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Richard didn't need to say anything. Kate didn't either. Relief flooded through her as her body melted against his, as he pulled her back to the house and up the stairs... Kate knew it was bigger than this. He was going to give in to her, he was going to expose himself, put himself on the line... And she was not going to let him down. She might not be able to say it, but she... she was committed to this. She would not hurt him. She could never hurt him.

Kate let herself be dragged into Richard's bedroom, exploring his mouth with her tongue in a way she had never allowed herself to before. He still touched her in all the right places, and the right places hadn't changed, but somehow his hands felt different. Stronger, surer, a perfect fit to her elegant frame. Her hands roamed over his body, untucking his shirt and sliding under it, grabbing and caressing every inch of skin they could get close to. Her gloves had disappeared somewhere in the hallway; she felt Richard's hands move over her shoulders and her dress rustled to the floor.

Richard leaned down to kiss that perfect collarbone, his hands pulling her waist in so close to him she could feel him pressing against her through their many layers of clothing. Kate tipped back her head and let out a whimper, feeling... everything. All of it. For once, she was holding nothing back, and her whole body was screaming at the difference. Richard was somehow managing to undo her corset while he kissed her, his mouth now doing things to her neck she didn't know were possible. It was as if he was drinking out her soul and it was the most wonderful sensation in the world.

He tugged the garment away and helped her out of her skirt; she barely noticed what he was doing because now his hands were on her bare skin and she was all but naked in front of him, for the first time allowing him to love her body, wanting him to love it, wanting him to want nothing more than her for the rest of his life. She tore at his shirt, needing to feel his skin too. He scrambled out of everything he was wearing, which was not made easier by the fact that it was all soaking wet. Richard pulled the pins out of Kate's damp hair and clutched at it with his hands, elated just to be able to hold her again, because it felt different. She was different. Something had changed in her – she was showing him everything.

Richard tugged Kate out of the white underwear she still had on; they hadn't even made it to the bed yet. She struggled to get her mouth on his again, desire and passion burning through her; her skin blistered at every touch. His hands found her breasts and her nipples hardened to sharp points, a gasp escaping her mouth as she tugged him towards the bed. He pushed her down so she was sitting on the end of it and lowered himself in front of her, sucking and licking her skin as she trembled beneath him.

His mouth descended even lower, investigating her inner thigh. She arched her back, reaching out to touch any part of him as his finger crept between her folds and inside her.

"Castle," she moaned, not really knowing what she was trying to communicate. He ran his other hand up her leg by way of an answer, getting hold of her behind and scooping her further onto the bed. He kissed her centre and she almost screamed; she hardly remembered that there were two other people in the house, or that there was anyone or anything else in the world, for that matter.

His hands were moving up her body as he drank in her arousal, grasping at her breasts, her arms, her waist. He didn't even hold her down, allowing her to buck and flail around him as he brought her to a new level of passion. She wished she could see him, wished she could tell him that she wasn't just using him, that this meant so much more than that, but it wasn't necessary. He could tell by the response of her body that she had let everything go, and he knew now more certainly than every that he loved her with every fibre of his being.

Kate yelled out as she came; Richard, who was more aware of their position in the universe, hoped Alexis was busy doing something else, or downstairs, at least. Kate took almost no time to recover, grabbing Richard's hair to pull him up to kiss her; tasting herself on him and knowing what he had just done almost tipped her over the edge again. She reached down to run a hand along his length as he pushed her gently up the bed, kissing her so gently, so skilfully, so lovingly...

She spread her legs wide and guided him into her, shuddering with pleasure as he filled her and began to move. Smiling, she rolled them over so she was on top, but not in a commanding way. She kept her body low so he could touch her; he took a breast in his mouth as he used his hands to time the movement of her hips. His thumb found her centre but she guided it away.

"Your turn," she murmured. They rolled again; Richard kept the movement soft, but it was enough to surprise Kate. She lifted her head to kiss him again and he kissed her back, continuing to move as their lips and tongues and teeth found a rhythm with made them fit so perfectly together.

Kate had never been joined to anyone like this before. She had never let herself be, never given herself over so fully... not just her body, but her mind. She wasn't hiding anything from him. He knew who she was, and now she was letting him see her stripped of all pretence, all protection. She was letting him in, and he was rewarding her with something almost magical.

She could tell he was close; she looked into his eyes and tried to show him everything with hers. It was while seeing this that he found release, pouring into her as she fell apart to the sensation. He supported his weight on his forearms but she carefully helped him to relax them, enjoying his weight pressing down on her as her breathing finally began to slow and she stared up at the ceiling in wonder.

"I'm crushing you," he protested when he had come to his senses a little.

"I like it," she murmured. "It makes me feel safe."

This was enough for Richard to need to kiss her again. He wrapped her up in his arms and moved so they were on their sides facing each other.

"You... you know it was different, don't you?" Kate asked softly.

"Yes," Richard answered just as quietly. "I felt it even when we were talking, before... What changed your mind?"

