An early morning news report came over the Denali's radio indicating that
it would be another hot day in Vegas. As they neared the Las Vegas Crime
Lab, Nick turned the heat off in the SUV. He and Sara's clothes were
finally almost dried out. He made the last turn before reaching the lab.
Sara glanced over at Nick nervously. "You're not going to tell anyone are you?"
Nick studied her for a moment and tried to play things lightly, flashing her one of his ever present smiles. "That you propositioned me? No, your secret's safe with me."
Sara chuckled and swatted at him. Her expression turned serious. "That's not what I meant, although it might not be such a bad idea to keep that a secret too."
Nick glanced at her and gave her a reassuring smile. "No, Sara, I'm not about to share your personal hell with someone else. That's something only you have the right to share."
"Thanks." She looked visibly relieved, glancing at her lap.
"You can trust me, Sara." Nick's voice was soft and reassuring as he pulled the Denali into the parking lot of the lab next to Sara's. He set the parking brake and turned off the ignition. He reached over and cupped her face with his palm, caressing her cheek with his thumb.
Sara glanced up at Nick with a bit of apprehension on her face.
Nick's expression didn't falter as his hand dropped from her face and reached for her hand, giving it a squeeze. "You can trust me, Sar. I'm not going to push you to do anything you don't want to, but I want you to know that I care about you and I really do like you." He let go of her hand and smiled. "Hey, we've got some evidence to check in." He climbed out of the Denali and stood at the back with the door open before Sara climbed out of the passenger seat.
She felt somewhat confused at the moment. She'd pretty much told him that she'd wanted to have sex with him as they waited out the storm and then she had backpedaled about whether she should even be attracted to him. He'd figured out her darkest secret and had revealed his own to her. That alone was a complete shock to her. Nick wasn't the man that she'd made him out to be, there was a lot more to him than she'd allowed herself to see, and she wondered what else there was to Nick Stokes that she had missed.
She studied him quietly as they pulled their packs out and then grabbed the evidence bag with the chute inside. They closed the back door of the Denali and walked toward the front door of the lab holding the bag between them. As they walked down the hallway they caught a few amused stares at their damp and rumpled appearance. They checked the chute into evidence and decided to grab a cup of coffee in the break room.
Warrick Brown sat on the couch in the break room, glancing up as they entered. "Grissom was about to send a search party out for you two."
Nick glanced over at Sara and had to restrain a chuckle at the visual image he was entertaining after what Sara had said earlier that night about getting caught getting it on in the middle of the desert.
Sara looked at him with a smug expression, both eyebrows raised, silently telling him he'd be a dead man if he uttered a word to Warrick.
Neither of them spoke.
Warrick observed their appearance. "Looks like you got caught in a storm."
"You can say that again." Sara's clothes were mostly dry, but she felt as if her entire body had been chaffed by the wet fabric as they'd hiked.
Nick nodded, sipping a cup of coffee. "Next time, I don't care what the weatherman says, I'm bringing a coat."
Warrick chuckled. "Well, did you find anything up there? Or was it just another wild goose chase?"
Sara grinned widely exposing the gap in her teeth. "We found a parachute."
Warrick's eyebrows show up and he glanced over at Nick who looked smug. "No way."
Nick nodded. "Yeah, we found it not too far from the Denali, after we'd gotten soaking wet from the storm and had to hike back out in the cold. I'm pretty sure it was either washed down there or blew around in the storm."
Grissom walked into the break room and he registered that Nick and Sara stood there drinking coffee. "Did you get lost?"
They both looked up.
"I was about ready to send a search team out for you." Grissom continued a hint of worry and annoyance in his voice.
"We got caught in a storm, Gris." Sara tried to explain. "No cell phone reception."
"Yeah, we waited it out before we hiked back out." Nick added taking another sip of his coffee.
Grissom peered at them over the rim of his glasses. "Did you find anything?"
Nick nodded. "Yeah, we found a parachute."
Grissom's eyebrows shot up. "Really."
Sara nodded. "Sometimes technology works." A smirk played at her lips. Grissom sometimes scoffed at expensive high tech solutions like computer modeling when good old fashioned calculations and footwork would due.
"Good work." Grissom glanced at Warrick. "Don't you have a case to be working on?"
Warrick was not intimidated by Grissom. "Waiting for Sanders to give me results."
