Chasing Cars

.

Kate had promised Alexis that she would consider her points and talk to Castle. Of course, when he returns to the precinct after his day of rest, neither one of them brings it up.

A week passes. Then two. And they're still ignoring that night like they had ignored their 'undercover kiss'. It seems to be their pattern. Nothing gets resolved but nothing becomes unpleasant either.

"So, that's it?" Castle says as Kate and the boys clear the murder board. "We're just going to let Eldridge walk? He totally shot and murdered his girlfriend!"

"Castle, we don't have any evidence," Kate said, frustrated herself.

Esposito rips off Eldridge's picture with more force than necessary. "It sucks, man, but that's usually what happens when the main suspect is part of a gang—"

"—they tend to alibi out," Ryan finished.

"We'll keep looking into it," Kate said, "But for now…"

Dejected is the state Lanie finds them in when she joins them in the bullpen minutes later. "You guys look like you need a drink," she comments.

They end up at Kate's apartment because it's the closest to the precinct. They order Chinese food and talk about anything other than the case (Lanie and Esposito's lack of a 'secret romance' is a recurring topic, of course) and by the end of the night, they all feel slightly better.

"Hey guys," Ryan says, looking at his watch and seeing that it's 9:30, "I should go."

"Jenny waiting on her honeymilk?" Esposito cracks.

Ryan gives him a dirty look before grabbing his jacket off the back of the couch. "Good night," he says pleasantly to everybody besides Esposito.

It's no surprise that Kate finds herself alone with Castle less than an hour later. Lanie and Esposito had helped her clean up but then they had gone too.

The two of them are currently sitting on the couch, close enough to touch. Castle is incessantly flipping through television channels until Kate gets annoyed enough to grab the remote out of his hand. She turns the T.V. off. "There's nothing on and it's late."

That's his cue to leave but he's been trying not to think about her for the past two weeks. Lately, he's constantly finding himself taking cold showers as his imagination runs away with him during the day. And at night, when he's lying in the exact spot she once had, he feels so completely horny that nothing he does is enough.

So, when she moves to stand and her arms brush against his, he can't stop himself anymore.

He pulls her back down onto the couch.

She looks at him. "Castle, what—"

He places a finger on her lips to silence her. "I don't know how you do it but I personally can't stop thinking about you… your breasts, your lips, your legs…" His hand drops to trace her exposed arms, "…the way your skin flushes when you come."

Kate's eyes widen. He leans forward and traces the edge of her ear with his tongue. "Don't worry," he says, "I don't want us to make love and I don't want us to have sex." His voice drops in timbre and volume. "I want us to fuck."

"Castle," her breath hitches, "Don't." Her hands are gripping the edge of the couch.

He places one of his hands over hers to pry it away and towards him. "Do you know what you do to me, Kate? How you make me feel every day?" He guides their hands to the bulge pressing against his jeans. "How hard I get just thinking about you?"

"Castle…" Kate has closed her eyes; he lets go of her hand but she doesn't move it away. She has her thinking face on, he knows. But, he also knows when she's made a decision and he's not surprised when she swings her leg over his lap to straddle him.

"What do you want to do, Kate?" he asks as he presses his hands against the small of her back to press her closer against him. "It's your call."

She's rubbing herself against him and it feels like heaven for the both of them. Even with four layers of cloth between them, he can still feel her heat. "I don't know," she moans just as he pulls her t-shirt and bra down and takes one of her nipples into his mouth.

"Tell me to stop," he says, licking and sucking the hardened point. "Tell me what to do."

She's breathing hard and then, leaning down to place her lips right up against his ear, she moans, "Fuck me, Castle. I want you to fuck me."

He's up before she can finish her sentence, carrying her into her room. They make quick work of pants and shirts and she devoids him of his boxers as he unclasps her bra. He slams her up against the wall and she gasps.

"Oh god," he says as his hand slides into her panties. "You're so wet." He hardens to know how aroused she is for him. He pulls the layer of cloth down and immediately pushes three fingers into her, knowing she can handle it. He curls his fingers and her body trembles. He pumps into her one, two, three times and then, "Do you want me to make you come, Kate?"

A sound escapes from somewhere deep in her throat and without further warning, he pushes himself deep into her. She arches to meet him. "Is that the best you can do?" she pants.

His answer is to pull one of her legs around his waist before slamming into her repeatedly until she's screaming his name.

The act and the way they both fall apart in each other's arms is hard and fast.

He has to catch his breath before he can release her and steady her back onto solid ground. When he pulls back, he's surprised to find her blinking rapidly, eyes moist.

His entire expression turns into panic and worry. "Kate," he whispers, placing a kiss against her lips, "What's wr—did I hurt you?" he asks anxiously.

She shakes her head. "No, it's not you." She brushes him aside and walks over to sit on the edge of her bed.

He goes to pull the covers up around her, around them.

Kate doesn't know why but this little thing he does, cocooning them in warmth, pains her. Makes her heart hurt in a way that is unlike anything she's ever felt.

"What is it, Kate?" he asks quietly, kissing her cheek, his tongue snaking out to rid her of her saltwater tears.

And Kate honestly doesn't know what it is. Why she's crying or why, when it comes to Castle, she seems to be perpetually confused.

She gives him the best answer she can come up with at the moment. "There are things that need to be said." She leans her head against his shoulder. "But I'm not ready to say them."

He takes a deep breath in. "Can I help?" he finally asks.

She looks up to meet his eyes. "Can you stay over?"

Castle's immediate thought is 'yes, yes! I can stay forever!' Aloud, he answers, "Of course."

A/N: Chapters get longer, I swear! I gave myself a page count for 'Separation Anxiety' (at least 5.5 pages on Word per chapter, in case you were interested…) but for this story, I'm kinda just going with it as the ideas come. I'm incongruous like that. (I'll try my best to post the next chapter up sooner to make up for it!)