"I think we're ready darling," Martha was saying to her granddaughter as they stood at the door in her room.
"I wanna walk Gram," Eliza protested since she was carrying her.
"Not yet darling, when we're in the garden with everyone else," Martha said. "But are you ready?"
"Yeah, wanna go," Eliza said, nodding her head.
Martha stepped out into the hall and went down to the lobby, nodding to the concierge who called a goodbye to her and Eliza by name. Out on the street she walked down past the museum and then around to the entrance to the garden. Paying for her ticket she set Eliza down once they were inside and could see the others waiting for them.
"Hi Lizzy!" Julia said happily as she reached her sister first and hugged her tightly. "I can't wait to show you everything."
"What is it?" Eliza asked as they walked hand in hand to their parents.
"Flowers and trees and statues and a lot of stuff," Julia replied, watching their father picking her up and smiling at Eliza's cry of joy at that.
"How was your nap sweetheart?" Castle asked, kissing her cheek.
"A nap," Eliza said firmly.
"I think she's still not happy she had to go," Beckett said, smiling when their youngest leaned over for her to take her which she quickly did.
"No," Eliza said firmly again. She then smiled and hugged her mother tightly around the neck, pressing her cheek to hers.
Watching her mother Julia smiled and said, "You were right."
Beckett returned the smile and nodded before she said to her husband, father and Alexis, "You need to lead us through this now."
"They do?" Martha asked in surprise.
"Me and Mommy went to the… to a garden in here by ourselves," Julia answered, deciding not to say what kind of garden it was.
"Oh well that must have been fun," Martha said, taking her granddaughter's hand.
"It was, we took pictures and talked and walked together," Julia said as they were walking to the bonsais. She then smiled and looked back at her parents who were walking together saying, "And Mommy and Daddy are gonna do that in a little bit."
"So she was serious about that?" Alexis asked, trying not to smirk as Castle was smiling while Beckett was shaking her head.
"I told her we're going to dinner alone so we don't need to," Beckett said. "But she's insisting."
"And we'll have a chance ahead of schedule with our granddaughters," Martha said before they reached the little trees to Eliza's squeal of pleasure.
Taking the other two through the beginning of the gardens, Julia pointed out what she had seen up to the point when she and her mother had left for the rose garden. After that she walked with her grandparents as Jim led the way for them through the section after the front where the flowering trees and plants were. She took pictures but soon became impatient as she knew they were getting closer to the roses. Finally for her they reached the path that went through the middle of the four sections and she went to take Eliza's hand, watching their parents hopefully as they paused there.
"What are we going to do with you two," Castle said, making a tsking noise a few times as the girls giggled at that.
"We'll meet at the Puerta del Rey," Beckett said to her dad and mother in law. "But we'll see each other before then I'm sure." She watched their family walk to the section to the right and then turned to her husband, shaking her head, "She's concerned about us."
"I can tell but not so badly that she wouldn't rejoin us if we saw them," Castle told her.
"No," Beckett said as he took her hand. She stopped him before he could do that and then tucked away her camera in her back before taking his hand that time. "It's really beautiful and amazing there are roses still."
"Your dad mentioned that there had been some rain the past couple of weeks and then warmer weather so that might have helped," Castle replied, looking to her when her hand slid from his and then went up to hold onto the upper part of his arm. "I'm so glad you two went through this already."
"She asked me while we were taking a break," Beckett told him suddenly. "If I was happy being a mother."
"Not her first time saying that," Castle said, frowning slightly. "But you assured her you were."
"Of course," Beckett said, sliding into Irish though she wasn't sure why. "I told her like I have before that it was my choice and she agreed with that." She looked at her husband in surprise when he made them stop at a fountain and sat with him as they looked out at the roses around them. Her gaze went to a curtain of white roses that were in front of them and said, "Though it's the truth so I'm not sure why she would doubt me."
"Of course," Castle said, watching her. "They'll have fun tonight."
"I know," Beckett said. She then looked around and said, "Aren't I supposed to be showing you around?"
"I'll see your pictures," Castle said. "You took one of each rose didn't you?"
Smiling at his guess Beckett reached down to his hand that was on his leg and squeezed it tightly before her gaze met and locked with his. "Rick…" she began to say as she watched something in his blue eyes seem to change.
Seeing the same thing in his wife's brown pools Castle leaned over and took her lips with his own. He was careful at first but when her hand came up and cupped his cheek he couldn't stop himself from deepening it and drawing her tongue into his mouth. He tried not to break off the kiss as her arms wrapped tightly around his neck and he also tried to pull her onto his lap. But he was very close as when they finally parted he saw that she was nearly there. "Sorry," he said, letting her go quickly.
"It's okay," Beckett said, licking her lower lip. She was startled when her husband nearly attacked her then but she was quick to recover before responding as she cupped his face with both her hands that time. When they parted she smiled and said, "I ask myself sometimes why just this isn't getting old either."
