Title: A Little Inspiration

Summary: Castle's distracted phone calls leave Kate wanting, so she decides to serve up a little inspiration.

Rating: M

Spoilers: Always, established Caskett, assumes Kate is back as a detective

Disclaimer: I don't own Castle. If I did, well… lets just make a vague reference to Castle and Beckett and bunnies and leave it at that.

A/N: I don't usually write many adult stories but there's something about these characters that's just… um, inspiring.

Reviews always appreciated!

Kate felt certain that Gates was evil. Why else would the woman let her come back to the precinct, resume her old position as though her resignation had never happened, only to put Kate on call for every murder that occurred between the hours of midnight and six AM? It essentially amounted to a permanent night shift and the weird hours, which were even weirder than normal, had left her systems completely out of whack.

Of course, because of this strange cycle she was in, when Castle called her at 3 PM on a Sunday, she was just crawling up that hill from full sleep to wakefulness when she answered.

"Beckett," she said into her cell phone, having already seen the caller ID but knowing that her boyfriend still liked to hear that authority in her voice.

"Kate, I need help," he said.

All traces of sleep left her system as Kate sat upright in bed, pulling off the covers even as she reached for a pair of pants to pull on.

"What's wrong?" she demanded, not bothering with a bra as she shrugged her way into a shirt grabbed at random from her closet and pulled on her shoes without socks.

"Um… nothing's wrong, exactly…"

His tone halted her quick movements as she realized he was not calling over an emergency. That tone was not his panicked-Castle tone. Rather, it spoke more of a quasi-bored, wanting-to-call-her-but-not-having-a-good-enough-reason-to-possibly-wake-her tone.

"Castle, you scared me to death," she scolded. "Next time you call me for help-"

"But I do need help," he interrupted. "Just not the badge-and-gun kind of help. Although, actually, the gun and badge may be of assistance-"

"Castle!" she said abruptly, interrupting. "I just woke up from about six hours of sleep, and if you average that over the last two weeks, that's sleeping in."

"Do you need to go back to sleep?" he asked, clearly concerned.

Sighing, she said, "No, I'm awake now. What do you need my help with?"

The other side of the line went quiet and Kate checked to see if her phone had dropped the call. But no, it showed as still connected. "Castle?" she queried. Then she tried, "Rick, you still there?"

"Um… yeah," he said, although he sounded distracted. She listened more intently and as she did, she realized that she could discern the sound of keys tapping on a laptop.

"Are you writing?"

"Actually, at the moment... yes. That's why I called you. I was kind of stuck on a scene and I needed some inspiration for Nikki Heat. Just hold on a second…"

More tapping.

Seconds went by, and then more seconds. Dutifully, Kate waited. Finally, once she decided that at least a minute had passed, she said, "Time's up, Castle."

Ten seconds passed - she counted – until he said, "Huh? Oh yeah, Kate. How did you sleep?"

The question sounded distracted, and she could still hear the tapping in the background. At first, this scenario had been relatively amusing, both his calling her for inspiration and his inability to focus on more than one thing at a time. But it was quickly morphing into irritation as he seemed more intent on typing than on talking to her.

"You called me, remember?" she said. "You said you needed my help."

"I do."

She waited for more from him, but nothing else came, just more typing.

"Castle?"

"Yeah?" he answered after the requisite ten second delay.

"I'm hanging up now."

She waited, just to see if that would get his attention. The attempt succeeded, yet not in the way she had hoped.

"Okay, I'll talk to you later."

Rolling her eyes, she hit the 'End' button on her cell without another word and proceeded to get dressed in a more leisurely, relaxed manner.

Castle called again an hour later while Kate was drinking a cup of coffee and reading a book. Ostensibly it was her day off, but with the schedule Gates had her on, that was uncertain at best. She and Castle had talked about spending the day together, but he was clearly too ensconced in his writing to call.

At least, that was what she thought until her phone rang again and his picture appeared on the screen. Smiling despite her earlier annoyance with him, she answered, "Hello."

"What, no 'Beckett'?" Castle asked. "You know I love it when you do that."

"Well you must have missed it earlier," she stated. "And you better not be only calling me for my phone answering voice."

"Oh, definitely not why I'm calling."

"Need more inspiration?" Kate guessed.

"Actually, I do. And I have a procedural question for you." Without waiting, he launched into it. "If you're questioning a suspect and he invokes his right to counsel…"

As he outlined the question, the detective felt her ire building. Had he seriously only called her about a hypothetical for his novel? She had not seen the man in over three days and this, their second phone call of the day, was still about his writing? Being a muse was more fun when they were only partners, she realized, and not lovers.

Except… she could certainly make it more fun, couldn't she? After all, wasn't that what muses were for, to shake things up a bit?

