PLEASE NOTE THE RATING CHANGE
PROPINQUITY (noun):
affinity of nature; similarity
CHAPTER SIX
She turned.
"Do you want to come up?"
He was on her as soon as the elevator doors closed. Before she could even react she was pressed against the side of the lift, the cool glass of the mirror a stark contrast to the heat unfurling through her entire body. She gripped his shoulders, a low moan escaping when his tongue slid against hers, mentally cursing when the long skirt of her dress prevented his thigh from slipping between her legs.
His hands gripped her hips and tugged her closer, and Kate threw her head back with a gasp at the feel of her body aligning with his. She could feel him, hard against her thigh, and she was pulling his shirt from his pants when the elevator announced its arrival at her floor.
They were both panting when he pulled away, and Kate raised a hand to her chest, trying to slow her breathing. She pushed herself off the wall when the doors slid open, and took his hand on her way past. She had to let go when she fumbled with her clutch, searching for her keys. Finally getting the door open, Castle pressed against her back, she heard his low whistle when they walked in.
"Nice place," he muttered, taking in the spacious living room and kitchen, the large windows that looked over Central Park.
Kate leaned back against the door, teeth worrying her bottom lip, watching him. She watched as he turned back to her, and she couldn't help but peruse his body. His shirt was wrinkled, his tie undone and collar loose, and he shrugged his jacket off, his eyes darkening as he took three long strides back to her.
She couldn't stop her gasp when he pinned her arms above her head. She lifted her head to him, desperate, silently begging, and when his lips met hers in a bruising kiss, she opened for him, curled her tongue against his. Her hips jerked at the feel of him against her thigh, and she shifted, trying to nudge his hips between her legs.
"Please," she moaned when he trailed his lips down her neck, and when he nipped at her pulse point and sucked gently, she cried out, her fingers clawing at the air.
And then suddenly he pulled away, letting go of her hands, but she gripped his shirt and tugged him back to her, turning them to pin him against the door. Her hands fell to his belt and his dove into her short hair, fingers tangling, holding her head in place as he ravaged her mouth.
"Bedroom," he murmured against her lips, and when she slipped her hand beneath his boxers to wrap around him, he groaned. "Oh fuck."
Kate stroked him, feeling him pulse beneath her fingers, and she curled her other arm around his back, started to lead him away from the door. They made it as far as the couch, and when he pinned her against the back she didn't resist, couldn't have even if she'd wanted to.
He was intoxicating, his torso hard under her hands, his mouth hot against hers. She clawed at her dress, trying desperately to raise the skirt, and when Castle tugged her panties to the side and dragged his fingers through her slick heat—fuck—she almost came right then. "Please," she moaned, almost a whimper.
"I want to taste you," Castle argued as he pulled her panties off, but before he could pull her to him she was tugging him up and her hand was around him once again.
"Later." Kate turned, her back to him, and leaned forward against the back of the couch. "Do you have a-"
"Yeah."
She heard the rustle of fabric and the sound of the foil packet opening, and within just a few moments she was crying out as he entered her, filling her, stilling for a few moments while she adjusted to him.
"Jesus fucking…" he murmured against her bare shoulder, the sleeve of her dress pushed aside. "God, you feel…"
"Fuck, Castle, move." She cried out again and again as he obeyed, thrusting, pounding, one hand palming her breast through her dress and the other between her legs, pinching and rubbing against her clit. She still had her heels on, giving her the few inches needed to align them so he didn't have to bend his knees, but she lifted herself even farther.
Her fingers grasped behind her, finding purchase in his hair as the new angle allowed him to hit her perfectly, send her soaring within moments. Her back arched as she shuddered around him, and she turned her head to meet his mouth in a sloppy kiss as he stilled, deep inside her, a groan escaping his lips as he dropped his head to her shoulder.
"Trash can?" Castle mumbled, slipping out of her.
"Under the kitchen sink." Kate reached behind her and unzipped her dress, shimmying it down and over her hips, adding an extra sway to her movements when she saw him staring at her, his cock hardening again. She paused as she turned the corner, her hand on the wall, and glanced back at him with a smile. "You coming or what?"
She woke alone.
It wasn't surprising, if she was honest with herself. After all, he'd been very clear that his romantic liaisons were just that: liaisons. They rarely turned into overnight stays. But still, it hurt. It reminded her too much of the one night with the lawyer, who was handsome and charming, but had claimed an "early meeting" as he'd practically ran out of her apartment.