Grissom nodded and turned on his heels. He appeared to be lost in thought as he meandered down the hallway, head tilted to the side, destination known only to him.
Warrick got up from the couch. "Well, I'd better get back to Sanders before Grissom talks to him first."
Nick and Sara both waved at Warrick as he left the room.
Nick glanced at Sara and studied her. Despite her stiffly dried clothes and generally rumpled appearance, he still found her very attractive. "Hey, Sar?"
She glanced at him. She had to restrain a chuckle. Nick's normally shortly cropped hair was in disarray from the rain. His shirt and shorts were rumpled, but she thought he looked adorable. "Yeah?"
Nick cleared his throat. "You want to catch some breakfast?"
Sara couldn't stop the edges of her mouth from curling up. "Are you asking me out?"
Nick fumbled uncharacteristically with his answer. "Uh, yes, I mean, no, I mean, not if it's going to make you uncomfortable." He looked embarrassed and took a sip from his coffee before grinning.
Sara chuckled in spite of herself. "I'm already uncomfortable. I'm pretty sure that I've got some chaffing under these clothes that could rival rug burn." She took another sip from her coffee, but didn't answer his question about breakfast.
Nick chuckled. "Yeah, what do you put on a chaffed ass anyway?" He winced as he pulled gingerly at his shorts.
Sara giggled and had to set her coffee down as she looked at him.
Nick raised an eyebrow at her and feigned a hurt expression. "What's so funny, Sidle?"
She had to bite her lip to stop laughing. "Just the visual image." She started laughing again and then tried to keep a straight face as she queried him. "I'm sorry, but is it just your ass that's chaffed?"
Nick had to spit his coffee back into his cup. "Sara?!" Her comment had taken him by surprise and his face flushed with color.
She continued laughing.
Catherine Willows walked in and observed the two younger CSIs. A smile formed on her face as she noticed Nick's red face and Sara's laughter. Neither of those things was a common occurrence. "What's going on?"
Sara glanced up smiling, elbowing Nick. "Catherine would know what to do about it, she's a mom."
Catherine looked at them curiously. "What would I know about?"
Nick just chuckled and shook his head.
Sara tried to restrain her laughter. "Nick's got some chaffing on his ass."
Catherine laughed; a deep throaty laugh.
Nick glanced at Sara and a mischievous grin formed on his face. "Sara's ass is chaffed too."
Sara tried to stop laughing and shot Nick an embarrassed grin before she turned back to Catherine.
Catherine raised an eyebrow. "I heard you got caught in a storm."
Nick nodded. "Yeah, we just got back. Let me tell you, hiking in wet clothes isn't fun."
"I heard you found a chute." Catherine grinned.
Sara nodded.
"Good work." Catherine raised an eyebrow and glanced up at the clock. "I've got to go pick up Lindsey, I'll see you guys tonight."
"Bye, Cath." Nick called out.
Catherine glanced over her shoulder and spoke in a loud whisper. "Try Vaseline. That's what I used on Lindsey's diaper rash when she was a baby."
Sara looked smug as she glanced over at Nick whose face was starting to flush with color again. She reached over and touched his arm. "Ah, Nick, I'm sorry I embarrassed you."
He raised an eyebrow. "No you're not."
She chuckled. "You have to admit, it's kind of funny."
Nick deadpanned her. "No it's not." A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
She restrained smile couldn't contain the glimmer in her eye. "Is your invitation for breakfast still open?"
Nick crossed his arms in front of his body and considered her words for a moment, trying to keep the smile off of his face. "I don't know, Sara, I mean, you said you were uncomfortable."
Sara feigned a pout. "I didn't mean that you made me uncomfortable, I just meant my clothes were making me uncomfortable."
Nick chuckled and waggled his eyebrows at her. "Are you propositioning me again, Sidle?"
Sara's face turned red and she laughed nervously. "No, I'm not."
"Ok." Nick took another sip from his coffee. "I have an idea though."
She turned to him suspiciously. "And just what would that be?"
Nick chuckled again. "Don't worry, Sara, you can trust me."
"You still haven't answered my question." Sara turned her body to face him as her hip rested against the break room counter.
He turned his face toward her. "I provide the breakfast, you get the Vaseline."
Sara flashed him a curious expression. "I'm not sure I'm following you completely, it sounds about as kinky as your horseback adventure." Her voice was low.
