AN: It didn't take much persuasion to write a continuation to Too Soon. This brings the sexy to its full height, which means it's rated M.

He returns from the bathroom to see her waiting in his bed for him. She made herself more comfortable while waiting, and he can't believe she's really here. She senses his presence and turns to look at him, and she sees everything. He's ditched his boxers because of his incident, and she's viewing his pelvic region for the first time. She has no shame in staring.

"I told you I could help," she says.

"I know, but I still felt a little embarrassed," he explains.

Locking eyes with his, she says, "So…"

"Yeah?" He studies her face, trying to read her.

"Come back to bed?" She grins, folding back the covers to reveal her fully naked self. Naturally he stares, taking a mental picture of her beautiful form. Besides her scars, he notices some bruising he doesn't recall seeing earlier. He guesses he was too caught up in the moment to see, but now he's alarmed. "Kate…" He's walking to her, and his worried face puzzles her. "Your neck…your ribs…" Then she remembers the battle with Maddox she had; being with Rick made her forget.

His fingertips lightly touch her neck. "You said you almost died." He's crushed he wasn't there this time, crushed he could have lost her for good when he wasn't there.

She brings her hand to stroke his arm tenderly. "Rick…I'm fine. Just a little banged up. I fought Maddox on a roof, and he got away."

"He almost killed…" He shuts his eyes, not able to speak it aloud.

"He left me dangling from the roof, and all I could think about was you. I even called out for you because I could've sworn I heard your voice."

He opens his eyes, looking disappointed in himself again. "And I wasn't there," he says.

"Because we fought. And we were finished. Or so it seemed. Don't blame yourself. Kevin saved me, and now you and I are here together. And that's all that matters now. You and me, Rick." She pulls him closer and meets him in a kiss.

"You and me," he echoes.

"Yeah. So, get back into bed, and don't worry about the bruises." She smiles as he joins her in bed, and she gives him room.

"Maybe tomorrow you can soak in my Jacuzzi tub," he suggests.

"Yeah," she whispers, becoming lost in his eyes, fingers trailing his arm. She casually hooks a leg around him. "So, may I try warming you back up?" Her eyes flick to his groin.

"May I? You're making it sound too formal."

"I'm using proper grammar," she declares.

He feels the blood rushing south. "Ohh. Don't let me stop you. I love hearing proper grammar from you. Any large vocabulary words to throw in?"

"Hmm. Circumlocution. Fallacious." She drags out the pronunciation of each word in her sexy bedroom voice, and it makes him moan. "Ambidextrous," she adds, making him moan again. "That doing it for you," she asks.

"It is." He drags her into a heated kiss, pouring all his passion into it. She responds with equal passion and rolls on top of him. The feel of her body pressed to his makes him moan, and she moans when his hands glide down to her rear. She loves how his hands feel on her; they're electric. His hands roam everywhere they can reach before holding onto her and rolling them over, breaking the kiss breathlessly.

"I recall you have some tension that I need to take care of," he says before diving in to kiss and lick her neck. "Oh yes," she gasps. She knows she'll come in no time once he gives her the friction she craves.

His mouth makes a sloppy trail down her neck and over her chest, and he eventually reaches her breasts. He places a soft kiss on her bullet scar between them and looks up at her, their eyes meeting and saying everything that needs to be said.

He lets the passion through and open-mouth kisses the scar before latching onto her right breast. The moans she releases while he sucks arouse him. He flicks her hard nipple with his tongue a few times and pulls it with his lips. "Ohh god," she calls out. He switches to her left breast and inflicts the same pleasure, sucking and tonguing every inch. He tugs on her nipple, loving her sharp cry. He lathes it with his tongue and runs a hand down her body. She quivers and aches with the need for him to touch her, feeling his fingers trail her waist and tangle in her hairs. She also feels him rising and hardening against her thigh. She opens for him, and he releases her breast to watch her reaction when he slides a couple fingers over her folds and clit. He never wants to forget that look on her face, but he knows the best is yet to be seen.

He begins rubbing her clit, and she whimpers and cries out. He develops a steady rhythm and can tell it's enough for her. "Oh god, Rick!" There can't be anything sexier to him than hearing his name from her lips as he's getting her off. Fuck, and she's so wet for him.

He sucks on both her nipples, one at a time, and the combination of his talented mouth and fingers has her quickly reaching the edge with her hips rocking into him. His fingers pick up the pace, and she grips his shoulders. He lifts his head up to watch her, wondering silently if she's about to crash. "Ohmygod ohmygod…oh god…Rick," she pants.

"Wow, Kate, you've never looked more beautiful," he whispers.

Her whole body quakes as she falls apart, and she cries out his name over and over. He groans from one of her hands digging into him, her nails piercing his skin. He keeps his fingers on her as she rides out her waves of pleasure. Once she's calming down, he sits up and rests his hands on her thighs. She can't believe this just happened, that she actually had an orgasm from Castle's hands and lips on her. She's dreamed about it and imagined it several times, and now that it's happened, she never wants another man ever again.

Her breathing settles, and she eyes his hardness. "Looks like you're ready for me," she says in a sultry tone, reaching to graze him with her fingers.

"Mmmm! After doing that to you and watching you…hearing you… You're so sexy." He leans down and kisses her hungrily, settling on top of her. She feels him close between her legs and wraps her arms around him. He breaks away to ask, "Are you ready, though?"

"I can bounce back quick," she assures him.

"Is this position okay? You can be on top if you want."

"I would do it in any position with you," she states, kissing him with a brief swipe of her tongue.

"Mmmm…any." They share a smile before kissing again. He breaks away abruptly. "Condom! I have some." He's moving away to reach for one in his bedside drawer, but she drags him back. "Are you clean," she asks.

