A/N: So it was pointed out to me that I was acting like fluff is a bad thing, when it's not. Obviously we all love fluff if we're reading and writing stories like this one, I realized. I just felt bad that there was a glaring lack of actual plot because I kind of thought people were expecting some sort of story line. If you were hoping for plot, I'm sorry to have to disappoint, but if you are looking for fluff, I am here to serve! :-D This might be the longest single chapter I have ever written, and yes, all of it is fluff. Some of it is even rated M. Enjoy! (I hope!)
I use a little text talk so I figured I'd explain my symbols, though I'm sure they're pretty self explanatory. :-/ is an angry glare. :-) is a wicked grin (they're supposed to have little arrow lines over their colon eyes, but fan fiction is being a butt and they are not working!) and :-)) represents laughter. I don't use much text talk, because I tend to think Castle's a writer so he's probably particular about actually spelling out his words. I may be wrong, but personally, I don't like text shortcuts, so I didn't use them here.
Kate had been poring over files for a couple hours now. The guys had received a new case over the weekend while she'd been on vacation, so Kate was reading through case files and notes, trying to get a feel for the case and catch up on all the information so she could help out. Paperwork was tedious at the best of times and right now, Kate was tired, preoccupied and quickly growing irritated. She didn't want to go home to an empty apartment tonight, not after spending all weekend with Rick, so she was preoccupied thinking about him. And telling herself to grow up. Alone time won't kill you. And you need to focus on these files, Kate reminded herself.
She sighed in resignation and was about to do as she'd commanded herself, when her phone buzzed in her jacket pocket. That simple distraction was enough to brighten her mood and when she fished her phone out and saw she had a text message from Castle, she couldn't help it; she smiled a little.
"What are you wearing?" the text asked, and her little smile grew into a full blown grin. As she read the text, then contemplated how to reply, her hand moved to twirl a stray lock of hair between her thumb and forefinger. Eventually, she thought of a reply.
"A smile." That was all she typed and hit send on her phone.
When Kate finally glanced up, two pairs of shocked eyes met hers for about three seconds before Ryan and Esposito averted their gazes and pretended they were working and not wondering what the hell was going on with Beckett.
Kate had no time to call the guys on their behavior when her phone buzzed again.
"Please tell me that's ALL you're wearing," Castle had replied, and Kate could actually picture his lust-filled expression whenever he thought of, or saw her naked.
Quickly typing out a reply, Kate hit send. "Well, unfortunately I'm at the precinct, so..." Kate set the phone beside her work space on the desk and only had time to pretend to read one paragraph- a short paragraph- when her phone buzzed again.
"Wow, that's got to be pretty awkward for you; Naked at the precinct... Though, pretty hot image for me. Unless the guys are there, in which case :-/"
Kate literally laughed out loud and then had to throw a hand over her mouth to stifle the sound. When she looked up to see if she'd been caught, two detectives were unabashedly staring at her in shock.
"What?" She snapped, after rearranging her features into an appropriately annoyed expression.
"Nothing," Ryan mumbled, returning to the paperwork on his desk.
But Esposito narrowed his eyes on her and warned, "Something is going on with you, and I'm gonna figure out what it is."
Kate smiled wickedly at the challenge in his tone and told him, "Good luck with that."
Esposito pressed his mouth into a determined line, but turned back to his computer, continuing to pretend to be analyzing some security camera footage. As he pondered Kate's odd behavior, he frowned at the screen. The whole giggling-at-her-phone thing was weird enough, but that challenging smirk was new too. Esposito had thought in the recent past, from watching Kate's interactions with Castle, that she just might have a playful side that she kept buried under her determination and focus on the job. The old Beckett would have snapped at him to get back to his work, but this Beckett was actually challenging him to figure out her secret, and he meant to.
Kate hadn't planned on keeping her relationship with Rick a secret- which is why she'd offered the information so easily to Lanie- but after Esposito's little challenge, there was no way she could pass up the opportunity to mess with him. Sure, she'd eventually tell the guys, but for now, it would be fun keeping her secret and taunting them with it. So, Kate sent a quick message to Lanie, "Don't tell the guys about me and Castle yet. I'm gonna mess with them for a little while first :-)"
Lanie replied, "LOL U got it, grl"
Then, when Kate typed out her message to Castle, she hid her phone under her desk and tried to type surreptitiously.
