Disclaimer: Don't Own

A/N: Sorry! you all must hate me! I totally left you hanging on that last chapter! Please stick with me with this story, I absolutely want to continue it. I had to leave the country unexpectedly and then got completely behind with my life so I had to take a slight hiatus. Forgive me and enjoy the read!

Chapter 10: Acceptance & Anarchy

"Shut up for a second Rick." Kate murmured like she needed a moment to finish her thought. Her lips quivered as her subtly labored breath hypnotized Rick, his eyes darting down to her expanding chest. There was palpable, naked heat between them as they stood there motionless in Castle's office. The moment Beckett's eyes locked with his, after memorizing every ripple of the sinewy, smooth skin of his his neck and the deep v of flesh revealed by his undershirt, something in her snapped. The tight fist of control loosened her restraints and she canted her body towards his. Everything she had been denying to herself and him, the lust, love, and loyalty consumed her very being, screaming for a release. Everything snapped in that one powerful moment of stillness between them.

Kate's body was humming with sexual tension, radiating from low in her stomach, out to her limbs, and tingling her fingertips and toes. Uninhibited images of all the fantasies she had ever imagined between her and Castle sauntered through her mind, a tantalizing taste of what's to come if she could only let him in.

Her hand was planted firmly against his pouting lips, she could feel the breath rush over her knuckles as he exhaled through his nose, his brow still furrowed in intensity, and the deep,midnight blue of his eyes amplified the electricity that was shocking her system.

Rick was stunned to say the least, not that physical contact was unheard of, they bumped shoulders, they comfortingly hold hands, they hug in intense moments, he has kissed her cheek on more than a few occasions, hell they had even gone out dancing with Lanie and Espo once (an accidental double date, they will never speak of). But for some reason seeing her standing in front of him, eyes deep with seduction, chest heaving slightly, hair hanging loosely around her gorgeous face, Castle had the unrelenting urge to wipe Kate's hand off his mouth and replace it with her lips. He wanted to grab her wrist and tug her body tight to his until they inhibited one space, lips locked, hands roving, hips rocking. And if he weren't in this thing for the long run, he would have done exactly that, grab her and take her. If he wasn't so deeply in love with her, he would have given in to 'heat-of-the-moment' sex on his desk, Oh Jesus, Rick don't think about pinning her back to that desk, you're hanging by a thread of self-control here,he chided himself, begging his mind to stand in firm control of his traitorous body.

The moment of enthrallment weighed heavy on them both, stretching out the seconds to last for eternity. The intensity of their eyes stopped time. And then.. it was over. A single blink of Kate's captivating mossy eyes and Castle could see her awareness return, her nothing but business determination presented itself again, and the control that had slipped from her reigns was knotted around her heart yet again.

"I'm sorry," Kate said on a breath, as if she were testing out the words, seeing if they sounded and felt right coming out of her mouth for once instead of his.

"I'm sorry Castle, and I know that's not really enough to make up for what I said to you and how I have been treating you for these past weeks but it's what I have to give you right now. I don't want to give you the empty excuse of frustration and exhaustion, because there is no acceptable reason to treat you like a punching bag just to release it," Kate jumped right into, abandoning all the finely formed speeches and plans she had been formulated. Nothing healed like the truth, that's what her mother had always said, so she leapt right into the words that were banging down her door. She was desperate to get them delivered to his heart because words were his thing and he had to know how sorry she really was.

"I was wrong, and you know I hate to be wrong, but I was here. I was wrong to insinuate you are nothing but a Playboy. I've gotten to know you, Cas, I really know you, who you really are, not what Page Si-"

Her rant was interrupted mid-sentence by Castle's hand coming up to gently press against her mouth, halting her apologies. For a slit second they both held their hands over each other's mouths until Rick gently wrapped his free hand around Kate's extended wrist and pulled it away from his face, pulling it down to their sides, trailing his fingertips down her forearm to lightly link their fingers.

He wished to hold on to the bitterness, to punish her for her actions because they punished him. He wished he could flip the switch to indifference and just not care anymore because caring about her when she seemed to care less hurt. But he couldn't it was like some instinctual reflex to make sure her happiness came first, it was as innate as breathing to him. Make her happy, and looking at her at that moment when she had just profusely apologized he had no other option but to forgive.

"I know you know me Beckett, and that's what made your comment sting... I know, and I forgive you."

