A/N: Wow, long time since my last update! Sorry about that everyone, but
I've been away for a few weeks (thinking of you all the entire time,
really!) Anyhoo, thanks again for all your kind reviews. I hope you enjoy
this fluffy little chap.
***
Nick was pulled from sleep by the chirp of his cell phone that lay on his bedside table. He untangled his legs from Sara's, rolled onto his back and reached over to grab the offending object, flipping it open to silence it. Squinting against the bright early morning light that came through the windows he glanced at the woman lying beside him. She stirred slightly in her sleep, rolled towards him onto her stomach, tucked her fist under her chin then settled again.
"Hello," he answered huskily. He listened for a moment. "Okay, thanks. Yeah, I'll be right there."
"Whosit?" Sara mumbled, her face half buried in his pillow. "And why's it so damn bright in here?"
"Because we neglected to close the blinds last night." He smiled fondly at her and rolled onto his side and lay his head on the pillow. He nuzzled her nose with his and let his hand trail up and down her back. "I have to go."
"What? Where?" She poked her head out from the pillow now more awake and looked at him anxiously. "Why? What happened? What time is it?"
"It's just after eight and that was Brass," he explained calmly, pushing the hair off her face. "Rachel's husband Jonathan is here. I have to see him." He kissed her lingeringly, then reluctantly rolled away to sit on the edge of the bed. He grabbed a clean pair of boxers out of a laundry basket on the floor and pulled them on.
"I'm coming with you," Sara said sitting up and looking around. "That is if I can find my underwear," she muttered under her breath.
Nick had pulled on a pair of jeans and watched with amusement as Sara collected her scattered clothing and dressed. She could feel his eyes devouring her and really didn't mind.
"Where the hell is.?" she muttered away, looking under the bed on all fours.
"Looking for this?" He grinned and held up her bra against his chest, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.
"Yes, actually," she replied, getting to her feet and snatching the garment from him then putting it on. "Smartass."
"I happen to think I have a very nice ass, thank you," he informed her, jutting his chin out with mock seriousness. "Cute even."
She laughed and checked him out, laughing even harder when he turned and posed for her putting his hands on his hips and looking at her expectantly over his shoulder.
"Okay, you win," she assured him through her giggles as she tied her hair up with an elastic she found in her pocket. "It's definitely the cutest ass I have ever seen."
He smiled triumphantly and pulled her against him, kissing her thoroughly.
"Hey Sara?"
"Yeah?" she sighed happily, sliding her hands into the back pockets of his jeans and leaning in to capture his lips again. He responded for a moment then broke the kiss, his hands on her hips.
"What happened, last night," he began, looking at the bed then back at her. "This. Us. It wasn't just 'comfort sex' for me. I just wanted you to know that."
She smiled warmly. "I do know," she looked up at him, sincerity in her eyes and her voice quiet. "I could feel that."
Nick's heart swelled and he wrapped her tightly in his arms and kissed her, pouring all the love he had for her into the kiss, relishing the feel of her hands traveling up his bare back and into his hair, then back down again.
"I wish we never had to leave," he whispered against her neck, rocking them gently back and forth.
"Me too but we've got work to do," she whispered back and caressed his face. "But that doesn't mean we can't come back later." She giggled and waggled her eyebrows at him.
He grinned and nodded eagerly. "You can bet we will," he said kissing her once more before retreating and going to his dresser to grab a shirt.
"Oh great."
"What?" he pulled a grey sweater over his head and turned to her.
"My shirt is still damp, not to mention incredibly wrinkled and lacking buttons thanks to somebody," she explained looking at him pointedly. "Can I borrow something?"
"Uh, sure," he said, taken by surprise and unable to hide a goofy delighted smile; he liked the idea of her in his clothes. Digging around in a drawer he pulled out a hoody-sweatshirt that he tossed to her. Sara unfolded it and rolled her eyes.
"What?" he asked innocently as he did up his belt.
"Nick, this is a Texas A&M University sweatshirt," she said speaking slowly as though to a young child and holding it up for him to see.
"So?"
"So I might as well have a flashing neon sign that says 'property of Nick Stokes' attached to my head!"
He grinned widely. "Would that be so bad?"
She gave him an amused look and threw the sweatshirt in his face. "At work, yes." She walked over to his closet and rummaged around, finally pulling out a baby blue shirt.
