Nick woke up with a wide grin on his face. At that instant he realized
something that he'd probably known for a while, but until that moment
wasn't willing to admit. He looked at Sara who rested her head on his
chest as she slept. One of her arms was slung across his waist.
He didn't want to wake her, he just wanted to watch her sleep and memorize how she looked. A stray bit of her hair had fallen across her face as she slept and he couldn't resist brushing it away with his fingers.
She began to stir and her eyes fluttered open. As sleepy smile spread across her face as she realized where she was and who she was with. "Hey, Nicky."
"I didn't mean to wake you. You looked so peaceful." Nick replied, a hint of regret in his voice.
"It's ok." She pulled herself up and hovered over him for a moment before planting a lingering kiss on his lips.
As she pulled away, Nick reached up and caressed her face with his fingertips. "You're so beautiful." He smiled at her.
Sara smiled and lay back down on Nick's chest, her head tucked under his chin. "This is nice."
He wrapped his arms around her. "Yeah."
They were quiet for a while, neither one of them wanting to break the feeling of closeness they shared. Finally, Sara broke the silence. "What are you thinking about?"
Nick let out a soft chuckled. "You."
Sara smiled. "Yeah? What about me?"
Nick let out a deep breath.
Sara lifted her head so she could meet his gaze.
Nick smiled softly and trailed his fingers down the side of her face. "I'm in love with you, Sara."
Sara didn't say anything for a moment. She just studied him. Slowly, a smile began to tug at the corners of her mouth. "You're in love with me?"
Nick nodded. "Yeah."
She began to giggle.
Nick raised a curious eyebrow. "What's so funny?"
"Warrick and Greg." She stated before she began to giggle again.
Nick looked at her strangely. "I tell you that I'm in love with you, and you immediately think of Warrick and Greg?"
Sara pressed her lips to Nick's for a moment to silence him and then broke away smiling. "I think they knew before we did."
It took Nick a moment to process what she was saying. "We?"
A grin spread across Sara's face. "Yeah. We." She leaned down and hovered a fraction of an inch from Nick's lips. "I'm in love with you too, Nicky." She pressed her lips to his again and Nick's arms held her solidly against him as he rolled them over so he could look down at her as he broke the kiss.
He raised an eyebrow, a smile on his face. "You're in love with me?"
She had an amused expression on her face. "Uh, huh."
Nick chuckled. "Wow."
Sara started to giggle as Nick began to pepper kisses on her neck.
The phone on the nightstand by her bed rang. Sara reached for it as Nick continued to kiss her neck. "Hello?"
"Sara. I was getting a little worried, you weren't answering your cell phone." Catherine explained.
"Oh?" Sara wrinkled her brow and then bit her lip as Nick's hands began to roam and his lips continued their assault on her neck.
"Yeah, you were going to come in a little early tonight to go over the Marino case with me. I thought you would have been here by now." Catherine continued.
Sara let out an involuntary yelp and tried to glare at Nick who just waggled his eyebrows at her as he smiled. "Crap. Sorry, I guess I overslept."
"Uh, huh." Catherine didn't sound too convinced.
Sara tried to stifle a moan.
Catherine started to chuckle. "You have company, don't you?"
"Uh, what makes you say that?" Sara replied, hoping she sounded much calmer that she was feeling right at that moment.
"Tell Nick that if you both get in here in the next thirty minutes that you might just beat Warrick." Catherine clearly sounded amused.
Sara started to giggle. "Uh, ok, I'll tell him." Sara managed to hang the phone up. "You are in so much trouble, Nick Stokes."
Nick just grinned at her and pressed his lips against her in a deep lingering kiss. As he pulled away, he gazed down at her. "Am I still in trouble?"
She just smiled and raised an eyebrow at him. "We need to get to work."
"Catherine?" Nick queried.
"Yeah." Sara replied.
"Can we continue this later?" Nick grinned.
Sara giggled. "We'd better."
Reluctantly, they pulled themselves out of bed and got dressed.
Nick made it to work in twenty-three minutes, Sara in twenty-five. Catherine was seated at the break room table sipping a cup of coffee when Nick walked in. Catherine simply raised an eyebrow and chuckled at him. A few moments later when Sara walked in, Catherine rolled her eyes.
