrived home, Kate had been fast asleep, her arms wrapped around his pillow. He'd quietly stripped out of his clothes and climbed into bed with her, easing the pillow from her grasp and pulling her snugly against his side. She'd murmured something unintelligible at the interruption but had quickly resumed her peaceful slumber. He'd lain awake for quite some time, just enjoying the opportunity to look at her.
"What time is it?" he asked, his eyes still closed.
"Early," she replied as she trailed her lips up to his neck.
"How early?" he asked as he cracked one eye and looked down at her.
"Early enough that you have a choice to either go back to sleep," she said as she met his gaze. "Or not," she continued as she shifted her weight until her heat was directly over his rapidly hardening erection.
Castle groaned as he came fully awake and lifted his hands to her waist, pressing her against him. "Now seems like a good time to wake up," he commented.
She laughed softly and then leaned down to brush a kiss against his lips. "I'm going to miss waking you up while you're on your book tour," she admitted as her lips trailed along the roughness of his early morning stubble.
"It's not too late to change your mind about joining me," he assured her as his hands moved to cup her ass and he slid into her welcoming heat. "I don't leave until tomorrow and I promise that I'll make it worth your while."
"It's tempting," she admitted as she brought her lips back to his and shifted her hips to take him deeper into her.
"But still no?" he asked, his hands trailing up her back to hold her to him as he rolled them so she was tucked beneath him.
"Not this time," she said, her legs wrapping around his hips as he began to thrust into her.
"I wish you would change your mind," he stated. "But I respect your decision. I won't ask again."
"Thank you," she said as she lifted her hands to his neck, her fingers sliding up through his hair and pulling his mouth down to hers.
He kissed her, his tongue darting out and teasing hers for just a moment before he lifted his head back to look at her again. "You promise that if you change your mind about joining me you'll tell me?"
"You'll be the first to know," she assured him as she pulled him back down for another kiss.
Their conversation faded into sighs of pleasure and soft moans as they gave themselves to one another, their bodies racing towards completion and striving to ensure that they were both there together.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Any luck with identifying our victim yet?" Castle asked as he sat a fresh cup of coffee in front of Kate and then moved to his seat beside her desk.
"Packed already?" she teased him as she looked up from the stack of files on her desk.
"Plenty of time for that later," he replied with a grin. "My flight isn't until ten in the morning."
She shook her head and motioned to the files on her desk. "Nothing yet. We separated the piles into possible matches based on age and body type, but so far we've had no luck. I've got Esposito looking into the national database of missing persons. Hopefully, we'll get lucky."
"How can I help?" he offered.
"Beckett!" came Captain Montgomery's voice from across the bullpen.
Kate looked across the room at her captain and he motioned for her to join him. "Could I have a minute?"
Kate nodded as she got to her feet. "Hold that thought, Castle."
Castle watched as she stepped into Montgomery's office and closed the door behind her before turning his attention to Ryan. "Any luck with forensics?" Castle asked as he made his way over to the other detective's desk.
Ryan shook his head as he thumbed through a stack of paperwork. "Nothing unusual about the blade used to sever the victim's hands and feet," he replied. "Your typical everyday garden variety handsaw. According to the manufacturer, they sell about a million of them a year."
"So practically untraceable," Castle said.
"Lanie's trying to get a mold of the wounds in the chest for us," Ryan continued, "But she was pretty carved up, so we're not sure if we'll get anything useful from that either."
"What about her clothes?" Castle asked as he perched on the corner of the desk.
"We're still waiting on lab results on her clothes," Ryan replied.
Castle heard Montgomery's door open and he turned to face Kate. The smile on his face quickly faded as he saw the set of her jaw and the barely contained fury in her eyes.
"What the hell did you do, Castle?" Ryan whispered.
"Nothing," Castle replied.
"That doesn't look like 'nothing'," Ryan stated.
Castle's eyes followed Kate as she strode across the room to face him. "Castle, conference room. Now!"
Castle immediately got to his feet and followed her into the conference room, all the while searching his mind for what he could have possibly done to have pissed her off this much.
She waited until he was inside the room before she closed the door behind them, effectively shutting out the rest of the station. Half expecting her to slam the door, Castle jumped at the soft click that practically echoed in the stillness of the room.
"How dare you!" she accused as she stepped into his space, her face barely a breath away from his.
His confusion showed on his face. "What?"
"Don't play dumb with me," she hissed.
"I have no idea what I've supposedly done," he said as he met her gaze head-on.
"I suppose you had a good laugh at my expense this morning," she continued, her eyes blazing. "With all that bull about respecting my decision. How childish and immature can you be, Castle? Mom says no so let's see if dad will give me a different answer?"
"What are you talking about?" he asked as he reached for her hands.
