A/N: Hey, sorry for disappearing for another month and a half, but this update is definitely worth it. :) This is probably one of two times that I'll urge you to listen to a song, but if you want the FULL EFFECT of this chapter, listen to "Ungodly Hour" by the Fray while reading (youtube it or go on my tumblr). The lyrics don't describe the scene properly (it's actually about a couple breaking up), but I feel that the mood of the song captures the ambiance of this chapter. You'll probably have to listen to the song twice b/c this chapter is long (4,500+ words vs. a 5 min song) but if you can get the ending of the song to match up to when you read the last paragraph, it's perfect (4:40 and "the rest of the world"). Enjoy~
Chapter 14 Bubble Bath
It was a Friday night and her usual routine was to draw a hot bath and indulge herself in a good book. Following this long established tradition, Kate procured all the items necessary for her bath. She carefully examined the selection of bubble baths she had purchased from Bath and Body works, choosing a scent that suited her mood. Japanese cherry blossom bubble bath smelled nice. She also set up some candles to go along with her bubble bath to create a relaxing atmosphere.
Leaving the water running to fill up the tub, Kate ventured to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of wine. Clutching a book and a crystalline glass, she returned to the bathroom to check on her bath. The water was just the right temperature, hot enough to soothe her muscles but not enough to burn or scorch. She poured in the dark pink bubble bath as the running water continued gushing out of the nozzle.
Bubbles came to life in the large tub, multiplying at a quick rate. Each sphere reflected a glistening rainbow on its surface, and she watched with mesmerized eyes as they spread across the water. A thick, foamy layer of bubbles soon covered the water's surface. Kate shut off the water just as it filled the tub to the brim. Slowly stepping into the water, she submerged the majority of her body into the bathtub and absorbed the heat.
Assimilating her body to the water, Kate took a sip of her wine. She basked in her peaceful, candlelit solitude. The heat of the water had a healing effect on her body that sedated her worn out limbs. Her muscles had been sore for the past few days and it wasn't just because of work.
She and Rick had been having sex nonstop since they crossed that line, throwing all caution into the wind. She never had this much sex with anyone before, but they just couldn't get enough of each other. They were like honeymooners, having sex anywhere and everywhere they could. Against counters, on the couch, up against the wall, in the shower, on the stairs.
And it was incredible. Mind-blowing, to say in the least. He got her heart rate up with a single look and made her forget every name save for his, making her scream it loudly time and time again. Rick wasn't like the other lovers that she'd had before.
It was different with him, probably because they cared about each other and had a special relationship they had yet to define. Each time they discovered more about the other in the most intimate way possible. If Kate had known the sex was going to be this amazing, she would've started sleeping with him a long time ago.
She'd be lying if she said she wasn't jealous of all the other women that he had slept with. Plenty, that she was sure of, but at least it wasn't completely a waste. His extensive experience with the female body had left him with an unchallenged sexual prowess. He really knew how to please a woman.
The sound of the water shutting off drew Rick's attention and he went to check on Kate. Politely knocking on the bathroom door, he called her name. "Kate?"
"Come in," she said behind the closed door.
He opened the door and crossed the divide into her personal sanctuary. A dozen flickering candles illuminated the dim room, offering the only source of light. A gentle flowery scent teased his nose as he took in his surroundings. The steam from the hot water created a slightly stuffy feel in the relatively small room, making it feel like a sauna. Only her bare shoulders were visible through the bubbles that hid the rest of her milky flesh.
"Hey," she greeted warmly.
"Hey. I thought you were taking a shower and I just wanted to check on you."
"Bath, actually. Care to join me?"
Rick was slightly surprised at her offer but accepted it eagerly. He stripped down in minimal time and walked over to her. She leaned forward to make room for him and he stepped into the tub to embrace her from behind.
It took him a minute to acclimate to the temperature, but the heat seeped into every crevice of his body and he relaxed.
Rick rubbed his hands up and down her sides, feeling her wince slightly. "Sore?"
"Just a little bit," she replied.
"Hmm, me too. We've been having a lot of sex."
"Mmm, but it's amazing."
Leaning back against the tub, he sighed. "What are you thinking about right now?"
She mused over his question for a few moments. "If you asked me a year ago where I saw myself in a year, this is definitely the last place in the world I would expect to be. In your apartment, in your tub taking a bath. With you."
"Life's full of surprises isn't it," he said as he worked his hands up and down her body.
Rick massaged her muscles slowly and sensually, paying special attention to the places that were tense. His hands relieved the pressure from her taut muscles, making her moan in response to his touch.
"Sure is. Even further back before I knew you… I never expected to meet Richard Castle. Truth be told, I was a little excited to arrest you."
"You didn't arrest me the first time we met. You brought me in for questioning to help on the copy-cat killer case."
