The loft was filled with the sweet aroma of baked goods that Rick was currently half was through making. His IPod was plugged into the dock and was playing his cooking playlist that contained John Mayer, Andrew Belle, The Fray, Yellow card and Katy Perry (and yes he did have a soft side for the Queen of pop). As he was pulling things out of the oven and shoving things back in just as fast there was a loud knock on the door.
"Kate?" he said as he opened the door. She was in running gear and was covered in sweat from head to toe, and still she looked just as hot. "Um what are you doing here? And what are you wearing? Are you alright? Was someone chasing after you?"
"Nar I'm fine" she said, letting herself into his loft. "I hope you don't mind me coming here early. I dropped Rory off at my parents and decided to run the rest of the way."
"Kate its 30 degrees outside, how can you possibly run in that."
"Oh the magic that can occur when you don't have a car Rick. Anyway, could I use your shower? I'm pretty sure none of you will like me the way I smell at the moment."
"Um yeah sure." He said with an awkward tone. He had to admit no one, especially a woman, had ever turned up at his loft covered in sweat and asking for a shower. "You can use the upstairs shower. All the essentials should already be in there so your set."
"Thanks Rick. Can I leave my bag and stuff here" she said pointing towards a long table that extended the length of his lounge room. He nodded. She pulled out her clothes that Rick presumed she was going to wear tonight, emptied the contents of her pockets onto the table and started up the stairs. "Again, thank you. I don't know too many guys that would let a stranger shower in his house."
"It's fine really you can shower here anytime." He stopped with that because he had only just realised how awkward what he had said sounded. She then headed up the stairs into the bathroom and left him to dwindle in his own thoughts.
Twenty minutes passed and Kate was still in the shower and he wondered what she was doing. Ok, so he started wondering what she was going to be doing in the shower a long time before she had even got into the shower so he tried to distract himself by focusing on the pudding he was making for dessert. He was kidding himself though; nothing could distract him from the beauty that was currently naked in his shower upstairs.
Kate's phone started to ring and by god it was loud. He took a mental note to ask her how she got it to such a high decibel; he needed it for when he had to get up at monstrous hours of the morning for work. He didn't know what to do. Answer it or not answer it? He was still making his decision after about one and a half minutes. He took another mental note to ask her about her ringing length as well.
"Rick could you please answer that!" she called from the bathroom, the shower still running in the back ground.
He ran over to her phone and flipped up the screen. He did have to admit, a bestselling novelist should have a much nicer phone.
"Um hi, Kate Beckett's phone." He said awkwardly kind of like it was his first time answering a phone and he didn't know what to say.
"Ah hi this is Alexis Castel Kate's publisher. Who is this I may be speaking to?"
She sounded so official and she kinda scared him a little.
"Oh where are my manners? My name is Richard Castle sorry but Beckett is upstairs showering. Do you want to leave a message?"
"Showering hey? Rick, can I call you Rick?" not waiting for his reply she continued on. "I really need to talk to her now, it's really important writer stuff you know." She talked to him like he was a small child. Rick didn't like it one bit.
"Yeah I do know. I went to Yale and studied to become a writer. I finished but decided to join the police academy instead."
"Really? Wow. I guess you learn something new every day right? From just talking to you though you don't seem like the writer type. Although I could see the name Richard Castle plastered all over books and pictured on high rise buildings. Yale's a good school too. My older sister went there. Maybe you know her? Her name is…." She was interrupted by Kate snatching the phone off Castle's ear and placing it up to her own. Rick had the thought that she must be half ninja or something because she snuck down those stairs without him noticing and that took some effort.
"Alexis sorry I'm busy. I will come see you tomorrow after I drop Rory off at day-care. Ok, thanks for the call, bye!" she hung up on her even before she got a single word in. Pretty impressive, Rick thought to himself.
"Sorry about that" she said while grabbing what looked like a makeup bag out of her backpack. "Alexis is just a little too needy when it comes to me and when I'm going to finish my next chapter."
Castle was lost for words. He wasn't listening at all just staring at her. She was wearing long, black skinny leg jeans that fitted to her legs perfectly and a loose dark grey cotton top fitted with a belt sitting just below her breasts. The outfit showed off everything structurally amazing about this woman. She looked flawless even without makeup on and he was still gawking at her minutes later and was only interrupted by a giggle that slipped out of her mouth when she noticed him.
"This is going to sound weird" she said trying to hold in her laughter still obviously amused by Castle's ogling. "But would you happen to have any blush? Mine has kind of spilled all through my bag" she pointed down to her bag that had a fine dust coating the inside contents.
"Um no sorry. Blush isn't exactly on my list of essential things that my guests might need in an emergency but I will be sure to put it on the list for next time." A smile spread across his face because obviously because it was a very, very stupid question to him. It had been months since another woman had been in his loft and even longer since one of them had applied make up in one of his bathrooms.
"I just thought that maybe your girlfriend had some or something, maybe some left over from.." she started getting quieter and quieter because of the smile that arose on Ricks face. "I'm guessing you don't have a girlfriend."
He laughed not bothering to answer her question and walked over to the kitchen.
"The best I could do is give you some flour to pat onto your already perfect face. There is no need for makeup Kate."
She gave him a look that said something like 'you've got to be kidding right'. She walked over to the kitchen and sat on a bar stool. She pulled out a stick of bright red lipstick and applied it without even needing a mirror and did it perfectly. It was obvious she'd had practice.
"Wow Castle. Are you a chef or something?"
"No, my mum taught me to cook at a young age and it just kinda stuck with me I guess."
"Well she certainly did a good job."
She wasn't kidding she looked out in front of her and saw a bench literally full of delicious food and there was more in the oven and she could bet there would be dessert in the fridge.
"So when are the more non-intrusive guests coming."
Rick couldn't help but give out a small chuckle.
"They should be here any minute."
Hope yo enjoy:) please leave a review if you liked this chapter. And btw off you haven't realised I'm Australian that's why 30 degrees is really hot and I write mum instead of mom.