167. Chapter 167

After Love Me Dead

By

UCSBdad

Disclaimer: You'd never fall for me saying I own Castle, right? Rating: M Time: See above

"Nothing is wrong, Lanie." Kate snapped. "No more than usual, anyway. People keep getting murdered and it gets to me sometimes. Of course, sometimes the murderers are gorgeous blondes with big boobs who end up at Castle's loft. Of course I'm upset about that. What Castle did was unprofessional. She almost smiled. Of course, Castle is the definition of unprofessional. Just open your dictionary and look up the word "unprofessional" and there will be a picture of Castle. No! Damn it! I'm being unfair to him. He's quite good at this. I'll even admit that he's a good partner. If he'd just pay some damned attention to me. No! Not that kind of attention. Where do these thoughts come from?

"Sweetie, you're not fooling anyone, you know. You have a problem and everyone knows it." Every woman past puberty in the city would love to have Kate's problem. Tall, good looking, sexy, funny, rich and a damned good detective as well. How the hell can she just ignore him like she does?

Lanie reached for the bottle of wine sitting on her coffee table. "Another glass?"

Kate checked her watch. "Oh, okay. But this has to be my last one. We both have to get up early tomorrow." And we won't have anything, or anyone, keeping us busy in bed. At least I won't. I hardly ever do. Damn. It has been a longtime. Shit! Why do I think like that? It's not like I'm some dumb bimbo who can't get through the night without some guy next to me. Kate had a sudden vision flash through her mind. Castle, naked in his bed. Passionately kissing a woman, her long legs wrapped around him as she thrust up to meet his downward strokes. Her nails scratching furrows in his back as she writhed in passion. Lustful moans escaping her lips. Her long blonde hair flying around, her blue eyes open wide. She screamed Castle's name as her orgasm crashed over her. Scarlett Fucking Price!

Kate quickly gulped down a mouthful of wine to cover her grimace. What the hell do I care if Castle screws Scarlett Price? I don't care if he screws her whole stable of whores. He can fuck every woman in Manhattan if he wants to. And he probably wants to. Damn him.

Lanie had to admit that Kate didn't let too much show to the outside world. But she knew Kate well enough to see that she was upset. And, as usual, Kate didn't want to talk about it. When is she going to learn that driving people away doesn't help anything? Letting people into your life makes life better, not worse. Castle was a perfect example of that. When the writer had first started shadowing Kate, I thought he might be fun for a couple of dates, a little fling for Kate. God only knew how much Kate needs some fun in her life. Then he'd leave. Kate would be unhappy for a while, but at least she'd have had some fun in her life for once. But now I think things are different. Castle isn't quite the sex crazed playboy he was when he first showed up here. And no millionaire writer is going to risk life and limb like Castle has done just to get some background for his books. Castle's hard to read as well, but he has a thing for Beckett, He wants more than just to get her into the Four F club: Find her, feel her, fuck her, forget her. I'm sure of it. Maybe I should talk to him? She smiled to herself. Ask him if his intentions to Kate were honorable? And Kate would go ballistic if she found out. And knowing Castle, she'd find out.

Kate interrupted Lanie's internal conversation. "Lanie, thanks for the drinks, but I really have to get going now."

They said goodbye and Kate walked back to her Crown Vic. She sat in the driver's seat and thought. I was upset when I thought Castle might have slept with Scarlett. Face it. I was upset. And I'm jealous. I was upset when Castle all but drooled over that model, Rina. I told myself that he was making a mistake, that was all. She was way too young for him. But I am attracted to him. As strange as it sounds to me, I really find him attractive and I get jealous. And I really wanted him to stay and follow me and not write a book about some stupid spy. I really felt that way. But I know Richard Castle can never be what I want. I can't let him get to me. It will never work. What the hell am I going to do?

….

Richard Castle sat in his office in his loft and thought. Beckett was mad at me because I had Scarlett Price in my loft. She thought that I wasn't following proper police procedures. Beckett thinks I should have called her so we could interrogate Scarlett properly. Fill in all those little boxes.

No, that's unfair to Beckett. She thinks outside the box as well as…Why, as well as I do. What the hell. Nothing happened between me and Scarlett and we solved the case.

But there was more. I'll swear on a stack of Nikki Heat books that Beckett was jealous because she thought that I'd slept with Scarlett. That I would never do. I couldn't hurt take advantage of someone like Scarlett who'd been so badly hurt, any more than I could take advantage of Beckett. So I'm a sucker for a sad tale of woe from a beautiful woman. I'd rather be that way than some cold bastard out for what he can get. And finding out that Scarlett is really a cold blooded killer. Now I'm really glad I didn't sleep with her. The thought of that turns me off completely.

But was Beckett really jealous? Or am I imagining it? A little wish fulfillment, perhaps? Usually, if I thought a woman was jealous because I'd showed interest in another woman, I'd be psyched up about it. Someone likes me enough to be jealous? What's not to like? But not with Beckett. I just want to make her happy and never add to the pain and sadness that is so much of her life.

Whoa! Rick, what are you getting into here?