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Thanks for your reviews! This is now my longest fic!

Disclaimer: Castle is not mine :/

[Chapter 20]

The sun was streaming down on the couple on the motor bike. The wind was all around them, nipping at their ears. The clothes on their backs were billowing behind them, the wind picking up.

Rick's arms were wrapped around Kate's middle and she could feel every contour of his body against her back. Just feel of him against her made her heart beat faster. She grinned when she sped up, feeling his arms grip onto her even tighter, afraid that he'll fall off. She took a corner fast, leaning to one side as Rick's hands squeezed instinctively.

He didn't speak to her on the ride to the coffee shop, his arms around her middle tightened with every curve she leaned into. The closeness, the vibrations from the machine beneath them, the wind rushing past; all of it set his heart pounding in his chest.

They caught a few red lights, but she never spoke when they were stopped, so he didn't either. He just allowed himself to enjoy the cool air and the feel of her warm body close to his.

Rick felt a wave of disappointment as she slowed down and pulled up to the curb, cutting the engine. Feet planted on either side, the Harley balanced on its kickstand. Kate reached up and pulled the shiny black helmet off, tucking it under one arm as she shook out her chestnut tresses; her ponytail a bit wild from the ride. Both of their faces were flushed red from the wind.

Rick's hands fell away, brushing her hips. The sight of her shaking her hair turning him on like no other. "That is so hot," he murmured without thinking.

She cast an amused glance over her shoulder. "Are we going to sit here all day or are we going in and get some coffee?"

"Coffee. Right." He slung his leg over the bike and stepped back, watching her do the same. He barely remembered to close his mouth before she glanced up at him. He led the way toward the door, the goofy helmet in hand.

The enticing aroma of coffee wafted through the air as soon as they entered the shop. There was long line of people waiting to give their order; some business men were on their phones yapping away about a proposal. There was a soccer mom or two needing the burst of energy that coffee provided to be able to carry on with their hectic schedules. It was a vast array of people and Rick and Kate blended right in.

"What can I get you, two?" Asked the barista when they reached the front of the line.

Kate placed her hands in her jacket pockets, swaying on her feet. "I'll have a grande skim latte with two pumps of sugar-free vanilla."

The barista nodded, pulling a cup off a large stack of cups and scribbling the order on it. "Name?"

"Kate," she gave, scooting over so Rick could order.

"And what can I get you, sir?" The young man asked Rick, sharpie in hand.

Rick peered over at all of the choices that decorated the signs above the counter, too many to choose from. "Let's see...I'll just have a regular black coffee."

"What size?"

"Grande please."

The barista nodded, yanking another cup and writing the order on it. Rick gave the young man his name and paid for both of the drinks, much to Kate's dismay. The two moved to the left of the shop, waiting patiently for their drinks.

Kate grinned, nudging Rick's shoulder. "What's his story?" She asked, nodding to a stiff, well-dressed business man who stuck his chin out and had the air of superiority all around him.

Rick grinned at her, his eyes glimmering. His hair was a bit crazy from the helmet he was wearing earlier, a few pieces matted to his head. "Playing this game, are we?"

"I thought it'd kill the time," informed Kate. "Now hurry, what's his story?"

Rick stood still for a moment, his arms holding onto the helmet as he studied the man. "He's a smart man, went to a top rated school and got a job right out of college. Unfortunately, his lack of time and effort prevents him to explore his personal life, so he doesn't have a girlfriend or very many friends. What friends he does have he can't live without; like his cell phone, his laptop, and his fancy sports car. He has a large ego, something that helped him climb the ladder at his work. And any free time he has, he spends it on his hair," Rick finished smirking down at Kate.

She had a hand over her mouth, trying not burst out laughing. The funny part was that all of what he said was probably true. They stood their giggling with one another while other customers didn't pay them a second glance, too busy with their own lives.

The barista called their names one after another and Rick claimed the cups, handing Kate hers. They found an empty table near the window, just observing and watching people as they came in and out. The two sat close, legs and shoulders touching.

Rick glanced at his watch, seeing that they had a ton of time to kill before they had to be at the precinct. "We've got plenty of time before we should get going. Would you like to continue on with our little game?"

Kate nodded, taking a sip of her coffee and looking around at all the people. A newspaper article caught her eye, thinking she saw Rick's name on one of headings. But the man reading it turned the page before she could get a good look. Kate thought it was best to just forget about it.

Rick spotted a girl no older than twenty years old as she typed fiercely on her laptop, ear buds in her ears. "What's her story?"