She shrugged him off violently. "Don't touch me!"
He pulled away as if she'd physically slapped him. "Okay," he said softly, trying to soothe her. "Then why don't you tell me what I've done."
"Your weekly poker game with the mayor, the police commissioner and Captain Montgomery," she said.
"Which you insisted that I attend last night," he reminded her.
"I didn't expect you to ask them to order me to take a vacation so I could join you on your book tour," she said, the quietness of her voice belying the anger in it.
"What?" he asked.
"You heard me," she said. "Captain Montgomery just informed me that both the commissioner and the mayor feel that I've been working too much the last few months; that I should take some time for myself. Heck, they even suggested that I join you on your book tour, use the time for some r & r."
Castle wanted to laugh at the absurdity of the situation. He'd mentioned that he would be out of town on a book tour for the next couple of weeks at the game the previous night as a reminder that he wouldn't be able to host on his regular week. Captain Montgomery had then asked if Kate would be joining him and he'd told him no. That was the extent of their conversation on the issue, so how it went from that to the three of them deciding to gang up on Kate and force her to join him, he had no idea.
Unfortunately, Kate's independent streak was going to make diffusing this situation more than just a little tricky. "I meant what I said this morning," he finally said, his eyes locking with hers. "I respect your decision and will not ask you again about joining me."
"But you're more than okay with having my bosses order me to go along?" she asked as she turned away from him to pace the length of the conference room. "While I'm in the middle of a case no less."
"While I might have stooped to that level to get access to you in the beginning, I would never compromise your reputation in this department by using my friendship with your bosses to my advantage in our personal relationship," he assured her.
The look of incredulity that crossed her face stung and he felt his own anger at her lack of trust starting to rise. "I merely informed them that I would be out of town for the next two weeks," he continued as he stepped into her path, forcing her to stop and meet his gaze. "It's my turn to host next week and I needed to remind them I wouldn't be available. Captain Montgomery asked if you were joining me on the tour and I merely said no. Your name was not mentioned again for the rest of the evening. In fact, I don't think the book tour was mentioned again for the rest of the evening."
"You really expect me to believe that?" she asked as she stared at him. "From the same man who has the mayor on speed dial and isn't above calling in a personal favor to get fingerprints moved to the front of the line? Is this all just a game to you, Castle?"
"Is that really what you think, Kate?"
"I don't know what to think, Castle," she replied. "You have spent a good portion of the last two weeks trying to convince me to go with you. Now this morning, my captain is suggesting I take a week off to join you and that only after a night spent playing poker with you."
Castle nodded his head and reached a hand into his pocket. "Well, Detective Beckett," he said as he pulled out a small box and placed it in the palm of her hand. "I suggest you do a little more investigating before you convict the wrong suspect. Here's my sole reason for trying to convince you to come along. I suggest you might interrogate your captain a little more to find out his motivation for suggesting you join me, because whether you believe me or not, I had nothing to do with it." He watched as her eyes dropped to the box in her hand before he continued, "Now, if you'll excuse me, Detective, I have a trip to pack for."
Kate heard the sarcasm in his use of her title as opposed to her name and for the first time since closing the door of Captain Montgomery's office, she wondered if perhaps she hadn't jumped to conclusions without having all of the evidence in front of her. Forcing her eyes from the box in her hand, she turned her attention back to Castle, only to find that he had already slipped out of the room and was halfway across the bullpen.
She watched as he stopped at Ryan's desk and offered the younger detective a slap on the shoulder and a forced smile before he continued to the elevator. When the doors closed behind him, she looked down at the box she still held. Taking a deep breath, she lifted a trembling hand and opened the lid. She couldn't control the gasp of surprise that escaped her lips at the beautiful ring nestled in the soft velvet of the box. His insistence at pestering her to join him on the book tour made a lot more sense now. While he'd made no secret to the fact that he eventually wanted to marry her, he had yet to officially ask her. She'd assumed that he just wasn't ready to take that next step yet, but it was obvious now that he had merely been trying to ensure that they had an uninterrupted evening before he asked.
Unexpected tears filled her eyes and she closed the box, slipping it into her pocket. She replayed their conversation in her mind, and shook her head at her own ignorance. Rick Castle was quite possibly the best thing to ever happen to her and she had just accused him of being childish and immature. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.
Kate started for the door to the conference room, intent on finding Castle and making things right between them. She'd no sooner reached her desk then Esposito hurried around the corner. "Beckett, we got a hit on the national database."
Kate paused, torn between following Castle and the case. Closing her eyes for a brief second, she put her hand in her pocket and squeezed the box that rested there. There would be time for apologies later.
"I.d.?" she asked as she met Esposito's gaze,
"Marsha Bunn," he replied. "She went missing six months ago in Washington D.C."
