A/N: Thank you to everyone out there reading! All of your reviews, alerts, favorites truly humble me and fuel me to write!
So, this chapter contains some fluffy smut (or smutty fluff?). Anyway, I hope you enjoy...
She woke to the feeling of a soft breeze on her forehead. For a moment, Kate thought she was still on the small boat that she had been on in her dream, bobbing up and down in the surf as she slept. However, she quickly realized that she was not resting in a boat, but rather atop a very warm, asleep, and naked Richard Castle, and that there was no wind except for his soft breath on her face. Her body rose with each inhalation and she smiled contently. Opening her eyes, she let them adjust to the dark room, dimly illuminated from the lights outside, until the shadows of his face came into focus.
I can't believe I'm laying on top of Castle. Correction, laying naked on top of Castle.
She rested her chin on her hands, piled one on top of the other, and studied his face, marveling at the unpredictability of life and all that had changed between them in less than 12 hours. Of course the last two and a half years had led up to tonight, but to Kate, all that had transpired at the gala was still somewhat unexpected. She closed her eyes, feeling the emotions of the night come down upon her. She knew she should be panicking by now, knew she should succumb to the uncertainty that lurked somewhere in the recesses of her mind, but instead she simply felt happy. And safe.
She watched him as he slept, his features so familiar, yet somehow new as she realized this was the first time she had seen him sleep.
So many firsts.
He looked younger and more peaceful than she could ever remember. Resting her cheek on his chest, she inhaled deeply before tilting her head and kissing him there, gently so as to not to wake him. She knew her exhausted body couldn't take anymore just yet. She delicately stretched her legs, the soreness of her lower half bearing witness to just how extraordinary he truly was. She returned her cheek back to his chest, his heartbeat echoing in her ear, angling her neck to watch him again as he slept. The minutes passed as Kate silently wondered what he was dreaming of, secretly hoping it was of her.
"You know, for someone who calls me 'creepy' when I watch you work, you're doing a pretty good job of sleep stalking me right now," Castle's groggy voice said, his eyes still closed.
"How did you know I was awake?" Kate said moving her head off his chest in surprise.
"I could feel and hear your very long and lovely eye lashes against my chest each time you blinked," Castle said opening his eyes, and batting his eyelids at her for emphasis.
Kate shook her head. "You could not hear my eyelashes on your chest, Castle."
"Wanna bet? I have excellent hearing. It's one of my many Spidey-ninja super skills. Don't make me show you my skills again, Detective," he joked, squeezing her bottom teasingly.
With that, Kate rolled off the top of him, pulling the sheet up under her arms.
"You're ridiculous," she said smiling, turning on her side to face him.
"Ridiculously awesome is what I think you meant to say," Castle said, turning towards her, raising his eyebrows and placing his hand around her waist to scoot her closer so their foreheads were practically touching.
"Good morning," Castle said in a hushed tone, brushing his lips to hers.
"Is it morning? What time is it?" Kate asked snuggling her body closer, suddenly feeling cold under the thin sheet.
Castle glanced over her shoulder at the nightstand where the clock glowed 3:52.
"Almost 4. So we were asleep about two and a half hours," Castle said running his finger tips up and down her back, feeling her shiver with his touch.
"Two and a half hours! That's it? No wonder I'm so exhausted. Well that, and you," she said planting a kiss solidly on his mouth.
"Me? Are you kidding? Um, let's not forget that someone was trying to take it to round 3.5 at about 1:15. Thankfully, I was able to talk you down, otherwise we wouldn't have slept at all!" Castle said authoritatively.
"Touché, Mr. Castle. Touché," Kate said shaking her head at his all too true accusation and gazing into his eyes which somehow still sparkled in the low light. In that instant, she felt it: her chest swelling, her stomach somersaulting, her heart lurching with a pang that Kate had rarely experienced before tonight.
I love you.
