"I had nothing to do with this," he murmured hoarsely. "I promise." His face bore the look he usually got when he knew he was in trouble, but his eyes… Oh, his eyes. Those sparkled with anticipation.
His hands rose to gently rest on her shoulders, his fingers toying with the curls that cascaded around his wrist. The dimple in his cheek deepened, along with the blue in his eyes (Oh, his eyes), and Kate felt a rush of heat coil deep in her abdomen. "It is tradition," he crooned, his voice coating her senses like a balm – and a fire.
"Can't break with tradition." She hated the breathy lilt to her voice. He loved it. Drawing her bottom lip between her teeth, she watched his gaze fixate on the movement, heard his lungs hitch, felt his fingers flex against her collar bone.
He lowered his head before she had time to react, before she could tense, before she could flee. But instead of the slow, languorous, intoxicating kiss she was expecting (hoping for), he merely grazed his lips across her flushed cheek and nuzzled his nose into the curve of her earlobe. Kate's eyes fluttered open in surprise, her face reflecting the startled questions that rose on her tongue.
His chin dipped, and his lips hovered a wisp above her ear. "Not yet," he promised, for her benefit alone. When she eased back just enough to encounter his tender gaze, he held the weighted stare for a handful of seconds and smiled.
"No fair, Dad," Alexis complained, shattering the mood of the moment. "A kiss on the cheek does not count."
"Too bad," he countered cheekily. "It's going to have to count for now."
When Alexis opened her mouth to argue with him, he reached out with one hand to tweak her chin, the other hand fumbling for and finding Kate's nerveless fingers. He rubbed his thumb over her smooth skin and tilted his attention toward her, though his words were directed at his daughter. "Because I have my reasons." He shifted his eyes to Alexis again and added, "And I'm the parent."
Kate fell in love with him all over again in the space of a single heartbeat.
He knew. He understood. Knew that she was terrified to pursue a relationship with him. Understood that she was terrified not to. He loved her. The implications rained down on her, flooding her heart with clarity. He cherished her. Wanted to protect her. Wanted to be her hero. And he did. He was.
She just couldn't seem to put it into words yet. Yet.
Instead, she flashed him a grateful smile, a smile that told him she knew what he'd done, a smile that thanked him for his chivalry. She pressed her fingers into his palm and let him lead her into the kitchen to retrieve the coffee that had just finished brewing. As he reached for the mugs, Kate swept a cursory glance along the ceiling. Just checking.
"Looking for more mistletoe?" he quipped, a quirky grin sending flutters through her stomach. Okay. Maybe somewhere lower than her stomach, too.
"Can't be too careful," she lobbed back, accepting the steaming beverage he offered her.
"Hmm… Cuz it seemed to me that you were disappointed in there." He leaned a hip against the island, invading her space with his twinkling gaze.
"Not disappointed," she lied with a graceful shake of her head. "Surprised."
He knew she was lying, but chose not to call her on it. This time. "Surprised?"
"Yeah, Castle. You finally got me under the mistletoe, and you settle for a kiss on the cheek."
"Don't forget the ear nuzzle," he reminded her. Setting his mug on the counter behind him, he crossed his arms at his chest and held her eyes. "And… I might or might not have more mistletoe at my disposal. Waiting for the appropriate time."
"Oh really?" She arched an eyebrow even as a pleased flush dusted her whole body. "And that wasn't the appropriate time?"
"No," he cocked his head. "It wasn't."
She didn't know what to say to that. So she said nothing. Just sipped her coffee and reveled in the comfortable camaraderie of silence that blanketed the kitchen. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed him begin to move. In two steps he had crossed to where she stood, and his hand plucked the now-empty cup from her fingers.
"C'mon," he told her, taking her fingers and smiling when she offered no resistance. "After the tree's decorated, we turn off all the lights except the tree and sit in front of it."
"Like a Christmas cult?"
He nudged her off balance for her teasing remark, then tugged her into his side to offset the uneven wobble that followed. "No, Kate. Like a Christmas tree. This is what you do with a Christmas tree."
Somewhere, unbidden, a memory dislodged itself from the recesses of her mind and crashed into her awareness like a freight train. She was nine – maybe ten. Her dad was there, her mom too. They were all sitting on their couch, eyes riveted to the newly decorated tree in the center of the room. Tears pricked Kate's eyes, and she blinked them away even as she felt Rick's curious gaze. He stopped their progress toward the tree and waited for her to compose herself.
"I'm fine," she assured him, her thumb brushing across the inside of his wrist, a faint smile tugging at her lips. "Let's go stare at the tree."
His eyes searched her face like a caress, seeing for himself that she was indeed okay, and he nodded, leaning his head in the direction of the sofa and releasing her hand to sweep his in a gesture of 'after you'. She sank to a seat on the cushions and tucked her feet beneath her, emotion lodging in her throat when Alexis plopped next to her with a brilliant (accepting) smile. Martha perched dramatically against the arm of the sofa, and Rick took the open seat beside Kate after dimming the loft lights. The tree seemed to know it was the center of attention, for it seemed to twinkle brighter and stand just a bit taller under their gazes.
Taking a chance, caught up in the magic of the moment, Kate let her weight lean into Castle's warmth and sensed the reactive catch in his breathing. After a few seconds of hesitation, she felt his fingers tentatively graze her shoulder before settling in the mass of curls that had been driving him to distraction all evening. It was a simple touch, and yet Kate's heart hitched with the realization that it might just change everything.