Playing Hard to Get
Chapter 19
Kate had bid a tearful goodbye to Lilly after taking her to the loft for the Castles to care for her while she went on vacation. Yes, she had listened to Castle suggest Christmas in Europe. However, it was her dad that got her to do it. She had spent most of her years in the NYPD working through Christmas. It was partly her gift to others since they had children and families, and she didn't. Plus, Christmas sort of reminded her of her mother's murder.
So here she was, sniffling in a taxi on her way home. She would miss her puppy even if she wasn't the size of her little puppy any longer. But, she was still hers, and Lilly greeted her like she loved her so much.
Yes, Kate took her to work each and every day, and when she had to leave the Precinct, she knew someone was taking good care of her. Though she had finally put her foot down over the number of treats the others were feeding Lilly. She didn't want her puppy to become overweight.
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Kate ended up at the airport a little earlier than she had planned, but it gave her time to sit at one of those restaurant places that sold coffee. She needed her favorite to calm her nerves – a grande skim latte with two pumps sugar free vanilla. It wasn't like she had never flown before, but it had been a while.
Added to that was that she had seen far too many air disaster episodes on TV lately, and literally everyone died in them with no exception. So, here she was, getting ready to board a plane for a trip across the pond.
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"You're sure this is a good idea, Dad?" Alexis knew exactly what he was doing. He had asked her if she was good with watching both dogs alone since he doubted that his mother would be much help.
"It's a great idea. One of my best." Rick closed his suitcase and began loading his soft carry-on, still debating if he should take his laptop. He knew his cell phone would work over there. It would just cost him more to use it. In the end, he decided to leave it behind because he could just use his phone.
Alexis reminded him of his last failure. "You thought sticking your nose into Kate's mother's case was a good idea too."
"That's different. This is just a vacation," Rick countered and picked up his suitcase after slinging his carry-on over his shoulder.
"You're still inserting yourself into her personal life." Alexis didn't see the difference.
"Nonsense. I just happen to be going to the same cities and staying in the same hotels. If Kate doesn't want to see me, she doesn't have to. Plus, it's Christmas in Amsterdam!" He was so looking forward to that.
Alexis tried one last thing to stop him. "You won't be here to open your Christmas presents."
"I have one word for you. Skype. Take good care of the puppies, Pumpkin." Rick kissed her cheek and then hurried toward the door. He was going to be cutting this really close, and that was assuming the TSA cooperated.
"I will, just be careful with her, please," Alexis asked as he left.
"It's me, what could go wrong?" Rick stepped into the hallway and headed for the elevator.
"You mean besides everything?" Alexis asked the door as she shut it. "What do you two think? Is Dad as good as dead? Go find your leash, and we can go for a walk," Alexis told at least her puppy and watched Dahlia take off looking for her leash. She had Dahlia trained. Alexis wasn't so sure about Lilly, but she had ten days to work on that.
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Kate had selected an aisle seat since looking out the window would mostly show her nothing but the Atlantic Ocean until they reached Great Britain and then back over the English Channel to reach Paris.
Unexpectedly, a flight attendant stopped at Kate's seat. "Miss Beckett?" He needed to make sure he had the right person.
"Yes?" Damn it! Something had gone wrong on her vacation before she had even started it. Kate cursed silently. She just knew she shouldn't have taken a vacation.
"You've been upgraded to First Class. If you will follow me, please." He turned to leave. Stunned, Kate finally snatched her purse from under the seat in front of her. Then she pulled her carry-on down, dragging it behind her and following the flight attendant.
"Your seat, Miss." He even helped Kate find a space for her carry-on. Now Kate was all set to sit down. Except… "Castle?" What the hell was he doing here?
"She'll take a glass of Champagne," Rick told the flight attendant.
Kate managed to sit down but didn't touch her seat belt. "What are you doing here?"
"Going on vacation. My partner at work decided to go on vacation, and I'm not following either Ryan or Espo around." Rick grinned at her. "Plus, my partner is a lot prettier than either of them."
"Let me guess, we're even staying in the same hotel room." She wouldn't put it past him.
"Excellent idea. Sadly, I didn't think of that. But no, I have my own room, and it's even in the same hotel. Don't worry. If you don't want me around, we just can work on missing each other. Besides, I was going to miss my partner, so I need a vacation too," Rick told her.
