She pulled back from his embrace, offering him a soft smile. He felt himself filled with so much love that he nearly ached with it. She pulled his hand to her lips, planting a firm kiss on his palm before letting go and moving to turn the lights off.
Catching her cue, Castle followed suit, allowing the apartment to fall into darkness momentarily. He followed her into the bedroom, removing his clothing as he watched her light several candles. The flames cast an ethereal glow about the room, the flicker of the gold light dancing across Kate's features as she slowly began to unbutton her blouse.
Rick found himself with an irrepressible urge to fly to her, to touch her and to make her his. Yet, as she slowly crossed the room, one agonizing step at a time, he found himself fixated and unable to move at all. He swallowed a moan, reaching out to her and waiting for her to take his hand.
She came to where he stood, taking the hand he offered and brushing her lips across his fingertips. Their eyes met and in that moment, they both knew, truly understood that this was the last time. It took all of his power not to cry as she turned his palm and laid it against her bare chest, directly over her heart. Her eyes closed as he began to move, caressing her bare skin slowly.
She inhaled sharply, losing herself in the sensation of his touch as his fingers ghosted slowly and gently across her skin. She closed the distance between them, leaning her head against his shoulder as he continued to touch her. She inhaled his familiar scent and began to line kisses along his neck, relishing in the taste of him.
In that moment, Kate second guessed everything. Sure the job was important, but in that moment wrapped in his arms and deliciously pressed against him, she was sure that she had what really mattered. Still, she knew that to prolong it would create an even more painful circumstance. No, Kate was determined to stop thinking and just feel.
He led her to the bed, allowing her to fall back and scoot towards her pillows as he moved to follow. She had difficulty catching her breath as she was filled with anticipation for his touch. He always seemed to have the ability to make her feel complete when he pressed himself against her, filling her body, as well as her soul.
He kneeled on the bed, slowly making his way up the mattress to where she lay waiting for him. Their eyes were locked and she swore that she wouldn't have been able to avert her gaze even if she'd wanted to. The pull between them was all-consuming, and soon nothing else in the world mattered. Kate's entire universe narrowed to revolve only around his touch, and the feeling of his bare skin pressed deliciously against her own.
She let out a moan, slowly brushing her fingers across his upper arms as he began to trail kisses along her neck. Her breath hitched when she felt his fingers, purposive and demanding as they pushed her legs apart to give him access to the most intimate parts of her. Kate found herself painfully torn between wanting to prolong this moment of desire and needing to feel him inside of her.
Soon the ache deep within her body overwhelmed the desires of her heart and she grasped him firmly, guiding him to her entrance and urging him to move.
It began achingly slow, both wanting to prolong their union as much as possible. He moved against her and within her, rhythmically stroking while using care to touch her in just the way to draw her pleasure out. Breathlessly they climbed, higher and higher. They were still unable to take their eyes off of each other, needing to reinforce the physical act of intimacy with the emotional connection that they both desperately needed.
Soon the pleasure became too much, their bodies winding more tightly with the incredible sensations evoked by each stroke. Their rhythm became erratic as they moved faster and deeper, working themselves into a frenzy of pleasure until they had no choice but to let go and fall over the edge.
Moments later he moved to roll off of her, but was stilled by her insistent arms holding him in place. "No, Rick. Don't leave yet. Stay inside me awhile longer."
So he did, burying his face into the crook of her neck as their sweat-covered bodies dried and their breathing returned to normal. Despite the fact that they knew it would have to be the last time, it was also the first time she fell asleep with him still inside of her.
They shifted apart in the night, but came back together again and again. Each time they tenderly but passionately found each other, savoring the night, willing the hours to slow as they made the most of their time together. Soon it was light, and with the new day came a goodbye to them.
That morning, Castle awoke to find himself alone in her bed. It was the first, he'd figured, of many mornings alone. Afterall, he knew that he wouldn't be moving on anytime soon; and if there was one thing he was sure of, it was that she wouldn't either.
Gates arrived that morning to find Beckett working alone at her desk. She smiled to herself briefly, relieved to see that Castle was not there. She figured that Kate would choose her romantic relationship over the partnership. Truth be told, she knew perfectly well that there really wasn't a choice. There was no way the lovers she saw on the dance floor would ever be capable of rationality in the field. However, forcing Castle out of the precinct would have opened a can of worms that she wanted to avoid at all costs.
It was obvious to Gates that the two were in love, but she also supposed that her team did not know. She could only figure that great lengths had been gone to in order to protect their secret. The last thing Gates wanted to do was reveal their relationship and threaten Beckett's professional reputation. Afterall, Kate Beckett was very much like she was in her younger years, and a scandal could make or break a woman in the NYPD.
No, Gates knew all too well that if she'd forced Castle out he would simply have thrown his clout with the mayor back in her face. It would have forced her hand and Beckett's career would have been a casualty. This way, Gates figured, Castle and Beckett would feel that they made the choice. It was the best of both worlds, Castle was finally out, and Beckett's career would remain intact. Still, there were major flaws in her reasoning, starting with the fact that she couldn't deny how much of an asset Richard Castle was to the 12th. Truth be told, she wasn't sure his leaving was a good idea at all.
Still, she would not tolerate her men being in unnecessary danger if the partners could not function professionally. Gates sighed, grabbing her mug and making her way to the break room for her morning dose of caffeine. She was stirring the cream into her coffee when she looked up to find the man she'd just been thinking about sitting in her precinct, beside Beckett as usual. Oh you've got to be kidding me! Gates thought to herself, making her way to her best detective's desk.
"Mr. Castle, you're here." It was a statement, but the question in her tone couldn't be masked.
They both looked up at her nonchalantly, Kate speaking in a controlled voice, "What you witnessed the other evening will not happen again, sir. It will not be an issue."
Gates pursed her lips. Nodding while trying to figure out what she was going to do with the two of them,
"Very well." She paused for a moment before adding, "Mr. Castle, you are allowed to attend crime scenes and you are allowed to assist in my precinct. However, no field work and no take downs of any kind." She then made her way back to her office.
"Excuse me, but WHAT?" Kate asked incredulously. She seemed to forget her place as she yelled at her boss. They did exactly what she asked, and now she was still placing restrictions on their partnership. It made no sense to Beckett.
"Do you have a problem, detective?" Gates shot back at her authoritatively.
"Yes! Did you not hear us? We did as you told, we made our decision." She didn't feel the need to mention that she and Castle had been having sex less than 4 hours ago, several times in fact.
Gates looked around the precinct, assuring herself that nobody was close enough to hear, "Detective Beckett, what I saw was completely inappropriate and you chose to not reveal it, to me, to the colleagues who put their lives on the line with you, or to human resources. Consider yourself lucky that I didn't throw the both of you out." She took a breath, calming herself before she continued.
"Now, you may continue to work together in my precinct, but no field work until you can prove to me that you are reliable and focused in your decisions."
She left the partners gaping at her, slamming her door in her wake and letting out an exasperated sigh. Now what the hell am I going to do with them? She thought to herself. Perhaps she should have anticipated that Beckett might have chosen the partnership, especially given how dedicated the detective was to her job. Still, she was so sure based on what she'd seen. The two were clearly in love.
The captain sat at her desk and contemplated what would be done with the partners currently seated in her precinct. There was one thing that was certain of, things were considerably more complicated than Gates preferred.
AN: Things are going to get a whole lot more complicated for our dear captain when a special request comes down from the powers that be for an undercover assignment featuring none other than our dynamic duo.