Solid Ground – Chapter 10

He would not lie, being left wanting was really frustrating, especially when he had managed to get his hand down her pants and feel just how willing and ready she had been. It had only been almost two weeks since the last time they'd made love, yet it felt like it had been an eternity. After she'd shown up at his door on that fateful stormy night, they hadn't gone longer than four days without connecting in that most special of ways.

Once they got together, they'd never really lacked a constant sex life, unabatedly finding times and places to enjoy one another's company. Of course, those first few weeks during her suspension had been spent almost entirely in Beckett's bed—or shower—as they lost themselves in an unceasing bombardment of almost nonstop pleasure inducing frivolity.

Making up for lost time, was what Kate had called it.

They'd very rarely poked their heads outside her apartment, lost in their own little world. The bubble had been easy to sustain with Martha and Alexis away on a European tour. Granted, there was a small part of him that missed not celebrating his little girl's last summer before college with her, but at the time all Castle could think about was Kate and finally having her warm soft pliant body beneath his… or above his… he liked it both ways. However, wherever… he was all for it.

Though, before the present situation, the longest interval between those passionate couplings had been just shy of a week, having occurred during the whole job offer fiasco. And all that resulting tension had ultimately culminated in a marriage proposal and some serious loving between the sheets… on the countertop, couch, in the shower, on the coffee table… any flat surface really. There was not a spot in the loft, saved for his daughter's and mother's rooms, that had not been touched by their fire.

But that's the thing. Up until now, Castle hadn't really been thinking about sex. The whole trauma of crash landing on an island in the middle of the South Pacific had taken over all other priorities. Just surviving it all had been at the forefront of pretty much everyone's minds. Well, except maybe Chris and Irene, but then again, they were young—at least half his age—and they seemed to be going at it like rabbits. That only reminded him of just how much older than Beckett he was. Castle had never had a problem with that before, yet he had to admit that she was still very much in the prime of her life, and he wanted to be able to keep up with her… in all things.

Castle might have been frustrated with being left wanting, but he understood Kate's reasons for pulling back and stopping them. Sure, there were other intimate and very naughty things they could do to find release, but Castle acknowledge the fact that neither of them would be satisfied with just that. When it came to the carnal aspects of their life together, it was all or nothing with them. They wouldn't be able to stop themselves from going all in.

So Castle understood, far more than Beckett thought he did. Now was not the time to risk such things. Yet, at the same time, the idea of having a child with Kate brought a warm feel to his chest, the likes of which he hadn't felt in years. Castle loved Alexis dearly, but he'd always wanted more kids. He'd just never found the right woman.

But with Kate, he had.

Underneath that steely tough exterior was the pulsating heart of a very loving and compassionate woman. Over their years together there had been the occasional cases that involved children. He'd seen how Beckett interacted with them, and knew immediately that she'd make an amazing mother. And, though he was reluctant to even admit it to himself, he'd always secretly hoped that someday he'd see her have a baby… specifically, his baby.

Castle would never have believed in a million years that the first time they actually discussed the idea of starting a family together that it would have occurred in a situation like this, let along right after having to pull back and take a breather after they'd gotten pretty hot and heavy. Yet they still had it, and Castle had been left stunned and amazed. For a man who made his living by writing, he was slightly embarrassed that he couldn't find the words to describe the emotions that had swelled up inside of him when Kate Beckett—that extraordinary woman—admitted that she wanted to be the mother of any future children he had.

The only thing that came to mind was shock and awe.

And even though Beckett wasn't old enough to be Alexis's mother, and the two still had some issues between them, both genuinely seemed to like one another, and for the most part, got a long really well. And with Kate, Alexis finally had person she could go to with adult questions that she'd be too embarrassed to ask her father, or just couldn't ask Martha.

It made him smile and feel all warm inside just thinking of the slow and gradual bond that was developing between the two most important women in his life. And his smile grew even broader when he thought of how Kate could help him provide Alexis with the sibling she'd always secretly longed for. She'd never said it out loud, not recently, but Castle always knew that his baby girl wished she had a brother or sister.

He heard her make a soft noise in the back of her throat, dragging him out of his reverie. Castle knew that sound well. She was trying to suppress an exasperated groan. It always assuredly manifested as a short grunt, which inevitably led him to other, more primal thoughts.

Blinking his eyes in the bright midday sun, he glanced across at her, shaking himself out of his internal thoughts, and watched with soft loving eyes as her eyebrows knitted together adorably as she concentrated on whittling down the end of a stick into a sharp point. It was difficult work, but Kate seemed quite determined to get it done, even if all she had to use to cut into the branch was a sharp stone she'd found lying around the edge of the water pool at Storm Falls.

