Thanks to everyone who still reads and reviews! I absolutely love having conversations with you all! I'm so glad so many of you enjoyed the last chapter…and I hope I did the sexual tension they had on the show proud.

With today being the 15 year anniversary of the premiere of Castle, I felt like I should post a chapter in celebration. I hope you all enjoy!

I did reference the Castle book Heat Rises. I think that should have been the book he was finishing up that summer. If you've read it, you'll get it, but if you haven't I think I still explained it enough to where you should be alright without reading the specific scene in question. If not, let me know, and I'll fill you in!

This chapter begins where the last one left off.

I still don't own Castle…

xxxxx

Kate took her time that morning, taking a long and hot shower before getting dressed. Grabbing the Patterson book she'd brought up to her room but hadn't read the night before, she headed downstairs with the plan of returning it to his library and selecting a book she really did want to read. "Did you really think hiring a butler was going to impress me, Castle?" she asked lightly when she saw him sitting on the couch in his office.

Chuckling, he took a drink of his coffee and shook his head. "No. Trust me, I have so many ideas of things to do to impress you, but hiring a butler is not on that list," he informed her. "The butler is for my benefit." Seeing her turn her attention to him, he continued. "I'm supposed to be taking it easy. With my mother and Alexis being back in the city during the week, I needed someone to help with the general day-to-day. A butler hurt my ego less than a home health nurse," he admitted with a small smile. "Alfred is here during the week, and my mother and Alexis take care of the weekends."

She nodded her understanding. "And once school is out, your mother and Alexis will be here full-time to take care of you, so it's just temporary."

He shrugged. "I'll keep Alfred on through the end of the summer. That way they can go back to the city to be with their friends or what have you without feeling guilty about it," he told her. "And I'll have you here," he added with a hopeful smile.

She bit back a slight smile at his words. "I didn't promise you I was staying all summer," she reminded him as she returned her attention to his bookshelves.

"But you didn't say no either," he pointed out. "So, done with Patterson, hmm?" he gestured to where she had returned the book from the previous night.

"You know, he didn't quite hit the spot I'd hoped for," she gave him a coy smile.

He grinned at that. "Well if you're looking for a good read, may I suggest something from the Storm series…"

She laughed softly. "Actually, I was searching for a book with a little more substance," she teased him. "'The wind gathered up her hair' isn't really a phrase I'm looking to read today," she continued with a playful smirk.

He pouted slightly before getting an idea. "Ok, so not Storm. Could I tempt you with some Heat?" he asked.

"I'm not so self-absorbed that I want to read about my alter ego," she laughed, shaking her head.

"Even if it's chapters that you haven't read before?" he arched an eyebrow in her direction.

She studied him for a moment, trying to get what he was suggesting. "The only ones would be…Castle, are you offering to let me read your next Heat novel in advance?" Because if he was, that would definitely impress her.

"No…no, of course not, Gina would kill me," he told her quickly. He did notice her face fall a little. "I'm offering to read you a few chapters from Heat Rises that I haven't sent in yet." He watched her eyes light up a little and knew he'd hooked her. "As long as you promise you won't post the content on any of my fansites," he added teasingly.

She studied him another moment. He was being serious with his offer, she realized, and she tugged her lower lip between her teeth. One of her favorite authors had just offered her a private, advance reading of a book he'd written about a character he'd based on her…a reading that, from the way he spoke, would be the first time anyone other than himself had read it. She was flattered…more than flattered…so much so that she didn't even catch his teasing her about being a fan. "I…I would like that," she admitted with a smile.

He returned her smile and nodded, gesturing for her to get comfortable on the couch while he got up and moved to his desk to get his laptop. Once he'd returned to the couch, he got comfortable as well, mimicking her position with his back leaned against the arm of the couch facing her, their feet touching in the middle couch cushion.