"You too?" Castle asked, though he smiled with her as it wasn't meant negatively. "I tell myself that I think it's because we've spent so long in a kind of weird… emotional limbo we wouldn't want to go back to that…" he said before trailing off a second time. "At least that's my guess."
"Mine too," Beckett told him, leaning over and kissing him tenderly on the lips. "Hmm, we should go back."
"And scare the girls? Not to mention my mother… Alexis a little bit and your dad…" Castle said.
"Are you ever going to finish your sentences?" Beckett teased him. "And he's not concerned, he knows me and how I'm different with you."
"Great," Castle said before he wrapped his arm around her, holding her close to his side. "I think that they'll make their way over here last, so for now we can wait for them."
Beckett couldn't help smiling at that and she shared a kiss with him before leaning her head against his shoulder, taking a deep breath while she closed her eyes. The Spanish sun was warm and the scent of roses heavy as Castle began to rub his hand along her arm before his lips pressed to her forehead. She sighed in pleasure and tilted her head up setting off the first of what would end up being a number of kisses between them before their family reached them as they remained at the fountain, content not to move from that spot or one another.
"Love," Castle called as he stepped inside their room from the balcony. "Alexis just texted, Eliza's refusing to dress without you helping her."
"Great," Beckett said, stepping out from the bathroom where she'd changed. "I hope she's not throwing a tantrum and… Rick," she said with a sigh as he was staring at her.
"Yes," Castle said, nearly snapping his head up to look at her. "I'm not really going to apologize for doing that."
"I don't want you to but we should go so they can eat since I'm sure they're hungry by now," Beckett said, going to the end of the bed to put on her shoes. She smiled when he was immediately there in front of her, kneeling and taking her right foot before sliding her heel onto it.
"That dress is still very tight," Castle teased her.
"I get the feeling you wouldn't want it to be anything else, pervert," Beckett told him. She was surprised when; after he'd tied the ribbons past her ankles on both legs; he leaned up to her so far that she was forced to lie down. "You-" she began before he was suddenly kissing her; and hard. She knew they needed to go but she couldn't resist the opportunity to respond to him, her tongue fighting his within her mouth.
"I have a confession to make; there is one thing I'd want with this dress," Castle told her.
"Later," Beckett said. She was about to move so he would let them get up but before she could his phone was ringing and she sighed as he got off of her. She quickly ran her hand over the back of her head to smooth her hair that she'd left down as he spoke to what turned out to be his mother.
"We need to go," Castle told her. "They got Eliza dressed but she's hungry."
"I know that was your fault," Beckett told him simply as she grabbed her clutch from the desk and took his hand as he grabbed her shawl. When they'd reached the door to their daughters' room she wasn't surprised when Eliza was the one to open it, throwing herself at her. "Sorry sweetie, I was getting dressed myself," she said, as she picked the toddler up.
"Your dress!" Eliza protested then when she saw what her mother was wearing.
"It's okay," Beckett assured her. "We're making you guys a little late aren't we?"
"Well we're eating down at the Rotunda," Martha said. "So we will make it."
"Then we'll say goodnight," Beckett said, sitting on the end of the bed and hugging Eliza before Julia rushed into her free arm. "I love you two," she said seriously. "Have fun and tell your daddy and I all about it tomorrow okay?"
"We will," Julia promised. "And you and Daddy have a good time too."
"We will," Castle said as Beckett looked up at him.
"I love you Mommy," Eliza said then.
"Love you too Mommy," Julia was quick to add.
Castle waited for Beckett to share kisses with the girls before she set Eliza down and he gathered the girls into his arms telling them, "You both look very pretty tonight. What?" he added when Julia gave him a slight look.
"I thought you were gonna say beautiful," the little girl said before she smiled. "That's Mommy. But goodnight Daddy, I love you."
"Love you Daddy," Eliza said before Castle could reply to what her sister had said.
"Goodnight you two and of course I love you both," he said with a smile before he kissed them both. He hugged Alexis and said goodnight to her before saying the same to his mother and father in law. "We'll see you for breakfast tomorrow morning."
"We'll see," Martha told her son simply. "Enjoy your night," she called as the two walked out. When the door was closed she said, "Alright time for us to begin our night out."
Smiling as the girls cheered Jim picked up Eliza as they left the room and headed down to the restaurant. After Martha had given their name and they were led to their table near the dome in the restaurant he helped the toddler onto her booster seat before the rest of them settled down. "Your son looked at the menu before we left home," he said. "And he showed me the tapas menu they have," he told both Alexis and Martha that time.
Alexis looked that menu over and then said, "It looks great but what about them?"
"I have their menu right here," Martha told her as it was in between the girls since the second page had some activities on it. "Before you start with your games, look and see what you want."
After reading out what there was Julia smiled when her sister pointed straight at the chicken tenders and said, "I'm gonna have that too."
"Now you can play," Martha told them.
While she was helping her sister go through a maze Julia listened to their sister and grandparents talking about their plans for the next day. When she felt Eliza's hand patting her arm she looked at her and said, "What's wrong?"
