Doorstep

By Jane Moss

"I would like you to come in." She didn't know where she had found the courage to utter the words, but they sounded weak even to her. "Only if you want to," she warned. The ball was in his court. He gulped audibly, also realising the true significance of crossing the boundary of her door.

She could see the indecision in his eyes. The pros and cons were like a battle in his mind. This could change everything. Things could spin out of control. Was that really bad? Some part of him longed to lose control. He had been so reserved and cautious for so many years. He had wasted so much time already. But if he came and left, she might never open up to him again. No second chances. Life really was a roller coaster.

He pushed everything from his mind and before he knew it, he had made it over the barrier. He turned back in shock, only to see her smiling coyly before joining him in her hall and closing the door behind them. He was in her domain now. She imagined now she could do with him as she pleased. Altogether the thought seemed tempting, but not to the part of her mind that was still rational.

He still hadn't moved. "I'm gonna go change…" Into what? He looked at her sharply. "These clothes smell of that crime scene. I wouldn't want to wear them longer than absolutely necessary," she smiled as he visibly relaxed a bit. "You can sit down in the living room."

As she disappeared down the hall, he felt a little more at ease to explore and familiarise himself in her apartment. There was so much Sara here, that he was finding it difficult to concentrate on the books on her shelves. Even the air smelled of her. He inhaled, inwardly savouring it, before sitting down on the couch gently.

"You mind if I take a quick shower first?" he heard her call.

He gulped audibly at the images, which came to mind. "No, take your time."

After a while, he realised his fingers were softly drumming on the armrest. He must have been nervous. What exactly was he anticipating? He could feel his eyes sting from excessive use of the computer, and let himself relax his head back. Just for a little while. He was tired. Not at all ready for an emotional situation such as this one. He knew he would say something wrong and find yet another way to ruin this perfect setting before it had time to blossom.

He was aware of something touching his hair softly and turned his head automatically to give more access. It was not until her second hand cupped his cheek and slid slowly to his neck, did he realise he must have fallen asleep. His eyes opened sharply but it took him a while to focus on the woman in front of him. He was surprised when her hands didn't move away before he could fully wake up, but instead continued their slow exploration of his skin. He looked at her with some surprise and she halted her movements.

"Sorry, are you awake now?" she offered taking her hands away before a blush could grace her cheeks. She wanted to touch him? This wasn't just about waking him up, was it? His mind reeled. His thoughts stopped altogether when he caught sight of her attire. The bathrobe left a large proportion of her legs uncovered and he earned to touch her silky skin. As she turned, he could see the groove of her breast in the opening of the bathrobe and Grissom immediately shut his eyes and willed himself to think of anything else. He felt like a scolded child. All he was aware of was his mouth going dry just from the sight of her. Was she trying to seduce him?

Sara smiled at the effect on him and left for the bedroom to change. It was only fair he should be able to think straight. She couldn't stop the grin from spreading across her face, as she changed into normal clothes. The man was good at playing cold… but not that good. It was so hard to resist straddling him on that sofa. She pushed those thoughts aside forcefully. This was not the time. Breakfast had just proved that there was a lot still unresolved between them. Too much, in fact.

Before she had time to pull on her top, her cell phone went off, causing her to jump. Who could that be? She looked distastefully at the caller display.

In the next room, Grissom picked up his own pager and dialled his cell.

"Brass"

"Did you page me?"

"We got a double homicide at the canal and Ecklie's short staffed." Grissom sighed at the thought of returning for another long shift. "Look, I know you don't like Ecklie, but there's lots of creepy crawly bugs over here. Someone needs to take a look…"

"Give me the address. I'll be there in 20 minutes," Grissom said reluctantly leaving his warm spot on the sofa.

"Oh and get someone to come with you. It's a large scene to process"

"I'll call Catherine - "

"Catherine's with Linsey," Brass informed, "Oh and Nick said he just worked 14 hours. I couldn't get hold of Warrick."

"Fine" With that, Grissom ended the call and tentatively went deeper into her apartment.

"Sara? Are you down here?"

 She opened the door and emerged right in front of him. "We got a double shift, heh?"

"I'm sorry we didn't get a chance to talk," he said, inwardly not at all sorry and yet regretful to leave her home.

She took hold of his forearm before he could turn away. "And that's it?" He could tell by her tone she was becoming irritated. It really wasn't his fault.

"I'll come back here later, if you want, but I hardly think we'll be in any shape to talk."

"You let me worry about that." After grabbing her sunglasses, they both walked out into the harsh Nevada sun and with a definite click, the door locked behind them.

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Okay, see! I wrote the next chapter… relatively… fast! Sorry I keep dragging it on, but it's just more fun to play with the tension. I'm sure it will get resolved someday! Hehehe! Thank you again for the lovely reviews! Keep them coming!  – JM:)