Nick tried to contain his grin as he swallowed a bite of Thai food. He
chuckled as he watched Sara's face turn from surprise to amused ire. He
dodged as she swatted at him. "Hey, what was that for?" He looked amused.
She raised a single eyebrow. "You stole the last piece of broccoli."
Nick started to laugh. "What do you expect when you kiss me with your mouth full?"
Both of Sara's eyebrows shot up and she started to protest, but ended up laughing instead.
Nick grinned. "Besides, that wasn't that last piece of broccoli." He reached into the container on the coffee table and pulled out a piece of broccoli. Very deliberately, he dangled it in front of Sara before popping it into his own mouth, waggling his eyebrows at her as he swallowed.
Mock indignation crossed Sara's face as she tackled him on the couch, pinning him beneath her. She leaned down and placed a searing kiss on his lips. Nick immediately parted his lips as Sara thrust her tongue into his mouth. She pulled away a moment later with a pout on her face. "You ate it."
Nick started to chuckle. "I got what I wanted."
A mischievous grin crossed her face. "And just what was that, Nick Stokes?"
"You." He grinned. "Much better than broccoli."
She raised an eyebrow and looked down at him. "Bait and switch?"
He started to laugh. "In a manner of speaking, yes." His began to lightly caress her back through her tank top as she lay on top of him on the couch.
She smiled. "Well, you're lucky, I was full anyway." She leaned down and kissed him, softer this time.
They stayed like that for a long time, kissing and caressing. Nick had tangled his fingers in Sara's hair and one of his hands had made it's way up the back of her tank top. Sara's hands had managed to unbutton his shirt and her fingers trailed up and down his sides as they continued tasting each others lips and exploring each other's mouths.
A soft knock sounded at the door. They broke apart, somewhat breathless.
Sara looked down at Nick. "I should probably get that." She leaned down and kissed him again.
Nick laughed against Sara's lips and pulled his hand out of her shirt.
She pulled away smiling. "Ok, I'll get it." Sara got up from the couch and walked toward the door.
Nick sat up and had buttoned his shirt about halfway when Sara opened the door to reveal Grissom standing there holding a plant. "Grissom." She sounded somewhat surprised to see him standing there.
There was a warmth in Grissom's voice that Nick found unsettling. "I heard you weren't feeling well and I thought I'd stop by to see how you were." Grissom glanced around the room as Sara let him in. While Grissom wasn't shocked to see Nick there, his eyebrows did raise perceptibly as he noticed him buttoning his shirt up the remainder of the way.
Sara glanced over at Nick with a slightly bemused expression. She turned back to Grissom. "Uh, yeah, I'm feeling much better now that I've actually been able to keep food down."
Grissom continued making mental assessments of the situation as he held the plant out to Sara. "This is for you."
Sara tilted her head slightly. "Thanks. You do realize that you've doomed this poor plant to certain death, don't you?" A soft chuckled escaped her throat. "I've never been able to keep a plant alive for very long." Sara put the plant on the counter.
Nick tried to swallow a grin.
Grissom finally acknowledged Nick's presence. "Nicky."
Nick nodded toward him, suddenly feeling a little awkward. "Gris."
Sara studied the two men and a slightly amused expression crossed her face. Nick was jealous. She wasn't sure what Grissom was up to, but Nick was definitely jealous. She caught Nick's eye for a moment and she raised an eyebrow at him.
Grissom looked over at Sara and noticed that she was looking at Nick. "Uh, I'm going to be going, I'm glad you're feeling better, Sara."
She glanced back at him and started to walk toward the door. "Thanks again for the plant."
Grissom paused at the door for a moment and looked over at Nick. "Nick, can I speak to you for a moment?"
Nick glanced at Sara for a moment. "Sure." He walked over toward the door and then realized he didn't have his shoes on. He glanced around the room and then at Sara. "Do you remember where I left my shoes?"
"I, uh, think they're in the other room." She smirked at him as she gestured toward her bedroom.
"Thanks." Nick suddenly had the feeling of having his hand caught in the cookie jar as he headed into Sara's bedroom to collect his shoes.
Grissom observed all of this slightly bewildered.
Nick emerged a moment later with his shoes in hand and a grin on his face. He quickly slipped them on, not bothering to tie them as he followed Grissom out the door. He mouthed 'I'll be right back' at Sara.
Nick followed Grissom all the way out to his vehicle before Grissom turned to speak to him. He looked less than pleased as he began to speak to Nick. "Why did you leave a crime scene without asking me first?"
"Warrick and Catherine had it covered." Nick answered suddenly on the defensive.
"I didn't send Warrick out there, I sent you." Grissom looked angry. "We were already one CSI short and you needed to be covering your scene."
Nick shook his head in disbelief. "I don't believe this. You sent Warrick to check on Sara. Why is it such a big deal that he thought I should be over here instead? The damn scene was covered. Sara was so drunk when I got here, she could barely stand up. There was no way in hell I was going to leave her alone so she could aspirate on her own vomit. Hell, if you were so concerned about her, why didn't you come check on her yourself?" Nick's voice was controlled. Too controlled.
Grissom's voice was softer, but still held an edge to it. "Why was she so drunk, Nick?"
Nick shook his head and narrowed his gaze at Grissom. "Uh, uh. No. That's none of your business. If Sara wants to tell you, that's up to her, but as far as I'm concerned that is none of your business."
Grissom let out a deep frustrated breath. "Fine." He studied Nick for a moment. "I don't know what's going on between the two of you, but you had better watch your step, Nicky. She's not just another girl you picked up at a club."
Nick clenched his jaw as he shot Grissom a glare. Without a word he turned around and went back to Sara's apartment.
