Exculpatory

Chapter sixteen

HAPPY (one-day-early) BIRTHDAY TO LAURA!!! Hope you'll have a great tomorrow!

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It took about a week and a half before her brothers started to fully accept Castle being there. It might've helped Elisabeth showing up one evening and showing just how much she liked having him around. Ryan had been the one to crack first, finding himself agreeing with one of Castle's theories. It had taken a bit longer for Esposito, and he still wasn't quite there, but he had started mocking and teasing Castle in a way Kate would almost dare describe as friendly. And of course Kate and Castle had had more family dinners, and both daughters were more than happy to hang out. Alexis even took Elisabeth out for shopping one day, promising Kate she would have the perfect eye on her peanut. She'd been so surprised to find Elisabeth coming home with a couple new clothes, knowing exactly how refrained she was from buying new things she didn't really, really, want, and clothes were never on her priority list unless she really needed them. Elisabeth had later explained how she had tried not to accept it but Alexis had very insistingly bought the clothes for her, which Kate hadn't been shocked about at all considering her father. There had also been a stolen kiss or two. They hadn't really had enough privacy to actually talk about it, but the way it felt when their hands touched, when his lips were on hers, she didn't want it to stop.

His sudden chuckle had her eyes shifting towards the stairs, where he was just walking down again from checking on their daughters.

"They're fast asleep," he said low and she sighed with a smile on her lips.

"Maybe we should head home then," she said as he slumped down in the couch beside her.

"Don't be ridiculous, let her sleep over, you can sleep over too," he suggested, putting an arm around her shoulders.

Without hesitation she snuggled closer to his body, now that the girls were asleep she didn't feel it was as risky to get caught. Elisabeth knew, and Kate supposed Alexis did too, but they hadn't exactly had the talk about being open to them about their newfound relationship.

"We shouldn't," she replied as she felt his lips in her hair.

"But you don't want to leave," he mumbled and she sighed, because of course he was right.

She laid her head on his shoulder, her arm around his hip, literally showing him by actions how right he was. How had she even become this... clingy?

"We should talk though, we finally have some time to actually talk without curious ears just around the corner."

Her suggestion had him humming in agreement. "I want to take you out on a date," he said and she felt her heart skip a beat at that. "As in just the two of us, my mother could watch Alexis, and Liz if your dad can't take her. You know what, maybe they could even watch them together?" She couldn't help but chuckle at that thought.

"You really think they would be a match?" she questioned, pulling away enough to see his face.

"Who? Alexis and Liz? I think they already..."

"Nooo," she cut him off with a small chuckle. "My dad and your mom."

He shrugged his shoulders, "Would be a great way to find out, they can't exactly fight in front of our kids." She bit her lip and he gave her a reassuring look. "Hey, don't worry about that, you could think about what restaurant you want me to take you to instead," he leaned down and kissed her lips, making her cheeks blush from the tingling it evoked.

A small satisfying moan rumbled quietly from her throat, she parted her lips the second she felt his tongue brush her lower lip. His taste immediately made her mind feel dizzy and she felt her body fitting so well into his, a tingling going south starting from her heart. She wanted more, she wanted more of him, her whole body was electric with it. But the second she felt one of his hands going to her hip in a massaging manner she jerked away from him with her heart pounding hard. Her body was suddenly on the other side of the couch as she tried to catch her heaving breath, and she felt him looking at her with worry and confusion.