Disclaimer: This piece of fiction is not intended to replace or copy ABC's Castle or to divert income from its creators. I do this for free.
A/N: I spent entirely too much time researching Ferraris for this. And beer.
Chapter Four
Terror struck at half-past-eight.
The mounds of reports and paperwork on Kate's desk suddenly looked vitally important. So they'd been piling up for the last three weeks. She'd been busy…investigating. But dodging work to go spend time alone with Castle in a totally non-professional capacity? Unacceptable.
She took out her phone to fire off a quick text.
doesn't look like I'll make it out of here any time soon. reschedule?
Her heart calmed a little. She thumbed through the stack of forms, logs, affadavits and reports, trying to decide where to start. Might as well start at the top. She peeled off the first document. A daily activity log. Her favorite.
Her phone chimed with an incoming text. Castle, of course.
Why, what's going on?
Just still have so much ppwk to finish before I can get out of here.
Paperwork can wait.
Castle, these reports aren't going to do themselves.
Oh no, Beckett. Don't do that. Don't put me off.
Not even friends, officially, for more than twenty-four hours and he was already calling her on her bullshit.
Not going to argue with you over txt.
She put the phone down and rested her head in her hand. She knew she was leaving him hanging. He'd get over it. She took up her pen, and started filling in blanks.
Time passed. She didn't know how much. A rap on her desk startled her out of her concentration.
She looked up, and her heart did flip-flops. Castle stood there, glaring down at her. "Castle, what the hell?" He looked very casual, wearing his brown, distressed leather jacket over a hoodie. She tamped down a feeling of pleasure.
"Come on. You're going to put that down and you're going to come out and have a slice. With me. And you're going to relax."
Kate stood up, staring him in the face. "Castle, I don't…"
He snatched the forms out of her hand. "Come on, these'll be here in the morning." He tossed them on her desk and put his hand on her back to direct her towards the elevator.
She gasped a protest and reached for the paperwork he'd stolen, but he deflected her and grabbed her coat. She dropped her shoulders in defeat. Her feet betrayed her, shuffling a little too easily in the direction Castle pulled her. Helplessly, she stepped into the elevator and let Castle push the button. He didn't remove his hand from her back.
"Now Beckett, this is for your own good."
"Are you going to tell me this hurts you as much as it hurts me?"
He took his hand away then. She waited for his witty retort, but none came. She looked over at him to find his face contorted in what looked like anguish, his fist clenching in midair.
"Come on, Castle, no spanking jokes? I set it up for you so perfectly."
"You so did." He released a gush of breath. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to resist that kind of temptation?"
Ordinarily, she'd be grateful for such restraint. She wasn't sure she could withstand the new Castle. He wasn't giving her anything to hide behind. "Why fight it?"
It a was risky question, she knew. With all that remained unsaid between them, she shouldn't be giving him any openings, anything that could expose their silent understanding to the light of day. But she supposed it wasn't the first time she'd flirted with that. That day in her apartment, when she'd asked him, point-blank, why he kept coming around. She didn't know why she'd done it, really, or what she'd expected him to say. Her heart had been racing, much as it was now. She supposed she'd wanted to pick a fight. If Castle had said one word about his "feelings" for her, whatever he thought they were, she'd have kicked his ass.
"I get the feeling you don't always appreciate my humor."
Not exactly accurate. "I enjoy your humor, Castle, it's just sometimes, your timing…" How did he always manage to get her confessing things?
"Humor is timing."
She smiled. "True."
The elevator reached ground level. Castle held his hand in the door while she stepped out.
"I'm parked down the street."
It was all so date-like. Castle holding the door for her, picking her up in his car. She felt herself growing shy and had to remind herself they were just a couple of friends, grabbing a bite after work. What did friends usually talk about? Everything she could think to say sounded like get-to-know-you date talk. She fretted about it all the way to his car. He opened her door without a word. She grimaced, feeling like she should clarify things. But he just looked so relaxed and…normal, like he did this every day. She told herself she was making a big deal out of nothing, and got in the car.
What a piece of machinery. Ferrari F430 Spider. She stroked the dashboard. It looked like the interior of a fighter jet. Not that she knew what the interior of a fighter jet looked like, but it had to be something like this. The bucket seat enveloped her with the softest leather she'd ever felt inside a car. When Castle got in and started the engine, the image was somewhat incongruous. This casually-dressed man in such a fine automobile. "Castle, this car is…incredible."
"Okay, if we're going to be friends, you're going to have to call me Rick."
"Rick." She tested the sound of the words. "Rick. Rick Rick Rick Rick Rick."
"Stop, you're making it sound funny."
"It feels funny, Rick."
He glared at her as if to say, "Knock it off, or I'll hurt you."
She laughed. "So where do you want to go?"
"I figured we'd chill out over at Chez Castle, have a few brewskis, maybe catch the Knicks game."