"Don't worry, you're the only person who saw me naked today. So... What are YOU wearing?"
Even as stealthy as she was trying to be, Kate couldn't keep the blush from staining her cheeks, but she worked to keep a straight face when she looked up at her desk again, stuffing her phone between her thighs as a means to keep it out of sight. As expected, the guys were still watching her- albeit surreptitiously now- but Kate gave away nothing.
When her phone buzzed, Kate's body jerked in surprise; the vibration tickled. So much for being stealthy, she silently grumbled, but she wanted to know what Rick had to say more than she worried about getting caught.
"Do you really want me to tell you?" Rick replied. "I thought you were at the precinct."
"Fine, I guess I better go. The guys are staring at me, wondering why I keep smiling at my phone. But I'll call you after work, and you can tell me then."
Rick's reply was almost immediate. "Are you going to tell them about us?"
"Not yet."
"Why not?"
"I'm going to mess with them a little bit first. :-)"
":-)) You are wicked. I love it!"
"Oh, stop! You're making me blush." Before Kate hit send, she thought for a second and added, "I already told Lanie about us, though."
Kate had no way of knowing that her admission brought a happy smile to Rick's face. He didn't want to hide his relationship with Kate. He wanted everyone to know that he belonged to her, so he was inordinately pleased that she'd already confided in her best friend- whom Rick would argue was the hardest person for Kate to break the news to... Apart from her father.
"I'll ask you what she said when I talk to you later. I'm sure you're busy right now."
"Yes, you ARE distracting me from my work. But it's a welcome distraction at the moment. *Sigh* I'll talk to you later."
"Until tonight, Detective."
Kate swept her thumb over her title on the little screen, recalling the tender way Rick always said it. When she finally set her phone down for good, she looked up and met the unabashedly curious pairs of eyes watching her. She smiled at the detectives and lied, "I got a new puppy this weekend and the sitter just sent me some pictures. Wanna see?"
As expected, the guys turned back to their computers and Kate had to stifle her laughter. It was a silly lie, but she figured she had time to come up with better ways to mess with the guys.
Finally, she sighed and turned herself back to the files on her desk. Another hour or so and she'd be done... If she could just focus.
Kate let herself into her apartment and sighed. Though she missed Rick- a little- she was happy to be home. She had tried hard to get this place to her liking and she was proud of her work. It was warm and comfortable, with her own personal style evidenced throughout.
Hurrying up the short stairway to her bedroom, she changed quickly into something comfortable before wandering into her kitchen to make dinner. She knew how to cook, but her lifestyle and dedication to her work often left her little time or energy to want to prepare dinner. Especially since she had no one to share it with most nights. But ever since Castle had forced himself into her apartment to 'protect' her, and made fun of her "styrofoam temple" she had started cooking again, something healthy that would keep in the refrigerator for a few days and she could reheat for dinner for the next few nights.
Kate turned on the radio and listened to some alternative rock while she ate her dinner alone. When dinner was done, the dishes cleaned and put away, Kate found her cell phone. She took it to the couch as she dialed- well, hit the speed dial anyway- and made herself comfortable as the phone rang in her ear.
Eventually, Rick's recorded voice cheerfully announced, "This is the Castle residence, home of me, Alexis Castle-"
Alexis's girly voice cut in and added, "-And me, Rick Castle."
"Sorry we couldn't come to the phone now, we had better things-"
"-He means other things-"
"-To do besides answer the phone."
"Leave a message and we'll get back to you."
"Maybe!"
"Dad!" That last part was muffled, and Kate could picture Alexis pulling her obnoxious father away from the phone, and reprimanding him for insulting callers as he laughed over his joke.
Kate left a quick message and ended the call. When she tried his cell phone, she got another recorded message and this time she told him her plans for the night; she was going to read a book in the bath tub with a glass of wine for a little while then she was going to bed, so if he was hoping to talk to her tonight, he better call back soon.
Kate was relaxing in her bath tub, reading Heat Wave again when loud, obnoxious pounding echoed through her apartment.
Kate frowned at the bathroom door and wondered, Who the hell would be knocking at 9 o'clock at night?' When the knocking just continued, she hurried out of the tub, not pausing to dry off, simply throwing on an oversized night shirt and shorts and hustled to the front door. Checking the little peep hole, she gasped and opened the door quickly to snap, "Castle? What are you doing here?"