Nick and Sara looked at her curiously. "What?" The question was in unison.
"Those big dopey grins on your faces are a dead giveaway." Catherine continued to laugh softly.
Before they could respond, Warrick walked in. "Dead giveaway for what?" When no one responded, Warrick studied the faces in the room and then started to laugh. "Damn. I knew it."
Nick and Sara looked at him with curious expressions on their faces. Nick queried him. "What did you know?"
Warrick just shook his head and raised an eyebrow before leveling his gaze at the pair. "You two. It's written all over your faces. I just want to know which one of you made the first move."
Nick and Sara glanced at each other and started laughing.
Catherine had a bemused grin on her face, and continued sipping her coffee silently.
Greg walked in and looked around the room curiously. "What did I miss?"
Warrick glanced over at him. "I think our bet's over."
Greg's eyebrows shot up and he looked over at Nick and Sara. "You two are together?"
Nick chuckled. "I think that's a fair assessment."
Greg glanced at Warrick urgently, and then back at Nick and Sara. "So, which one of you made the first move?"
Sara had a smug expression on her face. "Neither of you won if that's what you want to know."
They looked at her with a bit of confusion.
Nick grinned. "We know all about your bet. But Sara's right, neither of you won."
Greg stammered. "But one of you had to make the first move. It was you, wasn't it, Nick?"
Nick just shook his head. "Nope."
Warrick grinned. "Well then, Sara, it was you?"
She shook her head. "Try again."
Warrick and Greg looked at each other with befuddled expressions.
Catherine couldn't hold it in any longer, she started laughing. "Photo finish."
Warrick and Greg looked at her oddly and then turned their attention back to Nick and Sara.
Nick grinned. "We both did."
Sara continued. "At the same time."
Nick chuckled. "Too close to call."
Warrick shook his head. "Damn. I was so looking forward to those Krispy Kremes too."
Greg just shook his head.
Catherine just raised a single eyebrow. "Ok, boys, pay up."
Nick and Sara looked a little surprised. Nick just chuckled. "So you were in on this, Catherine?"
She smiled. "Hey, I didn't sway the outcome. By the time I talked to both of you, I think it was firmly decided." She turned her attention back to Warrick and Greg. "Ok, so I have a nice long list of chores I need done at my house."
He didn't want to wake her, he just wanted to watch her sleep and memorize how she looked. A stray bit of her hair had fallen across her face as she slept and he couldn't resist brushing it away with his fingers.
She began to stir and her eyes fluttered open. As sleepy smile spread across her face as she realized where she was and who she was with. "Hey, Nicky."
"I didn't mean to wake you. You looked so peaceful." Nick replied, a hint of regret in his voice.
"It's ok." She pulled herself up and hovered over him for a moment before planting a lingering kiss on his lips.
As she pulled away, Nick reached up and caressed her face with his fingertips. "You're so beautiful." He smiled at her.
Sara smiled and lay back down on Nick's chest, her head tucked under his chin. "This is nice."
He wrapped his arms around her. "Yeah."
They were quiet for a while, neither one of them wanting to break the feeling of closeness they shared. Finally, Sara broke the silence. "What are you thinking about?"
Nick let out a soft chuckled. "You."
Sara smiled. "Yeah? What about me?"
Nick let out a deep breath.
Sara lifted her head so she could meet his gaze.
Nick smiled softly and trailed his fingers down the side of her face. "I'm in love with you, Sara."
Sara didn't say anything for a moment. She just studied him. Slowly, a smile began to tug at the corners of her mouth. "You're in love with me?"
Nick nodded. "Yeah."
She began to giggle.
Nick raised a curious eyebrow. "What's so funny?"
"Warrick and Greg." She stated before she began to giggle again.
Nick looked at her strangely. "I tell you that I'm in love with you, and you immediately think of Warrick and Greg?"
Sara pressed her lips to Nick's for a moment to silence him and then broke away smiling. "I think they knew before we did."
It took Nick a moment to process what she was saying. "We?"
A grin spread across Sara's face. "Yeah. We." She leaned down and hovered a fraction of an inch from Nick's lips. "I'm in love with you too, Nicky." She pressed her lips to his again and Nick's arms held her solidly against him as he rolled them over so he could look down at her as he broke the kiss.
