PROPINQUITY (noun):
affinity of nature; similarity


CHAPTER SEVEN


AUTHOR SPOTTED OUTSIDE HOSPITAL

Earlier this week, author Rick Castle was seen exiting the Children's Hospital at New York Presbyterian. It is unknown what the purpose of his visit was; several weeks ago he canceled a patient visit, citing "unspecified personal reasons," but the hospital would not comment on Mr. Castle's presence. Calls to Kate Beckett, the public relations consultant who has been handling all of Mr. Castle's recent media commitments, have gone unanswered.


"He's supposed to tell me when he wants to do stuff like this," Kate complained, setting a mug in front of her mom. "I could have used it, shown that he's making up for canceling on them before."

Johanna took a long sip of her coffee, then seat it down and patted the seat next to her. "Sit, Katie. Maybe he's not doing this for his image, did you think about that? Maybe he's doing it for himself, or for the families."

Kate sat down with a huff and curled her legs beneath her, mirroring her mom's pose. "I just...he should have told me. It feels like he invalidated my efforts, like he went behind my back."

"Who are you more upset at: him for not telling you, or you for not seeing him for who he is?" Johanna leaned back against the arm of the couch, raising an eyebrow at her daughter.

"What do you mean, who he is?" Kate asked, narrowing her eyes.

"He's not that 'wild child troublemaker,' out of control person that his reputation suggests. He's a good person."

Kate scoffed. "You're just saying that because you're a fan."

"Hey now, so are you," Johanna teased, nudging Kate's knee with her foot. "But no, I'm saying that because he's visiting the children's hospital, on his own time, without publicizing it. This isn't something he's doing for press. He's doing it because it's the right thing to do."

"Yeah, maybe."

The women grew silent, both drinking their coffee, lost in their thoughts. Finally, Johanna set her empty mug on the coffee table in front of her and cleared her throat. "So...are you two seeing each other, or what?"

"Oh my God, Mom," Kate groaned, her empty mug joining her mom's.

"Come on, Katie. I know that was your building he was coming out of in the middle of the night, and that was three weeks ago. What's going on between you two?"

"Nothing."

Johanna shook her head with a smile. "Twenty-eight years old and you still can't lie to me."

"I'm telling you, nothing's going on," Kate insisted, feeling her cheeks flush despite her words. "Nothing serious, anyway," she muttered under her breath. "I mean, we've...we…"

"You've been having sex."

"What? God, Mom, really?" She focused her gaze on her knees. "Well…"

Johanna was silent for a few moments, but when Kate just picked at a nonexistent loose thread in her leggings, she nudged her daughter's knee again. "And?"

"And...nothing." Kate sighed. "That's it."

"But do you want more?"

Kate drew her bottom lip between her teeth, considering. "I don't know," she finally admitted quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. She looked up to find her mom intently staring at her, almost studying. "Maybe? It would be nice to be in a relationship again. But honestly, I can't see it being more than it is now with him. And that's fine." She sighed. "My contract with Black Pawn is through the Storm's Last Fall book launch, which is in six weeks. I guess we'll see what happens then."


"I'm sorry," Castle said as soon as he opened the door later that day.

Kate stormed past him and stopped in the kitchen, twirling around to face him, the paper in her hand. "You should have told me," she stated, her voice calm despite the heat unfurling in her gut at his proximity. Settle down, Kate, she scolded herself; he had to have just showered, because his hair was slightly damp, and even from a few feet away she recognized the smell of his shampoo and aftershave.

Castle pushed the sleeves of his green sweater to his elbows and crossed his arms. "Why, so you could have photographers there, turn it into a PR stunt?" he snapped back, his eyes narrowing.

Kate mirrored his pose, quirking an eyebrow at the way his eyes flicked to her chest briefly before settling back to her face. She struggled to keep her eyes on his, the rippling muscles of his forearms tempting her gaze. "Well, that's my job, so yes."

"And that's exactly why I didn't." Castle moved past Kate to the living room, where he took a swig from his coffee mug. "These families go through a lot, Kate. The last thing I want to do while trying to offer these families comfort is to make a spectacle out of it."

