FACE TO FACE
CHAPTER 3

As tempted as she was, Kate didn't call. She didn't even put his number in her phone; no, the book went to the back of her closet, and the memory of her latest encounter with Rick Castle remained tucked in her mind.

As the days and weeks passed, she and Chris fell into a routine. Their sex life started to wane, she noticed, but she hesitated to suggest another party. Not because she was afraid that Rick wouldn't be there; no, she was worried that he would be, and that she wouldn't be able to keep her desire for him a secret.

Rick was in her mind more and more, invading her fantasies, in her thoughts even when she and her boyfriend made love. She hadn't said Rick's name in front of Chris, thank God, but it was probably just a matter of time. She very briefly considered calling him - maybe seeing him would get him out of her system - but as soon as the thought was in her mind she expelled it.

No, that would cross the line. She and Chris had agreed: sleeping with others was okay only at a party. And they would only go to the parties together. Both of them agreed, or neither of them acted.

No, seeing Rick wasn't an option.

Until she saw the message on Chris's phone.

She was cleaning up after dinner, Chris in the shower after yet another late night at the office, when she heard his phone ping several times. She dried her hands then grabbed his phone, intending to take it to him in case the messages were urgent. But when it vibrated in her hand and she glanced down out of reflex, she almost dropped it.

The messages weren't from work. Or family, or any other number she recognized.

Can't wait until tomorrow.

I can still taste you.

I'm so wet for you.

Kate's knees gave out when the picture message came in, and she collapsed against the wall when a naked - and familiar - body appeared on the screen.

It wasn't bad enough that he was obviously cheating on her. But he was seeing - and having some very explicit exchanges by the looks of it - none other than the redhead ex-girlfriend of one Rick Castle.

Kate didn't remember seeing Chris and Meredith together at the first party, although they easily could have been when she was otherwise occupied. She scrolled back in their conversation, her eyes filling with tears as the messages just kept going. They'd been talking for weeks. She couldn't tell when they started sleeping together, but judging by the pictures exchanged, it had been quite some time, even when Meredith was still with Rick.

When Kate finally reached the first message - a seemingly innocent Nice to meet you last night text from him to her - she gasped at the timestamp. It had been sent the day after their first party.

"Motherfucker," Kate whispered under her breath as the phone slid from her grasp and hit the floor with a soft thud.

Three months. He'd been seeing her all fucking summer. Kate had gone to two swinger parties for them, and for all the "we're doing this together" lip service he gave her, he was giving someone else dick service.

She didn't hear the shower stop, didn't hear him approach, and jumped when he spoke her name.

"Babe, are you okay?"

She looked up at him, barely registering the towel hanging low on his hips, his fit, slim torso. But she didn't see the attractive man that she'd shared her life with for three years. No, now she only saw a cheating bastard who had gone back on his word and obviously showered to get another woman's scent off him.

Kate picked up his phone and held it out to him. "Here. You've been getting messages. They look important."

Chris didn't move as she walked past him, and she didn't turn around, not even when she heard him curse.

He caught up with her as she crossed into their bedroom, grabbed her arm to get her to stop. "Wait, babe, it's not what you think."

"It's not what I think?" Kate repeated, incredulous at his words. "Tell me, what should I think? What should I think when I accidentally see messages from another woman about how bad she wants to fuck you? What should I think, Chris, when I see the pictures you've exchanged?"

Chris lifted his hands. "She was having a hard time-"

Kate scoffed. "Right. And you had to comfort her with your dick."

"You were okay with us sleeping with others at the parties," Chris argued. "How is this different?"

"How is this-" Kate gaped at him. "You're kidding, right? The difference is, we went to those parties together. We agreed to them,together. And one of our rules was, we had to have each other's permission." She pointed at his phone. "You do not have my permission for that, Chris. No, you know what?" She shook her head, then retrieved her overnight bag from her closet. "It doesn't matter now. Because we're over."

Chris grabbed the bag and tried to pull it from her when she started to fill it with clothes. "What are you doing?"