Kate hadn't made it much past hearing him say he was going to miss his partner.
"Here's your Champagne." The flight attendant handed a full glass flute to Kate. "Buckle your seat belt, please."
"What? Oh, right." Rick took the glass from Kate, and she buckled her seat belt.
"To vacations." Rick clinked his glass against hers and drank.
"How long have you been planning this, Castle?" Her bet was the very same day he planned hers for her. Maybe that was her first mistake.
"Yours? You know when I started planning yours. Mine, I started planning after Roy said yes to yours. He didn't need to say yes to mine since I don't work for the NYPD. And you know what the best part of this trip is?" Rick asked her.
"I know I'm going to regret this, but what's that?" Kate knew she had just opened up her big mouth.
"You're not armed on this trip." Rick grinned as he listened to Kate burst out laughing.
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Kate was still wide awake and was leafing through a cheap magazine she had bought for the trip. She had changed from Champagne to wine, and while it was nice enough, it wasn't the wine Castle had given her once but so far, had never served her again. She still wasn't sure how that wine had done what it did, but it made her giddy and maybe just an eensy bit horny. Kate turned her head to look at him. He was leaning against the body of the plane with a pillow under his head, sound asleep.
It gave her some time to stare at him and contemplate him. Between waking up naked next to him and everything else, and listening to Lanie questioning what she was waiting for, it gave her some time to look at him and ask herself what it really was she was waiting for.
Some of it was easy to answer. The man was a playboy and was famous. He had also been far too good to her. He sometimes knew just what she was thinking. Even she was starting to get pretty good at knowing what he was thinking.
He was a child, but she saw less and less of that lately. It still occurred, and she was betting it would never end. It was just who he was. But he was also incredibly kind and big-hearted. He had raised Alexis all alone, and look how wonderful she had turned out.
They had even made pretty good strides since he had inserted himself into her mother's case. She just needed to figure out what to do about it.
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Kate had learned to love flying First Class across the pond from New York City to Paris. The food wasn't bad. She didn't have to pay for the wine, Champagne, or hot towels. The only downside was that the flight attendant was FOREVER asking if she needed anything.
Kate hadn't even blinked when Castle used a Town Car to get them to the same hotel in Paris. Le Bristol Paris. Kate was even taken to her room and shown everything. And then, he up and left her. That left her wandering around yet again, looking over everything. "This is a hotel room?" She had been in hotel rooms before. This was not a hotel room.
Then there was a knock on her door. "Castle?" She watched him walk in and look around. He at least approved of the room. It was relatively similar to his.
"So, what's first, Kate? We're in Paris." She didn't say anything, so Rick tried again. "What's first?"
Kate was conflicted. "There's something I've always wanted. I want to be at the top of the Eiffel Tower during the day and again at night. This is the City of Lights."
"All right, then we'll go. We can find a nice streetside café for dinner, get a glass of wine, and maybe do some shopping. You said you liked shopping." Rick headed for the door, then stopped and waited for her.
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Kate didn't expect getting to the top of the Eiffel Tower would cost so much, yet Castle didn't even blink. However, once she was at the top, being here blew away the cost of getting here.
She stayed long enough to relish the view of Paris from up here. Now she couldn't wait to be up here again at night and see the city lights.
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They had found a place to sit, but it was inside since it was cold out. It was 42 degrees Fahrenheit outside. Thankfully, there wasn't much wind, so the windchill was down. Unfortunately, sitting outside on a patio was out of the question.
Rick had a glass of wine while she had a double shot of Espresso, and boy, was it strong! And hot. Rick raised his glass and saluted her. "Welcome to Paris."
Kate traced a pattern on the tablecloth with her finger and finally looked at him. "So, you decided to follow me all the way to Paris."
"When will you learn? I'm not just following you because I see Nikki Heat. I'm following you because you're extraordinary," Rick told her. "I don't know why you can't see what I can see."
"I'm a cop, Castle." Kate thought Castle was way out of her league. He should be dating someone else, not her.
"Yes, you are, aren't you? Don't you see, Kate? What it took to get you to this point is what makes you extraordinary. All the challenges you've overcome. What you've turned yourself into." Rick clearly saw something she didn't. Maybe she was just too close to it.