He watched her as he read, studying her carefully as she closed her eyes to simply listen to his voice. He watched her face react to certain words, dialogue, and certain scenes. He wasn't sure how she would react to the beginning…the way Rook's absence had mirrored his own a summer ago, aside from the fact that Rook and Heat were in a relationship at the time, and he and Beckett…well…weren't. Though they could be soon, he found himself thinking.

For the most part, she kept her eyes closed, simply listening to his words, watching the scene play out in her mind. Her eyes did open and she shifted uncomfortably as the memories from the previous summer were brought back, though she had thought she'd put those behind her. Apparently, she hadn't put those feelings as far behind her as she'd thought; they still struck a little bit of a nerve. Her eyes searched his, though, as he read Rook's apology to Nikki and something in the way he looked at her told her that he was apologizing to her too. She only had a moment to contemplate it, though, because Nikki was forgiving Rook pretty easily…with her mouth on his.

It was a short love scene…two paragraphs…but it was enough to make her eyes darken as they locked with his and push her upright a little more, closer in his direction. Castle had to swallow hard at her reaction. He wasn't sure what kind of reaction he'd expected from her, hearing a love scene between their alter egos from his lips as he read to her…but in reality, it was more intimate, more erotic than he had initially thought, and he suddenly wasn't sure how great of an idea it had been to read this far into the book with her in front of him; teasing and flirting was one thing, but this felt like…well…almost like verbal sex with her…hot and dirty in the best ways without either of them taking off any clothing or even touching the other; the only contact was between their eyes, which never wavered. He watched as she bit her lip and her chest moved with shallow, soft pants, and suddenly he was finding the room very, very hot and his own breathing was a bit erratic.

She wasn't sure how long they sat staring into each other's eyes, both having to calm themselves down. Her eyes finally broke the contact they'd held with his and she relaxed back against the arms of the couch in the same position she'd started when he began reading to her. And when he continued, it took only one sentence before she was laughing.

"What's so funny?" he had to ask. It was 1 sentence after the love scene…he definitely had not been going for a comedic tone.

"I'm sorry…" she laughed, trying to get it a little more under control. "I'm sorry, it's just…'her naked thigh draped over Jameson Rook's magnificent ass…'" she laughed a little more before managing to bite it back into a very amused smile. "Egotistical much?"

"I'll have you know that Rook having a magnificent ass has nothing whatsoever to do with the fact that I also have a magnificent ass," he defended himself, but he couldn't help but smile a little.

She had to bite her lip harder to keep from laughing again. "Sure…whatever you need to tell yourself," she gestured for him to continue. But a few sentences later, she was laughing again. "'Does sex help your writing?'" she had to hold her ribs now because laughing really did hurt them.

"It's a legitimate question to a writer from his girlfriend," he defended himself. She finally managed to stop laughing again and sat up a little more to try to get more comfortable. "If you're going to be mean about it, I don't have to read you anymore."

She offered him an apologetic smile. "No…no, I'm sorry. No more laughing. It was just a little over the top, is all. But an excuse I could totally expect you to try to use as a way to get sex. I'm honestly a little surprised you never tried it out with me in the beginning."

"I would have if I'd thought it would have worked," he admitted with a shrug.

She raised an eyebrow slightly. "You'd have a better shot of it working now than you did when we first met. I actually like you now."

His lips curved into a grin at her words. "Is that so?"

She caught look in his eyes and her eyes widened a little. "A better shot, Castle! I never said it would work, just that you'd have a better shot now!" she insisted.

"What I heard was you telling me you like me and that I have a good shot at sex with you," he stated smugly with a grin.

She rolled her eyes at that. "Shut up and keep reading. I won't laugh again," she promised with a small smile. She kept her word as he resumed reading to her, though there wasn't much to laugh at. Her eyes darkened again as the fictional characters actually made it to her bedroom this time and there was talk of being too close to know whose sweat was on her body–hers or his. Her eyes found his again as Nikki and Rook talked about exclusivity in their relationship over a sushi take out dinner, and by the time he'd finished his current chapter, Kate was so caught up in the story, that she actually jumped a little when she heard a knock on the office door.

