A/N: I got to thinkin' about it, and this scene practically wrote itself. This is still only a one shot, I don't have any kind of plan to keep going past maybe one more chapter, but I guess we'll see. I guess all's I'm sayin' is please don't yell at me if this one doesn't get updated- soon or otherwise. ;-D

Castle sat at her kitchen table, sipping his coffee, and trying not to make it obvious that he was staring at her bare legs. Over an hour later, and she still hadn't changed out of her tiny blue pajama shorts. Sometimes, if she leaned or stretched just a little, or when she walked, Rick could just see the spot where her thigh curved up into her…

"Ah-hum," Kate cleared her throat loudly, obviously trying to recall Rick's attention from her legs.

Rick's eyes snapped up to hers and he managed to say, "Nice apartment."

Despite all her better intentions, Kate smiled, knowing full well that Castle had not been checking out her apartment. "It's not as nice as the one that blew up…"

"But I like it," Rick finished for her, not knowing that she'd been about to say the same thing.

After that, the pair lapsed into a long, comfortable silence. There had been a lot of those tonight. Rick had wandered about, sort of following Kate from room to room as she packed for the Hamptons. He sometimes offered suggestions as to what she should pack, and half the time she ignored his teasing; but the other half, she took his advice on appropriate beach house attire.

After the packing was finished, they sat in the kitchen silent again, but not completely comfortable in this 'comfortable silence.' Castle couldn't hold it back any longer; the question. The one that had been driving him insane all night. "So, your weekend plans were cancelled?" When she gave him a blank look- a bit disingenuous, Rick thought- he prompted, "The bed and breakfast retreat you had planned with Demming?"

"Oh, yeah," she answered casually. "Those plans were cancelled."

After a long pause in which Castle waited for her to elaborate, he finally pressed- as politely as he was able- "So, what happened?"

Kate finally made direct eye contact and paused a moment to make sure she had his undivided attention. Then she reiterated, "The plans were cancelled," in a voice that let him know she didn't plan on elaborating further.

But Castle heard what he wasn't supposed to hear anyway, correctly guessing that it was Kate herself who cancelled those romantic weekend plans. Which left him wondering why. And Castle was never one to contain any question he wanted to ask- even when he guessed he wouldn't get an answer. "I thought you liked him."

"I do like him," Kate immediately replied. Then she reminded herself of the reason for cancelling her romantic-Demming-plans and figured she'd better come clean, whether she really wanted to or not. "I did like him. He's really a great guy." Kate turned away, to the sink, to dump out the remains of her coffee. She sighed quietly and finally added, "Which is why it wouldn't have been fair to him to continue seeing him when I was interested in someone else."

Rick's eyes froze in their perusal- yet again- of her bare legs and snapped up to stare, wide-eyed, at the back of her head. "Kate?" was all he could manage to say, but he filled that one word with all of his questions.

And then she began rambling. "I didn't want to say anything because I was embarrassed, and I didn't think the feelings were reciprocated. I kept thinking, he'd never be serious about someone like me. And then I thought there was someone else, but now I just can't hold it in any longer. I have to tell you before I implode with the secret of it…" Kate finally turned back to face Castle, her hand moving to cover her rapidly rising and falling chest. She held his gaze and admitted, "I think I'm in love," she took a deep breath, and almost whispered, "With Kevin Ryan."

When Rick's eyeballs nearly fell out of his head- his eyes opened so wide- Kate began laughing hysterically. "You should see your face!" she gasped while her laughter continued.

When she'd regained some sense of decorum, Castle griped, "I knew I shouldn't have let you drink that entire glass of wine tonight."

Kate chuckled again and retorted, "You really think you could stop me?"

Rick's eyes narrowed at the challenge and after a moment of staring her down, he stood. It only took one step in the small room and Castle was all up in her personal space. And in a rookie move, Kate faltered, taking half a step back and cornering herself against the kitchen counter. When he advanced again, closing the gap to mere inches between them, Kate remembered that the best defense was a good offense; she drew herself up to her full height and stared him down. Although in her bare feet, the height advantage went to Castle, who took a moment to notice how short she was without her high heels on. Though still tall for a woman, she was much shorter than Rick was used to seeing her.

"You can't think I haven't perfected by methods of persuading beautiful women to do what I want them to," Rick said, his voice low. "That would just be naïve of you, Kate. And we both know you're not that naïve."

Kate managed to press back into his personal space, becoming the intimidator yet managing not to touch him. She replied, "You can't think I don't know how to wrap a man around my little finger if that's where I want him, Castle." Her voice lowered when she added, "Now that would really be naïve."

Castle was silent for a long moment as he stared her down. When she didn't back down, Rick ceded the argument. "Point taken. But the question now is: where do you want me?"

She gave him a smoky look and told him, "In my bedroom." She could tell her words had an affect on him that he tried to hide, but she saw it nonetheless. Her lips quirked into an almost-smile and she added, "Grabbing my suitcase and carrying it down to the car for me."

Rick smiled at her in acknowledgement of her teasing and returned in kind, "Do you ever reward these men who are so very happy to be wrapped around such an enchanting digit?"

She cocked an eyebrow at him and replied, "I guess you'll just have to find out for yourself."

"And the anticipation will be exquisite." He raised one hand to tilt her head back, his finger under her chin and his thumb barely covering the tip. He studied her face for a long moment and Kate thought- hoped- he might kiss her.

Instead he smiled, walked away and retrieved her luggage- as commanded- and hauled the few cases to his car.