Shaking her head Eliza then said, "What do Mommy and Daddy say?"
"They talk about different things," Alexis said, smiling when her little sisters looked at her, somewhat startled.
"Yeah they do," Julia said, smiling herself as Eliza looked over to her for confirmation. "And I bet you they talk about us."
Giggling a little Eliza said, "They do?"
"Of course," Martha said. "You're the most important things to them you know."
"Should that be each other and then us?" Julia said.
"I don't know if we'd get this solved without Dad and Kate here," Alexis said in amusement. "For now though what did you think of the paintings we saw today?"
"They were pretty," Eliza said firmly. "I like the ones with… horsies."
"That's not a surprise," Jim commented before they ordered their food. "I think your mom liked those paintings too."
"Of course she did," Martha replied. "And did you two like the sculptures?" she said to all three of her granddaughters.
"Oh yes," Julia breathed. "They were so… awesome, how can they make them so real?"
"They're artists," Martha told her. "And they train for all the techniques and little tricks they do."
"Tricks!" Eliza exclaimed before she giggled. "Does Daddy know how?"
"To paint?" Alexis asked. When her sister nodded she smiled and said, "No he's better taking pictures."
"Mostly of your mother and you three," Martha said to the girls, including Alexis at the end.
"She's right," Jim said with a smile when the three then looked to him. "And he's good at it."
Eliza smiled at that and then looked up at the dome that was still visible since the sun hadn't gone down yet. She smiled after looking at it for a third time later on and said, "Mommy and Daddy walk?"
"To dinner," Martha responded.
"And to dessert," Jim said, speaking quickly as their food was coming out to them.
After they'd been served and had taken the first few bites Alexis asked him, "Dessert?"
"Yes your father told me he was taking Katie out to a special dessert and they would be bringing us something tomorrow too," Jim said.
"Did Richard tell you not to tell us anything?" Martha asked.
"It's a candy shop from 1915," Jim replied. "I've been but not for a while so when I told him about it he decided he should take her after their dinner out together."
"Is it special chocolate?" Julia guessed after eating a carrot on her plate.
"Why do you say that?" Martha said as she saw Jim looked startled at her guess.
Shrugging Julia replied, "Because that's what Mommy likes so it's special Spanish chocolate, it has to be."
"You'll find out," Jim replied with a smile, having recovered from his surprise. "So tomorrow," he continued. "We're heading to the palace."
"Oh that's going to be fun," Julia said.
"Princesses?" Eliza asked.
"There are princesses," Alexis said before Jim could respond. She smiled when her step grandfather looked at her and said, "I looked at the current royal family. And there are two princesses right now Leonor who they call the Princess of Asturias which is like the Princess of Wales title in England."
"She is… a queen?" Eliza tried to ask but couldn't find the words she wanted to use.
"She will be, later," Alexis answered.
"And she has a sister, Sofia," Jim said. "And you know their great-great-grandfather Alfonso XIII had this hotel built for his wedding guests."
"Really?" Martha asked. "Well that's a bit of history since the information on the building says it was built in 1912."
"The palace is older isn't it?" Julia asked.
"Of course," Jim said. "And I've been there but a long time ago too, before either of you were born so it will be nice to show you around."
"I can't wait," Julia said eagerly. She then gasped slightly and told her sister, "I need to make sure I charge my camera."
"We will," Alexis assured her. "And we'll go to sleep a little early tonight."
Eliza smiled broadly at her big sister since she was looking to her then and then said, "Don't wanna nap."
"All the more reason to sleep early," Martha commented. She wasn't surprised when Eliza looked conflicted at that and then leaned over, kissing her cheek before urging her to finish her food so they could go back to their rooms and watch a movie she and Jim had planned on ordering for them. As she watched the girls eat her mind went back to her daughter in law and son, hoping they were enjoying their night together; whatever the two ended up talking about during their meal.
Walking down the street Beckett was laughing as she tried to keep her shawl from slipping off her arms and to the ground. "I don't know if I would tell your mother that story," she was saying to her husband as he reached over to take the black fabric.
"I think you're right," Castle said, holding out his arm for her to take. "Why you delight that much in hearing my transgressions when I was younger I can't figure out though."
"Because it gives me a better understanding of who you became once you were an adult… in age," Beckett said.
"Not so much in personality," Castle suggested. He was surprised when she leaned against him and he wanted to ask her what was going through her mind when they reached the restaurant.
When they'd gotten upstairs to where the actual restaurant was Beckett followed the host to their table near the window and she smiled as her husband took over helping her sit down. When they were given their menus she said to him, "I didn't expect this."
"It'll be far more elaborate when we get to the Eiffel Tower," Castle said, looking at the wine menu. He looked up at her and said, "Save some room for dessert."
"Oh?" Beckett asked, studying him. "A surprise?"
"A surprise," Castle said simply. "So what do you think?"
"I'm thinking the Hake Basque Cantabrian," Beckett said once she'd studied the menu a little more closely.