"Other celebrities do it all the time."

"Yeah, and I'm not one of them."

"Castle-"

"Look, the press obviously already knows I've been there at least once, right?" Castle asked, more of a statement than a question, and he perched on the arm of the couch, one eyebrow raised in her direction. At her slow nod, he continued. "I'll do one photo op. One," he insisted, holding up his pointer finger. "But after that, no press. I won't do that to the families, to the kids. They have enough shit to deal with, and it's hard enough without adding reporters and photographers to the mix. don't want any of them to feel obligated to share their stories."

Kate drew her bottom lip between her teeth, not missing the way his pupils dilated slightly at the movement. He did seem genuinely upset about the press, and about the families; could she be wrong about him? Despite the decrease in public antics over the previous weeks, he was definitely still an arrogant playboy who was one public bender and subsequent embarrassing arrest away from being dropped by Black Pawn. But, dare she think he was actually softening?

The corners of her mouth lifted into a small smile, and Castle blinked at her.

"What?" he asked, his shoulders lifting in question.

Kate shook her head as she approached him, dropping the paper on the kitchen island as she passed it. "Nothing."

She reached out to brush her fingers against his sweater when she was close enough, the color of the soft cashmere blend bringing out the blue in his eyes. Well, what blue she could see around the pupils that were dilated with arousal.

His breath had quickened, and as she trailed her fingertips over his forearms to loop them around his neck, his hands found their way to lightly rest on her hips. Her fingers tightening at his neck was the only warning she gave before she tugged his head to her, meeting his lips in a soft kiss.

Castle let out a soft moan before he slicked his tongue across the seam of her lips, and she opened for him, listing into his body, her tongue curling against his. She let him pull her closer, his fingers lacing together at the small of her back, pulling her against his hips. Her fingers gripped the hem of his sweater almost automatically; already her body was humming, her fingers itching to touch him, to have him inside her.

They parted just long enough for Kate to tug his sweater off, discarding hers as well. She gasped when he nuzzled her neck with his nose, his chin against her shoulder. His cheeks were smooth, and while she loved the rough scrape of his stubble against her skin, she could definitely get used to this.

She froze at the thought. Get used to this?

No. She did not have those feelings.

Castle paused, his fingers at the clasp of her bra, and pulled back to fix her with a hooded gaze. "You okay?" he asked, his voice rough.

Kate reached behind her and unhooked her bra, smiling at how his eyes were drawn to her breasts, his pupils darkening even more. "Perfect." She took his hands and tugged him off the couch, led him towards his bedroom. "Come on, Castle."

She stopped and turned to face him when they reached his bed, and when she hooked two fingers under the waistband of his jeans, he cupped her face in his hands and brushed his thumbs across her cheekbones.

"You're beautiful," he whispered, punctuating his words with a soft kiss to her mouth, the sweep of his tongue against hers all too brief and leaving her wanting more.

His voice was laced with wonder, and Kate felt her cheeks flush. She undid his jeans and slid the zipper down, the sound of the metal teeth rasping loud in the silence of the loft.

She slid her hand beneath his boxers to wrap her fingers around his length, already thick and hard, his breath already quickening. She directed him to the bed with a light nudge to his hips, and before he sat she kneeled in front of him and slowly tugged his pants down his legs. He dropped onto the bed and lifted his feet so she could pull his pants and boxers off, and he sat before her, naked and hard.

Castle leaned back on his elbows, and she felt his eyes on her as she scooted closer, her hands on his legs, sliding up his thighs. She heard the sharp inhale when her hands reached him, when she cupped his balls with one hand and wrapped the other around his base with a gentle squeeze.

"Kate," he almost growled, one hand coming up to loosely cup her head, "you don't have to-"

"I know," she replied before he even finished his sentence, her gaze moving up to meet his. She kept eye contact when she wrapped her lips around his head, swirling her tongue around the tip, smiling around him when he groaned and threw his head back. She moved her free hand to his stomach, pressing down lightly to keep him from thrusting his hips before she was ready for him to.

