Nick was stiff, sore, tired, and he smelled of decomposing flesh. On the
way home after shift, he stopped by the grocery store for some lemons to
get the smell off of his body. The cashier looked at him oddly as she rung
up his purchase. As he pulled into his driveway he noted that Sara's Tahoe
was still there and Nick hoped that she had taken full advantage of his
offer. She had looked exhausted and he had hoped that the hot tub would
allow her to relax enough that she could fall asleep.
As he walked into the house he grinned as he noticed her fast asleep on the couch, with a towel wrapped around her over her swimsuit. The TV was still on. He picked up the remote and clicked it off. Nick didn't want to disturb her, but with the air conditioning on he thought she would eventually get cold. He walked over and pulled a blanket out of the closet and gently placed it over Sara as she continued to sleep.
Nick walked into the kitchen and cut several of the lemons in half before he made his way into the bathroom to take a shower. An amused grin crossed his face as he noticed Sara's clothes neatly folded and stacked on the toilet. He picked up the pile to set it on the counter and as he did, Sara's underwear, which she had tucked into her folded T-shirt, fell to the floor. He chuckled as he thought about how embarrassed Sara would be if she knew he was looking at her underwear, let alone touching it. He raised his eyebrows as he picked up the lacy undergarments. Hmm. There was a lot more to Sara Sidle than he had ever imagined. He would never have guessed she wore such sexy underwear.
He neatly tucked her underwear back into the fold of her T-shirt and then disrobed and climbed into the shower to scour himself with lemons under the stream of water in an attempt to rid himself of the stench that pervaded his pores.
Satisfied that he'd gotten the odor off of himself, he turned off the water and climbed out of the shower, wrapping a towel around his waist. He chuckled to himself as he realized that he had brought no change of clothes with him into the bathroom. Usually he wouldn't have a reason to since he lived alone. He hoped that Sara was still asleep as he exited the bathroom and made his way across the hall to his bedroom for some fresh clothes.
He emerged a few minutes later clad in a pair of shorts and an LVPD T- shirt. It appeared that Sara was still asleep. Nick chuckled softly as he noticed that she'd pulled the blanket around herself more tightly. He walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge trying to decide what sounded good to eat. As he did, he heard Sara stir in the other room.
"That you, Nicky?" A sleepy sounding Sara sat up on the couch.
"Yeah, I didn't mean to wake you up, you seemed to be sleeping so well." He walked into the living room and smiled at her.
Sara glanced down and noticed the blanket. She smiled and then looked up at him fingering the blanket. "You do this?"
He nodded. "I thought with the AC on you might get cold."
Sara glanced down at the towel she was wrapped in and then realized she still had her swimsuit on. She looked back at him. "I guess I sort of fell asleep." She let out a yawn.
Nick raised an eyebrow. "Looks like you're still tired."
Sara was about to deny it, but then she sank back into the couch instead and closed her eyes. "Yeah, I'm not sure I can move."
Nick chuckled. "Well, you're sure as hell not going to drive if you're that tired."
"Your couch is really comfy." Her eyes fluttered open. "Thanks for letting me use your hot tub by the way. Oh, and you're out of Chunky Monkey ice cream." A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.
Nick had an amused expression on his face. "You ate my Chunky Monkey ice cream?"
She chuckled. "You said to make myself at home."
Nick raised an eyebrow. "Well I suppose since you ate all of my favorite ice cream that you're not hungry."
An amused expression crossed Sara's face. "You obviously don't know me very well, Stokes."
He grinned. "Well enough. Pizza or omelets?"
"They're both loaded with saturated fat." Sara quipped.
Nick chuckled. "And your point is?"
Sara chuckled. "Pizza."
"Alright then. One meat lover's pizza coming up." Nick grinned in spite of himself.
Sara just shook her head and rolled her eyes.
Nick picked up the phone and ordered a large vegetarian pizza with extra cheese. One nice thing about living in Vegas was that you could get just about any kind of food delivered twenty-four hours a day.
Sara yawned again and pulled herself up off the couch, keeping the towel firmly around her body. She turned toward Nick who was just hanging up the phone. "I'm gonna go put my other clothes back on."
"Ok." He smiled at her and plopped himself down on the couch with a bottle of beer that he'd pulled out of the fridge.
Sara emerged from the bathroom wearing her jeans and T-shirt a few minutes later. She raised a quizzical eyebrow at Nick. "Tough shift?"