"I forgot something," he said quietly, in a little-boy-lost sort of way.
"What?"
He looked up into her eyes and smiled. "You."
Kate returned the smile, charmed though she rolled her eyes at him too. She finally stepped back to let him into her apartment and noticed that he threw an overnight bag to the floor beside the front door. A computer case joined it, though it was set there much more gently. Then Rick walked further inside, still checking out the apartment, though he must have been familiar with it by now.
"What are you doing here, Rick? You're supposed to be at the beach house, working." She closed the front door behind them and followed him into the living room. When she sat on the couch, he sat beside her, and in a surprise move, he bent, scooped her feet up from the floor and draped her legs across his lap. Content now, his hands gently roamed her damp skin as he settled back on the couch, and sighed happily.
"I was halfway there this morning when I realized we haven't really talked," he said. His gaze locked on her feet as his hand moved to touch them.
"We've been talking all weekend," she argued.
"But we haven't yet had 'The Talk'." He said the last two words in a deep, mock serious voice. "The one where we define in words exactly what we are to each other."
"Why would you want to go and do that? We're having fun, aren't we?" She asked in a light voice, teasing.
"Right," Rick agreed quietly. For the first time- and probably only time- in his life, Rick hated his tabloid attention. It made everyone just assume he was shallow and only cared about a 'good time,' and honestly, for the most part they were right. But now, with Kate, sure he wanted the good time, but with her... he almost wanted the bad times too. He wanted to be there with her always, no matter what she- or they- were going through. And to think she bought into his public persona hurt, and made him a little angry too.
Kate thought he looked adorable as he scowled down at her legs in his lap and she couldn't hold back anymore. When she laughed out loud, Rick finally looked up at her face in surprise. She lightly smacked his shoulder with the back of her hand and said, "We're together. Duh! Exclusively," she added sternly, as a warning.
Rick smiled in relief until his eyebrows drew together again. "But you haven't told the guys. And yesterday, you told George-"
"George," she cut him off, speaking pointedly. "Is my father's friend. I wasn't about to tell him I spent the weekend in bed with you. Although I'm sure he's not naive enough to believe I didn't." She scowled then and added, "Especially after the show we gave him in the elevator."
Smirking happily, Rick teased her, "At least you didn't throw your leg around my waist like I know you wanted to."
Kate rolled her eyes at him, but smiled nonetheless. She seemed to be doing that a lot lately, and she guessed with Rick, it was going to become a habit. "The guys... well, I'm going to tell them eventually, but Esposito threatened me and I couldn't just offer up the information after that!"
"He threatened you?" Rick asked, his hackles rising.
"Yeah, he was all, 'something's going on with you and I'm gonna figure out what it is'," She told him, putting on a little act and mimicking Javier's threatening tone and deep voice.
Rick laughed, not only because he could guess Kate's reaction to the threat but because of her act as well. She was actually a pretty good mimic, and it was a little weird seeing Esposito's mannerisms on a woman. Especially on a woman he lusted after on a regular basis.
Then Kate grew serious again and asked, "What are you doing here, Rick? You're supposed to spend the summer finishing a book I've been dying to read."
He suddenly found something absolutely fascinating on her knee cap because his gaze riveted there and didn't waver, his thumb brushing over the skin. "All I really need is a computer and a quiet work space..." He trailed off and Kate glared at the side of his head.
"If you think I am leaving you alone all day in my house, you are... delusional."
He grinned cheekily at her and teased, "Are you afraid I'll discover some of your secrets?"
"Yes," she snapped.
Rick laughed. "Fine," he relented in a teasing tone. "I can work at home and see you when you have time for me."
"You won't be bored waiting around for me all day?" She didn't like the idea that he'd be doing nothing all day but waiting for Kate to get off work, but she wasn't about to do something to jeopardize her job.
"No, I'll be working too," he explained. "I managed to fill my days before I started shadowing you. I won't fall apart now if I don't see you for a few nights."
"Why didn't you stay at the beach then? I was thinking I'd visit you on weekends, if you wanted me to."
"Why didn't I think of that?" He pondered aloud, frowning to himself in consternation. "Regardless, I wouldn't want you to waste all that time commuting, if I could just stay at home and see you there. Or here."
Kate smiled. "Well, the selfish part of me is glad you came back. I already missed you, especially at work.
