Hey guys! Welcome to chapter 11 :)
Happy Castle Monday! Can't wait for four hours from now!
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DISCLAIMER: Disclaimed.
They sat there for a while after that, letting the words hang in the air between them like fog on a summer's night. Kate leaned back into his arms, and tilted her body to rest in the crook between his legs that he provided for her. He hummed in appreciation of having her so close without initiating the contact. Everything seemed peaceful. His arms wove around her front, and she let her hands land atop his, forming a pile of fingers. Both took a deep breath and stared into the fire in front of them. The crackling of the fire helped ease the silence as they sat, not wanting to falter this moment with words or concerns. So, they simply didn't, not for a while anyway.
Kate sat there, sated and happy, but still reeling on some aspects of their newly morphed relationship. She had her secrets she still kept from him, and despite the fact that these small tales probably won't change the state of where they are now, she still mingled in them, not wanting to share, but knowing her mind won't be cleared until they were out in the world and no longer in her head.
After a while, she turned in his arms to face him. He looked down at her with his blue eyes, and an undying expression of love pasted on his face. Seeing her subtle change of mood on her features, he immediately became wary.
"What is it, Kate?" he inquired carefully.
"I…," she took a breath to compose herself before she looked him in the eye, "I haven't been completely honest with you."
She could feel the man tense underneath her, preparing for whatever she was about to say.
"You know you can tell me anything. Always." He attempted to reassure her with a hand on her back rubbing soothing circles.
She simply nodded, and continued on, "when you invited me to the Hamptons, at first, I didn't want to go. Well, I did, but was afraid of how it would look. But then Lanie made me see how stupid I was being. So, I decided to come to terms with my feelings and broke up with Demming. I was going to tell you that night, but when I got my nerves up…"
"Gina showed up," Rick finished her sentence with realization and regret in his voice and on his face.
"Kate, I'm so sorry. You have to know that if I thought I had a chance in hell of you going with me, I would never have invited Gina."
Kate shook her head reassuringly. "I know, Castle. I'm not mad. It was my fault for waiting as long as I did. I guess after that, I decided it wasn't worth the risk of pain anymore, and shut those feelings up behind my 'wall' and left them there to die. But they don't want do die, Rick."
She slowly reached up and touched the right side of his cheek and jaw with her hand. Her thumb caressed his cheek softly, as if committing the planes of his face to her memory.
Castle reached up and placed his hand over hers, pulling it and her back into his lap.
"Well, if you're going to confess, it's time for me to as well." He kissed her hand softly as she looked over with hesitancy and expectation.
"The only reason why I brought Gina was because I knew if I didn't have a distraction, I wouldn't stop thinking about you and how much I wanted you to be there with me."
She cocked her head slightly, raised an eyebrow, and with a sarcastic tint to her voice stated, "Yeah, I bet Gina distracted you."
He shook his head slightly.
"Actually, we only slept together twice that whole summer. She mostly just bugged me about the books."
"Oh," was all the detective said, not sure how to proceed.
"Sorry if I made this awkward," he commented, aware of the silence that had passed.
"No, I'm glad you told me and that everything is out in the air. If this is going to work, then we need to be completely honest with each other, no matter what. Alright?"
This time, it was she who took his hand and brought the backside of his palm to her lips.
"So, now that we're telling secrets, anything else you want to share?"
His voice was teasing but his intentions and offer was serious.
Kate thought back to the freezer. She wasn't a hundred percent sure, but she remembered almost telling him the big four-letter word starting with the letter "L" right before she blacked out. Should she tell him now? Would that just freak him out? Was she even ready to say it? It was a big step, and they had just leapt into this new relationship status.
"No, I actually don't think so," she rubbed his arm lightly with her fingertips, "you?"
Of course she was hoping that he wasn't hiding anything else as well. If he were hiding something big, would she be able to forgive him? What could he be keeping from her that would spoil this?
"Actually, I do," he says slowly, making sure to have her full attention, which he certainly did.
Her eyes snapped onto his, her breath caught in her throat as she waited for him to continue.
