Chapter 10

Outside the store, the couple met with some of their friends, Lanie, Ryan, Jenny and a Latin man who Rick recognized from the picture as Esposito.

"Hey lovebirds!" Lanie greeted them with a huge smile.

"Lanie, guys.." Kate smiled to see her friends and then hugged Esposito, who hugged her back tightly, both killing the longing. "Ooww Espo, you look great!"

"You too Beckett, I've missed you. And congratulations for the season, you'll be great." He replied, smiling and looking her up and down. It could sound absurd, but he thought that she had grown more in those two months that they hadn't seen each other.

"Thank you." Kate went to his side and Esposito saw Rick greeting Jenny and Ryan and he said:

"Hey bro, you must be Rick Castle, It's a pleasure, I've heard about you there in my company, they admire you a lot."

Rick extended his hand and shook the Latin hand's, while Jenny and Lanie entered the store to buy ballet shoes and Kate chatted with Ryan.

"I've also heard about you, Kate and the guys praise you." Rick said, before asking with interest: "Hip-hop is it?"

The dancer was curious about Esposito, knowing that he was a great dancer that changed the ballet for the hip hop.

"Yeah." Esposito laughed, his hands in his pockets. "A great change, but definitely is what I like. I used to do street dance as a child and then last year I returned to the classes with some friends and I fell in love."

"Are you guys in a double date?" Kate asked him and Ryan and the two confirmed.

"I called Lanie so we could go out, it had been a week since we last saw each other, but when I called, she was with Jenny."

"The girls wanted to go to the movies and so we decided to go out all together. We thought of calling you two, but decided to give the couple some privacy..." Ryan added, winking at the couple, when the girls returned with their shoes and Lanie put an arm on Kate's shoulder and said excitedly:

"Kate, Rick, Tory called me. The Swan Lake's billboard was placed in front of the building this morning!"

Rick and Kate looked at each other excited to see it and Ryan suggested:

"Why don't we go there at night? It will be illuminated."

The group agreed and then decided to take a walk in the Central Park where the girls sat on the benches to talk while the boys went for a walk, and Rick and Esposito were already getting along, both looking for some hot dog.

"So... Things have been quite serious between you and the dancer." Lanie said with a smirk and Kate confirmed, with a small smile.

"Rick is amazing, you know? And I'm not only speaking of him dancing, he has that boyish look sometimes, always making me laugh and at the same time, he treats me with so much love, passion..."

"You love him, Kate." Lanie said, holding her friend's hand and Kate confirmed, biting her lip to hide the smile which increased:

"I love him. How can you tell?"

"This is on your face, honey." And Lanie rolled her eyes, laughing: "And then, everyone at the company has already noticed the way you looked at each other, screaming sexual tension."

"And you two are cute together." Jenny said, smiling. "Inside and out of the stage."

"Thank you Jenny." Kate sighed, looking up, watching the winter sky, thinking. She didn't use to talk about her feelings, but with those two, she could always open herself up. "I'm waiting for the right time to tell him that I love him."

"Girl, there is none of this." Lanie said. "If you love him, just tell him now."

Kate looked at her, confused, and Jenny took her other hand, explaining better.

"What Lanie means that what matters is you tell Rick you love him, and that's what will make the moment special and not otherwise."

"And besides, I'm sure Rick is only waiting you to take this step, he knows that you are a difficult woman or he'd already had said that he loves you. Think about it." Lanie said gently, making Kate reflect on what her friends had told her.

The three shared a group hug and then Kate said:

"It's been quite a time since we last had a girl chat without the rush of the rehearsals."

"True. Tomorrow is Saturday, right? We could go to my apartment and spend the day together, what do you think?" Lanie suggested, raising an eyebrow and the two smiled:

"It's a great idea."

The boys finished eating their hot dogs, talking as they went to find the girls. Rick told Esposito about his change from the ABT to the NBM and about his passion for video games and baseball, something that the two had in common.

Esposito had already told about the things in the company of hip-hop he was and his relationship with Lanie and Ryan, talked about his pas-de-deux with Jenny in the ballroom scene.

"... we receiving this pas-de-deux was great, it's the first time we have the opportunity to dance together as a couple." Ryan told them and Esposito gave him a big smile, as he tapped on his friend's back.

"So things are going well between you two?"

"Yes." The blond nodded, smiling. "Jenny is a serious girl and I love her."