"Any new, interesting cases?" He asked out of curiosity and because he was so used to helping on her cases now that asking about them was second nature.
"Yes, this new one is very interesting, but I couldn't seem to focus today." Kate didn't want to get into the case with Rick, knowing that he'd use it as a means to avoid work, like usual. So instead, Kate changed the subject. "And didn't you have something you wanted to talk to me about?"
Rick turned to look at her, but remained silent for a long moment, contemplating.
Rick believed in honesty, in truth, above all else. He would always tell his family and friends the truth as he saw it, regardless of whether he'd offend them or drive them away, as he'd done with Kate last summer. But when it came to Alexis's origin story, Rick thought he just might lie until he was blue in the face. His precious, beloved daughter would never know the how's and whys regarding her birth.
The first time Rick fount out he'd gotten Meredith pregnant, he drank every meal for a week. And he was so drunk when he married Meredith, he was surprised the judge even let him go through with it. He could barely remember the ceremony, but he'd been told his best man had had to hold him up for half the service.
When Meredith had lost the baby, Rick mourned the loss harder than he'd ever thought possible. He had gone from wondering what the hell he was going to do with a baby to wondering- longing to know- what his son would have looked like, been like, had the little guy lived. But he and Meredith had mourned in different ways and as he'd told Kate, that was part of the reason he'd gotten a divorce; Castle had thrown himself into work, into his writing, and Meredith had thrown herself into shopping, and as he'd later found out, other men. The only thing they could agree on was working to conceive another child to replace the one they'd lost. (After the divorce, and after he'd discovered his wife's indiscretions, he'd gotten a DNA test just to be sure Alexis was in fact his, though he knew the results wouldn't change the way he felt about his daughter. He'd just wanted to know for sure.)
Rick would never allow his precious daughter to believe she'd been an accident and he would never even hint that she might not have been born had her brother survived. His daughter would only know how much her parents loved her, adored her in her own right. So, if asked, Rick would lie in this one instance. But the whole situation had taught him one thing: safety first.
As much as he loved his daughter, Rick had learned his lesson the hard way. Every time with Meredith after Alexis was born, Rick wore a condom. Every night with a girl he hardly knew, Rick was careful- almost to the point of paranoia.
But with Kate, he had consciously decided not to ask her about contraceptives. If she had wanted to discuss the issue, he would have followed her wishes, but she hadn't. And he had snooped through her purse- even her medicine cabinet the one night he'd slept over- enough to know that she took birth control pills. Knowing the careful, methodical person she was, Rick assumed that Kate stayed current with her pill.
Regardless, he thought it was time for him to raise the subject. But how?
"We had sex this weekend," he finally began, hesitating. Watching as his fingertips drew random patterns on her thigh, he cocked his head in thought and added, "We had a lot of sex this weekend."
"Thank you, Captain Obvious," she replied sarcastically. "I thought something bad happened to me this weekend."
He gave her a look to quell the sarcasm. "For once I'm trying to be serious and you're the one being an ass. Maybe I'm rubbing off on you."
Kate shuddered in mock horror, but kept silent for Castle to continue. She could tell he was having difficulty broaching his intended topic, so she decided to show some mercy and simply wait quietly.
"We had sex this weekend and we never used protection. So, I was wondering... Is it possible...?"
"Oh," Kate said, surprised. She kept her voice even, though her cheeks heated up and she shook her head. "No, I don't think so. I'm on the pill and I'm pretty good about taking it at the same time every day."
"Oh," Rick nodded his understanding. "Okay. That's good." So why did he feel suddenly, inexplicably disappointed? That was a dangerous feeling to have.
While Rick was lost in his own thoughts, Kate's fantasies from the beach came back to her: two small children who looked like the perfect blending of herself and Castle, playing in the sand...
Katherine Beckett, you are not allowed to fantasize about having this man's children. At least, not until he puts a ring on your finger. Kate scolded herself silently. Wait, 'until?' I mean if! If he puts a ring… Oh, never mind, you know you want it.
Kate avoided his gaze, hesitating before finally asking, as casually as she was able, considering the question, "Rick? Have you ever thought about having more children?"
He knew she was only asking out of curiosity and for future- way future- reference, so he cautioned himself not to overreact to her query and simply answer her. "Yes. I've definitely considered it and I wouldn't mind being a father again. But I'd really like to be married before I get a woman knocked up this time around."
