Hot in the Hamptons

"Castle, I know I'm not easy to get to know or understand at times but I changed my mind. I do want to go to the Hamptons with you." Kate's beer bottle shook in her hands as she waited his response. When she saw the smile creep up on his lips, she didn't fight her smile at all.

"Glad to hear that. What do you say that we get out of here right now." The urgency in his eyes and voice oozed over the moment. He reached for her hand and it fit like the missing piece of his jigsaw puzzle heart.

"Whoa, Castle I had no idea." It was early in the morning, the sun hadn't fully risen and here she was, standing in front of his Hampton house. She had high hopes for this trip and it was secretly understood by the both of them. Even though the thought of it not working out plagued her mind, she tuned all of those things out.

"I don't bring everyone here Kate. This is special, I want you to know that." He helped her out of the car and his hand lingered on hers a moment longer. "Go in and I'll get the bags."

When she stepped inside, the house was overwhelming. The grand foyer was just that, grand. Between the woodwork and the high end pieces, she felt more like she was in a museum rather than her partners house. He dragged the bags inside and dropped them down at her feet.

"What do you think?" He beamed so proudly and all she could think about was how he had said that this was special. She didn't know what his expectations were nor did she know what she hoped would end up happening this summer.

"It's amazing! How did you do all this by yourself?" He watched her take in the room and his heart fluttered in his chest. He never thought that in a million years he would get her to come with him. And they were going to be alone together this entire summer.

"I had help. You don't think that I can do all this by myself do you?" His arms swept the room and she fought herself from falling into his open arms. Her desire flowed within her but she shoved it away.

This trip will be very different, she thought. Because she wanted more out of their partnership and that's what she hoped he meant as well by asking her on this trip. She packed for the occasion as well. The lingerie she tossed underneath everything else, at last minute, was burning a hole in her suitcase. Lanie had helped her pick it out a while ago when she started dating Tom. It never felt right to wear it for him. They had never crossed that line. It wasn't what she imagined things would be like. He wasn't Castle. And when he asked her to go with him, part of her wished it was Castle asking, she wished it was with him whom she was intimate with.

This trip could change everything. And she was more than prepared for just that. He was as well. When he thought of asking her, he felt foolish. How could he ask her without scaring her off? He wanted this trip to be more though he didn't let on when he first asked her. He so hoped that she caught on so he wouldn't have to break it down. He even managed to plan the moment in which to tell her so.

She shook her head and let him give her a tour. And when he showed her, her room, she cringed. She knew that things couldn't get started right off the bat but she somehow wished it would. The cravings for him were becoming too much to control. There was no bull pen to buffer their feelings for each other. They were alone, phones turned off with a whole possible summer ahead of them.

"I'll let you get settled while I make us a breakfast. Coffee?" She didn't need words to respond, her smile more than answered his question.

It was their I love you, that coffee that he always brought. It was an unspoken feeling. She fell back onto the bed and ran her finger along the rose pattern on the quilt.

She kicked off her boots and slid out of her work pants and work shirt. The black and white fabric were stripped and she happily kicked them aside. She unzipped her bag and pulled out the little red sundress she bought on her way home last night. When he came at around two in the morning to get here, she thought he was crazy. And now, she was certain she was.

He got the mugs ready to go and the coffee pot began brewing possibilities. He made his homemade, instant, pancakes and waited for her to come back down. He had a nervous sweat gliding along his skin, so off his shirt went. He regretted not changing first when he was most certain she was already doing so. He clicked off the burner and ran to his clothes.

She unlinked her bra because her dress didn't permit the use of one and she was more than comfortable without it on. She opened the adjoining bathroom door and was even more surprised. It felt just like home. Sure the rooms were more upscale than most but it wasn't too much. The brass knobs were the only thing that set this room apart from her own.

But when she looked in the mirror, she was horrified. Her eyes had circles under them and her hair was too wind blown and not in the sexy way.

"I knew the window down was a bad idea." She ran her brush through her hair and tried to get the kinks out. She flipped her head a few times and she accomplished the look she was going for. She ran her fingers along her short hair and silently hoped that it would grow out in time for him. The last haircut she got freaked her out at first but it was practical. But the minute she met him, she regretted loosing her long locks.

MORE WILL COME…