Kate paused long enough to look in his eyes as she answered. "I'm breaking up with you. We're over. I'm going to stay somewhere else tonight. When I come home tomorrow, you'll be gone. I don't care where you go. But I want you out of my apartment."

"It's my apartment too."

"Actually," she corrected him, "no it isn't. We never got around to adding you to the lease, remember?" When she went back in the closet, she spotted her copy of the latest Rick Castle book, the one with his phone number, and grabbed it.

Maybe now was the time to call him.

It occurred to her after she walked out the door that she should have made Chris leave, especially since the apartment was technically hers. But she was in such a blind rage that she didn't care, especially didn't want to look at his cheating face, so she just kept going. She wasn't sure where to go; her best friend lived in a coat closet of an apartment with barely enough room for one person, and she didn't know any of her other co-workers well enough.

It was light enough that she could read the inscription in the book with ease, the phone number written in Sharpie that she had no business calling. But she punched it in anyway, and as her finger moved to the green call button, she crossed her fingers, took a deep breath, and prayed to whomever was listening that he wouldn't think it was weird.

"Hello?"

Kate's mouth went dry at the deep, familiar husk of Rick Castle's voice. Suddenly she couldn't breathe, and her legs trembled. Get a hold of yourself, goddammit. "Hi, is this Rick?" she finally managed to ask, feeling silly. Of course it was him. He was the only man she'd ever met who could get her wet with just one word.

On the other end of the call, he cleared his throat. "Yeah, who is this?"

Kate rolled her eyes at herself. Duh. "Uh, it's Kate. From the - um, from the book signing a few weeks ago. I'm sure you don't remember, but you wrote your number in the book." she pressed her palm against her forehead. He could have given his number to everyone at that signing. "I think we met a couple months ago?"

Discretion, Kate.

Rick gave a noncommittal um. "Kate. Tall and skinny brunette?"

She could hear the lilt in his voice, the slight tease, and she muttered a curse. He knew exactly who she was, the teasing bastard. "Yeah. Listen, I know this is random and more than a little presumptuous. I totally understand if you say no. But I kinda walked out on my boyfriend and I need a place to stay tonight." She continued before he could respond. "Actually, never mind. I'll find a hotel-"

"Kate," Rick interrupted her, his voice stopping her in her tracks. "Don't bother with a hotel. You're welcome to stay here. I'll come get you."

"No, I'm out in Brooklyn. Send me your address, I'll take a cab."

"Kate, I'm picking you up. What's your address?"

She rolled her eyes, but gave in, and confirmed the address when he repeated it back to her. Part of her knew that she should be careful, that his public and private personas could be very different, and giving him her address could be a mistake. But for reasons she couldn't quite put into words, she trusted him.

A dark blue Mercedes pulled to the curb a short time later, and she lifted her hand in a wave when she recognized him behind the wheel. Rick turned the flashers on, ignoring the angry honks of cars behind him, and got out of the car. He stood in front of Kate, hands shoved in the pockets of his low-slung jeans. "Hey."

Kate lifted the corners of her mouth in what she hoped resembled a smile. "Hi. Thank you so much, you have no idea how grateful I am. I know how weird it is."

Rick shook his head and reached for her bag. "I'm happy to help." He put her bag in the backseat and opened the passenger door.

"Hopefully I didn't inconvenience you too much," Kate said when Rick slid back into the car and pulled into traffic. "I wasn't really thinking when I called, I just saw your number and dialed."

Rick glanced at her with a smile. "Seriously, don't worry about it. I wasn't doing anything anyway."

"Really? You didn't have to cancel a hot date?"

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Kate regretted them. He was just a few weeks removed from what had appeared to be a bad breakup. Canceling a hot date wasn't something to joke about with a recently single relative stranger.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have - it's none of my business."

"It's fine." Rick was silent for the drive, however, offering only a "Here we are" when he pulled onto his street twenty minutes later. Aside from a quip about how heavy her bag was when he retrieved it from the backseat, they were both silent on the elevator ride to his floor.