After answering his simple 'procedural question,' which seemed to stretch on for ten minutes into a highly detailed and improbable hypothetical, Kate made a point to quickly get off the phone. Castle barely noticed as he went back to his writing.

After taking a long, hot bath, Kate wrapped herself in a towel and opened her bedroom closet wide as she searched for the perfect costume for what she had planned.

Her knock on the door was neither soft nor particularly loud – just three short raps. Glancing at her watch, she noticed the time to be about 8 PM. She had already texted both Martha and Alexis and while the latter was already back at her dorm studying the former had agreed to clear out for the evening an hour earlier. Meanwhile, Castle was just inside, none the wiser to her nefarious plan.

Kate knew he must be writing as he did not come to open the door. She considered knocking again or texting him but then decided to just use the key he had given her some weeks prior. They had only been dating for a few months, so she was hesitant to let herself into the loft. But this occasion seemed an appropriate time and it would work well for her plan.

Closing and locking the front door quietly behind her, Kate made her way across the darkened loft towards Castle's office. She could hear him tapping away at his computer through the open bookcases and partially cracked door. Setting her overnight bag on the couch, she approached the door, the long black coat she had dug out of her closet swaying with her movements as she walked.

When she reached the door, she touched one finger to wood and pushed. It swung open in a wide, slow arc, revealing the room and its inhabitant by degrees. Inside the office, Castle looked up from his laptop and paused in his typing at the sight of her.

"Kate!" he said, surprised to see her as he began to stand up.

"Sit," she ordered sternly, the command reverberating through the small room. She took up the entire doorway now, the light from one lamp clearly illuminating her dark coat.

Her order had its intended effect and Castle immediately dropped back into his chair behind the desk, his eyes riveted to her with a new fascination.

"You wanted inspiration," Kate said. "I'm here to provide some."

She knew she had his attention, and without further discussion, she reached down to unbutton her coat. As she worked her way down the garment, she was careful not to reveal what was beneath until she was finished. At that point, she carefully peeled back the coat and let it slide from her bare shoulders to the floor behind her.

Kate stood in front of him in a blood-red negligee, the edges trimmed in black lace, with a tight corset holding up black stockings via thin garter suspenders. A matching thong comleted the ensemble, the color stood out starkly against her pale skin. At the sight of her attire, Castle's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates and her intended goal was achieved – he shut his laptop without a second thought to get a better view of her across the desk.

"Good inspiration," he murmured, his pupils dilating with appreciation for her body.

She took two steps into the room, her endless legs even further elongated by the red stiletto heels she chose to pair with the outfit. But rather than circle the desk, she balanced her elbows on the edge as she leaned across it, never breaking eye contact with the writer she planned to seduce. His eyes darted downwards, towards the expanse of cleavage her position revealed, then back up to meet her gaze.

"Like what you see, Castle?" she asked, slowly and with infinite care for each word.

"Um… huh? What I… oh, yeah. Yeah, definitely." He stumbled over the words, apparently unable to both look and talk at the same time.

"You sound… distracted," Kate said languidly. "Am I distracting you?"

Abandoning speech altogether, he nodded, his eyes once again flitting down to take in her body and the way the red corset hugged her curves.

Pursing her lips in a deliberate pout, she asked, "Do you want me to leave? I wouldn't want you to be too… distracted."

To emphasize the offer, she straightened again, giving him a full view of what he would be dismissing if he allowed her to go back to her apartment.

Taking the question as a threat, Castle bolted out of his seat and was around the desk in less than a second. "Not going anywhere-" he managed before their lips collided.

Allowing him to take just a taste, Kate pushed him away as soon as his hands tried to settle on her hips. "No touching," she warned, but added with a mischievous smile, "just yet."

She steered him backwards toward one of the chairs situated across from his desk, and he fell into it with disappointment. As if to test her resolve, he reached up a hand to finger one of her strips holding up her stockings, but she easily sidestepped his grasp, delighting in the groan of frustration her movement forced from his lips. Instead, she stepped back and leaned against the edge of his desk.

"So, Castle," Kate began, "exactly what kind of inspiration were you wanting?"

"You."

The word came out of him immediately, and she smirked. She had utilized the exact same word to initiate their first night together - which had ended spectacularly – and his use of it was no accident.

"And… how do you want me?" she questioned.

The thoughts that flashed through his mind showed clearly on his face, and Kate could not help but laugh.

"Like that." Standing up to face her, close enough to touch but not actually touching, he said, "Just… like… that…"

With each word, he reached around her and put his hands on the desk on either side of hers, completely invading whatever space she had intended to set between them. Then he inched forward, bringing his mouth within centimeters of her lips. But he did not kiss her.