"That's right, Ryan." Rick greeted him as the two made a touch of hands, finishing their hot dogs when Esposito then told Rick:

"You and Beckett also met during the rehearsals, right?"

"Yes. When Montgomery appointed me as her partner."

"I saw that things between you two are quite serious." Rick confirmed, wanting to see where the Latin wanted to go with the talk and Esposito said seriously: "I saw the way Beckett looks at you so I will say only once: Treat her well."

He'd known Kate since the two had entered the NBM, when she was 18 and he 21 and he always acted like an older brother to her, even though Kate sometimes was annoyed with him. They had been through a lot, to get their first major roles there and it was Kate who had introduced him to Lanie.

"I'll. Because I love her." Rick admitted and Esposito nodded, then smiled and tapped his back and Rick realized that Esposito would become a great friend of his and smiled.

"I know bro... Now, changing the subject, I have three tickets to see the Mets tomorrow morning..."

When night came, the group of friends went to the building of the NBM, in 6th avenue and they were delighted with what they saw. The billboard of Swan Lake season had been placed, taking part of the front of the building and there were lights on the floor, illuminating it. The huge picture showed Kate with her white Swan Lake costume with her arms above her head as Rick, with his Prince's clothes, holding her from behind, with a blue and ethereal background, with the names of the stars and the corps de ballet.

When Rick and Kate stopped in front of the billboard, their friends applauded them, then Esposito kissed Lanie, congratulating her while Ryan and Jenny embraced each other, knowing it was a matter of time for their debut in their pas-de-deux.

"Ooow..." Rick said, surprised and then smiled as he saw himself in one of the most important roles of his career, beside the woman he loved. It had no price.

"It is... beautiful." It was all that Kate could say, with a huge smile on her face, wiping the corner of her eye and looking at herself in the billboard, having flashbacks of all her efforts, which finally had given her the role star and also, that led her to the amazing man who was at her side. It had been worth it.

Kate then felt Rick approaching her and whispered in her ear:

"How about doing a preview?"

"Here? And now?" She asked in surprise turning her face to the side and finding Rick's blue-eyes, who shone with happiness.

The dancer nodded and Kate smiled, kissing his lips before taking two steps back. Rick then bowed to Kate, spreading his arms and making a forward movement, ending with a pirouette and stopping in a pose.

He then made room for Kate as he rose in his demi-pointe and made a gesture with his hand to her. Some people who passed there stopped to see with interest as Kate began to wave her arms above her head, in her demi-pointe, stopping and doing a pirouette and also ending with a smile.

Taking advantage of the dance climate, Ryan took Jenny's hand, guiding her in the waltz from their pas-de-deux, on the side. The couple smiled as if it was really the day of the show and they were at the ball and when Jenny ended in arabesque, with Ryan holding her hands in his demi-pointe, the two approached and kissed.

Lanie, who was in a penche arabesque, where the trunk leans toward the ground, was being held in the waist by Esposito, who had one leg in the air. When the Latin brought Lanie back from her pose, he turned her body to him, his eyes shining and Lanie pulled him by the neck, kissing him.

Kate returned to the her initial pose, with swan arms waving above her head and staying on demi-pointe, while Rick did the walk of classical ballet, going toward her and hugging her from behind, repeating the pose from the billboard.

Who was there began to applaud the group, especially the couple, who were the stars, and to realize the climate of the couple, Lanie, Esposito, Jenny and Ryan smiled, slowly moving away and leaving the couple back, who was still in pose.

The couple, who still was in the pose, was recovering their breath, both feeling the heart racing. Rick then buried his nose in Kate's hair, breathing the scent, preparing to tell her how much he loved her. He wouldn't wait even a minute. What they had shared there, on that sidewalk was unique.

But then, when he looked up, Kate spoke before him:

"Rick?" Kate called his name, as she lowered her arms, and still in the demi-pointe, she turned to him, meeting his blue eyes and taking her hands to his hair, curling her fingers into strands and staring at him with her green eyes shining with love.

She loved him so much...

Now she could understand why there was no perfect time, it was them who created.

"I love you Rick." She said softly, making Rick be touched by the statement and laugh with the fact that she jumped in front of him and said before.

"Kate you've just told me what I was going to tell you..." Kate bent her head lightly to the side, feeling her heart racing and he said, his voice filled with love: "I love Kate."

