Author's Note: Okay, fine. So maybe the dress-at-work thing is NOT very realistic, but what's the point of fanfiction if you can't make your favorite characters do whatever you want them to? Plus, I did have a plan for the dress, so if you can just let yourself read the chapter without overanalyzing, then I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Did I mention that it's nearly two chapters of smut all rolled into one? ;-D I thought about breaking it into two chapters, but y'all already waited so long for these last couple chapters, I figured I'd be nice and let this one stand at 5,400+ words.

Oh, and in case ANYONE is still following this, here's a reminder for your convenience: this story takes place just after the season two finale, but instead of spending the summer apart, Castle and Beckett go to the beach house together. That means I don't have to address any of the heaviness of seasons three and four and we get to live in a happy world where everything is less angsty. Unless you like that kind of thing, then this is probably not gonna appeal to you. :-)

The Detectives only worked for a couple hours before Kate packed up and asked, "You guys mind if I head out a little early tonight? I've got plans…"

Esposito scanned the little dress she wore and finally asked the question he had wanted to ask all day; "You got a hot date?"

Kate's eyes narrowed on the other Detective and she said, "I sure as hell didn't wear this dress for you, Esposito."

He put his hand over his heart, ostentatiously wounded, and said, "I'm hurt, Beckett. After all our years together and you don't dress pretty for me no more."

Though she threw a pencil end over end toward his chest, she laughed at his poor acting. "Night guys," she concluded as she packed up her stuff and left the precinct. She had a hot meal to pick up and an even hotter male waiting for her at home- At the loft! Not her home, at his home… at his loft.

Unfortunately for her independent peace of mind, she could picture herself there all too easily; spending the night, then a weekend… a week… a month… forever…

During the drive to his home, her mind kept alternating between pleasant, domestic fantasies and sheer terror over the magnitude of what those fantasies meant: she was in true love with Castle, the kind that had the potential to last a life time. So why was she so nervous?

To drown out those troublesome thoughts- as well as the not-so-troubling fantasies- Kate blasted the radio and spent the rest of the drive singing along to whatever non-love songs she could find.

Kate finally arrived and when she saw Castle's boyish smile- and the undisguised lust when his gaze raked over her dress- the nervousness fled, leaving only love and a sense of finally being home. That flood of relief almost made her feel silly for those earlier, uneasy feelings about her and Castle.

"I brought you food," Kate eventually pointed out when it did not seem as though Rick was going to speak or invite her in, or even move out of her way so she could enter. He just stood there, staring. She held the bag up for Castle and then pushed it into his chest when he still did not move. He finally grabbed the bag before it could fall as Kate brushed past him into the loft. Not expecting much from the fabulously unhelpful Mr. Castle, Kate began to remove her jacket to get comfortable, but was surprised when he appeared behind her to help her undress (as he saw it). "Why, good morning, Mr. Castle," she teased.

"I thought you said you didn't own a sundress?" he replied.

"I didn't," she insisted as she turned to face him. "But I saw this yesterday in a shop window and I figured you would appreciate it."

Rick set the takeout bags on the kitchen island and reached for Kate's elbow. Guiding her into his embrace, Rick kissed her gently for only a moment and then smiled. "How would you like to help me actualize a fantasy I've always had?"

Kate slid her arms up around his neck and hummed in contemplation. "Only if you'll help me live out one of my own afterward."

"A Kate Beckett Fantasy?" Rick asked in a teasing way as he closed his arms around her, pulling her closer. "You wouldn't want to tell me what it is- in great detail- right now, would you?"

She shook her head no and said, "First comes your fantasy."

Her seductive smile drew his gaze to her lips and as he closed in on her mouth, he asked, "Fantasy first? Or dinner first?" He was only asking to be polite; they both knew nothing else would be done until they had gotten another taste of each other after two days apart.

"I am pretty hungry," she teased in a quiet, husky voice.

