Note: Hello, you! Sorry, again, for taking me long to post this. It's hard to focus in one thing when you have lots of thoughts in your mind. I almost thought I'd never get to finish this chapter, but it's here! Hope you like it.

Previously…

"Good night," she murmured and closed her eyes.

"Good night," he replied.

He observed her for a while, until her features were completely softened, and her breath established a rhythm. Then, he closed his eyes and smiled thinly, waiting for his brain to shut down as well, so the night could run faster, just so he could open his eyes in the morning and look at her again.

Finally, it was morning. Castle had slept like an angel, didn't even feel the hours gliding by, something that has been happening since he slept by Kate's side for the first time.

As soon as Castle opened his eyes, he was up. Everybody close to him knows that he's the lazy kind of man, but nobody ever thought of the reason he was like that: routine. But, ever since the day he met Kate, a light came to his life, after months of sameness. He'd wake up every day to a new case, a new day getting to know her, this part of her cop life that he was only close in his books until then. And now, again, she was there with him, making him feel something new, being the reason of his smile upon waking, well rested, with eager to live another day with her. So, yes, he was known as a lazy man, but today he was anything but lazy; and that, he owed to the woman sleeping by his side.

Castle got up and went out of the bedroom, coming back after half an hour. He watched Kate's soft features resting peacefully. Then, her eyes fluttered open when she felt his fingertips drawing circles in her hair. He smiled when she looked at him for some seconds, her brain loading that image. The curtains were closed, so she felt comfortable enough for not wanting to move.

"Good morning," he murmured.

"Morning," she replied sleepily.

"Made breakfast for you."

He pointed at her side and she turned her face to look. A tray with fruits, and she also sighted cheese and slices of bread. But what caught her attention the most…

"I knew I was scenting the coffee," she quickly sat and pulled the tray on her lap.

He smiled, observing while she took the first blessed sip of the coffee, proud of himself for knowing what she likes in the mornings, glad to be the one doing it for her since they were just partners.

"This is better than the ones you buy in New York," she inhaled deeply to feel that awesome aroma flow throughout her body.

"It's because this one was made by me," he shrugged and sat on the bed, next to her legs.

"I'd love to have your coffee more times."

"Your wish is my command."

Just some minutes there, and she ate almost every piece of fruit. When he tried to steal some, she slapped his hand gently, and he laughed.

"Hey! I brought you this."

"That's right, you brought me," she smiled and intentionally ate another piece of fruit, just to show him.

"Okay! Yesterday, I lost the bet. Today, I'm losing breakfast," he was counting with his fingers. "What's next?"

"Oh, don't worry, babe," she waved with a hand. "I can make it up to you next time it happens, just to make you not feel like a loser."

"Hmm," he considered the idea. "You own me two already."

"Okay," she smiled. "I have some ideas in mind."

"Can't wait to see what it is," his eyebrows raised briefly at her.

She took another sip of her coffee, gazing deeply at him, and his insides froze. She noticed that he swallowed hard and proudly smiled to herself. Nine a.m. and she was already driving him crazy, without even moving. Just a gaze was enough to shake his insides.

After that, they were back to a normal conversation, while eating together. She thanked him for the breakfast, making him smile. He asked if she had slept well, what she wanted to do today, what would she want for lunch…

She asked how the weather was, so he got up and opened the curtains, and she covered her eyes when the sunlight pierced the room. Please, she still was in the waking up process.

He laughed. "Sorry," he closed the curtains again.

She looked at him and narrowed her eyes when saw he was laughing quietly.

"You already knew how the weather was like, didn't you?"

"Oops," he shrugged.

She shook her head staring at him.

He was still chuckling and approached her again.

"This isn't funny!" She exclaimed.

He kissed the top of her head. "Sorry, honey."

"I'm gonna get even, honey," she assured, the last word coming out sarcastically.

He didn't answer. Instead, he stole the last piece of fruit from the tray and felt her eyes piercing him while he quickly swept out of the bedroom.

"You're unbearable!" She yelled so he could hear it.

"Good morning," he yelled back.

Morning, she thought. What her past mornings had been like? Waking up every day with nothing but the cold, white ceiling above her, sometimes feeling too gloomy to have a single slice of bread for breakfast. Now she definitely was renewed, waking up with this man full of energy to either annoy her or make her laugh at nine a.m.

She smiled, thinking of how much her life would still change for better, hoping this connection with him continues growing more and more over the years. Then, she got out of the bed with the tray in hands to follow and give him a proper good morning.

After lunch, Kate went outside to feel the fresh air and say hello to the sun that wasn't shining like this morning, just slight rays threatening to overpass the clouds. She stood there, staring at the view; the sea, from where she could see, was huge, endless. She closed her eyes and opened her arms to embrace the mix of warm and cold the wind provided, taking a deep breath, letting the grass' smell fill her lungs. Then she heard a chirp coming from above and turned to look. A bird had alighted on the roof's edge; he looked so tiny from down there. He chirped again and again, and she smiled.

"Hey, guardian," she called softly.

Castle could see her through the kitchen's window, while making a dessert. He had an apron tied around his waist while putting the ingredients in the electric mixer. He felt like a pro when wore an apron, dancing and spinning around the kitchen before putting an ingredient in the bowl, like he was in a movie.

"I love nature!" Kate exclaimed, showing up in the kitchen, the electric mixer's sound surrounding the place.

He looked at her and smiled.

"I see," he turned off the electric mixer. "I've never seen you as a nature-admirer kind of person before."

"Now I recognize the beauty on it," she replied easily. "You should try. It's wondrous."