"You weren't the first time?"
Rick looked at her sternly when he told her, "You may never tell Alexis this, but the only reason I married Meredith was because of the first pregnancy. When that happened, getting married seemed like the right thing to do. And then we conceived Alexis initially to replace the child we'd lost."
"I won't tell her," Kate assured. "Though I'm sure she's smart enough to suspect that she might have been an accident."
Rick shrugged, acknowledging she may be right, but he knew Kate understood his reasons so he felt no need to extrapolate.
But now Kate was thinking about Alexis and her stomach tightened in nervous knots. That little girl- regardless of the reasons behind her birth- was the center of Rick's world and Kate loved that about him. So she never wanted to come between them, or cause conflict there. Taking a deep breath, Kate told Rick, "I want to ask Alexis for her blessing." When Rick frowned at her in confusion, she clarified, "To date you."
"Oh," he said, surprised. He didn't even have to think about his daughter's reaction before he assured Kate, "She'll say yes. Emphatically yes. In fact, she might even beg a little if you seem hesitant."
Kate smiled, reassured by the way he didn't doubt or question Alexis's reaction, but she said, "I would still like to ask her. As my way of telling her I honor your relationship with her and that she's first in my life as well as yours."
Rick smiled sentimentally at her and fell in love with a whole new side of her; the warm, considerate, maternal Kate Beckett. He began to wonder what a little girl would look like, with Kate's green eyes and maybe his nose or something. He wouldn't want her to look too much like himself, just enough to recognize his own genetics in Kate's daughter, the way Alexis more closely resembled her mother than she did him.
"So, what about you?" Rick asked. When Kate's brows rose in question, Rick clarified, "Do you plan on having Little Becketts one day?"
"No," she said easily, shaking her head for emphasis.
Rick attempted to hide his surprise but wasn't entirely successful. "Oh," he nodded.
Then Kate grinned. "They wouldn't be Becketts, would they? The children I do hope to have- someday- would be named for their father, not me."
Rick returned the smile, charmed by her trick.
He took a moment to study her face. When she saw the look in his eyes, instead of scaring the hell out of her- as it had when past boyfriends had looked at her like that- Kate suddenly felt warm.
"So..." Rick began hesitantly, wanting to bring up the last issue he needed to talk to Kate about tonight.
"So?" she replied leadingly.
"I don't want to keep our relationship a secret. I don't want to hide it from your partners or my family and I don't want to pretend I'm not madly in love with you every time we go out in public together."
Kate frowned. "I never asked you to, did I?"
"Well no, but you're such a private person. You don't go out of your way to tell people stuff like that. In fact, you try to hide it, mostly."
Kate put her hand on the back of Castle's neck and waited for him to look at her. "I may not have admitted it- to myself or to you- but I only hid stuff like that because a part of me knew it would hurt you. But I won't hide my relationship with you."
"So you are going to tell the guys at the station?"
"I've already told Lanie. And I'll tell the guys eventually, but I want to mess with them first."
"What about your father?" he asked nervously, after a moment's consideration. The thought of meeting the man had him nervous in a way Rick hadn't felt since he was a teenager.
But Kate looked away and blushed. "He already knows."
"What? How?"
"I know it's silly and I know I'm a grown woman, but... I still tell my dad when I leave town. It's just polite, you know, and he worries... I told him I was going away with you for the weekend, to spend time at the beach. But if he asks, I'm still a virgin!"
Rick laughed. "That's actually kind of sweet." Then his smile turned teasing. "Are you a Daddy's Girl?"
Kate smiled too. "Maybe," she admitted. She sighed, sensing their 'serious' talk was done now, and she put her head back to rest against the arm of the couch, reclining comfortably.
Rick stretched out beside her, resting his head on her shoulder and draping an arm around her waist. Sighing contentedly also, he settled in, gently brushing his thumb back and forth across her ribs.
"Wow," she said softly in a faintly teasing tone. "I'm surprise."
"By what?" he asked in confusion.
"You've been here for almost an hour now and you still haven't tried to jump me."
Rick chuckled softly. "Sex with you is always incredible. But I don't have to have it every time I see you."
"Oh," Kate said.
And Rick looked up to study her face when her tone sounded almost... disappointed. He smiled his charming smile and teased, "We still can if you want to. I just didn't want you to think that was the only reason I'm here."