Of the fight with Will, when he'd basically given her an ultimatum: to go with him to Boston or to end it right then. They'd had one more slow, tearful round, when she'd used her body to beg him to stay. But he'd slipped out when she was still asleep, leaving only a note that said "I'm sorry" in his wake.
So waking alone, even though she'd half-expected it, stung.
She groaned as she stretched; despite his early departure, they'd gone multiple rounds, and it had been over a year for her. Sure, she was in great shape, but certain muscles were already protesting their sudden—and frequent—use.
Toys and fingers just weren't a suitable substitute for the real thing.
Finally sliding out of bed, she decided to skip her treadmill and yoga routine—oh, maybe still yoga—and slipped her robe on to cover the chill of her loft. Her air had been on all night, and although it was on low, the bed was cold without him in it.
She couldn't help but smile at the array of clothing and shoes that greeted her on her trek through the living room to the kitchen. After their first frantic round against the couch, he'd obviously just left the dress where it had landed in the hall. She glanced around for her panties; oh, they'd landed on a lampshade. Classy.
Kate started her coffee pot with a yawn, and almost missed the piece of paper propped up next to it. She twirled a lock of hair around her finger as she read the familiar writing.
Kate—
I'm sorry, I had a couple appointments this morning that I couldn't miss and I didn't want to wake you. Coffee's ready to be brewed, hopefully it's strong enough (or not too strong)?
I had a great time last night.
—Rick
She sighed, disappointed with herself. Sleeping with him had been a terrible idea. Sure, it was great - he was definitely skilled in the bed department - but he was a client, for Christ's sake. If anyone found out…
Fuck.
She glanced around for her phone; she didn't remember taking it out of her clutch, which she'd dropped…
She spotted it by the door, but her phone was dead. Great. She let it charge while she got ready for the day. She took a long shower, letting the hot water beat against her muscles. Oh, she was definitely sore, but it was worth it. It was absolutely worth it.
Wrapping herself in a towel, she ran a second one through her short hair to absorb some of the moisture, and turned her phone back on. By the time she prepared coffee, her texts and voicemails all had announced their arrival, and—
Holy shit.
The most recent text was from just a few minutes before, from Lanie.
Call me ASAP.
"Where the hell have you been?" was Lanie's greeting, and Kate winced at the tone.
"Sorry, my phone died. What's going on?"
"Dammit, Kate, it's ten o'clock in the morning. My phone has been absolutely blowing up."
"Why?"
"Did you not check your messages?" Lanie sighed. "Did you, or did you not, have Castle over last night?"
Kate froze with her coffee mug halfway to her mouth. "Um…"
"Oh shit, I knew it. I knew that was your building."
"What are you talking about?"
She could hear Lanie's exasperation all the way from across town. "He was photographed coming out of an apartment building at about four this morning, looking very much like a man doing the walk of shame. They didn't post the address, just said it was the Upper West Side."
Kate pinched the bridge of her nose. "Dammit. Do they know it was me?"
"Well, considering how he kissed you at the dinner last night, they're assuming it was you. And they're right, apparently. So tell me, girl...how was it?" she asked, her voice hushed.
Kate couldn't stop the smile at the memory of the night. "Good," she admitted. "Really, really good." She took her coffee to her couch, stared wistfully at the back. "Don't ever let me go that long again without sex, okay?"
Lanie chuckled. "If I remember correctly, I tried to set you up a few times, and you always turned me down, but okay. Are you coming into the office?"
"Yeah, I'll be in in a bit." Kate groaned, shifting so she was lying on the couch. "How the hell could I let this happen? A client, Lanie. He's a client. I couldn't wait two fucking months until he wasn't? Jesus. I know better than that."
"Mom?" Katie called out when she closed the door behind her, a bag of takeout in her hands. She'd had to enter their building through a back door due to the reporters in front, but her mom should be home by now. Her mom had made a point to be home to make dinner every night for the previous two weeks, since her dad had entered rehab.
The reporters, however were new. Hopefully her mom knew something about them.
"Hi Katie," Johanna greeted her, coming around the corner, a dish cloth in her hands. "Good day at school?"
Katie studied her mom. She looked tired; the past weeks had been hard for both of them, getting used to the new dynamic without her dad around. He was getting healthy, though, she had to tell herself when her classmates made fun of her.
