"I don't know about you, but I needed this," Lanie yawns, stretching her arms over her head. "A night in with the two of us and some wine."

Beckett smiles, taking a sip from her glass. "Yeah this is nice and relaxing."

"How's your arm doing?"

"Well I've stopped having to wear the sling which is nice. I have an appointment tomorrow to see if they can take the cast off and replace it with a brace."

"I bet you hope that works out," Lanie laughs.

"Oh more than you know," Beckett laughs with her.

Lanie's expression falls shortly after that and she starts fidgeting with her wine glass. "Listen, Kate, there's something I need to tell you."

"What is it?" she asks, worry lacing her tone.

"I think Castle started seeing someone."

Beckett has to bite down on the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. Of all the horrible things that just ran through her mind about Lanie's supposed bad news, this was certainly not one of them.

"Oh? What makes you think that?"

"I was at The Old Haunt with some friends from the M.E. office and he was there, talking on the phone. I may have accidentally overheard part of his conversation."

Beckett racks her brain trying to remember what conversation she had with him that Lanie could have overheard. "What night was this?"

"Last Thursday."

Thursday? Oh. Oh. No wonder she thinks he's seeing someone. Castle had called her up, feeling particularly horny, and proceeded to describe to her all of the things he wanted to do to her later in great detail. She can feel the blush creeping up her neck as she wonders exactly how much of that Lanie heard.

"Well he's an adult," Beckett starts. "He's free to do whatever."

"Really? That's all I'm going to get from you?"

"What do you want?"

"A real reaction! You're crazy about the guy, Kate, everyone can see it. You need to do something before whatever this is he's doing gets too serious and you lose him."

Beckett bites her lower lip at a loss for words. How does she tell her that she already has him? She and Castle had promised to keep this quiet for a while. But can she really sit here and pretend that she doesn't care?

She sighs. "He was talking to me."

"Say what now?"

"Thursday night he was on the phone with me," she says, rubbing at the back of her neck.

"And why the hell was he reciting an erotic novel to you?"

She could lie. Say that it was research for Nikki Heat or something. But honestly she just needs someone to know about them. Someone outside of his family that she can bitch to about him if she ever needs to.

"Because we've been dating ever since I got into the accident," Beckett says in a rush, holding her breath waiting for Lanie's reaction.

Lanie's jaw drops open. "And you never thought to tell me?"

"We're not telling people yet," she starts. "The more people who know, the better chance this has of getting to Gates, and you know she's not going to let Castle stick around if she finds out. Lanie, you have to promise me that you're not going to tell anyone about this. And don't say anything to Castle about it. At least not until I have the chance to tell him that I told you."

Lanie starts to say something when both of their phones start ringing. They exchange a glace and answer them.

"You going to the same place I am?" Lanie asks, once they hang up.

"Hotel over on West Ave?" Beckett asks.

"Good. We can carpool and finish this conversation on the way."

"You were drooling," Castle grumbles as he flips the lever on the espresso machine in the break room.

"What?" Beckett asks, scrunching her eyebrows together in confusion.

"Mr. Naked Scotland Yard."

She smirks.

"Are you picturing him naked again?" he hisses.

"He's attractive, Castle. Am I not allowed to think that or look at other men now because we're together?"

"Not naked ones," he mutters.

"You're jealous," she laughs. "It's cute."

"I don't want to be cute," he pouts, handing her a coffee mug.

Beckett looks around to make sure the coast is clear before she leans in to whisper in his ear. "It's also turning me on a little."

She laughs again as his eyes widen while she saunters out of the break room.

"I really hate that guy," Castle tells her, while they're waiting at the doctor's office later that day.

"Castle, give it a rest," she mumbles, flipping through a magazine.

"He keeps flirting with you. And you keep letting him."

"You know what I said earlier, about your jealousy being a turn on? Well it's starting to become a turn off."

"Beckett," he whines.

"I have to let him flirt with me. No one but your family and Lanie knows that we're dating."

"Woah back up, Lanie knows?"

She winces. "She overheard you at The Old Haunt last week. You remember that little conversation we had that was basically phone sex?"

He throws her an apologetic grin. "Whoops. Wait, did I say your name during any of that?"

"If you did, she didn't hear it. She told me that you were seeing someone and told me that I needed to make a move before I lost you," Beckett sighs. "I couldn't keep lying to her. But don't worry, she promised to keep it a secret."