"I'll follow your lead on that," Castle replied.
"I thought you might test the tripe," Beckett teased him.
"Pass," Castle said before he looked over at their waiter who was coming to them. He ordered them some white wine and then their food and once they were alone again he said, "They'll have a great dinner."
"I remember the picture you showed me," Beckett replied with a smile. "Luckily they have a healthy kids menu. Though something tells me that they'll get the chicken."
"Me too, our awesome parent powers at work," Castle replied. When she laughed softly and shook her head he studied her for a moment as she turned to the window and asked, "Tell me what you're thinking right now."
"That I'm lucky to be here," Beckett replied. "With you and our girls; our family. But it's always in the back of my mind…"
Nodding Castle couldn't reply to that as their waiter came over to them with their wine. But as soon as he'd left he raised his glass slightly and said, "To our family and your mother who is with us and will know we're thinking of her here. Especially you and your dad."
Beckett smiled at that before tapping her glass to his and taking a sip. She savored the taste of the wine before telling him, "I can't help pointing out they're enjoying it here," partly to change the subject.
"Luckily they're used to the Met back at home so they know what to expect," Castle replied. "And they'll continue to enjoy the trip everything we have yet to see."
Watching as he reached over to her; since they were sitting next to one another; Beckett leaned over and shared a quick kiss with him before saying, "A lot to look forward to still." She smiled when he nodded rapidly in agreement and then brought up their plans for the next day which he immediately took up as they discussed what they would see that they'd found in their travel book, the conversation lasting until their food was served.
"Interesting," Castle said after the first bite of his fish.
"Spicy?" Beckett asked, looking to him.
"No enough of a kick though to make me notice," Castle said. "You?"
"I've had curries hotter than this," Beckett replied. "But you're right it's enough and really well cooked."
"After this," Castle said as they turned their attention to their food. "Do you want to go to a bar?"
"How about if we walk around the street in front of the hotel," Beckett replied.
"We can," Castle said. "And don't forget about dessert."
"I'm assuming we'll walk there too," Beckett replied with a slight smile.
"We will but it'll be close," Castle promised her.
"I don't care where it is," Beckett said, sipping her wine. "What I'm more concerned about is the fact you want to walk." A smile then spread across her face again and she said to him jokingly, "You want to show me off don't you."
"If you mean to taunt other men sure, why not?" Castle said, affecting a serious tone. He smiled when his wife laughed and then said, "Really love I think in the back of my mind I'm doing that but I just wanted to walk through the city more."
"We'll be doing that in Barcelona?" Beckett asked.
"Valencia most likely too," Castle said. "And Sevilla, though I have to apologize we're only staying there two days."
"Are we going out to dinner in both cities?" Beckett asked in surprise after waving away his apology.
"No but still I'm going to want to walk," Castle replied. "And in Valencia you know what I'm going to do."
"Yeah I think your habit of eavesdropping is contagious," Beckett replied.
"Well I was going to tell you right now anyways," Castle replied. "But I hope you'll find a figurine you want."
"Were you serious about buying them one?" Beckett asked.
"Just Eliza," Castle said, realizing his wife hadn't heard the whole conversation. "Since she has the least Lladros out of all us. And Julia was a little annoyed for a second until I told her she could help you and her sister pick something out." He watched her nod before he then said, "Would your dad want one?"
"I don't think so," Beckett said with a smile. "He's happy with the two he does have."
"You're sure it wasn't Cervantes that made him want to come to Spain in the first place?" Castle asked.
"I am," Beckett replied simply. "But that helped in his decision. So are we going to the Alhambra."
Smiling as it wasn't the first time his wife had asked him that Castle nodded and said, "I have tickets and so you know it's going to take up one of the two days we have in Sevilla since we're stopping at Alhambra on the way."
"That's fine with me," Beckett said. She laughed softly as he did so as well since she'd been hinting to him; subtly and not so subtly; that she wanted to visit the old complex. She then turned her attention back to him and they talked about what else they wanted to see while they were in Spain through the rest of the meal.
Back down on the street Castle led his wife across to the other side and back the way they'd come until they came to a plaza where the streets met in a circle. There he soon found what he was looking for and took Beckett over to the small store telling her, "Your dad told me about this place and he has been here but not for a while."
Seeing the place was called La Violeta, Beckett asked, "Candy?"
"It is," Castle replied as they stood in the doorway watching the people ordering inside. "They specialize in violet candies but I'm not sure if you want those."
"They have others I'm assuming," Beckett replied. They stopped inside and she glanced around smiling and saying, "We should come back tomorrow."
"With the girls?" Castle asked. He wasn't surprised when his wife nodded her head and he did so as well though she wasn't looking at him. "I was thinking we could… try the violet candies," he began before trailing off when he saw the bowl on counter. "And get those if we like them and tonight for us I'll grab a box of chocolates."
"Get those and we'll try the violet candies tomorrow," Beckett said simply. She followed him over to the boxes and when he picked out a small one she asked, "How many are in there?"