He glanced over at her as she sat on the couch next to him. "Why do you ask?"
A soft smile spread across her face. "Lemons."
He nodded. "Yeah, it was ugly. Highway cleanup crew thought it was a bunch of road kill at first."
"Oh." Sara could just imagine. They'd seen a lot of really ugly things, liquid man for one.
"Hey, do you want a beer?" Nick asked as he took another sip from his.
Sara nodded. "Yeah, that sounds good."
Nick got up and walked into the kitchen to pull another beer out of the fridge. "Pizza should be here pretty soon." He sat down next to her and handed her the beer."
"Thanks." She took a sip and then lay her head back against the couch .
"You know, I have a guest room you can sleep in." Nick offered.
Sara glanced at him. "I'm too tired to argue, so thanks."
Nick chuckled. "Are you sure you're going to be awake enough to eat pizza?"
Sara noticed the teasing expression on his face. "Nothing gets between me and my pizza, Stokes." She chuckled.
The doorbell rang and Nick got up. "Sounds like the pizza is here." Nick paid for the pizza and put the box on the coffee table in front of them. They quickly polished off two-thirds of the pizza before deciding that they were both full.
Nick glanced at Sara as she rested her head against the back of the couch. "Hey, do you want to borrow something to sleep in?"
A faint smile tugged at her lips. "Yeah, that would be nice."
Nick got up from the couch and returned a few minutes later with a T-shirt and a pair of drawstring sweat pants. He chuckled as he looked at Sara melting into the couch.
She opened one eye and started to chuckle.
He offered her his hand. "Here, let me help you up." She reached up and took his hand and allowed him to help her up. He handed her the clothes and propelled her down the hall with his hands on her shoulders. "Ok, Princess Sleepy, here you go." He stopped at the door to his guest room.
Sara turned toward him and chuckled softly. "Thanks, Nick."
Nick smiled and kissed her forehead. "Get some sleep."
Sara closed the door behind her and quickly changed into the clothes Nick had given her, not bothering to fold hers. Instead leaving them in a heap on the floor. She crawled under the covers and was asleep almost as soon her head hit the pillow.
Nick put the rest of the pizza in the fridge and threw the beer bottles into his recycle bin. He shut the lights off and made his way to his bedroom, stripping down to his boxers and crawling under the covers. He fell asleep almost immediately, a faint scent of lemons still clinging to his skin.
As he walked into the house he grinned as he noticed her fast asleep on the couch, with a towel wrapped around her over her swimsuit. The TV was still on. He picked up the remote and clicked it off. Nick didn't want to disturb her, but with the air conditioning on he thought she would eventually get cold. He walked over and pulled a blanket out of the closet and gently placed it over Sara as she continued to sleep.
Nick walked into the kitchen and cut several of the lemons in half before he made his way into the bathroom to take a shower. An amused grin crossed his face as he noticed Sara's clothes neatly folded and stacked on the toilet. He picked up the pile to set it on the counter and as he did, Sara's underwear, which she had tucked into her folded T-shirt, fell to the floor. He chuckled as he thought about how embarrassed Sara would be if she knew he was looking at her underwear, let alone touching it. He raised his eyebrows as he picked up the lacy undergarments. Hmm. There was a lot more to Sara Sidle than he had ever imagined. He would never have guessed she wore such sexy underwear.
He neatly tucked her underwear back into the fold of her T-shirt and then disrobed and climbed into the shower to scour himself with lemons under the stream of water in an attempt to rid himself of the stench that pervaded his pores.
Satisfied that he'd gotten the odor off of himself, he turned off the water and climbed out of the shower, wrapping a towel around his waist. He chuckled to himself as he realized that he had brought no change of clothes with him into the bathroom. Usually he wouldn't have a reason to since he lived alone. He hoped that Sara was still asleep as he exited the bathroom and made his way across the hall to his bedroom for some fresh clothes.
He emerged a few minutes later clad in a pair of shorts and an LVPD T- shirt. It appeared that Sara was still asleep. Nick chuckled softly as he noticed that she'd pulled the blanket around herself more tightly. He walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge trying to decide what sounded good to eat. As he did, he heard Sara stir in the other room.
"That you, Nicky?" A sleepy sounding Sara sat up on the couch.
"Yeah, I didn't mean to wake you up, you seemed to be sleeping so well." He walked into the living room and smiled at her.