Nick grinned. "I suppose it does. However, what I'm suggesting is you come over and let me cook you breakfast. We can each grab a shower and change, and if you bring some Vaseline, I think we'll both be feeling a little more comfortable."
Sara started laughing again. "You know if anyone finds out about this, they're going to get the wrong idea."
Nick raised a single eyebrow at her and smiled. "Yeah, I've never invited a gorgeous woman over before for breakfast and Vaseline."
Sara swatted at him, still laughing. "Ok, you're on, Stokes. But don't breathe a word of this to anyone."
Nick raised his hands in surrender. "Ok, I told you that you could trust me."
"Let me just grab a change of clothes out of my locker and I'll meet you at your house in about twenty minutes." Sara grinned.
"Ok." Nick grinned as Sara disappeared out the break room door.
About twenty minutes later, Sara pulled up in front of Nick's modest one- story home. She softly knocked at the door. When Nick didn't answer the door right away, she knocked again a little harder. A few moments later, the door opened to reveal a freshly showered Nick standing there in nothing but a towel. Sara couldn't help but stare at his well defined chest as he let her in. She finally looked away from him as she reached into her bag and pulled out the Vaseline and a bottle of talc. "Uh, I think you might want to try both of these."
Nick chuckled at how distracted she looked at seeing him in a towel. "I'm sorry I didn't plan to answer the door like this. Give me a few minutes, I'll be right back."
Sara sat down on Nick's couch trying to get the image of him in that towel slung low on his hips out of her mind. She wasn't having a great deal of success as a smile played on her lips.
A few minutes later, Nick emerged, dressed in loose fitting shorts and a clean T-shirt. He had a smile on his face. "Uh, you can take a shower if you want."
Sara stood up and grinned. "We're not going to tell anyone about this are we?"
Nick chuckled. "Nope, this is just as embarrassing for me as it is for you."
As she walked toward the bathroom, she paused in front of Nick. "Thanks."
He raised a curious eyebrow. "For what?"
"Everything." She smiled and leaned up and kissed him softly before disappearing into the bathroom.
As Nick heard the water start he touched his lips curiously. He really wasn't sure what was going on with Sara. The last 24 hours had been a bit of a roller coaster. He wanted her; that was indisputable. What she wanted was another question. He distracted himself by starting breakfast.
Sara emerged a short time later looking much more refreshed. She walked over to the kitchen and watched Nick cooking for a few minutes. "That looks good."
He smiled at her. "Thanks."
Neither of them said anything for a while. Nick was wondering what Sara was thinking and Sara was wondering what Nick was thinking. Fortunately, the food was done cooking and Nick served it up on a couple of plates.
As they ate, Sara finally broke the silence. "Feeling better?"
Nick nodded with a grin. "You?"
She nodded. "I sure hope Catherine doesn't tell anyone."
Nick laughed. "Well, I wouldn't hold your breath. I have a feeling I'm going to be hearing about it for a while."
Sara started to giggle. "It is pretty funny."
"No it's not." Nick grinned as he took a bite of his food.
Sara shook her head and yawned. "I should go as soon as we're done eating."
"Ok." Nick smiled. "Thanks for bringing the Vaseline and talc."
Sara started laughing again. "No problem. You can keep them; I've got more at home."
Nick raised both of his eyebrows. "You've had this problem before?"
Sara continued laughing and shook her head. "Those are standard equipment in the female arsenal, Nick."
Nick couldn't contain his laughter.
They finished eating and brought the dishes into Nick's kitchen, chatting as they did the dishes.
Sara yawned again and gathered her bag. "I should go."
"Ok." Nick grinned at her and walked her to the door.
They stood there staring at each other for a few moments; eyes traveling to each others lips. Finally, Nick stepped toward her and leaned over to kiss her softly. Sara responded by softly dropping her bag on the floor and trailing her fingers along his arms until her hands connected with his. She parted her lips slightly and the kiss continued a little deeper for a few more minutes. They laced their fingers together and they grinned at each other as they broke the kiss.
"I should go." Sara's voice was soft and a bit breathless as she continued looking at Nick's lips.
Nick nodded. "Yeah." He leaned in and kissed her again.
Sara finally pulled away, reluctantly letting go of Nick's hands and picking her bag back up. "Ok, bye." She leaned and kissed him softly once more before stepping back and grinning at him.