He raised an eyebrow, a smile on his face. "You're in love with me?"
She had an amused expression on her face. "Uh, huh."
Nick chuckled. "Wow."
Sara started to giggle as Nick began to pepper kisses on her neck.
The phone on the nightstand by her bed rang. Sara reached for it as Nick continued to kiss her neck. "Hello?"
"Sara. I was getting a little worried, you weren't answering your cell phone." Catherine explained.
"Oh?" Sara wrinkled her brow and then bit her lip as Nick's hands began to roam and his lips continued their assault on her neck.
"Yeah, you were going to come in a little early tonight to go over the Marino case with me. I thought you would have been here by now." Catherine continued.
Sara let out an involuntary yelp and tried to glare at Nick who just waggled his eyebrows at her as he smiled. "Crap. Sorry, I guess I overslept."
"Uh, huh." Catherine didn't sound too convinced.
Sara tried to stifle a moan.
Catherine started to chuckle. "You have company, don't you?"
"Uh, what makes you say that?" Sara replied, hoping she sounded much calmer that she was feeling right at that moment.
"Tell Nick that if you both get in here in the next thirty minutes that you might just beat Warrick." Catherine clearly sounded amused.
Sara started to giggle. "Uh, ok, I'll tell him." Sara managed to hang the phone up. "You are in so much trouble, Nick Stokes."
Nick just grinned at her and pressed his lips against her in a deep lingering kiss. As he pulled away, he gazed down at her. "Am I still in trouble?"
She just smiled and raised an eyebrow at him. "We need to get to work."
"Catherine?" Nick queried.
"Yeah." Sara replied.
"Can we continue this later?" Nick grinned.
Sara giggled. "We'd better."
Reluctantly, they pulled themselves out of bed and got dressed.
Nick made it to work in twenty-three minutes, Sara in twenty-five. Catherine was seated at the break room table sipping a cup of coffee when Nick walked in. Catherine simply raised an eyebrow and chuckled at him. A few moments later when Sara walked in, Catherine rolled her eyes.
Nick and Sara looked at her curiously. "What?" The question was in unison.
"Those big dopey grins on your faces are a dead giveaway." Catherine continued to laugh softly.
Before they could respond, Warrick walked in. "Dead giveaway for what?" When no one responded, Warrick studied the faces in the room and then started to laugh. "Damn. I knew it."
Nick and Sara looked at him with curious expressions on their faces. Nick queried him. "What did you know?"
Warrick just shook his head and raised an eyebrow before leveling his gaze at the pair. "You two. It's written all over your faces. I just want to know which one of you made the first move."
Nick and Sara glanced at each other and started laughing.
Catherine had a bemused grin on her face, and continued sipping her coffee silently.
Greg walked in and looked around the room curiously. "What did I miss?"
Warrick glanced over at him. "I think our bet's over."
Greg's eyebrows shot up and he looked over at Nick and Sara. "You two are together?"
Nick chuckled. "I think that's a fair assessment."
Greg glanced at Warrick urgently, and then back at Nick and Sara. "So, which one of you made the first move?"
Sara had a smug expression on her face. "Neither of you won if that's what you want to know."
They looked at her with a bit of confusion.
Nick grinned. "We know all about your bet. But Sara's right, neither of you won."
Greg stammered. "But one of you had to make the first move. It was you, wasn't it, Nick?"
Nick just shook his head. "Nope."
Warrick grinned. "Well then, Sara, it was you?"
She shook her head. "Try again."
Warrick and Greg looked at each other with befuddled expressions.
Catherine couldn't hold it in any longer, she started laughing. "Photo finish."
Warrick and Greg looked at her oddly and then turned their attention back to Nick and Sara.
Nick grinned. "We both did."
Sara continued. "At the same time."
Nick chuckled. "Too close to call."
Warrick shook his head. "Damn. I was so looking forward to those Krispy Kremes too."
Greg just shook his head.
Catherine just raised a single eyebrow. "Ok, boys, pay up."
Nick and Sara looked a little surprised. Nick just chuckled. "So you were in on this, Catherine?"
She smiled. "Hey, I didn't sway the outcome. By the time I talked to both of you, I think it was firmly decided." She turned her attention back to Warrick and Greg. "Ok, so I have a nice long list of chores I need done at my house."