"Care to inspire me, Detective?" he offered – the words a clear challenge.

As answer, Kate pushed her lower body forward, just enough to make contact with his, feeling the bulge she knew would be there. "I think I already have," she speculated, allowing her eyes to drop to his mouth before pushing her chest flush with his.

He wanted to kiss her – his lips quivered with anticipation – but Castle simply stood his ground, hard and solid against her.

But when next he spoke, the teasing tone had dropped from his voice. "Always," he stated with sincere tenderness. "You always inspire me, Kate."

His words touched her deeply, and rather than continue with the slow seduction she had planned, Kate kissed him, taking in his full bottom lip between hers and sucking with gentle pressure. Running her tongue along the warm, soft skin she had captured, Kate ventured to explore his mouth, moving first slowly, then with more fervor.

As though he had been suddenly unleashed, Castle kissed her back, bringing his hands up to grip her cheeks, then sliding his fingers through her hair as he sandwiched her body between him and the desk. Briefly, Kate wondered if he would sweep everything off the surface and take her right there, but instead, he just kissed her – his tongue as hot and insistent in her mouth as his body pressing against her.

Then his hands moved down the length of her to caress the satin of her corset and the silk of her black stockings. "This," he said, pulling gently on one of the connecting garter suspenders, "is some pretty fantastic inspiration."

"Glad you like it," Kate answered with a grin before putting his mouth to better use than talking.

Castle attempted to move them towards the bedroom, but she only let him get as far as the other chair before retaking control. As she guided him down onto the cushion, Kate knelt on the floor between his legs, her arms resting on the tops of his knees as she reached for the zipper of his pants.

They spent some time in that position, Kate gazing up at him as she used her exquisite lips and mouth to bring him pleasure as she delighted in the noises and gasps she elicited. He shifted in the seat as his hands moved from the chair arms to touch her hair, her shoulders, and then back to the arms again as though the sensation was too much to let them stay in one place for too long.

A moment later, he groaned, "God, Kate…"

She sensed he was close and redoubled her efforts even as he took hold of her arms.

"Need… you," he managed as he tried to tug her upwards. She simply hummed in response, the vibration making him exhale sharply. "Now," he squeaked, pulling even harder.

Giving in to his insistence, Kate stood up from her position on the floor. Without preamble, she unfastened each of her suspenders just long enough to shimmy out of the red thong. Her hand still on them, she looked at him and asked about the stockings, "Keep or don't keep?"

"Keep," he said. "Definitely keep."

So she reattach the garter suspenders to the silk stockings before moving to straddle Castle's lap, leaving only enough of herself naked to join their bodies together. They gasped in unison as she sank down on him, their lungs momentarily unable to hold in any air.

While spacious for sitting, the chair proved rather confining for the activities she had planned, although with some assistance from him, they manage to find a workable position with her on top, controlling both depth and speed. Wanting to feel more of him – skin, heat, sweat – she unbuttoned his shirt and pushed it back, not off his shoulders but enough to expose his chest. Then her mouth tasted the flesh at his neck, causing him to groan and push up against her.

She rode him with abandon, using the back of the chair for leverage as needed. His hands continued their errant exploration, touching her legs, her thighs, her curls, her breasts still encased by the tight corset.

"You are… amazing," Castle managed to say in one breath, interrupted by sigh of pleasure as her rhythmic movements brought him steadily closer. "You feel… amazing."

Another gasp escaped his mouth before he could add, "You look…"

The compliment died on his lips as he leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her tightly. She filled in for him, "Amazing?"

He could not answer as a wave of pleasure overtook him, and he held her to him even as she moved harder, working their bodies together with the expertise of long practice. He surged into her one last time and collapsed back into the chair, taking her with him as he kept his arms around her.

"Incredible," he voiced a few minutes later, tired and sated. "I was going to say… incredible."

"Inspiring?" Kate asked, throwing out the adjective of the evening.

Castle chuckled, letting his arms drop so she could lean back enough to see his face. "Definitely inspiring."

He helped to lift her up, and they untangled their bodies slowly, almost unwillingly.

"You didn't…" he began to say, but she silenced him.

"I wanted to inspire you," she said. "And I think I succeeded."

"Yes, you succeeded," he agreed. "Very much so."

Even so, he pulled her into his bedroom, shutting the door behind them before backing her onto the bed. He kissed her neck and her shoulder, more with love than with passion as he pulled an edge of the comforter over the top of them.

Curled together, half clothed and half naked, they dozed. Alternately one would speak, catching the other's attention for a second with some observation or word or sound before fatigue settled over them once again. This relaxed, easy exchange finally ended as they both dropped into a deep sleep.

