Solid Ground – Chapter 29
After seeing to the wounded, and burying the dead, the group decided to utilize the fire John had started underneath the umbrella shaped fern tree, which provided them with heat and shelter during the final hours of the storm. The storm raged around them for the better part of the night, but had started to die down in the early hours of the morning. By dawn all that remained of the once powerful tempest were scattering showers.
The light sprinkling of rain was barely noticeable as Kate got up from her spot beside Castle. She blinked her eyes and stretched her arms up over her head, arching her back, and worked out the kinks in her neck. Their sleeping arrangements hadn't been all that comfortable, even on the soft ground. The only thing that had made it bearable for Kate was Castle's arms wrapped around her, keeping her close to the solid form of his body as she ducked her head into his chest, seeking shelter from all that had happened the night before.
She wandered out of the campsite to stand on the beach, wiggling her toes in the damp sand and listening to the gentle ebb and flow of the waves. She closed her eyes, finding contentment in just standing there, almost tranquil. The air smelled fresh and clean, as it always did after a rain. Despite the horrific events that had brought them to this place, it was still a slice of heaven.
Kate yawned, and reached down to rub her stomach, smiling softly as she felt the small swell. It wasn't like she didn't know she was pregnant, it just seemed more real now that she was showing. She pulled the fabric of her blouse taunt across her stomach and gazed down at the early formations of her baby bump. She tugged her lower lip under her teeth, trying to contain her beaming smile. After the events of last night, a sudden weight had been lifted off her shoulders. The immediate threat to the safe to her person and that of her unborn child was gone.
"We're safe now, little one," she hummed softly, rubbing gentle patterns across the small swell, giggling lightly as her stomach went all aflutter with happy feelings, leading her to assume that this was her baby responding positively to her voice and touch. Kate bit her lower lip in a futile attempt to contain the beaming smile that just could not be suppressed.
One of the grey clouds shifted in the breeze, allowing a ray of light to glimmer down onto the water. Kate blinked and raised her hand to shield her eyes from the glistening light as she stared out across the water at the three small islands looming in the distance. If what they'd learned from John's ravings was true, then there was a radio transmitter on one of those islands.
For the first time in four months, Kate allowed herself to feel hope. Against her better judgment, she let the feeling flow and swell throughout her body. A sigh left her lips as she gazed out at the horizon. After the tragic and horrific events of the previous night, Kate couldn't help but feel lifted by the prospect of getting home. She missed home, and all that it had to offer.
A week before they'd left for Bora Bora, she had finally convinced Castle to let her do a little bit of redecorating. She'd been looking forward to putting her stamp on the loft, making it not just his home, but hers as well.
Kate raised her hand and stared down at the sparkling ring that adored her finger. She'd remembered being surprised at the size of the diamond. Yet, despite that, the ring he'd offered her had been perfect. It hadn't been gaudy or ostentatious—even if it was probably ridiculously expensive. It was just right. It matched his extravagant personality and, at the same time, her sensible one.
"Admiring the view?" came a gruff voice, still sleep heavy, but one oh so familiar.
A smile touched her lips as his arms wrapped around her from behind. "It's beautiful," Kate answered, leaning back into his embrace, closing her eyes as he planted a lingering kiss against her temple.
"The sea or the ring?" Castle questioned, a teasing lilt in his voice.
Kate chuckled softly, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. "Both," she confessed, turning around in his embrace to face him. She pushed up on her toes and kissed him soundly.
"Whoa," he grinned boyishly. "What was that for?"
"I never did get a chance to thank you for last night," she responded, smiling up at him. "Take that as a preview."
He licked his lips, his sleep-hazed eyes beginning to darken with desire. "Oh, feel free to thank me as much as you want, sweet cheeks," he smirked, quickly giving her ass a playful slap.
Kate gasped in surprise, and fixed him with one of her patented glares, though the warning was slightly diminished by her beaming smile. "Sweet cheeks? Seriously!?" she harrumphed, feigning indignation. "I thought we'd already discussed the cessation of that particular endearment."
"What? It's not my fault you have a cute—"
"What is it with you and your fascination with my ass?"
