Chapter 9

An unrestrained moan trickled past Kate's lips at the firm but welcome contact, the sensation of Castle's velvety tongue mingling with hers more pleasurable than her body could manage to contain. She felt the defensive sting of her still-tender lip, undoubtedly, but from those few seconds of sharp awareness grew a resilience and a defiance born of startling want.

Castle guided her into his lap and she yielded without hesitation, his back pressed firmly against the sofa's corner, his lips, insistent in their ambition, never relinquishing hers. His hands settled just below the curve of her hips, his fingers thrust covetously through the belt loops of her jeans, as hers tugged at the angled collar of his tee, its shape stretched and gathered away from his neck, the imprint of her fingertips left behind in the worn cotton.

Like two eager teenagers lacking time and restraint, their hands traveled over each other feverishly, their bodies fastened as unrelenting magnets. They separated only for need of air, only driven by the compulsion to look into the other's eyes and to realize it wasn't all a dream. It was real- every touch, every breath, every sound, every sensation; there, in the flickering shadows, in the splendor of their seclusion, in the afterglow of apology and acceptance and affirmation, it was finally real.

"My God," Castle panted, too overwhelmed to keep it inside, "how the hell have I made it this long without tasting you again?" He drew her back in, already devastated by the seconds apart. "You taste like magic."

"You feel like home," she replied, her fingers kneading at the back of his neck, grasping possessively at the skin below the soft fuzz of his hair. "I thought I'd remembered what it was like, but-" He shifted ever so slightly beneath her and a wave of arousal rushed through her, the remainder of her words washed away in its wake.

He dragged his warm mouth along the silk of her neck, teasing it with the tip of his tongue until she shivered in his arms. "Tell me." His tongue was on her again. "Tell me what you remember."

"I can't tell you anything if you keep doing that with your…Rick."

His teeth bit gently at her earlobe. "Does that mean you want me to stop?"

"Don't you dare. I can-" His hair was thick and soft in the grip of her fist, though she hadn't any idea exactly when it was she'd taken hold. She took a deep breath, deep enough that she might be able to string more than a few words together. "I remember the way you looked at me in the light of that alley. I'd never seen your eyes that blue before. Your fingers got lost in my hair and tickled my neck. And the tip of your nose was cold against my cheek." She leaned in and found his kiss-swollen lips, angled her position to meet them, wide and deep.

"What else?" His hands drifted under the hem of her loose top and skirted the waistline of her jeans- almost a dare. "I want to hear your voice."

"You were softer than I'd ever imagined. And I'd imagined it. I had. I didn't want to fucking think. I didn't want to leave that moment. I just wanted to feel your lips, your tongue, your hands anywhere and everywhere. And then I wanted to do it all over again- somewhere, anywhere but there. And later, when you'd left and I'd gone home alone, I thought about you. I shouldn't have, but I did. Because you'd demanded it without ever saying a word. Because I couldn't convince myself to want to stop."

She adjusted her body, her left hand against the strength of his shoulder for leverage, and lowered herself to his thighs, her knees bracketing his hips. "Is that what you wanted to hear? That I wanted you? And then I wanted you even more?"

Castle's warm palms climbed up the skin of her back, pausing at the lace of her bra, inching along its edge, lingering there in wait. She nodded her consent, her lip stretched between her teeth in anticipation of the freedom. "I want to see it," he murmured, his voice awash in reverence, the evidence of that day in the grass months before marked on her skin underneath.

She curled her spine and sank into his body, her mouth at his ear. "Take me to bed and I'll show you."

Kate's phone vibrated on the table, left behind as Castle led her down the hallway toward the bedroom.

XXX

"No answer?"

"Nope," Espo replied, setting his phone back up on the dash.

"Probably sleeping or something."

"Yeah, sleeping…or something." The wheels in his brain were turning. "Not in the city, though."

Ryan let out a groan of displeasure, an audible slap on the wrist. "Give it a rest, Javi. Beckett hung up on you, big deal. She's not in the city, big deal."

Espo's mouth fell open, Ryan's bite not something unleashed upon him often. "Well, excuse me for being concerned about our partner. She just got in a damn accident. Where the hell would she go?"

"I don't know where the hell she'd go, Javi, but I do know I'm not her dad or her doctor, so I guess I'll just wait and see if she decides to tell me. And you should do the same. We already have one case to solve. Or have you forgotten?" He shifted in his seat, stretched his legs out in front of him as far as the limited space would allow. "My ass sure hasn't. Where the hell is this guy, anyway?"

"Don't look at me, bro. Your boy's the one who said he'd be here."

Ryan turned and batted his eyelashes, reached over to daintily caress Espo's shoulder. "Aw, Javi, you know you'll always be my boy."

"Get your hand-" Espo slapped his hand away and Ryan winced. "Creep."