"Yes, I am. But…"

"I am too. And I can't get pregnant. Not with the IUD in me."

"Ohh. So we don't need…"

She shakes her head, smiling. "No, we don't."

He moans and kisses her again, savoring the feel and flavor of her as he aligns himself with her. He gazes into her eyes and says softly, "This is real." It's almost a question because this moment with her feels like a dream.

"This is real," she assures him. They kiss again as he enters her, loud moans escaping both of them. Her legs hook around him, and he thrusts slowly, letting her adjust to him.

Their lips separate, and every time he re-enters, she lets out a gasp or a moan. "How's it feel?" He wants to be sure she's enjoying it. "Fucking fantastic. You can speed up," she answers. He does, and her noises become louder. "God…Kate…you feel incredible," he moans. Her walls give him a squeeze, and he moans louder, making her feel good about doing that. She wants him to feel just as amazing as she does.

Both savor every movement, every thrust, every sound as they experience this "first" together. She loves how he feels inside her. A condom would've been so annoying. She often imagined herself on top, but that can happen later. They have all night and probably all of the next day, too. She certainly doesn't have anywhere to be, and she hopes he doesn't either. They can explore this new phase of their relationship together with hopefully lots more sex.

What they're experiencing now is better than any they've had before. He always knew they'd excel at this, and he wonders if she ever imagined it too. Every thrust into her and every clench of her walls are so intense. He speeds up more and pumps her harder. The intensity is driving him. Her nails pierce his upper back near his shoulders, and he groans. Her hips are trying to keep up with his, and she's nearing the edge quickly.

The love he's feeling for her is overpowering him, and he so badly wants to say it out loud, but she hasn't said it back. He doesn't want to do anything that makes her run away. She said she'll be here all night, but hopefully she isn't gone in the morning. He kisses her to express his feelings, and she gives it right back to him. Both feel his body shudder, and the kissing stops. "Are you…almost…"

"Yes," he answers. He kisses her again, bringing moans out of them both. He drags a hand between them to rub her clit, helping her reach the edge. "Oh my god, Rick," she exclaims, "OH RICK!" She tilts her head back, and he seizes the opportunity to suck on her neck. "Fuck," she gasps, "I'm…I'm…"

"Ohh Kate…oh Kate…Kate!" He's joining in her cries as he's about to lose control. A couple more clenches from her, and he's a goner. His thrusts are frantic as he fills her and rides out the wave of sexual bliss. She's right there with him – a quivering mess as she falls apart under him. They're calling out each other's name over and over and over, grateful that the loft is empty. She swears it's never been this intense before, but she was never in love with a person when having sex for the first time. Also, it's been quite a while for her. For both of them.

He's wishing it wasn't over yet as he finishes emptying himself. It was spectacular, and they can never have that first time again. He breathes heavily onto her neck, committing everything to memory. No matter how many more times they may have sex tonight, he doesn't want to forget this. Neither does she.

"Oh, Rick," she whispers before her legs collapse on the bed and she struggles to breathe. Her arms tighten around him. He's heavy on her, but she doesn't want them to separate.

"You're…clinging…" Of course he notices her not letting him go. He notices everything she does. She gives a simple response: "Mmhm." Her clinging feels good, especially since he never thought she'd be that way.

A couple minutes pass as their bodies begin calming down from the high. He eventually rolls off of her onto his back with a loud exhale. They lie side by side, absentmindedly staring at the ceiling while their breathing returns to normal.

She feels shy now. They've been pretty chatty tonight, to her surprise. She thought their first round would happen quickly, but with his incident, there was talking. And of course he had to be sure she wanted this. She hadn't exactly been openly pursuing him the way he was her. She was working on herself, and she lied about knowing he loved her. Their journey to this night was unconventional, but they made it here.

He sneaks a glance at her. How did this even happen? Her showing up and them diving into this together? This entire day was all over the damn place, and he can't believe they went from being partners to being over to this. "How…how did this happen?" He doesn't realize he's speaking aloud until she's turning onto her side and replying, "If I have to explain how two people attracted to each other go from kissing to lying naked in bed, then I'm extremely worried about how your brain is operating."

"I meant…you and me…after everything we went through today. How did we make it here?"

"Maybe call it fate?" Wow, his open-mindedness has rubbed off on her.

"Fate. I like that." He smiles, and as she inches closer, he holds an arm out. She's smiling as she snuggles into him, sliding an arm around his torso. He drags the covers up around them and holds her to him, thinking he's the luckiest guy alive. He had no idea she'd want to cuddle afterwards. "So…you uhm liked it?"

"Yeah," she replies softly, "It was amazing."

"For me too," he says.

She sighs and tells him, "I'm sorry I lied. About knowing. I wasn't…I couldn't process it. With everything else that happened…I wasn't ready to have that conversation. I needed to work on myself."

"You told me about the therapy."

"Dr. Burke has helped me so much. I kept seeing him after my psych exam to return to work after the shooting. And that wall I told you about… I hate that it was there in the first place, but now it's down. I'm here with you, and that's all that matters. You're the most important thing." She kisses his chest.

"Kate…wall or no wall, scars or no scars, with your flaws and your strengths…I have loved you and I do love you for all that you are. I accept you for you. I could never stop loving you." He takes a breath. "I am never putting any pressure on you to say it back, but saying it freely to you in a happier occasion makes me feel so good."

"Kinda feels good hearing it right now," she admits, beaming with joy.

He remains silent so as not to ruin the moment and potentially make her retreat into her shell, but the grin on his face says everything. This is their new beginning, and they couldn't be happier.