"I need more coffee." Kate didn't see what he thought he saw. She was just a cop who did her job.
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Dinner was completely French. That was what she was here for, after all, to eat and live as the French did. And to visit as many countries as she could while she was here. She thought her chances of ever being here again weren't good.
It was after dinner and this time, Kate paid to get them to the top of the Eiffel Tower. "This was my idea, and I'm buying, Castle." Kate felt gratified when he backed down and let her pay for it.
They had already chased the setting sun under the Avenue des Champs-Élysées. It alone was worth the effort to see. To see it and watch the sun set between those pillars was in and of itself magnificent.
Kate blindly reached for Castle as she looked out and saw the lights of the city. Most were gold, a few white, some green, and a touch of blue. Most of it seemed flat from way up here, but not all of it.
She finally felt Castle and slipped her arm through his. "Do you see it, Castle? Can you feel it talking to you?" It took effort, but Kate took her eyes off the lights and looked at him. He was gazing out at the lights, just as awe-struck as she was. She was glad she had let Castle talk her into this. Maybe she had been skeptical at first, but she was glad she was here now.
She got to see this and the awe of what he was looking at too. It struck her. Some voice in the back of her head that she had kept quiet for a long time, now suddenly said something to her. She didn't even think twice about it. Kate reached up, grabbed Castle's head, and pulled it down so she could kiss him. It took him a moment, but he was soon kissing her back.
Kate couldn't stop kissing him. It was a kiss that reached her, finding parts of her that she hadn't felt for a long time. When she broke from the kiss to stare at him, all she saw was the blackness of his eyes, eyes of lust. She crushed her lips to his, kissed him with as much force as she could, and forgot her surroundings.
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Kate was hiding her grin on the ride back down to the ground. Those two kisses had been amazing. It was just part of her was still battling with Castle being a child far too often to her liking. But she had learned so much about him over the last few months.
"More wine or more coffee?" Rick asked once they reached the ground.
"Wine, Castle, we're in France."
Rick smiled at her. "Liking Paris, are we?"
"So far," Kate replied.
"You kissed me," Rick reminded her.
Kate cocked an eyebrow. "Did I? I seem to recall that you kissed me."
"I've had enough wine," Rick said abruptly. "How about you? I seem to recall that you wanted to do some shopping."
"I did, didn't I?" Her brow creased as she looked around. "You don't think it's too late to go shopping?"
"Never know unless you try." Rick stood and offered his hand.
Kate looked at his hand, took it, and let him help her up. She kept his hand in hers as they began walking, looking for stores that were still open while looking for taxis. It was just around here, none of the taxis were yellow, and they all looked like Town Cars to her.
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It was closed, but Kate saw something while she walked with him hand in hand. She realized she liked being like this. It was a feeling of freedom. "Castle, do you see what I see?" Kate was staring right at it.
Rick blinked and looked at again; he recognized the label. "That's that wine you liked! Do you know I looked high and low for that wine but never saw another one like it?"
"If they have one, maybe they have more or can get it." Kate turned to look at him. "I really liked that wine."
Rick leaned down to kiss her. Since she had kissed him, he felt it only fair that he kissed her. "Then I'll buy every bottle they have once we're back in Paris. We travel to Brussels in the morning."
"We do, huh?" Kate knew he had followed her to Paris but was he going to be chasing her to all the other countries she had planned to visit as well?
"When will you learn, Kate? I go where you go."
It was late enough, that even in Paris not all that much still open. But Castle had used his phone so he would know exactly where the store with that wine was when they returned.
Right now, Kate found herself outside of her room and felt herself blushing. She shouldn't. She probably really shouldn't, but she was learning to like him. And Alexis was incredible, and she liked Martha too.
"Would you like to come in? There might be coffee somewhere in there."
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This section may be rated more "M" than "T" so reader discretion is advised. It will be a short one so you can scroll down if you like or just wait for the next chapter.
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Kate had her legs spread wide, and Castle had planted his face firmly between them. He had started by taking her entire core into his mouth, or so it looked as she lifted her head to see. The feeling was amazing. Men had given her pussy a passing fancy so that they could get her wet and fuck her, and truth be told, she liked being fucked.
