Slow Burn

Chapter 12

Kate stops humming to herself and her spine stiffens at the sound of Lanie's voice. She paints on a smile before she slowly turns towards her friend. All she can think as she looks at Lanie is that this is their thing, hers and Castle's, for now at least. She feels protective of it, wants to guard it selfishly. She doesn't want to lose the special feeling that they are in this exclusively now, not when it's still so nascent and so hard won.

So she lies to her friend.

She lies to her friend and, even though it's only by admission, she hates doing it. But she and Castle have an agreement: they're not about to usurp Kevin and Jenny on their big day, to overshadow their joyful celebration as will surely happen if the writer and the detective announce their own happy news. More importantly, she realizes for the first time that she is not willing to decide this for Castle on the spur of the moment, or because her friend has her cornered. They are a couple now, an engaged couple. Couples decide things together.

Her heart beats faster as she allows herself to experience what all of this does to her body, how exciting, how freeing, how much future lies ahead for them. She feels greedy for it as much as she fears breaking it or having it broken for her by outside forces. She's loved before, she's been here before, this is her greatest fear, the one that has held her back from forging a serious lasting bond with any man since her mother was ripped out of her life.

Kate can only hope that this rush of emotion isn't showing on her face when she breezily says, "Hey, Lanie," trying first to take the simplest way out: by ignoring her friend's questions altogether. "Didn't see you there."

This tactic doesn't work. Lanie has her detective radar pinging and she's determined to find the source of the intrigue.

"I'll bet. Mm-hm," she mutters, her tone full of sass. "So what gives? Writer boy drop to one knee since the last time we spoke? You two looked awful cosy just now."

With the smile practically tattooed to her face by this point, Kate says, "We're talking. And more to the point, we're having fun. How about you? How are you and Javi doing?" She dodges around Lanie to scope out the bar and the hallway beyond on the pretense of looking for Esposito when in truth she's looking for Castle. "Where did he get to anyway?"

Lanie smirks. "Who? Javier or Rick?"

"Either? Both?" Kate fans herself. The bar is hot and crowded, but she's also feeling the heat of self-loathing because she hates keeping her friend in the dark. "I could really do with another drink."

"I'll bet you could," Lanie says with a sly tone.

This pushes her buttons and Kate finally succumbs. She takes the bait and then kicks herself for doing so. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Kate Beckett, I am your best friend. I know you, girl. Now, are you gonna spill what's being going on with you and Castle? Or do I have to get Javier to torture it out of him?"

Kate finally resorts to a blatant lie. "Nothing's going on," she insists, with her fingers crossed behind her back. "We're enjoying each other's company, that's all."

"You're honestly telling me that Richard Castle hasn't mentioned marriage once since you came to see me last night? How is that even possible? The man has zero self-restraint."

Kate's mouth falls open and she stumbles over what to say. Defending her secret fiancé is the instinct that kicks in. "Castle has self-restraint. He does," she insists when Lanie rolls her eyes. "When it counts."

"Mm." Lanie makes a grudging sound of agreement. "Well, I guess he managed to hold back for four years while you flirted with him and paraded your boyfriends in and out. I will give him that."

Kate is shocked by the bluntness of her friend's assessment, however accurate it may be. "Lanie!" she exclaims.

Before either woman can say another word, Castle reappears with a smile a mile wide and a glass of Champagne in each hand. And now he's the one who is happily humming. He hands a glass to Kate, sharing a brief, questioning and naturally telepathic look with her, before offering the second glass to Lanie. When the M.E. refuses, Castle gladly takes a sip for himself, but not before clinking his glass against Kate's in a wordless, private toast.

Lanie watches them making eye contact over the rims of their glasses of bubbly. The shared exchange is significant and exclusive. She shakes her head, mutters something about "eye sex," makes a huffing sound then departs under the pretext of going to find Esposito.

"I think they're about to call us into dinner," Castle calls after her. "See you inside." He turns to Kate, baffled. "Did I offend her? Or…did I interrupt something?"