"Me too," Rick agreed suggestively, the low rumble of his breath washing over her lips until finally, he kissed her and showed her just how hungry he was. Only, not for food…

Rick broke away panting and had to put her body away from his roughly, or he may not be able to stop kissing her for hours. Kate's outstretched arms were still on his shoulders and when she tried to pull him back to her, Rick stepped away, took her hands, and began leading her toward his bedroom.

Rick finally stopped by the foot of his bed. He turned to face Kate, but before either could move closer to the other, Castle quickly whipped his own shirt off over his head. Then he pulled Kate to him as he stepped toward her, buried a hand in the hair at the back of her head and tilted it to one side so he could kiss her deeply.

Kate's hands moved to touch his bare skin, starting at his chest, then slipping down, around his ribs, and finally to his back where she pressed her palms flat against him and pulled his body into her own. In the same moment, they each moved a single hand down, to grope at the other's backside, and pull their partner's hips against their own.

Rick eventually broke away from Kate's lips in order to trail hungry kisses across her cheek, over her jaw and down to her neck.

Though Kate tilted her head to afford Castle better access- she even ran a hand through his hair to clutch at the back of his head and hold him against her neck- she asked dubiously, "Your fantasy was about the two of us making out like teenagers?"

"No," he replied, the warm air from his soft laugh washing over her skin and making her shiver. Or maybe that was his tongue on her ear that was causing the trembling?

Who knows and who cares? Kate thought. So long as he keeps doing it.

"Although, if you have the naughty school girl uniform…" he chuckled again. "That's a fantasy for another time. For now, why don't you take my pants off and I'd be happy to show you what I had in mind for you and that dress."

With a naughty smile- because even though it wasn't technically a uniform, Kate did in fact have a little plaid skirt and the knee socks that, with the right accessories, would indeed make her look like a school girl- her hands drifted from his back, over the skin at his waist and down his abs to the fastening of his jeans.

Pushing the pants down, Kate studied his body as it was bared. "Are you going to undress me now?" Kate asked finally, looking back up at his face.

When Rick shook his head no, Kate frowned. With his mischievous smile, he kissed her lips once more, quickly, before he stepped away and took a seat on the edge of his bed. He opened his knees and directed Kate by his hands on her hips to stand between them. His hands drifted up to cover her torso, exploring her body in the dress much like he did when she wore that leather outfit. Then, just as now, it was not enough for Rick to simply see Kate in these appealing costumes, he had to touch her while she wore them to truly appreciate the way she wore them.

Finally, his hands skimmed down her waist, her hips, her legs, and all the way down to her calves. When he got to one ankle, he gave a pointed tug and, balancing carefully with her hands on his shoulders, Kate lifted her foot for him. Rick slipped the high black heel off her foot and moved to take off the other one. When her feet were bare, Castle's grasp slid up her legs, under her dress. He groped her backside for a long moment, molding his hands to the perfect round shape before he squeezed and pulled her closer to him. He pressed many soft kisses to her abdomen, letting them slowly drift from the center and across her ribs, his nose following the bottom curve of her breasts as he moved. He drifted back toward the center and across, but this time, his kisses travelled directly over her breasts. When he began sucking at her though the material, his fingers curled beneath the lacy band of her panties and slowly, he began pulling them down as he continued to tease her.

The lace hit the floor and when Kate stepped out of it, she knew what Rick was up to; he wanted to leave her clothes on, he was not going to undress her at all. With no more confusion in her mind, Kate gently pushed Castle away from her chest and leaned down to kiss him. He moved back- or Kate pushed him, neither knew which- and she followed him down, climbing on the bed to follow him up toward the pillows. She crawled over him and when they finally stopped, Kate sat down on his hips, her center hot on his arousal though neither moved to join together quite yet.

Kate straightened up over him and asked dubiously, "This was your fantasy?"

"I thought it would be fun," Rick said with a casual shrug. Then he adjusted her full skirt, fanning it out across his abdomen and draping it over her thighs, as he asked, "It kind of feels like we're sneaking, doesn't it? And you look so pretty in your dress that I don't want to take it off of you yet."