"This is it," Rick announced when they approached his door, unlocking it and stepping to the side so Kate could pass him.

She couldn't help but gape at the apartment. No, apartment wasn't the right word. It didn't convey the luxury and grandeur of the large space. She was brought out of her stupor by Rick brushing past her, nudging her shoulder lightly.

"You have a really nice place," she said, a little breathless. Thanks to large inheritances from her parents and grandparents, her Brooklyn Heights apartment was much nicer than most of her colleague's. But it was nothing compared to Rick's.

Rick shrugged. "Yeah, I've done well. Made some good investments. I lucked out with my financial advisor." He took off his shoes and motioned for her to follow him. "Come on, I'll show you around. Have you eaten dinner? I can order something if you're hungry."

"Thank you, but I ate already." Kate set her bag down and followed him, only half-listening to his tour. She'd had dinner, all right. Chris had texted her that he'd be late again, so she'd eaten alone, and he'd come home just as she was finishing up. He'd foregone a kiss to greet her, claimed that his own dinner had been heavy on the garlic and he wanted to clean up.

And she'd believed him. She'd believed the lying bastard.

Kate let her gaze drop to Rick's backside as she followed him upstairs, and she clenched her fingers, longing to know what his ass would feel like. How his whole body would feel, really, since she'd barely even touched him aside from literally running into him at her first party.

But it wasn't the right time; gone was the teasing tone in Rick's words and the glint in his eye, and all thanks to her.

When Rick showed her the guest room and bathroom, and turned to go back downstairs, Kate touched his arm. "What did I say?"

Rick sighed, his shoulders slumping, almost defeated. "Well, you probably know I recently broke up with my girlfriend. It was…" He paused. "Well, not great. So no, I didn't have a 'hot date' tonight. I don't think I'm ready to date yet."

Kate sighed and set her bag down, leaned against the doorframe. "I was trying to be funny, and it fell flat. I'm sorry."

"Thanks." He stared at her for a long moment, then turned away again. "I'll let you get settled then."

Kate nodded, lost in her thoughts about how a man who had flirted with her so openly while on the heels of the breakup was the same man that was almost sullen after the mere mention of a hypothetical date. When she opened her bag and saw his book staring at her, she grabbed it and went downstairs. "So what about this?" she asked sharply, opening to the cover page and showing him the inscription. "'Come again soon.' Your phone number. Flirting at the signing. They're kinda mixed signals, Rick."

"You're right." Rick motioned for her to follow him, and he led her to the kitchen. "Do you drink wine? Or would you prefer a vodka martini?"

Kate blinked, confused at the left turn of the conversation, and how he remembered what she'd drank so many weeks before. "I drink wine." When he handed her a glass she took a long drink, closing her eyes and smiling around the rim of the glass, moaning at the lush burst of flavor on her tongue. When she swallowed and opened her eyes, she saw Rick staring at her, his eyes dark and stormy, lips slightly parted. She blinked at him. "What?"

Rick took the glass from her hand and set it on the counter. "You said you broke up with your boyfriend?" he asked, stepping closer to her.

She stayed rooted in her spot, her eyes locked with his as he stalked towards her. "Yeah," she managed to whisper, her voice cracking on the word.

Rick stopped mere inches from her, and his gaze dropped to her mouth. "How do you feel about rebound sex?"

Kate gasped at his forward question and felt her cheeks flush, a new wave of arousal in her core. "Why?" she retorted, trying to sound like she was flirting. "Are you offering?" It sounded more desperate, she thought vaguely, but her mind went blank as soon as his mouth was on hers.

They'd never kissed, she realized as he descended on her, as his hands bracketed her jaw and his lips slowly caressed hers. They'd skipped it before, but when he nipped at her bottom lip and soothed the sting with his tongue, she forgot everything else.

She grabbed his shirt and moaned at the touch of his tongue to hers, and the noise seemed to trigger something in him. Before she knew it he had turned them around, and she was pressed against the counter, the cool granite against her back a stark contrast to the heat unfurling low in her belly.

