Chapter 17

They keep running for another forty minutes before Kate finally lets them pause again. She keeps checking over her shoulder for any signs of pursuit but there's only empty forest behind them. Castle is hunched over, palms resting on his thighs as he sucks in air. He feels like he's about to have a heart attack whilst Beckett barely looks winded, she's a freaking machine. If they survive then he vows to take up running as a new hobby.

"Do you think that we've lost them?" he gasps.

"Yes, for now at least," her eyes keep scanning the trees. "I'm not sure how badly wounded that guy is, hopefully it's bad enough to take him out of the hunt. But once they've had a chance to regroup they might come after us again."

"Do you think that they will? Maybe they'll just give up," he says hopefully.

"We know what they look like and I saw the license plate on their car. With that kind of information the police would be able to track them down. If those guys are professionals then they won't want to run, it would mean having to establish themselves again somewhere new. If they can then they'll want the chance to either finish us off or get some kind of leverage to keep us quiet."

"Leverage? Oh god, they won't come after Alexis, will they?" He's terrified by the thought.

"No, Alexis is safe. It would be too risky for them to try to snatch her now. There are cops camped out in your study to intercept any phone calls and I've got Ryan staying with her as well. Alexis will be fine," the bodyguard reaches out and squeezes his hand reassuringly.

"Thank you Beckett," he says with gratitude. "No matter what happens now, thank you for that."

"It's ok Castle, I love her as well." There's a moment of silence and then Beckett says, "If you've recovered then we should get going again."

"I don't think that I can run anymore, my legs feel like jelly," the writer confesses.

"We'll keep it to a brisk walk then; save your energy just in case." She doesn't have to specify what that emergency might be.

"How is your arm doing?" he asks her.

Beckett looks down at the makeshift bandage covering the wound. She flexes her bicep slightly and the blood-encrusted material pulls at the edges of laceration, aggravating the continuous throbbing pain. At least it no longer looks like it's bleeding though, all that blood is old.

"It hurts like a bitch but I'll survive. The sooner we get to safety the sooner I can get it looked at."

"Which way should we go then?" He looks around at the forest; they have no idea where they are. Up until now they've been running away from their captors but now they also have to think about heading towards help. They could just as easily die from exposure and cold as from a gunshot.

"Let's keep heading east. If we're lucky then we'll hit a road at some stage, at worst we'll keep going until we get to the sea," she says with fatalistic humor.

They've been walking for two hours with no sign to indicate they're any closer to help. There's been no sign of pursuit but there's also been no sign of civilization either. The light is starting to fade and the slight warmth provided by the winter sun is also fading as it retreats below the horizon

Castle glances over at the bodyguard, it's the second time that he's seen her shivering and that's a worry. Her clothes are still a bit damp from her involuntary dip in the water and she's only going to get colder once night falls and they have to stop. Continuing to walk through the night is not an option. A modern city is never completely dark at night; the ambient background light from vehicles, streetlights and buildings always provides at least a dim glow. Here in the country though it could truly be pitch-black at night and they can't take the risk of stumbling around on uneven ground. The only upside is that their pursuers will also be forced to stop for the night.

"Beckett, do you think that we should start looking for some shelter for the night?"

She looks pensively at the darkening sky. "That's a good idea. Let's keep going for another thirty minutes and keep your eyes peeled for anything that looks promising. If we don't find something suitable by that time then we'll just stop wherever we are and try to make some kind of crude shelter with whatever is lying around."

"Hey, look over there."

He spots it first; they were just about to give up hope when Castle sees something in the distance. Five more minutes and it would have been too dark and they would have missed it completely. The dark greens and brown of the walls help it blend into the surrounding forest but the straight lines and right-angle corners mark it as something man-made. It's a small, squat construction, designed as cover for hunters. The duck blind has slots cut into the wall to allow the hunters to sight their prey so it won't be much warmer inside compared to the outside temperature. But it has a roof and it'll keep them out of the worst of the wind and any rain that might threaten.

"Well spotted Castle. I would have missed it," Beckett admits with grateful smile. Not only has he found shelter but it's a good indication that some sort of road can't be too far away. "Whoever put the blind there wouldn't have wanted to carry it a long distance from some sort of vehicular access," she says. "It's getting too dark to search for the path tonight but we can start looking in the morning." Her spirits lift at the lucky break that they've been granted, it might turn out to be just a forestry track accessible by four-wheel drive but eventually it must link with a real road.

They have to scramble over a river and up the other side of the bank to get to it, soaking their clothes up to the thighs. She pauses in the middle of the river and leans down, cupping her hands in the water and then drinking deeply. The water seems clear enough and she's lost a lot of fluid with all the running and walking that they've done, with no way of boiling their water this will have to do. Castle follows her example, knowing that they can survive several days without food but dehydration will kill them a lot faster.