The resignation in his voice nearly broke her heart, to know that she had broken him in the processes of building herself up drove her to complete frustration. She wanted to scream at him and tell him to be angry, tell her to keep her on the hook for this, hold her responsible for her actions, treat her like the shit she had been treating him like. But no, he was much too good a man to take and eye for an eye. His broad palm still lightly covered her mouth and the combination of his shrugging smile, and smiling eyes to let her know that he truly did accept her apology. Just like that, like Alexis had said: All he needs is an apology. Kate was astounded by his gracious, loving heart and what lengths he went to keep her appeased. She wanted to reciprocate somehow, she wanted to show him the same went for her. She would do anything to make him happy. Unfortunately the one thing that would make him happy was the one thing that she was terrified of. A true catch 22. What would Castle do in this situation, what little thing would he do to lighten the situation? she thought with a pleased smirk as the answer came to her.

"Awh, geez! Beckett, you just licked my hand!" he yelled in surprise as he yanked his hand away from her laughing smirk. "I cannot believe you, Miss No-Nonsense Beckett, just licked my hand."

Castle gave her a smiling, slack-jawed glare, while she just snorted a bit in laughter. "What do you mean 'Miss Nonsense Beckett.' What the hell does that mean, I know how to have fun," she goaded, falling back into their usual.

In response to Castle's disbelieving huff and oddly Beckett-like eye roll, Kate shoved his shoulder, "Hey, I can let loose and have fun."

"Beckett, we are talking about actual fun, not organizing your file cabinet at the precinct or going to a poetry reading," he quipped in that strangely arousing teasing tone of his.

"Oh so you don't think I can let loose? Is that it? You think I am up-tight?" she asked stepping up into his space.

"Listen Beckett, you may think you know how to have fun. But I am here to tell you that you don't. You haven't had fun until you've been out on a 'Castle Night,'" Rick exclaimed dramatically, gesturing his name as if it were a bright light of Vegas.

"Oh please, can your ego get any more out of control? What does this 'Castle Night' entail?" she asks, rolling her eyes at the absurdity of this conversation, and vaguely realizing this conversation has some steamy sexual innuendos going without any effort.

"See that's the fun in it, you never know. You just start and let the night's magic take you where it will," he grinned with boyish excitement and child like wonder. Kate still stood at her full height, staring Rick down in a playful challenge. His sheer immutable faith in magic and fate made the smile hidden in the corner of her mouth beg to spread but out of habit she held it at bay, terrified by what it meant that he could make her smile like no other man could.

Beckett shifted her body so it grazed across his as she stepped through him to exit the office, dragging his arm away from his body as her fingers stayed hooked around his until the last possible second before separation, "You sound like Aladdin, you dork," she murmured, shaking her head as she walked to the doorway. But she abruptly stopped, turned on a dime, and thrust a pointing finger towards him, "I know how to have fun," Beckett sharply declared.

Castle leaned against his desk, mischief sparking in his eyes, smirk gracing his soft supple lips, hair flipped across his forehead from frustrated fingers. Geez, he looks delicious. "Mhmm, sure you do. Prove. It."

"Oh I'll prove it all right," she threatened, stalking back towards him with an aroused, frustrated blush covering her chest. Castle just had this pull with her, he could get her so riled up, constantly on the teetering edge of 'rip-your-clothes-off' turned on and 'slap-you-across-the-face' frustrated. Their banter was the greatest blessing and curse of their relationship. It immersed them completely in the moment, everything in past and future conversations was not considered, which could lead to hurtful, ill-advised comments, genius theory and plot points, or spontaneous, loving revelations. So even though Castle's heart and pride were still scraped with hurt, the energy and chemistry that crackled between them momentarily wiped the slate clean.

"Fine. I look forward to it," he smirked realizing he actually won this one for now.

"Fine." Beckett clipped with the last heat of her frustration before suddenly becoming aware that she stood eye to eye with Castle, standing in between his spread feet, outer thighs brushing inner thighs. She watched his eyes flick downward to acknowledge their proximity, roaming her body on the way down. Kate felt the rolling waves of heat assault her body. She had to gain the upper hand, get some control over the situation since her body was throwing itself to anarchy, so she leaned in, resting her weight on one fist on the desk next his hip, the other hand angled devilishly on her hip, and cocked her head so her lips were phantoms along his jaw and up to his ear.

"I'll show you fun Castle."

A/N 2.0: Please review! I need the motivation to get the next chapter up quickly! Love you all who read it! Review, review, review.