They really suck at hiding it.
Last week it was a near miss in the office supply closet. He had her pushed up against the back wall, his mouth blazing a heated path down along her jaw to her neck. One of her legs was creeping up against his calf, dragging the pant leg up with those ridiculously high heels she insisted on wearing. Just as he had slipped his hand up under the hem of her shirt, Velasquez had intruded, looking for paperclips.
Monday, Esposito had found them in the spare observation room. That time, it was Castle who was shoved against one of the filing cabinets but he still had the first few buttons of Kate's shirt undone, fingers tripping along the curve of her breast while she nipped at his neck. They barely had time to spring apart before Esposito walked in, their faces still red, lips swollen, hair mussed. They screamed guilty.
But now she's tired of the quiet murmurs that die off when she or Castle nears. Not that she wants the opportunity to jump the man every time they cross paths but not having to hide a quick linking of hands or worrying about the boys overhearing a whispered "I love you" would be nice.
"I'm gonna tell them," she says quietly, looking at paperwork rather than the man playing a round of Draw Something against Alexis.
"Tell who what?" he asks as he hits 'Done!' and looks up.
Kate doesn't need to speak in order for him to figure it out. She just smiles, one of the tiny ones that she reserves only for him. Speaking in glances has always been their primary form of communication.
"Seriously?" Castle exclaims, sitting up in the chair. "But… why?"
"So I can do this," she says, leaning toward him and pressing her mouth to his still shocked one, "without them staring."
"Uh…" Castle glances back at Ryan and Esposito and finds the two of them doing just that – gawking shamelessly. "Hi, guys."
It's Esposito who regains his control of speech first. "When'd that happen?"
Kate shrugs. "Few weeks ago." She turns back to the computer screen and the report she was finishing up. "Gonna call Lanie or…?"
"Why would we call Lanie?" Ryan asks, sounding a mixture of horrified and proud.
"The pool I'm sure you have going will need a winner, right? All that money to be exchanged along with bragging rights. Lanie has to be in charge of that."
Castle is the one staring now, slack-jawed at Kate who is chatting about him – about them – so nonchalantly. Like betting on relationships was no big deal.
Esposito's already on his cell, pacing the bullpen as the phone rings. "Hola, chica. You know your girl and Writer Boy –"
Kate can almost hear Lanie screaming into the mouthpiece. Her smile is close-lipped, steadfastly typing rather than trying to hear the conversation that she knows will end with Lanie taking a cab up to the Twelfth.
Half an hour later, one very pissed-off medical examiner barges out of the elevator, pushing aside the gaggle of uniforms getting off-shift. "Katherine Beckett!"
Kate sighs and gives Castle's knee a brief, reassuring squeeze. "Here's the real storm." She flashes Lanie an innocent smile. "Hey. Got anything for me?"
"Got anything for you?" Lanie hisses, fists looking like they want nothing more than to haul her friend into the interrogation room and tear her apart. "When were you going to tell me about this… development between you and Castle?"
"Never. You'd've figured it out," she says. "Now settle the pool so we can all get back to work."
Lanie drags a chair over to Kate's desk and pulls a dozen or so sheets of paper from her purse. "Could take a while. You two have been the subject of this city's bets for five years."
While everyone watches Lanie flip through the names and bets on their relationship. Kate manages to finish the D5 and start the report from their case from yesterday.
"So?" Kate asks, folding her hands and facing Lanie when her friend clears her throat.
Lanie doesn't speak. She just hands over the piece of paper with the pivotal information, crumpled and folded, to Kate. There, about a third of the way down the lines of names of officers from the entire department, is a single name with a star next to it. Kate feels her throat close up, the prick of tears at her eyes.
"Better call Evelyn so she can come collect his winnings," Kate says, picking up her phone and dialing the still-familiar number.
Castle snags the paper from her to scan it. "Seriously?" He grins, shaking his head. "Figures. He always seemed like he was trying to get us together."
The entire squad meets Evelyn and the girls in the lobby of the Twelfth. The woman smiles as she gives Kate a quick hug. "Hey, Beckett."
"Evelyn, this is for you." Kate holds out a large manila envelope.
"What is…?" Evelyn murmurs, opening the clasp of the envelope. "Oh goodness! Beckett, what…?"
Castle twines his fingers with Kate's, grinning widely. "Roy's winnings."
"For what?"
"Us," Castle says, tugging Kate closer so she's snugged up against his side.
Evelyn looks just as shocked as Ryan and Esposito had been earlier. "He was betting? On you two?" she says, pointing a finger between Kate and Castle.
"Cop fun," Beckett explains. "He got the date exactly right. So, that's yours."
The other woman laughs, rolling her eyes. "God, that man..." She wraps both of them up in a hug before stepping back. "Thank you. For… for everything."
After Evelyn leaves, envelope of money under her arm, Kate turns to Castle, their fingers still twisted together. "Feel good about this?"
"You mean, do I feel good about being able to do this?" he says just moments before he uses his free hand to push his hand through her hair and bring her lips to his. As soon as she starts to hum in the base of her throat, he pulls back. "Yeah. I feel good."