Sitting beside her on the fallen tree trunk was Robin Simpson, her short hair gleaming with a raven black sheen. The other woman was mimicking Kate's handiwork with surprising ease. And Castle noticed that the two seemed quite friendly, chatting softly as they worked. At one point, Kate's lips quirked up and a glorious laugh bubbled out of her mouth. God, she was so beautiful when she laughed. It made him smile happily, pleased to see Kate making friends. It was something that had been sorely lacking in her life back in New York. Sure she had Lanie, and the boys, but outside the precinct, it just seemed like the only other people she'd socialize with where Martha and Alexis.

"Castle, stop staring and get back to work."

He jerked, startled by being caught. She didn't even look up from her task, but he could still see the amused tug of her lips. A couple of the others sitting around the campfire chuckled at their interaction. He shook his head and turned his attention back to his assignment, resolving to pay her back for the public chiding.

It had been decided the other night that everyone was growing a little tired of continually having fruit for all their meals, and that they needed to take advantage of the apparent abundance of wild game that could be found on the island. Castle had had some experience building traps from his misbegotten youth, and he offered to team up with Gervasio to plan out and assemble some snares to capture birds and whatnot. C.C. and Ana led some of the others in making rope out of the long grass found in a nearby field, hoping to create a net that could be used in fishing. Raymond and Jeff had joined Kate and Robin in constructing spears. It was Kate's hope that they could hunt down one of the wild boars on the island.

Everyone seemed happy and more upbeat. The overall mood of the camp had brightened as people got to work. There might not have been hope of a quick rescue anytime soon, but at least they had something to do to keep their minds busy.

XXX

Thwack!

The sound reverberated throughout the small clearing. Castle let out a low whistle of approval and glanced at Kate with undisguised pride. She brushed back her hair, smiling widely, and tossed him a playful wink.

"Impressed, Castle?"

"You never cease to amaze me," he replied, grinning broadly.

Kate pursed her lips and grinned back, before jogging the distance between her and the tree trunk. Castle followed behind her, his eyes dropping to appreciate the view. She grabbed the wood spear and yanked it out of the soft tree bark, holding it up in front of her eyes to examine the sharp point.

"And the verdict?" Castle questioned, raising an eyebrow as he watched her eyes narrow.

"The point is still a little dull," Kate announced. "But I think it'll do the job."

"Great! So can I start telling everyone that we're having pork chops tonight?" he asked, smacking his lips and exaggeratedly rubbing his hands together in mocked anticipation.

Kate cast a side-glance at him, her eyes twinkling with amusement. She smirked and bit her lower lip as she shook her head at his dramatics. "Hold it there, bud, we still need to scout out and corner one of those boars. It's too late in the afternoon to even start that… so, sorry, not tonight."

"Spoilsport," he stuck out his bottom lip in a feigned pout.

She rolled her eyes and chuckled softly, "You love it." She then pushed up on her toes and snagged his bottom lip between her teeth, before fully pressing her mouth against his. He groaned, and leaned into her, bringing a hand up to caress the side of her arm.

"You smell nice," he murmured.

Kate wrinkled up her nose in disbelief. "I'm all sweaty."

"Precisely," he grinned wickedly. "You smell completely like Kate Beckett."

"I am Kate Beckett," she pointed out with a narrowing of her eyes. "So, logically, I'd smell like Kate Beckett." She paused and then scowled. "Now you've gotten me talking about myself in the third person, which is not a good sign."

Castle chuckled heartedly and swept his hand up to tuck some strands of her sun-kissed tresses behind her ear. "You're beautiful, Kate."

She swallowed and shifted uncomfortably in front of him, ducking her head shyly as she bit her lower lip and looked up at him from behind her eyelashes. Still, after all this time, it amazed him at how she was still so bashful when it came to accepting compliments. "I'm a sweaty mess," she huffed out. "My skin feels so grimy and dirty… I haven't had a bath in almost two weeks."

"Doesn't change the fact that you're still beautiful," he replied, stroking her cheek with his fingers before palming her jaw and tilting up her chin, meeting her mouth with his in a slow and languid kiss. Kate closed her eyes and let out a satisfied sigh, leaning into his touch. Her spear clattered to the ground, forgotten.

"Was that good for you?" Castle joked, earning himself a playful slap to the chest and a little glare.

"Always the joker."

"Someone's gotta look on the bright side of things," he quipped back.

"I know," Kate replied somberly, running her fingers along the side of his face and pressing a soft kiss to the corner of his mouth. "And I'm glad it's you. I know things have been difficult… and frustrating… but I can't begin to tell you how much I rely on your positivity and optimism."

