When Sara woke up, Nick was still sound asleep. She smiled as she watched
him sleep for a while. The man had the most gorgeous eyelashes. Not
wanting to disturb him, she slipped quietly out of bed and wandered into
the living room. The sun was just coming up over the Gulf. A smile spread
across her face as she opened the sliding glass door and stepped onto the
deck. If she closed her eyes and breathed deeply, it was almost as if she
was in Tamales Bay. The sound of seagulls and surf crashing against the
shore in the early morning brought a certain peace that she missed in
Vegas. She stood there for a long time just thinking.
She had felt badly that she hadn't given Nick an opportunity to explain what he was feeling before she'd reacted last night. She too felt like she was freaking out, but she also felt like there was something between her and Nick that would be a mistake to ignore. He was so good for her. Of all the people that she worked with, he had been her friend from the start. He never was anything other than himself with her and even around his family, he was just Nick.
When she had shown up on his doorstep in the middle of the night the week before, she knew then that something between them had changed. She had never done that before with him, never cried like that with anyone, and then falling asleep in his arms like that, she had felt something she couldn't explain.
As much as Nick's sisters had tried to play matchmaker between them, she had been surprised that she didn't mind. There was something genuine about him that too many people in Vegas lacked. Even she felt like she was a bit jaded at times. Each time she had trusted someone, they had let her down, except Nick. In some respects, she had expected him to bolt last night. Him freaking out had really upset her. She was afraid of losing him and as she'd left the living room and told him that she was going to bed, she had cried. She had felt like her heart was breaking into a million pieces and it was then that she realized that she was in love with him.
A smile spread across her face. She was in love with Nick Stokes. She wasn't ready to tell him that yet, he needed to figure out his own feelings, but she knew without a doubt how she felt about him.
The color of the sunrise had diminished from a brilliant orange to a golden hue as the sun had broken over the horizon. She moved back inside the condo and started a pot of coffee before going back into the bedroom to see if Nick was awake yet.
He was still asleep, laying on his stomach, his arms wrapped around a pillow.
Sara smiled and gently shut the door. As the coffee finished brewing, she poured herself a cup and went back out onto the deck to enjoy it. As she sipped the coffee she pondered all the things that had changed over the last several days. Most of it due in large part to a single decision. If she hadn't shown up on Nick's doorstep that night, she didn't think she'd be in Texas with him right now, and she certainly didn't think that she would have admitted to herself that she was in love with him. Just that thought brought a smile to her face.
Her life had been spinning out of control and that one crime that had pushed her over the edge had served to be a catalyst of change in her life. Sometimes life was crazy, but the craziness of it often served to help change direction. She couldn't believe how relaxed she felt just sitting there doing nothing other than enjoying the view. Nick had been right, she had needed a vacation, but it seemed she had gotten more than that in the bargain. She had gotten Nick.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Nick lips curved up in a smile. Coffee. He could tell that Sara had gotten up and he was grateful that she'd let him sleep. He knew that he'd lain awake for at least an hour or more after she'd fallen asleep, his worries consuming him. Somehow in the morning light that filtered in through the blinds, those fears didn't seem quite as scary. Holding her like that had had a calming effect on him.
It perplexed him how calm she was in general. She had been so worked up before they'd come to Dallas, but she had seemed to relax almost as soon as they had arrived. Despite the fact that she'd said coming there with him scared the hell out of her, her demeanor didn't betray that. If anything, she seemed to really enjoy herself. She seemed to enjoy being with him. That thought still was hard for him to fathom. Sara Sidle wanted to be with him.
There was still something in him that felt like he was holding back for some reason. It frustrated him, but he couldn't pinpoint what it was. There were a couple of things that were very clear to him. He didn't want to lose Sara as a friend, but he also wanted to see where things between them would go. The problem was, they couldn't go backward; that might destroy their friendship. But if they continued forward and things didn't work out he might lose her anyway. It was that fear that kept gnawing at him.
He let out a deep breath and rolled over onto his back staring at the ceiling. How could he ensure that he'd never lose Sara's friendship? He mulled over the possibilities, and found the list of options to be very short.