When he's had enough he continues on, his shoes are sodden and every step he takes squishes water out of the seams. The expensive Italian leather was never designed for anything but a concrete jungle and the soles almost slide a couple of times on the slippery river rocks. Her hand on his elbow steadies him when he threatens to go face-first into the water.

"Thanks," he murmurs and then carries on.

There's a six-foot embankment on the other side, a slab of fractured granite with few foot holds and only some dubious tree roots to hold on to.

"Give me a boost up and then I'll give you a hand." Beckett gives the tree root a tug, testing it before she commits her weight to it. Castle puts his hands on her waist and lifts her up, the extra push allowing her to scrabble up the last few feet. She pauses at the edge and leans down to offer him her good arm, helping to pulling him up.

Rick practically falls into her as he gains the ledge, flattening her below him with a loud oomph.

"Sorry. Are you ok?" he asks as he rolls off her quickly, although not so quickly that he can't appreciate the slim body below his.

"If this was the vault event at the Olympics then I'd only score you a 1 for the dismount," her dry humor indicating that she was unharmed.

"Ok, gymnastics and running are going to get added to my fitness regime," Rick gets to his feet and offers her a hand to get up and they walk the last few yards to the shelter.

The duck blind is unlocked, there's only a simple latch on the door to keep the wildlife out. Kate pauses by the door to take off her shoes, not wanting to track mud into what will be their bed for the night, and Rick follows her example. The inside of the building reveals an eight by four feet wooden floor and two folding chairs. The only useful thing that they find is an old woolen army surplus blanket.

"You should take it," he holds out the blanket to her. "You'll get cold if you sleep in those wet clothes. I'll just …" he makes a motion as he turns his back to give her some privacy.

"Rick," Kate puts her hand on his shoulder, startling him.

He glances back at her; she's still holding the blanket in one hand, having made no effort to get undressed yet. He raises a questioning brow at her.

"Your clothes are wet as well," she looks down at his trousers that are dark from the water of the river. "The blanket is wide enough that we can share it and combining body heat is the sensible thing to do."

Sharing body heat might be sensible but he's not sure that it's smart, maybe she hasn't thought through all the implications. She might be able to sleep next to him half naked but he won't be able to get any rest.

"Umm Kate I think …" he gulps. It's not like him to be tongue-tied; he's a writer for goodness sake. But he's having problems forming a coherent sentence at the moment. How is he going to admit to her that his self-control is not that good? He can feel himself hardening already just at the thought. He looks around helplessly as he tries to come up with a convincing excuse. "Maybe I should stay dressed. What if those guys get the drop on us? I think I'd be able to fight a lot better with my trousers on."

Beckett can't help the smile that crosses her face at the desperation on his face. She's well aware of the dilemma that faces him and it's cute that he's trying so hard. Kate would never have imagined this scenario; Rick Castle is being the gallant gentleman while she is the one who is making all the advances.

"It's too dark now for them to track us now. They'll have to give up for the night. We're safe until morning," she tells him. "Now shut up Rick." After all the stress that they've had to go through she needs this, she needs him; something life-affirming to chase back the fear of almost losing everything.

She reaches up and cups his jaw, her fingers rubbing along his scratchy stubble, sliding along the corner of his mouth and over surprising softness of his lips. She pauses there for a second as she looks up into his startled blue eyes and then slowly leans in.

He's as still as a statue, too afraid to even breathe in case this is a dream and the slightest movement will break the trance. It's only when their lips finally meet and her warm tongue delves into his mouth that he finally moves. His hands circle her waist pulling her closer and almost tipping them both off balance, he takes a half step backwards, his back hitting the wall of the shelter.

He's kissed her two times before and each time it just seems to get better. Maybe it's the urgency of having survived the threat that adds an extra piquancy to the passionate meeting of lips. The dark, rich taste of her mouth is so right; it feels like he just can't get enough. From the sound of the little moans that she's making, Kate must feel the same way.

She slides one hand between them so that she can unbutton his shirt, her fingers clumsy with haste. Beckett reaches up to push both his jacket and shirt off his shoulders and he reluctantly pulls back from their kiss in order to give her the room to do it.

His hands are busy as well, sliding under her top to tackle her bra catch for the second time that day.

"I'm seriously getting you a bra with Velcro fastenings," he swears when he can't get it undone quickly enough.

Beckett reaches up behind herself and undoes the catch with one hand to his amazement.

"You seriously need to teach me how to do that one-handed trick," he says with awe.

"Later," Kate promises as she pulls her top over her head and then lets her unfastened bra fall down over her arms. "Much later."

The night is too dark now for him to make out anything more than her silhouette so he has to learn the nuances of her body by touch alone. He goes gently, taking extra care because of her wound. His hands reach up to cup her breasts, his thumbs rubbing over the taut nipples.