"I'll keep that in mind," he said, slipping an arm around her waist to tug her closer. "How'd you like a little more positivity?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Kate flicked her eyes up to his and then down to his mouth, before tugging her lower lip between her teeth and nodding shyly. Castle happily obliged, slanting his lips over hers in a gentle press, before flirting his tongue out and deepening the kiss. Her arms looped around his neck as she canted into him, her lithe slender body colliding with his broader frame as his hands gripped her hips and held her close.

"You wanna come?" she asked, breathily, when they broke apart for air.

"Huh?" his brain was slightly fuzzy, still caught up in the passionate kiss. Not to mention the double entendre there, probably unintended, of course, but his brain couldn't help going there.

"Tomorrow," Kate elaborated, seemingly oblivious to the glaring innuendo in her previous question. She stroked her fingers through his hair, thoroughly mussing it. She pushed up on her toes and slanted her lips across his ear seductively. "On the hunt."

He shivered. "You serious?"

"Why not? We have no idea how long we'll be trapped on this island. You're going to have to learn at some point."

Castle grinned excitedly and gripped her hips tighter, pulling her back in for a heated kiss. Kate gasped in surprise, before squeezing her arms around his torso and letting out a whimpering moan, burying her face in his chest.

"God, I want you so badly," she gritted out, the frustration at having to hold back clear from her tone.

"I know, I know," he hushed, trying to soothe her.

"I hate this," she hissed, rubbing her hands up and down his chest. "Having to constantly keep my guard up so I don't slip. It'll be too easy to give in."

"Chris and Irene have certainly let loose," he chuckled, nuzzling into her hair.

"They're being foolish," she said, hugging him. "Though, I envy them in their foolishness."

"Me too."

Kate pulled back and let her arms drop away from his body. He immediately missed her touch. He swallowed and followed her lead, stepping back, taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm down, and rein in his rapidly growing arousal. Castle believed his restraint was legendary, beyond those of mere mortal. If he had his way, he'd be shoving Kate to the ground and ravishing her until neither of them could move from the sheer force and exhaustion of their love.

"You're amazing, Castle," Kate asserted, her wondrous eyes looking at him with such awe. "If I were in your shoes, I'd don't know if I'd be able to control myself."

He groaned. "Kate, you can't say things like that to me and not expect me not to react."

"Sorry," she quickly replied, batting her eyelashes innocently, but the slight quirk of her lips betrayed her compunction.

Castle closed his eyes and took a step back, still feeling the tingling effects from when her body had been pressed up flush to his. She was radiating warmth, and he swallowed down his primal impulses that were begging him to just reach out and seize, claim her on the spot. He took several deep, calming breaths, falling back on some meditation techniques he'd picked up from watching Beckett do yoga. Then again, thinking of Kate in those tight form-fitting yoga pants probably wasn't going to help things. Yet, when he opened his eyes, he had managed to get the lid fully capped on his baser needs, stifling them down to only a distant roar. He pursed his lips and glanced at Kate, who was watching him intently, her nose wrinkly adorably.

"Better?" she asked, retrieving her spear and gesturing back towards the other side of the clearing.

"A little," he said, as they began walking back to their starting place. "Though," he appraised her with a raised eyebrow, "it doesn't really help having you walking around in a tank top, tight jeans, and that's not even mentioning the gorgeously tousled hair porn."

"Hair porn?" she barked out, throwing her head in a throaty laugh.

"Not like you don't know," he admonished, frowning at her. "As I recall, back when we first met, you had this little bob that was cute and all, but over the years," he waved his hand up and down, indicating her long brunette tresses, "you've had a dazzling array of hairstyles. But the end result has been that you've let your hair grow out. One can only wonder why," he finished with a mischievous glint in his eye.

"Oh," she chuckled, and he stared back at her, mesmerized by the movement of her throat when she did so. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Oh… I know," he assured, giving her an impish wink.

"Uh-huh," she clucked her tongue disbelievingly, reaching out to grab his arm and maneuver him into position, and then held up the spear for him. "You keep telling yourself that."

"I will," he smirked, taking the spear from her and shifting it in his hand, getting a feel for the weight, before glaring down at the target. Kate tried to adjust his stance, but he brushed her off with a frown. "Kate, I know what I'm doing."

"Do you?"

"I'll have you know, I tried out for track and field in High School, and I was pretty damn good at the javelin throw."

"Is that so," Kate drawled out, clearly not impressed.

Castle knitted his eyebrows together and glanced at her in challenge. "Just watch." He raised the spear, holding it up a little more to judge its weight and taking the time to aim before he inclined his head, satisfied with his preparation. "Now, if you'd kindly step back. Be prepared to be amazed!"

With a slightly arrogant grin, Castle drew back his arm and hurled the spear like a javelin down the range and… missed the mark.

"Okay, I'll admit… I might be a tad rusty."