Disclaimer: CSI: Miami does not belong to me. The characters are full of inspiration, intelligence, and intrigue that I can't help but borrow them a short while. I heartily enjoy the show and its premise. The events of this story are mine, but the characters are definitely not.
Author's Note: For b8kworm, the H/C group. Eternal gratitude to Mr. Hathaway, who made me realize I had a talent I was wasting; my apologies for neglecting to put a note here on all the other stories. To Lauri, because you've made me more vocal about the smut I'm addicted to but can't write; this is as close as I get. Thanks, Marianne, for your enthusiasm and help for my *trudgings*, LoL!
Summary: She could see that control, which kept him just outside her personal space, giving her his permission to seduce to her heart's desire. Just before she did just that, she promised his heart a sincere conversation with hers.
Archives: My site. Anybody else, email me. I like to go visiting.
Pairing(s): Horatio/Calleigh
Spoiler: None, sorry.
***** ***** *****Title: Nights Under the Full Jazz Moon
Author: Laeta
Email: ladylaeta@yahoo.com
Chapter 2: Question Unanswered
Sunlight filtered through airy lace curtains and Calleigh paused in anticipation for the next breeze. When it came to caress her skin, she stretched slightly and felt the pull of tender muscles. For the first time since the advent of the girls' night out club, she felt the pleasant buzz of an evening well spent.
She still had no clue as to why Horatio would have been at the club last night. They had not bothered with talking. Really, there was no use for words since their bodies carried on an erotic conversation for them. Of course, the music had been loud and the bass had skillfully throbbed the air of the club.
She could recall with vivid clarity how his body was both protective and provocative. There were clear lines of possession drawn through it the whole night and allowed her to truly enjoy herself instead of trying to fend off unwanted dance partners. As it was, she had spent the whole night in his arms and had just let go of everything else. Sometimes following his lead or him following hers, together they forgot about the world; she never before felt that reckless ability.
Another breeze floated through the windows and brought a shiver as its companion. The memory of his breath as he teased her nearly bare shoulder drew a sigh from Calleigh. Maybe she should stop thinking about the night and shower away his smell off her skin. The attempt to move stilled as the next breeze brought even more memories to light. Settling back into bed, resigned, Calleigh decided to make the most of it since it did not seem like she had an opposing choice.
It had taken him some time to accustom himself with her permission to touch her body. She had felt his hesitation through his fleeting touches; they both knew the line existed between derogatory groping and heated dancing. Then when he had figured out she was a willing accomplice for anything, he had turned on the intensity she adored. Fingers dipped into that heated fire showcased by his eyes and left trails of blush where he could see skin and arousal where he could not. Then his mouth had followed - along her raised arms, hair-relieved neck, shoulders - leaving barely felt kisses as though he was afraid to taste and discover she was only a dream.
Surprisingly, once that revelation sunk into her alcohol and seduction drenched mind, she had found the desire to help him forget. Looking back now, she was almost embarrassed with the turn in her behavior. A self-conscious smile on her face accompanied the memory of the feral movements Horatio's body had taken in response. For that, Calleigh knew she would give nearly anything to experience again.
Now in the light of day, she wondered how they were going to handle the events of last night at work. She knew they would have to talk eventually and unearth whatever prompted Horatio to tempt her that way. She only hoped she was strong enough to withstand disappointment.
Two days later, Calleigh meandered her way through the lab. Although all the lab employees spent an exorbitant amount of time within its walls, she always found returning after the weekend felt like coming home. Hence the wandering path of her steps allowed the simultaneous re-acquaintance between herself and the building as well as the opportunity to greet and to chat with fellow employees she rarely had a reason to see while working.
And so, this was how she heard three different accounts on Horatio before her first cup of coffee. One reliable source had him sulking and scattering employees helter-skelter with a well-placed, ill-tempered glare. Another swore he walked with a tightly restrained, coiled gait, ready to spring at a moment's notice. The third giddily rushed through her recap of Horatio's open, ready smile and unique brand of attentive, gentleman-like behavior.
She saw the lights on in her lab and slowed her steps. Without a doubt, she knew Horatio was waiting for her; inside she was torn between the apprehension of future words and the craving of coffee that the often reliable lab rumor-bug said he had with him.
