Summary: Alternate ending to Cuffed
A/N: Thanks for the faves, follows, and reviews! They are all much appreciated!
Still for my best friend. :)
Castle's mind was still on the whole "hitched" conversation as Kate tucked her helmet under her arm and moved to leave.
"Next time, let's do it without the tiger, okay?"
He couldn't believe his ears. "Uh, next time?" Was she serious? This day had been so... intense... he wasn't quite sure if she was joking or not.
He turned to watch her as she smiled and walked toward the elevator. Her smile... that was definitely something. And he had been seeing a lot more of it lately.
Oh, and her helmet. That meant she came in on her motorcycle. Castle started to follow, but something stopped him. She was still looking at him, and he was sure that was a leer that played across her face just as the doors to the elevators closed. Too late.
But-
It was all too much, and curiosity was starting... no, it already had him half-dead. These past few weeks had been so new, and it was still so exciting to have Kate playing and teasing with him. Castle jogged to the stairwell and ran down the steps, taking them two at a time, in hopes he could catch her before she left.
He pushed through the door into the lobby just as she turned for the parking garage. He gasped in a lungful of air and called, "Kate! Wait up!"
She stopped and faced him as he staggered toward her. He was so out of shape, it wasn't funny.
"Castle? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." He pulled in a deep breath, "I wanted to catch you before you left-"
She was so cute when she was amused. He really should tell her that some time. "Castle, you know you could have sent a text, right? I would have waited."
Okay, so she caught him not thinking again. And the way she said that she would have waited... "I, uh, didn't think about that at the time."
Kate smiled again, and there was something a little different in her eyes when she spoke, "You want a ride?"
Castle was almost at a loss for words. A ride? On her bike? He would be insane to turn that down. "Sure, yeah, I think, I think I would like that."
"Then, let's go. I want to get something to eat. I don't know about you, but I'm starving."
"Sounds like a date," he said, almost immediately wanting to kick himself. He didn't want to push her at all, but those words just fell out of his mouth.
"Yeah, it does, doesn't it?" Kate's eyes met his for almost a moment too long, then she turned toward the garage. Castle followed her, unable and unwilling to do anything else.