He groaned when she locked her arms around his neck, pulling herself to her toes, her body flush against his. His hands dropped to her ass and he held her to him, and she gasped, rolled her hips. She could feel his erection pressing against her, and she longed for it, wanted to see it, touch it, taste it.

"Fuck," he grumbled when she hooked one leg around his thigh, and he snapped his hips forward, grinding against her. His hands drifted from her ass to slide under her shirt, and he gripped the hem, managed to pull his mouth from hers long enough to lift it over her head.

Before he could remove any more clothes she nudged him back, took his hand, and turned towards his bedroom.

"Wanna give me another tour?" she quipped, shimmying her ass as she led him.

He unhooked her bra as they walked, and she let it flutter to the floor, shed her pants in his office. When she crossed into his bedroom and turned, he was shirtless and undoing his belt. She covered his hands with hers and helped, pushed down his jeans and boxers in one smooth motion.

She followed him towards the bed, and she nudged his shoulder, prompting him to sit. As soon as he sat down her lips were around his tip, and he groaned, his hips lifting, his cock filling her mouth.

She dragged her tongue along the underside of his length, took as much of him as she could, stroked his base in tandem. She added a slight twist of the wrist, and she felt him shift, glanced up to see him leaning back in his hands, watching her with a dark gaze.

It made her grin as she descended again. Using his own precum and her saliva she stroked him, her forearm flexing as she pumped harder, faster. Before long he was lifting his hips into her touch, his cock growing and pulsing. She dragged her tongue along the thick vein that ran the length of his shaft, and he threaded his fingers through her hair, gasped out a warning just before he jerked and climaxed, spilling on his stomach.

Kate ignored the slight disappointment that he hadn't finished in her mouth, but she had a feeling there would be other opportunities for that. Instead she slid up his body, her mouth trailing along his torso. By the time she reached his mouth she could feel him, still hard, pressing against her leg.

She hesitated to kiss him - none of the guys she'd been with wanted to kiss her after she'd pleasured them - but Rick gripped the back of her neck and pulled her down to meet his mouth in a bruising kiss. Her lips parted on a moan when his hand cupped her heat, one finger sliding easily through her soaked folds.

"You're so wet," Rick groaned, and he nudged her to her back, hovered over her. "I haven't been able to stop thinking about you," he said against her skin, almost a moan. "I want to taste you," he continued, trailing his mouth down her body as he spoke, "and make you come with just my fingers." With his words he thrust two fingers inside of her, pressed his thumb against her clit as he pumped his hand.

Kate arched off the bed at the sudden sensation of his fingers filling her and the perfect pressure against her bundle of nerves. His teeth scraped against the soft skin of her breast and she gasped, her hands flying up to bury themselves in his hair. She nudged him to the side, silently begging him for more, and he obeyed, drew her nipple between his teeth, and tugged. She arched into his touch, her hips jerking wildly, and she cried out as it became too much, as she spasmed around his fingers, her whole body bursting in a white hot explosion.

Rick didn't let up; he continued to thrust even through her climax, and he released her nipple, slid down and replaced the thumb on her clit with his mouth. She gasped and arched again, but it was both too much and not enough, and even as one orgasm rolled into another she wanted more, needed more. She tugged his hair, managing to meet his eyes when he glanced up at her, his mouth still attached to her clit. He lifted his head, letting go with an obscene pop.

"What?" he husked, but when he started to lower his head to her, she tugged again.

"Please," she almost whined, and he grinned and pulled his hand away.

He slid up her body, taking his time, trailing his mouth along her skin. He paid special attention to her breasts, nipping, laving, grinning against her skin with every gasp and arch. Finally - finally - when he almost pulled her over the edge he reached towards the nightstand.

As he tore open a condom packet her hand drifted to her core, and she arched as she slicked a finger through her swollen folds. When he didn't move she opened her eyes, saw him watching her, condom in one hand, his other hand stroking himself, his fist a blur.