"Already trying to get me back to your pad, eh?"
He looked at her sardonically. "If you hadn't already been there dozens of times, there might be something shady about it."
Kate relaxed. Silly banter helped. She felt more at home, like this was the Castle she knew. The one she was comfortable with. "Yeah, I suppose you're right."
"Besides, we'll have two chaperones."
Martha and Alexis. Who were of course going to automatically assume they were on a date. Somehow that didn't really bother her…not as much as Ryan or Esposito or, heaven forbid, the Captain jumping to that conclusion.
They sat in relative silence for the rest of the ride. She allowed Castle peace while he navigated the cutthroat Manhattan traffic.
It was new for them, him driving her. She almost always drove. Every now and then she stole a glance at him out of the corner of her eye. He was an incredibly handsome man. The amber lights from the dash cast a magical glow over the interior of the car. It suited him well. Sitting in the passenger seat, letting Castle take her wherever he would, she felt feminine. Soft. She thought she liked it.
Rick loved having Kate in his passenger seat. He wanted to show her he could be the man in this duo. He'd been trying, in his own way, ever since they met, but most of the time she never let him. She was letting him now though. She'd succumbed rather easily back there at the 12th, he thought. He'd expected more of a fight. Maybe she was going to let him in a little. Maybe just changing the status of their relationship, from partners to friends, was all she needed to relax her guard. Could it have been that simple this whole time? If he'd known that, he would have stopped running cases with her ages ago.
They arrived at his building. He drove the Ferrari up the levels of the parking structure to his spot by the elevator. She let herself out and he followed. They boarded the elevator and he pushed the button for his floor. "I hope you don't mind pizza."
"I'm easy."
Pshaw, I wish. He bit his lower lip so hard it stung.
"Go ahead, Castle. I keep lobbing you these softballs and you're just letting 'em fall."
While he couldn't deny he loved her teasing, he couldn't help wondering if it was a defense mechanism. Did she really wanted him to crack wiseass jokes at her expense? He turned around to ask her, his pulse picking up speed, but the elevator stopped and the door opened, and the moment seemed lost. He flourished with his hand. "Your floor, milady."
As she stepped out into the hall, he placed his hand on her lower back and led her to his door, hoping it just came across as a gesture, not the stolen touch it was.
He opened the door. She smiled gently as she passed, and his heart stuttered. God she was so beautiful.
Alexis was sitting on the sofa and turned to see them enter. "Detective Beckett!" She looked surprised, and happy, and rushed to the door to meet them. "Dad," she glanced back and forth between the two of them, "Did you go back to working together?"
Oh, touchy…he probably should have briefed her a little before he brought Kate back here. He just didn't want to deal with all the questions, and concern, and advice… "Not exactly. We're just gonna hang out, watch the tube. You know, like buds." He widened his eyes at Alexis so Kate couldn't see.
Her eyebrows twitched in that way that said she was confused, but got that she wasn't supposed to let on she was confused. "Oh…uh, great! I'll just, uh, go up to my room."
Kate put out her hand. "No, stay. I want to hear all about what's going on with you."
Alexis shot a glance his way. Only he could see the panic behind her eyes. "Oh, I'd love to catch up, but I've got a lot of homework to...catch up on anyway. I'll probably just go to bed after that. We should totally, um, catch up though. Maybe we could get coffee sometime."
"Yeah, I'd love that."
Alexis beamed. "Okay, I'll text you. See you guys. Hi, Dad. Bye, Dad." She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek.
He breathed a sigh of relief and squeezed her upper arm. "Goodnight, sweetie."
After she was gone, Rick slid his jacket off and hung it in the closet. "What're you drinking?" He headed towards the kitchen.
"Just a beer is fine." He heard her slowly meander in from the entryway.
"Make yourself at home."
He expected her to head in to the living room but she sat at the bar instead, looking a little awkward.
"Domestic, or microbrew?"
"Just don't give me anything you could stand a spoon in."
"No Brooklyn Black Chocolate Double Stout for you." He set a bottle of pale ale on the counter for each of them and fished a bottle opener out of the drawer.
Kate snaked her hand out and drew the bottle back, bringing it to her lips. The way she drank from it was so…sensuous. There he was, staring at her lips again. She stared right back at him, not even batting an eye. He was the first to flinch. "So do the boys miss me?"
"Are you kidding?" She rolled her eyes dramatically. "You'd think they lost their favorite puppy."
He smiled. "Aw, it's good to be loved."
"Let me know when the three of you will be away on your honeymoon."
"You think they'd like Cabo?"
Kate laughed her sexy, flirty laugh. Did she even realize she was flirting? Suddenly the beer seemed to be affecting him a little more than it should. A hot feeling coursed through him.
Kate must have noticed the change in him. She averted her eyes.
"So, how about those Knicks?"
