Happy belated birthday to the lovely Deb838. Where I am it's still the 8th so it still counts :P
"You got it, you're wow, wow, wow, wow."
It's a little over a week since they started this, she thinks, as she turns the oven low and leaves the food to warm through. A week and three days...ugh ten days, not that she's counting.
Except, she sort of... is.
Ten days into this thing that they've started and he wants to celebrate reaching double digits. He's such a child, she smiles, a very manly let's celebrate every little thing type of child and she loves it.
Him, she loves him.
Ten days in and it's sort of an anniversary and she just can't stop smiling.
Kate tidies as she goes, throwing things into piles, his shirt, her sock, a sheet, a towel and she flops onto the bed, pulling her knees up. And she smiles and smiles and smiles.
Ten days in and they've had sex twenty seven times. Thirteen of those times in this bed -not that she's counting - and she scrubs at her eyes wondering if she's lost her mind. Sex is maybe the thing that rots your brain, not T.V not violent video games, not junk food. Sex, really really good sex. Excellent, mind numbing and bone tingling sex.
It breaks your brain, she thinks, it makes you sentimental and crazy and now she's craving it. And very soon she can have...it.
Him, a lot of him.
It's sort of an anniversary, so tonight she's aiming for thirty - with a little helping hand...oh his hands...- and if they reach that, well, there's no reason not to challenge him to hitting the big four oh by the end of the weekend. If he stays over...he could stay, stay for more than the night.
She smiles when she hears the tap at the door and makes herself breath deeply, count to ten...that's really five, before she's rushing to answer.
He's standing there grinning, holding out a bottle of wine when she pulls open the door, with this soft light behind his eyes that makes her heart clench.
Her stomach flip.
All the cliches and all the truth behind them. They swoop at her, making her cheeks flush and her fingers curl into her palm in desperation to grab him.
Love, there it is, neon bright and shining from him in that warm and tender light that emanates from his eyes.
"Hi." He smiles, or grins, or just exists, and her heart - she breathes faster touching at her chest- it's beating against her tonight.
His fingers curl, knuckles softly brushing her cheek when he leans in and kisses the edge of her mouth.
He pulls back when she doesn't answer, but Kate smiles wider and brighter, fisting her hands in his jacket to pull him back, kissing him slow and deep. A silent greeting that says more than she ever could. More than she's ever been able to.
When they part he mumbles "Wow!" against her lips, his eyes opening slowly, looking thoroughly knocked out of his socks, just as she intended, and Kate laughs.
"Don't think I won't tease you about that." She pokes, making herself let him go to close the door.
He's already moving inside, opening the wine, "About what?" He asks, feigning innocence as he pops the cork and reaches for glasses.
He knows where she keeps her glasses...
Kate bites her lip to keep in the smile and when it doesn't work she prods him instead. "That little 'wow' you just moaned." Her eyes lift in challenge, half lidded with warmth "I'll be using that against you when you least expect it." Her hand darts out and snags a grape from the bowl and she pops it into her mouth chewing slowly, watching him.
He watches her right back, his eyes glued to her lips for a few seconds, holding the stem of the wine glass before sliding it across the counter towards her. "Oh, you wanna talk about moaning I'm sure I have..."
He shuts up when her fingers slide over his lips, popping a grape into his mouth before her thumb smears over the wetness left by the fruit.
"Play fair." She warns.
He never does.
"What are you thinking about?" He hums, his lips warm at the back of her neck and one arm casually slung around her waist, pulling her back against him.
"Nothing." She lies, cheeks pink and lips fighting a smile.
"Kate." He drawls, holding onto her name with his tongue like it's too precious a thing to let go of. Dragging it out, making it coaxing and longing and alluring at the same time.
"You," She whispers softly, "Us, this and..."
"Ten months." He sighs, both delighted and shocked.
And, really, she can't blame him. She feels the same way. Ten months and she hasn't killed him, he hasn't driven her insane - anymore than usual- and somehow...still going strong, better than ever, working at it together.
"Don't be mad." He warns, turning her in his arms. "I said don't be." He smirks and Kate tries to school her face, too late he's seen the wrinkles of annoyance threading their way over her forehead, the clench of her lips. He knows her.
"We said." She shakes her head, not the least bit surprised, "You agreed."
"Ten months!" Castle replies by way of explanation, her waist the perfect place to rest his hands, her hips and chest so warm against his own when she thuds into him. Just a little tug and she's right there pressing against him and relaxing into it.
He moves as if to kiss her and her lids dip in preparation, eyes warm and soft and hidden, but he makes a beeline for her ear instead. "Congratulations," he breathes heatedly as her eyes widen "you survived ten months with me."
She grimaces shoving him away half heartedly, her fingers still holding tight to his shirt front to stop him going far. "What did you do?"
"Just a little something." He grins, happy in the knowledge she knows him ... maybe better than he realizes.
He reaches for the box behind her, struggles for a few seconds with her squashed against his chest and steadfastly refusing to go anywhere. She chuckles and he brings a small pink and white frosted cupcake up between them, laughing himself when her mouth falls open.
"See?" He hums, pleased with himself "It hardly counts at all."
Kate breathes out, long and slow letting her heart right itself from its upside down position in her chest. She stares at him, seeing the cupcake and herself and a thousand other beautiful, scary things she wants, all reflected back from those bright, adoring, blue eyes.
God, she loves him.
"It counts." Kate says softly, her thumb scooping through the icing, grinning as she sucks it into her mouth.
He follows her movement, his eyes darkening in ever increasing shades of desire, his fingers tightening when his pupils blaze, and Kate feels the steady flutter of certainty through her stomach.
They will be crossing a few more numbers off the 'charts of them' tonight, a new milestone maybe, not that she's counting anymore. She hasn't for a while, she doesn't need to.
But ten months, that's good that's really really... lovely and she rocks onto the tips of her toes to kiss him.
It definitely counts.
Double digits. They have to celebrate it, it's sort of their thing.
It lasts a while, warm and familiar and leading, this kiss, the perfect amount of distraction and tease and tongue all melding together. She holds his face, breathing heavily when she finally pulls herself back from it.
"Wow." He hums around the burst of sugary sweetness that still lays over his tongue, the icing playing second fiddle to the remarkable woman in his arms.
Yeah, that's it, them in a nutshell, she thinks, unable to stop herself from smiling, rising up and kissing him again, threading her fingers through his hair and closing her eyes...
Wow!