Castle and The Originals

Chapter 32

Kate departed the bedroom tiptoeing actoss the threshold of the study. She found herself silently thanking the large area rug that encompassed the center of the room; the hardwood had been too cool against her bare feet. As an added feature its lushness muffled the sound of her approach.

With the remote in one hand and his cell in the other, Rick half-leaned, half-sat on the end of his desk facing the smart board hanging was firmly planted on the ground while his left mindlessly twirled the large leather office chair in slow semi-circles. He was in, what was steadily approaching a heated argument with Gina. Kate could hear the Publisher's agitated voice booming from the speaker.

Kate was still too groggy to even begin to register what their conversation was about. Or maybe it was the sight of her husband, barefoot and sporting a pair of gray flat front trousers below an untucked - unbuttoned purple dress shirt, that had her subconsciously blocking out the rest of the world.

Kate watched him turn off the smart board and drop the remote on the desk at his back. He extended his right arm and draped it across her shoulders as she stepped into the space directly in front of him. She leaned in sideways to rest her cheek in that familiar dip behind his collarbone; always the perfect fit. Like now; how the front of his thigh melded to every inch of the outside of hers, the way the hard tip of his hip molded itself into the soft mound of hers, or how the jut of his bicep pillowed the recession at the base of her skull as he cradled her. Yep, the perfect fit.

Kate snaked her hand into the opening of his shirt. Her elbow skimmed the soft hair below his navel as her hand palmed his broad chest. She nuzzled deeper into his neck and breathed him in. He smelled so good; clean like soap and fabric softener - fresh. She closed her eyes to let the rumble of his voice vibrate through her whole body.

"Gina, I already told you, I can't today!"

Whoa, rumble was one thing, freight train was another. Kate was never one to worry about the feelings of either of Rick's exes, but nonetheless she pinched the taught skin over his sternum. He must have understood the gesture. She felt him deflate slightly on a ragged exhale; his tone softened.

"Look Gina I have to go, something just came up."

Gina's voice sounded slightly synthesized by the small device. "Something more important than this?"

"Infinitely."

"Richard!"

Rick ended the call and tucked the phone into his pocket. Now free, his hand fell instantly to its new favorite spot, her belly. Kate couldn't imagine that there would be much to miss about being pregnant, but this constant touch; of love, of protection, of ownership would be missed for sure.

"Infinitely huh?" Was all she could manage.

"And beyond."

Rick tilted his head and lightly touched her lips with his. Kate didn't care that he got the quote wrong. It still overwhelmed her, this man she loved; how much she loved him - how much he loved her.

"Morning."

"Don't you mean afternoon?" His squeezed her tighter and pressed his lips to her forehead. "Sleep well?"

"You know I didn't."

Rick lowered his arm from her shoulders to give an encouraging rub over the small of her back. A backache was just one of the many reasons neither of them had been sleeping well the last few nights. Unfortunately Kate had reached the point in this multiple pregnancy thing where being comfortable was a rarity. Laying down made breathing deeply impossible; she could swear one of the girls had taken it residence in her chest essentially rendering her lungs incapable of expanding. If she did manage to find a comfortable enough position to allow her a moment of sleep the other baby would immediately start in on her bladder, and what they were doing to her other organs was unmentionable. Her emotions started to get the better of her just thinking about how difficult the whole process could sometimes be.