Nick nodded, refolded the hoody and stuffed in back into the drawer. Sara caught his hurt expression.
"Hey, what's wrong?" she asked finishing doing up the buttons and rolling up the sleeves. She walked over to him.
"Nothing," he said bringing his hand to the back of his neck. "Nothing. I just."
"What?" She took his hand in hers but he just shook his head.
"Look, Nick, there is nothing I would enjoy more than to go running down the strip with you, proudly announcing to the world with a bullhorn that I'm in love with you but I just don't think that broaching that subject at work would be such a good idea right now. Especially not on top of everything else that's going on. You've got enough to deal with. Plus, it may not go over very well with certain people so we'll have to handle it carefully." She paused.
"Why are you looking at me like that? You're not blinking. Nick?"
"You. you just said you love me," he said slowly, his rattled brain trying very hard to process yet another heavy piece of information.
"What? No I didn't. I said." She froze and a blush spread across her cheeks.
Oh, holy hell, I did.
She looked at him with wide eyes, starting to ramble. "Oh, my God. Okay, please don't freak out. I didn't mean it. No, wait! Okay maybe I did - of course I did - I do. Oh, God. Alright, well I guess it's too late to take it back now so."
"You love me?"
"Yes," Sara admitted warily and winced.
"Really?"
She nodded. "Is it okay that I said that?" she asked, afraid that she may have messed things up by saying the "L word" too early.
Nick finally blinked a few times and looked at her his head cocked slightly. She was watching him, waiting anxiously for his answer and he couldn't get over how gorgeous she looked. Standing there in his shirt that was obviously big on her, the pale sunlight shone on her messily pulled back hair and she was biting her bottom lip nervously, her hand gripping his tight. One side of the collar of his shirt was flipped up and he reached up to fix it his fingers lingering under her chin.
"I think that's very okay," he said quietly, his eyes coming up to meet hers. He brought up her hand that was still holding his and kissed the back of it.
"I love you too Sara," he whispered. "I think I always have."
She smiled, tears sparkling in the corners of her eyes, and put her arms around his neck holding him tightly. He pulled back slightly and tucked the same stubborn strand of hair behind her ear and caressing her face he kissed her tenderly, officially sealing the beginning of their new relationship.
***
A/N: This was a bit longer in attempt to make it up to you! I'll update again soon, I promise :)
***
Nick was pulled from sleep by the chirp of his cell phone that lay on his bedside table. He untangled his legs from Sara's, rolled onto his back and reached over to grab the offending object, flipping it open to silence it. Squinting against the bright early morning light that came through the windows he glanced at the woman lying beside him. She stirred slightly in her sleep, rolled towards him onto her stomach, tucked her fist under her chin then settled again.
"Hello," he answered huskily. He listened for a moment. "Okay, thanks. Yeah, I'll be right there."
"Whosit?" Sara mumbled, her face half buried in his pillow. "And why's it so damn bright in here?"
"Because we neglected to close the blinds last night." He smiled fondly at her and rolled onto his side and lay his head on the pillow. He nuzzled her nose with his and let his hand trail up and down her back. "I have to go."
"What? Where?" She poked her head out from the pillow now more awake and looked at him anxiously. "Why? What happened? What time is it?"
"It's just after eight and that was Brass," he explained calmly, pushing the hair off her face. "Rachel's husband Jonathan is here. I have to see him." He kissed her lingeringly, then reluctantly rolled away to sit on the edge of the bed. He grabbed a clean pair of boxers out of a laundry basket on the floor and pulled them on.
"I'm coming with you," Sara said sitting up and looking around. "That is if I can find my underwear," she muttered under her breath.
Nick had pulled on a pair of jeans and watched with amusement as Sara collected her scattered clothing and dressed. She could feel his eyes devouring her and really didn't mind.
"Where the hell is.?" she muttered away, looking under the bed on all fours.
"Looking for this?" He grinned and held up her bra against his chest, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.
"Yes, actually," she replied, getting to her feet and snatching the garment from him then putting it on. "Smartass."
"I happen to think I have a very nice ass, thank you," he informed her, jutting his chin out with mock seriousness. "Cute even."
She laughed and checked him out, laughing even harder when he turned and posed for her putting his hands on his hips and looking at her expectantly over his shoulder.
"Okay, you win," she assured him through her giggles as she tied her hair up with an elastic she found in her pocket. "It's definitely the cutest ass I have ever seen."