Kate leans into his side, releasing a long sigh. "She knows something's up. She grilled me about us. When I wouldn't give up our secret, she went in a mood. Don't sweat it. We're doing the right thing." She bumps Castle's shoulder. "Besides, I'm enjoying having this time to ourselves while we're the only ones who know."

"So today's lesson is that some secrets can be good secrets?" Castle asks.

Kate ponders his statement for a second before she grins and says, "Only if you share them with me."

Castle touches the rim of his glass to Kate's for the second time. "You've absolutely got yourself a deal, future Mrs. Richard Castle."

Kate says nothing, but her eyes are shining when he turns to look at her. "Too much?" he asks uncertainly.

She shakes her head but doesn't speak. Her top lip is trapped between her teeth. Castle strokes her wrist by keeping his glass close to hers. "Everything okay? You okay, Kate?"

She nods, her throat still too choked to speak.

"Talk to me, Beckett?" Castle pleads. "Is it the Mrs. Richard Castle thing? That was dumb. I'm sorry. You're a homicide detective and a feminist. Of course, you're not going to take my name. This isn't 17th Century England. You're not my property."

Finally, Kate swipes at a tear and gulps enough air to say something. "It's not about taking your name, Castle. I'll take your name. In our private lives at least. I'd be honored to."

For a moment, Castle is awestruck. He struggles to respond, choked just as Kate had been, but then curiosity and concern get the better of him. "Then what? I've clearly upset you."

Kate reaches out to skim his arm, shaking her head as she does so. "No, Rick. No. You haven't upset me. I'm just…" She laughs at how ridiculous she's being, how emotional. "I'm happy," she admits with a shrug and something of an embarrassed smile. "You make me happy."

Before Castle can gather his wits to reply, a member of hotel staff is ringing a little brass bell to get their attention. The noise is insistent and irritating as a wasp. "Ladies and gentleman, if you wouldn't mind making your way into the dining room and taking your seats. The bride and groom would like you to join them for dinner."

The bar dissolves into the happy chaos of people cheering at mention of the newly-married Ryans before the stampede to find their places in the large function room full of tables ensues. They are the only people who remain still amid the chattering, moving mass.

Castle takes Kate's champagne glass and gently sets it down on the bar along with his own, then he takes her by the hand and leads her off into a corner where they are partially concealed behind a pillar.

He slides his arm around her waist and draws her closer. "You make me so far beyond happy, Kate," he tells her earnestly. "Seriously. You have no idea how happy you make me."

Kate smiles and leans into his embrace. She loops her arms around his neck while everyone else is too preoccupied to care. "I'm starting to understand," she says, nodding. "I feel it, too. I do."

"Practicing your lines already?" Castle points out with a wiggle of his eyebrows and a cheeky grin.

She laughs when she smacks his chest, but he only holds her tighter.

Kate gazes up at his face, allowing herself a moment to roam over its familiar contours and lines without fear of being caught staring or called out for enjoying him. "Let's not wait too long," she says, surprising the heck out of Castle and maybe even surprising herself a little.

He scrambles to reply. "I'm with you one hundred percent on that one." Then he pretends to look past her, dodging his head back and forth, rising on his tiptoes. "You think the priest is still here?"

Kate laughs. "There's free food and drink, I'm guessing that's a yes."

"So, we go find him and…"

Kate pats his chest. "Slow your roll, cowboy. We agreed. Give Kevin and Jenny their day. Then…when the dust has settled and we have some time to talk about how we want this to go, we can have ours."

"How long does dust take to settle?"

"Not long," Kate says seriously. "I promise. Not long. Okay?"

Castle nods even as he sighs long and hard. "Okay."

They turn to leave, but Kate stops them when a thought occurs to her. "Wait. Did you fix the room?"

Castle's face breaks into a grin. "That's what I came rushing in here to tell you. But then Lanie was giving me evils so I couldn't. It's all arranged. Kev and Jenny get the bridal suite and we're in the Presidential Suite. Though I'm pretty sure no president has ever stayed in a hotel on Staten Island."

