A/N: I did say soon. ;)
I'm amazed that so many of you guys are still reading! Thank you so much!
"You're sure you don't want to come, Pumpkin?"
Keeping the phone between his shoulder and ear, Rick folded up a second sweater and packed it into their suitcase.
"Dad, I've got classes," Alexis replied, laughing again. "I can't just blow them off."
"Sure you can!"
"I like my classes. I want to go to them. You and Kate have fun though."
He sighed, taking the phone in his hand again and resting the other on one of his hips. "I don't know where you learned such priorities but the offer's open if you change your mind."
"Bye, Daddy."
"Alexis still doesn't want to come with us then?" Kate asked, coming out of the bathroom and dropping a pile of plastic bottles filled with hair products and body washes into the open case on the bed.
"Do we really need all these? We've got shampoo and conditioner there already." A single look from his wife and he was backpedalling. "Okay, yep, we need them. Message received." The urge to salute had his fingers twitching at his sides. He had to do something. "I'll just go and grab a couple of books!"
There was a stack of them on his desk, all unread. A few complementary freebies from fellow authors, a few of them sent over from Black Pawn for his professional review and even a few someone in the house had purchased themselves and eventually forgotten about. He flipped through them and picked out the latest Patterson – not for himself but for Kate, knowing she'd enjoy the chance to read it in front of the fire, as well as something he identified as chick-lit by the cursive font the title was printed in in case she fancied a change of pace – before grabbing two of the novels Black Pawn wanted him to read.
When he returned to the bedroom, the suitcase was closed, bulging slightly in the middle. Kate bit her lip as he frowned.
"I think we need a second suitcase, Babe."
Lifting the first case off the bed, Castle groaned. "Jeez, Kate, what the Hell did you put in here? It weighs as much as a baby elephant!"
"Always so melodramatic, Castle." She tutted and shook her head, leaving him to take the suitcase to the front door and find a second bag for the books and his laptop.
The drive to the Hamptons house passed in almost three hours of Castle singing along to the radio, while Kate enjoyed not driving for once, simply staring out the window waiting to see the sea and enjoying the view. The house looked just the same as Castle pulled onto the driveway, yet it still sent that same thrill through her and she looked at it with the same, wide-eyed awe she had when she first visited it. The difference was that she now owned it. Well, jointly-owned it.
"Well, home sweet home," Castle said, killing the engine and twisting to grin at his wife. Her lips curved in response but none of her teeth showed until he pushed open his car door, allowing the tang of salty sea air into the Mercedes' interior.
Unslinging her seatbelt, Kate was quick to hop out of the car and take a deep breath, enjoying the lack of exhaust fumes in the crisp, fresh breeze, as Castle unloaded the trunk. He tossed her the keys once he had the suitcase and small bag out, and let her head eagerly to unlock the front door. The air was a little stale in the house, the space perhaps a bit dusty after months of disuse and inhabitation, but it was light and not filled with patchwork paintjobs or old rolls of carpet. As she walked through the house, almost learning its corners and angles all over again, Kate span and glanced back at Castle, a peel of laughter falling from her mouth as she almost fell over, only to be saved by one of his quick hands darting to grab her wrist and pull her back so hard she collided into his torso.
Breathless, she could only twist her fingers into his shirt and tug him closer to her.
"You okay?"
"Uh huh." She murmured the words into his neck, her nose and lips brushing against his skin with every syllable. "Castle?" Her tongue flicked over his pulse. His Adam's apple bobbed straight in front of her eyes as he swallowed and hummed a question. "You think you can turn the pool heating on?"
While Castle hurried to the swimming pool and pulled off the cover, Kate took the stairs two at a time with the suitcase. While Castle had been choosing books, she'd taken certain liberties with the packing, one of which was the skimpy, navy bikini she hurried to pull on before grabbing some towels from the bathroom. The pool was still in the process of heating when she walked out onto the patio, immediately breaking out in a shiver.
Hearing her bare feet slapping on the paving slabs, Rick spoke up. "It's a good job the pool has heating. I completely forgot when I suggested coming up here how cold it would still be. The sea is going to be…" he broke off as he turned and saw her, mumbling, "Freezing," after a few seconds of gaping. "Wow."
She smirked openly for a moment before diving into the depths of the pool. It may have still not reached the optimum temperature but it still felt warmer than the January air. Kicking for the surface, Kate was delighted to see Castle still standing by the side of the pool, though now the front of his shirt was splattered with droplets of her splashback.
"You gonna just stand there or are you gonna join me, Castle?"
"My trunks are…" He gestured vaguely in the direction of the house, still not tearing his gaze from her sparkling, water-covered skin.
"I don't think you need swim trunks," she practically purred, reaching behind her back to undo the knot keeping her bikini secure.
He needed no further encouragement to shuck his clothes. His jittery hands made light work of his belt and jeans, though he hit a snag forgetting to untie and remove his shoes first.
"Oops."
He chuckled, bending forwards to try and wrestle the jeans off over his shoes only to fall straight into the pool.
"Christ, it's freezing!"
He was soon laughing instead of complaining though. It was hard not to when Kate was treading water beside him, naked from her hips up and not bothering to hold back her amusement by pressing together her lips or biting down on one of them. Instead, her laugh began in a snort from the back of her nose, increasing in pitch until her face was creased and her mirth had turned silent, signalled only by rushed gasps and a slight catch in her throat.
Tugging on his wet clothes, Rick pulled his wet shirt over his head and threw it at his wife, hoping to end her laughter. No such luck. She only doubled over in delight and ended up in hysterics with tears leaking from the corners of her eyes.
