Chapter 14

"Kate?" Rick was still flabbergasted by what just happened there.

Kate had kissed him. The more he thought it over, the more he realized that it wasn't just an innocent kiss. She had indeed fully kissed him. Her confused and lost expression told him how uncomfortable she was feeling this very moment.

So he did the only thing he could do, and which would show her what she needed to know. He grabbed the back of her head and pulled it cautiously up to his so that his lips could brush tenderly against hers again. A chill went through both of their bodies at the same time. A sweet moan escaped from her mouth when she felt him pulling her body closer to his for a smoldering kiss, deepening carefully. She wanted to fight against it, but she was unable to do so.

Rick was kissing Kate.

Kate was kissing Rick.

A spark burst around them, pulling them deeper and deeper into their embrace until it left them panting for air. Foreheads rested against one another as they tried to regulate their breathing again.

When Rick opened his eyes to look at Kate, he found her eyes still shut. An adorable blush had risen to her cheeks bones which made him want to kiss her all over again. He wanted to… so badly. But he also knew that they needed to talk.

"Kate?" he whispered her name.

"Hmm?"

A smile adorned his face right away. He was a good kisser, but still… leaving her that speechless was even too much for him to handle.

Taking courage in both of his hands, he finally admitted, "Uhm… I think we need to talk."

Her eyes fluttered open. Kate sure had the most piercing green eyes he had ever seen in his life. He was instantly enthralled by her beauty and caught in the moment that it took him a while to come back out of his haze.

"We kissed", she hushed in a very low tone, still in disbelieve and amazed at once. Her words made her cheeks take over an even darker shade of red. Rick needed to control every inch of his body not to take her right then and there.

"Yeah, we kissed." He agreed for now.

"What's it supposed to mean?" She asked, hope written all across her face. "I mean,… you know…?"

Rick nervously gulped a couple of times while thinking of the next best course of action, "Well… obviously, uhm you kissed me, and then I kissed you back. So, the real question would be, is this something you and I want?"

Neither dared making the first step for a while, until Rick caught both of her hands into his. The tingling feeling alone of her delicate skin resting in his, made him almost loose his mind. He wanted her, he knew that much, but he needed to find a way to let her know without scaring her, just in case she wasn't feeling the same way about him.

"For what it's worth, Kate, I'm crazy about you. I have been for a while and I no longer want to hide. I would understand if you don't feel the same, because I wouldn't want to loose our friendship all over again. I would have to find a way to deal with it. And I will. It won't be easy, but I would still like to be part of your life. I…"

"I also want to be part of your life, Rick. I…" Her eyes went from his face to his hands still holding hers, "I… I kissed you first, I'm confused… I just broke it off with Tom, and I… I mean, it's been over for a while now… I was just trying to… I don't know…"

Rick's response was to pull her into a tight embrace letting her know that he was going to be there for her, always and for as long as she needed him.

"I really liked him, Rick."

As much as it pained him to hear those words, he knew her feelings had been true for the man.

"I know… and I'm so sorry…"

Kate scoffed teasingly against his shirt, "Yeah, right… you got me now, so, his loss, right?"

With her arms still wrapped around the small of his back, she lightly arched back to gaze up into his captivating blue eyes, a smug smile on his face. He knew she was teasing him.

"So, I got you now?"

"You know, you're a very bad liar." Rick feigned ignorance, "You've been giving me looks for months. Subtle you are not!"

"Oh! You knew!" He threatened her playfully.

"Of course I knew! You're so…. obvious!"

"Am not!" She flashed him a sideways stern glance, "All right… whatever. So yeah, I got you now, and his loss! He was a jerk. I hated him… I just… couldn't… I tried, Kate, I really did… but…"

"I know…" Was all she said because they didn't need words to tell each other how they were feeling. "But thank you, anyway… for having my back…"

"Always have and always will, Kate."

They shared a very long hug, standing smack in the middle of her living room. Neither was in the mood to bust the cozy bubble they found themselves in. At some point Kate initiated the first move, loosening her grip around his waist. As Rick gazed dreamingly down at her, he was yet again overwhelmed by the feelings he felt for her, and so he kissed her. They timidly explored each other's mouth, sending wave after wave down their spine. The sensation was amazing to both of them. When they eventually broke apart, a silence settled between them for a couple of minutes.

"Rick?" She was nervous again, but she was so beautiful to his eyes, "About… what I said before…" she stuttered uneasily, "I mean… you know… I think that deep down inside I have known now too that you were the right guy… I… so… you don't have a problem with that, now do you?"

Rick was in awe and that was reason enough for him to fall even harder for her.

"I love you, Kate. I could never… God, of course not! You're amazing. Come here…"

He planted a loving kiss against the top of her head as she wrapped her arms around him once more. Her head ended up against his chest as they savored their embrace. Though Kate didn't return his words, he knew exactly what her feelings were for him. When the time was right, she would let him know…

tbc

A/N: I haven't written the next chapter yet… so you will have to be a little bit patient. You have all been so wonderful reviewing Chapter 13, so that I no longer wanted to keep this one from you as a THANK YOU! And thanks thus in advance for being patient… I will try to get the next one down as fast as possible… I have a busy life the next couple of days/week. :o(