Chapter 39 Bonfire Heart

Kate bobbed around the kitchen late one morning, dancing to upbeat music while fixing some light, healthy foods to-go for two. She was planning a picnic-style meal to share with Rick outside for a late lunch since they had a large breakfast earlier that morning.

It was nearing the end of the week and Kate was getting a bit restless being cooped up in the house. It had been a relaxing week off, but she hadn't spent as much time as she had wished doing things with Rick since he had been primarily occupied with finishing writing Naked Heat. Kate knew that was the original purpose of the trip, but now she wanted to make the most of the last bit of their alone time together.

Putting the finishing touches on the chicken salad wraps, Kate packed up the food in Tupperware and placed it neatly into a woven basket. After she finished doing the dishes and cleaning the kitchen, she checked the clock which informed her that it was just after noon. It was a beautiful sunny day outside that was unequivocally meant to be spent out on the sandy beaches underneath the crystal blue sky.

Kate ventured over to Rick's office and peeked her head in, finding him focused intently at his laptop. Rick was sitting in a plush office chair behind a sizable wooden oak desk that complemented the nautical scheme of the room. His office had a distinctly scholarly yet homely feel to it, with bound manuscripts lining built-in bookshelves and maps, frames, and sailor memorabilia adorning vacant shelves. She could see how he could get lost in time reading works of great authors or writing his own novels.

"Hey, how's the writing going?" Kate asked, materializing behind the door.

"Quite well," Rick replied, looking up from the computer screen. "I'm on the second to last chapter now," he grinned proudly.

"That's great."

She observed him thoughtfully as he typed away diligently. Not wanting to disturb him from his writing zone but still wanting to spend time together, Kate formulated a plan in her head.

"Quick question, do you have a chair I could borrow?" she asked.

"Yeah, there should be some foldable ones in the closet under the stairs."

"Okay thanks."

With that, Kate left with little fanfare. Less than two minutes later, she returned with a book in hand and chair in tow.

Kate wordlessly made her way back into the office around to the side of Rick's desk. Rick eyed her carefully as she unfolded the chair and placed it so that it was facing toward him, much like how his chair was set up in the precinct. She sat down unceremoniously and began reading her novel. Kate could feel Rick's eyes on her as he watched her curiously.

"What?" Kate looked up from her book.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Reading," she stated the obvious.

"And you chose that spot in particular because..." Rick inquired suspiciously.

Kate shrugged nonchalantly. "Your office seemed like a pretty cozy reading spot. Do you mind?"

"Not really."

"Good," she said matter-of-factly.

Rick contemplated for a few moments. "You're up to something..." he postulated.

"Nuh uh. You're always watching me while I work, so I figured I would return the favor. I'm not distracting you, am I?" Kate teased.

So that was it. She was getting back at him for the way he always watched her while she worked at the precinct. They both knew it was a thinly veiled ruse for them to spend time together, but over the years they had grown to genuinely enjoy each other's company.

Rick chuckled. "You just want to spend time together, don't you?"

"Well yeah, but since you're busy I thought I'd just come hang out with you."

"What did you want to do instead?"

"I wanted to go to the beach, but I'll just wait until you're done," she dismissed.

"We can go now. I don't mind. Really," Rick insisted.

"No you have to finish your book," Kate instructed.

"I'm almost done. The last chapters are usually easy to write."

"I don't want to take you away from your work."

Rick glanced out the window and felt the irresistible draw of the immaculate summer day. "It's a beautiful day today. We should be spending it outside." Now he was the one trying to convince her to spend time together.

"You have to finish at least this chapter."

"But now I want to spend time with you instead."

"No, you need to be writing. Listen to your screensaver."

"Fine…" he conceded. "But now I'm going to need an incentive to keep writing. To keep me motivated."

"And what type of incentive did you have in mind?"

"How about some kisses?" Rick asked waggishly.

The proposition made her grin. Kate paused to contemplate an appropriate reward. "How about five minutes of making out every hour?"

"Only five minutes? That's not nearly enough," he lamented. How could he possibly subsist with a measly five minutes of his favorite addiction?

