A/N: Okay for the sake of this chapter the events in C&B and PwF have not
happened. you'll see why. Now, there's someone at Nick's door. Who could
it possibly be???. ;)
***
The raining had continued and thunder was now rolling softly in the distance. Nick sighed and tossed the now melted ice pack onto the coffee table next to the empty bottle. He rolled off the couch and went over to open the door, prepared to send Warrick or whomever Grissom had sent to check up on him away.
"Sara," he said surprised to see her standing on his doorstep. She was the last person he had expected to be there. Nick had been sure she would never want to speak to him again. "Uh, wh-what are you doing here?"
"It wasn't pity," she stated, hurt still evident on her face. "I just wanted you to know that." She turned and started walking back to her Tahoe parked in his driveway.
"Sara, wait," he called, realizing this could be his only chance to set things straight. "Wait!"
He pulled the door shut and ran after her paying no attention to the cold rain that immediately chilled him to the bone.
"Sara, please."
She stopped and turned so quickly he nearly crashed into her. "You know Nick I don't know what to do anymore. For the past three years I've been trying to let you know how I feel about you and get more than just the 'big brother' response in return. And when finally something happens, granted not under the greatest of circumstances, you brush it off as pity?! God you can be such an asshole! "
"I know," he said, dropping his head and shoving his hands deep into his pockets, his shoulders hunched. "I was a total prick."
"Yeah. You're damn right you were." Sara moved to get into her truck again. He grabbed her arm and turned her to face him.
"Okay, look, I'm trying to apologize here. You could at least give me a chance to-"
"Why the hell should I?" she demanded yanking her arm out of his grasp, her voice steadily getting louder. "I am not one of your chicks that just wants a good lay, no strings attached! I actually care about you and was interested in something more than that. But if you really believe that I'm shallow enough to just let you use me to make you feel better about yourself, that I'm just looking for cheap thrill then you obviously don't know me nearly as well as I thought you did. And if you think that what happened in Grissom's office only affects you then you are sorely mistaken you selfish bastard!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Nick said holding up a hand trying to take in all that she had said. "Okay, first of all, you honestly think that dating that dolt EMT is a good way to prove you're interested in me?"
"Oh for Christ sake Nick, Hank's gay!"
Nick blinked. "Really?" He crossed his arms and laughed a little. "He's gay?"
"Yes," she smirked, and hugged herself against the cold starting to calm down a bit. "Don't tell anyone."
"Okay." He shook it off and became serious once again. "Look Sara the only reason I treated you like a sister was because I thought that was the only way you wanted me to treat you. And to be honest I've always been a little. intimidated by you."
"Why?" she asked softly.
"Because," his adam's apple bobbed in his throat. "Because I do have feelings for you. I have since the day we met. But, as you saw earlier this evening, I have a tendency to screw good things up, hence my reputation for meaningless one-night stands. My relationships end badly." He stepped closer and pushed a damp strand of hair off her cheek.
"I didn't want that to ever happen to us; I got scared. You're my best friend and I didn't want to lose you, even if it meant never having you the way I wanted. You mean so much to me."
Camouflaged tears mingled with the rain on her face. She rubbed her cheek against his warm palm, her hands coming up to hold his wrist.
"As for before." He sighed and thought about the right way to tell her what he was feeling before he continued. "I did want you, and I still do, I have for a long time now. But it was for all the wrong reasons earlier tonight. I thought that I could fill this void, the emptiness I'm feeling that losing my sister has created; that I could lose myself in you and forget everything, even just for a little while. You're right it was selfish. Then, I don't know, I got it in my head that you were only going along with it because you felt sorry for me. I should have known better because I do know you better than that. Now I realize that I want you, I need you because you are the strongest, most independent, intelligent woman I know and I can't imagine myself with anyone else."
She tried to look away, blushing at his compliments but his fingers under her chin brought her face back to his. He caught and held her gaze.
"But there's no excuse for the way I acted. I never wanted to hurt you Sara, you've gotta believe that," he told her, his sincerity and desperation for her to believe him evident. "I am so, so sorry. I don't know what I was -"
She hushed him with two fingers on his lips. "Just. stop talking. Kiss me."
Nick closed the remaining distance between them and cradled her face in his hands, thumbs stroking her cheeks and brought his mouth to hers tentatively, drinking in the rain drops that had landed on her sweet lips. Her arms wrapped around his waist and she deepened the kiss before hugging him tightly. He sighed, never having experienced such a sense of relief. Just then there was a bright flash of lightning and thunder crashed as the sky opened and the rain really began to pour down.
"So, what does a girl have to do to get invited in out of the rain?" she teased, speaking into his ear to be heard over the roar of the storm.
