The Wedding Date

Chapter 12

His nose twitched. Something was tickling him. There was a warm weight pressing against his chest, and the scent of cherries was invading his olfactory senses. Slowly, his eyes fluttered open, blinking in the sprinkling of sunlight that filtered through the frosted windows, illuminating the cabin in the soft warm light of morning. Arching his neck, Castle looked down and found himself tangled up with a gloriously naked Kate Beckett. It took but a moment more for the haze of sleep to fully clear from his mind before he remembered the events of the previous night. His lips immediately tugged upwards in a happy grin. He had been worried it had all been a dream.

Castle gazed down in awe at the sleeping goddess by his side. The stress she'd been carrying around had seemingly vanished. She looked peaceful and content in her slumber. He could even swear there was a touch of a smile on her perfect lips. He released a sigh, his heart clenching with the realization of what he was feeling. And what he'd done. He had broken one of the most important rules in his profession. He had fallen in love with his client. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply through his nose.

He was in love.

It was an emotion—a feeling—he had not expected to experience again since college when Kyra left him. Opening his eyes, he stared down at Kate Beckett with new eyes, tender and longing. He raised a hand, and ever so gently, skimmed his fingertips up along the curve of her side, curling around her bare shoulder. Her skin was soft and supple, her beauty… indescribable. Heart in throat, Castle dipped his head down and pressed a soft kiss against her shoulder.

Carefully, he wrapped his arms around Kate's slender waist to hold her steady as he adjusted his position on the small mattress. He scooted down until he was able to swing his legs over the edge, wiggling his toes against the cool floorboards. He glanced over his shoulder at Kate and smiled softly.

Castle gently pushed off the mattress, mindful not to cause too much motion as he did so. Kate looked like she was having a good dream. And he didn't want to disturb her slumber. After stretching, Castle bent down to retrieve his discarded underwear. Dressed in what little he'd had on last night, Castle turned back to gaze down lovingly at his sleeping companion. He tugged the quilt up, covering her slender frame, pausing momentarily to leaned down and press a kiss to her forehead.

He brushed his fingers through the curls of her gorgeous brown hair. "I think I'm falling in love with you, Kate Beckett," he confessed in a faint whisper of a voice, still in awe of the emotions growing inside him. After pressing one final, lingering kiss to her forehead, Castle made his departure, climbing up out of the cabin and onto the outer deck.

Castle blinked in the bright morning sunlight, holding up a hand to shield his eyes. He looked out towards the street, seeing a garbage truck pull up to the curb, and two trash collectors hopping out to collect the bins. They saw him and smirked knowingly to each other. Castle gripped the railings of the ladder, and slowly climbed down, offering them a nod.

"Morning," he greeted with a smile.

The two men nodded back and finished with their work, chuckling to themselves as Castle scampered back up the front steps and snuck back inside the house.

XXX

Oh, God… she had a throbbing headache. It was like a jackhammer pounding away inside her head. It made her want to keep her eyes closed; yet even through her lids, she could tell the sun was up. She wished she could linger in this warm cocoon, but she really needed to pee.

Kate's eyes fluttered open, and almost immediately she squinted against the bright light that shone through the frosted windows. Her eyebrows wrinkled in confusion as she glanced at her surroundings. It took her a second to recognize the interior cabin of Bernard's sailboat. Slowly, she sat up, and groaned, scrubbing a hand down her face and carding her fingers through the tangled mess of her hair. Dropping her hands back down to the mattress, she yawned, stretching her back. It was then that she realized that beneath the quilt she was completely naked.

"What the hell?" her hoarse voice trailed off as the memories came flooding back to her in sporadic flashes. She wiggled her hips, and let out a soft groan, gaining confirmation. It had been longer than she'd care to admit since she'd felt that pleasant soreness between her legs.

Her cheeks flushed red hot as more memories came back to her. Her lips involuntarily crept upwards as she remembered the way he had touched her, kissed her… made love to her. Before long she was beaming, practically glowing with the pure rightness of what she was feeling. It had been more than amazing.

She bit her lower lip and dropped her head as she took a moment to contemplate all the implications of last night.

Kate hoped she hadn't done anything foolish like offer him money, because last night wasn't about that for her. Yes, she had been drunk, but she had known what she was doing. She had wanted him. And feeling the way her heart fluttered beneath her breast as she remembered the way he'd looked at her as she'd undressed for him, Kate knew that what she'd done with him had meant far more to her than just sex. Far more.