She followed his line of sight and stared at the young woman, taking her time to study her. "She's a college student at NYU who is struggling with..."

The couple continued their little game for a while, laughing and joking the entire time. Before they knew it, it was ten to nine. They needed to get to the precinct and soon. Tossing their now empty cups away, Rick and Kate walked out of the shop, helmets in hand.

"Can I drive?" Rick asked, pleading as they walked to the motorcycle. "I never get to drive. Just this once."

"I'll take you out this weekend and we can go for a ride then. But we really have to go."

He sighed, "Okay. But I'm holding you to taking me this weekend, Detective."

Kate put on her helmet and swung her leg over the bike, holding still while Rick did the same. She reached behind her to tug on his hands, pulling him forward, bringing his warmth tighter against her back. He kissed her on the cheek, whispering in her ear, "I love you."

She turned her upper body a bit, kissing him on the lips. They remained like that for a few minutes, not wanting to pull away. "I love you so much," she mumbled, their mouths connected. Her hands slid on his legs, squeezing him right above the knee.

The position they were in may have been a bit awkward, but they didn't care. All that mattered was their lips pressed together. They turned their heads to get a new position, only to knock helmets together with a loud clank. They broke apart and stared at one another, bursting out in laughter.

"We should really get going," Rick suggested once they calmed down, still chuckling a bit as his right hand moved up and down Kate's thigh.

Kate froze. The sensations that those marvelous fingers were producing made her breathing erratic. Rick noticed this, slowly sliding his hand a bit higher in a teasing manner. He watched her reaction, seeing the need that was sparkling in her eyes. Her pupils were growing black with arousal. How a simple movement could make her want him, she'll never know. But at the moment she could care less about the reasons why and more about the feelings...

Kate gazed at Rick, want and need written on her face. God, if he moves his hand any higher I'm going to lose it!

Rick smirked as he saw her take in a shaky breath, her chest heaving up and down. He moved his left hand to her hip, maneuvering a thumb to the waistband of her jeans and feeling the delicate skin there. She froze when he made contact, the swipe of his thumb on her skin testing her control. He scooted closer on the bike, his legs braced on either side holding the motorcycle up and keeping them balanced. His hands and fingers never stopped their movements as he pressed his chest against her back.

"R- Rick?" Kate breathed, closing her eyes. "We should...we should go now."

He nodded, his cheek pressed against hers. "Okay..."

She quickly started up the motorcycle, her hands shaking a bit as she grabbed the handle bars. Rick placed his arms around her stomach, smirking to himself. Kate pulled out of the curb, heading into traffic.

The ride to the station was as quiet as their earlier trip. She didn't dare turn her attention away from the road in front of them. She was able to calm down quite a bit once they got on the road, but Kate could still feel the ghosting of his fingers on her. Rick's own focus centered on the warmth she radiated through fabric and leather, the compression and expansion of her stomach against his hands as she breathed and the shifting of her back against his chest through every turn.

They made it to the precinct in record time, pulling into the lower parking garage. Kate killed the engine, kicking the kickstand down. Rick hugged Kate before getting up and taking the helmet off, his hair a complete mess.

"Wait, stay right there," Rick instructed, pulling out his cell phone. He set his helmet on the ground near his feet.

Kate had just taken her helmet off and was shaking her head. Her once tame ponytail wasn't so tame anymore. "Rick, I'm not posing for you. So put that phone away before I'm forced to take it from you."

"Just one picture. I need to savor this moment...plus, you look smoking hot and I can't let a chance like this go to waste. I've always wanted a sexy picture of you on your bike ever since you mentioned it."

She glared at him with her arms crossed, her helmet was perched in front of her. "No, Castle."

"Why are you going back to calling me Castle? And it's just one picture. Please!" He pleaded. "I promise that this will be for my eyes only. Come on, Kate."

It took her about a minute, but she relented. "Fine, just make it quick."

His face was brighter than a kid on Christmas. Rick's Christmas gift came a bit earlier this year. Rick snapped the picture, secretly taking a few more. He clicked a button and went through his camera roll, gawking at the photos he'd just taken. She looked stunning.

Kate then came over to him, peering over his shoulder. "How's it look?"

"If you were ever to leave the police force, I think you could start a career as a model. You look...beautiful. I could stare at this all day!"

"You better not!" Kate reached for his iPhone, yanking it from his hands. "I'm putting this away so you won't get the opportunity to do that all day. I really don't want someone to see you drooling all over it. Do you have any idea what people would say?"

Rick motioned to say something but Kate raised a hand. "You know what, no. I'd actually rather not hear the answer to that."

