15. Fifteen: Sunday

Fifteen

The bruises have slowly started to fade; they're now moving from the initial red and angry purple to interesting shades of yellow and green, less noticeable, especially since they're both getting a tan from all the walking.

He gently runs his finger along the edges of the larger one, at the bottom of her spine, then leans over her back to caress the marks with his mouth, soft brushes and sometimes a dart of his tongue.

He still feels guilty for not being there that day. Not being the one who rescued her from that roof.

He's grateful - oh, so grateful - that Ryan was there, but it still sends a sharp jolt of pain through his chest whenever he thinks about it, Kate fighting for her life on that roof without him being there, without him even knowing.

She could have died and he wouldn't-

Kate lets out a breathy moan when he slants the flat of his tongue over her lower back; it brings him back to the here and now, the beauty of her body stretched across his sheets, and he devotes himself to her, to triggering more of those lovely, needing sounds she makes.

Only her, only her, Kate-

He forgets about everything else.

"What do you want to do today?" she asks when he comes out of the bathroom, wearing only jeans, no shirt, gorgeous in the stream of sunlight that pours through the windows.

She can't help stepping into him and tracing the lines of his chest with her fingers, even though she's dressed already, even though her body is sore and loose and she doesn't really want to start another round.

Castle chuckles, a low, soft sound, and he wraps his hand around her fingers, leans in to touch his mouth to her. So gentle.

"What do you want to do, Kate?"

"Hmm." Good question, actually. She doesn't really want to, but- "Maybe I should go back to the apartment, just... Check the mail, water the plants that might or might not have survived the last week. Clear out the contents of my fridge before the tomato starts, you know, breeding with the egg. Or the butter."

She winces at her own image, but Castle grins widely at her. "Sounds like a plan."

She disentangles herself from him, stepping away from all this naked skin - so distracting - and grabs a t-shirt from his open wardrobe, thrusting it against his chest.

"You don't like me half-naked, Beckett?" he asks with a falsely innocent pout.

She gives him an arch look. "I don't do halves very well."

He stares at her for a moment, lips parted, want flaring in his eyes; but in the end he closes his mouth, pulls the t-shirt over his head. Mmm, the ripple of muscle at his stomach - so very lovely.

"Thought you wanted to go to your apartment," he points out when he's done, voice so rough because he's caught her looking - it makes her eyes flutter shut for a split second.

"Yeah," she says, swallowing. "Yeah. I do."

"Then get going, Beckett," he nudges, his hand at her waist.

"You're not coming?" She looks back at him in surprise, but by the time he opens his mouth to answer, she's already realized that this is probably a good idea. "Actually, you're right, yeah. You stay here with Alexis, have lunch with her, and - I can meet up with you guys somewhere. If you want?"

He smiles, that slow, delicate smile he always has whenever she shows interest in his daughter, and he presses his lips to her cheekbone, breathes her in.

"I want," he murmurs.

She's considerably proud of herself for managing to leave his bedroom after that.

He texts her the address, no explanation, just this one line: Bring a bikini. And then he grins to himself like a fool as he imagines her face when she reads it, her pressed lips, the suspicion in her raised brow.

"Dad, did you get your beach towel?"

Alexis is coming down the stairs, the large purple bag that she always takes to the beach thrown over her shoulder; he's shaken out of his Beckett trance, casts a helpless look around him.

Beach towel. Right.

He runs back into his bedroom, catches the indulgent smile of his daughter as he does, and his heart lifts in chest.

Rick Castle is a happy man.

She spots him from afar, leaning against the building, his tapping foot belying his nonchalant pause; Kate slows down and takes the chance to observe him, fill her eyes with the smooth, steady curve of his calves, the breadth of his chest, the beautiful contrast between the blue of his t-shirt and the golden skin of his forearms.

Hers.

He's hers.

How could she ever think that a name was worth more than this man?

It tangles in her chest, the regret and sorrow and sharp love, and she has to focus, breathe through it, gentle her own heart before she can make the rest of the way to him.

He's wearing black sunglasses, but he takes them off the moment he sees her, eyes crinkling with the grin that lights up his face. "Why, Beckett. How lovely to see you here."

She smiles back even through her eye-roll. "What, you trying to pretend you didn't just text me the address?"

She's paused next to him, at just the right distance that she knows she won't be tempted to do things that might get them both arrested for public indecency; but Castle always breaks all her rules. He wraps a hand around her neck and brings her to him, his warm, smiling mouth welcoming her.

"Hm. Your use of just is debatable," he says softly, "but I'll leave that alone for now. Did you follow the instructions?"

He peers at her pink blouse like he's hoping to develop x-ray vision in the next seconds; Kate laughs, pushes back on his chest.

"I have a swimming suit, Castle, if that's your question. Now, you want to tell me why I need one?"

He kisses her again, a short press of his lips to hers, before he straightens up and takes her hand. "See," he says as he leads her up the flight of stairs, "I got a membership for this sports club that I almost never use, and as Alexis cleverly reminded me this morning, today is the last day that I can actually use it. Or, well, I can renew my membership - which I'm probably going to do anyway - but still, you know. It's nice and sunny and the outdoor pools are open, so it's time to get my money's worth."

She smirks at that, follows him inside, blinking a couple times to adjust to the light - much dimmer inside.