"Cooper's kind of a prick, I know, but he's trying to help us out. He said Abruzzo would show, so, I guess we wait."

From their position in the car across the street from Jimmy and Micky's club, they had fairly good eyes on the sidewalk out front. The line of people waiting to get in had already begun to form, twenty-somethings standing in cliques, sizing up anyone who crossed into their eyeline. Two sizable bouncers stood guard, one of whom Espo recognized from his initial trip to the club with Beckett, and the other who could've been his twin, their shaven heads, cartoonish muscles, and black uniform tees doing little to help differentiate between the two.

In the car with them, Ryan and Espo each held enlarged printouts of Dominic Abruzzo's driver's license and his previous mug shots, his arrests numerous and varied: robbery, possession of a weapon, possession of a controlled substance, assault, sexual misconduct- the list wasn't pretty, nor was Abruzzo. He was missing two teeth and his nose had clearly been broken more than once, a scar branching upward from his left eyebrow one he seemed to wear with pride. He looked old for his young years- worn, beaten down by his choices, yet clinging to a false sense of superiority, the smirk in his most recent mug shot an unmistakable declaration of that.

"How the hell is this guy even still walking around?" Ryan looked to Espo but wasn't really seeking an answer. None would've appeased him, anyway. "Sometimes I wonder why we even bother."

"Chin up, bro, maybe today will be our lucky day."

"Well, that's uncharacteristically optimistic of you." Ryan took pleasure in moments like this, rare as they were, his own outlook on things generally sunnier than his partner's.

"I'm just ready to get the hell out of this car. All we've done is sit around and wait. I figure, put some vibes out into the universe, right? Desperate times, partner." Espo pulled his phone down from the dash again and checked the time, the club nearly ready to open.

"We were both sitting right here, Javi. Beckett didn't call. I didn't hear it ring. Did you hear it ring?"

"Shut up. I wasn't even looking at that." He was looking at that, sort of, hoping there might be a text message from her or something. He couldn't help it. He felt that kernel of concern dancing around inside him. This was Beckett. The way she'd been different the past few weeks and then the accident- he really couldn't help it.

"Hey, hey, hey! Is that him? Right there, next to the bouncer!" He quickly passed Espo the binoculars, his heart beating energetically at the real possibility.

Espo picked up the set of photos from his lap and examined them once more, alternated his view from the paper version of Abruzzo to the man magnified within the circle of the binoculars. "That's him, bro. Let's go get him."

XXX

The lamp next to the bed was switched on, left that way after Kate had retrieved his gift, the light muted by the darker tone of the lampshade. She stepped through the door behind him, their fingers woven together, the buzz of anticipation racing back and forth from one to the other and back again. Their bags rested against each other on the floor in the corner, a physical manifestation of their owners' intent, their decision to be there, in that place together, as close as they could possibly be.

"So, do you want to brush your teeth first or-" He smiled, taunting, and he tugged playfully at her hand until she came in close.

"I can go do that, sure. Or, I can do the other thing with my mouth that I've been thinking about."

His eyebrows peaked with wonderment. "Okay, option B or Two or whatever designation you'd like to give that other thing you've been thinking about. That's what I choose." He stood ready, as though he were in a cafeteria line at school, an empty tray in hand just waiting to be filled. "Definitely that one."

"A predictable but wise decision, Mr. Castle." She pushed gently against the flat of his body with hers, guided him backward until his legs came into contact with the bed and he was compelled to sit. Her hands moved to his shoulders, her left cinched around the muscle, her right, wrapped and sensitive, propped cautiously.

Kate stepped between his thighs, their slackened position welcoming her, and she felt the twinge in their possessive response, relished in their perceptible claim of proprietorship over her body. His mouth was warm as she opened briefly to him, warm and anxious, and she fed his hunger. The room spun around her- the relief, the awe, the all at once improbability and inevitability of the moment nearly impossible for her mind to process. Her eyes held steadfast to his, the dim light of their surroundings masking their deep blue, yet surrendering its power to their brilliance, which it couldn't subdue.

Slowly she raised her arms above her head, an overture absent words, still articulate in its objective. A sliver of skin peeked tantalizingly from beneath the hem of her shirt and he trailed it with his fingertip, her subsequent shiver fueling his appetite for more. He drew lazy circles and abstract patterns all the way around her body until his hands met at the elegant dip in her back. "You're so soft. I don't ever want to stop touching you."

"And I don't want you to stop, but…"

"There's a but? Why does there have to be a but?"

"All the blood is rushing out of my arms, Castle. Can you please take my shirt off already so I can actually feel them again? I'm definitely going to need them. And you're definitely going to need them." She grinned flirtatiously.

"Oh, yeah, sorry!" He slid his hands upward along the skin of her torso, over each rib, over the lace he'd caressed moments ago, until he lifted the fabric free of her body.