"Castle …" she moans helplessly as he plays her body like a virtuoso. His lips kiss along the vulnerable column of her neck as he undoes her jeans. She gives a little shimmy and pushes the denim off taking her panties with them, as Castle sees to his own pants.

His fingers are already searching between her legs even as she kicks her jeans into the corner. For such a tall man he has almost delicate fingers; they're clever and knowing as he parts her folds to search for the little nubbin of hidden flesh. He traces gently around the edges, coating his digits with her slick moisture as he teases her. He's so close but refuses to go any further.

"Please Rick, please."

"Show me what you want Kate," he whispers in her ear.

She reaches down with her hand to guide him to where she wants him, her index finger resting over his as she homes in on her clit. The first swipe has her knees buckling and it's only his arm around her waist that prevents her from falling. She clenches her thighs together, trapping his hand there as she grinds herself against him. The delicious friction over her swollen clit has her moaning his name repeated.

"That's it Kate, take what you need. Come for me Kate," he coaxes her. He keeps the pressure on her clit with his thumb as he slides two fingers further back and thrusts them into her.

Her eyes flash open to stare at his darkened face, the delicious shock of being stretch threatens to tip her right over the edge.

"No!"

"No?" he tilts his head in question at her unexpected command.

As much as she is enjoying what his fingers are doing to her, she doesn't want to climax by herself. Not this time, their first time together should be a shared experience. She grips his wrist and pulls his hand back.

"Not this way Rick. I want to feel you inside me when I come." She lies on the floor, barely feeling the cold wood underneath her, and pulls him down to cover her like a warm blanket. He looms above her, his weight supported on his hands and knees, a dark shadow in this cocoon of need that they've woven between them. His hard cock nudges against her belly and she bites her lip.

"I want this." Her hand closes around his erection and shivers in anticipation at the size of him. He's big enough that she's going to be sore in the morning and she's looking forward to it. Her hand pumps up and down the length of him and he seems to swell even more. She pushes the eager rod down, feels it slide between her wet nether lips and guides him right to her entrance, the plump head pushing in that first inch.

Although she's amazingly wet, she's also very tight and he has to go slowly, working his way, an inch at a time, until he's finally fully sheathed inside her.

"Is that ok Kate?" he asks her. His forehead rests against hers as he fights for control. She feels so good around his cock and all he wants to do is thrust into her endlessly but instead he waits as her body grows accustomed to his invasion.

"Yes Rick, that feels so good," she murmurs as he slowly pulls out and thrust in again. "Harder," she moans, her helpless whimpers of need urging him on as the tempo builds. She hooks her ankles around his back, opening herself up to him more fully, letting him plunge even deeper. Each thrust has her gasping as he hits all her most sensitive spots, pushing her beyond herself.

She's had sex before, she's had good sex before but it's never been like this. It feels like she's been flying apart and yet being squashed together at the same time. Each time his cock thrusts into her he grinds his pelvis against her overly sensitive clit. She's not sure how much more of this she can take without going crazy from the pleasure. It's like a spring inside her is being wound tighter and tighter until finally she comes in an explosion of sensation. Her walls clamp down on him in spasms and that's enough to send him hurtling into oblivion as well, his hips jerking involuntarily as she milks him dry.

Her head lies pillowed on his chest, the brunette reaches over to tug the blanket over their cooling bodies as he rests a possessive arm over the sensitive skin of her bare back.

Beckett presses a kiss over his heart, content to soak in the lingering pleasure. His heartbeat is a reassuring steady thump under her ear and for the moment everything is right in her world.

"I was scared that we'd never get a chance to do this, that I'd never get to be with you," she confesses in a soft whisper her secret fear. "When I got that phone call from Alexis and we found her but you were still missing I was so frightened. I thought I'd never see you again."

"Hey it's ok Kate. I'm here. We're here together." He presses a kiss into her hair as his arm tightens reassuringly around her.

"Yeah but we almost lost that chance. All that time while we were living together and I kept trying to put distance between us. I was so stupid."

"You're not stupid, just cautious. And I don't blame you; I didn't exactly make a good impression when we first met."

"That's true. I thought that you were a pretentious, shallow playboy that first day."

"Hey, no need to go overboard on the praise," he protests.

"Luckily I was wrong."

"See, I knew that you'd eventually give in to my rugged handsomeness and charm."

Even in the dark she can tell that he's grinning as he says that.

"I'm not sure that it was so much giving in as using you for your body," she says with dry humor. It feels good to banter with him like this, although their relationship may have changed some things remain the same.

"Well in that case feel free to use me again." He rolls her over so that she's pinned under him now, her thighs spreading wide to cradle him and then there's no more words as he pushes into her again and the world falls away.