Disclaimer: I don't own them, I didn't create them, and I don't profit from them; however, as always, coffee with George and Jorja would be nice...I'd even pay.
Author's Note: This idea came from hanging out (literally) with my sister in a pair of hammocks that she bought in Brazil.
Dedicated to all of my fellow Snickers. Happy Labor Day.
"You were right, this is relaxing." Sara mumbled as she swayed back and forth in one of the hammocks hanging out on Nick's back porch.
"I told you." He had been telling Sara for weeks that she needed to relax and when his sister Natalie came for a visit after a trip to Brazil and presented him with two brightly colored cotton hammocks for his yard, he knew that Sara needed to help him break them in.
"Mmmn, do you think we could get a couple of these for the break room at the lab?" Sara's tone was perfectly serious.
Nick chortled out a laugh. "No one would get any work done if we did."
Sara let out a resigned sigh. "You're probably right." She was enjoying the gentle sway of the hammock and was surprised at how well it supported her back. She closed her eyes and just let herself let go of the tough case she'd been working on. For that moment, the only thing in the world was that hammock.
Nick chuckled. "You might need to get one of these for yourself." He could tell what sort of effect this was having on her and he was all for a more relaxed and less uptight Sara Sidle, especially since he'd been working with her quite a bit of late. If Sara was more relaxed, she just might be open to something that Nick had been thinking about for years.
A smug smile flitted across her face and she didn't even bother to open up her eyes. "Why should I when you have two?"
"Hey, I'm all about sharing, but this is a matched set." He smirked at her.
Sara opened one eye and smirked back at him once she noticed his expression. "I didn't say I wanted one of yours...I'm sure my apartment complex would have a problem with me putting bolts in the wall big enough to support these anyway...I meant that you have two."
Nick grinned. "You're welcome here anytime." He had to admit to himself that having Sara drop by whenever she needed to relax after a long shift was a nice thought. She could come by and they could spend some quality time together that had nothing to do with work.
"I might just have to take you up on that." She smiled and then realized that she couldn't spend the whole day there; she was bound to fall asleep for the duration and she had plenty of housework at home that needed attention. "Although, I think I'm going to have to take a rain check."
"Awe, c'mon, Sara, you can stay a little while longer." Nick didn't think that ten minutes of hanging out in the hammocks was enough relaxation given the case they'd just worked and how tense Sara had been almost all night as a result of it.
Sara began to maneuver to get herself out of the hammock, but seemed to tangle herself in it instead. "Well, I might have to if I can't get out of this thing." Her brow was furrowed in concentration as she tried to remember how she'd gotten into it.
Nick watched her in amusement for a few moments before he arched a brow her direction. "You need some help there?"
Sara wasn't too proud to admit when she needed help, at least when it was clear that she wasn't going anywhere soon; she'd managed to get her belt hooked onto the decorative fringe on the side of the hammock. "Please."
Nick easily slid out of his hammock and reached out to offer her a hand up. However, since neither one of them was paying attention to the fact that her foot had also become tangled, Sara didn't budge and Nick ended up falling into the hammock right on top of her. "Oomph...sorry."
The more he tried to push himself off of her, the more compromising of a position he put them in. It wasn't until Sara started to giggle that Nick finally stopped moving and he looked into her eyes.
She smirked at him, trying hard not to think about just how close they were and just how much that made her want to kiss him. "See, I told you it was hard to get out of here." For some reason she kept looking at his lips.
The feel of her body pressed up against his was sending thoughts through his mind that he hadn't intended to share with Sara, at least not without spending a few more years to work up his courage. "I can see what you mean." His voice came out huskier than he'd intended.
"Now we're both stuck." Sara sounded not at all upset about that fact and her lips seemed to curl up into a smile.
Their proximity was having an effect on Nick; one that seemed to fuel his courage. He shifted his weight again, finding that it brought Sara to rest against his chest. "We sure seem to be." And he didn't mind one little bit either.
"I suppose if we're stuck; there isn't much we can do about it, now can we?" Sara's smile seemed to widen slightly and she wondered if Nick realized that he'd slid his arms around her waist.
"I guess not." Nick wanted to kiss Sara in the worst way and despite all the logic he was trying to muster, his hands and his lips seemed to have a mind of their own.
The feel of his lips against hers caused Sara to give up all of her resolve to go home to do housework. At that moment, staying in the hammock with Nick and kissing him seemed like the most important thing in the world.
Nick seemed to agree and as he felt Sara respond to his kiss, his courage seemed to gain strength and before he knew it they were in a tangle of arms and legs grinning at each other like a couple of fools after sharing a rather intense kiss. "Then again, I might not need both of them here...sharing like this is a lot more fun."
The End