Thanks so much everyone for the kind words on the last chapter. I really love hearing all your thoughts! As some of you may have guessed, I am going to have to eventually do a time jump in the timeline…it's just not feasible to write three months of summer the way I'm doing…not to mention I'm going to eventually run out of ways to ramp up the sexual tension without giving them and you a payoff! I also haven't decided if I'm going to do a big time jump, or a series of smaller time jumps (if ya'll have opinions, feel free to weigh in!), and there won't really be a time jump of more than a week in this one, but I want to let you know that it will eventually happen.

All that said, this chapter is going to start with them waking up from where they went to bed in the last chapter.

I still don't own Castle…

xxxxx

Kate woke up to the feeling of her back laying on something solid that did not feel like the soft mattress she'd fallen asleep on. She opened her eyes and realized her back was mostly laying on Castle's chest; in fact, she was half laying on him. She figured he must have rolled onto his back partially in his sleep, and his arms around her had taken her with him. She shifted slightly just to get a little more comfortable, but since he was still sleeping, she was going to take a few extra moments before getting up to enjoy the closeness…the way their legs were tangled, the feel of his hand on the skin of her stomach underneath her shirt as he held her close, the soft, almost satiny feel of the fabric of his boxers as the fingers of her left hand lightly stroked along his thigh. Breathing as deeply as she dared before her ribs could protest, she closed her eyes and took it all in.

She wasn't sure how much time had passed, but when she finally opened her eyes again, she looked over at the clock. 6:23. It was earlier than she expected him to wake up, but she needed to get out of bed, or at least out of the position she was in with him; the longer she remained tangled with him like that, the longer she spent running her fingers along his thigh, the more chance she had of her self control slipping because her fingers wanted to stroke other things.

Deciding this was as good a morning as any to go get her coffee and watch the sun rise from the balcony, she carefully untangled their legs and slipped out of his arms. She spotted a sweatshirt of his tossed casually over a chair and she slipped it on to fight the sudden chill caused by being away from both the warmth of his body and his sheets. She paused for another moment to make sure he wasn't going to wake up before quietly padding barefoot through his house to the kitchen to make some coffee.

She startled slightly when she saw the older gentleman in the kitchen already. Right. Alfred. "Oh, hi," she greeted a little shyly. She had not expected his butler to be there already.

"Good morning, Miss Beckett. Is everything okay?"

"Yes…sorry. I just didn't realize you would be here this early."

Alfred nodded. "I'm here at 6 every morning during the week. I do a check of the house to prioritize what I should start on first. I was just about to come collect Mr. Castle's clothes to do his laundry."

Kate's eyes widened slightly. If she hadn't gotten up when she did, the butler would have walked in on them in their position. She made a mental note to tell Castle he should ask his butler to grab his laundry AFTER they were out of bed from now on. "Right. Um…I just came for some coffee…"

"Yes Ma'am. Allow me," the older gentleman shifted to the coffee maker to start it up. "Will you just be taking your cup, or will you be bringing Mr. Castle a cup as well?" he asked her, his eyes twinkling slightly.

Her cheeks flushed; apparently the butler was aware they were sharing a bedroom now. "I can take his," she answered. She figured if he hadn't woken up by the time she was finished with her cup, she could always just drink his.

He nodded, fixing two cups of coffee for her. "Would you like me to bring breakfast to your room? Or have it waiting in here?"

"In here is fine," she answered, her cheeks growing hot again.

"Very good, Ma'am. Do you have a request for breakfast?"

She thought for a minute. "Actually, I'd really like some pancakes."

"Yes Ma'am. Mr. Castle has instructed me to have breakfast ready at 8:30 every morning. Should I make it later?"

"No, Alfred…8:30 is fine…" she took the cups of coffee he handed her, her cheeks flaming as she made a hasty retreat back to their…his…bedroom. She wasn't embarrassed by being with him…they were two consenting adults, after all. Kate was just a private person, and someone she didn't know very well knowing the private details of her sleeping arrangements was just a little unnerving to her as she adjusted to this new relationship.

She placed the coffee on his nightstand as she passed through the room to hopefully draw him out of his slumber. She did pause before she got to the French doors to look at him sleeping. He was kind of adorable in a sexy way. Taking a sip of her coffee, she smiled before opening the doors and moving out to enjoy the morning view from the balcony.

It was almost 20 minutes later when he joined her on the balcony, his coffee in one hand and wrapping his other arm around her from behind. "Don't you ever sleep in?" he asked her, dropping a soft kiss to her shoulder.