Her mouth and hand worked in tandem, and she alternated licks and thrusts with the occasional twist of her hand, slowing down or stilling when his hips started to move, trying to stop him from coming too soon. She could feel her own arousal; her core ached for relief, and she was tempted to slide a hand inside her pants and pleasure herself while she pleasured him, but she settled for rubbing her thighs together to try and provide some of the friction she desperately wanted.

"Kate-" Castle groaned after several minutes, his hips starting to buck uncontrollably and his hands on her shoulders. "Kate-shit-I'm gonna-"

She took his hands off her shoulders and moved them to her head, looking up and making brief eye contact with him, giving a small nod even as she hollowed her cheeks and sucked.

His hips jerked on a shout, fingers tangling in her hair, and as his cock hit the back of her throat she swallowed, her tongue flat against the underside. He started to pull out of her mouth as he came, his fluid hot on her tongue, but she gripped his ass with one hand and squeezed in encouragement. As each jerk of his hips resulted in more of him, she slid her other hand inside her pants to circle her clit, unable to deny herself pleasure any longer.

With just a few passes through her folds she was climbing, and she managed to undo her pants with one hand and shove them past her hips to give herself more room to thrust two fingers inside herself. Even as Castle's hips stilled and she released his cock with a pop, she pressed against her clit with her thumb and cried out, her mouth against his thigh as her own hips jerked as she lost control.

Finally she stilled as well, and they stayed frozen for a few minutes, the only movement coming from their chests as their breathing slowed from a frantic pant to normal. One of Castle's hands was still in her hair and he tugged lightly, lifting his head to make eye contact, jerk his head slightly.

"'mere," he mumbled, his other arm reaching out to her, fingers curling in a beckon.

She took his hand and climbed onto the bed next to him, their legs hanging off the side, but she didn't care as she let herself succumb to his embrace. She propped herself up on her elbow, used most of her strength to smudge a kiss to his lips.

"Thank you," Castle muttered against her mouth, his hand moving from her hair to cup her cheek tenderly. "You didn't have to finish."

Kate leaned up to look him in the eyes, searching for any teasing, anything to hint that he was lying. It certainly wasn't the first blow job she'd given him - one of their early rounds had memorably finished with them satisfying each other with their mouths and she was definitely looking forward to doing that again - but it was one of the few times he'd come in her mouth before intercourse. But she didn't see a glint in his eyes, didn't see the arrogant smirk she sometimes saw after he gave her an especially powerful orgasm. No, he was being sincere; if anything, his brow was slightly furrowed in what could be construed as concern.

Fuck.

"I know," she reassured him with a kiss, just a brush of their lips, nothing more. "I wanted to."

"God, you're so fucking sexy."

Kate couldn't help but laugh at his words, and she reached past his navel again, his cock still half-hard when she started to stroke to bring him back to life. She leaned forward so her lips were even with his ear, and whispered, "You have no idea."

Castle growled and grabbed her hips, his grip tight, probably leaving bruises but she didn't care. He shifted them so she was on top of him and pulled them all the way onto the bed, maneuvered them to the center. He tugged at her thigh, bringing it towards his hip, before turning them over them over and setting between her legs. His lips found her breast and he took her nipple in his mouth, his teeth and tongue scraping and soothing, alternating breasts until she was writhing and moaning beneath him. He paused to rest his chin on her sternum, his eyes meeting hers.

"Oh, I have some idea," he lobbied back with a smirk before sliding down, pulling her pants off, her soaked panties landing somewhere on the floor. He gave her a long, slow lick, chuckling against her clit when her hips canted towards him. "Impatient?" he asked, teasing, one finger at her entrance.

Kate slid her fingers through his hair and nudged his head down. "Jesus fucking Christ, Castle. I already got myself off once and I'll do it again if you don't hurry."

"Hmm...as tempting as it is to watch you do that, I think I'd rather participate." He hooked his arms around her thighs and lifted them over his shoulders, one large hand holding her hips in place while the other cupped her wet heat. Two large fingers slid inside, curling against her walls, and his mouth found her clit even as she cried out. His thumb joined his tongue, and her hips bucked so hard when he pressed against her that he finally just gripped her ass and moved with her.