Castle shrugged nonchalantly. "Besides the fact that it's perfectly toned and curved…," his words trailed off as he slid a hand down to said curves. Kate cleared her throat, regaining his attention. He flashed her his trademark pursed lip smirk. "Perhaps it has something to do with how I've been following you for years. Or should I say, following behind you." He grinned, looking awfully proud of himself. "You see what I did there, Kate?"
"Yeah, bud, I did," she replied dryly, narrowing her eyes.
Castle laughed lightly, and continued to teasingly run his fingertips up and down her back. She shivered, feeling the tingles of arousal begin to pump through her veins. Castle slipped his fingers under the bottom hem of her blouse and sprawled his palm out across the small of her back.
Kate bit her lower lip and gently ran her hands down his chest, teasing his ribs. He squirmed, ticklish. She let out a little laugh. "Still a little sore?" she asked, furrowing her brow in concern.
"Just a little, but I think that's more from lying on the ground than the beating I took," he shrugged off, puffing up and trying to look manly.
"That was brave, Castle," she praised his heroics of the previous night. "Stupid, but brave."
Castle pursed his lips and gazed down at her with a serious expression. "I'd do anything for you, Kate," he stated earnestly. "You know that, don't you?"
"Yes, I do," Kate affirmed, leaning into his chest and placing her head on his shoulder. He raised his chin and rested it on the top of her head. She closed her eyes, relishing the feel of being wrapped in his secure hold.
Castle tilted his head and nuzzled his nose into her hair, breathing in her scent. He sighed, squeezing her tighter. "You know what?"
"Hmm?" she hummed, leaning back to gaze up at him.
"I always wanted to make love on a tropical beach," he purred, wiggling his eyebrow suggestively.
"Oh really?" she taunted, cocking one eyebrow. "Did the famous playboy Richard Castle never have sex on a beach?"
"The drink, yes," he asserted, deadpan. "But never the real thing."
She tilted her head up to look at him, trying to read his expression. "Are you serious?" Kate asked, genuinely surprised. She shook her head in disbelief. "Come on, Castle? You're pulling my leg."
"Nope, afraid not," Castle insisted with a shake of his head to further affirm his assertion. "It's always been one of my fantasies ever since I first saw From Here to Eternity. But alas, I've never found someone who'd be willing to recreate that iconic scene with me… sans clothing, of course." He gave her a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows, his eyes alight with the possibilities. "How about you, Kate? Interested in a little reenactment of cinematic history?"
Kate let out a low laugh. "Oh, I don't know, Castle," she said while she fiddled with the buttons on his shirt, going for a mixture of apologetic and teasing, but only really coming across as playful despite her best efforts. "You know what they say about sand… it gets everywhere."
"Um… is that a yes?"
"That's a no. Sorry."
"Damn," Castle grumbled and hung his head down in disappointment.
"Hey now," Kate assured, using her fingers to lift his chin so that they were once again looking into each other's eyes. "I'm not saying 'no' to a little fooling around, just not on the beach." She leaned close to him, pressing her body flush against his. Humming softly, Kate brushed nibbling kisses along the slope of his neck. "Besides, I think you need to be rewarded for your heroics last night."
"Really!?" Castle smirked, his eyes lighting up with a combination of excitement and awe, with a heavy dose of desire.
"Uh-huh," Kate nodded as she opened her mouth and sucked on his pulse point, causing him to shudder. His hands tightened around her waist. Releasing his neck, she lathered the sore flesh with her tongue before leaning back and looking up at him as she slowly pulled her lower lip under her teeth, knowing exactly what it did to him. "But we'll have to be quiet. I don't want to wake the others." She reinforced that statement with a flick of her chin back towards the camp and the others of their party that were still asleep.
"That's rich coming from you, Kate," Castle chuckled. "Out of the two of us, you're the vocal one."
"If you want any, then you better shut the hell up," she hissed out, narrowing her eyes at him. He grinned and mimed zipping his lips shut. "Good." Kate reached down and grabbed his hand, interlacing their fingers as she glanced around to ensure they were, in fact, the only ones awake. "Now it's time to put that mouth to better use. Come."