"Sir, Ma'am, lunch is ready at your convenience. Would you like me to serve it in here?" Alfred asked from his position at the door.

"Uh no, Alfred. You can set it up on the back porch if you don't mind. I think we could probably use some fresh air at this point," Castle told him.

"Very good, Sir."

Once he'd left, Castle closed his laptop and stood. "So what do you think about the new book?"

She smiled, standing and stretching out a little. "I think I'm hoping Alfred can get us some sushi for dinner tonight," she told him honestly, hoping her reference to the scene he'd just read to her about their alter egos' sushi dinner would maybe hint to him that she wanted the same from him…exclusivity and a relationship.

He glanced up quickly at her words. "I think if Alfred can't make sushi, that he can certainly figure out where to get us some," he promised, hoping the subtext he was reading actually meant what he thought it did.

"Good. I think I'd like my own sushi dinner with you," her smile a little shy this time.

"Yeah, me too," he returned her smile. Just as he'd done the previous evening, he took her hand, smiling as she was the one to lace her fingers with his, and they made their way to the back porch for lunch.

xxxxx

The week went by relatively quickly…too quickly for Castle's taste. It had been relaxing. They spent time as friends, reading quietly in the same room as each other, having pleasant and slightly romantic dinners together, and generally just enjoying each other's company without the pretense of work or cases or anything else. And when Castle had his home health visits from a physical therapist or needed to write, Kate was happy to entertain herself by reading outside or walking on the beach.

Neither had brought up an actual discussion about their relationship, they'd simply let the week take its course. There had been plenty of hand-holding, instigated by both of them, and it was unspoken between them that he didn't have to wait for her to lace their fingers now, he could do it himself and she wouldn't pull away.

When they sat together, they sat close enough to touch in some way, and there had been a lot of flirting and innuendo in their conversations, though fate…or mostly Alfred…had the uncanny ability to appear just as they were having a moment or breaths away from a kiss–much to Kate's amusement and Castle's dismay, so much to the point that he was beginning to regret hiring a butler for the summer. If there had been a doubt about where they were headed when she showed up at the beginning of the week, there was no longer one by the end of the week for either of them; all that was left was to have a real conversation about it.

Kate had spent the first part of Friday afternoon after lunch packing up her bag while he worked with his physical therapist in his office. She was just coming down the stairs with her bag when she saw the therapist leave through the front door, and Castle's disappointed face at seeing her bag ready to leave. "Feel like a walk on the beach with me before I head back to the city?" she asked him softly. She knew he was disappointed and that he'd hoped she would stay.

"With you? Always," he agreed, taking her hand in his once she'd dropped her bag by the door.

The walk to the beach was quiet as were the first few minutes of their walk once they'd slipped their shoes off before stepping in the sand. Finally, it was she who broke the silence. "This week has been really nice, Rick," she started softly.

"Obviously not nice enough for you to stay," he murmured.

She stopped at the edge of the line where the ocean hit the sand as waves broke onto the shore. "I know you're disappointed, but I have to go back to the city this weekend," she told him softly. "I'm supposed to meet my dad for lunch on Sunday, and I'm out of clothes." Seeing him open his mouth, she quickly placed two fingers over his lips so that she could finish. "But I'd like to come back after that," she added with a smile, dropping her fingers from his lips to signify he could respond now that she was done.

"I'd like that too," he met her smile then.

"Good…it would have been a little awkward if I'd driven back out here otherwise," she gave him a gentle tug to start walking again. "How many weeks of school does Alexis have left?" she asked him curiously after a few moments.

"3. Why?" he asked, not sure what his daughter's school schedule had to do with anything.

"Have you mentioned to her that you asked me to stay here all summer?" she asked curiously.

"No, because I didn't know you had the summer off," he pointed out with a small smile.

