Another Chance
Chapter 60
Micah wraps his arms around Alexis. "That sounds really great. You and I will both be working to help people out, and we'll be going at it from different angles. That is usually the best way to find solutions to a problem, but we need to figure out a solution to our own problem. We both have only one year left as undergrads, less than a year now. You'll be preparing for law school. I'm looking at graduate school. When, where and how are we going to get married?"
Alexis snuggles tighter. My Gram said we could just go down to City Hall and do it. I mean we're already living together, and we have the household stuff we need. It's not like we're trying to get wedding presents or anything. I mean, I'd want my family there, and a few friends. Probably you would too, but we don't need a big ceremony to prove how much we love each other. Anyone who matters already knows it."
Micah cocks his head and stares at her. "You'd be all right with that? I thought you might be dreaming of beautiful flowers, incredible food, great music and perfect vows like your father and Kate had."
"Perfect vows yes. But the rest of it I don't care about. I grew up being able to have pretty much anything I wanted - within reason. I've been to a lot of fancy parties and galas. I saw a lot of places all over the world, including some I wish I hadn't seen. I've found out that there are a lot of things people think they need that don't end up making their lives any fuller.
Dad and Kate danced around each other for years. Even when everyone could see they wanted each other, they were with other people - especially when Kate pushed my father away. The wedding they had was a statement to themselves and to everyone who watched what they went through that they'd finally gotten it right. We don't need that, Micah. I knew you were the one from the moment you shared your Jujubes with me."
Micah presses his lips to her forehead. "And I knew you were the one when you accepted them and actually listened to me go on about the movie."
Alexis cups his stubble-roughened cheek in her hand. "See? We got it right from the beginning. We don't need to prove anything to anyone. All I need is to know I'm married to you."
"And all I need is to know I'm married to you. We could get a license and be married in a few days - or as soon as your dad and Kate are back. You want to get the paperwork started tomorrow?"
Alexis rises on her toes to press her mouth to his. "I do. I really do."
Clancy Bulrush carefully studies his reports from Interpol as well as from an old friend in MI-6. Tom Murdoch and Jerry Malloy are minor players, but they may be part of a major game. Various agencies have reported a series of high profile kidnappings, many, at least at first, unreported, but there seemed to be no unifying factor. Clancy goes through the list, double-checking the locations. Every single one took place at a port of call for Fun Festival Ships. And he's pretty sure that if he can get more information, he'll discover that one of those ships was actually docked where and when the abductions took place.
The perpetrators could be back on international waters before the local police could get their feet under them. It would have happened on his island too if it hadn't been for Kate and Rick Beckett-Castle. He didn't have enough proof of the ship's involvement to prevent it from sailing off, but he can squeeze Tom and Jerry for everything he can get and then call ahead to the ship's next destination, or at least the next one that jibes with the information Rick and Kate managed to obtain. It's been 10 years since he's helped take down some serious criminals and he's excited to be back in the fight.
Aletha is asleep in her crib, and Kate and Rick fall into bed, barely taking the time to strip off their clothing. Castle draws Kate against his side. "Looks like we're on a ship of thieves. Ooh, that would be a great title, but it was already used on a "Murder She Wrote" episode. Still, it's a reasonable description."
"It could be just one thief, Castle, or one per ship. We don't know how many are involved, just that it appears to be a network."
"True," Castle agrees, "and we shouldn't let it stop us from enjoying what's left of our honeymoon. There are some real advantages to tuckering out our daughter, even if we exhausted ourselves in the process. I'll bet if we tried, we could get a second wind."
Kate turns and rubs her nose against his. "You know, Babe. I think I feel a breeze kicking up now." She presses herself against his lower realms. "And that's not the only thing that's kicking up."
"Or at least poking up." He slips his hand between them, detecting a rise in tropical heat. "And it's not the only thing on an upward trajectory. Perhaps with a little more encouragement…"
Kate's body jerks as his fingers find their mark and she rounds him with her own. "Come to Mama."
She is moist and hot, like a day on the island, but the only sight he wants to see is her body against his. Her mouth opens wide, inviting the entrance of his tongue, and he returns the favor. Despite a tooth brushing, her taste is tangy, possibly a legacy from their finger feast at the hotel restaurant. It invites him to explore more deeply, as their rhythm and breathing quicken. Despite the excitement geysering through his veins, his mind orders a cautious restraint on any outcry he might make. The last thing they need is to awaken Aletha. The moans that would burst so freely from Kate's throat before Aletha was born are stilled as well. There is only the concentration on striving toward the peak of the mountain, to make the final plunge into ecstasy.
He traces her curves with his hands, feeling the response from every millimeter of skin. She is wild now, writhing against the dampening sheets. A little more, a little longer, more touch, more sensation.
Kate can feel the inception of the magical transition that sends the indescribable flow spreading outward from the epicenter of her passion. She can sense it pass from nerve ending to nerve ending, overcoming all else. Desperate to cry out for completion, she pants instead, the short breaths making her head swim. When her release comes, it's as if the rush of waves will never stop. They flood through her, engulfing and releasing Castle in their wake, melding his finish with hers.
They lay quietly, unable to move if they tried. Only their fingers retain the strength to cling each other. Slumber creeps over them, capturing them in its grasp. They pass through the night with no dreams that can compare with the reality that propelled them to new heights.
Aletha stays asleep for longer than she ever has before; her gift to her parents. It's five A.M. when her fervent complaints rouse Kate and Rick. For now, further honeymoon adventures will have to wait - but the day is young, very young.