Looking at the box Castle replied, "Six."
"Then we'll grab another tomorrow so they can try it as well," Beckett said. She followed him to the register to pay and she smiled as he attempted some small talk in Spanish with the woman. "Muchas gracias," she said with a nod when she handed them the box and wished them a goodnight. When they'd stepped back outside she said, "So is that it?"
"What else did you want to do?" Castle asked.
"I'm checking to make sure that you're ready to head back," Beckett replied.
"Then let's go," Castle said quickly before they went back to the other side of the street. Her arm tucked into his he led the way to the hotel and as they were walking he glanced at his wife, holding her close as they shared a glance knowing that whatever ended up happening once in their room he was going to make sure she didn't regret returning with him.
Looking out on the fountain in front of the hotel, Beckett wasn't sure where her husband was exactly until he came up to her. "Hey," she said as he wrapped his arms around her from behind.
"Okay?" Castle asked.
"Yeah… you could tell something was wrong," Beckett said as she could gather from the tone of his voice that he was concerned. "It wasn't the fact I said no to the chocolates was it?"
"No your body language first… and then you saying no to that," Castle said. When he heard her laugh for a moment he kissed the side of her head and asked, "What's wrong love?"
"You remember I told you about Julia asking me if I wanted to be a mother," Beckett said to him. She felt him nod and she said, "I was so worried just before she told me that that she was going to say she remembered. Everything."
Tightening his hold on her Castle said, "But she didn't."
"No," Beckett said. "But that moment I thought she'd be asking me why I had become her mother when I had no right to."
Turning her around then so she was facing him Castle told her seriously, "She wouldn't say that, even if she did remember everything."
"I know, I know she wouldn't but that's been my fear," Beckett said, trying not to sound too annoyed.
Wrapping his arm around her Castle said, "Believe me when I say I'm aware of that. It's been a concern of mine that she would be angry at us both. But love it's been four years and she's never had a memory of her life before we met her or up until the point when she lost it."
Closing her eyes Beckett shook her head and felt her husband embracing her tightly before she finally said, "She's my daughter Rick."
"And she knows she is," Castle told her firmly. "And she knows she's my daughter too, we're her parents. We can't worry about her remembering… though I know it's hard not to."
Looking up at him Beckett could see that her husband hadn't been lying about being worried about Julia regaining her memories and she hugged him back a little tighter. "You're right," she said before she pulled back slightly to look at him.
"What? Oh yes we can't tempt fate of course with this…" Castle said, wondering for a moment why she was staring at him.
Rolling her eyes Beckett said, "I was trying to get you to change the subject."
"I will but promise me you'll try not to let that take over everything," Castle replied.
"I won't," Beckett said, shaking her head. "The last thing I need is for that to ruin the vacation." She was startled when he suddenly let her go and she stood in the doorway to see him going for the two glasses of liquor he'd ordered. "So you don't want the chocolates now," she said with a smile as he walked back to her.
"In a second," Castle replied as he handed one glass to her.
Taking a sip of the sherry Beckett said, "I thought this was the dessert one."
"I was almost going to pick it again but decided to try another," Castle said. He tapped his glass against hers and then took a sip, taking a moment to taste the flavor before nodding saying, "Not bad."
"No but you realizing one thing we need to try when we get to Sevilla," Beckett told him after she'd drunk her sherry. "Rebujito," she said when he looked at her questioningly.
"I think I've heard of that," Castle replied. "But have never had it obviously," he said, holding up his glass to remind her how he'd only had his first taste the night before. They fell silent then as they drank the rest of the liquor and once he was looking into his empty cup he said, "Today was a lot of fun."
"It was," Beckett said thoughtfully. "Looking back on it, I did enjoy that time with Julia. And it means a lot she loves me so much she wants to make sure that I'm happy being her mother."
"The Prado was great too," Castle said, watching her closely as she finished her sherry.
"What's on your mind?" Beckett asked, studying him then at his tone of voice.
"Want to stay out here?" Castle said instead of answering. When she merely walked past him he smiled and hurried after her, closing the door behind them before setting his glass on the desk next to hers. That done he rushed to where she was standing next to her side of the bed, taking her hand and pulling her against him.
Beckett was prepared for that so she was soon wrapping her arms around her husband's neck as he kissed her roughly. She could feel her arousal come to the fore even more since they'd been standing on the balcony and it seemed to flare up heavily when she realized that he was searching her back with his hands. When they'd kissed a few more times after that, a lot faster, she said, "You never explained why you mentioned the Prado for a second time tonight."
Shaking his head Castle leaned down and kissed her deeply before he carefully pulled away from her. A simple touch to her back and she was turning around so he could reach her zipper. He watched as her back was soon exposed, shuddering in pleasure as he stared at her skin as it was slowly revealed by the parting fabric. He allowed himself to brush his fingertips over her spine before she was turning back around and he asked, "Not even that?"