"Yes, but later on I arrested you. For obstruction of justice."
"Ah yes, I remember that. Just another event to add to my rap sheet."
"You know, I've actually met you before our first case," Kate revealed.
"Really? Where?" Rick's interest piqued.
"At one of your book signings."
"And what was your first impression of me?"
"Cocky and egotistical. Seriously, you signed my book and wrote your number at the end. We didn't even know each other and you tried to pick me up."
"Maybe that's because I already knew that I needed to get to know you better. Why didn't you call me?"
"I stood in line for an hour waiting to get my copy of Storm's Last Stand signed, only to find out that my favorite author was an immature playboy."
"An hour? Hmm… sorry for not living up to your expectations," he kissed her shoulder.
"It's okay. I'm still a fan of your work."
"How big of a fan? Please, enlighten me."
"Well you already know that your books helped me through my mother's death, but I've been reading your novels for a long time. I've read every single one several times."
"Are my books the only ones you read? I don't see you reading many others."
"I've read some of Patterson's and Connelly's, but I've always seemed to like yours best."
"And you frequently read books in the tub."
"Not the greatest idea. I've dropped a few books into the water before. They're not exactly suited to be immersed in water and bubbles. Makes the pages crinkly."
Silence filled the bathroom for a good minute as Rick and Kate let their bodies suspend in the water. It wasn't an awkward silence; it was one where they were comfortable with each other and just enjoyed the other's presence. Rick aimlessly drew circles on her skin with his finger, gingerly kissing her neck and earlobe.
"Hmm…" Kate hummed. She looked over to the novel resting on the table beside the tub. Drying her hands on a towel, she reached over to take it and then turned to look at Rick. Kate gave him an innocent smile.
"I know that look. I saw it at the mall when you were buying all your stuff."
"What are you talking about?" she asked.
"You want something from me," Rick said smugly. "I can tell."
"I do not!" she faced forward.
"What is it?" he whispered in her ear.
"Nothing."
"Come on, tell me. I'll do anything you want." His voice sent shivers down her spine.
"No. You suspected that I had ulterior motives. I just wanted to read," Kate defended.
"Really now? There's nothing you wanted?"
She paused to think, turning to face him again. "Maybe."
"If you tell me, I'll probably say yes," he goaded as he leaned forward.
Kate eyed him appreciatively. He was insanely irresistible right now.
"Fine," she leaned in closer so that their noses were touching.
Kate had a twinkle in her eye that Rick liked to think was reserved specially for him. He loved that sparkle in her eye because it meant that she was happy. It meant that she was happy with him and that was more than he could ever ask for.
"Will you read to me?" she asked sweetly.
Rick grinned at her request. "Of course," he answered, kissing her briefly.
Taking the book, he asked, "Heat Wave? Haven't you already read it?"
"Yes, but since it was the most recent one to be released, I've only had the chance to read it once. I've already read all your other novels several times over. Do you mind?"
"Not at all."
Cracking open the fresh hardcover, he began to read the story to her with a strong narrative tone that years of storytelling had refined. The sound of his rich voice painted an illustrative image in her mind's eye as the streets and alleyways of his NYC came to life through his words.
She was sucked into the world of Nikki Heat, modeled after her own, and saw the events unfold in a whole new light. He had a way with words that not only captivated her, but also emphasized the details to give her fresh new insight on the trials and tribulations his characters endured.
As he continued reading, Kate felt a connection to Nikki Heat. There really was more Nikki Heat in her than she thought. The way Nikki thought, talked, and acted were all so similar to her own actions. If it were possible to capture a person's soul on a page, Rick did a pretty darn good job of it. She picked up on all the small references to things that actually happened in real life that he included in the story and what he drew his ideas from. In this case, art imitated life to a tee.
What a wonderful way to spend a Friday night. Taking a bath with the person she lov-liked and having her favorite author read her a book that he wrote about her. The best part was that they were together. Maybe not in the couple sense yet, but they were at least together, here, for now. And she wanted to keep it this way.
Kate knew that it was a bit selfish to set the rules on where they were and where they should be, but he didn't seem to mind. No more lonely Saturday nights spent in her apartment with a novel or worse, a case file to read. Two is better than one when it comes to well, anything.
She found herself nodding off from pure exhaustion. The bath, coupled with Rick's husky voice, was enough to send her floating along gently on a silver lined dream cloud.
As the water lost its heat, Rick noticed that Kate was struggling to stay awake. She had comfortably nestled her head in the crook of his neck and found it a nice spot to doze off. He almost didn't want to wake her because she seemed so peaceful, but the water was getting cold.
Gently petting her hair, Rick brushed a kiss to her temple.
"Sleepy?" he asked her as she opened her eyes.
"A little."
"Then let's get washed up and go to bed, shall we?"