She seemed grateful for the change in subject. She put her hands on the bar and pushed away. "Yeah, they should be tipping off soon, you think?"
He didn't really want to watch basketball, but it would give them something else to focus on. Something besides each other.
"Come on." He stepped out from behind the bar and led her into the living room. "Have a seat." He flipped on the TV for her and turned it to the right channel. "I'll order pizza. Pepperoni and mushrooms alright with you?"
"Fine." She sat on his sofa, looking stiff. This was never going to work out.
Who was he kidding? He looked at her long, well-formed legs encased in those slacks, and her hair cascading in soft curls over her shoulders. If he wanted her to trust him, to let him in, maybe he should stop lusting after her with every glance. He tore his eyes away and dialed the number for his regular pizza place.
When he came back, Kate looked much more comfortable, slouched on the sofa absorbed in the game. She started when she saw him and started to straighten up.
"No, no, don't do that. Just relax."
"Sorry, it's hard. I'm just not used to this."
"Here, try one of these." He picked up a small, fabric-covered box from the coffee table and handed it to her as he stepped over her feet and sat beside her on the sofa.
"What are they? Oh!" The look on her face was worth crawling over carpets of broken glass for. "Chocolate."
He propped his elbow on the back of the sofa so he could face her. "Not just any chocolate, my dear. Those are some of the finest candies in the world, made right here in New York City."
"Chocolate isn't candy, Castle."
"Uh, it's not?"
"No. It's a food group."
He let out a loud laugh. "I had no idea you were such a devotee."
"See, learning things about me already." She glanced at him, grinning conspiratorially.
"They're flavored with liqueur. Try the dark one with the straight lines."
She complied, lifting the truffle from the box with delicate fingers, bringing it reverently to her lips.
Rick's mouth opened as he watched her. He wanted to be that truffle.
"Mmm…Chambord."
He smiled and nodded at her. "Uh huh. Amazing, right?"
"Oh my god, this is so good. Castle, you've been holding out."
"So we're back to Castle already?"
She looked chagrined, and lifted her hand to her mouth. She swallowed a mouthful of chocolate. "I'm sorry," she said. "It'll take me some time, I guess."
He looked at her. She could have his whole life to practice saying his name if she wanted it.
She must have seen something in his eyes. She became very serious, and looked away, setting her half-eaten truffle on the table. "Rick…" She met his eyes.
A jolt of something, maybe panic, twitched in his belly.
Her mouth opened and closed.
"What is it, Kate?"
She expelled a breath and took in another one. A deep one. "I, um…could I…have something else to drink? Beer doesn't really go with chocolate."
When he remembered to breathe, he realized he could see her pulse hammering in her throat. She'd almost said something pretty intense. Had she been on the verge of confessing something? Her feelings, perhaps? Normally he'd smack himself in the forehead for that kind of wishful thinking. But first he had to stop wishing.
"What would you like instead?" He became keenly aware of how close they were sitting. He could reach out his hand, if he wanted to, and touch her thigh without even leaning over.
"I don't know." She shifted on the sofa. "What does pair well with chocolate?"
He didn't want to get into the particulars with her of what beers actually do pair well with chocolate, or which of those he might have in his kitchen at this very moment. That really wasn't what this was about. "How about a glass of Cabernet?"
"Sure, that sounds nice."
"I'll be right back."
Kate tried to get her composure while Rick was away. What on Earth had possessed her to agree to wine? Wine turned her into a nympho. That was the last thing she needed. Her bones already felt a little wobbly, just being alone with him, sitting on his sofa with him so close, so…attentive. She couldn't believe she'd almost laid it out on the table. Their attraction to each other. What had she been thinking? She hadn't, clearly. But she'd stopped herself, thank god.
Not before he'd seen through her though. She wondered what she must look like to him. She'd spent so much time trying to convince him she was superwoman, and here she was, looking like an idiot.
Rick returned with a bottle and two glasses. Two glasses? Her mouth dropped open. Now this was a little too much. "Rick, I…"
"Now, I don't want to hear a word. You think I'm going to let you drink this whole bottle by yourself? This is some quality stuff, Detective."
She snapped her jaw shut and let him pour. And pour…and pour… "Whoa! That's enough. Believe me, that's enough."
"Don't tell me, wine turns you into a sloppy drunk?"
"Something like that."
He raised an eyebrow. "Sounds like a story."
"A story I will never, ever tell you. Not in a million years."
"Aw, I'm hurt. And here I thought we were going to be friends." He stuck out his lower lip in a mock pout.
"Not buying it, Castle." She brought her wine glass to her lips and looked up in the air, to the side, anywhere that wasn't at him.
"Rick."
She winced. "Damn."
"A few more of these friendly get-togethers, and I'll have you whipped into shape, I think."
She grinned sheepishly. "Sounds like a deal."