"You'll have enough chances after," Beckett replied easily as she was helping him with his jacket. With that off she got his tie off of him before it joined his blazer on the small table near them. She hurriedly started to unbutton his shirt and wasn't surprised when he was trying to get her dress off of her shoulders at the same time. "Hold on," she said laughingly as she had to wonder if he realized that he was pulling it down so much the short sleeves were starting to trap her arms. She managed to get his shirt off with the rest of his clothes and then turned to him with her eyebrow slightly raised.
Without her needing to say a word Castle removed everything else he had on which didn't take a whole lot of time as he was rushing. The second he was naked he was roughly pulling down on her dress. He knew she would protest that if she didn't like it and when there was absolutely no comment or movement from her he shuddered as the idea of her enjoying that aroused him even more than he was already. With her naked at last he went onto the bed with her not surprised when she sat up against pillows that she raised, watching him.
"I have a question," Beckett said, reaching out and putting her hand on his chest. When his reply was to grab it and press a kiss to her palm she smiled before telling him, "Would you paint me?"
"Yes," Castle said before she had even finished speaking. "If I had that ability I'd take you down to the room we have set up by the pool and make that my studio. And it would be covered with paintings of you. The wall I mean."
"Like this?" Beckett asked.
"Maybe, I don't know," Castle said with a shrug. "I'd let the inspiration come to me."
When her husband began to study her from head to toe Beckett asked, "What would you start with?" as she could almost sense he was thinking along those lines.
"Your eyes," Castle replied instantly, cupping her chin in his hand. "And after I would come to this."
Shivering as she could feel her husband's hand running along her side Beckett said, "I know you enjoy that, you take pictures of me on my side all the time. Usually among rose petals… like I am right now."
"Oh so you noticed them," Castle said in amusement, running his hand up and down the curve of her side.
"Hard not to," Beckett said, her tone of voice matching her husband's as she watched him pick up some of the coral rose petals to let them float down onto her breasts. When he continued to stroke her after that she shivered and said, "You weren't kidding."
"No I love this; the curve of your hips, your breasts," Castle replied as he reached up further to the mound. He cupped it and watched as Beckett closed her eyes tightly and shivered imperceptibly in pleasure before he leaned over, taking her lips with his own. Their tongues met for a moment before he slowly, carefully pulled away from her and then helped her sit up saying, "Like this."
Beckett would have smiled as her husband turned them around so he was sitting up where she'd been but she was too focused on everything her body was feeling and what she was anticipating as his hands found her hips again. She straddled him before she hesitated and lowered herself onto him before he could join in, grasping his erection. She moaned softly at the feel of him, knowing then how he'd been wanting her and also how much so. She gently began to move as he put his arms around her, unable to stop the short cry of pleasure that escaped her lips at the sensation of him rigid against her sex. "Oh god… already Rick," she moaned gently as she kept to the slightly slower pace.
"Faster Kate," Castle told her in a groan. He finally had her get off of him and as fast as he could he got onto his knees before bringing her back to him. As soon as they were coupled together again and started to move he nearly commanded her, "Fuck me love," groaning once more as he did so since he was feeling again the warmth of her surrounding him and her body supple in his hands.
"Only if… if you fuck me…" Beckett breathed, tilting her head back. Her eyes closed tightly she nearly whimpered when her husband's lips pressed along her neck, nipping at her pulse. "Rick…" she moaned again as he proceeded to suck at that same point, being a little rough with it. That seemed to spur her body on and she bounced on him, holding onto him as tightly as she could as she felt him responding in turn. The friction hit her quickly and she was panting with the way she pushed herself to move, feeling him going up to her jaw before kissing along it before she led him back down.
Following his wife's lead Castle went to her breasts but before he could touch them with his mouth he leaned back enough to give him some space to reach up and fondle them gently. He wanted a kind of contrast to their bodies that were moving as fast as they could by then and watching Beckett he knew he was managing to do that as she was crying out and arching her back in such a way that her mounds were pressing against his hands. It was when she started to do that that he focused on each nipple, rubbing his fingers around them at the same time before he hurriedly brought them to his mouth. He could feel her holding onto him tightly as he flicked his tongue out to his fingertips and knew she was waiting impatiently.
Feeling his damp fingers rolling over each hardened nub Beckett suddenly found herself having a hard time keeping her rhythm with him. She had to let him take over for a few seconds before she got back to it and once she did she reached around to grab his hands to stop him. "You-" she started to say before she was crying out in pleasure at the feel of his mouth taking her right breast. She held onto him tightly again and tried not to move so hard that she forced him to move away from her body. He was soon moving to her other breast and she was stroking the back of his head in an attempt to withstand everything he was making her feel. Their friction by then was a steady heat that spread itself throughout her form and made her wonder if she would become numb to it. But with the added tendrils of pleasure snaking their way to meet what he was making her feel at her sex she didn't think that was possible. She gasped as all of a sudden she found herself on her back and she tried to recover when she realized that Castle was in between her legs. Her head spinning from the fact that she'd had no clue he had been moving that fast she held onto the back of his head tightly as she reached down with her other hand, her legs going over his shoulders.
