Chapter 6

When she got back to her chambers after the court session, Kate robotically removed her gown and stored it away neatly in the nearby closet. She had just sat down at her desk when she heard a knock on her door.

"Yes?" she called out.

Castle opened the door and ambled in gingerly, slowly approaching her desk that was located on the far side of the room. Beckett eyed him up and down, observing his cautious demeanor as he approached.

"Um, hi, Beckett. You said I could come get my phone after court?"

"Yes, that's right Mr. Castle. Why don't you have a seat?" she gestured to one of the chairs before her.

Castle shifted his weight from one foot to the other, considering his options.

"Uhh, no thanks," he declined politely. "I think I'm good here."

He thought it would be best to maintain a good amount of distance from the stunning judge. Not that he was afraid of her. All 110 lb of her soaking wet. That certainly wasn't it.

Beckett narrowed her gaze at him, displeased by his insolence. Castle kept his eyes trained on her as she stood up and rounded the desk to meet him at the spot where he was standing. She moved with elegant and fluid precision, like a lioness stalking her prey.

Since she was no longer sporting her judge's robe, he could now see her outfit underneath. She was wearing a loose, cream-colored blouse and a conservative black pencil skirt that accentuated her tiny waist. Her long wavy brunette hair was tied in a neat, low bun. A stray strand of hair dangled around her face so tantalizingly that he was just dying to tuck behind her ear.

She was also wearing a pair of pointy black heels, the kind he always associated with mean school teachers and strict disciplinarians. Beckett was a very tall woman to begin with, but in stilettos she almost matched him perfectly in height.

Castle gulped as she came dangerously close, meeting him eye-to-eye. He could have sworn she smelled like cherries. He wondered if it was her shampoo or lip gloss.

She was a formidable presence to be reckoned with, both inside and outside the courtroom, for sure. Her whole ensemble definitely awakened some latent fetish for bossy female authority figures that lay dormant in him.

"Mr. Castle, I'd like to have a word about your behavior in my courtroom," Beckett began in a stern voice that matched her glare.

"I expect a certain level of professionalism from my attorneys. This is a serious place of business where justice and due process are carried out, not some pomp and circumstance. Your little act may work on some other judges, but I will not continue to tolerate the kind of antics you pulled in the courtroom today," she scolded.

She knew she was being particularly harsh on him, but she was growing tired of his incessant flirting and general monkeying around. He needed to start taking things seriously and show some respect in her courtroom.

Castle could see her lips moving and hear words coming from her mouth, but he couldn't understand a thing. He could barely concentrate—she was really hot when she was mad.

"Excuse me?" Beckett said sharply. Castle's eyes went wide.

Oh shit, did he say that part out loud? Now he'll probably be getting another lecture on sexual harassment.

Beckett groaned. This man clearly had no filter between his brain and his mouth.

"Mr. Castle, are you even listening? Have you heard a word I've said?" she raised her voice.

"Yeah, um, something about pom-poms and the circus?" he tried feebly. Had she mentioned monkeys too at one point? He wasn't sure. Her lips were way too distracting.

"Oh my god," Beckett exclaimed, massaging her temples with her fingers. He could practically see the fumes coming out from her nostrils now.

"This is exactly what I'm talking about. You don't take anything seriously."

"I am being serious!" he argued.

"That was you being on your best behavior?" she challenged. Indignation and fury were brewing in her stomach.

"You're the one who's all bossy and overbearing!"

"Oh, so now I'm the unreasonable one?" she scoffed. He was really getting on her last nerve.

"No, that's not what I meant," Castle groaned in frustration, running a hand down his face raggedly.

Beckett pursed her lips and closed her eyes, barely able to contain her outrage. "You are an insufferable, immature, incorrigible…" she punctuated each word with a jab of her index finger on his firm chest. She was positively apoplectic at this point.

If there's two things Judge Beckett hated, it was disrespect in her courtroom and annoyingly handsome defense attorneys. Rick Castle was the harbinger of both.

"Hey!" Castle cried indignantly. "I resent that."

"UGH!" Beckett shrieked in frustration.

Her hand shot out to grab him by the earlobe and tugged hard, pulling him towards her. She must have yanked a little too hard, catching him off guard, because he lost his balance and stumbled into her. He grabbed the first thing he could get for support, which happened to be her hips, drawing her in close. Her face broke his fall, and somehow his mouth ended up on hers for one fleeting, momentous second. As if on instinct, her eyes fluttered closed when she felt his lips meet hers and she kissed him involuntarily.

He could barely register what was happening when Kate gasped and shoved him back in shock, her face petrified with mortification. Rick struggled to regain his balance, awkwardly maneuvering his body to remove himself from her. She touched her fingertips to her lips where his mouth had been pressed against hers, feeling a tingling sensation that lingered on the tender flesh. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment, the pink hue coloring her face all the way down her neck.

When she finally braved a glance at him, she saw that Castle looked equally as stunned by the surprise kiss. Rick gaped inanely, his brain unable to form words much less string together a complete sentence.

"I think we're done here," Beckett huffed, putting some distance between them. Castle just stood there, frozen in shock, trying to comprehend what had just happened.

She tried to mentally will him to disappear, but as she didn't have any Jedi mind tricks, Castle continued to hover around like the annoying shadow he was.

"Um, Beckett," he started, clutching at his ear.

"What?" she snapped.

"Can I get my phone?" he squeaked.

Beckett plucked the device off her desk, shoved it into his hand, and then turned around, signaling the finality of their conversation with her body language. Speechless, Castle exited her office in a haze of confusion.

A/N: Hehe, she smooched him. Poor guy just wanted his phone back.