"Why are you here?" she asked yet again, regardless of the fact that Rick had already told her the answer to that question.
He glared at her and said, "I'm not even going to dignify that question with a response. You know very well why I'm here."
"To talk," she concluded.
"To talk," he confirmed. He put his head back down on her shoulder. "And just to be with you. Because I love you."
Kate smiled finally wrapping her arms around his shoulders, one hand moving to run her fingers through his hair. "So what else are we going to do?" She asked after a long, quiet minute.
"I was thinking we could watch a movie. Or you could read while I work for a little while and then we'd go to bed. Why? What do you want to do?" He asked and there was a smile in his voice. He thought it was slightly amusing how, for once, he was content to just sit- or lay as it were- and do nothing, but Kate was the one to get antsy; that was usually his job.
"I want to make love with you," she finally replied. And even that small admission was enough to have him hardening quickly.
But he had to tease her first. "What do you want me to do?"
"What do you mean, 'what do I want you to do?' I want you to make love with me." Kate was confused; her request was pretty self-explanatory. What new game is Castle playing? She had to wonder.
"Well..." he began pointedly. "If you'd said you wanted to screw, I would know exactly what you wanted; me inside of you, pounding away until we were both screaming." Kate's jaw dropped, surprised by his crude description. But she quickly controlled her expression as he continued. "But you didn't say that, so what exactly do you want me to do?"
"You know what I want you to do," Kate complained, trying not to whine.
Castle lifted his head to look at her. Yes, he knew exactly what she wanted- he knew exactly where and when she wanted to be kissed; he knew where and how she wanted to be touched. But he wanted to hear her say it. So, finally he smiled and said, "Tell me."
"Castle," she whined, embarrassed to say what he wanted to hear, but needing him to touch her.
"Katie," he replied in a similar tone and he rested on her shoulder again, settling in contentedly to show that he wasn't going to move unless she told him exactly what to do.
Kate sighed. "I want you to kiss me."
Rick turned his head slightly, pressed a kiss to her collar bone and then settled again. "That was fun," he teased, indicating that he was done now. "We should do that again sometime."
"I want you to kiss my mouth," she clarified, sounding a little irritated now.
Rick lifted up to press a soft, closed-mouth kiss to her lips that lasted only seconds before he was pulling away again.
But Kate reached for his head and fisted her hands gently in his hair, holding him in place. Her eyes flashing dangerously, she stared him down as she told him, "I want you to kiss me again, but this time I want it to last much longer than that." Rick tried to move in to kiss her- exactly as he had before, only longer- but her hands tightened in his hair and restrained him. She continued, "After about a minute into the kiss, I want you to open your mouth over mine and touch my lower lip with the tip of your tongue. And when I part my lips for you to enter me, I want you to put your tongue in my mouth and use it to play with mine. When my breathing speeds up, I want you to touch my breasts- outside of my clothes. I want you to play with them. I assume you can figure out what to do with them?"
Rick simply nodded his head, unable to form words at the moment.
Kate smiled a little. "Good. When you have me gasping, I want you to put your hands inside my clothes to continue touching me. And when you have me moaning, I want you to start undressing me, starting with my shirt, and then-" She cocked her head to one side. "Oh right, I'm not wearing a bra. Shoot. Oh well. When you have me topless, I want you to start kissing down my body- with those nibbling little kisses you do, that I love- and then over to-"
Kate broke off when Castle suddenly surged forward and began kissing her. He may have skipped a step or two, his tongue moving immediately to explore her warm mouth, but Kate didn't mind at all. She tried to laugh against his mouth, but his insistent tongue forestalled any sounds. Just talking about it had been enough to get them both warmed up and Kate was soon panting between kisses.
Rick thought it was about time to start following orders- for perhaps the first time in his entire life. His hand drifted up, over her ribs to cover her breast and she made a small noise in the back of her throat. Rick held himself over her, his thumb moving to sweep over the hardening peak of her breast.
Kate drew in a sharp breath and Rick had to break away. He had to catch his breath, he had to slow down. Kate wanted a physical expression of his love, not a quick tumble on the couch- though he suspected she'd be satisfied with either. But he wanted to give her what she asked for, so he needed to slow down.
