Chapter Twenty-One
Rick's breathing got slower and deeper and his hands that were gently moving over her skin slowly stopped, Kate realized he had gone to sleep. He had been writing for eighteen straight hours and was exhausted. They needed to shower and make his room look normal before Martha and Alexis came home, so she would just have to wake him up. Smiling Kate kissed and nibbled on Rick's neck. He moved closer when she stopped but did not appear to wake up, so she bit him.
"Ouch, I guess my dream is over and the real Bad Ass Beckett is back."
"You can't live in Fantasy Land forever. You can go back to bed after we clean up this mess and take a shower."
"Kate, I know my mother has figured out exactly what is going on with us and my daughter is a pretty smart cookie. I think after the other day, she knows we are no longer JUST partners."
"There is a difference between knowing and having the evidence shoved in your face. Time to get up writer man...Rick, Oh God, I am so sorry."
Looking at his back in the dresser mirror, he saw several scratches. Kate looked horrified but Rick just chuckled. "Damn, my phone is downstairs. I want a picture of this, proof that I turned you into a wild, wanton woman."
"Keep it up and I can finish the job with your fancy steak knife set and feed you to the fishes." She grabbed his ear and twisted.
"Owww! More abuse? You were much more agreeable earlier." He wiggled his eyebrows at her. "Can you at least kiss my boo-boos?"
"Not until you shower. I'll kiss them and make it all better, even put on some antibiotic cream on them but then we need to clean up in here. Can you please untie the knot on the bed first?"
She blushed adorably as Rick walked over and released his robe belt from the headboard. "Done! Now you wash my back and I'll wash yours."
Rolling her eyes, Kate looped the belt around his neck and tugged him into the bathroom. The quick shower took a lot longer than expected when washing quickly became mutual caressing. Rick was very thankful he had installed a seat in his shower, when he pulled Kate down to straddle him. However, unlike his loft, the beach house did not have unlimited hot water. Their playtime was cut abruptly short when the water in the shower turned cold. Throwing on his robe, Rick handed Kate the last clean towel in his bathroom. "I'll get some more towels and clean sheets, be right back."
"I'll strip the bed but then I'm going into my room to change, so we don't get distracted again."
Taking the sheets and towels down to the laundry room, Kate was just finished loading the washer when she heard the front door open. Alexis and Martha came in carrying several bags each.
"Looks like your shopping trip was successful," Kate sat on the couch as Alexis flopped down beside her. "I hope you both have eaten because there not much left in the fridge. Rick came out of his man cave hungry and ate all the leftover sandwiches from lunch."
"Speak of the devil and he appears. Really Richard, you still haven't shaved? Some host you are! Up these typing away all day and night, leaving Kate sitting here alone?"
"No Martha, he was very attentive all afternoon."
Rick kissed Martha's cheek. "As you keep reminding me, I am on vacation, Mother. Besides Kate likes it, so you'd better get used to it. How much did today set me back?" Leaning down he kissed, Alexis on the top of her head. "Did you have fun, Pumpkin?"
"I'm tired but I found a few things I liked...did Keith call?"
"No sweetie, the phone has been blessedly quiet all day...so movie or game night?"
"Kate and I watched movies last night, so game night." Turning to Kate, "What do you like to play? We have a closet full of board games and more on the computer."
"I have other plans for tonight with Martin, so have fun all." As Martha gathered her bags, she walked by Kate and whispered to her, "Watch him, he cheats!"
"I DO NOT!" Rick shouted as he walked to the closet. "The point of any game is to win and the winner gets to choose what's for dessert later on, the losers get to make and serve it."
Alexis and Kate were smart enough to avoid any card games, Monopoly and Risk, they settled on Trivial Pursuits. Over two hours later, Alexis claimed victory. "OK Dad, for my dessert I want cookie sandwiches. I want chocolate chip cookies with vanilla butter cream filling."
"It's going to take about half an hour to prepare and that's a lot of sugar just before bedtime, sweetie."
"You were the one that made the bet and you lost. Besides, after all the walking and shopping I did this afternoon, I won't have a problem sleeping."
Rick nodded and walked to the kitchen area as Kate put away all the pieces to the game. "Alexis, what are cookie sandwiches?"
"You make fresh cookies and coat the bottom of one cookie with frosting and put another cookie bottom on top of the frosting, cookie sandwich! You can make them with all kinds of cookies and all kinds of sweet stuff in the middle. Dad's favorite is shortbread cookies with fudge in the middle. He started to make them for me when I was much younger, to get my mind off something bad that happened one day. It must have worked because I can't remember what happened. Now it's kind of a treat when we want to celebrate."