"You just- You toppled right over. You should have seen it, Castle. Limbs flailing everywhere," Kate finally said when she could catch her breath. A renewed bubble of laughter slipped from her lips as she wiped away the salt tracks under her eyes before the hilarity died down as Castle yanked his shoes off and lobbed them one by one onto the poolside, swiftly following up the throw with his sodden jeans too.
He swam towards her and pulled her into his arms.
"I know we didn't exactly get to our skinny dipping last time we were here, but really, in the middle of winter?"
"Who said we were just skinny dipping?"
He gulped, glancing down as he felt the backs of her fingers brush his stomach and hook in the waistband of his boxers.
"I don't want to get out," Kate sighed, floating on her back for a moment. "It's going to be so cold." In the pool, the warm water lapped kindly against her ribcage. Parts of her body were exposed to the natural elements, but the sun was out and giving her some warmth.
Castle smiled, lips only pulled up slightly on the one side. "Gotta get out to eat at some point."
"I know." Kate exhaled loudly once more before rolling over and twisting her body to suspend vertically in the water. A few leisurely strokes brought her over to where he lounged against the side of the pool. "We could warm up in the shower though," she suggested, watching his face break out into a more roguish grin.
"I like the way you think, Mrs Castle."
"Shocking," she murmured, nudging her hip into his burgeoning arousal.
"3, 2, 1, go!"
Pushing on his hands, Rick launched his body out of the safety of the swimming pool and into the frigid air. It was torture on his sensitized, heated skin, but most of all on his erection which he feared might shrink or worse disappear altogether. Behind him, Kate let out a whelp as her feet touched the cold ground.
"Run!"
Forgetting to grab the towels, the two of them sprinted back towards the open side door, dissolving into laughter once more. Something about the Hamptons turned them into miscreants. If they weren't sneaking around behind their friends' backs, they were probably drawing the attention of everyone in the neighbourhood onto their naked escapades. The house and its promise of no interruptions apparently removed all their inhibitions.
"I think I've frozen my ass off," Rick complained between breaths as he skidded through the kitchen ahead of Kate.
"Looks good to me," Kate said as she sprinted past him, unable to resist slapping one of his butt cheeks. He yelped. "See, I told you."
"That's just cruel."
"Admit it, I look like a lobster now," Castle said, gesturing to his torso as he pulled a fresh t-shirt over his head. While his skin was rather pink after the cold to hot combination, he wasn't nearly as red as a cooked crustacean.
"You'll be fine, babe." Kate handed him a button-necked, knitted sweater from the suitcase, reminding him to wrap up warm.
"Okay, I'm gonna go fire up the barbecue and get the patio heater lit. I'll see you down there."
He kissed her cheek and squeezed her waist as he passed, his fingers lingering on her warm, bare back until his feet carried him too far away. Whistling, he jogged down the stairs and strolled out of the house in high spirits. He checked over the tank of gas in the fading afternoon light and tightened the hose from the regulator before letting out a steady stream of propane and lighting it. With the patio heater, providing warmth over the outdoor table, Castle switched focus to the barbeque. The lid creaked as he lifted it, reminding him that he'd been meaning to get the local handyman round with a bottle of WD40 to oil the hinges for quite some time. The grill was in perfect condition still though and he only needed to refill it with charcoal.
By the time Kate stepped out of the house, pulling her oversized cardigan tighter around her body, the coals were lit and in the process of turning white.
"So, chicken steaks or kebabs?"
"Either is fine," Kate murmured in reply, settling herself in one of the more plush chairs where she could curl up with one of their books. Her back faced the setting sun, missing some of the view, but its light shone over the pages of Patterson's newest thriller. Soon enough the sound of Castle chopping and slicing faded into the background until she was drawn from the mystery of Cross My Heart by repeated cussing at least. "Do you need any help?"
"No, I'm fine," Castle mumbled, his words distorted by the thumb in his mouth. "Just burnt myself trying to get the kebabs off the grill."
"Use the tongs." Marking her page, Kate set the book aside on the outdoor sofa and instead took her seat at the table. "This looks great, Babe." He beamed, setting down the plate loaded with spiced chicken and vegetable kebabs.
"I think there's some mulled cider in the fridge. You want some?"
"Sure, just a bit."
"It'll take a few minutes to heat through, but help yourself."
"It's so quiet out here," Kate murmured, looking out over the garden and down to the coast.
"People don't really come out to the beach very often in winter, Kate."
He was smirking, she knew he was. Rolling her eyes, she faced him again.
"I like it. Don't you?"
"I'm definitely enjoying being alone with you," Castle replied, reaching across the table for her hand. "Do you realise we can actually have a lie in tomorrow? No builders and decorators. No precinct." His lips split into a grin.
A soft silence fell between them; the only sound to be heard was the waves breaking on the shore. His lively fingers danced over her knuckles, rubbing back and forth over the ridge formed by her wedding ring.
"It's so relaxing."
"Well there's more of it to come. Come on, let's clear up and then I've got a surprise for you."
"Oh yeah?" She smiled, tongue poking out. "It's not anything to do with the massage oil I found in the bag, is it?"
"You peaked?"
Ignoring his whine, Kate scooted her chair back and stood. "I finished packing the suitcase, remember? It's not peaking if you packed the case so badly that I had to re-do it, Castle." He still didn't look pleased. "Besides maybe I snuck a surprise of my own in."
Castle was on his feet in the blink of an eye. "I'll douse the barbecue."
A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Any comments you may have would be really appreciated. I'm off now to watch the finale and then get started on chapter 37 for you guys!