Grinning seductively, Kate then led him into the jungle, already knowing the perfect secluded spot where they could make love.
XXX
She gasped, and moaned, arching her back as he moved over her. His hands were everywhere, all at once touching and caressing her with such love and tender care that she was left breathless. Every time… every single time it was like this. He just didn't make love to her... he worshiped her. Kate would forever be in awe of the devotion he offered her. And all he wanted in return was her love. And she gave it gladly, would always give it to him. Fore he was the one. Her one and only.
"Oh God, yes, Castle… like that… GOD!" she screamed.
Damn him, he was right. She was the more vocal one. He grunted out a response, and gripped her hips, steadying her so he could stroke down at just the right angle to make her entire body quivered in delight. He smirked against her breast as she cried out in pleasure, clenching around him as she came undone for the second time. She'd been so wound up and ready that she'd first came when he'd entered her. Frankly, that had been a little embarrassing, but oh so worth it to see the shocked and awed expression on his face.
Kate cursed under her breath, overwhelmed by the intensity of her latest release. "Castle, what are you doing to me?" she panted out between breaths.
Castle grinned, and nibbled at her breast, making her whimper, her head falling back against the soft ground. "Just loving you, Kate," he hummed against her heated flesh. "Just loving you."
He wrapped his mouth around her breast, biting lightly, and then soothing the tender flesh with his wet tongue. Kate gripped his shoulders, clutching onto him as an anchor to reality. She'd originally intended to be the one doing the loving, rewarding him, as it were, for last night. But after the initial stages of foreplay, the tables had turned in Castle's favor, and he'd had her pinned down and divested of clothing in the blink of an eye.
Moaning loudly, she rolled her hips with the motion his set, matching him thrust for thrust. He groaned, grunting her name as his talented fingers explored her every curve and contour as if it were the first time. In a flash, his mouth was clashing against hers as their slick flesh meld together, her legs wrapping around his waist, pulling him incredibly closer.
Tongues dueled, and hands roamed, as the cool early morning air only seemed to heat up around them. Kate's fingers mapped out the lines and muscles of his back as he flexed above her undulating body. Castle pulled back and kissed his way down the column of her throat. His hand slid up her side and came to rest between her breasts, just over her pounding heart… and her scar. Her eyes locked with his and her breath stilled. He was gazing down at her with such admiration and love that Kate just wanted to feel this moment, and make it last forever. In moments like this, when they shrouded themselves in their mutual adoration and affection, their troubles just seemed to fade away.
Their love sparked between them, like always, and soon they were moving together at a vigorous pace, loving one another as only they could, searching for that reaffirmation of life and love that was sorely needed after the events of last night. Kate snared him around the waist with her powerful legs and spun them, shoving him to the ground. She rose above him, planting her hands on his solid chest as she took charge, expertly rocking her hips against him.
"Kate!" he groaned, fingers digging into her skin as he gripped her waist, desperately trying to increase the motion of her hips.
"No," she shushed, placing a finger over his mouth. She swept her hair back, and leaned down over him, pressing her feminine curves flushed against his solid masculine form. "Let me love you, Rick," she pleaded, and then, not waiting for his response, claimed his mouth in a slow and lingering kiss, gently escalating the jerk and roll of her hips.
She pushed back, once again planting her hands on his chest, letting her fingernails dig into his skin. As she picked up the pace, bucking her hips with wild abandon. Castle's mouth dropped as he surrendered to her commanding and dominating touch. He was hers. He'd always been hers. Feeling the pressure build up in her core, Kate sped up her hips and grabbed onto him tighter, throwing back her head as she cried out in ecstasy as she tumbled over the edge.
The world melted away. Her vision was hazy, and everything just looked so green. She was spinning and before she knew it, Kate found herself pinned against the ground with Castle moving over her. One of his large hands gripped her hip, holding her steady, as the other traveled up and down her leg. His wickedly devious fingers danced up her inner thigh and then disappeared between them, searching and feeling.