"Oh, God, yeah!" He grabbed her hand and ran to his front door, holding it open for her then shutting it behind them. "Sorry, you're just too distracting for your own good."
"Oh shut up," she laughed and rolled her eyes, removing her soaked through jacket and dripping on his floor.
He smiled and moved close to her. "You know you're very bossy. That's twice in the past two minutes that you've told me to shut up."
"Yeah and I'll do it again too," she pulled his face down to hers and kissed him. Nick pulled her into a warm embrace.
"Are we okay?" he asked before backing away, his eyes searching hers needing her assurance.
"Yeah," she smiled and linked her hands behind his neck. "We're good."
He nodded and kissed her again, unable to get enough. They were eventually forced to part.
"Not that I'm complaining," he said breathlessly. "But shouldn't you be at work?"
"Catherine sent me," she explained. "She didn't think you should be alone and I tended to agree. despite being pretty pissed at you."
He gave her a puppy dog face. "Thank you for coming anyway."
"You're welcome."
"And remind me to send Catherine flowers."
"Okay," she giggled. "I'll sign the card."
He smiled. "Have you guys found out anything?" he asked hopefully.
She sighed. "Nothing huge but we're making some progress. Grissom and Dr. Robbins have established that her time of death was somewhere within the past two days, so that gives us a start as far as a timeline is concerned. There were a couple surviving shoe prints at the scene near where her body was found but without anything to compare them to yet." She shrugged. "But Greg's working a double and has got that DNA running through CODIS and Brass is checking up on some previous sex offenders who fit our profile so we're just playing the waiting game for now."
He nodded. "I hate that game. Well I'm glad you're here," Nick said kissing her softly. "You're shaking like a leaf. Do you want something dry to wear? Or I could fix you something hot to drink?"
He really didn't want her to go home yet and was trying to casually postpone her leaving.
"No thanks. But," she ran her hands down his shoulders and arms to his hands. "I do think that getting out of these wet clothes is a very, very good idea. And I'm sure we can find a good way to warm up."
She reached past him to lock the door, winked devilishly and linked her hands with his, pulling him to his bedroom. "Come on cowboy."
Nick's eyes about popped out of his head and breath caught in his throat. But, never one to argue with a beautiful woman who knew what she wanted, he arched his brow and gave her a lopsided grin. "Yes ma'am."
*** A/N: Any of you who think they may be moving a little fast well tough, lol. IMHO they have had three years of foreplay and pent up sexual tension so it's about damn time they did something about it. ;)
***
The raining had continued and thunder was now rolling softly in the distance. Nick sighed and tossed the now melted ice pack onto the coffee table next to the empty bottle. He rolled off the couch and went over to open the door, prepared to send Warrick or whomever Grissom had sent to check up on him away.
"Sara," he said surprised to see her standing on his doorstep. She was the last person he had expected to be there. Nick had been sure she would never want to speak to him again. "Uh, wh-what are you doing here?"
"It wasn't pity," she stated, hurt still evident on her face. "I just wanted you to know that." She turned and started walking back to her Tahoe parked in his driveway.
"Sara, wait," he called, realizing this could be his only chance to set things straight. "Wait!"
He pulled the door shut and ran after her paying no attention to the cold rain that immediately chilled him to the bone.
"Sara, please."
She stopped and turned so quickly he nearly crashed into her. "You know Nick I don't know what to do anymore. For the past three years I've been trying to let you know how I feel about you and get more than just the 'big brother' response in return. And when finally something happens, granted not under the greatest of circumstances, you brush it off as pity?! God you can be such an asshole! "
"I know," he said, dropping his head and shoving his hands deep into his pockets, his shoulders hunched. "I was a total prick."
"Yeah. You're damn right you were." Sara moved to get into her truck again. He grabbed her arm and turned her to face him.
"Okay, look, I'm trying to apologize here. You could at least give me a chance to-"
"Why the hell should I?" she demanded yanking her arm out of his grasp, her voice steadily getting louder. "I am not one of your chicks that just wants a good lay, no strings attached! I actually care about you and was interested in something more than that. But if you really believe that I'm shallow enough to just let you use me to make you feel better about yourself, that I'm just looking for cheap thrill then you obviously don't know me nearly as well as I thought you did. And if you think that what happened in Grissom's office only affects you then you are sorely mistaken you selfish bastard!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Nick said holding up a hand trying to take in all that she had said. "Okay, first of all, you honestly think that dating that dolt EMT is a good way to prove you're interested in me?"
"Oh for Christ sake Nick, Hank's gay!"
Nick blinked. "Really?" He crossed his arms and laughed a little. "He's gay?"
"Yes," she smirked, and hugged herself against the cold starting to calm down a bit. "Don't tell anyone."
