Guardian Angel
Chapter 36
Kate grabs the last sweet gherkin from an almost depleted relish tray. "Babe, when you picked up enough food for an army, I thought you were kidding, but you're hardly going to have any leftovers."
Rick bags two lonely remnants of smoked ham. "I can stick these in an omelet in the morning. I told you Kate, starving artists. I grew up in the acting community, and there were times when the refrigerator was down to half a bottle of olives, two apples, and some stale cheese, but Mother always hunted down a meal for us somewhere. Actors don't turn down a chance at food, at least until they become famous enough to hire a trainer to snatch it from their greedy hands."
"Is that why you always have such a well-stocked refrigerator?" Kate asks.
"I guess so. And kids feel insecure about enough. I don't want Alexis to ever have to worry about the basics."
"Castle, I don't know that I'd exactly call three flavors of ice cream the basics, but I get it. Where did Martha go?" Kate wonders.
"She's accompanying her charges to the subway where they'll put on an impromptu performance. She wants to revel in an audience reaction."
"She really enjoys teaching, doesn't she?"
"I suppose she does," Castle agrees, "teaching acting anyway. She's never been much for passing on domestic skills. I had to pick up a lot on my own — as self-preservation. I couldn't think about hiring anyone to clean until "In a Hail of Bullets" became a bestseller. And you've noticed that Mother's skills in the culinary arts are, to put it charitably, limited. But she does seem to get a kick out of nurturing young talent. She's always been encouraging to all of Alexis' endeavors, more than she is of mine. She says she keeps me grounded."
Kate rolls her eyes. "I'm not sure that's possible. But whatever she did seems to have worked out."
"Why, thank you, Detective. And while I'm on a roll, how would you like to spend the rest of the evening?"
"I feel like I could use some Lt. Chloe right now. 'Nebula Nine' streams on Hulu. I mean, if the production values are too low for you, I can watch it at home," Kate offers.
"No, no," Rick jumps in. "You don't want to do that. My screen is a lot bigger than yours. If you're going to watch it, you might as well see as much of it as you can."
"Are you sure, Babe?"
I'm sure. You'll get to see more of your heroine, and I," he nuzzles her neck, "will get to see more of mine."
A strand of Kate's hair tickles Rick's ear as she sleeps with her head on his shoulder. Whatever qualities Nebula Nine lacked, it still sucked the tension out of Kate. He wrestles with what to do next. He could try to ease her onto the couch without waking her and cover her up for the night. Or he could carry her into the bedroom. She looks so peaceful; he hates to disturb her. The couch it will be. At least one of them will be sleeping.
For a moment, Kate isn't sure where she is. As her eyes adjust to the dim light in the loft and she feels the soft leather beneath her, she realizes she fell asleep — just as the empath brought Captain Max back to life. Even after seeing it countless times, she still had a sense of relief. She checks the time on her phone—one a.m. Rick's probably sound asleep himself by now. She could find her shoes and go back to her apartment. It's a little late to walk, even armed. The last thing she needs right now is to have to arrest a would-be mugger. The subway won't be running very often until rush hour, and there won't be many cabs out either. It makes more sense to try to go back to sleep until morning, but she really needs to pee.
Slowly she tiptoes through Rick's bedroom to the en suite main bath. A tiny night light glows within, making Rick's life-sized Boba Fett look even weirder, but at least she can see that the seat's down. Either Martha or his ex-wives must have trained him. It doesn't take long to do her business and wash her hands. The toothbrush Rick gave her the last time she spent the night is still in the rack. She uses that too.
Kate's eyes sweep over Rick as she returns to the bedroom. Curled up in Star Wars pajamas and hugging his pillow, he looks like a little boy. A lock of hair has fallen across his forehead, and she feels an irresistible urge to smooth it back. His eyes open at the touch of her hand on his face. "Kate?"
"I'm sorry Babe, I didn't mean to wake you."
"I was dreaming about you, but I much prefer the real thing." He folds back the sheet and blanket. "You're here anyway. We might as well cuddle."
Kate slips in beside him. "I thought it was the woman who is supposed to suggest cuddling."
Rick rolls on his side to face her. "Did you have something else in mind, Kate?"
"Not exactly in mind. Maybe a little lower." Her hand finds the heat growing below his waist. "I feel a disturbance in the force."
"Since when does Lt. Chloe care about the force?"
"I'm moving on to a galaxy far, far away."
Grasping her hips, Rick tugs her against his burgeoning need. "Well, in that case, may fortune guide your journey."
Kate retreats into the cozy curve of Rick's body as she hears sheets of rain slamming against the windows of the loft. Rick presses his lips to her neck. "Good morning."
"It doesn't sound like one outside. Did you see a storm predicted for today?'
Rick pushes up on one elbow. "Not that I remember, but I didn't check either. I was more focused on what was going on yesterday — and earlier this morning." He grabs his phone from the nightstand. "Um, weather, weather. Uh-huh. A tropical depression weakened but turned north and hightailed its way up the coast. It stalled over New Jersey and New York. We'll probably be getting soaked all day. I hope the subways don't flood, but anyway, in this weather, I'll take Alexis to school and pick her up afterward. It's only five. We have some time before I'll need to get a handle on the day. Maybe I can get a handle on something else."
Kate trails a fingertip down the center of his bare chest. "You seemed to have a pretty good grasp of things last night."
Rick gulps as Kate's wandering hand teases him awake. "And you have an excellent grasp of the present situation," he notes, "but there was this one spot where…," Gasping, Kate arches under his explorations. He grins, capturing her mouth with his. "Yes, that was it. Feels like you're making pretty good progress yourself. Ready to give the storm a run for its money?"
"I'm ready. I'm so ready," Kate pants.
"Me too." A crack of lightning punctuates their joining as they move to the steady beat of the rain. As the wind whips against the outer wall of their haven, the energy of their private storm builds. As rumbling sound vibrates the walls of their refuge, waves of completion roll through them in rhythm with the thunder.
