The second he touches her hand she knows that this is it. People talk about the one and the moment when you know something is inevitable, but life's not a Hallmark card and there is a reason she doesn't usually let Castle touch her.

This is the reason.

Her temperature skyrockets as she feels heat prickling at her cheeks, up her arms, along her thighs and settling heavy in her belly, low and dangerous. His finger has slowed on the top of her hand to the point of almost being still, but he somehow manages to exert just enough circular pressure to be both suggestive and maddening, making her hold her breath and catch his eye. They hold like that, not breathing, connected by the pads of his fingers and the paper thin texture of her skin, eyes watching until she curls her fingers just so against his and he takes it for the invitation it is and tugs her closer to him by the hand.

His other palm finds her cheek as she drifts into him, feeling that magnetic pull they always have between them become unbearably hard to resist. He's still lightly grasping her hand, eyes staring into her, fingers trailing the shell of her ear now, tripping through her hair and then his thumb is tilting her chin up just so and she is enveloped in the warm, welcoming heat of his mouth and oh is this what it's like to be set on fire? Every touch they've shared in the last four years seem to ignite all at once, leaving her arching onto her tip toes to get closer, a gasp stuck at the base of her throat, strangling her with want.

He feels so good pressed against her that she doesn't realize she's walked them backward until the bump of her counter against the small of her back startles her and her mouth opens against the jarring sensation, but then Castle's tongue is sliding its way along the length of hers and the only thing she can think is fuck. He lets go of the hand at her side so she can thread it into the back of his hair, gripping him desperately as he kisses her again and again, slide after slide of his tongue against hers, lips pressing, teeth nipping, she can't get enough of him. The counter digs in a little bit as he moves just far enough to his right to press his knee between her thighs, effectively trapping her between the hot solid mass of his body and the surface at her back, the inseam of her jeans getting all of the concentrated pressure of both. She swallows a groan as her hips thrust forward of their own accord, friction sending jolts of molten want zipping through her veins. She's completely on edge, completely incapable of not moving when his knee is pressing so deliciously against her, and so she barely resists, arching against the slide of him with needy little thrusts.

It's been months since she's been touched by anyone but herself, so much longer than she would ever choose to go without some kind of release under normal circumstances, but no one else has held any kind of appeal since her shooting, since I love you Kate, and she's feeling the effects like a teenager. As if he hears her thoughts, Castle presses impossibly closer, dragging the hard edge of her zipper against her clit with a move that should be incapable of someone's thigh but in any case it's there and it's making her rise up on her toes again and then his mouth leaves hers with a soft pop of saliva, tongue dragging it's way against her throat and oh god that spot on her neck that makes her crazy and before she can stop herself she grinds down once more on his thigh, hard, and open mouthed gasps against his neck as she splits apart around the tightest, dirtiest little orgasm she can ever remember having.

She pants against him as he noses his way up to her ear, still toying with her as her hips try and fail to still completely. One of her hands is in his hair and the other is gripping his shirt so tightly she's sure there will be a hand shaped imprint when she lets go. She's afraid to look at him, but he doesn't give her the option as his head falls back just enough to catch her unfocused eyes. He's grinning.

"Did you just…" he asks, trying not to laugh, trying not to gloat but massively failing. She squeezes her eyes shut and lets her forehead fall to his shoulder, hiding.

"Shut up, shut up," she mumbles, biting his shoulder hard enough to pull a hey! out of him and then he's putting both hands on her face and dragging her back up so he can see her.

He doesn't say anything for a moment, just trying to charm her with his eyes, and then he has to go and open his mouth. "Well, was it at least good?" his eyebrow raises in a move to rival one of her own and she wants to die because it was so good but so fast and he was just supposed to be coming over with their temporary dog not getting her off against her kitchen counter. She slaps him on the shoulder for being him and tries to push him away from her, to get a little space from their sudden and overwhelming physicality but he doesn't let her, instead pulling her with him as he stumbles backward a little bit.

The dog yelps as Castle accidentally steps on his tail.

The dog. Oh god.

Castle's eyes widen at the same time as hers as they both realize what has just occurred. "I can't believe you just did that to me in front of the dog," she accuses, eyes flashing, but it's all superficial. She doesn't even buy her own tone of voice.

"Did that to you?" his eyes are wide with amusement. They both know she was the driving force behind whatever it is that just happened, but he lets her off the hook, which she appreciates. "And please, he doesn't understand. We were just hugging each other really tight and for a really long time, right buddy?" he coos to the dog, leaning down to scratch one of his ears.

When he finally looks back up to her she rolls her eyes at him, crossing her arms but then he's stepping into her space again, bolder now. His fingers trail lightly up her biceps, distracting her until he's sliding a finger under the hem of her loose shirt, trailing it across the bare skin of her stomach. She shivers. His hips bump hers as his trailing finger dips its way under the waistband of her jeans just a fraction, holding her steady against him as his lips barely touch hers. Her eyes close as the evidence of what their encounter has done to him presses obviously against her front. His nose breathes in her cheek as he bumps her teasingly, inviting her to come and play in the same way he does with his crazy off the wall theories at the precinct and stupidly over excited face at literally everything else that happens in his life. It's actually impossible to resist.

She bites her lip in a resigned kind of way, smiling around it as she uncrosses her arms and puts them around his back, pulling him flush against her. He makes an appreciative noise at the gesture, the four fingers of his left hand firmly sliding their way into the back of her jeans as he holds her against him. "My turn?" he husks into her ear as she bumps her hips against his, drunk on his proximity, on the heavy weight of him in front of her. Rising on tiptoe she puts her mouth next to his ear, breathing hotly, mouth grazing sensitive skin. She can feel him tense, anticipating her next move.

"Not in front of the dog," she whispers in a voice so suggestive she may as well be manning a phone sex line. When she releases him and steps back, his jaw is slack and his eyes are hooded, but he's giving her that impressed slash terrified look he sometimes gets on his face when she plays with him a little bit too much. Maybe he expected her to say no.

Before either of them can think on it too much, she grabs for his hand, pulling him down the hallway toward her bedroom, casting one last glance toward the dog to make sure he's staying put. Castle glances back too, just as the dog grabs his toy and hops onto her couch. He winces, waiting for her reaction.

"You're cleaning that up after we're done," she says, the note of authority in her voice making him crowd her from behind.

"After we're done doing what exactly?" he breathes into her ear and her pulse pounds in her head because there is so much and she's still pleasantly buzzed from their first go around.

"Show don't tell Castle."

He grins at her. She grins back.