Nick opened the door and watched until Sara had pulled out of his driveway, a grin firmly etched on his face.
Sara glanced over at Nick nervously. "You're not going to tell anyone are you?"
Nick studied her for a moment and tried to play things lightly, flashing her one of his ever present smiles. "That you propositioned me? No, your secret's safe with me."
Sara chuckled and swatted at him. Her expression turned serious. "That's not what I meant, although it might not be such a bad idea to keep that a secret too."
Nick glanced at her and gave her a reassuring smile. "No, Sara, I'm not about to share your personal hell with someone else. That's something only you have the right to share."
"Thanks." She looked visibly relieved, glancing at her lap.
"You can trust me, Sara." Nick's voice was soft and reassuring as he pulled the Denali into the parking lot of the lab next to Sara's. He set the parking brake and turned off the ignition. He reached over and cupped her face with his palm, caressing her cheek with his thumb.
Sara glanced up at Nick with a bit of apprehension on her face.
Nick's expression didn't falter as his hand dropped from her face and reached for her hand, giving it a squeeze. "You can trust me, Sar. I'm not going to push you to do anything you don't want to, but I want you to know that I care about you and I really do like you." He let go of her hand and smiled. "Hey, we've got some evidence to check in." He climbed out of the Denali and stood at the back with the door open before Sara climbed out of the passenger seat.
She felt somewhat confused at the moment. She'd pretty much told him that she'd wanted to have sex with him as they waited out the storm and then she had backpedaled about whether she should even be attracted to him. He'd figured out her darkest secret and had revealed his own to her. That alone was a complete shock to her. Nick wasn't the man that she'd made him out to be, there was a lot more to him than she'd allowed herself to see, and she wondered what else there was to Nick Stokes that she had missed.
She studied him quietly as they pulled their packs out and then grabbed the evidence bag with the chute inside. They closed the back door of the Denali and walked toward the front door of the lab holding the bag between them. As they walked down the hallway they caught a few amused stares at their damp and rumpled appearance. They checked the chute into evidence and decided to grab a cup of coffee in the break room.
Warrick Brown sat on the couch in the break room, glancing up as they entered. "Grissom was about to send a search party out for you two."
Nick glanced over at Sara and had to restrain a chuckle at the visual image he was entertaining after what Sara had said earlier that night about getting caught getting it on in the middle of the desert.
Sara looked at him with a smug expression, both eyebrows raised, silently telling him he'd be a dead man if he uttered a word to Warrick.
Neither of them spoke.
Warrick observed their appearance. "Looks like you got caught in a storm."
"You can say that again." Sara's clothes were mostly dry, but she felt as if her entire body had been chaffed by the wet fabric as they'd hiked.
Nick nodded, sipping a cup of coffee. "Next time, I don't care what the weatherman says, I'm bringing a coat."
Warrick chuckled. "Well, did you find anything up there? Or was it just another wild goose chase?"
Sara grinned widely exposing the gap in her teeth. "We found a parachute."
Warrick's eyebrows show up and he glanced over at Nick who looked smug. "No way."
Nick nodded. "Yeah, we found it not too far from the Denali, after we'd gotten soaking wet from the storm and had to hike back out in the cold. I'm pretty sure it was either washed down there or blew around in the storm."
Grissom walked into the break room and he registered that Nick and Sara stood there drinking coffee. "Did you get lost?"
They both looked up.
"I was about ready to send a search team out for you." Grissom continued a hint of worry and annoyance in his voice.
"We got caught in a storm, Gris." Sara tried to explain. "No cell phone reception."
"Yeah, we waited it out before we hiked back out." Nick added taking another sip of his coffee.
Grissom peered at them over the rim of his glasses. "Did you find anything?"
Nick nodded. "Yeah, we found a parachute."
Grissom's eyebrows shot up. "Really."
Sara nodded. "Sometimes technology works." A smirk played at her lips. Grissom sometimes scoffed at expensive high tech solutions like computer modeling when good old fashioned calculations and footwork would due.
"Good work." Grissom glanced at Warrick. "Don't you have a case to be working on?"
Warrick was not intimidated by Grissom. "Waiting for Sanders to give me results."
Grissom nodded and turned on his heels. He appeared to be lost in thought as he meandered down the hallway, head tilted to the side, destination known only to him.