His hands turned soft, caressing instead of grasping as they slid over her chest, her shoulders, her arms. Rick studied her face as he touched her, noted her half-lidded gaze, her kiss swollen lips. He leaned in slowly and kissed her gently, taking the time to let this kiss intensify gradually as his hands continued to explore. No matter how often he touched her, Rick didn't think he'd ever grow tired of feeling Kate's beautiful body shivering under his hands.
Wrapping one arm beneath her, around her waist, Rick pulled her down until she was lying flat on the couch instead of propped against the arm rest. When he withdrew his hand from beneath her, his fingers inched under her top, skating over the skin of her midriff and finally fanned out across her stomach. He was caressing her ribs when he pulled away again to look at her. Rick pushed her top up just high enough to see the tattoos on her ribs and moved to kiss one of them. When Rick gently bit at her skin, Kate gasped in surprise, and Rick pulled away to grin at her.
Kate narrowed her eyes on him. "Here I am gasping and you still haven't removed my shirt?" she said pointedly, almost as if she were disappointed in him. "What was the point of forcing me to tell you what to do when you aren't even going to follow directions?"
Rick cleared his throat dramatically and corrected her. "If I'm not mistaken- and I never am- you told me that when I had you gasping under my touch, you wanted me to put my hands under your clothes. Like this." Castle slid his hand underneath her top, palming her breast. When he brushed his thumb, back and forth, over the peak, Kate drew in a sharp breath. "Only once you were moaning was I to remove your shirt."
"I said that?" Kate asked, a bit breathlessly.
Rick nodded, humming, "Mm-hmm."
"Oh," she said, swallowing hard. "Well in that case," Kate closed her eyes, tilted her head back, arched her back up into Rick's hand, and gave a loud, heartfelt moan. And even though Rick knew the sound was faked- at least mostly- it was exciting to hear her enthusiastic sounds nonetheless.
Quickly removing her top then, Rick fell down to her, kissing from her mouth to her chin and down her throat.
"There was something about nibbling kisses next," Rick pointed out as he kissed a path down her sternum.
"Yes," she gasped in agreement.
"And then over to…" he trailed off leadingly, hoping to prompt her into filling in the blank.
But Kate simply gasped, "Yes," again in an encouraging tone.
"Over to what, Kate? You never said." Rick paused in his exploration of her upper chest, waiting for her to give him direction.
But Kate opened her eyes and glared down her body at him. "Kiss me wherever you'd like, Rick. And if you're going to try to punish me by stopping until I tell you exactly what I want you to do, I'm going to bed, by myself to finish this without you."
A wide grin split his face and he asked, "Can I watch?"
Kate heaved an exasperated breath and snapped, "No!"
"Fine!" he replied in a similar tone, though he was still smiling. His body moved to press down on hers and his mouth descended to take the tip of her breast into his mouth. Kate's hands moved to push her fingers through his hair and held his head to her chest.
He wants me to talk? Kate pondered silently. He was finally giving her what she wanted- and it felt damn good- so she figured she should show some mercy and give him what he wanted too. Fine, I'll talk, she concluded.
"Your tongue feels so good on my breasts," she told him quietly, too effected by him to manage much volume, but determined to talk nonetheless.
Rick broke away from her chest to look down at her in surprise. He hadn't thought she was going to talk any more tonight, so her words surprised him. Though she wasn't one to keep her enthusiastic sounds to herself, especially after he'd told her how much he loved them, she was usually silent otherwise. Occasionally she'd moan his name or tell him she loved him, but other that, Kate didn't say much whenever they made love. She didn't even give direction, like other women had in the past. She just let Rick do whatever felt good to him, and enjoyed it as much as he did.
"Don't stop," she gasped and pulled him back down by the hands still wrapped in his hair. He continued his ministrations and Kate kept talking. "I love the way you make love with me. I love the way you touch me like you're trying to memorize the curves of my body with your hands. I love the way you kiss me like I'm the most delicious thing in the world." Rick's teeth suddenly scraped over sensitive flesh and Kate gasped. "Your mouth feels so good, Castle."
Rick moaned around her skin, still held in his mouth and his hips flexed against her, rubbing himself against her thigh.
"You always seem to know where I want you to touch me, and it makes me feel so good that you know me so well."
Rick chuckled against her skin and finally moved back up her body to kiss her neck. "I don't know, exactly. I just know where I want to touch you and it usually happens to be what you wanted, too. Funny how it works out like that."