Though he knew he should probably stop her from pleasuring herself Castle couldn't begrudge her her natural instinct to feel more. He would have done the same if he could reach down his own body but for the moment he contented himself with her. The taste of her and the silky smoothness of her skin was making his head spin and wonder if he would catch himself from pushing her so far that she climaxed. He didn't want that yet; wanting to be with her before he let that occur; so he slowed down his tongue within her before she was suddenly telling him to stop. A little startled since she didn't often tell him that, Castle got up on his knees between her legs and asked, "Too much?"
"Slightly," Beckett replied. "And anyways, it's your turn." Before her husband could protest that she was going down onto her stomach as she grabbed his member with her hand. She managed to also slip her mouth down around him before he could say a word and she was carefully moving up and down. She was tempted to use a rhythm but knew that if she'd been close her husband was going to be more so. Instead she went slowly, carefully, moaning a little to give a little added push to him though she was very careful with how much she was doing that. Finally she could feel his hands on her head, physically pulling her away which made her smile widely at him as she knew why he'd done that. "Too much?" she asked him with a smirk as she got up on her knees again.
"Almost," Castle said, breathing out heavily. He then made her lay down as he stared into her eyes the entire way back. "Are you sure?" he finally asked, wanting to be absolutely certain she was okay with the change.
"You know already, hurry," Beckett told him. She wrapped her right leg around his waist while her left foot pressed against the side of his thigh. The position was slightly awkward but the first thrust he made into her after sliding back in her made her cry out his name for a moment in absolute joy as she was tight around him. She then quickly started to match his rhythm, wanting to feel even more though she knew that was going to bring her closer to the edge. She pushed herself up onto her elbows and with that she was able to move a little better, rewarded with the sound of their hips smacking together loudly. The feel of him so deeply within her, the friction that was a constant and his lips taking hers were becoming too much. She didn't want to stop but something in her was begging for more time.
Castle hurriedly pulled away from her as if he'd heard what she was thinking; though he was really going through the same as her; and he stopped moving at the same time, hearing her breathing heavily as the room went quiet while the bed and their bodies were silent. "What can I do?" he murmured against her lips, feeling the ache in his groin at the ceasing of its movement.
Breathing in deeply Beckett thought for a moment before she took his lips gently and then lay back saying, "Get a towel."
Swallowing as hard as he could Castle carefully pulled away from her and looked deeply into her eyes before he opened his mouth to speak.
"We need to delay it," both Castle and Beckett said at the exact same time.
"Are you sure you can handle that?" she asked her husband.
"I know what to do," Castle said quickly before he left her after he'd pressed a quick kiss to her lips.
As soon as her husband was off the bed Beckett slid to the end of it and gently brushed the rose petals that were still stuck to her breasts. She started to move her hands but then paused and looked across to the desk and forced herself up to walk to it. Reaching it she turned around and leaned back against it, allowing herself to reach up and cup her own breasts as she'd wanted to do before.
Coming back into the room then Castle froze as he watched his wife's fingers manipulating her mounds as her head rolled back, a moan of his name escaping her lips. He strode over to her as quickly as he could before he reached up with his free hand and grasped the back of her head. "That's not going to delay things love," he told her, not surprised his voice was husky with his desire.
"It will, it wouldn't be enough to push me that far," Beckett said, shaking her hair behind her shoulders with a smile as he was watching her closely. "If it was you," she said quickly, grabbing his hands that were starting to reach for her chest. "Then yes it wouldn't have worked." She then let go of him to wrap her arms around his neck, holding him tightly there before they were kissing deeply. Though they were naked and their bodies were rubbing against each other as they couldn't seem to keep from doing that she felt herself calming down slightly and was relieved as she had been close. When they parted after a few more heavy kisses she leaned her forehead against his and said, "Are you ready?"
In response to that Castle carefully turned her around and watched her lean over to place her hands on the top of the desk. "I guess… we didn't need that," he said of the towel as she'd pushed it out of the way. He was gently stroking her ass as he'd spoken, and allowed himself the chance to do that for a while before he finally moved to slide inside of her again. He sighed at the same time she did and allowed them a second to get used to each other again before he began to thrust again. He groaned as she moaned at the friction between them starting up immediately since he was rough against her. He heard their hips slapping and had to wonder how the desk wasn't slamming into the wall in front of them as she had started moving as well. "Oh god that wasn't enough time," he breathed out hard as he very soon came back to the amount of pleasure he'd felt when they'd stopped.
"I know but… I can't hold back Rick," Beckett moaned to her husband a little frantically. She wasn't surprised when he suddenly turned her back around and she managed to grab the towel to set it back in place before she let him help her up onto the desk. As soon as he had thrust into her she seemed to feel her entire body exploding, making her legs wrap around his waist as her arms went about his neck while she was thrusting haphazardly against him since she'd had no chance to set a rhythm. It didn't diminish the ecstasy that was taking over her entire body, her entire self as she was crying his name, begging Castle to fuck her harder though he was already doing that. Feeling him shortly follow her, her name escaping his lips repeatedly in a mantra almost, she nearly fell over the edge again with him. Eventually she started to calm down and then stopped completely, breathing heavily as her husband thrust against her hard a few times until he was still, slumped against her. "I love you," she said, cupping the back of his head.