"Yeah, fine," she said warily. "What's the deal with the reporters?"
Johanna sighed and pulled Katie into a hug. "Don't worry about it. Just ignore them."
"Mom."
"Ignore them, Katie." Johanna led her into the kitchen, but Katie saw the headline on the paper before her mom turned it upside down.
Disgraced Lawyer's Career Over?
Katie picked it up, shocked, and held it up. "What the hell is this?"
"It's nothing." When Katie just stared, Johanna sighed again, and leaned against the counter with her head down. "I got a call from his firm. He's been disbarred, Katie. He won't work there again. He might not work again, period."
"Oh, Mom…"
"And somehow, someone found out about it. Hence, the reporters. They want to ask me about my cases, whether I'm competent, whether I can effectively do my job." Johanna took the paper and threw it away. "It will all blow over, eventually."
Katie hesitated. "But in the meantime?"
Johanna gave her a small smile. "In the meantime, the Beckett name will be dragged through the mud. I made it very clear that if anyone harasses you, they'll have the entire DA's office to deal with. But it's going to be rough for awhile."
Kate knocked on his door a few hours later, after fielding calls from the press, mostly about the fact that he'd been seen leaving her building (not that they knew that it was hers, but she'd keep that to herself), but also the kiss that multiple people at the MADT fundraiser had seen.
She and Lanie had decided to explain it away by claiming it was to make other ladies jealous, so they'd bid more on Castle and potentially raise more money. Her winning bid, of course, had been to keep him off Page Six.
At least, that was the story.
She knocked again after a few minutes, but when he didn't answer a second time, she turned to leave. She'd call him later. She had just turned from his door when she heard the elevator doors open, and she felt her face flush at the sound of his voice.
Jesus, get a hold of yourself, Kate.
"Yeah, I'll get it to you by the end of the week.." Castle sounded excited, and when he turned the corner and saw her, his smile widened. "No, not Derrick. Something else. You'll like it, I promise. Look, I gotta go." He slipped his phone back in his pocket and pulled out his keys. "Hey," he greeted her.
Kate shoved her hands in the pockets of her slacks, clenching her fists to stop them from trembling. "Hi. We need to talk."
"Okay." Castle let her in, closing the door behind her. "Can I get you something to drink?"
"Um, no, thanks, this will be quick." She stopped at the kitchen island, propping her hip against it, and ran a hand through her hair. "Someone saw you, Castle."
"When?"
"Last night. Well, this morning. When you left." She waited as he took a bottle of water from the refrigerator and took a long drink, and she watched his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed. She couldn't help but think of the previous night, of the way his lips wrapped around her nipple, how his tongue brought her to see stars over and over again.
"Kate?"
She inhaled sharply as she looked back up at Castle's face to see him staring at her, concern written across his features. "Someone saw you leave my building. They didn't know it was mine, but after that kissing stunt you pulled, people are assuming that you either came home with me, or you're stepping out on me."
Castle cocked an eyebrow. "But we're not together."
"Yeah, like they care. You've seen how the media assumes things about celebrities. People have lunch together, they're automatically dating. You kissed me, Castle, then you were seen coming out of an apartment building just hours later. What the hell do you think they're going to think? It was a one time thing, Castle. It can't happen again."
"What, us sleeping together, or getting caught?" Castle asked in a low voice, setting the water down and taking a step towards her.
Kate took a step back, trying to back away from him even as he continued to approach her. She gasped when her back hit the door, and when Castle propped his hands on either side of her head, she couldn't help but lean forwards to meet his mouth. By the time she had to pull away for air her hands were under his sweater, splayed across the muscles of his back, and she was straddling his leg, rocking against it.
"Shit, Castle, we can't," she breathed, but her hips disagreed and continued to move against him.
Castle moved to her neck, his hips thrusting against hers, and he gripped the bottom of her shirt, inched it up her torso. "Can't?" he mumbled, "or just shouldn't?"
"Oh God," she moaned when his hands slipped beneath her waistband and he tugged her even closer. She tore his sweater off and looped her arms around his neck, her fingers carding through his hair, tugging his head back to hers. She hooked her leg around his thigh, lifting her hips to thrust against him. "Bedroom," she murmured against his lips. "Now."
A/N: Thanks again to Callie, and thank you all for your continued support!
