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Thank you for your support. This chapter is why this story is Rated M. Fair warning.

Disclaimer: Castle and For Lovers Only aren't mine :/

[Naked Heat]

The hotel door burst open on a swing in a flash, and as quickly as it opened it was shut closed with the force of two bodies. Mouths and hands caressed with fervor and need, their desperation apparent.

It was passionate and intense and full of heat.

Letting out a moan of pleasure, Kate threaded her hand through Rick's hair, loving the soft feel of it between her fingers as she held him steady while her mouth danced with his in a hard kiss. She smothered his lips with her own, her pink tongue peeking out and tracing a line over the crease of his mouth, desperately begging for entrance. Rick couldn't refuse.

His body lined up with hers perfectly, every contour of their forms fitting like a puzzle.

It was all too much and too little at the same time. He couldn't get enough of her taste, her smell, her lithe form molding to his. His hands gripped her hips in a vice lock as she trailed her hands down his sides and wound her arms around his waist, bringing him closer- if that was even possible. The two were so twisted and tangled with one another; it was difficult to tell where one body started and where the other ended.

With the feel of the wooden door behind her back and his chest against her own, Kate almost lost control of herself right then and there. She didn't know if it was the way he pumped his hips against hers, or the way his body surrounded her and kept her steady as she grasped onto him with all of her might, or how his lips traveled south from her mouth to the pulse point on her neck, or if it was simply the combination of all those put together.

She figured it was the latter.

This beating pulse and hot, boiling energy between them was all so familiar and natural, yet new and exciting. And those feelings alone allowed the pair to breathe, to just be– just be with one another. The outside world quickly faded around them, everything else became a blur.

Right now, in this moment, it was only them.

Kate hooked a slender leg around Rick's waist, the motion causing their cores to line up directly and causing friction. She could feel how aroused he was, how ready he was for her. And that only turned her on more.

In one swift movement, she managed to unhook her leg and direct them toward the bed, where Rick was now being pressed against the mattress as she straddled him. He let out a groan in surprise, air escaping his lungs. Then suddenly, a pair of cold hands began hiking up his t-shirt, only to trace over the revealed skin. Within mere seconds, his chest was left bare before her.

Breaking the kiss, Kate smiled softly down at him. Without either speaking a word, they pulled the other in for a hug and relished in the warmth it brought. Rick gently rotated them, leaving him on top this time. He couldn't help but smile at her. She was so small compared to him; he had these broad shoulders and large arms that completely encompassed her, while she was lean and toned. So fragile, but solid.

Returning a smile of her own, eyes sparkling as she looked up at him, Kate danced her fingers along his chest in abstract shapes and designs. Her touch gentle, so gentle it tickled, causing a few laughs to tumble from his mouth.

Silence encompassed them as they lay there, and as odd as it may have been, the silence was actually soothing. The only sounds being the hitches in their breaths and the rapid beating of their hearts.

It was quiet, and it was still.

And in that stillness, Kate realized something.

Peppering open-mouthed kisses along the long column of his neck and nipping at the flesh, she sighed deeply and shut her eyes. "I missed you. I missed you so much."

He'd missed her too. More than she could possibly ever know.

Kissing her forehead, his nose rubbing carefully along hers in a tender caress, he simply said, "I'm right here. I'm right here, Kate. I'm not going anywhere."

Overwhelmed by his simple yet reassuring words, she kissed his neck once again and held onto him as tightly as she could.

He wasn't leaving. He was right here.

Holding her just as close, just as tight, he felt her let out a shaky breath.

"What is it?" He whispered, concern evident in his voice.

Resting her head on the pillow, she lifted both hands and cupped his cheeks. He hadn't shaved; she could feel the prickly stubble beneath her fingertips. She liked it on him, made him more rugged and daring.

Taking a deep breath, she gave him a weak smile. "Before we, um, continue. I have to tell you something."

Rick stared at her, unsure of what she could possibly have to tell him, but nodded his head anyways. "Anything. You can tell me anything." He pecked her lips, hoping to give her some form of reassurance if his words didn't.

"This is not easy for me to tell you– in fact, it's really quite embarrassing and rather pathetic, but I hope you'll see and understand once I tell you."

Now she was beginning to scare him, and an uneasiness settled low in his gut, his nerves making an unexpected appearance. And the longer they lay there, pressed against mattress, the more those very nerves seemed to kick in.

Eyes closed, but only for a second or two, she slowly found her way back up to his eyes. She could do this. "Okay, I'm just going to come right out and say it–"

Rick nodded, holding his breath and never breaking eye contact.

"–I haven't been with anyone since you." Her voice squeaked as her nerves got the best of her.

Silence and a blank face greeted her. With her lip becoming weathered between her teeth, Kate cocked her head to the side in confusion, and mostly, worry.

"Rick?"

She hadn't the slightest clue as to how he was feeling or if he had processed her confession at all. He merely gazed down at her, without speaking a word. But then, just before she could ask again, he was talking.

