Penthouse Prison

Chapter 5

Last time…

"Slow down, Superman. I meant I had things on my mind."

Castle nodded in understanding but didn't trust himself to say anything. Like were you as turned on by my hands all over your body as I was?

Beckett watched his face tighten which was doing nothing to help her case of nerves.

Suddenly, it hit her. Cold shower?

Now on with this chapter…

"Did the cold shower fix your problem?"

Castle looked at her like she'd grown a second head. "I'm going to go get dressed, I'll be right back."

Kate followed him into the bathroom, not at all surprised when he yanked off his towel and pulled on a pair of underwear.

"Just for the record, if I came into your bathroom while you were getting dressed, you would kill me."

"Maybe."

He pulled a cotton t-shirt over his head and then a pair of khaki shorts, watching her watch him in the large bathroom mirror.

"You didn't answer my question," she reminded.

Rick splashed cold water on his face and wiped it off, trying to give himself time to formulate the best answer to her inquiry. Honesty was usually the best policy.

"Temporarily. Do you want to go down to the restaurant for dinner, maybe get out of here for a little while?"

"No, I want you to talk to me about this."

"What is there to talk about, Kate? Rubbing my hands all over your body aroused me and since I felt pretty comfortable with the fact that you wouldn't be interested in helping me resolve the problem, I took care of it myself. Is there anything else you'd like to talk about?"

Kate couldn't tell if he was upset or just being honest. "So, do you get aroused by me very often?"

His expression said it all, definitely upset.

"I realize you're not all that happy that I'm forcing you into rest and relaxation until," he looked at his watch, "four o'clock tomorrow afternoon, but being mean is not going to help you. I'm not going to get mad and send you home."

"I hear you're seeing someone new."

"Where did you hear that?"

"You know, around."

"Well, maybe you should ask the source instead of hearsay."

"Are you?"

"No, do you think I should?" He regretted the words as he heard them escape from his mouth. Her brow furrowed and then she turned sharply and left. He followed, but not quickly enough. It took him a few minutes to find her out on the balcony off of her larger bedroom, staring out across New York's skyline.

"I'm sorry."

Kate half-smiled, "Do you even know what you're apologizing for?"

"No, but that was one of the most bizarre conversations we've ever had. I couldn't tell if you were coming on to me, making fun of me, or just asking me random odd questions."

"First and third."

"Kate?"

"Do you ever see us together? Like in the future when you're making plans for next month, or next year, or after Alexis leaves for college. Are we still partners?"

"I hope so, but—", he paused.

"But?"

"Before we keep having this discussion, can we make a pact?"

She nodded and he continued.

"I want to make a pact that we have this open, honest conversation but if when we're done, one of us is uncomfortable we can go back to the status quo without repercussions."

She held her hand out to seal the agreement. "Deal," she whispered.

"I am not dating anyone and haven't been in quite a while."

"What about Gina?"

Castle didn't say anything, just shook his head. "I have found the one woman I want to spend the rest of my life with but she doesn't have the same kind of feelings that I do. "

"Unrequited love?"

He smiled sadly, "I suppose so."

"I have a similar problem. I am completely head over heals in love but—"

"But what?"

"I don't know," she said, searching for the right words. "It's hard to tell when he's serious. I realize I'm known for appearing strong on the outside, and most people assume I'm as hard as nails on the inside too. But this man is in a class of his own. He's so self-confident all the time but I wonder if he has an inner core that he protects, kind of like me."

"Are you talking about Josh?"

Kate gasped in surprise and then hit Castle hard on the chest. He caught her wrist firmly and held her close, a smirk on his handsome face.

"Castle?"

He sat down on one of the patio chairs and pulled her down too, to sit on his lap. "You're right, kind of. I am open, and generally, what you see is what you get but I've had experiences in my life that have taught me to be careful. Mother calls those that I've let in the members of the Inner Sanctum. You've been in that group for a very long time Kate, you have to know that."

"But I've hurt you."

He shrugged his shoulders, "I've let you. I've never lost hope that one day you'll see what an amazing man I am and throw yourself into my arms."

His teasing grin was contagious and instead of her normally witty comeback, she smiled in return.

Kate played with the neck of his t-shirt for her confession. "You already knew I was a big fan, so I guess you had that going for you but early on, when I was still annoyed by your very presence, you guessed that I had been hurt somehow. I know I acted annoyed that you had figured it out, but on the inside, I was relieved. Here was a person I admired that didn't know every detail of my life but you got the crux of me, instantly. I didn't have to fake it, or act like I was always tough. I know it sounds silly, but…"

"No, it doesn't sound silly at all."

"To be a cop, I was taught to put a on a brave front. Royce would always say, 'never let 'em see ya sweat, kid.' With you, I never felt like I had to prove how tough I was. You just got me, even from the very beginning."

"Yes, I did." Castle leaned forward and rested his forehead on hers. They stared into each other's eyes for a full minute and then Kate pulled back. She looked down at his mouth, then back to his eyes with a smile. They moved toward each other at the same time, allowing their lips to nip and sample at will until he moved his hands to hold her still and meet her eyes once more.

"Hey Kate, I love you."

The smile lit up her entire face. "I love you, too."

After a few more kisses, Kate pulled back again. "I have another confession to make."

"Am I going to like it?"

"I think so."

"For the rest of my time imprisoned here, I want to be naked."

"What about me?" Rick asked as he stood up with her still in his arms and headed back inside.

"You should be naked too."

-o-o-o-o-o-

On Thursday morning, Captain Roy Montgomery entered his office ready to start his day when he noticed a large cardboard box in the middle of his desk. Inside was another container, a silver decorative box, which held a bottle of Glenfiddich 50. Only one man he knew could afford such a luxury, but still, he looked for a card and found this:

Dear Captain,

As a token of my sincerest gratitude for your help, please accept the enclosed. The plan was a success! Also, Kate asked me to let you know that since she hasn't taken a day off in almost ten years, she's taking off the rest of the week. I'll make sure she's in on Monday, relaxed and stress-free.

Castle

The End!

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