"Okay," she murmured. "Thanks for taking a bath with me. I like having you read to me."
"Any time Katie."
Kate took a quick rinse in the shower first, while Rick drained the tub and blew out the candles. She stepped out of the shower, wrapping herself in a towel, and reached for the hair dryer to blow dry her hair. Rick followed suit in swiftly washing himself in the shower and stepped out feeling refreshed.
Clad in only a towel, he watched her at the sink fixedly, trying to figure out how he felt about her. As she brushed her teeth, Kate caught Rick looking at her intently.
"What?" she said into the mirror.
"Nothing," he shook his head.
Spitting out the toothpaste, she wiped her mouth on a nearby towel and turned to face him. "You're staring at me."
"No I'm not."
"You think you're being all surreptitious with your furtive glances, but you're not. I can tell that you're staring at me," she asserted as she walked towards him.
"I'm not doing anything!" he defended.
"Mhmm… I'm onto you," she poked her finger at his chest.
Leaning in, he smiled and took her hand in his. "I promise, I'm innocent."
Standing at a respectable height of 6'2'', Rick was about 5 inches taller than her. Kate was one of few women who came close to matching his height when she was in heels and her 5'9'' stature was a good compeer to his. Even their height made them a perfect match.
She looked up, their faces only a breath apart, searching his eyes and silently inquiring.
"I…" he trailed off.
"What?" she asked.
He wanted to tell her. He wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms, hold her close, and claim her as his. To tell her he loved her. To tell her that he was in love with her and he had been for the longest time.
That ever since the case involving her mother's killer which hit a little too close to home, when she told him she wanted him around, he had fallen in love with her and had been falling in love with her even more each and every day.
That being with her, just knowing her, made him a better man since the day they met at his book launching.
She changed him. She challenged him. She inspired him. She made him see that he didn't want those blonde bimbos that he slept with out of hurt or loneliness. She made him see that he deserved better. He deserved a stable relationship where one day he might settle down and have a family with her, a loving wife and mother to raise his children. She grounded him, making him see that he wasn't the center of the universe.
Being a rock star in the literary world tended to swell up his ego, but Kate would have none of that. To the world you might be one person, but to one person you might be the world. And she, along with his daughter and mother, was his world.
This was his first genuine glimpse into true love. He had been in a multitude of bad, failed relationships where he honestly thought he was in love. Where he thought she was the one. But none of them could even come close to what he had with Kate.
He'd seen only a fragment of what she'd been through, the scary reality she faced on a daily basis, which made her all the more strong. The things that hurt her—cases that reminded her of her mother, murders that she couldn't prevent—he wanted to protect her from all of that.
He wanted to be with her every step of the way, to be her knight in shining armor, someone for her to rely on. Someone for her to talk to. A shoulder for her to cry on. She had always taken care of herself, even to a fault sometimes. She never let anyone else take care of her and he knew that this must've been tiring after years of just relying on herself. But if she would let him, he would gladly step into her life, a little bit at a time, and take care of her.
This was so much more than just sex to him. Every laugh they shared, every smile she gave him, every intimate moment they had, when the rest of the world seemed to melt away, captured his heart and made him fall in love with her even more.
He wanted to be the first one she saw when she woke up in the morning. He wanted to be the one she came home to. He wanted to be the only one to make passionate love to her every night. He wanted to be the one she was in love with. Because he was in love with her.
He hadn't consciously admitted this to himself before but now that he had, it made him see everything in a new light.
Even from day one, they had undeniable chemistry. There was something about her, something between them he couldn't precisely identify, which drew them together magnetically. It was something intrinsic, as if it were in their nature to be together. Everything about them fit. The way they were so finely tuned and in sync all the time. The way her hand fit in his. The way her body reacted to his. It's like they were made for each other.
She made him want her so badly, for he was used to getting whatever he wanted, and meeting a woman who was immune to his boyish charms was a refreshing experience. So she taunted him daily, exchanging good-natured banter and sexual innuendos, feeding a fire that was already burning bright.
He could have practically any woman he wanted but lo and behold, he fell in love with the single woman who was resistant to his flirting. And he suspected that she felt the same way.
But she wasn't ready to exchange 'I love yous.' He knew that if he told her, she would probably freak out in a Kate Beckett kind of way, analyzing the situation and seeking to take control. If he told her that he loved her first, it would mean she wasn't in control.
But falling in love isn't an orderly, defined process. It's messy and unpredictable. It's crazy and overwhelming. It's an unstoppable force of nature that people spend a lifetime searching for. Searching for what they already had. Love. He once heard someone say love doesn't make the world go round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile and he wanted to be the one alongside her for the ride.
So for now, he would have to accept this. Because this is all she could give. And he would take whatever she could give. He wanted more, but she wasn't ready for it.
