Castle | ✔️

Chapter Thirteen

"They're worse. You don't know the half of it." He informed her.

"Don't want to either." She said, "My imagination is wild."

"I would know."

"Wanna test it?"

"Aw. You guys are so adorable." I chimed in.

She had to be his girlfriend. And after this exchange, I had no doubt.

Theo tried to avoid eye-contact. They'd probably forgotten I was standing here until I'd said that.

"We were...we were just going upstairs to study. C'mon, Maddy," He said, running upstairs towards his room.

"I haven't even asked you anything, and be safe, guys. Don't have too much fun." I called out after them.

The door slammed after them.

*~*

I located Castle in the horse stables. It was too hot outside, so I'd prepared a jug full of fresh lemonade.

I told him he could have it when he was feeling tired but he ignored me and concentrated on the work at hand, so I placed the tray on an empty crate nearby and settled down on an upturned bucket watching him as he worked on his favorite brown colored horse named Star who had cute silky fringes covering its forehead.

He was shirtless, wearing only a pair of jeans that rode low on his hips. His muscles flexed as he lathered the horse with shampoo, and that was a sight for sore eyes.

I didn't really have a reason to complain.

It was nice to see Castle concentrate on something that he loved doing so much—whether it was trains, or remote control cars or horses.

The sun was beating down harshly; the birds chirped in the trees nearby—it was a lovely day and the mansion looked something right out of a fairytale story. Only, it was anything but. The darkness and horrors inside this mansion were unspeakable.

I tried my best to stop myself from thinking of the negative side and concentrate on the positive, like how Castle's hair had streaks of gold in the sunlight or the way he'd smile when he was doing things he loved.

Drops of sweat trickled down his body, and I stared at him, fascinated.

Stop it, Millie! He might be thirty, but there's no way Castle would even have liked me if he had a choice. He was way out of my league, not to mention, I was employed by his family—More like kidnapped, so what would my attraction towards Castle be called?

Stockholm syndrome?

I didn't think so. Castle was every bit a victim in this family as I was.

"Do you want me to leave?" I asked him.

Castle probably thought I was a hindrance, so I could just walk out here and observe him from far.

He turned to face me. "Stay."

"Well, can I at least help you bathe him?" I asked.

He didn't answer for an entire minute and I thought he was back to ignoring me again when he said, "Okay."

I took a generous amount of shampoo in my palm and began scrubbing the horse. The texture of the horse felt soft under my fingers. "Hmm...this feels relaxing. He's really sweet."

"I helped Star's mother...through labor when he was born." Castle said proudly, like a vet who'd delivered a healthy baby.

Pretty sure this was the longest sentence he'd said to me in a while. I'd noticed since I'd stopped giving him medication, his speech had improved.

"I see. I would love to watch the process someday as well."

Castle shook his head. "You'll be disturbed."

"Trust me. What I've been through so far in this house, I don't think anything else will disturb me for a long time."

Castle froze, his brush stopping mid scrub. He turned to me. "I'm sorry."

I shook my head. "It's not your fault."

Tension filled the atmosphere. And Castle didn't need to feel guilty for Devin and Dayana's sins. Even though he was their brother, he wasn't to blame for what was going on.

To make the situation lighter, I splashed the water from the bucket at him.

Castle stared at me in complete bafflement and for a second I thought he was going to be angry about it, but a moment later, I stood there bewildered until I was sprayed with a water hose.

And the sound of Castle's laughter rang in my ears.

It was one of the nicest laughs I'd ever heard—a rich, deep one that I could never tire of listening to.

I grabbed the pitcher of lemonade and threw it towards him. He walked towards me slowly, the hose still in his hands. I took a few steps back and made a run until I realized I was trapped completely.

Castle's eyes were mischievous as he approached me like a predator hunting for its prey until he grabbed me with his right hand and sprayed more water all over me.

"Oh god," I laughed, "Stop it." I tried to push him, but he wouldn't budge.

I snatched the hose from his hand when I saw the chance and did the same to him, so now he was drenched like me too. I giggled, "Serves you right, mister."

My giggles started fading when he inched closer until I was sandwiched between the wall and him. And I was aware of how the thin fabric of my dress clung to my body, outlining the off-white bra I was wearing underneath, not to mention the dress sticking to my body below the waist and highlighting every shape. By the looks of it, Castle had noticed it too, because his eyes kept darting from my chest to my lips.

He stared at the top button of my dress as if it bothered him.

I was lost in his intense gaze when his lips met mine in a slow caressing kiss. His mouth was insistent over mine as he was silently seeking permission for more. He smelled of something like sunshine, and lemon mixed with the twinge of his male scent that came after a day's hard labor. I moaned, unable to let go or tell him that what we were doing was wrong. He kissed like someone who'd lost practice at it, but knew exactly what he was doing.

I felt myself falling deeper and deeper—like I was being pulled by an ocean current.

My hands went into his soft brown curls, and his grasp over me tightened. His tongue moved desperately inside me.

I pulled away enough to say, "Castle...we can't."

But he was far beyond to listen to what I had to say. He was breathing hard and staring at my lips. He pressed his fingers on my swollen lips. "Tomorrow. Same place."

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