Castle wasn't at all surprised that when they got home from the birthday dinner for Shane that his wife was still in the mood for some loving. He knew she didn't just think of him as her own little sex-droid, as was evident from the way she made mention of the sparkling cider in the fridge as she took RJ upstairs to tuck him into bed.
He found two champagne flutes and the unopened bottle, took them upstairs to the bedroom. Turning to his stereo, he found the slowdown-mix he'd made off of the records Jim had lent him, Bill Withers and Solomon Burke mixed with Darren Hayes and Melanie Fiona creating the perfect mood for romance.
Music selected and throbbing gently through the speakers, he went to his bedside table and pulled out the votive candles in a safe-citrus scent, the one he knew Beckett found both relaxing and arousing. He was in the middle of turning down their sheets when Beckett came in to the room, belly huge and eyes focused on him and him alone.
'Hey you.'
'Hey.' Castle straightened up, looked at her as she went to the closet and pulled a little bag from her side of the shelf. 'What's that you got there?'
'You're not the only one who knows how to be romantic, Richard. Give me a few minutes, okay?'
'Okay.'
When she ducked into the ensuite, Beckett sat down on the closed toilet lid to undress. Bathrooms were deathtraps, moreso for the heavily pregnant like she was, as their balance wasn't the greatest. She tugged her sweater over her head, unfastened her bra and just let her hands roam over her breasts. They were humongous now, no question and wondered how the hell Andrea and Meredeth had lasted through their pregnancies, given how much naturally larger in the boobs they were before being pregnant.
No, this was not the thing to dwell on pre-loving, Beckett chided herself, and she stood up like she really was going to use the bathroom to work her way out of her jeans and panties, then dipped into the bag from Sizzling Stork. The peignoir she'd chosen was soft as rainwater in a rich midnight blue colour, the kind she felt more comfortable in so she was less self-conscious about all her baby weight. She ran a brush through her hair, even added a little bit of fresh lipstick and mascara, then opened the door.
The room smell wonderfully of the candles Castle had lit. On the bureau by the stereo waited two glasses of the sparkling cider they favoured in lieu of champagne since alcohol was bad for the baby, and there was the man - her man - himself in bed, already naked. He looked so damn pleased already Beckett wondered just what kinds of tricks they could get up to.
When he glanced over at her, his whole face seemed to light up from deep within. Shifting to his knees, Castle watched her approach him, still with that strong and sexy walk she had even when she was in the final month of her pregnancy.
'My God, Kate, you are the most gorgeous woman I've ever seen in my life. I love you.'
'I love you too Rich.'
Beckett reached the bed and knelt in the middle of it, leaned in to kiss him slow and deep, lips firm yet yielding against his. 'There is no one in the world who knows me like you do.'
'Kate,' he murmured, brushing his palm over her cheek. 'You overwhelm me.'
So tonight would be about the slow tenderness of it, she knew, as he shifted to kiss her and pull her as close as he could. His fingers combed through that silky length of her hair, his caresses lifting the scent of her shampoo to his nose. His lips roamed over her jawline, down the column of her throat and back to her mouth as one of his hands went to the strap of her peignoir.
'Mm, Rich,' Beckett sighed against his lips.
'Yes, Kate.'
'Can we...I kinda want to leave this on.'
Castle eased back only enough to look her in the eye. 'Kate, it's okay to be naked with me, I love your body whether your seven days or seven months pregnant.'
'I know, and it's not even that, it's...my boobs were really sore after the last time we made love, jiggling around unrestrained like that.'
'Oh, sweetie, of course. Of course, whatever you need, my love.'
'Besides,' Beckett added, turning herself so that she spooned against him and she hitched up the shorty-hem of her lingerie, 'I think you'll find I don't need the twins played with to get hot for you tonight.'
Castle groaned in deep anticipation as her smooth-skinned ass grazed against his front where he was already getting hard for her. His touch skimmed over her silk covered body down to her thigh and over it, going higher and higher then retreating and he heard her breath catch in her throat. 'Kate, turn to your back, if you can, sweetheart,' he told her softly, and she complied. Castle looked into those sea-goddess eyes just beginning to cloud with the first signs of pleasure as his hand stroked up and down the inside her her leg, each pass going a little closer and closer to the source of the heat that waited for him. Finally, when he saw her bite her lip in eagerness for him, he let his fingertips graze over her, where he felt the slick warmth and heard her erotic groan.
'Oh, yes, Rich,' she moaned deeply, 'yes, that's what I've wanted all day.'
'My horny little mama.'
Beckett managed a throaty laugh, then let out a squeak when the pad of his thumb brushed lightly over her trigger as the other fingers he touched her with stroked her, then sank inside her. Her eyes sank shut and she tried to arch her back as she was usually wont to do but the weight of the baby made that an impossibility tonight. Instead, she curled her toes and ground her heels into the mattress as she pulled his face close to hers so she could tell him with dirty little words how good he made her feel.
To hear her all but beg him for more in that sweet, breathy tone nearly made Castle lose his mind. While he loved to use his mouth on her to really make her scream, this was something he almost enjoyed more as he could watch her face and see the ripples and waves of pleasure go thundering over it.
'Oh, God, Rich!' Beckett could feel the orgasm build inside her, and as she moved close and closer to that beautiful exploding release, her heart pounding, she popped up on her elbows when her husband moved his hand from between her thighs and he was rolling her to her side. 'What are you doing? I'm so close, baby.'
'I know, so am I,' he told her quietly, his mouth by her ear as he eased into her from behind, making it slow so that she called out his name in that low, throaty moan.
'Rich...Rich, please...'
It was the only encouragement Castle ever needed - his wife saying his name like that as he loved her, as she loved him, as they loved each other, their shadow a single unit against the wall in the flickering candle light as they held tight to each other and leaped into oblivion.
Heart pounding and ears ringing, Castle propped his brow against her shoulder with his hand between her breasts. 'Oh, God, Kate, that was great.'
'Agreed,' she nodded. 'That was exactly what I was thinking about since we were in our birthing class. But not just the sex.'
'Yeah?'
'Yeah. The candles, the lingerie, the soft music, the cider.' Beckett smacked her lips together a little bit. 'I could use that cider, I'm feeling a little thirsty.'
'Me too, but then a good workout will do that to you, right?'
'That's very true. Be right back.'
Castle kissed her shoulder and as an afterthought added the boxers he'd shed in case RJ wandered in as he was wont to do from time to time. He uncorked the faux-wine and poured two glasses, brought them to the bed where Beckett had adjusted herself so she was sitting propped up against the headboard with plenty of pillows behind her head and her back.
'Thanks, Rick. To love,' she said simply, tapping the edge of her glass to his and downing the whole thing while Castle barely took a mouthful.
'To love,' he agreed. 'Refill.'
'In a moment. I think we've got our baby names finalized.'
'Yeah?'
BEckett nodded, rubbing her belly where the baby was doing some spectacular high kicks. 'We already agreed that if we have a girl, her name is Johanna and if it's a boy it's Alexander. But what about middle names?'
'Easy. Johanna Louisa and Alexander Edgar.'
'Seriously?'
'Louisa as in Louisa May Alcott and Edgar for the master himself Edgar Allan Poe. What do you think baby, huh?' Castle shifted so his mouth was at the level of the bump and he grinned like a goofy, expectant daddy when the bump jiggled under his softly stroking hand. 'You think those are pretty rockin'? Well I'm glad you like them because it wasn't just Mumum and Daddy picking it out, your big brother had a hand in there too.'