Oh. It looks really nice. She probably should have expected it, knowing him, but – wow. The entrance is all dark tiles and high ceiling and soft lights, and a woman comes toward them with a friendly smile, her blonde hair in perfect curls that pique Beckett's jealousy somewhat.

"Mr. Castle, hello," the woman greets them warmly. "And Ms.?"

"Beckett," he says, love shining even in the quick glance he shoots at her. "Kate Beckett. Kate is my guest for today."

"Of course," the woman says. "We're delighted to have you, Kate."

She leads them towards the desk, gives them bracelets that will get them into the spa and everywhere, she assures them, with more of the blinding smile that must, Kate thinks, be a little painful.

Castle thanks her profusely and then steers them away, going through a large door made of some dark, gorgeous wood.

"Wow. This place is beautiful," Kate breathes, impressed with the simple yet elegant decoration of the corridor.

"Yeah, it's not too bad," Castle answers dismissively. "And they've got good equipment, too. Here we go," he says, stopping in front of a smaller door with a graceful, feminine silhouette on it. "This is the women's changing room. The men's is right next to it, so I'll, uh, see you on the other side."

He wiggles his eyebrow and she bites her lip, smiles a little. And then she remembers something he said. "Wait, Castle. Where is Alexis? Did she not want to come?"

He looks at her like he wants to devour her, eyes so warm and intense that her whole body tingles from his stare. "She's already inside," he says, his voice too deep, too dark. "She invited a friend too."

Kate smirks, wills herself to walk into the women's changing room. Instead she steps forward, closer, and closer-

"Is that what I am?" she asks with a throaty, suggestive tone. "Your friend?"

She can see his Adam's apple working heavily, and this delicious power ripples through her, makes her take another step.

"Oh, Kate," he murmurs, almost a groan. "Don't make me show you what you are."

Show you. His choice of words makes her insides clench, and she breathes through her nose, rides the wave of arousal without acting on it, don't move, don't move, Kate. One of them has to be responsible, and she started it. Sort of.

"I'll see you on the other side," she says more gently, moving back without even risking a light kiss to his cheek.

This is a fire that really doesn't need one more spark.

He watches her hungrily when she steps out of the changing room, pouts a little when he sees she didn't follow his instructions after all. That's no bikini; but it is the long, beautiful line of her body clad in dark scraps of tight fabric, so by the time his eyes have made it back to her face, he is mostly okay with it.

She smiles softly, comes in close and brushes their mouths together. "Didn't want everyone to think you beat your wife," she whispers against his lips like she can read his mind.

It stuns him, shames him, that she thought all this through while he suggested the pool mindlessly, didn't even stop to consider the bruises that still mar her smooth skin. He got carried away by the idea of the pool, and the slides, and – he forgot.

Wait.

"My wife?" he says, can't help his absolute thrill at the word, the laughter and the awe that crowd at his lips. His wife?

"Just the way it would look to people," she shrugs, but there's this self-satisfied glow to her face, like she's chosen the word on purpose. Course she has. "People who don't know us."

People who don't know them. People who don't know them assume they're married?

Oh. Well. It's happened before, actually. He remembers Fallon saying, I thought you two were…

Ha. And now they are. Castle cannot help the smug grin that stretches his lips. "I think I like the way it looks to people," he says wolfishly.

Her neck at least is almost healed, only imperceptible traces left of the hands that tried to strangle her, so he strokes his thumb against them, kisses the corner of her mouth, comes back for more…

"Come on," she says with that happy look in her eyes, hands curling around his biceps. "Show me your amazing pool, Castle. I wanna swim."

He jerks his head out of the water and gasps – very dramatically – for air, his daughter clinging to his shoulders like a monkey, laughing breathlessly in his ear. It was a lot easier to thwart Alexis's attempts at drowning him when she was under 5'7 and was lighter than…

Oh. He has no idea how much his daughter weighs. For some reason it saddens him, and he's left defenceless against her next attack. He goes down, his butt hitting the bottom of the pool, then he kicks it with his feet and emerges again, sputtering.

"Ha. I so got you, Dad. Admit it. You are too old."

He narrows his eyes at his smirking, triumphant daughter, and shakes himself, getting the water out of his hair. "I think the sundeck is waiting for me," he says, pointing a finger at the lounge chairs (he can see Kate from here, and he's pretty sure she's laughing at him). "If you're done trying to kill me, of course."

Alexis tilts her head at him, her blue eyes softening; she unexpectedly comes forward and throws her arms around his waist, hugging. His heart thumps in his chest.

"Thanks, Dad," she says against his chest. "I had fun today."

He winds an arm around her slim shoulders, kissing her forehead before he rests his cheek to the top of her head. "Always, Alexis."

She releases a soft, happy breath and lifts her smile to him, pushes him towards the ladder. Towards Kate.

"Go," she says, eyes sparkling. "I want to swim some more laps, anyway. And then I'll join Mandy in the sauna."

"I love you, Alexis," he blurts out, completely undone by how amazing, how grown-up his daughter is. His little girl.

"Love you too, Dad."

And then she's swimming, graceful strokes, skin so clear against the blue of the pool. He watches for a minute, so ridiculously proud, and then he turns to the woman waiting for him.

Kate.