A/N: Hey everyone! Just a quick note to thank everyone for following and reviewing this fanfic. Tharsi and I are having so much fun writing it and we appreciate everyone's thoughts. Not quite sure how many chapters are left exactly but it's definitely more than five.

Chapter 7

Kate's mind had been running wild over the last few days. She didn't know if cabin fever was to blame or the fact that she was extremely single right now, but Castle had been making her feel a certain type of way. Since she felt his hands grip onto her hips during their little yoga session, she couldn't help but imagine what they would feel like sprawled across the rest of her body. Her reaction then, when she collapsed her body onto the ground, wasn't because she was ticklish but because she was afraid to let it happen. She hadn't considered the scenario enough at that point to let them get that personal. But now it was different.

He was no longer a stranger, but they weren't close enough to call each other friends. They were in this blissful limbo in which a hook-up would not be a big deal. It would ease the sexual tension that has been building up between them over the last fortnight, not to mention being an amazing release for her. But she didn't know Castle well enough to decipher whether he would go for this, or whether he would hold his ground and deny her desire.

"Have you ever thought of branching out a little?" Kate asked, sitting next to him on the couch. She had been watching him write in silence for the last hour.

"Excuse me?"

"Your writing, I mean. The extract I read of yours that time was very crime-based and serious. Do you ever branch out and write other things? You know, like comedy, or fantasy?"

"I mostly stick to crime," he explained, "but I've branched out to almost every genre in some shape or form over the course of my writing."

"Ah," she smiled. "Because my theory as to why you were so secretive and defensive about your writing is because you're actually a ghost writer."

"A ghost writer?" he repeated, amused by her.

"Mmm hmm," she hummed. "An erotica ghost writer to be more specific."

"That is specific," he laughed. "So you think I'm secretly E. L. James or something?"

"No," she chuckled. "I'm just saying you writing that sort of thing would explain your unwillingness to share. But I'm sure you've written some steamy scenes in your lifetime." Raising an eyebrow, she smirked at the man sitting inches away from her.

"What's it to you, Beckett?" he questioned with a suspicious smile. "Searching for a story to make you feel good?"

"I'm simply paying an interest in your hobbies."

As mad as he was that she had snooped on his laptop a few days ago, he was somewhat glad she had done it. He liked seeing this side of her. It had pushed them to cross a line and become more comfortable around one another, more friendly. However, he still stood by what he had said initially about not forming relationships with clients. But she was different than the others he had dealt with in the past.

She was human. In the past he had been assigned to protect actors and politicians, people who were obsessed with nothing else but themselves. It was probably one of the reasons Castle had been so distant from Kate when he first arrived, not wanting to discuss anything remotely related to himself. But Kate had actually showed interest into his life, she genuinely wanted to know things about him. She wanted the one thing he was trying so hard to avoid; she wanted some form of relationship. And he was a sucker for falling for it.

"Well, some things aren't meant to be shared. Everyone has the right to their privacy."

"Except me," she disputed. "You know me inside and out." A mischievous grin swept across her face as she paused, pursing her lips as she considered her next few words. "Well… out anyways."

Astonished by her self-assurance, Castle was momentarily at a loss for words. It didn't take a genius to see what was happening here. She was being confident which immediately made her more attractive to him, but he knew that he had to try steer it away from the direction it was going.

Trying his best to ignore her comment, Castle decided to show her an excerpt from one story in which the protagonists sleep together. "Fine, you really wanna see?" he asked before opening a file on his laptop. "Here."

Kate scanned through the document expecting specific words to jump out at her, but she was surprised when she realised what she was reading wasn't just two characters having sex. "Wow," she said sounding surprised.

"Well?"

"It's not what I was expecting," she admitted. "But at least I've learned something about you."

"And what's that?" he asked.

"That you're a romantic."

"Really?" he laughed. "You got that from that?" He gestured to the screen.

"It's gentle, soft. In a sweet kind of a way!" she explained. "Is that how you are in bed, Castle?"

He chuckled nervously as she glanced at him with a sultry look. "It's fiction."