Kate moaned, and writhed under him as his wandering fingers found their mark. He grinned against her shoulder, and bit down on the soft flesh as she clenched around him. Castle groaned, licking the love bite with his tongue as she squirmed under him. He kissed her, and she kissed back, humming into his mouth as his strokes began to lose their rhythm.
"I love you," she sighed, low and breathy, rolling her hips to help him down the final stretch.
"I. Love. You. Too," he grunted out through gritted teeth as he grounded his hips into hers, so close… so very close.
Kate jerked her hips and Castle groaned, tensing as he clutched her slick boneless body as he reached release. She grabbed his face and kissed him deeply as he fell across the threshold, joining her in that wonderful bliss of orgasmic euphoria.
Returning, Castle leaned back, breathing heavily through his nose as he reached up to brush the damp hair away from her face. Kate smiled up at him, and he grinned back. "Beautiful," he declared, before slanting his lips over hers and wrapping his arms around her still thrumming body. "So beautiful."
The rest of the world didn't matter. For just this moment, it was them… and them alone. All the rest of it could wait. For now, it was just them.
XXX
"I think I can make it," he asserted as he gazed out at the horizon. "It's not too far."
Kate folded her arms across her chest, cocking her head slightly as she narrowed her eyes at him. "You sure about that, Castle?" she questioned, dubious. "It looks like a good five hundred yards. And last time I checked, you couldn't even run the entire length of a football field."
"Bah, don't listen to her," Castle said with a dismissive wave of his hand as he looked back at the rest of the group, ready to argue his point. It was rapidly approaching mid-morning, and he knew that a decision had to be made soon. "Besides, swimming is different than running." He turned to the only other woman amongst them, and flexed his arms. "Have you seen these biceps?"
"I've seen better," C.C. replied after a moment of thought, shrugging nonchalantly, but then she broke her little act with a knowing wink in Kate's direction.
Castle turned and raised his eyebrows, wondering what that was about. But then he brushed the thought aside and focused on the task at hand. He didn't know why Kate was so against him going. After their romp in the jungle that morning, he'd felt more alive that he'd ever felt before. Castle almost felt like he could take on the world. The love a good woman could do such things.
Sighing, he raked his fingers through his unruly hair and gazed down at her with understanding eyes. He understood, he really did. If their positions were reversed, he wouldn't want her to go either. But this was just something he had to do. "The storms subsided and the waters have calmed. I want to do it, Kate. Let me do it," he pleaded softly.
"Rick," she sighed, brushing her hair back from her face. "There is no reason for you to do this. Trust me, you don't have to prove anything to me. I wasn't joking when I called your actions last night heroic."
"I know," he assured her, reaching up to caress her arm, adding a light squeeze for comfort. He leaned closer and lowered his voice. "You made the point quite clear earlier this morning. And I think I proved my stamina isn't too bad for a guy my age."
Kate bit her lower lip and blushed, but relented with a nod. "Alright," she said. "Go. Just… just be careful." She grabbed his face and pulled him down for a fierce and passionate kiss. "Come back to me…" and then, grabbing his hand and placing it over her stomach, added, "come back to us."
Castle cupped the side of her face, and caressing her cheek with the pad of his thumb. "I will," he promised. He slanted his lips over hers for another kiss before he pulled back, exchanging silent looks with Jeff and Gervasio. The two older men nodded, each making a silent pledge to look after Kate. C.C. stepped up beside her, putting her arm around her shoulders as Kate began to sniffle. He reached out and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and gave her another lingering kiss.
Reluctantly, he pulled back from the love of his life and turned his eyes away, staring out at the three islands in the distance, zeroing in on the middle one. Chucking his shoes and unbuttoning his shirt, Castle waded out into the crystal blue ocean until he was waist deep in the water. He looked back over his shoulder, glancing one more time at Kate, before setting his face with determination. Heaving in a deep breath, Castle summoned up the courage he was going to need for the journey.
"Now or never, Rick," he mumbled to himself.
And with a swift kick of his legs, he was off, diving into the next oncoming wave, carefully making his way over to the adjacent island in the distance, hoping beyond hope that there really was a radio transmitter there, and that it was in working order.
