Chapter 13 – Beautiful Eyes

Disclaimer – AWM and ABC still won't sell them. So I borrow them. Trying a new thing anything in italics is a flash back. Let me know if it is fails.

Kate was buried in her phone as she walked to her desk. She jerked her head up as the corner of her eye registered the variegated tulips neatly placed on her desk. She was going to kill him. They had agreed over morning coffee, nothing at work was going to change… and yet there sat a massive vase of flowers. How was she going to hide them without anyone catching her? All she needed was Gates putting two and two together. That would make life hell.

Faster than Kate could concoct a plan, Esposito's hand swooped down into the middle of the flowers and plucked out the card, Kate panicked. 'Shit, shit, shit.' "Espo hand it over."

Esposito whirled around giving her his back, teasing her by waving the card out of reach. "Oh no, Beckett – you know what it takes to get one over on you?"

Kate grabbed his arm and pulled it around behind his back. "Give it back?" she demanded. "Fight you for it." Esposito crumpled it tightly into his fist. "Bring it on." She said as she began to bend and twist his wrist.

Victory was hers as she forced him to open his hand and drop the card. "Told you so."

Esposito dove to the ground, grabbed the card and ran towards the men's room. He knew he only had a few seconds before she followed him. Kate was racing to follow him when Gates popped her head out of her office "Something I need to know about?" Kate could see Gates eyeing the flowers and hung her head

"No, Sir". Kate returned to her desk. What did it matter anyway? It was too late to stop Esposito from reading the card. She silently prayed Castle hadn't written anything too ridiculous.

Esposito ripped open the envelope and read the card "Think of you. Bruce." 'Bruce, who the hell was Bruce?'

Esposito whipped out his phone to text Lanie: Who is Beckett's Bruce?

Lanie was quick to respond: No fing clue.

Lanie's next text was to Kate: Who is Bruce? Why the hell is he sending you flowers?

Kate's phone vibrated signaling a new text. She was sure it was Castle checking on his flowers. Kate spotted Esposito marching towards her, his face was beat read and his cheeks were puffing in and out. No way was she looking at her phone when he could peep at it.

Esposito tossed the card on the desk, snatched the flowers and stomped off.

Kate was baffled, what did that card say? She picked up the card and started to silently chuckle. Kate was right; Castle had written a ridiculous card. What she underestimated was how clever he was. Tears started to trickle out of the corners of her eyes from trying to contain her laughter, when suddenly she felt a smack on the back of the head.

"Who is Bruce?" Lanie demanded.

Kate rubbed the back of her head in an attempt to lessen the sting. Kate looked up to see Lanie and Esposito standing side by side with their arms crossed, wearing equally menacing looks.

Esposito was the first to speak "You heard the lady, who is Bruce?"

Kate put on her best poker face and shot her death stare at her interrogators. "What's it to you?"

Lanie spewed at her like a fire eating dragon "That man has followed you around for four years, you grind on him at a wedding, leave arm in arm and two days later you are getting flowers from another man!"

Esposito jumped in "You don't do that to a man."

Kate took the opportunity to turn the tables "Oh, so does that little hip and grind action you two were demonstrating at Ryan's wedding mean YOUR together?"

Castle's phone buzzed, his heart buzzed, her buzz. He fumbled through his breast pocket to retrieve his phone. She must have received the flowers. His heart dropped like a brick when the text was from her, but all work: Body, Battery and State. ETA in?

Castle swallowed the taste of acid in his mouth. No mention of flowers, of Sunday night, Monday morning or even the coffee they had met for at the diner early this morning. He answered with a simple: Ok.

The diner this morning flashed back through his mind. By the end of coffee he felt like it was a mini business meeting to strike a deal, except there was no negotiating. Kate laid down the rules:

No touching;

No terms of endearment;

Reiteration of no touching – watch the personal space thing;

No talking about after work at work;

No one was to know.

He wasn't an idiot, Castle knew Kate was fiercely private and Gates would…well who knew what Gates would do, but it wouldn't be a good thing. Castle still had to be Castle – if he wanted to send flowers he would. If he wanted to tease her, he would. He just needed to find a way to reach her without breaking the rules. That's when the devilish idea came to him, he needed an alter ego. Operation 'Keep Beckett Guessing' was conceived.