"Okay." He shook it off and became serious once again. "Look Sara the only reason I treated you like a sister was because I thought that was the only way you wanted me to treat you. And to be honest I've always been a little. intimidated by you."
"Why?" she asked softly.
"Because," his adam's apple bobbed in his throat. "Because I do have feelings for you. I have since the day we met. But, as you saw earlier this evening, I have a tendency to screw good things up, hence my reputation for meaningless one-night stands. My relationships end badly." He stepped closer and pushed a damp strand of hair off her cheek.
"I didn't want that to ever happen to us; I got scared. You're my best friend and I didn't want to lose you, even if it meant never having you the way I wanted. You mean so much to me."
Camouflaged tears mingled with the rain on her face. She rubbed her cheek against his warm palm, her hands coming up to hold his wrist.
"As for before." He sighed and thought about the right way to tell her what he was feeling before he continued. "I did want you, and I still do, I have for a long time now. But it was for all the wrong reasons earlier tonight. I thought that I could fill this void, the emptiness I'm feeling that losing my sister has created; that I could lose myself in you and forget everything, even just for a little while. You're right it was selfish. Then, I don't know, I got it in my head that you were only going along with it because you felt sorry for me. I should have known better because I do know you better than that. Now I realize that I want you, I need you because you are the strongest, most independent, intelligent woman I know and I can't imagine myself with anyone else."
She tried to look away, blushing at his compliments but his fingers under her chin brought her face back to his. He caught and held her gaze.
"But there's no excuse for the way I acted. I never wanted to hurt you Sara, you've gotta believe that," he told her, his sincerity and desperation for her to believe him evident. "I am so, so sorry. I don't know what I was -"
She hushed him with two fingers on his lips. "Just. stop talking. Kiss me."
Nick closed the remaining distance between them and cradled her face in his hands, thumbs stroking her cheeks and brought his mouth to hers tentatively, drinking in the rain drops that had landed on her sweet lips. Her arms wrapped around his waist and she deepened the kiss before hugging him tightly. He sighed, never having experienced such a sense of relief. Just then there was a bright flash of lightning and thunder crashed as the sky opened and the rain really began to pour down.
"So, what does a girl have to do to get invited in out of the rain?" she teased, speaking into his ear to be heard over the roar of the storm.
"Oh, God, yeah!" He grabbed her hand and ran to his front door, holding it open for her then shutting it behind them. "Sorry, you're just too distracting for your own good."
"Oh shut up," she laughed and rolled her eyes, removing her soaked through jacket and dripping on his floor.
He smiled and moved close to her. "You know you're very bossy. That's twice in the past two minutes that you've told me to shut up."
"Yeah and I'll do it again too," she pulled his face down to hers and kissed him. Nick pulled her into a warm embrace.
"Are we okay?" he asked before backing away, his eyes searching hers needing her assurance.
"Yeah," she smiled and linked her hands behind his neck. "We're good."
He nodded and kissed her again, unable to get enough. They were eventually forced to part.
"Not that I'm complaining," he said breathlessly. "But shouldn't you be at work?"
"Catherine sent me," she explained. "She didn't think you should be alone and I tended to agree. despite being pretty pissed at you."
He gave her a puppy dog face. "Thank you for coming anyway."
"You're welcome."
"And remind me to send Catherine flowers."
"Okay," she giggled. "I'll sign the card."
He smiled. "Have you guys found out anything?" he asked hopefully.
She sighed. "Nothing huge but we're making some progress. Grissom and Dr. Robbins have established that her time of death was somewhere within the past two days, so that gives us a start as far as a timeline is concerned. There were a couple surviving shoe prints at the scene near where her body was found but without anything to compare them to yet." She shrugged. "But Greg's working a double and has got that DNA running through CODIS and Brass is checking up on some previous sex offenders who fit our profile so we're just playing the waiting game for now."
He nodded. "I hate that game. Well I'm glad you're here," Nick said kissing her softly. "You're shaking like a leaf. Do you want something dry to wear? Or I could fix you something hot to drink?"
He really didn't want her to go home yet and was trying to casually postpone her leaving.
"No thanks. But," she ran her hands down his shoulders and arms to his hands. "I do think that getting out of these wet clothes is a very, very good idea. And I'm sure we can find a good way to warm up."
She reached past him to lock the door, winked devilishly and linked her hands with his, pulling him to his bedroom. "Come on cowboy."
Nick's eyes about popped out of his head and breath caught in his throat. But, never one to argue with a beautiful woman who knew what she wanted, he arched his brow and gave her a lopsided grin. "Yes ma'am."
*** A/N: Any of you who think they may be moving a little fast well tough, lol. IMHO they have had three years of foreplay and pent up sexual tension so it's about damn time they did something about it. ;)