"You sure?" He asked, picking up the helmet and following her to the doors.

"Positive. Ryan and Espo would have a field day if they saw the picture. I'd never hear the end of it." Kate pocketed his phone, keeping it out of his reach.

"But it's so sexy!" Rick stated, opening the door for her. "It's even sexier than that piece of fabric you called a swimsuit when we went to LA last year. And I fantasized about that for months!"

"I'm sure you did."

Rick motioned around. "You catch the attention of every male we walk past. When we went to the coffee shop, I noticed a few men staring at you like you were a piece of meat."

"Yeah but they can only look," she began, waving at Ernie as they got to the elevator. "Hey, Ernie!" She greeted.

The older man stared at Kate, not believing what he was seeing. "Detective Beckett? Is that you?"

Kate didn't answer, she merely got on the elevator with Rick in tow. "You," she continued, pressing the button for level four. "Are the only one who gets to touch."

A feral growl left his lips and as soon as the double doors closed, he pounced. "You're such a tease."

"I thought you'd know that by now," she breathed, her nose swaying back and forth against his. "Keep up, stud."

Rick kissed her roughly, his teeth pulling on her bottom lip. His free hand cupped her cheek, holding her steady as his mouth descended over hers. Kate's hand found its way to his lower back, slowly heading south. His hitch of breath made Kate smile, getting the exact reaction she was searching for. Her hand grasped his ass, squeezing it as she licked her tongue over his lips.

He was turned on like no other, what this woman did to him was beyond his control. Kate could feel him pressed solidly against her, that, arousing her on its on.

A ding signaled their arrival and Kate yanked her mouth away, steeping out of the elevator without a word. Rick stood there, his face flushed and his lips swollen from their kissing. He eventually followed her to the desk, sitting down rapidly and placing the helmet over his crotch.

Kate smirked, placing her helmet on the far right side of her desk. "Sorry," she mouthed and turned on her computer.

"Uh-huh. Sure you are," he mumbled, twitching in the chair.

She logged in, looking across the bullpen to say hi to Ryan and Espo but they were no where in sight. "Where are the boys?"

Just then the two in question came out of the break room, cups of coffee in their hands. "Hey, guys!" Rick greeted as they took their seats.

"It's about time you two got here," Ryan said, smirking as he held up a newspaper.

Esposito was wearing a matching grin as his partner. "Did you see the article in the-"

The door the Captain's office opened and revealed Gates. "Detective Beckett, Mr. Castle. A word." Her tone was questionable and hard to determine.

Kate and Rick stood, both confused as to why they were being called in. Rick set the helmet on his chair, stepping in stride with Kate as they disappeared into the office.

The boys watched as the door closed behind them. Esposito looked at his partner, "Do you think they know about the newspaper article?"

Ryan shook his head no. "From the looks on their faces, I'm guessing not." They watched as Gates shut the blinds, closing them off to the rest of the world.

Rick and Kate stood near the doorway, not sure if they should sit down or remain standing. Gates watched the couple with great interest, studying their movements.

"You two may sit," Gates instructed, leaning on the front of her desk.

Rick and Kate glanced at one another before hesitantly sitting down. Neither had a clue as to why they were in here. Rick was going through all the bad things he's done recently. Kate was doing the same.

"Have you read today's newspaper?" Gates asked, reaching on her desk for the New York Times.

"Uh, not today, Sir," Kate replied.

"Same here," Rick answered, his hands sweating.

The Captain nodded. "Because I'm curious...how long have you two been together?"

Kate was taken aback by her Captain's bluntness. "I-I'm sorry?"

Gates didn't say a word, she just turned the newspaper around so that Kate and Rick could see the front. The headline wrote: "Has playboy millionaire, Richard Castle finally won the heart of NYPD Detective, Kate Beckett? Read more inside on page six, pictures included."

Kate sat up and yanked the newspaper out of Gates' hands, quickly flipping to page six where a few photos took up most of the page. One of the photos was of Rick and Kate as they danced in the fountains and sprinklers from their date on Sunday night. Another was taken of the couple laughing as they left the small grocery store on Saturday morning.

"Oh. My. God."

There you go!

Don't you just love me right now? Cliffhanger! :) The game they played: "what's the story?" I got from 'Date Night' with Steve Carell and Tina Fey. I recently watched the movie and thought it'd be a fun little scene for this fic. Once again, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter better than the last one! I'm not feeling very confident about this...but I hope y'all can prove me wrong. Please leave a review with your thoughts! They are always welcome! Until next time!

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