Five weeks really hadn't felt like that long. Even with the flirting, the wanting and the late night conversations, Rick had been so focussed on each small step forward that he hadn't even considered this to be in the realm of possibilities tonight. But now, as he led Kate toward the elevator, everything he had forced himself to ignore was suddenly rushing to the surface with nauseating force. The memories he had locked away in the name of being just friends ran through his mind like a highlight reel - her tongue and teeth on his skin; her breathless commands of more, less, harder, faster and the sweet little cries of pleasure he was rewarded with when he did exactly what she needed him to - set a fire in his core that had heat rising to his chest, his neck, even his ears.
They stepped into the elevator and he pressed the button to take them to the ground floor before impatiently tapping the door close button again and again.
Kate chuckled to herself. "You in a hurry or something?" she teased.
Rick shook his head, gave up on the button that obviously wasn't working and turned to face her. "No, not at all."
But his heart was racing, pounding so fast he could feel it in his throat, and his hands were practically twitching with anticipation as he fought the urge to touch her, to hold her. All in good time, he reminded himself.
Her eyes remained glued to his as they waited: one second, two seconds, three seconds... and he smirked.
"What?" she asked as she tucked her hair behind her ear.
"You're beautiful," he thought aloud.
He didn't feel an ounce of embarrassment for the incidental spill of words from his mouth. In fact, when her cheeks began to resemble the blush pink of her dress and she tried to hide her bright smile behind the cover of her hand, he was glad he had said it. She was beautiful, truly beautiful, and she should be told so every single day.
Finally, the elevator doors closed and the carriage began it's decent. Kate stepped forward, wrapped her hand around the back of Rick's neck and pulled herself forward, claiming his lips with her own.
He shifted his hands to her lower back and pulled her body against his as he deepened the kiss but the book - that damned book - was in the way, keeping that small amount of unwanted space between them. He grabbed the book, pulled it (maybe just a little too hastily) from her arm and tried his best to ignore the little voice is his head that urged him to toss it away. It might be occupying his hand, keeping him from touching her as much as he wanted to but at least his mind was no longer fighting with the image of Alex Conrad literally coming between him and the woman he lo-
Liked.
He tried to pull back, startled by the near-revelation in his own mind, but Kate had looped her arms around his neck and was holding him so firmly against her. He backpedalled on his plan to break away, pushed her to the side and pinned her to the wall instead. She gasped as her back collided with the wall; the handrailing behind her thrust her hips into Rick's.
His hand slipped in between her lower back and the hard, wooden handrailing. "Did I hurt you?"
She shook her head. "Just surprised," she whispered breathlessly before pulling his face back to her for a greedy, impetuous kiss.
He cursed under his breath as she arched her back even more, pressed herself flush against him and moaned into his kiss. He knew she liked the control she had over his body, how she could so easily provoke whatever reactions she desired from him. He'd learned that so quickly last time. But he had forgotten how quickly that power intoxicated her, how it darkened her eyes and quickened her breath and made the world around them fade away until there was nothing left but the two of them.
His body grew heavier against hers, just for moment as the carriage came to a stop. Reluctantly, he took a small step back, creating an acceptable amount of space between them for when the doors opened. When they did open, the foyer was empty but he knew better than assume there would be no one lingering outside.
He looked back at his date for the night, took in the sight of her thoroughly kissed lips and slightly mussed hair. He ran his fingers through the chaotic strands in an attempt to tame them.
"I guess I should try to keep you slightly presentable until we get home," he said, amusement sparkling in his eyes.
"I'd appreciate that."
He took a small step back. "You ready?"
With her nod of confirmation, he led her out of the building. He kept his palm pressed to the centre of her back and a good few inches of space between them as they walked - just in case. The crowd lining the carpeted entrance had thinned significantly, but a few straggling photographers had stuck it in.
They ignored the white flashes as they walked toward the fleet of limousines waiting on the street.
"Mr Castle." The driver of the first limo nodded as he greeted Rick. He moved swiftly, opening the back door for them.
Rick held Kate's hand as she slipped into the the black leather seat before sliding in after her. He made sure he stayed close, sitting so that the length of his thigh stayed firmly pressed against hers. As he settled into the comfort of the seat he placed the novel on the seat across from them and laid his arm along the top of the backrest, behind Kate's head.
"Where to?" Their chauffeur asked once he was buckled into his seat.
Rick looked at Kate for confirmation before giving their driver Lanie's address. It wasn't like they could go back to his - Alexis and Claire would likely be up all night studying - and after Kate had looked into the price of The Morgan-Byrd Hotel's penthouse she had made it very clear that she would not be allowing that to happen again.
Not without paying my half first, she had said with a flirty wink. So, he knew he wasn't actually in 'trouble' for it but he wasn't going to push his luck right now anyway.
The driver nodded and rolled up the thick, black partition window before pulling out into the flow of traffic.