With only a deep breath for armor, she opened the door and stopped just inside the threshold. Impeccably dressed as always, Horatio was engrossed in his study of her most recent bullet comparison. Calleigh tried to gauge his mood as she waited for him to acknowledge her. Contrary to the received accounts, he appeared completely normal - as though the night in the club had never happened. Then again, she could see tension and wondered if he had slept much at all; if not, it would explain why there was no hint of that coffee cup anywhere.
She gave a tentative smile when he finally straightened. "Hey, Handsome."
"Calleigh." His voice was an octave away from the normal husky timbre, and she knew why the moment his eyes swept up her figure to meet hers - the forbidden fire was still there. After nearly three days, it still greedily consumed everything Horatio had to lose. Like that night, the fire pulled at Calleigh and begged to share its heat; now, away from the headiness of the moment, she felt her grasp on her heart loosen as she began to fall in love with him all over again.
"Horatio, you should have taken the day off." Concern was an easy emotion to hide love behind and failed as an adequate cover when his wry chuckle blew it feebly away.
"No. We need to talk."
Calleigh wanted more privacy; with the glass walls and open door, there was precious little to be had. So she stepped further into the room and closed the door; a careless shrug fell off her shoulders for everybody else, let them conjure their own stories about this conversation.
Door shut and soundproof glass placing them against the world, Calleigh's heartbeat shifted to a staccato rhythm. She drifted closer to Horatio's unmoving form and hit a mark directly across the table from him. Her view of his face was stereo sound and full color and, for the first time in her acquaintance with him, she saw him fidget. Eyes flew and landed everywhere except on her while hands wandered from the table top to his pockets and his center of mass shifted from side to side.
With a sigh and the wish to tell him everything in her heart, mind, and soul, she hoped to gain a clue from the restless man. Blue eyes finally settled upon her lost eyes and she was fascinated by the rise of the fierce protective spirit he constantly surrendered to. Leadership had always fallen easily to him; this situation was no different.
"At the beginning."
And Calleigh discovered a new facet of Horatio's personality: though he was a man always in control during professional circumstances, he preferred his personal relationships to be based on equal standing and respect. With that one phrase, Horatio may be directing the start of this conversation, but he was allowing her to decide where the beginning was. From any other man, she would know the comment was borderline chauvinistic, but with this man, it was a respectful nod to her privacy.
"Miami was always the place to be for us kids growing up in Louisiana, not Baton Rouge, Jackson, or Atlanta; not even Austin or Dallas. They were too busy for the likes of us, but Miami was fast enough to amaze us and both near and far enough from home for comfort. So first chance any of us had, we left for Miami. It was easier for some and took longer for others and some never left home. Anyway, those who made it here, we get together for our own kind of reunion since nobody will probably ever understand us like each other. In the beginning, we met once a month for dinner at some chic restaurant, this was Miami after all; then there were sporting events that the guys left us girls to our own devices. So, we created the girls' night out club. Friday night was a full moon, and you know what the full moon does to the female system. It was an excuse to act outside ourselves in the big city. And it just grew from there."
"Dance, tease, and seduction?"
It was her turn for a wry chuckle. "All that and add in no chaperones or curfew and liqueur."
"Why me?"
Calleigh did not know how to answer the weighted question. The lab was not exactly the place she wanted for this discussion, though she did realize the neutrality of the locale.
"Calleigh, why me? I was watching you for most of the night and you barely glanced at anybody. So, please, clear up some confusion for me."
This time, she broke the eye contact between them and leaned heavily against the table. He had been watching her? Shoulders sagged and she felt embarrassment but strangely, no awkwardness. Suddenly, Horatio circumvented the table and filled her entire field of vision. Gentle influence forced her to accept the truth in his statement; the damned fire was sending its own tendrils of hot seduction in her direction. The truth, he would deny all else.
"I used to dance every one of those nights, for the freedom of it. Then I danced to forget - someone; when that didn't work, I stopped. I haven't danced with anyone for about a year, Horatio. You were the first in a long time."
His hand shook as it reached out to contact her skin for the first time that day. It smoothed over her cheek and Calleigh was helpless to turn away; she wanted to tap into the comfort his body represented. Instead, she lay passive while his hand drew her to face him.
"Why me, Calleigh?"
Chapter 3: Sweet Invitation
***** ***** *****
© RK 20.May.2003
