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AN: Had to get this out of my head so I can sleep.

He wakes suddenly, arm sweeping out to reach for her, fingers encountering only empty space. He pushes up to his elbows, casts his eyes over the room, takes in the disheveled bed, sheets rumpled, a pillow tossed haphazardly across the foot.

"Hey."

He feels a smile break out over his face, cheeks spilt wide at the sight of her. Tousled hair and long toned legs are all he can see as she moves across the room slowly, the tails of one of his shirts brushing along her thighs, the cuffs hanging low over her hands.

"So it wasn't a dream."

She laughs, a soft little chuckle that flutters in her chest, and sits down on the edge of the bed, one leg tucked up underneath her body. "No, it wasn't a dream."

"Thank god," he breathes, his body listing in her direction. He wants to peel that shirt off and lay her down, spend the morning exploring her body with his mouth and hands, learning all the ways she likes to be touched.

"So, you liked it?"

The shyness in her voice makes his chest ache but he can't keep the excited awe out of this tone when he answers her. "Yeah."

Her eyes flutter, lips pulling up into a pleased little smile. "Me too."

He can't resist any longer, has to touch her. His fingers stretch across the rumpled sheet, the tips brushing lightly over her knee, skin so soft and warm. She sighs and scoots closer to him on the bed, her smiling mouth drawing his attention.

The kiss is graceless and fumbling, lips and teeth bumping because neither one of them can stop smiling, and a giggle bubbles up in her chest, bright and effervescent and fuck he is so in love with her.

"We were better at that last night," she laughs, her mouth skimming along his jaw. His fingers curl around her leg and she shifts, moves over to straddle his thighs, her body a pleasant weight against his outstretched legs.

"Should we get out of bed and utilize the door again?" She gasps against his neck when he bites down on the slope of her neck, pulling the sensitive flesh gently into his mouth.

"We're going to have to - oh-" his fingers coast up her thighs, curve around to cup her ass, tugging her further against him, "have to learn how to do it without structural support sooner or later."

"So you plan on this being a regular occurrence?" He drags his mouth across her chest, tastes the sweat and dried rain on her skin. "Good to know."

Her fingers thread through his hair, holding his mouth against her. Two buttons hold the shirt closed over her torso and he drags his hands around, pops the tiny pearl discs free. Leaning back, he drags the shirt open. The morning light spills across her chest, casts her skin in a golden glow that makes his eyes water, his mouth run dry. He slips the fabric off her shoulders, pushes it down her arms, watches the way the shadows of her breasts stretch and contract with each breath she sucks in.

He moves his eyes to her face, cups her cheek softly in one palm. "You are so gorgeous, Kate."

Demure, she casts her eyes down, trails her fingers over the lines of his chest. He pulls her back in and this time no one laughs. The kiss is slow and smooth, full of passion and adoration, everything they need to say conveyed through the slide of their lips and tongues. She moans quietly in the back of her throat when his hands drift over her torso, fingers curled around the cage of her ribs. He leans back, pulling her down until she's sprawled across his chest, her hair falling down around their faces, blocking out the rest of the world.

They move leisurely, hands and mouths exploring. She giggles again when he dips his finger into the curve of her knee, her body shuddering lightly above him. His hands drift higher and she moans, hips twisting as he drags his fingers over the small of her back.

She sighs out his name when he slips two fingers inside of her and all he can think is that he wants to hear that sound again every day for the rest of his life.

He bites her lip for her when she comes, her fingers threaded tightly through his hair.

His own moans follow when she sinks down onto him, her hands braced on his chest, breasts swaying gently. She rolls her hips lazily and he watches her face, tries to memorize what she looks like rising above him, the sunlight bouncing off her shining eyes and perfect skin. She smiles down at him, eyes soft and hazy. His heart beats wildly against his ribs, tries to burst free of its cage of bone.

"You look happy," she says, her hips picking up speed.

"You have no idea," he breathes back, hands caressing her sides.

She leans down into him, her breasts pressed flat to his chest, lips next to his ear. "Yes, I do," she whispers, her teeth scraping over his jaw.

With a groan, he sits up, shifting her body further onto his. She wraps herself around him, pulls his head into the crook of her neck, arm curved over his head. She rocks into him over and over, his name breaking apart in her mouth as she climbs, pulls them both closer to where they so desperately need to be.

Her orgasm comes on a stuttering sigh, her breath catching and releasing inside her chest, nails carving crescents into his shoulders. Castle. It's barely a whisper. He's not even sure it's real. But it pushes him over and he's falling into her, falling hard and fast, her body clutched tightly to his chest.

He shifts them down to the bed, lays her out gently, reverently, her hair fanning out over the pillow, a golden brown halo glinting in the morning light. Turning on his side, he nestles down next to her, tucks himself up against her body and rests his head on her chest. Her fingers sift through his hair and he closes his eyes. Drifts back to sleep, lulled by the rhythm of her steadily beating heart