Letting out a deep breath, he rolled out of bed and wandered out into the kitchen in search of coffee in his T-shirt and boxers. He noticed Sara sitting out on the deck in her pajamas and a smile spread across his face as he poured himself a cup of coffee. He quietly made his way to the sliding glass door which she had left open and stepped out onto the deck to join her.
"It's a beautiful morning." He smiled at her as she glanced up at him.
"Yeah, it is. You should have seen the sunrise, but then you looked like you needed your sleep." Her expression was one that Nick had never seen before. There was a softness in it that made his heart flip.
"You sleep ok?" He queried her as he sat down on one of the deck chairs.
She nodded, still smiling. "Yeah." She looked at him curiously. "You?"
Nick let out a yawn and a chuckle. "Alright I guess." He took a long sip from his coffee.
"What are we going to do today?" She looked at him expectantly as she drank the last of her coffee.
An idea hit him. "How would you feel about breakfast on the water." He grinned. "I know a place that has charters that go out looking for dolphins, we could spend part of the day out there."
"That sounds great." Sara stood up and stopped in front of him, ruffling his hair with her fingers. "I'm just going to go take a shower."
Before she could get past him, Nick grabbed her around the waist with one arm and pulled her into his lap, careful not to spill his coffee. "Hey, don't I get a good morning kiss? You got a goodnight kiss." He feigned a pout.
Sara giggled and leaned in and kissed him softly. As she pulled away, she grinned. "Good morning."
"Good morning." He grinned at her and kissed her again, letting his lips linger against hers. "You taste like coffee."
Sara pulled away, one hand splayed out against his chest. "Oh, really?"
He nodded, still grinning, setting his coffee cup down on the deck.
She leaned in and kissed him again. As she pulled away she smiled. "So do you."
"At this rate, we'll never get out of here." Nick quipped as he leaned in and kissed her again.
Sara smiled against his lips and pulled away. "I'm not the one who insisted on a good morning kiss." She smirked at him.
"I don't see you complaining." He teased, leaning in and kissing her again.
She relaxed against him and allowed him to deepen the kiss. Quite a few moments later, they broke apart grinning. Sara leaned in and planted a quick peck on his lips before standing up . "I'm going to go get ready. We can do that again later."
"Promise." Nick looked entirely pleased with himself.
She flashed him a grin. "Count on it."
She had felt badly that she hadn't given Nick an opportunity to explain what he was feeling before she'd reacted last night. She too felt like she was freaking out, but she also felt like there was something between her and Nick that would be a mistake to ignore. He was so good for her. Of all the people that she worked with, he had been her friend from the start. He never was anything other than himself with her and even around his family, he was just Nick.
When she had shown up on his doorstep in the middle of the night the week before, she knew then that something between them had changed. She had never done that before with him, never cried like that with anyone, and then falling asleep in his arms like that, she had felt something she couldn't explain.
As much as Nick's sisters had tried to play matchmaker between them, she had been surprised that she didn't mind. There was something genuine about him that too many people in Vegas lacked. Even she felt like she was a bit jaded at times. Each time she had trusted someone, they had let her down, except Nick. In some respects, she had expected him to bolt last night. Him freaking out had really upset her. She was afraid of losing him and as she'd left the living room and told him that she was going to bed, she had cried. She had felt like her heart was breaking into a million pieces and it was then that she realized that she was in love with him.
A smile spread across her face. She was in love with Nick Stokes. She wasn't ready to tell him that yet, he needed to figure out his own feelings, but she knew without a doubt how she felt about him.
The color of the sunrise had diminished from a brilliant orange to a golden hue as the sun had broken over the horizon. She moved back inside the condo and started a pot of coffee before going back into the bedroom to see if Nick was awake yet.
He was still asleep, laying on his stomach, his arms wrapped around a pillow.
Sara smiled and gently shut the door. As the coffee finished brewing, she poured herself a cup and went back out onto the deck to enjoy it. As she sipped the coffee she pondered all the things that had changed over the last several days. Most of it due in large part to a single decision. If she hadn't shown up on Nick's doorstep that night, she didn't think she'd be in Texas with him right now, and she certainly didn't think that she would have admitted to herself that she was in love with him. Just that thought brought a smile to her face.