"She starts early in the morning," Kate said, holding Rick's wrist up so that she could check the time on his watch. "She'll be fast asleep by now."
"Are you sure?"
Kate shook her head, ignoring his doubts. She leaned into him, placed her hand on his thigh and allowed her fingers to splay across the muscle, brushing dangerously close to-
"Kate-" He practically growled her name, but whatever he had planned on saying had been so quickly abandoned when her fingers reached for his belt.
His hand dropped, covering hers and stilling her movements.
"Exactly how much privacy does that give us?" she asked him suggestively. Her eyes darted to the partition, then back to Rick.
She watched as the band of blue around his pupils thinned, hidden by the sudden burst of arousal that coursed through his veins like fire.
The arm that he had kept draped so casually behind her curled until his fingers tangled into her hair. He used his grasp at the back of her head to angle her before he leant forward and slanted his mouth over hers.
She flattened her palm against his chest and pushed him away, a cocksure smirk on her face. She pinched the button of his shirt between her thumb and forefinger, slipped it free of its button-hole restraint.
"Privacy," she prompted as her fingers traipsed lower, in search of the next button in need of freeing.
"Right. Well, he can't see us," Rick assured her, his eyes fixed to the motions of her nimble fingers at his chest. "Can't hear much either."
The second button popped free and she continued on to the third. "Much?"
Rick shifted slightly, leant in closer. "You'd have to get pretty loud for him to hear you," he teased.
Their eyes locked and a tantalizing heat rushed through her body.
"That shouldn't be a problem," she whispered before sealing her mouth to his.
The frantic weave of their lips was dizzying. It stole the breath from her lungs and thoughts from her mind, had her canting into him. His tongue was distracting as it caressed the seam of her mouth. She parted her lips, granted him access to explore deeper as she trained her focus on removing the strip of leather from around his pants. She pulled it free from the loops and haphazardly tossed it to the side.
His hand slipped under the skirt of her dress, mapped out the contours of her thigh and hips as he alternated between gentle caresses and the firm press of fingertips into her flesh. It didn't take him long to figure out how she wanted to be touched when every squeeze, every nip, every touch that threatened to mark her soft skin would draw out a satisfied hum or an encouraging hiss as he learned the delicate mix of pleasure and pain that she craved.
He folded his palm around the back of her knee and pulled it across his lap. She gasped at the sudden movement but shifted to straddle him. His hands dropped to his sides where her knees dug into the leather of the seat. He brought them up, allowed them the chance to roam her thighs and memorise the curves of her hips, the arch of her back, before gripping her ass and pulling her down to grind against his lap.
He opened his mouth against the curve of her shoulder, teased the sensitive spot there with the graze of his teeth and the sweep of his tongue before returning his attention to the cavern of her mouth, swallowing down the needy moan that she could no longer contain.
Her arms wrapped around his neck, body arched and pressed flush against his as she worked to slow their feverish pace with the languid slide of her tongue. Her hands parted the material of his shirt and - as she trailed slow, open-mouthed kisses down his neck and chest - she shifted and lowered herself between his knees.
"Kate-" He wasn't sure exactly what he had planned on saying, but all thought left his mind when she cupped her palm over the bulge in his pants and squeezed.
"You did say I could thank you later," she reminded him, looking at him with big doe eyes and fluttering lashes.
She knew exactly what she was doing and Rick was utterly powerless against her.
"Not what I meant," he said with a strained laugh.
She freed him from his pants and began to stroke him; slow and torturous and god he never wanted this to end.
"I can stop if you want," she teased.
"No," he groaned, the word slipping from his mouth too quickly to show any sort of control on his behalf.
"Good."
Engulfed in wet heat, his brain turned to jelly. His eyes fluttered closed, head dropped back against the seat as a low, rough groan slipped from his throat. Mustering his very last scrap of brainpower, Rick reached across to the control panel beside him and locked the partition.
She unlocked the door, inched it open as quietly as possible and looked around for signs of movement.
But it was dark and it was quiet.
Satisfied that Lanie was in fact asleep, she turned around to give Rick the green light but he had already read the smile on her face to mean all systems a go.
He cupped her face, kissed her fervently as they stumbled through the door and, once inside the apartment, he turned them both and used the force of their bodies to close the door. She emptied her hands - dropping the book, her keys and her phone to the ground beside them - then slipped her arms under his jacket and fisted the material of his shirt, pulling him in.
The caress of their tongues grew sloppy, less controlled as they lost themselves in the haze.
His hands set fire to her skin, even through the material of her dress, as they desperately roamed her body; back, waist, thighs. Lower, lower, lower until he pulled frantically at the material of her dress, lifting it so he could slip his hands underneath and she could feel the heat of his skin against hers. His touch ghosted along her thighs, peppering her skin with goosebumps and sending a shiver down her spine, then gripped her ass and pulled her hips against his.