"Next of kin?" she asked.
"Already contacted someone in D.C. police to notify them," he confirmed. "They should be in later this afternoon to make a positive i.d."
"I want the case file on my desk in ten minutes," she told him.
"It's digital," he stated as he handed her a printed out picture of their victim from the file. "You can pull it up on-line."
Kate pulled out her chair and settled at the computer. Finally, they had a lead they could actually use.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kate let herself into the apartment with a weary sigh. Once their victim's parents had arrived and given them a positive identification on the body, their white board had quickly filled with possible suspects. The D.C. police had suspected a former boyfriend of the abduction six months ago, but nothing had ever panned out. After a week, the trail had run cold and Marsha Bunn had unfortunately become another statistic.
Kate was surprised to find a light on in the family room, so she headed in that direction, expecting Rick to be waiting up for her. "Alexis?"
Alexis looked up from the book she was reading and offered Kate a smile. "Long day?"
Kate nodded as she stopped behind the couch. "Everything okay?"
"I was kind of hoping you could answer that question," Alexis admitted as she closed the book.
Kate pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and sighed. She'd tried calling Castle a couple of times, but had only gotten his voice mail. Frustrated, she'd resorted to sending him a text telling him that she was sorry. He'd actually responded with an "apology accepted" but that had been the extent of the conversation.
"Your dad and I had a bit of a misunderstanding this morning," Kate admitted.
"I gathered as much," Alexis replied. "Is it because he's leaving for the book tour? You know he really hates doing these things."
"He does?" Kate asked, surprised to hear that. "I guess I was under the impression that he enjoyed them."
Alexis shook her head. "Not in the least bit. So is that what you guys fought about? Him going on the tour?"
"Not exactly," Kate replied, not wanting to admit that she'd made some very inaccurate accusations against Castle earlier that day. A quick meeting with Captain Montgomery had confirmed that Castle had been completely innocent in the events that had led to him suggesting she take a week off. In fact, it turned out that Captain Montgomery had been the one to suggest to the commissioner and mayor that his best detective could probably use some r & r to keep from getting burned out. Remembering Castle mentioning the book tour, the mayor had suggested she take the time now and join Castle.
Running a hand through her hair, Kate shrugged her shoulders. "People say and do dumb things sometimes, Alexis, including me. I owe your father a huge apology."
"He probably owes you one, too," Alexis offered.
"Not this time," Kate admitted. "This one is all on me."
Alexis watched her for a long minute before she got to her feet and walked around the couch. "He loves you, you know," she said as she wrapped her arms around Kate's waist.
Kate returned the hug, thankful for the acceptance she'd found with Alexis. "I know, sweetie. I love him, too. More than I ever thought possible."
Alexis stepped from her embrace then, confident that whatever had happened would be resolved. "Good night, Kate."
"Good night, Alexis."
Kate watched as Alexis made her way upstairs and then turned off the light and followed her. She paused at their bedroom, unsure what she'd find when she opened the door. Taking a deep breath, she turned the handle and stepped into the room. There was a light on in the bathroom, casting a faint glow into the bedroom. She could easily make out Castle's suitcase that was packed and sitting just inside the door.
Her eyes drifted to the bed and she was surprised to find that Castle was sleeping peacefully, the sheet tucked haphazardly around his waist. Part of her had expected to find him on the couch or in the guest bedroom, so her relief at finding him in their bed nearly took her breath away.
She moved quietly into the room, securing her weapon and returning her mom's ring and her dad's watch to their respective places. After a quick trip into the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth, she turned off the light and stepped back into the bedroom. She removed her clothes, dropping them into the hamper after retrieving the ring box from her pocket. Carrying the small box with her, she made her way to their bed and sat down on the edge. She opened the box and sat it on the table beside the bed, not daring to put the ring on her finger until she'd cleared the air between them.
Kate turned and looked at Castle for a long minute before pulling back the sheet and sliding in next to him. She scooted to his side and lifted his arm to allow her to snuggle into his side. As she settled her head on his chest, she pressed her lips to his skin. "I love you, Rick."
"You too, baby," he mumbled sleepily, his arm instinctively tightening around her and pulling her more fully into his embrace.
Kate wrapped her arm around his waist and closed her eyes, uncertain what the morning would bring for them, but confident in their love for each other.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The room was still dark when Kate awoke, her legs tangled with Castle's and her head still resting on his chest. She could feel his fingers trailing gently up and down the arm she had wrapped around his midsection and she instinctively pressed her lips to his chest.
His hand stilled on her arm. "Go back to sleep," he whispered. "It's not time to be up yet."
It wasn't the first time she'd awaken to find him watching her sleep. Usually, his soft words were enough to convince her to grab a few more minutes of sleep, knowing he was content to just hold her. There was too much that needed to be said today for that though, so she shook her head and sat back to meet his gaze.