He smiled. "I will."

The love she'd been demonstrating for nature inspired him. It was perceptible that something changed on her when she connected herself to the greens and blues; how pure she turned into, bringing this positiveness with her that brightened the place she was in. Made him realize how much he still had to learn from her, and that if someday he thought he had seen everything this world has to offer, he knows now that he was wrong. She was bringing a new experience for him to explore, and that purity he saw in her eyes was better than any money that his celebrity life ever brought him. He realized, that was what he needed.

She approached the counter to take a look at his art.

"What a mess," she chuckled, analyzing the ingredients around the counter. "What are you making, chef?"

"If everything goes right, a cake," he replied.

"If everything goes right?" Her eyebrows raised. "Do you even know what you're doing, Castle?"

"Yes!" His tried to convince her. "Of course."

Pursing her lips, she leaned her head forward to peek the seem-to-be-delicious cake batter he was mixing in the bowl. It was brown, which means…

"Chocolate!" She exclaimed. "My favorite."

She couldn't h0ld herself from sticking a finger into the bowl to take a bit of that mixture right to her mouth. This is something she used to do years ago, when her mother was making a cake.

"Hey!" Castle exclaimed. "This is a cake, lady. It has to go to the oven before your mouth can jump on it."

She laughed, because that was something Johanna would say every time her nosy fingers threatened to stick in the cake batter. It wasn't her fault that that creamy texture melting on her tongue tasted so good.

"You think this is funny?" He took some cream from the bowl and smudged her cheek.

Her jaw dropped. She took a bit more from the bowl and smudged his face as well.

He narrowed his eyes at her. She mirrored him.

"It's on," he provocatively started the war.

Each took a significative amount of the cake batter from the bowl; he smudged her a bit more before she could run from his hands, laughing. She ran to the other edge of the counter and they threw it at each other, one trying to make the other dirtier; on the face, the hair, the clothes, at the same time that tried to deviate from the attacks.

The floor was already greasy with the cream, so Kate started to move carefully, and Castle used the opportunity to reach her; he grabbed her arm and she startled, slipping and falling when tried to move away from him, making him fall with her. Their laugh consumed the kitchen for some seconds.

When she finally stopped laughing about her own stumble, she turned to let her back rest on the cold floor and caught air again.

He brushed a bit of chocolate from her cheekbone.

"Did it hurt?"

"No," she chuckled.

"Good," he chuckled back.

Her eyes were sparkling. She had this ability of looking incredibly beautiful even with her face full of chocolate.

"I love you; you know that?" Castle said after admiring her for a moment.

"I know," she murmured.

"Just making sure you won't forget," he gave her a soft peck on the lips.

"I won't," she assured him. "And I love you too," she said before catching his lips for another kiss, this time lasting a bit longer.

They broke from the kiss and smiled to each other. Castle lifted his head to take a look at the floor around them.

"Oh my, look at that," he said.

She moved her head to take a look as well.

"Woah," she chuckled. "We have to clean this."

He looked at her again.

"Seriously? I was thinking about the delicious cake we wasted."

She chuckled.

"That too, but we need to clean it before making another one."

"Right now," he got up and offered his hands to help her get up too. "We just need a shower."

He took her like a bride and walked towards the bathroom.

In the shower, they helped cleaning the chocolate from each other's face and arms. After a few minutes, the hot water running down their bodies teased their skins. His fingertips traveling up her spine sent her shivers, same as hers on his neck.

Feeling each other so close like that was crazy, hypnotizing. He reached her lips with his own and let his body react to the taste of her soft, wet lips moving slowly with his, their wet cheekbones touching with that hot, damp air surrounding them, until she bit his lower lip and he couldn't stop himself from turning her around and sucking her neck with hunger, making her hands support herself on the wall. One hand was embracing her, so she would stay stuck to him, and the other hand traveled slowly over her chest, stomach, going down, and he stopped before getting there, just drawing circles with his fingertips very close to where she desired most.

She panted at the pleasant tingles he was giving her. She tried to move his hand down, and then, he finally stopped his provocative show and made what had to be done, right there, in the shower, without either sensing the time running, or caring about the world out there.

When they were finish, they could feel each other's purify smell. He kissed her, their bodies still naked, and guided her to the bedroom, making her chuckle through the kiss.

He lay her down on the bed and gave her a final peck on the lips.

"Get dressed," he said. "I'm going to clean that kitchen and cook us dinner."

Wait, it was evening already? Wow.

"Okay," she murmured.

He got out of her and picked a shirt and pants in the wardrobe.

"I'll see if I can make a quick dessert too," he said whilst got dressed. "For real this time."

She chuckled and, still in that lazy position, watched him getting dressed, her eyes scanning his physical, but her mind completely overwhelmed by his dedication to their relationship; how committed he was to make her happy and satisfied with him. And she couldn't love him more for making her feel so special in the short period of time they've spent together as a couple.

At night, after dinner and a lot of small talk with wine being their best company, Castle turned on the radio, and asked Kate to go outside with him. There, with feet touching the cool grass, he took her hands and pulled her close and started to move slowly to one side to another, in the song's rhythm. She offered a confused look but smiled to his action, wrapping her hands around his neck.

"What are we doing?" She asked as his forehead met hers.

"Dancing," he murmured.

"I can't dance," she replied shyly.

"Neither can I," he admitted. "But dancing with you makes me feel like a pro."

Her smiled extended from ear to ear, and she closed her eyes, just feeling the song coming from the inside of the house, letting her body move along with his.

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