Warrick got up from the couch. "Well, I'd better get back to Sanders before Grissom talks to him first."
Nick and Sara both waved at Warrick as he left the room.
Nick glanced at Sara and studied her. Despite her stiffly dried clothes and generally rumpled appearance, he still found her very attractive. "Hey, Sar?"
She glanced at him. She had to restrain a chuckle. Nick's normally shortly cropped hair was in disarray from the rain. His shirt and shorts were rumpled, but she thought he looked adorable. "Yeah?"
Nick cleared his throat. "You want to catch some breakfast?"
Sara couldn't stop the edges of her mouth from curling up. "Are you asking me out?"
Nick fumbled uncharacteristically with his answer. "Uh, yes, I mean, no, I mean, not if it's going to make you uncomfortable." He looked embarrassed and took a sip from his coffee before grinning.
Sara chuckled in spite of herself. "I'm already uncomfortable. I'm pretty sure that I've got some chaffing under these clothes that could rival rug burn." She took another sip from her coffee, but didn't answer his question about breakfast.
Nick chuckled. "Yeah, what do you put on a chaffed ass anyway?" He winced as he pulled gingerly at his shorts.
Sara giggled and had to set her coffee down as she looked at him.
Nick raised an eyebrow at her and feigned a hurt expression. "What's so funny, Sidle?"
She had to bite her lip to stop laughing. "Just the visual image." She started laughing again and then tried to keep a straight face as she queried him. "I'm sorry, but is it just your ass that's chaffed?"
Nick had to spit his coffee back into his cup. "Sara?!" Her comment had taken him by surprise and his face flushed with color.
She continued laughing.
Catherine Willows walked in and observed the two younger CSIs. A smile formed on her face as she noticed Nick's red face and Sara's laughter. Neither of those things was a common occurrence. "What's going on?"
Sara glanced up smiling, elbowing Nick. "Catherine would know what to do about it, she's a mom."
Catherine looked at them curiously. "What would I know about?"
Nick just chuckled and shook his head.
Sara tried to restrain her laughter. "Nick's got some chaffing on his ass."
Catherine laughed; a deep throaty laugh.
Nick glanced at Sara and a mischievous grin formed on his face. "Sara's ass is chaffed too."
Sara tried to stop laughing and shot Nick an embarrassed grin before she turned back to Catherine.
Catherine raised an eyebrow. "I heard you got caught in a storm."
Nick nodded. "Yeah, we just got back. Let me tell you, hiking in wet clothes isn't fun."
"I heard you found a chute." Catherine grinned.
Sara nodded.
"Good work." Catherine raised an eyebrow and glanced up at the clock. "I've got to go pick up Lindsey, I'll see you guys tonight."
"Bye, Cath." Nick called out.
Catherine glanced over her shoulder and spoke in a loud whisper. "Try Vaseline. That's what I used on Lindsey's diaper rash when she was a baby."
Sara looked smug as she glanced over at Nick whose face was starting to flush with color again. She reached over and touched his arm. "Ah, Nick, I'm sorry I embarrassed you."
He raised an eyebrow. "No you're not."
She chuckled. "You have to admit, it's kind of funny."
Nick deadpanned her. "No it's not." A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
She restrained smile couldn't contain the glimmer in her eye. "Is your invitation for breakfast still open?"
Nick crossed his arms in front of his body and considered her words for a moment, trying to keep the smile off of his face. "I don't know, Sara, I mean, you said you were uncomfortable."
Sara feigned a pout. "I didn't mean that you made me uncomfortable, I just meant my clothes were making me uncomfortable."
Nick chuckled and waggled his eyebrows at her. "Are you propositioning me again, Sidle?"
Sara's face turned red and she laughed nervously. "No, I'm not."
"Ok." Nick took another sip from his coffee. "I have an idea though."
She turned to him suspiciously. "And just what would that be?"
Nick chuckled again. "Don't worry, Sara, you can trust me."
"You still haven't answered my question." Sara turned her body to face him as her hip rested against the break room counter.
He turned his face toward her. "I provide the breakfast, you get the Vaseline."
Sara flashed him a curious expression. "I'm not sure I'm following you completely, it sounds about as kinky as your horseback adventure." Her voice was low.
Nick grinned. "I suppose it does. However, what I'm suggesting is you come over and let me cook you breakfast. We can each grab a shower and change, and if you bring some Vaseline, I think we'll both be feeling a little more comfortable."