She whimpered involuntarily as his kiss left her mouth, skirted along her jaw instead.
He paid special attention to each sensitive spot he found on his mouth's journey down her neck, using each moan and sigh to guide him toward what she liked most. His kisses trailed from her neck to her shoulders to her chest, only leaving her body long enough for Rick to lower himself to his knees. His mouth was on her again, placing open-mouth kisses to her legs; starting just above her knee and working his way higher. He lifted her leg over his shoulder, giving him more access to her inner thigh.
Kate's head dropped back against the door and her eyes fluttered shut, fingers tangled in Rick's hair as she allowed herself a moment to enjoy the sensations that had her body feeling so alive: the butterflies in her stomach; the contrast of his grip on her ass, so rough in comparison to the feather-light kisses against her thighs.
"Shower," she panted the half-command, hoping he could fill in the rest.
He turned his head, brushed his lips over the lace of her underwear and pressed a kiss to the barely there material before leaning back to look up at her.
Somehow through the haze of lust and arousal, she heard the distant click of a door.
Her heart skipped a beat, eyes flying in the direction of the apartment's one bedroom just in time to see the door open.
She slipped her leg off Rick's shoulder, tapped his arm to alert him because words just simply wouldn't come out.
"Oh, sorry," Lanie mumbled, still half asleep, as she wandered out of her bedroom rubbing her eyes. "Gotta pee."
Rick stayed on his knees, figured that it was best not to draw attention to himself as Lanie plodded across the apartment to the bathroom. When the door clicked shut behind her, Kate and Rick both released a breath they'd inadvertently been holding.
Kate slid down the door until she was on the floor in front of Rick. She began to laugh - loud and hearty - as an overwhelming mix of disappointment and embarrassment filled her.
Rick looked at her, his amused smile slowly turning to laughter too.
"I'm sorry," he said to Kate in between laughs.
He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into his lap. She dropped her head to his shoulder, inhaled and exhaled deeply as her laughter subsided.
She shook her head and lifted it from his shoulder. "It's okay," she whispered the assurance, leaning forward to kiss him.
Rick kissed her back, his hands finding their place on her hips, guiding her as she gave into the urge to rock back and forth, grinding against his thigh. The friction sent sparks of pleasure through her and she moaned against his mouth. She was wired, so ready that just a few minutes of this would have been enough for her - enough to take the edge off, anyway - but she knew that Lanie would be making another appearance in just a few moments and the last thing wanted was to be writhing against Rick trying to get herself off when that happened.
"You should go," Kate mumbled against Rick's lips, but pulled herself closer and continued kissing him.
He hummed, apparently agreeing with her sentiment that their moment had passed, but his actions were just as conflicted as hers.
Finally, she pulled away, pressed three quick pecks to the corner of his mouth for good measure and smiled.
"Thank you for a wonderful night."
He shook his head. "Thank you." Reluctantly, he loosened his grip around her waist. "Are you, uh- you gonna be okay?"
She smiled. "I'll be just fine after a very long, very cold shower."
Rick practically purred at the images that filled his mind. "Think of me."
"Well that kind of defeats the purpose, doesn't it?" Kate brushed a kiss to his lips. "But I will," she whispered.
Rick stood, held his hands out to help Kate to her feet and then pulled her closer for one last kiss before heading out the door.
He stopped half-way, turned back to her. "You never ended up telling me your comfort book."
Kate huffed out a laugh. "Of course you're still thinking about that," she said, rolling her eyes. But he waited. "Alice in Wonderland."
"Hmm. Seems fitting," he said.
She wasn't quite sure what he meant by that, but she could tell by the sparkle in his eyes that it was nothing bad.
She stepped forward, kissed him goodnight - but not like she had before. This kiss wasn't fuelled by lust or desire, just a genuine appreciation of the man standing in her doorway.
"Goodnight, Rick."
"Until tomorrow, Kate," he replied with a smile.
As he walked away, Kate shut the door behind him. She leant her back against the door and brushed her fingertips to her lips, smiling like an idiot at the memories replaying in her mind.
The bathroom door opened, a stream of light illuminating the apartment as Lanie stepped out.
"Look at you all smitten!" she teased from the doorway.
Kate shook her head but wouldn't try to deny it: she could feel her cheeks blushing. She pushed herself off the door and walked toward her friend.
"Now that I'm a little more awake, I do realise that I probably interrupted something there," Lanie began, apologetically.
"It's fine," Kate assured her, but Lanie waved her hand around not even listening.
"Call him back before he leaves," she said. "I'm going back to bed, I won't bother you."
"No-"
"I'll put on some noise cancelling headphones, listen to The Sounds of The Ocean or something."
Kate laughed. "I appreciate it, but I'm fine."
"Girl, you're crazy!" Lanie declared definitively, walking back to her bedroom. She stopped at the door, looked over her shoulder. "I love you, though."
"Love you, too. Goodnight."