A/N: Friendly reminder this chapter is rated M.

T rating will return in the next chapter.

"I thought – waiting?" he mumbled through the assault on his lips, but Kate only smiled, reached for the hem of the t-shirt she wore, crossing her arms and smoothly removing the clothing from her body. Rick was hesitant, but eventually lifted his large hands to bracket her bare ribs, skim upwards to cup her breasts.

"Can we take a break from waiting?"

"If that's what you want," he replied a little dazedly, darkening blue eyes unable to remain still as they traveled up and down her exposed frame.

She hadn't planned this, not at all, but after lying in his bed for nearly two hours - nightmares playing on a loop behind her eyelids every time she closed them - she had found herself wandering up the stairs.

Castle sat up and she peeled the comforter back, let the sheet go with it and settled comfortably in his lap while he drew her body closer, dusted his mouth over her bare shoulder and leisurely migrated to her neck, taking the time to pay homage to every inch of skin he came across. Kate had been working at disposing of his t-shirt as well, but had to bury her fingers in his hair as the stubble at his jaw brushed across her sternum, over the slope of her breasts, setting her delicate skin on fire.

"Castle."

"Why are you calling me that now?" he murmured huskily into the hollow of her throat, scraping his teeth over the taut tendons of her neck when she swallowed.

"Because no one else does," she admitted, scratching gently at his scalp even as her head fell back. "It's mine."

He closed his mouth over the stretch of skin just beneath her jaw, laved his tongue over the spot, and pressed his thumbs over the hard ridges of her hips when they bucked forward. She reached for his face, tilting it upwards until she could find his lips again. They had only kissed a couple of times - sweet, chaste brushes of their lips - but now Castle kissed her deeply, slipping his tongue past her lips and drawing quiet moans she had no control over, the ever present electricity between them slowly sizzling towards explosion.

"All yours, Beckett," he agreed, letting his fingertips skim the undersides of her breasts before trailing reverent hands down her vertebrae.

She finally got his shirt off, as well as his pajama bottoms after some brief maneuvering between them, and then he was rolling her over, onto her back as he kissed a quick path down her abdomen. She had come to him in only her oversized t-shirt and the simple black boy shorts she had slipped into after her bath, and when he reached those, he glanced up at her for confirmation.

Kate nodded and he slid the underwear off.

"Rick," she panted, digging her fingers into the sheets at her sides as his mouth worked along each of her inner thighs. It had been a while since she'd had anyone touch her at all, let alone like this, and she was trying so hard not to come apart at just the feeling of his warm breath grazing over her.

"Is this okay?"

She nodded vigorously, trapping her bottom lip between her teeth to hold it together, but it did nothing to stop her from rising off the bed at the first touch of his tongue to her center. His arm slid across her hips like a barrier, holding her down as her body arched and writhed and sought more, needing more.

The hot brush of his tongue made her vision blur and the sensation of his mouth sucking on her clit was enough to have her vibrating with pleasure, dancing on the edge, and she involuntarily mewled when he teased a finger at her entrance. She moved one of her hands to his shoulder, clawed at his skin to keep him from stopping, gradually moved her fingers to fist in his hair as she accepted the welcome intrusion of first one, and then two of his fingers.

He brought her to her first orgasm embarrassingly fast, the ardent work of his mouth combined with only a few thrusts and the calculated curl of his fingers easily sending her plummeting over the edge with brilliant bursts of colors behind her eyes.

Castle was lying contently beside her when she blinked through the haze of pleasure and she reached for his face, tasted herself on his lips when she kissed him.

"I want you," she whispered, curling her leg around his thigh to tug his body back over hers, but he resisted and she glanced to him curiously with rejection stirring in the pit of her stomach. "Rick?"

"You're sure you don't want to stick to the plan? Because once we do this, I'm not going to be able to be just a friend, Kate," he told her seriously. "I won't be able to keep things platonic."

Warmth replaced the dissipating preparation for denial and she trailed her hand down, palmed his very prominent erection through his boxers.