"I…Hate spinach. It totally grosses me out," he joked; obviously aware of the terror he had just put her through, and cracked a teasing smile towards her.
Kate let the air she had been holding dispel from her lungs slowly and deliberately as her mood swiftly changed from tender to anxious to annoyed and then fell into sarcastic. She thumped him hard with the back of her hand on his abdomen, making him, "oof," from the impact.
"Oh, Castle. So glad you told me that. I've always feared a man who doesn't like spinach."
Her eyes narrowed as his face lit up even more.
"Well, if it's a deal-breaker, I'll most certainly try my best to get over my hatred for the green vegetable."
The words he used had a double meaning, and she knew it even before he did. Her first instinct was to run away from this sense of commitment, but she talked herself out of it. Yes, it was a big step, but she was ready to trust him.
"No. You don't have to do that. I don't really like it either," she half laughed, half breathed.
She turned in his arms for about the millionth time that night, and reached out a hand to tenderly caress his cheek before wrapping her arm around his neck and scratching at the base of his scalp with her fingernails.
Rick closed the distance between them, letting their lips graze each other before settling into a more thorough exploration of each other's mouths. His hands wound around her back again, pulling her close to his chest, almost possessively, without ever breaking the kiss. Breaths quickened to the point that only huffs and puffs were expelled.
She loved the feeling of his embrace, and continued to get acquainted with the already-familiar taste that was her Rick. His scent surrounded her, and she wished she could just stay there in this moment forever. It was too perfect for words, and she was not one to admit contentedness. But he knew; he felt her relax into his touch and her sweet breath wash over his face as she sighed. Tingles covered her from head to toe, and that was just from a ten-second kiss! What was this man going to do to her when they finally slept together? Oh, she could only imagine. Her cheeks flushed at just the thought.
But they weren't ready for that quite yet. No, she needed this to go fairly slow, and jumping the man's bones the second night away wouldn't exactly be a snail's pace. There's no doubt in her mind that it would be incredible, and she knew it would be worth the wait. Plus, there were so many more fun activities they can do that don't require going all the way. Oh, no, she can't think about this sort of stuff. She was getting turned on just thinking about it, and that so won't be pretty if he figures out what is reeling through her mind currently.
But what about tonight? It was freezing in the house other than near the fire and she really didn't feel like spending the night alone in her Lilac room. She also didn't want to insinuate sex if she asked him to sleep with her. Yes, she was a strong individual who was perfectly capable of sleeping on her own, but she had already come this far both emotionally and physically.
"So…what are we going to do about the sleeping arrangements?"
A distracted look covered Kate's face as she continued to play with the feeling of the skin on his forearm.
He was stuck. Did she want to sleep in the same bed, or was she looking for an out to sleep alone? Not wanting to push her too fast, he decided on the safer route.
"Well, both bedrooms have fireplaces and extra blankets. I'm sure it'll be warm enough."
Disappointed, she simply nodded and tried her best to keep a neutral expression on her face.
"Oh, I've gotta call Lanie. She said something about having something to tell me and to not make excuses. I think she'll finally let the cat out of the bag about her and Espo."
"Still can't believe they think we all don't know about them. I mean, how dull do they think we are?" he chuckled.
"Yeah, well they just want to make sure it doesn't change anything about their work environment I think," she shrugged.
"I guess I can see that. But don't they know that we'll support them no matter what?"
His question was clearly rhetorical, so she didn't bother answering.
"Why don't I go upstairs and start the fires while you two catch up? Today has been pretty…eventful, to say the least."
Kate nodded her agreement as they both set off for their two different duties. She grabbed her cell phone off the ledge and speed dialed her sassy best friend.
"So?" was the entire greeting she got on the other line.
"So…" Kate chuckled into the receiver.
"Girl, don't make me beg the details out of you."
"Well, today has been…interesting. He took me ice skating. Poor man does not know how to skate."
She heard some sort of grunt of protest from Rick come from one of their rooms and she chortled.
"Aww, that's great. Have fun then?"
