Inside Your Heaven

Chapter 12: Hell of a Night

         

A/N: School, work, and life sure know how to get in the way of my writing... I made it though! And I couldn't be happier about this chapter and I think it turned out better than I had planned. Enjoy!

P.S. What'd you think of that premiere?!

"Oooh, baby you and me, just runnin' down crazy. Flyin' high, living careless, on the edge of wild and reckless. Hold on tight, I'm 'bout to show you one hell of a night" ~Dustin Lynch

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Richard Castle took a deep breath and knocked a sweaty hand on her door at 7 o'clock Friday night. In his right hand he held a dozen roses and, in his left, the card that accompanied it.  When he heard the turn of the doorknob his heart skipped a beat.  This was it, he thought.

Kate Beckett swung open her front door and was at a loss of words. There, standing outside her door was the man she couldn't stop thinking about, the man that took her breath away. She stood like a teenage girl on the other side of the door, awkward and uncomfortable. 

Struggling to find something to say, he interrupted her thoughts, "Hi." His voice was breathy and uncertain. "You look gorgeous. These are for you," he complimented and handed her the flowers.

Rick noticed the small blush forming on Kate's face and he was silently proud that he had that affect on her. She shyly tugged on the hem of her knee length sundress and fanned the bottom out before taking the dozen roses from his hand. Kate finally moved fully out of the way and let Rick into her and Lanie's rented townhouse.

He wrapped his strong arms around Kate and gently kissed her cheek. "This is a new look for you, Katherine Beckett. I think I like it," he whispered.

Kate untangled herself and stood an arms length away from him. Staring into his blue irises, she whispered her thanks and stood up on her tiptoes to wrap her arms around his neck. Slowly she leaned forward and pecked her lips against his. He held her in place and ran his fingers through her shoulder length hair. Before he tried to deepen the kiss, he pulled away. "We should leave now if we want to make our reservations."

Kate did her best to hide the disappointment in her voice but came up short. "Oh," she paused, "yeah, okay." She plastered a smile on her face, "Let's go then."

Castle saw right through her facade, "Hey hey hey, let me tell you something. I promise you that tonight will be the best night you've had in a long time." He kissed her forehead, "Now, I have to use the bathroom. May I?" He pointed in the direction of the bathroom.

"Yeah," she genuinely smiled, "second door on the left."

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Rick traveled down the dark hallway and opened what he thought was the correct door. When he flipped on the light switch, he saw Kate's two large suitcases sitting on top of the bed. He turned around to leave when he stopped dead in his tracks. Turning back around, he went into her bedroom, straight to her suitcase.

There, sitting on top of the pink case, was his book. His first book. He gently picked it up and examined it's worn pages, filled with notes, and his breath caught. He pulled a sharpie from his pant's pocket and wrote her a message. Then, he removed his soft, black undershirt from beneath his light blue buttoned dress shirt, folded it up, and slipped it into her suitcase. He replaced the book and adjusted the collar of his shirt before leaving again, completely ignoring the real reason he traveled down the hallway in the first place.

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"Rick, this place is beautiful," Kate smiled as she looked around the secluded restaurant.