Standing up on slightly wobbly legs, Kate crouched down to grab her discarded clothing. She hastily got dressed, grinning to herself as her pulse quicken with the realization that she might just have found something she had long since given up on ever finding. Kate understood that the circumstances might not necessarily be the best, but life was messy that way. She didn't care. All she knew was how she felt. And for the first time, Kate actually wanted to follow her heart.

Scrambling up out of the cabin, Kate stumbled on the deck, before regaining some semblance of balance and grabbing the railing. She couldn't stop smiling. Everything felt so right. However, she paused, hesitating at the ladder as she registered that despite what had happened last night, she had woke up alone.

A frown marred her once joyous expression as she descended down the rings of the ladder until she reached the bottom. Her heart sunk. Doubts started to bombard her mind. Had last night not meant the same to him? Was that why he'd left without waking her? Or maybe it had all just been some amazingly erotic dream? If so, then it would've been the most realistic sex dream she'd ever had in her entire life.

Kate stood in the driveway, head tilted to the side, lost in her thoughts. She chewed on her lower lip, trying to comprehend her muddled thoughts. Were her memories real or imagined? Because of her inebriation from all the alcohol she'd consumed the previous night, Kate couldn't rightfully know, unless she spoke to Castle. Now that would be an embarrassing conversation. She could just imagine it: Hey, Castle… how was your evening? Oh, by the way, did we have sex?

She was startled out of her thoughts by a loud pounding. Jerking her head up, Kate's eyes went wide in alarm when she saw Bernard looking out through one of the front windows, having evidently witnessed her walk of shame as she'd climbed out of the sailboat.

"Ahoy!" came his muffled shout of greeting. He grinned at her and chuckled, his gray eyes sparkling with mirth, clearly enjoying her discomfort.

Mortified, Kate's cheeks turned a rosy shade of pink. She ducked her head down, hoping her long hair would conceal her face as she quickly walked back up the front steps and slipped back inside the house.

Unfortunately, Bernard was waiting for her when she did.

"Oh, Kate," he chuckled, shaking his head at her embarrassed expression. "No need for that. I'm not your father, and besides, you're a grown woman. I can't begrudge you for having some fun while you're still young enough to enjoy it." He gave her a wink. "Besides, it's not the first time Queen's Gambit has seen such action."

Kate shuddered at the thought, and Bernard laughed good-naturedly, tugging her over into a fatherly hug. She relaxed against him, resting her head against his shoulder as he rubbed soothing patterns up and down her back.

"He makes you happy," he said in a soft, sincere voice. "In the end, that's all I really care about."

Pulling back, Kate offered him a timid smile. "Thanks, Bernard."

He nodded. "Now, why don't you go and get cleaned up. I'm making Eggs Benedict for breakfast!"

Kate nodded, squeezing her arms around the man one more time before scampering off to the downstairs bathroom to relieve her bladder. Once finished, Kate crept down the hall on her tiptoes and quickly made her way upstairs. Her heart pounded profoundly as she climbed the steps, her mind still going a mile a minute with the doubts and worries about last night, headache long forgotten. She slipped inside the guestroom, and gently closed the door behind her, glancing about for Castle. Seeing no sign of him, her shoulders slumped in relief—or was it disappointment?

Sighing, Kate padded over to the bed, and dropped her shoes and socks onto the floor. She frowned when she spotted her purse. It almost looked like it was pregnant. Pressing her lips together as her brow furrowed, she leaned down and picked it up, snapping the small case open. A startled gasp escaped her lips when she saw all the cash that had been shoved inside. She groaned, flopping down onto the edge of the bed, her shoulders sagging with the realization.

Kate vaguely recalled stopping by numerous ATMs to withdraw the cash on the way back from the pub. She glanced back down at the money crammed in her purse, thumbing through the bills, letting out a mild curse. If last night really did happen and wasn't just her imagination, and if she'd offered him this money, then what happened between them had been nothing more than a business agreement. Kate grunted, exasperated over the fact she couldn't recall whether or not she had offered Castle any money, or whether her memories were real at all.

Damn tequila, she thought with a scowl.

She stared back down at the money. It then dawned on her that if all the cash was still in her purse that that would mean—her thoughts were interrupted when she heard footsteps approaching from outside the room. Kate reacted quickly, hastily stuffing the few bills she'd taken out to examine back in, and then shoving the purse behind her on the bed.