But what Castle was doing was beginning to feel different. And then his tongue started working its magic. Kate soon alternated between arching her back and looking down at what he was doing to her. He wasn't just licking her pussy, he was doing far more. Then suddenly, he was doing something else. He was humming. No, not just humming, he was humming the "Star Spangled Banner"! That he would hum that song while eating her pussy made her giggle. That was until she felt the humming vibration hit her clitoris. "OH MY GOD!"
Kate drove the back of her head into the pillow and arched her back in an effort to get closer to that talented tongue of his. The second he reached, "O're the land of the FREE!"was when she screamed out her orgasm.
She was starting to calm down as Castle continued to tongue her outer lips and left her sensitive clitoris alone, thank god.
Kate went back to giggling. She had had orgasms before and faked her fair share, but she had never had an orgasm from someone humming a song against her clit.
Then she felt first one finger, then two fingers enter her, and damn if that didn't feel good! It was just she had climaxed, and she wanted to share the pleasure and give him a blow job. Kate took hold of some of his hair. "Castle."
Except he didn't stop with his fingers. Now he was moving them somehow. It was sudden, and she couldn't believe it. She blurted, "Castle, I need to pee!" Kate needed him to stop so she could get up and use the bathroom. "Castle?" He wasn't stopping.
Then the need to pee was gone and was replaced with something else – pleasure. It was a lot like when he was licking and humming against her clitoris, but different.
"GOD, CASTLE!" She could feel her orgasm building and building till she screamed again and felt the pulses of her orgasm wash over her body. And he wasn't even licking her clitoris! In fact, he wasn't all that close to it.
She was just starting to calm down from that one when another one started building. Somewhere during this orgasm, her mind almost completely shut down. She barely knew what was going on. What little her mind was following was that she was having an orgasm, followed by another. And then, yet another.
Her mind knew they were happening, but she had no control to even begin to ask Castle to stop. Her mind was going along for the ride as her body took over, and she just kept having orgasms. She didn't even notice that she was a wet mess. She was perspiring from every pore, and her pussy was leaving juices all over the sheets.
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It is now safer to read if you have scrolled down to this location. It may still be a bit "M" but not nearly enough so read with caution. Thank you.
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Kate was on her back, spread-eagled. She knew Castle was next to her, on his back, and still just as naked as she was. She had a hand over her heart and was willing it to slow down.
She knew she was a mess. She was still wet seemingly everywhere. She was even creating her own wet spot on the bed. She could feel that the muscles between her legs already ached, which was no great surprise. She didn't even know if Castle had been inside her, but everything down there was sore. A pleasant kind of sore, but still sore.
It had been months since she had been with a man, or anyone for that matter.
"Rick, what did you do to me?" She was pretty sure she remembered having orgasm after orgasm and couldn't even begin to stop them. She'd just let her body keep reacting to what he had done to her. She had no idea just how many she'd had. They just kept coming.
"I found your G SPOT." By now, Rick was spent and could barely move. No, he hadn't actually had sex with her. He still hadn't fucked her, or in his mind, made love to her. The two were mutually exclusive. One was pure lust, while the other was more love.
"I have a G SPOT!?" Kate had heard about it, but no one had ever found hers. Hell, no one had even tried, and yet Castle had found hers the first time they had sex. How did he do that?
"Next, I suppose you'll tell me I squirted everywhere." She had heard of that too but knew she had never done such a thing. She had even read about it and learned that it wasn't really urine or vaginal fluid to make penetration more comfortable and pleasurable. It was different.
"Rick?" He wasn't answering her. "No fucking way. I did that too?" Kate stayed just as she was because if she moved, the muscles at her core would complain even more. Kate stared at the ceiling. "You're serious?"
"You caught me by surprise," Rick admitted tiredly. "I'm pretty sure this bed is a mess."
"You are serious." Kate believed him but didn't believe she was capable of either. Nothing like that had ever happened before. "Um, Castle... Just how many orgasms did I have?" She didn't know. She just knew she couldn't stop them or him.
"I have no idea. I just know it was a lot. My fingers are cramping, and I think my tongue's broken."
The very idea made Kate smile, and then she started laughing. "OW, OW, OW!" Laughing was stretching something, and it hurt. "Don't make me laugh." Kate was down to giggling, which didn't hurt nearly as much.
"I think we should probably move to my room," Rick told her. "The bed there is nice and dry."
Kate began laughing again. "OW, OW, OW!"