Kate laughs. "You did a good thing. They'll be thrilled by the upgrade. What better way to spend their honeymoon night."

"Or ours," he adds, eyebrows dancing. "Speaking of the bride and groom, we should go in. You don't want to miss Kev's big entrance."

But Kate holds Castle firmly in place. "Not before I do this." She closes her eyes, tilts her head slightly and leans in just a fraction more, brushing her lips gently over his, breathing softly, not quite a kiss more of a suggestion.

Castle's arms tighten around her in response, pulling her flush against him. His body feels muscular, hard and solid against hers, and the flash of arousal this causes catches her unawares. When she hears him sigh so wistfully at this almost kiss, she throws decorum to the wind and rises on her heels, winding her arms more tightly around his neck, opening her mouth to tease him with the tip of her tongue. This time he grunts, darting his tongue out to stroke against hers. A handful of pounding heartbeats later, this tease, a delicious taster charged by champagne, is too much and not nearly enough. He loses control, succumbing to a bruising kiss that takes their breath away.

From out in the hallway, Lanie watches this scene play out in the darkest corner of the bar. She has a smile on her face as she mutters to herself, "Well, I'll be darned. Kate Beckett, you little minx."

Two Hours Later

Kate places her dessert fork down on the white linen tablecloth and leans closer to Castle, lowering her voice to whisper, "I can't wait for this thing to be over."

When Castle turns his head to reply, they're almost nose-to-nose she's so close. "Don't say that."

Kate sighs and crosses her arms over her stomach. She feels fuller than she'd like because she ate almost everything the waiting staff has put in front of her just to pass the time. "You're a much nicer person than me," she says, reclaiming her fork to stab the last raspberry on her plate. Soft, fruity flesh the color of oxygenated blood smears across the white porcelain; it's not a pretty sight. She pushes the plate away.

"Having been your shadow for four years and witnessed you in all sorts of situations, I'm quite certain that's not true. But I'll take the compliment anyway. Since it came from you." Castle gives her a quick smile and a playful wink.

Kate glances his way to check whether he's joking or not. "You're enjoying this? How can you? It's torture," she hisses, leading him across the room with her eyes as if to offer proof.

Since they made their way to the table, just a hair's breath before Jenny and Kevin were announced and made their entrance, Lanie has been watching them like a hawk. Even Javier, normally more focussed on devouring the free food and copious amounts of wine, seems to have been briefed (or threatened) to keep an eye on them. It's driving Kate insane.

Castle, on the other hand, appears entirely oblivious to the surveillance operation and is therefore much more relaxed. He leans back in his chair, legs stretched out in front of him. His napkin lies folded like a white sporran in his lap. He glances around their table and then further afield, eyes tracking across the function room.

"Am I enjoying the reception?" he asks rhetorically as he pokes his fork at the sad looking sponge, cream and Jell-O combination slumped over like a drunk on his plate. "You mean the mass-catered food? The trite small talk?" He taps the tines of the fork against his wine glass. "This average merlot and the background muzak they've been piping in while we eat? No. Not really."

Kate feels the weight of his hand when it lands on her thigh beneath the cover of the heavy tablecloth as he presses even closer to say, "But I am savoring every moment I get to spend with you."

When she looks at him it's a little dreamily, her smile delighted. Her body instantly grows drunk on his touch, though her mind is still sharp. "Oh, you are so much nicer a person than me, Rick Castle. And you know just the right thing to say, too." She reaches for her glass and lifts it to toast him. "Castle, you are going to make the best better half ever."

TBC...

A/N: I've been away for a few days and then busy when I got back. So apologies for the brief delay. I know this is going at a snail's pace, but most people seem to like that and I didn't want to leave you without an update for too long. Next chapter we should get down to some hands-on sexy dancing. ;) Love to hear your thoughts. Liv