Her life had been spinning out of control and that one crime that had pushed her over the edge had served to be a catalyst of change in her life. Sometimes life was crazy, but the craziness of it often served to help change direction. She couldn't believe how relaxed she felt just sitting there doing nothing other than enjoying the view. Nick had been right, she had needed a vacation, but it seemed she had gotten more than that in the bargain. She had gotten Nick.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Nick lips curved up in a smile. Coffee. He could tell that Sara had gotten up and he was grateful that she'd let him sleep. He knew that he'd lain awake for at least an hour or more after she'd fallen asleep, his worries consuming him. Somehow in the morning light that filtered in through the blinds, those fears didn't seem quite as scary. Holding her like that had had a calming effect on him.
It perplexed him how calm she was in general. She had been so worked up before they'd come to Dallas, but she had seemed to relax almost as soon as they had arrived. Despite the fact that she'd said coming there with him scared the hell out of her, her demeanor didn't betray that. If anything, she seemed to really enjoy herself. She seemed to enjoy being with him. That thought still was hard for him to fathom. Sara Sidle wanted to be with him.
There was still something in him that felt like he was holding back for some reason. It frustrated him, but he couldn't pinpoint what it was. There were a couple of things that were very clear to him. He didn't want to lose Sara as a friend, but he also wanted to see where things between them would go. The problem was, they couldn't go backward; that might destroy their friendship. But if they continued forward and things didn't work out he might lose her anyway. It was that fear that kept gnawing at him.
He let out a deep breath and rolled over onto his back staring at the ceiling. How could he ensure that he'd never lose Sara's friendship? He mulled over the possibilities, and found the list of options to be very short.
Letting out a deep breath, he rolled out of bed and wandered out into the kitchen in search of coffee in his T-shirt and boxers. He noticed Sara sitting out on the deck in her pajamas and a smile spread across his face as he poured himself a cup of coffee. He quietly made his way to the sliding glass door which she had left open and stepped out onto the deck to join her.
"It's a beautiful morning." He smiled at her as she glanced up at him.
"Yeah, it is. You should have seen the sunrise, but then you looked like you needed your sleep." Her expression was one that Nick had never seen before. There was a softness in it that made his heart flip.
"You sleep ok?" He queried her as he sat down on one of the deck chairs.
She nodded, still smiling. "Yeah." She looked at him curiously. "You?"
Nick let out a yawn and a chuckle. "Alright I guess." He took a long sip from his coffee.
"What are we going to do today?" She looked at him expectantly as she drank the last of her coffee.
An idea hit him. "How would you feel about breakfast on the water." He grinned. "I know a place that has charters that go out looking for dolphins, we could spend part of the day out there."
"That sounds great." Sara stood up and stopped in front of him, ruffling his hair with her fingers. "I'm just going to go take a shower."
Before she could get past him, Nick grabbed her around the waist with one arm and pulled her into his lap, careful not to spill his coffee. "Hey, don't I get a good morning kiss? You got a goodnight kiss." He feigned a pout.
Sara giggled and leaned in and kissed him softly. As she pulled away, she grinned. "Good morning."
"Good morning." He grinned at her and kissed her again, letting his lips linger against hers. "You taste like coffee."
Sara pulled away, one hand splayed out against his chest. "Oh, really?"
He nodded, still grinning, setting his coffee cup down on the deck.
She leaned in and kissed him again. As she pulled away she smiled. "So do you."
"At this rate, we'll never get out of here." Nick quipped as he leaned in and kissed her again.
Sara smiled against his lips and pulled away. "I'm not the one who insisted on a good morning kiss." She smirked at him.
"I don't see you complaining." He teased, leaning in and kissing her again.
She relaxed against him and allowed him to deepen the kiss. Quite a few moments later, they broke apart grinning. Sara leaned in and planted a quick peck on his lips before standing up . "I'm going to go get ready. We can do that again later."
"Promise." Nick looked entirely pleased with himself.
She flashed him a grin. "Count on it."