"I don't want to be platonic."

Rick caught her hand and pinned it above her head as he pressed her back into the mattress. She tugged at his boxers with her free hand, only managing to get the waistband halfway down his hips before he mercifully shoved them off himself. Her anticipation bubbled up as she stroked him slowly, goose bumps scattering across her skin at the guttural moan she pulled from his throat. He retaliated with his mouth on her breast, tongue flicking roughly across her nipple, making her jerk and groan his name until he angled himself above her, chest brushing hers just barely as he slid his tip along the slick wetness of her folds.

Castle locked eyes with her and she nodded, spread her legs and pointed her toes into the mattress as her body rose to meet his. He entered her at a painstakingly slow pace, giving her the chance to adjust to every inch of him as he filled her.

"Okay?" he grunted and she tore her hand from under his, wrapped both arms around his neck and kissed him hard, gave her consent through the tight roll of her hips.

She ached just slightly through his first few strokes, her prolonged abstinence combined with his size causing her body to throb as it stretched to accommodate him. Gradually though, as he pulled out and tenderly glided back in, her muscles relaxed, reacted to the familiar pleasure he was inducing and tingled with the delicious friction he provided.

He was still being gentle with her, so painfully gentle even as she twisted her hips and whispered a plea for more in his ear, because despite how much she appreciated the conscious care he put into every touch, she needed more than soft caresses. She needed him to let go and make love to her.

"Castle," she breathed, the sound of his false last name so rich and right rolling past her lips. "Please, I won't break."

His eyes were dark when he looked at her, barely a hint of the kind cerulean that usually consumed his irises, and it was clear he had been holding back as he touched her, restraint behind every move. She skated a hand down his naked back, curled her fingers when she reached his ass and tugged. His rhythm broke and she arched at the sharp thrust she had caused, moaning at the sensation of his control finally slipping.

"You'll tell me to stop?"

"Yes," she gasped, lifting her legs to fold them high around his waist and urging him deeper. "I promise, Rick. Just don't stop now."

His speed increased, his thrusts growing harder and faster and she had to bite his shoulder to muffle the breathless scream threatening to escape. She felt the fire in her stomach burning bright like the whiteness behind her eyes as she slammed them shut, tried not to sob his name as she felt herself on the verge of combustion. Her inner walls squeezed and clenched around him and he choked her name into her neck, nearly losing his balance above her as he lowered one hand to swipe his fingers across her clit, only needing to circle her twice to have her flying apart around him.

He wasn't far behind, following her only a few thrusts later, and she pressed her fingertips into his spent muscles, coaxing his boneless body to finally sink down onto hers without concern. Kate buried her nose in his neck, brushing her lips to his sweat slicked skin and listening to his heart pound against hers as he attempted to catch his breath.

"No," she murmured when he tried to move, holding onto the heated blanket of his body. "Just stay for a minute."

He moved his lips to her cheek, feathered his mouth across her cheekbone until she turned to meet him. She slid her fingers into the hair at his nape as her tongue leisurely swept along his bottom lip, traced her thumb down his earlobe and allowed herself to smile into his mouth.

Castle eased out of her carefully and she whimpered softly at the loss of contact as he moved to snag the blankets that had been kicked away.

"Rick," she sighed, melding her body to his side once he pulled the blankets over them and lay on his back next to her.

"Hmm?"

Kate hooked one of her legs over his outer thigh, used the leverage to haul herself sideways until she was directly on top of him. Castle lazily trailed his hands over her thighs, her ass, her back - all the way up to her neck where he cradled her skull and kissed her languidly.

Her hips undulated against his, starting a lazy rhythm, and she could feel his body responding to hers without delay, skin already heating underneath hers despite the briefness of their cool down.

"One more?" she hummed, grinning wickedly as he groaned and tightened his grip on her when she nipped at his chin.

"You're going to kill me, Kate."

"I'll make this good then."

He choked on a laugh as she disappeared beneath the sheets.