Kate's hands moved over his chest, touching his warm skin while they talked. It was kind of exhilarating to be fully dressed while an incredibly sexy man was laid out- naked - beneath her. "Well, you better enjoy it while you can, because I am never wearing a dress to work again," she told him before leaning down to kiss him.

Rick pulled away and frowned. "Why not?"

"Because exactly what I said would happen, did happen. The suspect today only ran because he thought he could get away from the lady cop in the silly dress and heels. And on top of that, Ryan and Esposito think they can get away with recording my takedown and teasing me with it. They don't have nearly enough respect for me when I'm in a dress."

Suddenly, Rick pulled his hands away from exploring her thighs and grimaced. "Uh… could we not talk about… them… while I'm naked?"

Kate laughed then asked with a raised eyebrow, "How about when I'm naked?"

With a puckish smile and his own cocky eyebrow, Castle told her, "You can say whatever you want when you're naked, baby, 'cause I won't hear a damn thing."

Her eyes narrowed on him dangerously and Rick decided it was probably a good time to distract her; he slipped his hands around her back and pulled her down to him to stop their conversation altogether.

Rick's hands explored her body as they kissed, moving under her skirt and over her bodice. He touched her bare shoulders and her back, but avoided the zipper pointedly to remind himself not to undress her.

Eventually, he did slide one strap off her shoulder so he could pull the neckline of her dress down low enough to expose one single, perfect beast. And Kate helpfully leaned up over him to press it into his mouth. She could not handle the stimulation for long and when she sat back down, she was ready for him. They came together easily amidst happy sighs and moans. They moved together and they touched and kissed and when Kate's slim legs began to grow tired, Rick flipped them over to drive them toward completion. Her wavy hair fanned across his pillow and her skirt was hiked up around her waist, which made Rick remember clandestine trysts with eager fangirls in semi-public places. Even though his bedroom was not technically a public place and Kate definitely was not a fangirl (at least, she would never admit to it, even if she was), the fantasy added to the excitement that Castle had always felt when he was with her. Now that he thought about it, he was probably a bigger fan of Kate than she could ever be of him. She did not spend hours and hours of time writing fantasies about him and sometimes even getting paid for it.

Kate arched under him, reclaiming that little bit of focus that had wandered away from her, and Rick trailed his hand down her body, guiding her legs up to wrap around his waist. He fell closer to her as she complied and he whispered in her ear that he loved her. Kate gazed up at him and did not smile, did not reply verbally, but did that thing with her hips that she knew that he loved, making him groan. Rick fell even closer, burying his face in her neck to kiss her skin between moans and whispers and Kate held him tight, her arms and legs wrapped around his body. Soon she was making those gasps and whimpers that meant she was about to break, so Rick kissed her in order to drink in those sounds of pleasure. He followed her closely over the edge, pulling back some so he could watch her face as she came back down to earth. He wanted to record her sounds so he could play them back whenever he wanted- mostly during those interminable hours while she was at work and he was "writing"- or maybe just video tape her face as they made love so he could study all her beautiful expressions. But he could imagine her probably response to that idea and the thought made him smile.

Kate's eyes blinked open lazily but when she noticed Castle's boyish grin, her gaze narrowed on him. "Oh, stop congratulating yourself and go get me some dinner. I'm starved."

Rick's smile turned smug though and his next words set her eyes rolling. "Good sex does tend to make a person hungry."

She really wanted to deny it or make some sarcastic retort, just to knock him down a peg or two and wipe that insufferable- adorable- smile off his face. But she found that she no longer had the energy to lie so extravagantly. Plus, that smile was actually quite charming, a fact that used to (and sometimes still did) annoy her to no end. So, with a reluctant sigh, she decided to stoke his ego instead and the fact that she almost never fed into his ego like that was sure to throw him off- which would be its own reward. "Well, then, great sex must make a person famished. So you better feed me quickly because those ears of yours are beginning to look pretty tasty." To emphasize her point, she leaned up and took his earlobe between her teeth, nibbling gently.