"You– you haven't been with anyone since me?"

She slowly nodded her head. "I haven't been with anyone in three years," she reiterated. "Just you."

"I– I haven't either...been with anyone, I mean."

Kate was beyond shocked at his admission, yet her heart warmed at the thought.

He hadn't been with a single woman over the three years they'd been separated? Whoa. Well, she hadn't been with a man during those three years either, so why was it so surprising he hadn't reverted to his old playboy days? She knew him better than that. She knew him better than anyone, and he knew everything there's to know about her.

Why did it surprise her- in a good way- he remained abstinent all this time, then? Maybe it was because he'd done it for her, just as she did it for him...

Focusing back to the man above her, she hung onto his every word.

"No other woman has had such a strong grip on my heart quite like you do, and always will. No other woman could possibly compare to you, Kate."

She was speechless. "You really mean that?"

"Would I ever tell you otherwise?"

Feeling the familiar tug at the corners of her mouth, Kate found herself smiling widely as her gaze settled on his. "No. No, you wouldn't."

And just like that, she pounced.

Their lips met, slowly increasing in pressure with each peck. Rick moaned into her mouth, and brought his hand up and rested it on the back of her head, forcing her closer to his needy lips. Kate could feel his tongue trying to find its way into the cavern of her mouth, and she caught it between her teeth, groaning at the contact.

The temperature in the room spiked, the heat radiating like wild fire between them as they writhed over each other.

His hands were roaming her body, coming to rest on her breasts and she let out a sigh as he pinched her erect nipples through her shirt and bra, his seeking hands ghosting over her ribs and heading toward his intended destination. Trailing her lips downward, she ravaged his neck, biting and sucking until there was a little mark. She smiled proudly, and began to simultaneously caress his apparent bulge through his pants, making his eyelids flutter close as he moaned her name.

Her hand only stilled when she felt him working first her heels and then her pants off, the smallest movement of his hands on her thighs and hips causing a sigh of pleasure to escape unwillingly. Head back, eyes shut, and mouth open, Kate let loose a low purr.

"Oh God..."

With her pants practically ripped off of her, Rick went ahead and removed her of her shirt as well, before relieving himself of his own shoes and pants. Now, both were left with only a few scraps of clothing between them.

Grinning like a mad man, he regarded Kate beneath him. He still couldn't believe it. Here she was, half naked before him, and the last thing on his mind was sex. Even though they were in quite a compromising position. Didn't care though. He was over the moon just being in her presence, being able to have her in his arms again, after all this time.

"What are you smiling at?" She asked softly, pink coloring her cheeks.

He kissed her briefly, his hands tracing up and down her ribcage as he straddled her, a leg on either side of her hips, anchoring her to the bed. His blue eyes sparkled, whether it was because of the incoming light from outside or of pure happiness, Kate had no idea. But frankly, she didn't care.

"You," he breathed. "I haven't been this happy in a long time, and it's because of you."

Breath caught in her throat, she threaded her fingers through his hair. "Same here," she mumbled, those green eyes of her shimmering with joy as she brought him in for a soft kiss, their lips slow and deliberate.

Everything moved in slow motion. It was as if they had all the time in the world.

Deftly undoing her bra, Rick tossed it away and began his descent toward her stomach, placing kisses all along her belly as his hands reveled in the softness of her legs. Kate gasped when she felt him slid down her lace panties, his mouth directly above her core. He placed a single kiss there before making his way back up her body and holding her tightly in a loving embrace.

All that was between them was his boxers, which Kate assisted him with in no time.

Settling himself between her thighs, Rick waited. "You ready?"

This was it. Once they crossed this line, there would be no turning back.

Confidence, and a bit of impatience, coursed through her veins. "Yes."

With eyes locked, he pushed into Kate's warm, waiting body. They both gasped at the sensation, the feeling of finally being connected after so long was overwhelming.

Kate tried to roll her hips, locking her legs around him and pushing until he was fully sheathed inside her. Her head fell back as he hit that one point inside her. Her mouth was agape and her hair was plastered to her sweat-soaked skin, the pleasure he was giving her was like nothing she'd ever experienced before.

They began to move together in a steady rhythm.

One delicate hand grazed down Rick's neck and chest, finding purchase on his ribs. Speeding up his thrusts, he nipped at her throat before seeking her lips again; she whimpered under him, already feeling pressure low in her stomach. She was almost there.

His hands rested on either side of her head, and with gritted teeth, he rocked his hips even slower against hers. Kate's body immediately tensed, unable to hold it back any longer. He was being so delicate and so loving she couldn't handle it. She let out a cry as she came, stiffening then relaxing back onto the mattress.

Heart threatening to beat out of his chest, Rick felt something coil tighter within him as Kate's own internal muscles fluttered and clenched tighter around him. Seconds later, he let go.

And two became one.

There you go!

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