An hour passed, maybe two, or maybe twenty minutes - and Castle abruptly found himself pulled back to full wakefulness as Kate shifted against him. She was still wearing most of her costume, including the silk stockings, and while he appreciated the visual, he suddenly wanted to feel her and just her.

He began by nibbling gently at the sensitive skin where her neck met the curve of her shoulder, and he suppressed a self-satisfied grin at the sound of her sleepy moan. Then he let his mouth travel up her neck to the spot just below her ear, sampling the skin there – quality control was very important to him. Content with the taste of her there, he let his teeth gently snag the edge of her earlobe, letting go only when he saw her eyes flutter open.

"Mmm… Rick," was all she said, and his heart began pounding in his ears at the sound of his given name. He loved it when she called him by his first name, even though it was usually only in the throws of passionate sex. It was almost as sexy as how she said her own name when answering her phone.

"You are wearing entirely too many clothes," he complained, pushing back the comforter so he could have better access to whatever was keeping her in that corset.

"What're you going to do about that?" Kate challenged.

Moving to her other side so he could see the corset bindings, Castle paused as he took in the complex network of eyelets and strings binding her into the tight fabric. "Maybe nothing," he muttered as he fingered the only perceivable knot. "How did you get into this thing?"

She did not answer, but once he had the knot untied, the two halves of the corset began to loosen and he swore he could hear her take a deep breath as he began pulling out the criss-crossed strings.

After that, the rest of it came off easily as he unclasped the strips holding up the silk stockings and slowly, reverently rolled them down each leg. "Please tell me you'll wear these again?" he begged, setting them to one side.

"If you want," Kate answered, biting her bottom lip almost shyly.

"Definitely want."

And finally, she was naked, and the sight of her was enough to rejuvenate his desire. With an economy of movement, he finished removing his own shirt and pants, pulling off his socks as an afterthought, and then rejoined her on the bed.

Her body curled into him as he positioned himself on top of her. "Want you," he growled, plundering her mouth as he moved against her, enjoying that perfect moment of pleasure as they connected.

Their earlier coupling having satisfied his urgent need for her, Castle set a leisurely pace and took his time. A slow tempo drove Kate to distraction even more than a teasing touch and hearing her beg for more of him was one of his favorite sounds.

As predicted, after a handful of minutes went by, Kate began to pull at his arms, push up against him in yearning, a desperate appeal for faster, harder, more. While he usually gave in to her, this time he simply moved a hand to massage one breast as he dipped his head to recapture her mouth in a kiss, allowing her to tongue to communicate her hopeless plea without words.

Their steady rhythm continued and he could feel the tightness building in her, the tension of her body translating through every muscle. "You're killing me, Rick," she sighed, and the use of his first name again sent him spinning. He began pushing quicker, more forcefully, and she met him movement for movement. "Please," she begged, even as he angled their bodies to give her what he knew she wanted.

A moment later he felt her body clench around him, the sudden sensation reminding him of the closeness of his own climax. Castle carried her through it, extending it as long as he could before the exquisiteness of her body brought on his end, and he moved against her with sudden frenzy. He groaned aloud as the pleasure overwhelmed him, amazed at how it could be like this between them every time.

He rolled to one side and they both panted in the dark from their exertions, trying to catch their breath.

"Good inspiration," he said, echoing his earlier words.

"Glad you liked it."

"Feel free to, you know… any time."

The offer was genuine and literal. Any time. Any place. He'd be there.

"Well, after you sounded so… distracted on the phone," Kate said, propping herself up on one elbow as she looked over at him, "I wanted to make sure I had your full attention."

"Distracted?" he asked.

She explained, "You called me and then you barely talked to me. You just sat on the other end of the line typing."

He remembered speaking to her earlier, having called in the midst of a huge writing marathon. Sometimes, he just needed to hear her voice when he wrote Nikki Heat. He did not require an in-depth conversation or even sexy phrases, just her voice, the music her mouth made when it turned sounds into words.

Inspiration. Her voice was inspiration, almost as much as the very real tingling feeling she produced in his chest every time he saw her.

"I like hearing you," he said finally. "Knowing you're there…"

She smiled at him, and he continued, "Of course, if I knew that calling you and then just sitting on the line without talking would get you to come over here in that-"

Castle let out an "Oopf!" as she smacked him playfully in the stomach.

"Do not consider this a reward," she warned.

"Of course not."

"I'm still annoyed with you."

"Sure you are."

"Castle?"

Oh, they were back to the last name. Too bad. Of course, the way she said it when she was annoyed was pretty sexy, too…

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Shut up."

And then her lips were on his skin again, at that sensitive spot at his jaw line, and her hands… oh, her hands were so distracting… so inspiring.

"Shutting up now," he readily agreed.