She released a thankful sigh and lowered her arms to her sides. "Better, thank you."

"You're telling me," he said aloud without truly intending to. His eyes were wide, awed, journeying along her skin, everywhere his hands longed to be. "I'm sorry. You're just- I've dreamt so many times about what it'd be like to see you, Kate, to have you in front of me like this. It's still hard to believe this is real."

She ran her thumb along the arch of his eyebrow. She wasn't entirely certain why. She wanted to experience all of him, she supposed. "You want to keep going? Maybe that'll help convince you."

She wasn't really asking.

"Oh, I've only just begun here with you." His thumbs were already at work on the clasp at her back, the modest tremble of his nerves tickling her spine. The black straps fell from her shoulders as he freed her from the lace's hold, the bra dropping to the floor without drawing the attention of either. "Kate." She stood half-bare before him, unveiled by his hands, revealed to him for the first time. The crest of her clavicle, the curve of her shoulder, the pale of her breast set off against the deep pink of evil's permanent emblem- every inch captivated him. "You're exquisite."

Her chin dropped and her eyes drifted shut. "Even-"

No. He knew exactly what her mind was doing.

"Hey, look at me, Kate." She did, without reluctance. "There is no even. This, everything I see, is you. The best you. The only you. I want it all exactly as it is. I love it all exactly as it is."

She reached for his hand and gathered it into her body, held it beside her heart, against the spot that'd nearly ended them before they even began. "Make love to me, Rick."

XXX

"You're going to want to put some ice on that," Ryan said, a discernible grin on his face.

"And you're gonna wanna shut the hell up," Espo snapped back, pressing at the tender spot on his left cheekbone. "Or next time you won't be so lucky." He threw the car keys onto his desk and dropped into his chair with a humph.

"Luck had nothing to do with it, mi amigo. I was ready and you weren't. Plain and simple. Maybe if you weren't so distracted by this Beckett thing, you would've ducked in time too." He perched himself on the corner of Espo's desk, got a dirty look for it. "Maybe I can work with you on some moves to-"

Espo shot him daggers, his nostrils flared, his jaw clenched.

"Too much? Too much." Ryan nodded, answering his own foolish question. "So, what do you think about this guy, Abruzzo?"

"I think I'd like to kick him into next week."

"Get that, sure, mmhm," Ryan's tone utterly patronizing. "You think there's anything to what he said?"

"I think he'd probably say just about anything at this point to avoid getting pinched. With his rap sheet? Only so much probation to go 'round. We know Jimmy and Micky didn't get along. That came straight from Jimmy's mouth already. We gotta look into it, though. Let that a-hole stew in holding."

"What'd he say that other kid's name was? The one in the surveillance video with him."

Espo picked up the interview notes from his desk. "Tony Gionta. Said he also goes by 'Little T'. Lives in Jersey, supposedly, but spends most of his time here with the crew. Works at the club sometimes for Micky, cash- under the table."

"I'll run him and see if I come up with anything. We should get someone to his place in Jersey."

"Yeah, I'll make the call."

Ryan turned for his desk. "You really should get some ice on that."

"I said shut the hell up," Espo grumbled, and he yanked his desk phone from the receiver.

XXX

Castle's chest expanded and contracted beneath Kate's hand, his breathing more a gleeful pant. Kate's hair tickled his underarm, her head settled against the dewy skin covering his ribcage. He didn't dare move, their limbs left entangled in a pattern that might never again be replicated, and he wanted to revel in the euphoria of that moment as it was forever.

"Your heart's beating so fast," she whispered.

"If only you knew how many times you've been responsible for that." Her fingers splayed out over his belly and circled gently, aimlessly. "Though, I will tell you without equivocation, this is my favorite."

"And, here, all this time, all it took was a couple of orgasms. If only I'd known."

"My God, please don't say orgasms like that. Or in any other way right now. It sounds too fucking sexy and I need time to recover so we can do all of that again. And then again."

Kate let out a soft chuckle, her warm breath sending a tingle across his skin. "Wasn't aware there'd be rules, Castle. Since I'm not allowed to talk about that other word, can I talk about how incredible your body feels against mine- and on mine- and under mine- and in mine?"

"Jeez, woman, do you ever play fair?"

"Because it does, you know…feel incredible. Like nothing ever has before. Ever." She lifted her head and kissed his chest, let her mouth rest there, his scent, their scent, filling her. "How have we not done this sooner?"

"The universe can be inexplicably cruel. And now it owes us, so get ready for a whole lot of making up for lost time."

"Yeah? How much lost time?"

"What do you mean?" His fingers traced repetitive paths through her unfastened hair, her eyes drifting closed at the pleasurable sensation.

"Well, I guess I was just wondering when you knew you wanted this. If there was a particular moment when you realized."