Still in front of the billboard, with the spotlight launching white and golden lights on them, Kate lowered from her demi-pointe, while Rick took his hands to her waist, caressing the skin there over her jeans and their faces were approaching, Kate guiding his hands in her hair, until their lips brushed, making their bodies catch fire and then they kissed.

That night, when the two arrived at the Rick's loft, they were greeted by Martha Rodgers, Rick's mother. Although Kate had been there several times, she hadn't met with the mother of her now boyfriend until now, although the actress occasionally came to visit her son.

"Mom?"

Martha had red hair and the same blue and bright eyes of her son. She was finishing putting on her coat when she heard her son call her and she said:

"Richard dear, I'm going to Opera and-" She saw Kate, which was hand in hand with her son and not waiting for her son to present the brunette, Martha opened her arms saying: "Oh, you must be Katherine, my son speaks a lot of you, it's nice to meet you, I'm Martha Rodgers."

"The pleasure is all mine, Mrs. Rodgers. I'm Kate, Kate Beckett." The brunette said, hugging her.

Martha sympathized with the girlfriend of her son immediately, so different from the previous ones. And Kate could say the same about the woman.

"No no dear, call me Martha. And by the way, you dance very well."

Kate looked at her curiously and then Rick explained:

"I showed her the video of our rehearsal."

"Thank you Martha." She said, awkwardly, while Rick put a hand on her shoulder. "And Rick told me you're an actress."

"Yes, I think this family has the gift for the arts..." The redhead smiled and then turned to her son. "Speaking of theater, I'm going to the Opera with Chad."

"Alright mother. Have a good night." Rick kissed her forehead and Martha gave him a hug and then another on Kate, leaving while humming.

Kate giggled as Rick shook his head.

"Your mother is a figure Rick..." Kate said, smiling at him.

"I know... Come, I think someone had promised me a surprise..." He said with a smirk and Kate laughed, whispering in his ear:

"I just hope that your heart bear to see me holding the handcuffs..." She nibbled his ear, making Rick crawl and then kiss it:

"I'm not going only to stand it as I'm going to enjoy a lot... A lot."

And Rick took her hand, leading them to his bedroom, which was connected to an office with bookshelves and in a corner, a ballet bar.

Half an hour later, Rick was sitting on his bed, leafing through a book while trying to wait patiently for Kate, who was still in the bathroom, but his desire began to leave him impatient.

When he closed his eyes to distract his desire, trying to think of something like rehearsing or the date of his mother and Chad, the door of his bathroom opened, releasing a scent of cherries and Rick opened his eyes, then gaping.

"Kate..."

Kate was in a set of black and lacy lingerie, smiling sensually while she had in one hand a pair of rubber cuffs. She smiled with satisfaction as she felt his gaze, staring at her with passion and then walked like a feline toward him and Rick, who was lying in bed, was fascinated by the figure that now climbed on top of him.

"Oh Kate... You're so sexy..."

The brunette smiled at the compliment.

"Ready, Rick?" She whispered, as she put one leg on either side of his body.

"Looking forward. Remember, my safe word is apple." He told her winking and Kate laughed, leaning over and kissing his lips.

Rick led his hands to Kate's back, sticking her body to his, making Kate moan as she felt his strong muscles moving under her and his hands playing with the bundle of her bra.

While kissing him, Kate took one of his hands that was in her bra and held it above his head, catching the other and then when Rick heard the metal click, his eyes widened, breaking the kiss and looking upon seeing him handcuffed and then smiled, feeling his desire for her to grow more.

"I love you Kate..." He said full of passion as he tried to move, turning his face to the side and brushed his lips on her face.

"I love you too, Rick..." She murmured, finding his lips in a peck.

Kate lowered her lips to his chin, then toward his neck while her hands opened the buttons of his shirt, caressing his chest. Rick felt he would explode with the sexy picture of Kate in lingerie and her soft and half-naked body moving over his in the right places.

Rick then shook his hands, in order to caress her and change positions when he remembered the handcuffs and said in despair:

"Kate, I need to touch you..."

"That's why you are handcuffed. Tonight, I'm in command Rick..." She said mischievously, undoing the belt of his pants and making him moan as her hand brushed his member, taking a little longer and then, opening her bra, she lowered herself on him, her breasts massaging his chest, while she captured his lips in a long, sensual kiss, making both catch fire.

That would be a long night and none of them was in a hurry to end it.