"Yeah, you know what, I really did; until we got caught in a freaking blizzard. Lanie, I am not even joking."
"Please say the man held you like a baby and you two professed your love for each other."
She knew the M.E. wasn't expecting a serious answer and laughed quietly.
"Well…"
"WHAT?"
Screaming and celebratory noises could be heard through the phone, and it got so loud that Kate held the receiver away from her own ear.
"No, we didn't profess our love for each other—not exactly, anyways. But I took your advice and bit the bullet."
"That's great, honey. I'm so happy for you two."
"Thanks. Something about this place has made me re-think waiting, you know?"
"From how it sounds, I do."
They continued to chat for a few more minutes until Kate heard a male voice in the background.
"Ooh, Lanie. You have a man over, don't you?" she teased.
"What? No. I gotta go. Call me tomorrow!"
The line cut off before she got a chance to say goodbye. Chuckling, she slid her cell phone into her pocket. She was climbing the stairs when Rick came out of her room and began heading towards his when he caught sight of her.
"Fire's started. Don't think you'll need to maintain it, but I've left a few logs in there on the side just in case and also put some extra blankets on the foot of your bed in case you get cold."
"Thanks, Rick. I appreciate it. So…I'll see you in the morning?" It sounded more like a question than a statement, not knowing what to do next, and secretly not wanting to leave him for the night.
"Sure," he smiled.
He was having trouble leaving her, but knew he had to if he didn't want to look overly forward. Reluctantly, he turned and went into his own room, already clad in sweats and an old t-shirt that made Kate's heart skip a beat.
Once she was her own room with the door shut and a flashlight in hand, she went into the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face. But she forgot that the water didn't work without power, and with a frustrating sigh slipped out of the bathroom into her bed.
She tossed and turned for a good hour and a half, playing mind games and trying to get into a comfortable position to finally fall into a peaceful sleep. It never came, though, and by what she estimated to be around three in the morning, she gave up and sat up in bed. She didn't have to do this. All it would take is for her to admit that she needed his presence, and she would be able to sleep. Of course he wouldn't mind having her there, and she knew he wouldn't make her feel bad about it in any way. This wasn't the type of thing he would joke about.
Finally, she placed her feet on the cold ground and padded her way out into the hall and towards his door. When she reached his room, however, nobody was there. Confused, she wondered where the man could've gone at such an hour. She was about to give up and go back to her room of sleeplessness when she thought of another way to spend some of her night. So she turned around and strode through the study into the library.
She was just about to scale the rows of books with her flashlight when she was startled by another source of light illuminating the fairly small room. There Rick sat with his own book in his hands sitting in the chair near the window.
"Kate!" Rick exclaimed in surprise.
"Rick. What're you doing in here?" Kate asked as she hastily moved her right hand to cover her now feverishly beating heart.
"I could ask you the same question."
"I—I couldn't sleep" she stated as she looked at the shelves of books in slight defeat.
"Me neither," he grinned shyly.
"This is stupid."
"It is."
"Come on. Let's go to bed. I'm not ready for anything to—uh—happen—tonight, but I do need you. Can't seem to get comfortable enough and just thinking of what's going on outside makes me get the chills."
"Really? I mean, I just wanted to hop in bed with you but didn't want to assume…"
"Positive."
They sleepily made their way from the library to Kate's room, and both slipped in the covers wordlessly. He automatically opened his arms for her, which she gladly filled, resting her head on his chest and snuggling up as close as she could. She wedged her toes in between his ankles and wrapped an arm possessively around his waist as he did the same to her. Kate nestled her nose into his neck and breathed in, appreciating his scent that filled her lungs. A satisfied, deep voiced rumble of a sigh escaped his lips as he planted a chaste kiss to the crown of her head. She smiled as her eyes drifted closed.
They both fell into peaceful slumber quickly with the reassurance of each other.
Opinions/reviews always appreciated :)
Thanks guys! Hopefully will have another chapter up within this next couple of days. I have more fun adventures for our favourite OTP ahead.