He left her question unanswered. "Come up here first."

"But I'm so comfortable," she whined. "This better be good." She pushed herself up onto her elbow and inched up his side, the whole of her body never breaking contact. "You rang?" she purred, her eyes exploring the curves of his lips lustfully.

Castle's body ached again for hers already. Without a sound, his hands brushed across her cheeks and into the wild of her hair, directing her mouth to his, open and ready. She matched his fervor instantly, and their tongues danced as though choreographed- elegant, yet unbound by the constraints of a song's limited moments. A sigh of pleasure escaped into the dark of the room, from which, neither knew. Kate squeezed unknowingly at the muscle of his upper arm with each dip of their mouths, her fingers leaving behind their impression on his skin like a tattoo.

They separated finally, necessarily, resentful of the need for air. "Was that a good enough reason?"

"I'd let you feel how good- ya know, if you weren't recovering."

An incoherent sound dribbled out of his slack-jawed mouth. "Wicked."

"Hey!" Kate blurted excitedly. "Can you move? I want to show you something. Follow me." And she slid out of bed.

XXX

"Jersey City's sending a unit to Gionta's place. They'll hit me back," Espo hollered to Ryan, louder than he needed to, from behind the makeshift ice pack pressed against his face. His mood hadn't improved much. It was late, he felt foolish and was probably going to look more so very soon, and they were waiting. Again.

He walked to the board and pinned up Gionta's photo amongst the few that were already hanging there. "Real charming bunch we have here. Probably all knee deep in it. Wonder who's gonna get tossed under the bus first."

"Someone'll crack," Ryan assured him. "Someone always does." He stood next to Espo with his arms folded, wearing an expression of certitude. "My money's on Abruzzo."

"Punk bastard," Espo seethed.

Ryan looked at him sideways. Big baby. It was just a punch. He wasn't crippled, for crying out loud. "He'll jump at a deal. If these guys are involved, he'll roll. He already gave us Gionta and tossed Jimmy's name into the mix. Wasn't very boys' club of him. Put me in the box again with him and I'll get it."

"Ate your Wheaties today, huh?" Espo snickered. "No way in hell you're goin' after that guy without me."

"Whatever."

"Whatever nothin'. This is us, bro. Without Beckett, it's you and me. Oh, and I got $20 on Little T."

Ryan nodded and turned back to the board. "It's a bet. Now, let's go over what little we've got."

XXX

"Help me grab these," Kate called out from one of the secondary bedrooms as Castle passed down the hall. He stopped in his tracks, startled by the origin of the voice he hadn't expected. He poked his head through the open doorway and caught her bent over a stack of cushions, her state of dress: his discarded V-neck, nothing else- the very personification of perfection.

"I'd very much like to grab those," he retorted, only half-kidding. His eyes traveled the length of her, the journey requiring award-worthy restraint. "But that's probably not what you meant. What're we doing?"

"I'm taking you to a show."

He picked up the cushions and followed her out into the great room, where she yanked the blanket from the back of the sofa and headed for the sliding doors out to the deck. "You're about to experience my second favorite thing about this place." She flipped up the lock and stepped out into the darkness.

"I can't see anything," he whispered, as though the neighbors might hear- the neighbors that didn't exist inside of, at least, a mile.

"You will, trust me. Bring those over here."

The sound of a chair's drag along the wood planks filled his ears, and then another. When it was quiet again, all he could hear around him was the song of a summer's night. He didn't have that in the city or in the Hamptons. It was like an exquisite symphony. "Wow, listen to that."

She picked up the cushions one by one and arranged them on the lounge chairs. "Wonderful, isn't it? Hard to miss the city when you're out here in the middle of all of this."

His eyes had finally adjusted to his surroundings and he moved to her. "The very last thing on my mind right now is the city. I only want to be here, in this moment, with you."

Kate pressed her lips softly against his and tugged at the waistband of his boxers. "Come on, sit." The deck chairs were side by side, facing outward toward the back of the property. "You ready?" she asked, as he situated himself next to her.

"I'm not sure what ready entails, exactly, but I'm going to say yes anyway."

She took his hand in hers and rested them both against her bare thigh. He already had chills. "Look up, Castle," she told him, a giddy smile in every word.

He angled his head and looked to the sky. He saw nothing at first, but he held his focus. And little by little they began to appear, pins of white light- hundreds, thousands, then millions. He wasn't prepared for it, the city boy, so completely out of his element. It nearly took his breath away. It was as though the stars were glowing just for them, no one else in the world seeing the same tiny corner of the sky. "Kate, it's amazing."

"Now you understand. Now you see." She spoke so delicately, her words pointed at the sky.

"I love you, Castle."

He turned to her though she didn't reciprocate, her gaze fixed on the beauty and majesty above. "I love you, too."