Despite the shudder that tore through his body, he chuckled huskily and pushed away from her. He stood over the bed as he donned his jeans, not bothering with his undershorts, because he had no intention of allowing Kate to replace hers. It would just be unfair then to wear underpants if Kate was not allowed to, right? He smiled over that logic as he grabbed up Kate's hands and pulled her out of bed.

She had been lounging there, watching as he dressed, not bothering to push her skirt down to cover herself or hide the sated smile gracing her sleepy lips. Then groaning, she went reluctantly as Rick pulled her back out to the kitchen. "I thought you were going to feed me in bed," she complained.

"I thought I just did," he threw over his shoulder along with a charmingly roguish smile.

Kate rolled her eyes, unable to believe she had set him up for that lame innuendo. Rick finally began to unpack the bag containing their dinner so Kate excused herself to go to the bathroom.

"Okay," Rick said in warning. "But don't put your panties back on. I already took them off of you once tonight; I do not want to have to do it again."

As he had hoped, Kate laughed. She suspected… no, she knew he would not mind having the opportunity to peel the lacy garment from her body again (he loved undressing her, it seemed, just as much as he loved touching her bare skin) but she obeyed his command no matter how much a part of her wanted to rebel. She knew the rewards for obedience would far outshine the slight to her stubborn independence.

When she returned to the main room, Rick was on the floor in front of the blazing fireplace, set up on a little picnic setting she had not noticed earlier. She had been a little preoccupied. But he must have laid it out before she arrived because there was a blanket covered with pillows and set with plates, glasses, and guttering candles scattered about. She had not been gone that long.

They ate slowly and while they did, they talked. They laughed over Ryan's recording of her takedown that day and while sharing it with her boyfriend, she realized she was not really all that annoyed with Ryan for taking it. Rick's eyes glowed with boyish excitement as he described the video to her (even though she had lived it, she was interested to hear Rick's unique narrative of the event) and it was almost enough to persuade her to wear a dress to work every day, if only to see him light up like that.

"Stop staring at me like that, or I won't let you finish your dinner," he warned her suggestively. But it made Kate smile.

"You promise?" she dared him, her eyes taking in all of his long, half-bare form stretched out along the blanket.

He narrowed his eyes on her in feigned annoyance but quickly finished the last few bites.

"Finally," Kate muttered when the remains of his dinner were gone. Quickly discarding her own empty plate, she moved toward him on her knees and Rick rose up similarly to meet her in the middle.

"Do you have any idea how distracting it is, trying to focus on food when I know you're practically naked under that dress?" he murmured between kisses and nips to her neck and shoulders. His hand slipped beneath the hem to caress her bare bottom underneath.

"Only half as distracting as trying to eat a meal while sitting across from a half-dressed man," she countered, arching her back to push her bottom into his hands and tilting her head to give him better access to her neck.

He chuckled his acknowledgement and the warm, happy air washed over her damp neck making her shiver. "We're even then," he concluded.

"Hmm," she hummed contemplatively.

But she did not say anymore because Castle was slowly lowering the zipper at her back, caressing the skin with his fingertips as it was exposed.

Having tasted her once already, Castle was not in any hurry the second time around.

The slow, soft, lingering kisses he pressed to her body slowly travelled lower. As he studied the shape of her clavicle with his mouth, his hands slipped back under her dress. His studies eventually brought him down to her sternum as his hands began pulling her skirt up toward her waist. He reached the neckline of her lovely dress, but decided his attention would be better spent on the swells straining against the fabric and not the pretty pattern of flowers covering her body from his view. His grasp slipped up to her ribs, holding her in place as he travelled soft lips across the twin hills of her chest.

Much like past boyfriends, Kate knew what she liked with it came to sex. She had recently compared Castle to past experiences and decided that she liked his playfulness and childish desire to touch everything. Every time. But she had not compared herself to past experience and she realized that like her past men, she too often skipped the play and the experimentation because she already knew what she liked, what she wanted. One man had called her 'demanding' because she often prompted him when they were together. But how else would he know what she liked if she didn't tell him?