Kate wrapped a leg around his hips and smiled. "We work well together," she concluded.
"We're great together, baby," Rick corrected her pompously.
"You know what would be really great?" Kate asked pointedly.
Rick laughed. "No, but I can guess." He moved away from her then, standing over her as he surveyed the length of her body. Finally he frowned, "I can't see all of you. Your shorts are in my way."
"What do you want me to do about it?" Kate asked, amused by his tone.
"Take them off," he commanded, imperiously.
Kate's gaze swept down the length of his still fully clothed body and she retorted, "You first."
Rick quickly pulled off his t-shirt and then watched as Kate slowly raised her hips. When his hands moved to the button of his jeans, Kate's hands moved to the waistband of her pajama bottoms. He unzipped his clothes, and she curled her thumbs under the elastic. Rick began pushing his pants down and Kate copied him. Out of curiosity, Rick paused in his undressing and then smiled when Kate paused too, confirming his suspicions; she was mimicking him.
So he stopped undressing himself, then leaned over and yanked her shorts down. When he smirked down into her surprised face, Kate sat up and yanked his clothes down his body. And then it was her turn to smirk up at his surprised face.
When her gaze riveted to his arousal standing up right in front of her face, Kate licked her lips. But Castle snapped, "No. I want to be inside of you."
Her eyes moved back up to his and, smiling, she laid back down on the couch, watching him as he moved to join her again. His big body felt heavenly as he pressed down to her, so Kate wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him down heavy on top of her. She arched her back up to press her bare chest to his, loving the feel of Rick's skin pressed to hers as well as his arousal as he began pressing slowly into her. Tilting her hips for a better angle, Kate began humming in pleasure as he began filling her.
"Every time with you, Rick, feels better than the last," Kate gasped. "But it feels like the first time, every time, too. Does that even make sense?"
"I know what you mean, sweetheart," Rick replied, brushing a lock of hair off her cheek as he smiled tenderly down at her. He studied her dark green eyes, as they gazed right back at him, and he thought he'd live the rest of his life and never find another woman he loved half as much as he loved Kate. But the thought of even looking held no appeal for him anymore.
There's that look again, Kate noted, the look that usually has me running for the hills. But on Rick, that look looks… good. She sighed happily, and for the first time in her life, she was looking forward to the kind of relationship that might one day lead to a family of her own. First though, they had to practice their technique for the day they may actually work on building their family.
While Rick seemed content just to stare at her, not moving as they each grew accustomed to the feel of the other's body, Kate wanted friction. Her hands moved to his shoulders, coasted up his neck and gently wrapped around the back of his head. And slowly, she pulled his mouth down to hers, tilting her head to the side to kiss him deeply. When his hands found her breasts again, Kate moaned into his mouth, her breathing speeding up and pushing her chest harder into his hands. Then, when the torment to her body became too much to bear, Kate finally shifted her hips under his, prompting him to finally move over her, pulling out of her body slowly only to press back into her warmth until she was panting and whimpering with the pleasure.
Their climax built in them slowly, burning them with its promise of blissful release until the fire threatened to consume them. And when the heat became too intense to bear, Kate faced it head on, looking into Castle's eyes and reading the love there, as she jumped headlong into the flames. Rick was her 'forever guy,' scary as that was to admit. But as she watched him, felt his tender touch on her body, the love in his every gesture, she knew she could trust him with her life, and even with her heart.
"I love you, Rick," she told him, and when he smiled tenderly, she added, "Forever."
The smile froze on his face, his eyes going round in surprise. "I love you too, Katie. More than my own life."
She pulled him down for another kiss, and her body broke underneath him. The flames surged in waves through her, pulling gasping moans of pleasure from her mouth and pulling Rick's release from his body, spilling into her.
A/N Part II: If anyone was wondering, I haven't been posting regularly because of my school schedule. I took too many classes this semester and I have been overwhelmed by the amount of work I have been faced with (As this is being edited, I should actually be typing up a history assignment which is due in several hours. Uh, oh.) Luckily, my means of procrastinating is writing fan fiction, but actually posting doesn't happen very often. So I'm sorry about that, hopefully I'll have more time at the end of May.
Thank you for every single review I have received for this story! I adore each and every reviewer for your kind and generous words! This chapter is only being posted today because I know from your comments that I'm not the only person who likes this story. Thank you!