Grissom watched from the parking lot as Nick disappeared inside Sara's apartment before he climbed in his Tahoe and drove away.
She raised a single eyebrow. "You stole the last piece of broccoli."
Nick started to laugh. "What do you expect when you kiss me with your mouth full?"
Both of Sara's eyebrows shot up and she started to protest, but ended up laughing instead.
Nick grinned. "Besides, that wasn't that last piece of broccoli." He reached into the container on the coffee table and pulled out a piece of broccoli. Very deliberately, he dangled it in front of Sara before popping it into his own mouth, waggling his eyebrows at her as he swallowed.
Mock indignation crossed Sara's face as she tackled him on the couch, pinning him beneath her. She leaned down and placed a searing kiss on his lips. Nick immediately parted his lips as Sara thrust her tongue into his mouth. She pulled away a moment later with a pout on her face. "You ate it."
Nick started to chuckle. "I got what I wanted."
A mischievous grin crossed her face. "And just what was that, Nick Stokes?"
"You." He grinned. "Much better than broccoli."
She raised an eyebrow and looked down at him. "Bait and switch?"
He started to laugh. "In a manner of speaking, yes." His began to lightly caress her back through her tank top as she lay on top of him on the couch.
She smiled. "Well, you're lucky, I was full anyway." She leaned down and kissed him, softer this time.
They stayed like that for a long time, kissing and caressing. Nick had tangled his fingers in Sara's hair and one of his hands had made it's way up the back of her tank top. Sara's hands had managed to unbutton his shirt and her fingers trailed up and down his sides as they continued tasting each others lips and exploring each other's mouths.
A soft knock sounded at the door. They broke apart, somewhat breathless.
Sara looked down at Nick. "I should probably get that." She leaned down and kissed him again.
Nick laughed against Sara's lips and pulled his hand out of her shirt.
She pulled away smiling. "Ok, I'll get it." Sara got up from the couch and walked toward the door.
Nick sat up and had buttoned his shirt about halfway when Sara opened the door to reveal Grissom standing there holding a plant. "Grissom." She sounded somewhat surprised to see him standing there.
There was a warmth in Grissom's voice that Nick found unsettling. "I heard you weren't feeling well and I thought I'd stop by to see how you were." Grissom glanced around the room as Sara let him in. While Grissom wasn't shocked to see Nick there, his eyebrows did raise perceptibly as he noticed him buttoning his shirt up the remainder of the way.
Sara glanced over at Nick with a slightly bemused expression. She turned back to Grissom. "Uh, yeah, I'm feeling much better now that I've actually been able to keep food down."
Grissom continued making mental assessments of the situation as he held the plant out to Sara. "This is for you."
Sara tilted her head slightly. "Thanks. You do realize that you've doomed this poor plant to certain death, don't you?" A soft chuckled escaped her throat. "I've never been able to keep a plant alive for very long." Sara put the plant on the counter.
Nick tried to swallow a grin.
Grissom finally acknowledged Nick's presence. "Nicky."
Nick nodded toward him, suddenly feeling a little awkward. "Gris."
Sara studied the two men and a slightly amused expression crossed her face. Nick was jealous. She wasn't sure what Grissom was up to, but Nick was definitely jealous. She caught Nick's eye for a moment and she raised an eyebrow at him.
Grissom looked over at Sara and noticed that she was looking at Nick. "Uh, I'm going to be going, I'm glad you're feeling better, Sara."
She glanced back at him and started to walk toward the door. "Thanks again for the plant."
Grissom paused at the door for a moment and looked over at Nick. "Nick, can I speak to you for a moment?"
Nick glanced at Sara for a moment. "Sure." He walked over toward the door and then realized he didn't have his shoes on. He glanced around the room and then at Sara. "Do you remember where I left my shoes?"
"I, uh, think they're in the other room." She smirked at him as she gestured toward her bedroom.
"Thanks." Nick suddenly had the feeling of having his hand caught in the cookie jar as he headed into Sara's bedroom to collect his shoes.
Grissom observed all of this slightly bewildered.
Nick emerged a moment later with his shoes in hand and a grin on his face. He quickly slipped them on, not bothering to tie them as he followed Grissom out the door. He mouthed 'I'll be right back' at Sara.
Nick followed Grissom all the way out to his vehicle before Grissom turned to speak to him. He looked less than pleased as he began to speak to Nick. "Why did you leave a crime scene without asking me first?"
"Warrick and Catherine had it covered." Nick answered suddenly on the defensive.
"I didn't send Warrick out there, I sent you." Grissom looked angry. "We were already one CSI short and you needed to be covering your scene."
Nick shook his head in disbelief. "I don't believe this. You sent Warrick to check on Sara. Why is it such a big deal that he thought I should be over here instead? The damn scene was covered. Sara was so drunk when I got here, she could barely stand up. There was no way in hell I was going to leave her alone so she could aspirate on her own vomit. Hell, if you were so concerned about her, why didn't you come check on her yourself?" Nick's voice was controlled. Too controlled.
Grissom's voice was softer, but still held an edge to it. "Why was she so drunk, Nick?"
Nick shook his head and narrowed his gaze at Grissom. "Uh, uh. No. That's none of your business. If Sara wants to tell you, that's up to her, but as far as I'm concerned that is none of your business."
Grissom let out a deep frustrated breath. "Fine." He studied Nick for a moment. "I don't know what's going on between the two of you, but you had better watch your step, Nicky. She's not just another girl you picked up at a club."
Nick clenched his jaw as he shot Grissom a glare. Without a word he turned around and went back to Sara's apartment.
Grissom watched from the parking lot as Nick disappeared inside Sara's apartment before he climbed in his Tahoe and drove away.