With Castle, she was a different person. With anyone else, Kate would have torn off her dress a long time ago and probably directed his mouth right where she wanted it, but right now… she was as caught up as Rick in the soft slip of warm lips against smooth skin and gentle fingertips grasping at quivering muscles. She did not have to direct him- or more accurately, she did not want to direct him- because these moments (okay, hours) with him were as much about the exploration, the rediscovery as it was about the sex.

So Kate did not have to tell him she was ready- way past ready, honestly- for Rick to remove her dress. Her quickened, heavy breaths pushing her chest into his mouth told him now was the time.

Rick smoothed his hands up her sides, gently prompting her to raise her arms, and drew the gauzy thing over her head when she complied. He turned away to make sure he did not damage the lovely dress on any of the many candles around them (he was already planning the next occasion when he might persuade her to wear it for him again) and when he turned back to her, Kate's gaze held his rapt attention. Without taking his eyes away from hers, Rick smoothed her ruffled hair back, replacing the strands he had mussed. Not that she looked any worse for the imperfections; on the contrary, she looked utterly ravishable.

"Is 'ravishable' a word?" he suddenly asked.

Despite the randomness of the question, Kate was not confused. She could guess where Rick's mind had been and her slow smile told him that she found it funny. "You're the writer, love. You tell me."

Returning the smile, he said, "Well, it should be." He loved the fact that she was exploring her newfound ability to use sappy endearments for him and though he was curious to hear what new names she would discover, he particularly liked that last one. It told him in subtext how she felt about him if he was the embodiment of 'love' for her. So he told her, "I know what you're thinking."

Her look was one of challenge mixed with doubt. "Do you?" When he simply nodded in reply, Kate said sarcastically, "Oh, please. Tell me what I'm thinking then."

Though he knew she was probably expecting a joke, a taunt, or a boast meant to stroke his own ego- regardless of whether or not she laughed at him for it- Castle's gaze turned serious, his low voice hypnotic. "You're surprised about how much you love me. You're thinking about the person you become when you're with me. And how much you like it." His hand went to cup her cheek, his thumb sweetly caressing her lower lip as he studied her vibrant eyes. "You make me different too though, Kate. Every time we're together, you make me better."

Kate was moved beyond words, assuming she could even find the right words to begin with, but at his last line, she had to tease him a little. "Did you just quote Fabolous at me?"

Rick frowned in thought and when he realized what he had done, he laughed. "Here I am, trying to be sweet and serious- a minor miracle you seem to have completely missed- and you're the one being a smart ass."

"You like my ass," she retorted, twitching said body part back and forth to remind Rick's hands of their new location. He squeezed, but before he could confirm or deny, Kate spoke again. "But you're not through telling me what I'm thinking. You forgot one or two things, which is surprising because I thought I was thinking them rather loudly."

Rick watched her smile, her tongue darting out to moisten her lips. "Oh," he said, and when she arched her chest into his body, he added, "Oh. Really?"

"Yes please."

Neither of them had to say out loud what she was thinking at this point- it would have defeated the purpose anyway. They returned to actions instead.

His hands finally smoothed up her back and released the clasp of her bra. He pushed the straps down her shoulders slowly, kissing her skin as he went. When the bra fell to the floor, Kate finally lifted her hands to touch him. From his waist, up his sides and around to his back, holding him closer. Rick was placing those nibbling little kisses that she usually loved along her shoulder, but he had already done that for a while tonight and she was ready for more. Putting her hand to his cheek, Kate guided him back to her mouth and kissed him. She had teased him before instead of giving him her own paltry words of love, words she feared would never be enough, would never compare to his. So instead of words now, she poured everything she felt into this slow, intense kiss. With the slip of her hands over his body, she told him that she loved the physical presence of him. With the press of her lips to his, she told him how much she loved who he was- author, partner, father, tormentor, all of it. And with the clever stroke of her tongue against his, she told him how much she loved his mind, even when it was conjuring up endless new ways to tease her (like the way his tongue would stroke hers for a moment and then pull away as if teasing her into playing some erotic game of tongue-tag).