Usually in his relationships, the woman wanted more and he didn't. But she was different, he was different… this was different. She was special to him and he couldn't run the risk of losing her. Their relationship meant too much to him. Kate wasn't just his partner or his lover; she was also his best friend.
She was so deeply rooted into his heart that he didn't know what he would do if he lost her. Kate was different from all of the other women he had been with. She wasn't Meredith, Gina, not even Kyra. She was genuine. She was real. She was extraordinary.
The mélange of feelings swirled around in his head like a maelstrom, giving him pause.
Not yet, he decided. Someday. Someday soon I'll tell her, he thought bittersweetly.
Her eyes, reflecting the purity of her soul, were still imploring him for an answer to what he was thinking about. But for once in his life, he was short on words.
"I…" he started. He found his voice, whispering the sentiment. "I think you're beautiful."
The words made her heart flutter and her skin tingle. Many men had told her that she was hot, sexy, gorgeous, or any number of synonyms of these words, but she never really believed them until Rick whispered it to her.
Standing in front of him in a towel with no make-up on, she definitely didn't think she looked beautiful. But he did. And he meant it.
The sincerity in his voice touched her heart and filled her with warmth that only he could bring her. His eyes spoke to her. In those strikingly blue orbs, she saw how much he cared for her. She saw raw emotion, deep and genuine, the kind that one can only see in the most intimate of situations. She knew that he could see the same in her eyes.
Oh no, she thought. I'm becoming one of those women. The ones that melted when Rick Castle told them they were beautiful.
She didn't care. Instead, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him softly.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
She felt something shift between them. Something so minute that she couldn't place her finger on it. Maybe he kissed her a little deeper, hugged her a little more tenderly, held her gaze a little longer, but she thought nothing of it. She was too wrapped up in being stupidly happy.
He brought his lips to hers again, kissing her more passionately. They moved into the bedroom to make love once more, but it was a little different this time. The laughter that usually accompanied their lovemaking was absent this time and they were uncharacteristically silent. He was gentler this time, trying not to be too rough because their muscles were sore from the rough nature of their sex previously.
Reaching the bed, her calves met the edge of the bedframe and they both fell onto his plush mattress. They moved so that her head was comfortably resting on the pillow as Rick kissed along the contours of her body.
"Mmm... so beautiful," he whispered.
Capturing her lips with his again, he nestled himself in between her legs.
"You ready?" he breathed.
She nodded yes.
He entered her gently, not wanting to rush things. She gasped as he pushed himself into her further, filling her completely. Pulling out, he slid into her again, carefully not to hit any of her sore spots. The pace they were at was excruciatingly slow as their bodies moved together as one, softly and steadily building to a climax. His gentle movements were driving her insane, as she wanted him to just take her hard and fast.
"Faster Rick," she whimpered.
"I want to take it slowly tonight, Katie." He thrust into her gently once more. "Nice and slow," he groaned.
Drawing out the effects of each stroke, he kissed her passionately and sensually, his tongue mimicking the movements of his body. Gradually they increased the speed a bit, but still moving at a moderate pace.
They moved in sync together, as intimately and passionately as a man and a woman can be with another. There was something so special about being with the one, the right one, which made all the difference. Something magical.
The way her body could move against his, with his, to create such an incredible sensation was indeed something of magical proportions. The way he could fill her, satisfy her, make love to her like no other man could, was something deeper than a simple physical relationship.
Their bodies were intertwined, their hearts, their minds, their lives. And together they completed each other. Like yin and yang.
She was close to reaching her peak, her body coming so close to crossing over into bliss.
"Rick. I can't hold on much longer," she moaned.
His face hovered closely above hers. "I want you to open your eyes for me, Katie."
As she opened her eyes, she could barely make out the features of his face in the dark, moonlit room.
"I want you to look at me when you come," he grunted.
"I'm so close… Rick. What about yo-"
"Don't worry about me, Katie. I'll be taken care of. Just let go."
He pushed into her a few more times, as Kate reached her peak, her body writhing in ecstasy. Still thrusting into her, he drew out her release as he reached his own. Rick leaned his forehead against hers as he came with her, both of them looking into each other's eyes as they climaxed together.
Never breaking the gaze, both Rick and Kate lay together in a post-coital bliss. Their heaving chests died down into a rhythmic breathing as they shared one last long, dreamy kiss. Rick moved to spoon her as Kate sighed in content, exhaustion settling in her bones.
The rest of the world began to slip away as Kate lingered in between the real world and dream world. She could have almost sworn that she heard his voice, barely above a whisper, murmuring "I love you Kate," as she drifted off into a deep sleep.
Don't talk, don't say a thing
'Cause your eyes they tell me more than your words
A/N: Leave a comment if the song thing worked for you, haha. P.S. I own no rights to the song. It's one of my favorites! (700 plays on my iTunes).