"Fine, how about ten?"

"Okay, I think I can survive on that. But if I'm going to have to work, I'm going to need an advance," Rick informed her.

"An advance?"

"Yeah. That's how these writing agreements work for authors. We get advances on our contract to incentivize us to write," he explained.

"Hmm…" Kate pondered. "So you want me to make an advance. On you," she said pointedly.

Hearing the words come from her mouth made him realize how suggestive it sounded. He definitely wanted that.

"Oh absolutely," he insisted. "Come here."

Rick swiveled his computer chair around rapidly and pulled Kate onto his lap before she could protest, securing her in his embrace. Kate squealed at the sudden jolt in movement and straddled him expertly as Rick wrapped his arms around her waist. Kate held his face in her hands intimately for a moment, gazing into those gorgeous blue orbs, before drawing toward him for a deep, drugging kiss. Their mouths met readily, fusing with latent desire and passion. They nipped and sucked at each other, trying to satiate their need for each other's essence.

After a few minutes of shameless making out, Kate settled into a comfortable position of sitting on Rick's lap.

"That should be enough for your advance, right?"

"I think so," he sighed dreamily.

Rick snaked his arms past Kate's waist and gave her one last sweet kiss on the cheek, making her blush. He resumed working at the computer with his arms outstretched on either side of her. Kate nuzzled her head into the crook of Rick's neck so he could see the screen and continue typing.

Kate spent the next few minutes observing Rick's writing mode with fascination in such close proximity. She turned sideways to bring her nose to his neck, inhaling deeply, taking him in with her senses. She pressed her lips to his neck, tenderly placing a few kisses to his soft skin.

Kate hummed as she watched Rick type from the corner of her eye, the vibrations resounding pleasurably on his flesh. She let her hands roam over Rick's chest and drew patterns aimlessly on his body. Rick did not mind one bit having her on his lap while he wrote. It made writing that much more enjoyable.

"So what's happening in the story now?" Kate asked, glancing over the manuscript.

"Well Nikki Heat caught the killer, so now they're just wrapping up loose ends and closing the case," Rick explained vaguely so as to not divulge too many details.

"And Rook?" Kate inquired of Nikki Heat's journalist/lover, who was obviously heavily based on Castle himself. "Are Rook and Heat still together?"

The pair had started a steamy relationship in the first installment of the Nikki Heat series but had hit a few rough patches along the way, not unlike Castle and Beckett's own relationship. Kate surmised the Rook/Heat relationship was an analogy for their own.

"Why do you ask? Are you shipping them?" Rick teased, knowing full well about the fandom behind the two main characters, of which Kate was an enthusiastic member.

"Maybe," Kate answered sheepishly. Of course she was shipping Rook and Heat. Their alter egos worked well together both professionally and personally, just like them.

Rick contemplated how much he should reveal. "Well I don't want to give away too many spoilers…"

"Please? I just want to know if they're together," she probed. "Do they move in together and start a friends with benefits relationship?"

Rick chuckled. "No, I don't draw that much from real life. They had some problems in their personal relationship, but they're trying to move forward together and are developing deeper feelings for each other. That's all I'll say," he concluded.

"Hmm okay. That's good." The tidbit satisfied her curiosity for now. She would be able to find out soon enough when the novel got published, since she got first dibs to read his books. It was one of the special perks of dating her favorite author.

After a few minutes, Kate reluctantly pulled herself away from Rick's body to give him space to continue writing. She returned to her chair and quietly resumed reading. They spent the next hour in comfortable silence while Kate watched as Rick wove narrative and dialogue into the final chapters of the novel.

She finally understood his fascination with watching her while she worked at the precinct. In the early days, she thought it was almost creepy how he would just watch her do mundane things in the office like read case files and fill paperwork, but now she understood what it was like to watch her favorite person "in the zone," completely focused on their work. She was watching a master at work on his craft.

Roughly another hour later, Kate checked her watch which informed her how much time had passed. On the hour, per their agreement, Kate got up to give Rick his affectionate bonus for working diligently. She stooped down behind the computer chair to Rick's eyelevel to steal a glance at his work. The screen displayed a document with pages full of words.