Luckily he seemed to understand everything she was not saying. Rick moaned deeply into her kiss and clutched her close. When that was not enough, he slipped his hands down, down her body and to her legs. When he sat back on his feet, he tugged her with him, pulling her onto his lap, his hands guiding her thighs to either side of his waist.

Kate had nothing to support her weight except Castle's body under her own, her arms around his shoulders, her legs bracketing his hips and when her core landed on his jeans, she moaned.

Rick broke away to lean her body back. When he laid her down on their picnic blanket, he thought he liked this look a lot better than the earlier one, the one where she was still clothed, no matter how titillating that scene had been. With her soft eyes on him and her body bared to his uninterrupted study, he thought he might even like this look better than a few nights ago when she wore her leather outfit for him.

Kisses trailed over her lips, down her throat and across her chest. She clutched at him, tried to bring him back to her mouth, and when that did not work, at least hold him to her chest. But Rick would not be held for long and he kept on, obviously set on a particular target now. When his mouth found its goal, Kate gasped, her body writhing under the stroke of his tongue on wet, swollen flesh.

Pathetic whimpers tore from her throat and when he glanced up her body to see her face as he pleasured her, Kate gasped, "No, Castle. I need you."

She couldn't even find it in her to be annoyed by his slow, cocky grin. Kate just exulted that it meant he was going to comply and finally give her what she wanted. Rick stood on his knees to quickly rid himself of his jeans and when he was lowering his body over her, Kate welcomed him with eager arms. Her hands slid over his chest and down. When she took him in her hand, she stroked him once, twice, and then placed him at her entrance. Happy hands went to his back side and urged him into her tight embrace. He fell to her slowly, taking time to enjoy their sighs and moans of pleasure as he sank into her body once again.

Their only movements for a while were small twitches and shifts that would bring their bodies more deeply together as they held each other's gaze.

Rick smiled tenderly before asking, "Was this your fantasy, love?"

Her answering smile was smug when she shook her head and replied, "You set this up, babe. This is another one of your fantasies, not mine."

When Rick frowned adorably, Kate wanted to laugh. "Do you… is this okay? Do you want to do this somewhere else?"

Kate sighed happily but knew better than to tease him again right now. She looked around her at the plush blanket beneath her, the flickering candles throwing shadows over everything, and the warmth from the fire place heating their bare bodies. Then she looked up at the man who had arranged it all for her and she smiled. Smoothing her hand over his hair affectionately, she told him, "If this wasn't a fantasy before, it sure is now. It's beautiful, Rick. And I wouldn't change anything." Her smile turned sly, naughty, when she added, "Except maybe the pace with which you're moving in and out of me."

"I'm not…" he began but broke off with a smile. "Oh."

"Exactly," Kate agreed, shifting her hips beneath him.

Castle did not give in to the taunt quite yet, tempting though she might be. Instead, he told her, "I was right about one thing though."

"That's a first," she teased and when he frowned petulantly, Kate laughed. Her fingers soothed his ear as if in apology and she asked, "What were you right about?"

"How lovely you look in the firelight, spread out beneath me on the floor. Even then, my fantasies didn't do you justice." He leaned down and kissed her briefly before putting his lips to her ear. "Can we stay just like this forever?"

"No," she insisted and when Castle pulled back, surprised, her knees dropped out to each side, her hands slipped down over his bum and she squeezed him closer. "I want you moving already!" she insisted. So much for not having to prompt Rick, she silently complained.

Though his breath faltered for her shifting, he rolled his eyes with teasing exasperation when he retorted, "That's what I meant!" and then, before she could reply, he grabbed her thigh to hold her still as he pulled away and quickly drove back home again. "I want this to last forever," he clarified breathlessly.

A/N: This was amusing; I use the word 'ravishable' in this story somewhere, and Microsoft did not want to accept that as a word. Rick's question wasn't so stupid after all. ;-D