All I Want Is Now - Chapter 10

One year later

"You're stunning." He murmurs the words along the shell of her ear, mouth trailing upwards to press against her temple as his hands wind around her waist from behind. She looks up from where she'd been smoothing down the front of her deep green sundress to meet his gaze in the mirror. There's a spark in his eyes that accompanies the upturn of his lips and she returns the smile easily, relaxing into his arms. She allows him to hold her there for a moment, enjoying the solid warmth of his chest at her back.

He feels good - smells good too, she thinks when he presses another kiss to her cheek and she catches the familiar scent of his aftershave. It makes her think of mornings getting ready for work, dancing around each other in the loft as they throw on clothes and swap turns making coffee; the date nights he insists on planning for her that are always accompanied by too much food and just enough wine. But most of all it brings to mind the press of him against her in bed, the smell of his pillowcase next to hers after a long day at the precinct when they finally make it home and fall into his sheets together.

She can't help but smile even wider as her mind wanders, and she ducks her head slightly to shield it from his view, grabbing a silver bracelet off the dresser to complete her evening attire. She slides the cool metal over her wrist and schools her expression before she checks her reflection one last time.

"And you're slow," she finally throws back at him, turning in his arms and taking note of his current state of undress, eyes flickering down and over his half-clothed body.

"And whose fault is that, Detective?" he asks, trailing a finger down her side, drawing her closer where his hand grips her waist. She shivers involuntarily, warmth pooling in her stomach at his touch. "I do believe that someone distracted me while I was getting ready."

"Is that right?" She smirks, doing her best to ignore the patterns his fingers are painting over her bare skin where the back of her dress opens. Arousal flares in her stomach and she really shouldn't want him again so soon. But she does. (She always does, even after a year). "I wasn't aware you couldn't keep up."

"Oh, I never said I was complaining. Feel free to thoroughly distract me anytime, Beckett."

His eyes flash at her darkly, and he leans in as though he's going to kiss her. Her pulse races in anticipation as her gaze drops down to his lips and maybe she will distract him again (and again and again). Her mouth parts on it's own volition but at the last second he detours to the right, lips grazing her ear as he speaks, "Patience, Kate, we have a party to host."

He steps back abruptly, and it's his turn to smirk when she let's out a disappointed huff.

"You'll pay for that, Rick."

He winks at her as he buttons the shirt he's picked out to wear for their 4th of July party. "Don't worry. I'll make it up to you later. Multiple times."

She continues to glare at him, feigning disinterest in his suggestion as he finishes getting ready, even though there's an undercurrent of electricity still zipping through her veins.

She watches as he checks out his reflection in the mirror, seemingly satisfied, then holds out a hand, drawing her close again. He doesn't bypass her mouth this time when he leans in, kissing her gently. It's soft and slow and she sighs into it, his tongue lazily sliding along hers, doing nothing to quell the need inside her but eradicating her annoyance all the same. She eventually forces herself to break away, resting her head against his.

"Come on Castle," she whispers. "Let's go celebrate America's birthday."

She's been touching him all night.

At first he barely notices. It's a glancing brush of her hand across his when she passes him a glass of wine, the nudge of her hip and her fingers on his arm while they chat with the boys about the case they closed right before leaving the city. It's little points of contact he's grown used to, that he doesn't think twice about anymore because it's second nature. It's them and they've always been synced in a way he's long since quit trying to understand.

But then she gets bolder.

Her foot rests against his underneath the table while they eat, slides higher over his calf until he has to cough and pretend like he swallowed wrong to hide the way his body jumps at her touch.

She steps in closer than necessary to whisper in his ear, her hand trailing down his side until he catches it in his and squeezes in warning.

She's paying him back for earlier and he knows it. His body definitely knows it, judging by the amount of restraint he's employing to resist dragging her back upstairs away from their friends and family and making things up to her like he promised.

But it's not just the touching. It's everything about her tonight. She's gorgeous and glowing and his heart is so full at the sight of her here with him in the Hamptons again, surrounded by all the people he loves.

They've come so far in just a year and a part of him has always known she was it for him - that taking a chance and asking her to come to the Hamptons last July was only the beginning.

He can't imagine his life without her in it, without the way she inspires him every day, challenges him and supports him at the both. She makes him a better man. Makes him want to be more.

His eyes cut to her across the room as he hears her laughter and he can't help but watch as she smiles at something Lanie has said. She's been chatting with her friend while he mingles, catching up with old neighbors and making sure everyone has a drink in hand.