The door opened to reveal her ruggedly handsome fake-boyfriend, already dressed in slacks and a pale blue dress shirt that brought out the color of his eyes. He smiled at her, and she could feel herself melt under his gaze. He was carrying a breakfast-in-bed tray. Her heart clenched with guilt as she wondered how she could ever doubt someone as sweet as this man.

"I wasn't sure what works for you," Castle said, carefully stepping over to join her. "So I've got a pack of Saltines, some scrambled eggs, and a black coffee."

Kate smiled at him, truly touched that he was so thoughtful and caring. Her eyes flirted up to his just as he leaned down to kiss her. Their lips were inches apart when Kate groaned inwardly and pulled back, a little annoyed at herself for not indulging in the pleasure of kissing this gorgeous man. Castle glanced down at her with a furrowed brow, his eyes reflecting his confusion.

"This is really sweet of you," she spoke softly, hesitantly, as she gestured towards the tray. "But I need to ask you something."

"Um… Okay?"

"What happened last night?" Kate inquired, unable to keep a slight tinge of desperation from her voice.

Castle seemed taken aback by the question. His eyebrows knitted together as he stepped back, setting the tray down. She couldn't help but notice that he looked disappointed. He swallowed thickly, averting his eyes as he answered.

"Nothing."

Kate raised a skeptical eyebrow. She may have been drunk and a little confused as to her own memory, but the longer she thought about it, the more Kate was absolutely sure that it hadn't been a dream. If it had just been her own sexual fantasies, then she wouldn't feel the evidence of it, which she clearly did. Judging simply by her body's response, she definitely had sex last night. And if last night really did happen, then what they did was definitely not 'nothing'.

"Are you sure?" she questioned, putting some force behind her voice similar to how she would while performing an interrogation.

Castle licked his lips nervously. "Yeah. We kissed. Made out a little. And then you passed out."

Kate stared at him, long and hard, trying to get a read on him. Her experience as a detective told her that he was holding back. It was like he was putting up a wall—something she was more than familiar with—to protect himself. He was giving her an out. She knew that much. The problem was Kate didn't know how to respond. She had enjoyed last night, and she was certain her feelings weren't a result of too much tequila and finally having sex again after so long without. No. What she felt was real. And, to be honest, that scared her.

"Rick, we both know that's not true," Kate said, deciding to be honest and confront the issue. She was tired of being scared, and cowering away from her feelings. She'd spent far too long denying things, hiding from what she really wanted. Whether this thing between them was real or not, Kate was convinced it was worth exploring.

He seemed caught off guard, not only at her admission of what happen, but also at the use of his first name. His stunned expression was all the confirmation she required that everything that happened last night was in fact real, and not a wonderful dream.

Castle blinked and stared down at her. "I… I don't know what to say," he admitted with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Did you like it?" Kate asked, biting her lower lip and ducking her head down almost bashfully. She felt her cheeks flush warm on a blush. It felt ridiculous, but for some inexplicable reason, she was actually concerned he didn't enjoy himself.

"I did," he asserted, voice low and husky. "Very much. Did you?"

"Yes, I did," she answered, forcing herself to meet his eyes. "I'd never done something like that before."

"Have sex on a boat?" he asked with a grin.

Kate laughed, feeling some of the heavy weight of the conversation lift off her chest. That was something Castle excelled at, making tense situations lighter with humor. She liked that about him.

"Well that too, but no, I meant…"

"I know," he interrupted, placing a hand on her shoulder.

It felt good, the solid firmness of it. Her body tingled with the memories of the intimate touches from last night; memories she now knew were real. A shiver ran up her spine and she couldn't help but part her lips on a soft sigh.

"I should probably take a shower now," she said before anything else could happen. They may have jumped into bed fast, but if this thing was real, then Kate didn't want to make any more rash decisions that might jeopardize it.

Castle nodded in understanding, dropping his hand and stepping back to give her room to move. Kate almost groaned in displeasure, mourning the loss of his touch, but she managed to maintain a calm exterior. She did offer him a small smile, before she slipped past him and padding into the bathroom, her heart thumping with each step.

Closing the bathroom door behind her, Kate slumped against it, chest heaving as it all finally began to sink in. Castle simply hadn't had sex with her. No. She knew what sex was like, how it felt. And what they did last night wasn't just sex. Her heart fluttered at the thought. It made her all happy and bubbly, like she didn't have a care in the world. It was an unique sensation for her, something she had never really experienced, so she really couldn't describe it. But what she did know for certain was that last night Rick Castle had made love to her.