She laughed softly into her own coffee cup as she took a drink. "I'm usually a morning person. I'm not sure why that would surprise you."

"You could have stayed in bed with me…" he pouted.

She turned her face to meet his with a clearly amused smile. "I'm not really one to lounge around in bed when I'm awake either," she informed him.

"But we could have cuddled…"

"I told you last night; I'm not big on cuddling." She might learn to be because she realized he liked it, but that morning would not have been the morning to start. Her thoughts were too focused on sexy times that they couldn't have yet, and as the responsible adult in the relationship, she had gotten herself out of the situation before it could become a situation. "Besides, I'm glad I got up when I did."

"Why?"

"Because your butler was about 5 minutes from coming in the bedroom to get your laundry," she answered pointedly.

"So? He does that several mornings a week."

"Yeah, but I haven't been in your bed other mornings," she informed him, hoping the coffee he was drinking would kick in at some point and his brain would wake up.

"Right…" he nodded, trying to follow along. "Right!" he realized finally.

"Yeah…and what if we had been in the middle of something else?" she asked him. "If I'm going to share your bed, I just want to know that I'm not going to have someone walk in looking to pick up laundry while we're sleeping…or other things…"

He nodded again. "Right. I'll ask him to do his laundry pickup after we are out of bed."

"Thank you," she smiled, finishing the coffee in her cup. "I like him though, so tell him nicely."

He chuckled softly. "I will."

xxxxx

Somehow he had convinced her to play videogames with him, and though it wasn't normally her thing, she had agreed. "Castle, I work with dead bodies and guns all day. The last thing I want to do when I come home is play a shooting game where I kill people," she had told him.

"But you'll be great at it. And it's fun. You'll see," he had promised her.

So after him telling her how the game controls worked and explaining the basics, she had agreed to join him on his campaign. And she had to admit, it had actually been kind of fun. Not something she would necessarily do all the time, but something she could see herself enjoying doing with him on occasion. And he had been right; she was good at it. So good, in fact, that on Friday before she left, he had insisted she play against him…just a little friendly competition.

"Are you sure?" she asked him. "Castle, I'm a very competitive person."

"Of course I'm sure. I'm not worried, you just started playing this game. Don't worry, I'll take it easy on you."

She arched an eyebrow. "You'll take it easy on me?"

"Yeah, I promise," he smiled.

She silently stared at him for a moment. "Fine. I'll play against you. But don't take it easy on me. When I kick your ass, I don't want you to have any excuses."

He laughed at that. "Oh, I don't think you'll be kicking my ass."

She had to bite her lip to keep from resorting to his level of childishness. "We'll see," was all she said.

Barely half an hour later, Castle sat staring in disbelief at the television screen. Kate hadn't just kicked his ass, she'd completely annihilated him. He wasn't even sure how it had happened.

"Come on, Castle, walk me out. The car service should be here any minute to take me back to the city," she handed him the controller and patted his leg. Seeing him still staring at the TV, she laughed softly. "I told you I was a competitive person."

He finally turned the screen off and put the controllers down. "I just don't understand how…you haven't played until this week!" he almost whined.

She gave him a smile and a shrug. "Don't take it personally, Castle. I'm just better at using my fingers than you are," she said so casually, her comment laced with innuendo and her eyes dancing playfully as she turned to head out of his office toward the front door to check for the car.

Her comment had him blinking after her in disbelief. He wasn't sure how to feel in that moment…turned on or disappointed. It took a few moments to pick up his wounded pride, but he eventually followed her to the door to see her off.

"You know, you really don't have to go," he told her.

Smiling, she shook her head. "I really do. I'm out of clothes again, and I promised Lanie a girl's night this weekend. I haven't had a chance to talk to her for awhile, and she's just worried about me. The last time I really talked to her was the day you were shot…she just wants to make sure I'm handling everything ok and not disappearing into myself."

He nodded. "Are you going to tell her about us?" he asked curiously.

"I haven't decided yet," she admitted. "Lanie likes to interrogate me about you, so it's possible after a few glasses of wine I might say something…" she smiled a little. "But she'll keep it a secret if I ask her to."

"Is that what you want? To keep it a secret?" he asked her softly.