"That's so sweet...he makes the cookies from scratch?"
"No, we have tubs of cookie dough in the freezer but he makes the butter cream frosting it's the best."
"Well, since I lost too, maybe I should go and help him."
"Wait, I got something for you today. If you don't like it you can bring it back or exchange it. I think I got the size right. Well, you are here to rest, relax and enjoy the sun, right?"
Kate opened the small blue shopping bag marked NEPTUNE and saw a bikini nestled in the tissue paper. It was a pretty shade of teal. Kate fought tears until she saw the price tag, $300. "This is so nice of you but it's much too expensive…besides I can't wear this. When I got shot, there are scars…so many scars, not just on me but in me. Alexis, I did run away after I was shot. Your dad held me as we waited for the ambulance to come and he told me he loved me. I was so scared, I ran away. I do love him, I love him so much. It's like he's a part of me now and if I screw this up or hurt him again, he will leave me. Other guys have left me before and it hurt but I survived. I just don't know if I can handle it if Rick was out of my life. What scares me even more is the thought that your dad, Martha or you could get hurt or killed because of the maniac that's after me. I know I couldn't handle that."
The tears that threatened earlier now fell. Alexis recovered quickly and took Kate's hands. "You left him last summer to protect him? So whoever shot at you couldn't try to hurt my dad?" At Kate's nod Alexis smiled. "Kate, you are stuck with him now. He won't let you out of his sight until this is over and you're safe."
"I know, that's why I tried so hard to push him away but it hurt so much when it looked like it worked and Rick had moved on. Just after I came back and he started seeing Jacinda."
"Who?"
"She was an airline stewardess he met in Vegas. He never brought her to the loft to meet you?"
Alexis shook her head no. "He tried to date that summer you were apart but I never met any of them. He loves you and you love him, can you please both be happy about that." Wiping away the tears from Kate's face, Alexis got up and pulled Kate into a full hug. "You better go wash your face. He will be upset if he sees you've been crying."
Alexis walked to the kitchen area just as the buzzer on the oven sounded. "Just in time, sweetie. Can you take out the cookies while I finish the frosting?"
"Aye, aye, Captain. Milk or coffee with the cookies?"
"Duh, milk of course! Where's Kate? Please don't tell me she went up to bed before sampling my culinary masterpiece."
"No, she went to the bathroom. She'll be right back down and these cookies have to cool a bit or the frosting will melt." Alexis wondered if she should ask about Kate's scars. "Dad, I got Kate a new bikini while I was shopping but she says she can't wear it because of her scars. I know she was shot near her heart..."
"There is a small scar between her breasts but the surgeon made the large incision on her left side to extract the bullet so she wouldn't have a big scar on her chest."
"Does it look scary?
"No sweetie, it's all healed over now. Just a long white line, like the one on your knee from when you got kicked in soccer...but she is self-conscious about it."
"OK, thanks. Cookies are cool, you put the sandwiches together and I'll pour some milk."
"Just in time to taste my amazing creation, Kate." He handed her a paper plate with a cookie sandwich.
"And what's a cookie sandwich without milk." Alexis placed three glasses of milk on the table before collecting her cookie sandwich. Taking a big bite, her lips were smeared with chocolate. "You have outdone yourself, Father."
"Thank you, Daughter. What do you think, Kate?"
"I thought they would be really super sweet but they're not, just really good. I don't want to think about how many calories are in this sandwich."
"You are on vacation too, calories don't count. What another one?"
Kate looked down blushing lightly when she realized that she was the first one finished. Smiling she just nodded. Rick made up three more sandwiches, gave one to Kate and took one for himself. "What about you, Pumpkin?"
"I had a big dinner, one is enough for now. I'll just wrap this up and put it in the fridge for tomorrow and it had better be there, Dad."
Rick nodded and licked some chocolate and frosting from his fingers. "Would I steal my daughter's cookie sandwich?"
"Do you really want me to answer that?" Rick shook his head no. "We will need to go food shopping tomorrow, especially if Detective Ryan and Jenny are coming. I started a list earlier, you may want to look it over and add some things. I am heading up to bed now. Don't forget to clean up." Kissing him on the cheek, "Night Dad. Kate, come on let's go upstairs and try on that new bikini."
Rick smiled as Kate and Alexis walked to the back stairs, retrieving a small blue bag on the way. His smile quickly disappeared when he looked at the mess in the sink that he now had to clean all alone.