Kate bit her lip. Richard reached to touch it with his finger and her mouth broke into a smile. "I suppose... Everything. You. Being with you, spending time with you, needing you, thinking about you all the time... You were in everything, everything I did, and I just... couldn't bear not being with you any more, and I realised that meant something. It wasn't fair to make you do what we did to begin with, but if I'm honest, I never really wanted that with you, either. I'm not... I know I have problems, and I'm not the most stable person. I don't know if you can rely on me, and I can't promise you that I'm not going to break down, or fail, but I think... I owe it to us both to try."

"And I think you are the bravest person I know," he whispered, taking her hand. "And I love you."

Kate frowned, knowing the answer, knowing what she should say, but just not... "I know," she said. Richard smiled at her.

"Don't look so worried. I know is enough for now. More than enough. This is so much better... I never knew it could be like that."

"Me neither," Kate said with a shy grin. "Perhaps we've set a record."

"We could ask Alexis," Richard joked. "I'm sure she'll have something to say about it."

Kate blushed bright red and Richard smiled at how young and full of life she looked. "Don't worry. She won't judge us. She'll be happy, I think."

After a moment Kate nodded. "I think so too. We should probably talk to her."

"We will," Richard said, his fingers tracing patterns on Kate's skin as she rolled onto her back. He found the biggest scar, shiny and prominent in her lower stomach. Kate saw the question flash across his face and she took his hand, pressing it to her skin.

"This is my reminder that every day is a gift," she told him, and saying it that way almost made her see it that way. The Dragon might have let her live, but she was the one living. She could do whatever she wanted with this life – the fact that he could have killed her didn't make her his.

And perhaps there was someone that she really wanted to belong to, now. Richard wriggled his hand away from hers and traced his finger around the healed skin, keeping it on the edge of the two textures.

"They were so neat," Kate murmured, shocked at herself. She had never spoken about this to anyone. "The man who put the sword in... he cleaned it first, so I wouldn't get an infection. And he found exactly the right place – he told me there would be no long term damage. They just wanted to hurt me, to punish me, and to stop me."

Richard stayed silent, listening, his stroking finger turning into her hand as he began to massage her body.

"I thought I would die. I thought they would rape me; they took some of my clothes but they barely touched me. I was locked up for days, I was convinced it was the end... Even when I woke up and knew I had lived, I was sure I must be dreaming. And when I realised I wasn't, I was sure that they would come for me. That's partly why I left... as soon as I was strong enough I got on a boat to take me far away from everything. Far away from my mother, looking down on me as I failed to bring her justice, far away from my drunken father who hated me because I looked like her, and far away from these incomprehensible people who love to cause suffering but who let me live."

His hands soothed her, helping her to talk. She knew he was listening; she liked that he didn't say anything. There was nothing to say. He was wonderful with words, but he knew when they were not needed. He put his hands under her side and turned her over, beginning to work on her back. She let out a light chuckle.

"How did you learn to make a woman feel so good?" she asked him. Richard contemplated saying 'practice'. He was sure Kate would laugh; she wouldn't be offended. But it wasn't true.

"My mother," he admitted. "She used to get very stressed. She had a maid who would give her massages, and there wasn't much else to do, so I learned how as well."

"You're so much kinder than you let people know," Kate told him, turning her head so she could see him.

"That depends on who I'm with."

"I don't think so," Kate said happily. "I think I'm going to fall asleep. Which is absurd. It's the middle of the day."

"You're allowed to sleep in the middle of the day," he said, finishing the massage and lying down beside her. He lay out his arm in an invitation, forcing her to decide. Normally she was not a fan of snuggling, and she thrashed around awfully in her sleep, but today she rolled into his embrace without a second thought, feeling his warmth seep into her, curling up in his arms, knowing he would keep her safe. She closed her eyes, feeling him relax with her as they both drifted off to sleep.

When they woke up, after a little more exploration of each other, it was close to dinner time. Richard helped Kate to get dressed; a lot of her wished they could just go back to bed. Even just to talk. She actually wanted to talk to him, to tell him things about herself she usually spent so much time deliberately keeping from people. He was in a very similar mood.

"Will you stay?" he asked, worried that he sounded rather desperate.

"Yes," she said. "But we have to talk about what we're going to do about Sally. And... I probably shouldn't... I wish it weren't like this but it's getting close to the time when it's not really safe for us to... go all the way." She blushed; Richard kissed her reassuringly, loving that he could do that.

"Don't worry. There are plenty of ways around that," he said with that adorable smile. Impulsively, she flung her arms around him, hugging him as if she was a little girl. He laughed, surprised, and hugged her back, feeling her emotion. His eyes prickled with tears; he was horribly embarrassed – until he realised Kate was sobbing into his neck.

"What?" he asked her, stroking the tears away from her face.

"I'm just... so happy," she cried.

"Me too," he told her, pulling her back towards him. Kate felt the relief wash through her and she nearly collapsed against Richard. They swayed together in the middle of the room.

It was on the tip of her tongue. She felt it. She should say it.

She remembered the promise she had made to herself. She thought about Sally, about her determination to save that girl no matter what. She didn't want to leave it too late, or even leave it to the last minute, to when she was in danger.

She wanted to tell him now.


A/N: So... do you think she'll say it? I love you all - and thank you for your love! Please review xxx