XXX

He felt good. Really good.

After leaving Kate to her sleep that morning in the sailboat, Castle had busied himself with getting ready for the day. But as he'd washed up and started preparing hangover goodies for his lovely lady, doubts had begun to crop up unbidden. By the time he'd finished scrambling the eggs and boiling the coffee, he'd begun to worry that last night hadn't meant the same thing to her that it had meant to him.

But now, those doubts were fading. Kate seemed so happy and carefree. She had a glow about her that she hadn't before. He pursed his lips and smiled to himself, already making plans to terminate their contract and provide her with a complete refund. Castle knew that he'd have to leave the business, but for a woman like Kate Beckett, it was a risk he was willing to take. She was worth it.

After a couple minutes, he heard the shower hiss on. She'd probably be a while. Castle bent down to retrieve the tray from the bed, but stopped when something caught his eye. It was Kate's purse lying askew on top of the comforter with its contents spilling out onto the mattress. His brow furrowed. Reluctantly, not wanting to believe what his eyes were seeing, Castle picked up the wad of money and leafed through the stack of pounds and euros.

At that moment everything just stopped. He didn't breathe. He didn't blink. He just stared at the thick pile of cash in his hand. His heart clenched almost painfully. Payment. That's what this was. Payment for services rendered.

He was such a fool.

XXX

In the shower, Kate let the scorching water punish and purify her. She needed to sober up, and from past experience, hot showers had always done the trick. She ducked her head under the spray of water, closing her eyes as she ran her fingers through her soaked hair, basking in the feel of the scolding water cascading down her back. The fog cast by alcohol soon started to lift, and her memories of last night became clearer and clearer. Kate bit her lower lip as she recalled a particular part of those activities. It had been a long time since any man had done that to her. Her cheeks flushed not just from the heat, but also from the memory of it.

"What's this!?"

Kate yelped in surprise, and fumbled around under the spray of water, before she managed to regain her balance to peek out from behind the shower curtain. Her eyes went wide with alarm when she saw Castle standing there holding a pile of money, his handsome features contorted into a strange combination of hurt and anger.

"Oh. Shit. I…," Kate fumbled for an explanation, but chickened out under the intensity of his glare. She retreated back into the shower, yanking the curtain closed. She dropped her head and clenched her hands into fist as she silently cursed her rotten luck.

However, Kate didn't have too long to berate herself before Castle was pulling the curtain open. Her mouth dropped, and she simply stood there frozen in action. Castle was momentarily distracted by her nakedness. His eyes wandered appreciatively over her fine and slender curves, before he managed to draw his gaze back up to her eyes. His features hardened as he shook the fist of cash.

"Is this for last night?" he demanded.

Kate shook her head, moving her hands to cover herself as best she could. Shit. This was exactly what she was afraid would happen if he found the money. "Of course not. How… how could it be?"

Ignoring her protests, Castle went on, a little calmer on the surface, though the anger was still evident in his hard eyes. "If I was going to charge you, I would have told you beforehand," he insisted. "I thought I explained that to you."

Feeling naked, both literally and figuratively, Kate tried not to flinch. "I was drunk, okay?" she groaned, moving a hand up to rub her forehead in exasperation at her terrible luck in romance. In hindsight, it probably wasn't the best idea to sleep with him while she'd been drunk, but then again she probably needed the liquid courage to help her take that leap. "I didn't want you to think I was expecting anything to be free or that I was expecting something at all." She paused and reconsidered. "Well, I was obviously expecting something or I wouldn't have stopped at all those ATMs on the way home. I just… I was drunk, okay, and I wasn't thinking clearly."

Castle just stared at her, and then she heard what she just said and how it could be taken.

"No, no," she waved her hand. "I didn't mean that. The money. I meant getting the money." She sighed and gave up any pretense of covering herself. After all, it really didn't matter. He'd already seen it all. She dropped her hands to her sides and stood there under the scolding water, letting down her formidable defenses and allowing herself to be vulnerable in front of him. "Castle… Rick," she corrected, using his first name, wanting him to believe her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for any of this to happen. Not like this, anyways."

He heaved in a deep breath, and she watched his chest expand and contract with it. "Then why?"