She inhaled slowly as she thought about his question. "Maybe for a little while from most people. Obviously your family should know…but I haven't told my dad. I might tell Lanie…but…it's just easier to figure out a new relationship if everyone isn't suddenly commenting on it, you know? I'm kind of not ready to share us with everyone yet," she tried to explain. "Maybe not keep it a secret, just…don't broadcast it," she suggested. "Don't deny it, and if someone we don't tell directly figures it out, they figure it out."

"I can do that. It's not like there's a ton of people here to figure it out anyway," he smiled, opening the door as the car pulled up. "It's one reason I like it out here. I get privacy."

She smiled at that sentiment. "I'll see you on Sunday," she murmured, leaning in for a long, slow kiss goodbye before finally pulling away and getting into the car.

xxxxx

"Hey, Pumpkin. You got a minute?" Castle asked his daughter when he found her reading on the couch in the living room.

She looked up and met his eyes with a smile. "Sure, Dad."

He gently lifted her feet so he could sit down and then placed them in his lap. He wasn't really sure how he should start this conversation. He wasn't sure if he should just come right out and tell her, or try to feel out how she felt about Beckett first. "Hey, you remember last summer when I asked Beckett to spend Memorial Day weekend here, and she said no?"

"Yeah, and then you asked Gina, and started that whole train wreck again…" she commented, but gave him a sympathetic smile to take the bite out of her words.

"How would you feel if I asked Beckett to come again?" he asked her softly.

Alexis shrugged. "Alright I guess. Do you think she'll say yes this time?"

He smiled slightly. "I'm pretty sure she'll say yes this time."

She studied her father for a few moments; this was more than his general brand of cocky confidence. He stated this as pretty much a fact. "I think what you mean to say is, you've already asked her and she's already agreed."

"Something like that," he chuckled. "Is that okay with you?" he asked her seriously.

"Does it matter? If I say no, are you going to take back your invitation?" she asked him simply.

Now it was his turn to study his daughter. Was she upset with him for asking Beckett without consulting her first, or was she upset he had asked Beckett at all? Or was it option three and she wasn't upset, only continuing the conversation? "Um…no, I'm not," he finally admitted honestly. "Alexis…are you upset with Kate?"

"Kate?" she asked. Since when did his father called Beckett Kate? And then it hit her. "Dad, are you and Beckett…?" But she already knew that answer just from the way her father had said Kate's name.

"Would it upset you if I told you yes?"

Alexis was quiet for a few minutes. "Yes…no…I don't know…" she started. "I just don't want to see you get hurt."

He smiled and gently rubbed her ankle. "I'm not going to get hurt."

"Right. Like you weren't shot taking a bullet for her. Or how about almost freezing to death in a freezer with her? Or one of the dozens of other times you've been in a life threatening situation because of her?" she pointed out.

He breathed deeply before pulling her into a hug. "Hey, it's not your job to worry about me, ok? I'm not going anywhere. Dating her has nothing to do with any of those situations. She's got my back. She's a great cop, and a great partner," he promised her. "And if it helps, she's already read me the riot act several times about getting shot for her, so trust me…I fear her enough not to do it again," he tried to lighten the mood with a smile.

She sighed softly. "And what if you guys don't work out? I've seen how you get when you fight with her. Or when she's kicked you out of the precinct," she pointed out.

"Most of the time when I've been kicked out of the precinct, it's been my own fault," he told her. "And yes…we fight sometimes. She's as stubborn as I am. And she drives me crazy sometimes. But she's also the most extraordinary person I've ever met."

"This isn't just you asking her for a weekend or casually dating her...you love her, don't you?" Alexis realized softly.

Castle nodded with a smile. "Yeah, Pumpkin. I do."

"Does she love you?"

"Yes," he answered confidently. Kate may not have said the exact words to him, but he knew her well enough to read between the lines of the words she had said to him in combination with her actions. He had no doubts Kate felt the same way about him that he felt about her.

She thought about it for a few moments, remembering how Kate had been at the hospital when Castle was in surgery, how despite her own feelings, she had tried to be there for Alexis, and afterward, how relieved she had been to see him awake. She wasn't sure if that was proof of her love, but it seemed to be enough for now. "Then yes. I'm ok if she comes out here for Memorial Day."

"How about all summer?"

Alexis raised an eyebrow at that. "All summer?"

Castle realized Alexis didn't know she was suspended or out on medical leave. "She went after the shooter. Her new captain didn't necessarily agree with her methods, so she can't return to work until September. She's…actually been here the last two weeks and went back to the city on the weekends…" he told her with a small smile, hoping that wouldn't upset her.

"Oh…" she digested that information. "You're a bad influence on her, Dad!"