He smiled triumphantly and pulled her against him, kissing her thoroughly.
"Hey Sara?"
"Yeah?" she sighed happily, sliding her hands into the back pockets of his jeans and leaning in to capture his lips again. He responded for a moment then broke the kiss, his hands on her hips.
"What happened, last night," he began, looking at the bed then back at her. "This. Us. It wasn't just 'comfort sex' for me. I just wanted you to know that."
She smiled warmly. "I do know," she looked up at him, sincerity in her eyes and her voice quiet. "I could feel that."
Nick's heart swelled and he wrapped her tightly in his arms and kissed her, pouring all the love he had for her into the kiss, relishing the feel of her hands traveling up his bare back and into his hair, then back down again.
"I wish we never had to leave," he whispered against her neck, rocking them gently back and forth.
"Me too but we've got work to do," she whispered back and caressed his face. "But that doesn't mean we can't come back later." She giggled and waggled her eyebrows at him.
He grinned and nodded eagerly. "You can bet we will," he said kissing her once more before retreating and going to his dresser to grab a shirt.
"Oh great."
"What?" he pulled a grey sweater over his head and turned to her.
"My shirt is still damp, not to mention incredibly wrinkled and lacking buttons thanks to somebody," she explained looking at him pointedly. "Can I borrow something?"
"Uh, sure," he said, taken by surprise and unable to hide a goofy delighted smile; he liked the idea of her in his clothes. Digging around in a drawer he pulled out a hoody-sweatshirt that he tossed to her. Sara unfolded it and rolled her eyes.
"What?" he asked innocently as he did up his belt.
"Nick, this is a Texas A&M University sweatshirt," she said speaking slowly as though to a young child and holding it up for him to see.
"So?"
"So I might as well have a flashing neon sign that says 'property of Nick Stokes' attached to my head!"
He grinned widely. "Would that be so bad?"
She gave him an amused look and threw the sweatshirt in his face. "At work, yes." She walked over to his closet and rummaged around, finally pulling out a baby blue shirt.
Nick nodded, refolded the hoody and stuffed in back into the drawer. Sara caught his hurt expression.
"Hey, what's wrong?" she asked finishing doing up the buttons and rolling up the sleeves. She walked over to him.
"Nothing," he said bringing his hand to the back of his neck. "Nothing. I just."
"What?" She took his hand in hers but he just shook his head.
"Look, Nick, there is nothing I would enjoy more than to go running down the strip with you, proudly announcing to the world with a bullhorn that I'm in love with you but I just don't think that broaching that subject at work would be such a good idea right now. Especially not on top of everything else that's going on. You've got enough to deal with. Plus, it may not go over very well with certain people so we'll have to handle it carefully." She paused.
"Why are you looking at me like that? You're not blinking. Nick?"
"You. you just said you love me," he said slowly, his rattled brain trying very hard to process yet another heavy piece of information.
"What? No I didn't. I said." She froze and a blush spread across her cheeks.
Oh, holy hell, I did.
She looked at him with wide eyes, starting to ramble. "Oh, my God. Okay, please don't freak out. I didn't mean it. No, wait! Okay maybe I did - of course I did - I do. Oh, God. Alright, well I guess it's too late to take it back now so."
"You love me?"
"Yes," Sara admitted warily and winced.
"Really?"
She nodded. "Is it okay that I said that?" she asked, afraid that she may have messed things up by saying the "L word" too early.
Nick finally blinked a few times and looked at her his head cocked slightly. She was watching him, waiting anxiously for his answer and he couldn't get over how gorgeous she looked. Standing there in his shirt that was obviously big on her, the pale sunlight shone on her messily pulled back hair and she was biting her bottom lip nervously, her hand gripping his tight. One side of the collar of his shirt was flipped up and he reached up to fix it his fingers lingering under her chin.
"I think that's very okay," he said quietly, his eyes coming up to meet hers. He brought up her hand that was still holding his and kissed the back of it.
"I love you too Sara," he whispered. "I think I always have."
She smiled, tears sparkling in the corners of her eyes, and put her arms around his neck holding him tightly. He pulled back slightly and tucked the same stubborn strand of hair behind her ear and caressing her face he kissed her tenderly, officially sealing the beginning of their new relationship.
***
A/N: This was a bit longer in attempt to make it up to you! I'll update again soon, I promise :)