"Any chance you can take a break? I'm getting lonely all by myself," Kate pouted adorably.

Kate was getting antsy, bored of sitting around at home. She draped her arms over Rick's shoulders and rubbed gently, persuading him to give his time over to her. Rick turned his attention to the gorgeous woman currently tempting him away from his work.

"What happened to you being the one who was encouraging me to work?" Rick asked. He wanted to continue writing, but how could he say no to that face?

They both could use some fresh air and sunshine. "It's a really nice day outside. Let's go to the beach," she suggested.

"I want to finish up this chapter," Rick declared. "You can go ahead without me."

"Going to the beach alone is no fun. I want you to come too," Kate insisted.

"Hmmm… I guess I could bring my laptop and write outside," Rick offered reluctantly.

"Seriously? Who brings a laptop to the beach?" she frowned, questioning rhetorically. "Come play with me," Kate whined in a childish manner.

She leaned close into his ear and whispered seductively. "All work and no play makes Rick a dull boy." Her hot breath against his skin sent chills up Rick's spine. God he loved it when she used her bedroom voice.

Kate sat up to look Rick more directly, entreating him with intent and biting her lip. One look at her and Rick's resolve melted. He was pretty sure he would never get tired of gazing into her eyes like that. It was their special "Castle and Beckett" look, a secret gaze they often shared that spoke a million words in a few brief moments.

"Fine," he finally acquiesced. Kate's eyes lit up with glee and she kissed him enthusiastically. Rick chuckled as they kissed, pleased to make her happy like that.

Rick saved the document on his laptop and started to close the program windows. He X'ed out the last one to reveal his desktop background which was a collage of three pictures of them being, well, them. Her mildly annoyed, him goofy, and them happy. He hadn't changed the background even when they had broken up. Rick loved the pictures as they were a reminder of how happy they were together.

Kate saw the photos and laughed to herself. "Cute desktop," she commented. It made her smile that Rick's desktop background was pictures of them together.

"Thanks. I think it illustrates our relationship rather succinctly."

"That it does."

Kate got up and headed for the door as Rick shut down his laptop and followed after her. They both retreated to the bedroom to change and gather things to bring outside for a day of fun on the beach.

Minutes later outside in the bright sunlight, Rick and Kate made their way through the beach behind Rick's bungalow across the hot sand toward the shoreline. They picked a level spot to settle down with a large umbrella, beach towels, the picnic basket, and miscellaneous supplies. They were alone on this private portion of the beach, away from noisy beachgoers.

Kate kicked off her flip flops, digging her toes into the fine sand and feeling the warmth of the sun baked into the fine silica grains. A slight breeze ruffled at the willowy fabric of her beach cover-up, offering her a cool gush of fresh air. Kate laid out the towels as Rick set up the umbrella firmly in the sand to create a shaded oasis for them to relax.

Rick lay down on a towel and stretched out his taut limbs, relaxing in the tranquil scenery, and sighed in satisfaction. Kate sat down next to him and rummaged around in her large beach tote to produce a tube of sunscreen.

"You need to put on some sunscreen," Kate instructed.

"Oh right." Rick reached for the tube but Kate waved to deter him.

"I can do it for you."

"Thanks."

Kate helped Rick out of his crisp white polo and he lay down supine on the beach towel. Mounting him, she squirted the white cream onto her palms and started spreading it onto his arms with care. Kate worked her hands over his chest and abs, sensually massaging his muscles.

Rick groaned with pleasure. "Hmm this is exactly what I needed, a break from writing."

"Mmhmm…" she murmured in agreement. "Just relax."

After she finished covering his front side, she instructed him to flip over so she could massage his back as well. Rick complied willingly, turning to putty under her touch. She straddled him again and continued working her magic over his defined muscles. Kate kneaded his broad back with expert technique, occasionally leaning down to kiss his flesh, releasing any tension and stress. His back muscles felt firm and strong, indicative of his physical capability. She loved running her hands all over him and bringing him pleasure.