But even as they've been apart he's found it difficult not to look her way. In fact, it's near impossible. Her fingers are clutched around a glass of Sangria that perfectly matches her lips as she takes a sip, exposing the long line of her throat when she tilts the drink back. He fights the urge to groan because she's just so devastatingly beautiful and suddenly all he wants is to be alone with her, to hold her and tell her how lucky he is. Prove to her over and over that he's never been happier in his life.

And to hell with it, it's his party, his house, why shouldn't he?

"Well, aren't you two just adorable?"

Castle turns his head at the sound of Ryan's voice just in time to see the boys approaching him, twin smirks on their faces.

"Yeah bro, you're totally whipped. At least wait until we're gone before you start making that love struck face at Beckett." Esposito shakes his head, pretending to be disgusted. But then they all hear Lanie let out a laugh of her own and Castle watches the detective eyeing her with a similar look only moments later.

"Like you're any better." Castle laughs and Esposito glares at him, finally tearing his eyes away from the M.E while Ryan looks equally amused.

"I'm supposed to be making sure her drink stays full, that's all," he grumbles.

"And I'm the one who's whipped?" Castle laughs again, slapping Esposito's shoulder playfully.

Espo shrugs, switching tactics. "At least neither of us is as bad as Honeymilk over here."

They both laugh at Ryan's protests and Castle eventually changes the subject, making plans for the following day (more failed water sports of course) until they've all finished their drinks. Ryan excuses himself to find Jenny and Esposito walks back to the kitchen to grab another beer (and a drink for Lanie no doubt), leaving Castle alone with his thoughts once more.

His eyes drift to Beckett again and this time he catches her gaze across the room where she's still conversing with Lanie. She smiles at him softly, the same look on her face as when he held her in front of the mirror earlier when she thought she could hide it from him. But she can't. Not anymore. And he revels in that fact.

Dying to get her alone for a moment or two, he sets his empty glass down and makes his way across the room toward her.

"Mind if I borrow Beckett for a moment?"

Lanie eyes him all too knowingly, brown eyes teasing. "She's all yours, Writer Boy. Javi should be back with drinks any minute now anyway." She winks at Beckett when Castle grabs her hand. "Have fun you two."

Kate looks up at him half-amused, half-curious but doesn't resist when he leads her through the front door and out into the warm night.

"You have something to show me in the driveway, Castle?"

She doesn't bother to hide her laughter when they finally come to a stop underneath the trees in his front yard and she looks around, expecting some kind of ridiculous surprise like she's almost grown used to since they've been together. Almost.

But he surprises her in a different way this time.

"Maybe I just wanted to be alone with you for a moment, Detective," he murmurs. "Or maybe - maybe I just wanted a dance."

He holds his hand out, a question written on his face and her breath catches at the memory of a year ago, of the same question he'd asked that night after they'd made their way in from the beach - after finally admitting how they felt for one another.

Will you dance with me, Kate?

She hadn't been expecting it now, just like it was the last thing she'd expected then. She can still remember the way she felt that night, all the desire, the unreleased tension that had been building for two years, the way his touch set her on fire and she'd figured…well, she guesses she'd always thought that if they ever did ever start something it'd be quick, a frenzy of passion and the culmination of everything they'd denied for so long.

And it was that too, eventually. It was that in so many ways.

But there was this first.

A slow dance - his arms around her waist, her head against his shoulder. The quiet sway of their bodies to a song that spoke of not giving up, of second chances, and so much love her heart could barely contain it.

So much more than she'd ever imagined it could be.

She still doesn't know how long they'd spent on his back porch that night, moving to the sound of the ocean and his whispered words in her ear. But it meant everything to her, gave her the courage to try, to let him inside the parts of her she'd kept guarded for longer than even he knew.

And she couldn't be more grateful for it now.

"I'd love to dance with you."

She toes off her shoes, feet sinking into the grass as he wraps his arms around her waist. They're close enough that they can still make out the faint sound of music playing from inside the house, but far enough that it feels private. Like they're the only two people in the world.

She closes her eyes when his lips ghost across her cheek, leans into his touch while they turn slowly. She inhales the salty breeze as it dances around them, ripples through her hair, and she thinks that it's possible she's never been so happy as she is in this moment.

"I love you, Kate," he speaks, as though he's read her mind. "Thank you for coming here, for giving us a chance."

She pulls back at his words, just enough to look him in the eyes when she says, "There's no place I'd rather be."

Later that night, when their guests have gone to bed, she takes her time proving how much she loves him too.

And when he touches her here, it's everything she remembers it being before and it's everything yet to come.

AN: I just want to thank you guys so so much for reading and being patient since it took me forever to finish this last chapter. I am thankful for each and every one of your reviews, follows, and faves and have really enjoyed writing this story. I hope you've enjoyed it!