Sara glanced down and noticed the blanket. She smiled and then looked up at him fingering the blanket. "You do this?"
He nodded. "I thought with the AC on you might get cold."
Sara glanced down at the towel she was wrapped in and then realized she still had her swimsuit on. She looked back at him. "I guess I sort of fell asleep." She let out a yawn.
Nick raised an eyebrow. "Looks like you're still tired."
Sara was about to deny it, but then she sank back into the couch instead and closed her eyes. "Yeah, I'm not sure I can move."
Nick chuckled. "Well, you're sure as hell not going to drive if you're that tired."
"Your couch is really comfy." Her eyes fluttered open. "Thanks for letting me use your hot tub by the way. Oh, and you're out of Chunky Monkey ice cream." A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.
Nick had an amused expression on his face. "You ate my Chunky Monkey ice cream?"
She chuckled. "You said to make myself at home."
Nick raised an eyebrow. "Well I suppose since you ate all of my favorite ice cream that you're not hungry."
An amused expression crossed Sara's face. "You obviously don't know me very well, Stokes."
He grinned. "Well enough. Pizza or omelets?"
"They're both loaded with saturated fat." Sara quipped.
Nick chuckled. "And your point is?"
Sara chuckled. "Pizza."
"Alright then. One meat lover's pizza coming up." Nick grinned in spite of himself.
Sara just shook her head and rolled her eyes.
Nick picked up the phone and ordered a large vegetarian pizza with extra cheese. One nice thing about living in Vegas was that you could get just about any kind of food delivered twenty-four hours a day.
Sara yawned again and pulled herself up off the couch, keeping the towel firmly around her body. She turned toward Nick who was just hanging up the phone. "I'm gonna go put my other clothes back on."
"Ok." He smiled at her and plopped himself down on the couch with a bottle of beer that he'd pulled out of the fridge.
Sara emerged from the bathroom wearing her jeans and T-shirt a few minutes later. She raised a quizzical eyebrow at Nick. "Tough shift?"
He glanced over at her as she sat on the couch next to him. "Why do you ask?"
A soft smile spread across her face. "Lemons."
He nodded. "Yeah, it was ugly. Highway cleanup crew thought it was a bunch of road kill at first."
"Oh." Sara could just imagine. They'd seen a lot of really ugly things, liquid man for one.
"Hey, do you want a beer?" Nick asked as he took another sip from his.
Sara nodded. "Yeah, that sounds good."
Nick got up and walked into the kitchen to pull another beer out of the fridge. "Pizza should be here pretty soon." He sat down next to her and handed her the beer."
"Thanks." She took a sip and then lay her head back against the couch .
"You know, I have a guest room you can sleep in." Nick offered.
Sara glanced at him. "I'm too tired to argue, so thanks."
Nick chuckled. "Are you sure you're going to be awake enough to eat pizza?"
Sara noticed the teasing expression on his face. "Nothing gets between me and my pizza, Stokes." She chuckled.
The doorbell rang and Nick got up. "Sounds like the pizza is here." Nick paid for the pizza and put the box on the coffee table in front of them. They quickly polished off two-thirds of the pizza before deciding that they were both full.
Nick glanced at Sara as she rested her head against the back of the couch. "Hey, do you want to borrow something to sleep in?"
A faint smile tugged at her lips. "Yeah, that would be nice."
Nick got up from the couch and returned a few minutes later with a T-shirt and a pair of drawstring sweat pants. He chuckled as he looked at Sara melting into the couch.
She opened one eye and started to chuckle.
He offered her his hand. "Here, let me help you up." She reached up and took his hand and allowed him to help her up. He handed her the clothes and propelled her down the hall with his hands on her shoulders. "Ok, Princess Sleepy, here you go." He stopped at the door to his guest room.
Sara turned toward him and chuckled softly. "Thanks, Nick."
Nick smiled and kissed her forehead. "Get some sleep."
Sara closed the door behind her and quickly changed into the clothes Nick had given her, not bothering to fold hers. Instead leaving them in a heap on the floor. She crawled under the covers and was asleep almost as soon her head hit the pillow.
Nick put the rest of the pizza in the fridge and threw the beer bottles into his recycle bin. He shut the lights off and made his way to his bedroom, stripping down to his boxers and crawling under the covers. He fell asleep almost immediately, a faint scent of lemons still clinging to his skin.