"All done." Kate declared satisfactorily. Rick turned over once more to face her.

"Thank you," he said, sitting up to kiss her. "Would you like me to do you?"

"Yes please."

They switched positions and Kate quickly slipped out of her sheer cover-up to reveal a plum colored bikini. Rick started to rub the lotion over her skin delicately, intimately knowledgeable of the curves of her lithe body. He reciprocated the sensual massage she had given him just moments earlier, thoroughly enjoying exploring her body too. He traced every inch, from her collar bone to her long slender legs. Kate reveled in the gentleness yet firmness of his touch.

"I have no idea how I would have ever survived this trip while keeping my hands off you," Rick mused aloud as he ran his hands over her slender body. Kate flipped onto her back so he could continue spreading the lotion.

"It's a good thing you don't have to then," she quipped. The trip would have entailed lots of cold showers and forbidden lust rather than hot sex and consummated love. It would have been miserable for the both of them.

Rick remembered the rule that he had imposed on himself at the beginning of the trip in an attempt to keep Kate and his desire for her at bay.

"Want to know something kind of dumb?" he offered.

"What's that?" Kate turned on her back to face Rick once he finished applying the sunscreen.

"Before we got back together, I made a rule for myself to keep you at least an arm's length away at all times literally," Rick confessed. "That way I couldn't touch you even if I wanted to."

Kate laughed at his magnanimous yet misguided efforts. "Well, I give you credit for at least trying. We couldn't even last one night though," she pointed out. "I was ready to jump you that first evening in the kitchen," Kate admitted.

"Good to know I wasn't the only one," Rick chuckled as he leaned down to kiss her. She rose to meet him, cupping his face with both hands and kissing him with desire. He smelled like sunscreen but tasted of his own personal flavor. They broke apart with matching smiles spread across their faces.

Now protected from harmful UV rays, Rick and Kate ventured into the sunshine to engage in fun beach activities. They started by having a friendly volleyball tournament using an inflatable beach ball. Rick and Kate took turns launching the ball into the air using whichever body part necessary, volleying it back and forth across a dividing line drawn in the sand.

Playing beach volleyball worked up quite a sweat, so the two went for a dip in the ocean afterward. As they waded into the water, cool liquid immediately relieved them of excess body heat. Kate only went far enough until she was waist deep in the water, not wanting to get her hair wet. Rick took the opportunity to be a bit mischievous, splashing water in her direction.

"Hey," Kate scolded. She splashed water back at him in retaliation, which he returned two-fold.

Playful splashes escalated into an all-out water fight and Rick and Kate ended up getting completely soaked. Rick dove underwater to dodge Kate's latest tidal wave and swam towards her for a sneak attack. He burst out of the water beneath her, lifting her up into the air in the process. Kate squealed in laughter, caught completely off guard, and toppled back into the ocean. When she resurfaced with her hair dripping wet, she surrendered and they called a truce.

After making peace, Kate hopped onto Rick's back and he gave her a piggyback ride through the water. She laughed as her trusty steed carried her valiantly as an aquatic mode of transportation. Kate dismounted when they were nearing the beach, finding footing on the underwater sand. Rick turned to face her and Kate wrapped her arms around him, pulling him in for a deep kiss. When they broke apart, they headed back to the beach to dry off.

Back on land, Rick and Kate decided to build a sand castle as their next endeavor. Using buckets and tools they brought from the house, Rick and Kate jointly began to construct their own castle. They collected seashells and other miscellaneous beach trinkets to decorate their royal abode. After half an hour of dedicated labor, their simple castle soon boasted a moat, watch towers, and tall palace walls.

"Castle's castle," Kate announced as she leaned back to admire their handiwork. "Not bad."

"It's our castle," Rick corrected.

"Does that mean I get to be queen?" Kate grinned.

"Yup."

"Queen of Castle's castle," she chuckled at the title. "I like it." Kate leaned in to kiss her king with a smile, bringing her hand to his face. The pressure of his lips against hers was such a pleasant feeling, so warm and familiar, and kissing him had become a rather natural response now.