"Rick…" Kate started, but then looked away suddenly, desperately wanting to actually say the words in her head aloud, but holding back because that was who she had been for so long, and it was so terribly hard to break away from that part of her.
"I love you," he said, finishing her thoughts like he had so many times before.
She looked back into his eyes. She opened her mouth to attempt to return the sentiment, but Castle continued.
"Do you know the first time I knew that I was falling for you?" Castle continued as he pulled her flush with him, his mouth talking into her hair.
"No," Kate said, her breath hitching at the unbelievable warmth of his body against hers. She would never get used to this.
He paused, wondering if what he was about to say would upset her, but he didn't care. He wanted her to know.
"It was when you told me about your mother and showed me her ring," Castle said feeling her pull away slightly to look at him. Her face was hard to read in the darkness, but from the years of studying every nuance of her expressions, he knew she was not upset, just surprised.
Kate shook her head in disbelief.
"But that… that was, years ago. We had only been working together a few months," Kate said her mind thinking back to that day, trying to recall the details of the conversation.
"I know. I hardly knew you then. You definitely made sure of it up until that point. You're very stubborn, you know," chastising her teasingly as he kissed her forehead.
"But when you opened up, just for those few minutes, to tell me about something so important as her and your dad, well, I got a glimpse of something, someone…you."
His eyes studied her face, and he thought he detected a bit of glossiness to her eyes that hadn't been there before, but he couldn't be sure in the darkness. "I knew then I was smitten, but I wasn't in love with you. But I knew I would be. Someday."
He felt her breaths coming faster as he clutched her to his body.
"Think about it. How could I not fall in love with someone that possesses your strength and compassion? Someone who has inspired me to write thousands upon thousands of words, yet somehow can render me speechless with one look? Someone like that… you demanded my attention and my affections."
He hugged her tightly. Kate dipped her head, feeling herself blush at his words.
"Not to mention you're utterly beautiful inside and out," Castle finished, lifting her chin with his fingers so she was forced to look at him.
Kate swallowed, struggling to keep her emotions in check. She had never had a man make her cry in front of him, the only exception being her father when she had confronted him about his self-destructive habits after her mother had died. She much preferred to deal with any emotions via a punching bag or drown them in a stiff drink. But these tears were foreign to her. She wasn't angry or sad, she was moved.
"Oh," was all she could muster without having her emotions take complete control of her body. She somehow willed the tears from spilling out.
Castle smiled, knowing she was having a tough time with this. But he pushed her still.
"Your turn now. So, when did you know you wanted me?" he said moving his eyebrows up and down suggestively.
Kate pulled her lips together trying not to smile at his silliness. She looked up, furrowing her brow, pretending to think hard about the answer. Truth was, her side of the story was more complicated, more like a collection of hundreds of moments. Some that made her want him in a purely physical way, much to her initial shock and annoyance. But so many others had cultivated the unlikely connection that had finally matured into friendship and ultimately much more. She looked at him, smiling back at her expectantly. Nope, she wasn't going to tell him about the physical aspects tonight. She'd never hear the end of it.
"Well, I suppose it was around the time of that case we worked at Kyra's wedding," Kate said slowly.
"Ha! I knew it! I knew you were jealous of Kyra. Especially when you saw the pictures of when I kissed her," Castle said smugly.
"Actually, no. I was not jealous that you kissed her, I was actually pissed because you didn't listen to me and you were screwing with my investigation," Kate said cocking one eyebrow up at him.
She continued, her tone softer and more serious.
"But maybe… maybe I was a little bit jealous of how you looked at her," Kate said watching her fingers as they traced across his broad chest.
"How I looked at her?" Castle asked.
"Uh-huh. I found myself wishing that you looked at me that way."
Castle's silence demanded that she continue.
"You know, with such emotion and… longing," Kate said her eyes darting back up to meet his briefly.
"You mean, kinda like how I'm looking at you right now," Castle answered, squeezing her hip gently.
Her heart felt like it was beating in her stomach.