Right. She realized he hadn't known that until this week, and by that point, Alexis had already gone back to the city. "I think you should make sure it's okay with her. And with your mother."

He stopped walking and studied her for a moment. "Why wouldn't it be okay with them?"

She looked away at his question and was quiet for another moment. "Because what's happening between us might not exactly thrill either one of them, especially Alexis."

He gently lifted her chin to look at him. "What's happening between us?"

She took a deep breath and released it slowly. She had started the conversation, she may as well go through with it. "I think we both know we're way beyond partners or even friends at this point," she said softly. "At least, I hope you know that. I want us to be more than that," she met his eyes.

"I want us to be more than that too," he smiled, his thumb gently stroking her cheek.

She rested her hand over his on her cheek and decided she was finally brave enough to continue. "I'm not good at this…relationship…stuff, or talking about my feelings. I'm not easy to be with. I hide, and I push people away when they get too close. I just…ever since my mom, there's been a wall there to protect me from getting hurt again…" she trailed off. She was glad he didn't say anything, knew he was giving her time to find the words to say whatever she wanted to say.

"You were right before…I have hidden in relationships with men I don't love…it was just safer that way. With you it's different…you're not safe," she finally continued. "You got through my wall somehow," she explained softly, hoping he understood the unspoken, You could hurt me. "But that day at the hospital when I wasn't sure if you were going to make it, I realized it didn't matter how far or where I tried to hide, I can't hide from the way I feel for you. So I'm done hiding. I'm all in," she finished, biting her lower lip a little nervously.

His smile only grew as he listened to her. "Well for starters, you're not as bad as you think at this talking about your feelings thing. I think you just did a pretty good job," he complimented her. "You also didn't tell me anything I didn't already know about you in a relationship. I know you push people away, I know you hide and aren't a talker…I know you are the most remarkable, maddening, challenging, frustrating, extraordinary woman I have ever met. So if you're all in, I am too."

She smiled at his words, closing the distance between them with a tender kiss, not waiting for fate or Alfred or anyone else to interrupt them before it could happen this time. She pulled away when she felt him start to deepen the kiss. "I've got to go," she murmured.

Castle breathed deeply, his hands moving to her waist. "Really? I have been trying to kiss you all week, and now that it finally happens, you're running away?"

She laughed softly. "Not running," she promised him. "I really do need to get back to the city, and I'd like to leave early enough so I don't get stuck in traffic…and before Alexis shows up," she explained. "Besides, neither one of us is in the best physical shape right now," she reminded him of their injuries. "You can't handle a flight of stairs right now, so I know there's no way you could physically handle me," she teased slightly.

"Doesn't mean I wouldn't like to try," he pouted a little, but he knew she was right. As much as he wanted to try to handle her, she would probably kill him by making his heart explode. "We've got really bad timing," he murmured.

She laughed again. "I don't know. I did manage to get the next 3 months off…and I'd say the thought of my 'naked thigh draped over your magnificent ass' is incentive enough to push yourself through your physical therapy," she recounted the words from Heat Rises that she'd given him such a hard time about when he'd read it to her earlier that week.

"The thought of your naked anything is enough to give me incentive."

"See?" she laughed. "Come on, walk me back. Don't pout and I'll give you a kiss before I go."

He brightened up a little at that, his hand finding hers again as they walked back toward his house.

She kept her promise, stopping at the door before she picked up her bag and kissed him softly. "I'll see you Sunday evening," she promised. She picked up her bag and opened the door, but before stepping through it she pressed a last kiss to his lips, longer and a little deeper than the last two as this time she slid her tongue across his lips. "Sunday," she murmured softly when she pulled away with a smile at his dazed look, before finally heading to her car.

They were both going to have to heal quickly because she wasn't sure how long either of them would be able to keep from getting too physical now that they'd defined their relationship and were so close to being able to act on 3 years of pent-up tension.

xxxxx

I hope you guys enjoyed this! I wanted to do something special to celebrate the Castle anniversary, so here it is!