The emotion in her tone made Castle raise his head from her neck before he crushed her lips underneath his own. That kiss was rough and passionate and he didn't stop until he absolutely had to breathe. Luckily he managed to get enough air to be able to tell her, "I love you too Kate."
Beckett pulled him down to her for yet another kiss, keeping that up until again they had to breathe. Without a word they parted and she let him help her down from the desk to head to the bed though she didn't need it. She lay back with a deep exhale and said, "That was interesting."
"Why?" Castle asked, lying on his side next to her.
Looking up at him Beckett smiled and said, "You, towards the end I could feel it in the way you touched me."
"Feel what?" Castle said, wondering why she hadn't said that specifically.
"You were being an artist, consciously or subconsciously," Beckett replied. "I almost felt like you were measuring every last inch of me for your next masterpiece."
"Or maybe our next session together in our room by the pool," Castle replied, smiling as he understood then what she meant since he'd felt he was doing that at the same time though it hadn't been done intentionally. "Although I'm thinking we should just call it our love nest," he said, looking thoughtful.
"I don't think so," Beckett replied. When her husband looked to her questioningly she told him, "It makes me think of a seventies porn movie."
"Why, you've seen a lot of those?" Castle asked. When his wife rolled her eyes he smiled and then leaned down, taking her lips with his own hungrily. After they'd slowly parted he said, "You want to sleep?"
Studying him for a moment Beckett then smiled and shook her head before she gently pushed him out of her way before getting off the bed. She went to her bag and took out one of the letters in the stack, walking back to him and giving him a brief look when she saw he was ogling her blatantly.
"I almost forgot about those," Castle told her once she was next to him and they were propped up against the pillows. "Is this the first one from Bridget?" he asked after his arm was around her.
"It is," Beckett said simply. "Líle," she began reading. "I was shocked to find you are wed already but I can tell from your words that you are very happy. And I wish I could have been there to see you married. Amazing you have found a man with the same last name as us, I have as well."
"Another McCollough?" Castle asked in shock.
Beckett glanced at him with a smile and continued with, "His name is Patrick McCollough and he's not a relative of ours, I told him our story as far back as Da knew and his family doesn't have anyone that I recognize. He works here at the house with me, a stable boy too, so we share that as he was quick to see that I loved horses."
"Wow if they get married any family members you have still from her will definitely love horses; doubly too," Castle commented.
"He's not my beau, I've been working night and day to try to return to you all in America so I can't be having any of that before I leave," Beckett read. "It would be unfair. But there is something about him. But it doesn't matter. My work is hard but they are a well known family outside of Cork and at least I'm near enough to Queenstown to get passage on a ship if I need to. Tell Ma and Da I think of them daily and I pray for you all as well. I must go, the housekeeper is searching for me and I must get this ready to send with the family's mail if it will reach you. If I am to become an aunt soon, don't forget to tell me. And that's it for her first letter."
"She must not have had much time to write," Castle commented as he watched Beckett looking at the handwriting on the letter.
Glancing over at him since that was an obvious thing to say Beckett asked, "What're you thinking?"
"I'm going to make a prediction," Castle said. "Based on something I know already. Bridget marries Patrick and they remain in Ireland because we know she never made it back to Líle and the family."
Beckett smiled at that and then said, "You'll have to find out," laughing softly when he gave her a look.
"I'm planning on it," Castle said before he reached over and took the copy of the letter out of her hand and then leaned across her to set the paper on the nightstand next to her. Sitting back up he cupped Beckett's cheek and turned her to him so he could kiss her which he soon did and as roughly as he possibly could.
Moaning softly Beckett wasn't too surprised when her husband pressed harder against her lips and she was pushed back further into the pillows until he abruptly pulled away with her with a gasp of air. "So to answer your earlier question, no I definitely don't want to sleep," she told him.
Smiling widely at her Castle helped her get the pillows spread back out before she lay down. Their lips meeting for another kiss they were holding onto each other tightly before he felt her gently moving him to slide inside of her body. "Oh fuck…" he swore heavily when he felt how wet she was already. "You aren't kidding."
"No now listen," Beckett said, cupping his face with her hands. "Study your subject closely."
Unable to help smiling yet again at that Castle said, "Make sure I know every inch for my art?"
"Every last inch," Beckett breathed before they began to move together and were soon kissing each other a little frantically.
Castle was rough with Beckett from that point on as an unspoken communication between them let them both know that things were not going to be tranquil as the hours wore on. And with that knowledge they worked together to fill their room with the sounds of their passion as at the same time they made sure the other felt it, never letting themselves take for granted every second they had together that night.