"Fuck, Rick!" she cried out, both hands in his hair, holding his head in place even as his tongue worked at her. She could feel her blood boiling, her body rising, rising, rising, until it felt like she was floating. She tried to watch, his head between her legs while he ate her out turning her on even more. But her eyes closed of their own volition as she threw her head back, her back arching, her thighs tightening around his ears.

Finally the dam broke and her cries of his name were replaced by a string of curses that turned into moans, and even as she came down, as the stars faded from her vision, she could feel him between her legs, his tongue working against her folds, chasing her orgasm, leaving her close to the edge still. She could feel his cock, hard again against her thigh, the moisture from his tip sticky on her skin, and she gently tugged at his hair to bring him back up to her, face-to-face.

Castle smiled, hair mussed, lips wet and swollen, and she surged into him, desperate to taste him, herself against him, to combine her taste with the lingering flavor of him still on her tongue. Her fingers gripped his shoulders hard, and fuck they were probably both going to have bruises, but she didn't care, and she was pretty sure he didn't either.

"I need-" Castle mumbled, tearing his lips from hers so he could reach into his nightstand. He rummaged around for a few moments, long enough for Kate to worry that maybe he'd run out, but when he held up a condom with a triumphant shout, she grabbed it from his hand and hooked her ankle around his calf, the wiggle of her eyebrows the only warning before she flipped them over and settled back on his thighs.

She rolled the condom over his shaft, sheathing him, and gave him a few strokes that had his eyes rolling back before gripping him and sliding down onto him. They both groaned when she took him in, settling at his base, letting herself adjust for a few moments before moving. She rocked her hips back and forth, slowly at first, but even the two orgasms she'd had already weren't going to prolong this pleasure.

Before long, Castle's hands were at her hips yet again, not guiding as much as steadying as he thrusted his hips up into her. He paused briefly to shift, to place his feet against the bed, giving him more leverage. They cried out simultaneously when he hit her particularly deep, their angle allowing her clit to rub against his pelvis. With every upward thrust, Kate grinded her hips, and when she had to lean forward to grip the headboard to steady herself, Castle took advantage and craned his neck so he could capture a breast in his mouth.

One tug of her nipple and Kate was gone, her back arching yet again, muscles squeezing even as he released her breast on a groan and jerked once, twice, stilling as he pulsed and spilled into the condom.

Kate collapsed onto her back next to him, her eyes following his hands when he pulled the condom off his softening cock and threw it in the trash can next to his bed. He'd moved it there after their first time at his loft; they'd both been so tired after that round that it had ended up on the floor.

"It's important to me," Castle finally said after several minutes, after their breathing had mostly gone back to normal.

Kate forced her eyes open and turned her head to find him staring up at the ceiling, one arm bent under his head, his expression serious. She shifted so she was leaning on her side and propped herself up on an elbow. "What is?"

Castle turned to look at her. "The hospital. I'm going to keep going. Those families need to know that people care, that celebrities don't just visit for photo ops."

Kate resisted the urge to trail her fingers across his jaw; no, that gesture was too tender for them, for what they were. "Okay," she agreed after a moment. "I can't keep them from being outside, but I'll make sure no press is allowed inside unless they've been given specific permission."

Castle leaned up and kissed her, a small smile on his face when he pulled away. "Thank you," he whispered, and when he held an arm out in invitation, Kate curled up into his side, her head on his chest, sticky with cooling sweat, but warm and firm.

"Any time," she managed to get out before the call of sleep pulled her under.


A/N: I suck at replying to reviews but I truly appreciate your continued support. I had other plans for this chapter but as you can tell, Caskett had other ideas. I hope it wasn't awful. As always, thanks to super beta Callie, who spun the wheel o' smut which gave me no choice but to write this.

A/N 2: forgot to mention that chapter 6 brought me just over the 15k word mark, so this is officially a Mini FIcathon fic But it is far from over. I have more planned for our couple. More updates hopefuliy coming soon!