Her eyes swept over his sleep tousled hair and stopped at the intensity shining from his blue eyes. "I owe you an apology," she finally said.
"You don't owe me anything, Kate," he told her.
"I do," she argued. She paused then, the memory of the last time she'd said that phrase to him coming unbidden to mind and her eyes automatically drifting to the ring sitting on the table beside their bed.
His eyes followed her gaze, noticing for the first time that the box was sitting there, the ring still nestled within the black velvet.
Her eyes locked on his again. "There is no excuse for my behavior yesterday," she offered.
"I already told you that I accepted your apology," he said.
She tilted her head to stare at him. "You don't want an explanation?"
"Did you mean it when you said you were sorry?" he asked, one hand lifting to trail down her arm and intertwine their fingers together.
"Yes," she assured him.
"Then that's good enough for me," he said.
Kate shook her head. "I accused you of being childish and immature."
"A statement which generally describes me," he said with a grin.
"I didn't even give you the chance to explain," she continued. "I was ready to be judge, jury and executioner without even having all of the facts."
"It's hard learning to trust someone," he stated.
"I do trust you," she whispered. "And if I had stopped to think about the situation before tearing into you, I would've recognized that you wouldn't have put me in that position."
He lifted his other hand to her face and brushed her hair behind her ear. Keeping his hand on the side of her face, he tugged her forward until their faces were mere centimeters apart. "Are you finished?" he asked softly.
She shook her head and then leaned her forehead against his. "I love you, Rick."
"I love you, too," he replied. "And I'm sorry for walking out earlier."
She pulled back just enough to meet his gaze. "Apology accepted."
They sat there staring at each for a long minute, matching smiles slowly blooming across their faces. Kate was the first to break the spell, leaning forward and claiming his mouth in a scorching kiss. As her teeth nipped at his lips, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her on top of him, his hands gliding down the bare expanse of her back and pushing the sheet away from them.
As suddenly as she'd begun, she pulled away from him and got to her knees, crawling to the opposite side of the bed.
"What…?" he began, but the words died on his lips when he saw her pick up the ring box.
She looked down at the solitaire and then back at him before settling back on her heels. "You know, I expected something a little more romantic from the man who brought Derek Storm to life," she teased as she held the box out to him.
"Best laid plans," he offered as he took the box from her. "I had hoped to convince you to steal away with me for a few days so I could give you the romantic night on the town, flowers, expensive champagne - the whole nine yards."
"I don't need all of that," she said.
"You might not need it, but you deserve it," he replied.
She watched as he took the ring out of the box and cradled it between his thumb and forefinger. "I had it specially made for you," he said as he lifted his eyes back to hers. "I told them that you're often pulling latex gloves on and off and would need a setting that wouldn't get caught. I think it turned out pretty nice."
"It's beautiful," she assured him.
He looked down at the ring again and she laughed as she reached out and tilted his eyes back up to hers. "I might not need all of that other stuff, Castle, but you are going to have to actually ask."
He looked around the bedroom. "Here? Like this?"
"You don't think I'm going to let you get on that plane later if you haven't put it on my finger, do you?" she replied.
"Alexis will disown me," he told her, shaking his head.
"Not when I tell her that you didn't want to wait until you got back," she countered. "She'll understand."
He looked at her for a long minute and then slid out of the bed and dropped to his knees on the floor beside her. "Kate Beckett, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"
She reached a hand out and smoothed it along his jaw before leaning down to brush her lips against his. "Yes, Rick."
He returned her kiss and then pulled back and took her left hand in his. His right hand trembling slightly, he slowly slid the ring onto her finger and then planted a kiss on her knuckle.
She laughed at the gesture and then slid both of her hands around his neck and tugged him gently back onto the bed. "Make love to me, Rick."
He stretched out over her, his lips hovering over hers as his hands found hers and slowly lifted them over her head. "Are you going to be this bossy once we get married?" he teased.
"Worse," she assured him with a laugh.
"Good," he replied before finally lowering his mouth to hers. "Because you're pretty damn sexy when you're bossing me around."
"Then make it good, baby," she breathed as his lips moved to her neck. "Because it's going to be a long two weeks without you here to boss around."
His laughter breathed across her skin. "I promise that it's going to be the absolute best sex we've had since we got engaged."
Her laughter joined his. "Promise that you're going to call to keep me entertained with your sharp humor?"
"Guaranteed," he replied.
"Good," she said. "Now stop messing around and give me what I want."
His last words were a promise that echoed through the room. "As you wish."
Blatant reference to "The Princess Bride" with that last line, I couldn't help myself. Please drop me a line and let me know what you thought.