Castle was a trickster at heart. He had the cab drop him off a block before the crime scene, allowing him to slowly walk up and observe Kate before she knew he was there. He could tell by her walk she was a bit off her game.

Kate's mind couldn't help but wander. She tried to be strict and stern with Castle, laying down the 'rules'. She only did it because she knew it would be a little strange to see him back at work after the other night and the next morning. How old was she? Kate was just hoping he wouldn't have on cufflinks…

The kiss was perfect, tender, questioning, passionate and demanding more. Kate knew Castle would be a great kisser, after all according to Page Six he had had plenty of practice. What she wasn't ready for was how free she felt with him. She couldn't shake the image of slowly undressing him, as he watched her through hooded eyes. Telling him 'Time for me to take care of you' as she unbuttoned his buttons one by one, kissing his chest as she went. Wishing he didn't have a t-shirt on. Slowly unscrewing first the right cufflink and butterfly kissing his wrist. Then taking left his arm that was playing with her hair and placing it in her lap, drawing lazily circles on his palm repeating "See I will not forget you; I have carved you on the palm of my hand." As she slipped his left cufflink out of its prison and bent to kiss his palm…..

That was his in - get her while she was distracted. Castle hit send on the phone hidden in his coat pocket.

He slowed his walk so he could watch as Kate slipped her vibrating phone from her pocket. A sheepish grin spread across his face as he watched her read her phone with a puzzled look on her face. Of course he already knew what the text said, he had sent it: Do you know what the flowers mean?

Kate felt the hairs on the back of her neck bristle. Outside of work only a select few had her number and to get a blocked call freaked her out. Maybe Castle hadn't sent the flowers.

Castle quickened his pace as he saw her furiously searching her phone and selecting a number. He was upon her when he heard her say, "Beckett here, I need a trace on a blocked number."

Castle's heart beat faster as he reached around her, snatched the phone from her hand and hit end. Oh boy, she was furious. Her eyebrows arched, her lips were pursed and she was glaring at him. "Castle, don't ever, EVER, do that again."

"It was a burner" he half ducked, just in case she hit him.

Kate's eye grew larger than life then instantly returned to an icy stare "A burner? What was a burner?"

He thought to himself 'Oh no, not that look.' "The phone."

"Start talking."

Castle looked around to make sure no one could hear, "Bruce got a burner."

Her mouth said "Crime scene Castle." Her eyes either said "Brilliant or you're a dead man." Castle wasn't sure which but he couldn't help but pleased with himself. How could he not be pleased with himself? Castle's mind kept replaying Sunday night in his head.

…she was kissing his palm, then stood and began to walk away. Only to turn over her shoulder and said in a voice he had only dreamed of "Rick you coming?" as she headed towards her bedroom. At first he didn't know if he should follow her or not. It was as close to an out of body experience he had ever had he levitated to the threshold of her bedroom.

Kate was standing in the middle of her room, both unsure of who should lead. He took a step into the room and his eyes took in every detail. Her bedroom was an eclectic combination of French Modern Couture and traditional French Chateau, so very her. What fascinated him most was the ceiling to wall book case. He turned his back to her to inspect it. All hard bound books – a real collector, the shelves organized alphabetically by author then by date of publication.

Castle's eyes skipped to the "Cs" – not one of his books was there. He heard a throaty laugh and felt fingers ruffling the back of his hair. Castle's heart skipped a beat, his voice caught in his throat – how could a single touch render him incoherent. And then Kate was gone. He turned to look for her. She was sitting cross legged on her bed pointing to her night stand. "Rick, looking for these?"

And there in the night stand, beside her bed, which was really a modified book case, was the complete collection of his books and only his books.

Castle found his voice "Why two copies of 'In a Hail of Bullets?"

Kate smirked at him, no she was daring him. "Come on over and I'll show you."

Castle's throat grew dry, he reached up and gave himself the best possible Three Stooges face slaps and said "Crime scene Castle."