The skin under his hand was warm and smooth. He slid his hand along it, almost automatically and was aware of a feminine sigh of pleasure in response. Encouraged, he continued his caressing, the motion hypnotic and soothing. He almost drifted off again when a hand brushed his neck and then his chest. The touch was delicate and it was his turn to sigh in response. Encouraged by his response, the touch repeated, but now it was caressing him as well and he snuggled closer, his hand roaming higher until he felt a cloth covered swell of flesh that he instinctively cupped with his hand.

"Yes…"

The feminine sound was more sigh that actual voice, and he felt her lips on his neck and her warm breath on his skin. His hand slipped under the loose cloth, and she arched against him willingly as he continued his caress. Her lips left his neck after a moment and brushed against his jaw, then his cheek and finally found his lips in a kiss as tender as the most gentle of caresses. He moaned softly at the touch and his hand slid down along her side and then her hip, eventually cupping her thigh and using the hold to bring her leg over his hip.

In response her hand slid down along his chest, and then his stomach and then even lower. He tensed, waiting, and after a moment, he felt her take him in her grasp. The touch was sensual and exciting and his breath caught in his chest with a gasp.

Beckett woke with a start and froze. Suddenly realizing that the amazing – and extremely realistic – dream she'd been having was nothing of the sort, she hesitated, her hand still intimately holding him. Chagrined, flushing even warmer than she'd been from reaction to the dream, Beckett tried to figure out how the hell she was going to extract herself from him before he woke up and realized what was going on. Then his hand stopped and his body tensed in a completely different way and she knew that he was awake as well. Castle pulled his head back from her chest and met her wide-eyed gaze with his own somewhat dazed one.

Half asleep or not, it didn't take him long to figure out what had happened. He let go of her thigh and looked down at the two of them, taking in her exposed belly and chest with a glance. Beckett took the opportunity to pull her hand out of his pants, blushing furiously.

"Um…"

He cleared his throat, but neither moved away. He was still recovering from waking up so suddenly and in such a manner – and the fact that he couldn't remember the last time he'd been so aroused – and she was focusing on the new bruise forming on his neck. She closed her eyes. God, she'd given him a hickey.

"Kate?"

"I'm sorry, Castle…" she said, looking at him again. "I um... I thought it was a dream."

"So did I," he told her, taking in the blushes and trying to think of some way to make her less uncomfortable. He had a feeling that just moving away wasn't going to do the trick. "I just figured after all the nightmares I'd been due something a little… gentler."

She managed a slight smile at that, and the reminder of his nightmares made her take a longer look at him, examining his face to see if he looked any better than he had the night before.

"How do you feel?"

Now it was his turn to flush.

"I need a shower. A cold one."

Beckett laughed, and the quip broke the tension between them for the most part.

"So now I understand why you said we couldn't sleep face to face."

"Yeah." His ardor was cooling a bit, now. "Sorry."

Since she had been the one with her hand in his pants, she didn't think he had much reason to apologize. Beckett flushed again at that particular thought, and smiled.

"I think I'll live. You?"

"There are worse ways to wake up." He smiled, too, and leaned over and brushed a kiss against her cheek.

"What was that for?" She was almost afraid to hear the answer. He surprised her, though.

"For staying with me last night. I never would have been able to sleep without you."

"You're welcome." Beckett couldn't help herself. She reached out and touched his cheek again. He'd been so vulnerable and she wasn't used to seeing him like that. "How about some breakfast?"

"I can make it. Just let me shower first."

"You're not supposed to get your hair wet."

"I won't, but I do need a shower."

He'd figure it out.

"I'm not helping you out of the tub if you fall, so be careful."

"I will."

He pushed back the blankets and left her, and Beckett sighed and covered her eyes for a moment, allowing herself a chance to finish waking up. Then she remembered Castle's ravings from the night before and sat up abruptly, reaching for her phone. She got up and headed for the door.

OOOOOOOOOO

When Castle came out of the bathroom, he was dressed in clean clothes (and a button up shirt that was much easier to put on for him) and looking quite refreshed. Obviously the sleep he'd gotten the night before – even sleep that was broken with nightmares – had done him a lot of good. He breathed in deeply and appreciatively and joined Beckett in the kitchen. She was standing watch on a grill that was cooking pancakes. On the stove bacon was frying, and she'd already set the table with all of the condiments needed as well as the plates and glasses. She'd even made coffee.

"I could have cooked," he told her.

"I was up."

"I have a hickey…"

Beckett turned, and despite the fact that he wasn't smiling, his eyes were more amused than she could ever remember seeing them. He definitely did have a hickey; it had darkened a little more while he'd been in the shower.

"I don't see one."

"It's right there." He pointed to the spot high on his neck.

"That's just a bruise, Castle."

"It wasn't there yesterday."

"Sure it was. You just didn't notice."

"Uh huh." He casually took a piece of bacon from the plate she was filling slowly but surely from the stove. "We could probably have Lanie check it out… maybe compare the suction from your mouth to the size of the-"

"Maybe we can just cover it up," Beckett interrupted, far more amused and embarrassed than annoyed.

Castle shrugged. It didn't hurt quite so much to do that today. He was thoroughly enjoying himself – especially since he could read her well enough to know that she wasn't going to react badly about it.

"I suppose I could go buy a turtleneck."

Beckett snorted and rolled her eyes.

"We can use makeup," she told him. "I have some that will work."

He hadn't felt so good in a long time, and he couldn't help but hug her from behind, holding her close for just a moment.

"Thanks, Kate."

Beckett turned her head and smiled at him. She wasn't sure exactly what he was thanking her for – almost certainly not the hickey or groping him in his sleep (although who knew?) – but she could see he felt good, and she was glad for it.

"You're welcome, Rick. Now go sit down and we'll have breakfast."