"I suppose," Kate said with a hint of a smile, intending to give him a soft kiss, but with the sensation of his lips on hers, instantly deciding she wanted, no needed more. She deepened the kiss, feeling his hands softly caress her back, igniting the fire in her belly once more.
Kate pulled away, rolling on her back. Her hand rested on her forehead as she breathed heavily, staring at the ceiling. She took a deep breath and continued, finding that the words came more easily for some reason.
"And, when you were there for me through the whole Coonan debacle… I knew I could count on you then. Knew I could trust you as my partner. I didn't want to admit that I needed anyone before then. That I wanted anyone before then. And I hoped maybe you saw me as more than just a work partner, that maybe, one day, you'd feel some of what you felt for Kyra, well, for me…"
Castle snaked his arm over her waist, pulling her closer as she turned on her side facing away from him. He spooned her, his chin finding her shoulder as he talked into her ear.
"You know what? I take it back. I don't look at you like I looked at Kyra. I don't look at you like I've ever looked at any other woman for that matter. You know why? Because I've never had these feelings for anyone before, Kate. Not ever," he said with an urgent and almost desperate tone.
He pressed his lips to her bare shoulder and she turned her head back to kiss him, hesitating a moment before she finally whispered, "I love you," just before his lips silenced her.
Castle murmured between now heated kisses that he planted almost feverishly on her lips and neck, "Say it again."
She turned herself over to face him, still melding her lips to his. He pulled her body forcefully against him, both tingling with new desire. Kate's head was spinning as she felt her body wanting to melt into him. She pulled herself back from him momentarily, feeling more confident and wanting to relish the moment.
"I love you," Kate repeated, kissing him delicately now, her lips controlling the pace.
"Gentle," Kate whispered, Castle returning a tender kiss in understanding.
His arm travelled down the curve of her lower spine and continued until he reached the back of her thigh, Kate instinctively easing it up towards his waist, opening herself to him. Both shifted towards the other silently, kissing in short bursts, until they found one another and connected with one nudge of his hips. He moved slowly now, almost drifting into her.
Kate felt every centimeter of him as he moved, generating a thick, deep heat that spread slowly, like the warmth of hot chocolate on a wintry day, comforting her from the inside out. Castle felt her hand gripping his shoulder, then his neck, pulling her torso against him as he continued his deliberate swaying of his body into hers. Her mouth sought out his neck, then his ear, needing something to sustain her.
"Rick…" she exhaled into his ear.
He loved this slow pace, agony clashing with ecstasy for the same moment. He deepened his journey, Kate's body willing and forgiving of the pleasant torture. She felt her climax unfolding, causing her hips to twist unexpectedly, creating just enough friction that Castle suddenly pulled in his breath, exhaling in a stacked pant of release.
Her body quivered with aftershocks as he slowly withdrew, still holding her impossibly close.
"One more time…" he whispered, nuzzling her neck with his nose.
"Rick, for god's sake! We need to sleep…" Kate said, shocked that he was suggesting another go round.
"No, no. That's not what I was talking about, my little 'sex kitten'. I meant, say it one more time…" he said murmuring into her neck.
Kate grabbed his chin firmly from her neck and gave him a pointed look.
"Castle, call me your 'sex kitten' again, and you will not be 'getting any' for awhile, capisci?" she said, her voice slipping into a perfect Italian accent.
"Got it," Castle said a slight crack to his voice, but loving her authority and use of a romance language in bed.
She is so freaking hot.
"Oh and Castle, one more thing…" Kate said still holding his chin in her hand.
"Yeah?" he asked almost nervously.
Kate pressed her lips to his mouth decisively.
"I love you."
A/N: For some reason, I almost feel like I should end it here, although I didn't intend to when I started this chapter... I was going to go into the ride along (remember from way back when at the gala?) and how things go at the precinct, etc., but maybe this is it for this story... don't know yet... thoughts?
Anyways, thanks to everyone again! -KB