They parted and Kate looked at Rick, her head slightly tilted to the side, with nothing but delight in her eyes. Kate's fingers framed his jaw lightly as she gazed at Rick intimately.

Rick's stomach rumbled audibly, interrupting the moment. "I'm getting hungry," he noted.

"Me too. Let's go eat."

The couple retreated back to base where they unpacked the picnic basket for an early supper. They enjoyed chicken salad wraps, veggies and dip, and some refreshing lemonade, all of which Kate had prepared earlier in the day. After the impromptu picnic, Rick and Kate cleaned up and repacked the basket. Kate donned her sheer coverup and tied her damp hair into a messy bun. Rick and Kate made their way to the shoreline to take a slow stroll to digest and unwind.

The day was ending in a serenity of still and exquisite brilliance. The sky transformed from shades of blue into hues of orange and red with the sun sinking low out on the horizon. The water sparkled like diamonds in the fading light of the setting sun. The heat of the day dissipated into a cooler, more comfortable ambient temperature.

When they reached the darkened dampened sand Kate outstretched her arm, entreating to take Rick's hand. He was pretty sure he would follow her anywhere, to the ends of the world if that's where she led. Rick grinned and gladly took Kate's hand, weaving his fingers with hers, as they ventured along the beach parallel to the shoreline.

Waves lapped at their feet, blurring the trail of footprints they left in the sand behind them. They walked leisurely and aimlessly as the dusk faded into night. Words were sparse between them as they simply enjoyed the sights and sound of nature together at last in the precious company of each other's presence.

"This is rather cliché," Kate commented.

"Hmm?"

"Long walks on the beach at sunset."

"Oh. Yeah it is," Rick acknowledged.

"But I can see why people like it," Kate conceded with a little smile. She leaned into him slightly, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Me too."

After walking a distance, they reached a turning point just as the sun was about to dip below the horizon. Rick stopped to observe the sky and then turned to look at Kate. He held her gaze for a lingering moment, caught up in her beauty and the resplendence of the moment. She gave him the most radiant smile, barely illuminated by the backlight of the setting sun. He wanted to capture the moment and preserve it in his memory forever.

"What?" she asked, inquiring as to why he had paused.

"I…" He wanted to tell her he loved her, but something was still holding him back. He was still waiting for the right moment, waiting until they were more certain of where they were. He wanted to be sure, not scared of her response. Rick shook himself from his reverie. "Nothing. It's getting dark. What say we head back?"

"Hmm, okay."

They retraced their steps back to the spot where their umbrella and beach towels lay. Rick and Kate packed up their belongings and headed back to the house. They showered separately and changed back into comfortable clothes for lounging around. Clean and refreshed, Rick and Kate headed back outside just to cuddle on the backyard patio.

The back porch had long comfy sofas atop stone tiled floors surrounding a raised fire pit that was perfect for bonfires and s'mores. Kate settled herself on the cream-colored sofa while Rick assembled some firewood in the pit. It was getting cool in the night now, so a fire would provide them some warmth.

After lighting the fire, Rick joined Kate on the couch and snuggled up to her. They stretched out on the sofa and lay together overlooking the ocean view under the pale moonlight. The fire crackled intermittently with the heat and energy of combustion.

"Thanks for spending the day with me," Kate raised her head to see Rick.

"You don't have to thank me. You know I love spending time with you," Rick replied with a telling look in his eye.

Kate grinned and craned her neck to kiss Rick, reigniting a flame of passion and desire. Light kisses turned into long, drugging ones accompanied with delighted moans from the both of them. She dipped her tongue into the cavern of his mouth, dueling with his sensually. Kate grinded her hips against Rick, eliciting an agonizing groan from him, as they made out on the couch. They quickly discarded their clothes and proceeded to seduce each other once more, making love in front of a bonfire that burned as bright as the flames in their hearts.

Days like these lead to
Nights like these lead to
Love like ours
You light the spark in my bonfire heart

A/N: Just some more (s'more?) beachy Hamptons activities. I hope your summers are filled with just as much heat and fun ;).