Sara started laughing again. "You know if anyone finds out about this, they're going to get the wrong idea."
Nick raised a single eyebrow at her and smiled. "Yeah, I've never invited a gorgeous woman over before for breakfast and Vaseline."
Sara swatted at him, still laughing. "Ok, you're on, Stokes. But don't breathe a word of this to anyone."
Nick raised his hands in surrender. "Ok, I told you that you could trust me."
"Let me just grab a change of clothes out of my locker and I'll meet you at your house in about twenty minutes." Sara grinned.
"Ok." Nick grinned as Sara disappeared out the break room door.
About twenty minutes later, Sara pulled up in front of Nick's modest one- story home. She softly knocked at the door. When Nick didn't answer the door right away, she knocked again a little harder. A few moments later, the door opened to reveal a freshly showered Nick standing there in nothing but a towel. Sara couldn't help but stare at his well defined chest as he let her in. She finally looked away from him as she reached into her bag and pulled out the Vaseline and a bottle of talc. "Uh, I think you might want to try both of these."
Nick chuckled at how distracted she looked at seeing him in a towel. "I'm sorry I didn't plan to answer the door like this. Give me a few minutes, I'll be right back."
Sara sat down on Nick's couch trying to get the image of him in that towel slung low on his hips out of her mind. She wasn't having a great deal of success as a smile played on her lips.
A few minutes later, Nick emerged, dressed in loose fitting shorts and a clean T-shirt. He had a smile on his face. "Uh, you can take a shower if you want."
Sara stood up and grinned. "We're not going to tell anyone about this are we?"
Nick chuckled. "Nope, this is just as embarrassing for me as it is for you."
As she walked toward the bathroom, she paused in front of Nick. "Thanks."
He raised a curious eyebrow. "For what?"
"Everything." She smiled and leaned up and kissed him softly before disappearing into the bathroom.
As Nick heard the water start he touched his lips curiously. He really wasn't sure what was going on with Sara. The last 24 hours had been a bit of a roller coaster. He wanted her; that was indisputable. What she wanted was another question. He distracted himself by starting breakfast.
Sara emerged a short time later looking much more refreshed. She walked over to the kitchen and watched Nick cooking for a few minutes. "That looks good."
He smiled at her. "Thanks."
Neither of them said anything for a while. Nick was wondering what Sara was thinking and Sara was wondering what Nick was thinking. Fortunately, the food was done cooking and Nick served it up on a couple of plates.
As they ate, Sara finally broke the silence. "Feeling better?"
Nick nodded with a grin. "You?"
She nodded. "I sure hope Catherine doesn't tell anyone."
Nick laughed. "Well, I wouldn't hold your breath. I have a feeling I'm going to be hearing about it for a while."
Sara started to giggle. "It is pretty funny."
"No it's not." Nick grinned as he took a bite of his food.
Sara shook her head and yawned. "I should go as soon as we're done eating."
"Ok." Nick smiled. "Thanks for bringing the Vaseline and talc."
Sara started laughing again. "No problem. You can keep them; I've got more at home."
Nick raised both of his eyebrows. "You've had this problem before?"
Sara continued laughing and shook her head. "Those are standard equipment in the female arsenal, Nick."
Nick couldn't contain his laughter.
They finished eating and brought the dishes into Nick's kitchen, chatting as they did the dishes.
Sara yawned again and gathered her bag. "I should go."
"Ok." Nick grinned at her and walked her to the door.
They stood there staring at each other for a few moments; eyes traveling to each others lips. Finally, Nick stepped toward her and leaned over to kiss her softly. Sara responded by softly dropping her bag on the floor and trailing her fingers along his arms until her hands connected with his. She parted her lips slightly and the kiss continued a little deeper for a few more minutes. They laced their fingers together and they grinned at each other as they broke the kiss.
"I should go." Sara's voice was soft and a bit breathless as she continued looking at Nick's lips.
Nick nodded. "Yeah." He leaned in and kissed her again.
Sara finally pulled away, reluctantly letting go of Nick's hands and picking her bag back up. "Ok, bye." She leaned and kissed him softly once more before stepping back and grinning at him.
Nick opened the door and watched until Sara had pulled out of his driveway, a grin firmly etched on his face.