She looked up, biting her lower lip, feeling nervous under his gaze. This was hard for her. She'd spent years building up a wall around her heart to protect her from the pain of loss. Kate had once thought Will would be the one to help her tear it down, but then he'd left her too. She swallowed and looked at Castle. What she saw was a man capable of bulldozing passed her walls and opening her back up to the marvelous possibilities of love. And despite all the heartache she'd experienced in her young life, Kate wanted to love and be loved; even when she knew it came with risks. Her mother would want her to be happy.

"I don't know," she admitted with a wavering voice, shrugging her shoulders. "I don't know. All I know was I wanted you. I just wanted you, Castle. And, damn it, I still want you. I never planned on any of this to happen, but it did. I'm sorry if I hurt you in the process, because that was never my intent."

He paused for a long beat, averting his gaze and glaring at the stack of money in his hand. Kate took the lull to turn the water off and climb out of the shower. She grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her slim frame.

"Castle," she broached, unashamed to beg if needed. "Please, say something."

She watched as his jaw muscles tensed, before he raised his head and looked at her. They stared into each other's eyes for a long beat before he finally answered. The upward quirk of his lips was the first sign that she hadn't royally screwed this up. He cocked his head to the side and took in her appearance, his lips twisting into an amused smirk.

"I think I liked it better when you were naked," he said.

Kate rolled her eyes, but smiled. This was the Castle she knew and lo—no, it was too early for that word, even though that's where she was hoping this thing between them could lead.

He chuckled lightly, and glanced at the money. "Don't they have a limit at those machines?"

Kate lowered her head and responded quietly. "Not if you take an advance on your credit card."

Castle shook his head at that as he let out a low whistle in disbelief. "Damn. You're crazy, Kate. Extraordinary, yes. But still… that was a little bit crazy."

"I know," she allowed herself a laugh at her expense, finding it easier to do so with him. He wasn't making fun of her or putting her down, just being with her. She knitted her eyebrows together in thought. "Would it have been enough?" she asked, curious in spite of the circumstances. "I mean, if I'd used it to… you know…"

"Pay me for sex?" he finished with a wicked grin, waggling his eyebrows at her in a lewd fashion.

"Yes, that," she groaned, rolling her eyes.

"You're three hundred short," he said.

"What!?" Kate exclaimed, shocked at the price. "So if something like that had happened last night, I would have had to pay you seventeen hundred dollars? That's a down payment on a Ford Focus."

"Not dollars… pounds," he corrected with a smirk, his eyes alight with mirth. "Besides, it includes… you know…"

Kate's jaw dropped on a silent gasp, immediately knowing what he was referencing.

"That's the extra three hundred," he finished with a wink. He let out a chuckle and she glared at him. "What?"

"What are you laughing at?" she demanded.

"I'm just remember what you said the other day," he asserted.

"And what was that?"

"That you found 'sex for money morally repugnant'," he quoted, still chuckling to himself.

"Then it's a good thing I didn't pay you," she snapped back, snatching the wad of money out of his hand.

"It was good, though," he said, turning serious after a long beat.

"Yes," she concurred with a shy nod. "It was."

Castle grinned, and stepped forward, slinking an arm around her waist. His touch startled her back to the present and she flirted her eyes up to meet his. He moved in closer, invading her personal space. Her breath hitched as his other hand came up and cupped her jaw.

"And for the record, Katherine Beckett," he said in a low, smooth voice. "I want you too."

And then he kissed her, slow and deep. She closed her eyes and leaned into his embrace. All her worries and troubles just seemed to melt away. It was just him and her. Nothing else mattered.

He pulled back when air became a necessity, gazing at her like no one had ever looked at her before. He reached up with his hand and tenderly caressed the side of her face. "I'll leave you to finish your shower," he said. "When you're ready, you can come down and join us for breakfast. Bernard's promised to make his famous Eggs Benedict."

She nodded numbly, still somewhat dazed by the amazing kiss. Castle pressed his lips to hers once more.

"I'll see you downstairs," he said softly, before retreating back and leaving the bedroom.

Kate stood there, clutching the stack of money in her fist. Her skin was dripping wet, and her long hair was soaked and plastered to her back. It all felt so surreal. Never in a million years would she have ever guessed that she could find the possibility of a true romance while attending her friend's wedding with a hired escort as her date. No. That was just impossible. It had to be a dream.

But if it was a dream, then it was one she never wanted to wake from.