"Wait, what? How is this my fault?" Castle asked, wondering when his daughter had suddenly taken Kate's side.

Alexis shrugged. "She seems pretty by the book to me since I've met her. This has to be your influence. You're the one who breaks rules."

"Thanks, Pumpkin. I'm so glad we had this talk," he shook his head, removing her feet from his lap so that he could stand up.

"Hey Dad? I really am happy for you," she told him with a smile. "Don't screw this up."

He chuckled softly. "I'll try not to."

xxxxx

"How are you holding up, Kate?" Lanie asked her friend, settling onto the stool at her counter as Kate poured them each a glass of wine. "I haven't heard from you since that day at the hospital. Javi told me you found the shooter, and he's dead. He told me you're suspended until September. I know you…you keep this all inside, and you're going to be a bomb ready to go off."

Kate took a sip from her glass, settling on a stool to face her friend. "I'm okay, really. I've…made peace with it, as odd as that sounds."

Lanie just eyed her suspiciously. "What do you mean you 'made peace with it?'"

She shrugged. "I mean, the guy who shot Castle is dead. I don't have a lead to run with on my mom's case…and I can't really do anything but serve out my suspension. Do I like all of those scenarios? No, of course not. But I'm…dealing," she said honestly.

"Yeah, but how you are dealing? You got beat up pretty good on that roof and then suspended, and I didn't hear from you to even find out if you were okay. I had to hear it all from Javi."

Kate wrinkled her nose slightly at that. "I'm sorry. I just…haven't been in the city."

"Did you go do that brooding thing you do at your dad's cabin?" Lanie asked simply.

"I don't do a 'brooding thing.' And no, I wasn't at my dad's cabin."

"First of all, Kate Beckett, you absolutely do do a brooding thing," Lanie started. "If you haven't been at your dad's cabin, then where have you been, and what has had you so busy that you couldn't call your best friend and at least tell me that you're ok?"

Kate was quiet for a moment. "The Hamptons," she murmured just as she took a long drink of her wine.

"I'm sorry, the what now?" Lanie wasn't sure she'd heard her correctly.

"The Hamptons," she said again, tugging her lower lip between her teeth. The only person they knew who had a place in the Hamptons was Castle; she waited for her friend to connect the dots.

Lanie's eyes widened slightly and she got a knowing smile. "Oh I see how you've been dealing with everything. You've been too busy getting your freak on with Writer Boy to think about me." Seeing Kate about to open her mouth, Lanie's smile grew. "No need to apologize. I've seen the chemistry between the two of you since the beginning. After 3 years, I'm surprised you came up for air long enough to have a girl's night with me."

"Lanie, it's not like that," Kate blushed slightly.

"Wait, you're not together? So if not Castle, then who or what have you been doing in the Hamptons for two weeks?"

"We are…it's just that I've got broken ribs, and he's still recovering…that's not exactly a set-up for a romantic getaway," she smiled slightly.

"You're telling me that you're staying in his Hampton's house together…alone…you've admitted how you feel about each other, and you're not having sex?" Lanie didn't believe that for a second. "You haven't even tried?"

Kate laughed, taking another drink of wine. "Sleeping in the same bed, even."

"You're sleeping with him, but not sleeping with him?" Lanie took a big drink of her wine then. "Girl, I haven't had enough wine for that to make sense."

Kate laughed again, offering her friend the bottle to refill her glass. "I'm honestly not sure how much longer either of us are going to last though. We've been…close. Thankfully he's got a butler this summer who has impeccable timing."

"Wait, Castle hired a butler?" Lanie shook her head.

"He said it hurt his ego less than hiring a home health nurse," she smiled.

"Ah. Men and their egos."

"And Castle's is one of the biggest I've seen," Kate commented without thinking. "Not what I meant, Lanie," she laughed when she caught the look on the medical examiner's face. "I haven't seen…you know what…not going there. Anyway…I was going to ask…you're a doctor. When is it safe to…you know?" she asked before taking another drink.

"You want me to give you permission to have sex with Castle? Is that what tonight is about?" Lanie teased.

"I'm serious…death by sex isn't exactly what I'm going for."

"Okay, okay," Lanie laughed softly. "Broken ribs are usually pretty stable unless there's more trauma inflicted on the same spot, so it's really only a question of your pain tolerance. I mean, I wouldn't try anything too crazy, but you can get your basic freak on with broken ribs so long as you can tolerate the pain of heavy breathing and he doesn't get too rough with his hands near your injury."