Castle nods, rubbing her knee. "Well you don't need to worry about losing me. Unless this Colin guy gets in the way."

"Castle, I already told you –"

"It doesn't mean you have to act like you like the guy."

"He's attractive," she tries again. "Everyone would get suspicious if I didn't."

"Is he even your type?"

She takes his hand in hers. "You're my type."

"Kate Beckett?" the nurse calls out looking around the waiting room with her clipboard.

Beckett squeezes his hand and stands up. "I'll see you in a bit."

She steps into the bullpen and renders him speechless. She's wearing a long, elegant, strapless, black gown that highlights her cleavage in just the right way. Her hair is twisted into an updo, with little wisps of hair hitting her neck. All he wants to do is sink his teeth into that bare skin until he has her moaning.

"Kate, you look, wow," Castle breathes.

"Thank you," she smiles as he steps closer.

That's when he notices it, the circle of puckered skin between her breasts, the scar from when she was shot. This is the first time he's seen it. Sure, they managed to find a way to have sex with her arm in that sling, but because of it, she had just been leaving her top on. But now the sling and cast are both gone, replaced with a black brace and her scar is in plain sight. He just wants to trace over it with his thumb, and then again with his mouth. He wants to remind himself of what she survived.

Beckett must catch on, noticing where his eyes have fallen.

"Not here," she whispers. "Later."

He nods, wishing so much that he could just reach out and touch her without Ryan and Esposito's knowing glances watching them.

"Ready to go?"

They both turn and find Colin standing behind them in a tux.

"Behave," Castle whispers, moving back to stand with the boys.

She gives him a soft smile and he can tell she wants to touch him too. He figures she's feeling pretty self-conscious about that scar right about now and his staring at it didn't help.

"We'll keep you posted on what we find," she tells them as she turns to leave with Colin.

"She cleans up nice," Esposito whistles once they're out of earshot.

"Yeah," Castle agrees, staring after her. "She does."

Colin sidles up to her desk and crosses his arms over his chest. "Thanks for your help on this one."

Beckett smiles up at him. "Thanks for yours as well."

"Say, I was thinking, now that this case is over and we're not working together anymore, would you like to come get a drink with me?"

She sees Castle staring at her from behind where Colin is standing.

"I'm sorry, I can't," Beckett tells him. "I'm sort of seeing someone right now."

Colin leans on her desk, getting closer to her. "Well if you're just sort of seeing him, one drink won't hurt."

She looks over at Castle again. "Actually it will. Colin, I think you're a great guy, but I'm taken. And I already have plans to be with him tonight."

He nods, pushing off of her desk. "Should have known someone as pretty as you would be off the market. Can't blame a guy for trying."

After saying goodbye he leaves and Castle takes his spot against her desk.

"You're taken, huh?" he asks with a grin. "Anyone I know?"

Beckett smiles. "I think you'd like him."

"Is that so? Hey, here's a crazy idea, why don't we get out of here?"

"I thought you'd never ask."

Beckett settles into the bath in front of him, hanging her left arm out the side of the tub. Castle wraps his arms around her torso, pulling her back against his chest.

"This was an excellent idea," he says into her hair.

"I'm full of them," she grins.

One of his hands snakes upwards and rubs at her scar with his thumb. She stiffens when he first touches it, but she takes a deep breath and gets herself to relax.

"I hate that thing," she mutters as he keeps rubbing at it. "It's just a constant reminder of what I've lost. And of my PTSD."

"I thought you got that under control."

"Most days," she hums.

Castle dips his head to kiss her neck. "Well I like it."

She snorts and he retaliates by splashing her.

"Hey, not necessary," she says, trying to splash him back, but really only managing to splash herself.

He laughs, tightening his grip around her. "I umm, I'm sorry if I overreacted about Colin. I do trust you. I want you to know that."

"If Colin had been a woman I'm sure I would have reacted the same way you did."

He kisses her neck again and she turns her head to capture his lips in hers.

"You know what I think?" he asks, trailing his hand down the plane of her stomach.

"What?"

"When the water starts to cool, we should probably take this into bedroom."

Beckett hums. "Looks like I'm not the only one full of good ideas tonight."

AN: Reviews welcome!