Closing down his laptop she continued, "You know… I heard most writers tend to base what they write off of personal experiences."

"We umm… well we try to… umm… keep things authentic," he said fumbling over his words.

"Ah," she nodded. Lowering her voice she added, "But if you really wanna grab peoples' attention, you should write more steamy scenes, you know? Less romance more…," she leaned in closer to him before adding, "…sweat."

This had already gone further than he had expected. He assumed Kate was just initially being playful like she had in the past, but it was clear to him that this time she had an ulterior motive. She had ended up really close to him on the couch, practically leaning into him. Long strands of her hair were dangling against his shoulder as she smiled flirtatiously, looking at him with a devilish tint in her eyes.

She reached her hand over to his chest where she started to play with a button on his shirt. His brain ceased function when he noticed the slight lip bite she was doing before she spoke again. "So why don't we give you your very own personal experience in hot… sweaty… meaningless sex?"

"Kate…"

"What?" she asked innocently, bringing her face close to his. So close Castle could feel her breath on his lips. "You can't tell me you haven't thought about it?"

Of course he had thought about it. She was a super attractive, self-assured woman, and he was a man with a pulse. But their situation was complicated. She was his client and he isn't supposed to let anything compromise his job. How unprofessional would it be for him to sleep with the one person he's supposed to be responsible for? The one person he shouldn't?

But she was so seductive. Without even trying she was one of, if not the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on. That combined with the fact that she was confident in her actions made her ten times more attractive. A tiny voice inside him told him to go for it, but it was drowned out by the voice of reason.

"We can't," he sighed refraining from looking into her eyes.

"Ooh, but we can…" In one swift move, she popped open the top button of his shirt.

Castle subtly smiled to himself, impressed by her level of game. It couldn't hurt to play along, right? "I'm just looking out for you," he said. "You've only read one scene. I don't want you to feel unprepared or be embarrassed when you realise I'm too much for you to handle."

"You have no idea what I can handle." The words coming out of her mouth were in low, raspy, and seductive tone. He was enthralled by her but thought he could hold back. That was until she looked up at him with a longing stare and said, "So, show me."

All the morals he had been debating with back and forth in his mind had vanished into thin air. Before he could even contemplate what was happening, his lips were on hers. He pulled her body into his in an attempt to get closer, but that was physically impossible considering she was already straddling him. Her hands found his hair gripping ferociously for stability. His were grasping where they had rested only days before, her hips. There was no romance, no tender element to what was happening. Just pure desire. Yearning.

Kate undid the buttons of his shirt in record time, pulling it off his shoulders and throwing it into the abyss. Breaking the kiss she leaned back to admire the view. His broad, toned chest was now exposed no longer leaving it to her imagination. He was as hot with clothes as he was without. Well, maybe slightly hotter without.

In one fell swoop Castle lifted her baggy t-shirt over her head confirming his suspicions; she has an amazing body. Maybe there is something to this whole yoga thing, he thought. Cupping his hands around her waist, he glided them down over the arch of her hips and hooked his thumbs into the waistband of her sweats.

"God, you're so hot," he said breathily before crashing his lips onto hers once again.

He scooped her up into his arms and stood up, carrying her towards the kitchen. She strategically moved her kisses to his neck, where she nipped him lightly. Castle responded with a hushed moan before placing her on the kitchen counter. Kate pulled back from his neck and grinned at him, reaching instantly for his belt. The way she looked at him rendered him powerless which lead them to devour each other once again.

"This is such a bad idea," Castle said rushed and out-of-breath in the kiss.

"The worst," Kate agreed, simultaneously doing nothing about it.

It wasn't long before they were both naked and colliding with one another. They both knew it was wrong but somehow it felt so right. The tension had been too strong to resist. They needed to feel each other, skin to skin. They each craved the touch of the other person, exploring their bodies as if discovering new land. But tasting each other was the most passionate element to what was unfolding. It was like a drug, neither of them wanted to give it up. But the night was exactly as Kate had described; hot, sweaty, and meaningless.

Just because it started that way didn't mean it would stay that way.