"And what about him?" Kate asked then.

"I honestly can't give you an answer without knowing how badly his heart was damaged from the gunshot. Sex gets your heart rate up pretty high if you're doing it right…I don't want to tell you it's all good and then you kill the guy."

Kate and set her glass on the counter before running her hands through her hair. "This is killing me," she murmured in frustration.

"You should have listened to me and jumped that man when I first told you to. If you had, you wouldn't have 3 years worth of sexual frustration built up ready to explode like a Mentos dropped in Diet Coke," Lanie told her friend with a laugh.

"Now is not the time for an 'I told you so,' Lanie," Kate groaned.

"I'm sorry, it's just…funny. You spent 3 years denying how much you want that man, and now that you're ready, you're the one stuck waiting for him to be ready. Even you have to admit that's a little funny."

"The irony is not lost on me, believe me. I would just appreciate it more if I wasn't so damn frustrated," Kate murmured.

"You don't have to be frustrated. I said you could do things as long as you can tolerate the pain. So do things with him. Or, more accurately, let Writer Boy do things to you. Things that won't get his heart rate too high...I'm sure his fingers are strong from all the typing he does..." Lanie suggested with a smile.

Kate's cheeks flushed slightly as she picked up on what her friend was suggesting. "That's not really fair to him, though…"

"Do you want to be fair to him, or do you want to get some relief?"

"Both," she answered. "Plus I'm not sure that's a good idea…it seems like playing with fire, because I'm not sure either of us would stop even if it were just one-sided," Kate admitted.

"Then you better hope his butler continues to have impeccable timing and enjoy cold showers until his doctor gives him the all clear." Seeing her friend's frustrated face at that answer, Lanie gave her a sympathetic smile. "It shouldn't be too long. As soon as his doctor tells him it's safe to start getting his heart rate up, you should be fine to do whatever he can tolerate. In fact, when he is supposed to start getting his heart rate up, sex is probably going to be good for him. Nothing crazy," she cut her friend a teasing look, "but enough to give you both what you want." She paused again, as both women took a drink. "So…you and Castle, huh?"

Kate smiled slightly. "About that…we aren't ready to start broadcasting our relationship, so if you could…."

Lanie mimicked a key turning at her lips. "My lips are sealed. Not even Javi," she promised her friend.

"Thank you."

"You can thank me with details once you two finally do the deed," she smiled, causing Kate to both smile and blush again.

xxxxx

She'd told Castle she wouldn't need his car service this weekend, but she hadn't told him why. She'd tested out how her ribs felt with a shorter bike ride to make sure she'd be okay for a longer trip, and it when she found it didn't bother her as much as the position in a car, she decided she'd surprise Castle by bringing her bike to the Hamptons.

Her black leather jacket was zipped over a white t-shirt, and she'd even worn her black leather riding pants. She didn't always wear leather pants when she rode; most of the time, she actually just wore jeans. But she couldn't resist the urge to wear them, if for no other reason than to give Castle the full effect of seeing her on her bike for the first time.

She figured he was watching for her, same as last week, but she made sure to rev the engine a few times as she pulled into the driveway to grab his attention. She was rewarded when he didn't just open the door, but actually came outside to the driveway to see her on the bike, the look on his face a priceless mix of arousal, excitement and awe. "Hey," she greeted him with a smile as she pulled her helmet off and shook her hair out.

"You brought your bike…" he commented, making no effort to hide the way his eyes were travelling over her hungrily.

"I did," she smiled, killing the engine before dismounting.

"And you wore leather…"

She laughed softly. "I did," she closed the short distance between them and placed a gentle kiss to his lips.

"Wow," he murmured, looking from her, to the bike, and back to her.

"Wow, Castle. I can't tell, are you more excited to see me, or the bike?" she asked with another laugh.

"I'm more excited to see you on the bike…in those pants…" he told her honestly with a smile, his eyes travelling back over her. "Will you get back on it?"

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "No," she told him, unhooking her bag and grabbing it to take it inside. "But if you behave, I might take you for a ride," she gave him a playful smile as she walked past him into the house.

So many thoughts filled his head with her simple remark, and he let a few of them play through his head before he followed her inside.

xxxxx

I know this was a lengthy chapter, but it covered most of the things I wanted to do before I hit a time jump. Next chapter will be Memorial Day weekend, and then I'll have to decide how far ahead I want to go with a time jump. I look forward to all your thoughts and comments!