She shook her head and reached for him. "Nuh-uh. Don't even think about it." She took the condom from him and rolled it over his shaft, then laid back down, beckoned for him. "You're not getting out of fucking me."

Rick grinned and propped himself on his elbows, cradled his hips between hers. "I wouldn't dare," he grumbled.

They both moaned when he entered her, slowly, paused for a few moments when he was fully inside her.

Kate lifted her hips in encouragement, her hands curling around his back as he began to thrust. He set a frantic pace, and she gasped, gripped his shoulders, felt the beginning tugs of orgasm already. She wouldn't last, but judging by his erratic movements, neither would he.

The room filled with the sounds of their coupling - grunts and gasps, the loud slap of skin, the persistent squeak of the bed. She curled her legs around his waist, her hips lifting in time with his, and she cried out when he dropped his hands to her ass, held her off the bed as he continued to pound into her.

If she looked down she could see where they were joined, could watch him move in and out. But when he withdrew all the way and teased her with his fingers she arched, hands gripping the sheet, a whimper escaping at the loss of his cock. She was so, so close, and she was sick of his teasing, needed him to just let loose.

"Goddammit, Rick," she barked, reaching for him. "Stop fucking around."

He grinned and gripped himself, threw his head back with a groan when he guided his cock back into her waiting core. When her eyes drifted shut he gripped her chin. "Look at me," he gasped as his hips pistoned.

She managed to lock her eyes with his, his normal bright blue color dark and stormy. She gasped when he shifted, not going as deep but brushing his pelvis against her clit and she arched against him, her head falling back, unable to control the roll of her hips as the dam finally burst and she spasmed around him.

He grunted and gripped her hips, his fingers bruising, but he pushed deep, his hips jerking with his own climax. When his shudders finally stopped he withdrew and collapsed at her side, his chest heaving.

Kate felt the mattress shift when he got up, and when she heard the soft pad of his feet upon his return, she turned her face towards him, lifted her lips in a smile. Her whole body felt like jelly, but she managed to turn to her side when he dropped to the bed.

"I'm sorry I gave you mixed signals," Rick said in a quiet voice, his fingers tucking her hair behind her ear with a tender touch, a surprising contrast to the primal actions they'd just completed.

"I was still hurt from the break-up when I saw you at the book signing," he admitted. "But as soon as I recognized you, all I wanted to do was drag you someplace private and fuck you senseless."

Kate chuckled and shifted to her back. "Funny, I had the same thought."

"You know what I did about it?" Rick laid down next to her, propped himself on an elbow, and traced lazy circles on her arm. "I jerked off in the bathroom after. I couldn't even wait to get home."

Kate felt her skin flush at his words. They'd just had amazing sex, but she was ready again, could feel new arousal coating her thighs. "I rushed home," she breathed, turning towards him, hooking her leg around his, straddling him, rolling her hips against the hard muscle of his thigh so he could feel how wet she was. "I was so horny I could barely see straight." She nudged her nose against his, smiled at his strangled groan as she continued rolling against him. She could totally get off like this, she thought.

"My panties were soaked," she murmured against his mouth. "I just leaned against the door and touched myself." She sank her teeth into his bottom lip, tugging, then drew it into her mouth to soothe it with her tongue. "It took me ages to read your book. I kept thinking about you. Kept needing to stop reading to get myself off."

Her breath caught in her throat when he gripped her ass, encouraging her, helping the insistent roll of her hips. She was close, just needed a little more, and she cupped her breast, pinched her nipple.

Rick flexed his thigh and she cried out, her thighs clenching around his leg, her arousal coating his skin as she came. His cock flinched, but he didn't move, just guided her through her climax, his eyes locked on hers.

Her whole body trembled with aftershocks, and she collapsed against him, felt him roll to his back with his arms around her. The thought crossed her mind that she should get up, at least clean herself, but she was exhausted. The roller coaster of the previous hours finally caught up with her, and she drifted off to sleep.