Later that afternoon, Sara was preparing the vegetables for the upcoming evening meal that she was going to share with Grissom. Her mind was swimming in waves of doubt as she focused on the events of the previous night. Grissom had held her, giving her his warmth and tenderness, and she had taken everything he'd offered, closing down on the thoughts that had screamed out inside her mind. But in the moment of comfort she had all but ignored them, pushing the logical part of her brain to shut down.
After everything she had been through and the distance she'd forged between them when she left had all but been erased with one touch of his hands. He somehow had managed to banish her fears to leave her aching for him, and that thought alone scared her more than anything.
A loud knock invaded her silent musings and she wiped her hands on a towel before walking over towards the door to open it.
"Hey," Grissom greeted, his voice slightly hesitant as his eyes lingered over her body adoringly. He was unsure, even now how he would be welcomed into her home. Last night had been a wonderful healing experience for both of them, yet still he was afraid she would turn him away.
"You coming in?" she asked quietly as she watched the inner battle in his eyes. He was shaking, looking every bit like a lost puppy and she felt her heart melt once again. A large smile formed on her lips as she tried to ignore the heat that was flaring inside her body, focusing instead on the man who stood before her and the powerful emotions he evoked within her.
"Am I too early?"
"No you're fine," she told him gently, her hand reaching out to pull him inside. She could feel the slight tremble in his body as she touched him, and for that one single moment she fell in love with him all over again. The sensation shook her soul to bring a burst of longing to her eyes and she stepped back, breaking the contact that had bound them together for those few beautiful heartbeats.
Grissom could sense a switch in the atmosphere but didn't question her. His own rapturous feelings were becoming all empowering and he was finding it difficult to hold his tongue and stop the words of love from spilling out to her.
"How did it go today?" she asked, breaking the silence around them to offer him a small smile before walking back towards the kitchen.
Taking this as his cue to follow, he walked behind her, his eyes snaking over her body appreciatively. "I've done as much as I can for them." Moving into the kitchen to stand beside her, he reached over for the knife in her hand, the sweet contact of their fingers causing them both to stop what they were doing and simply bask in the charged ambience that surrounded them.
"Uh…" Sara whispered, at last finding her voice and relinquishing her hold on the knife. She watched in amusement as he removed his jacket and threw it onto one of the bar stools beneath the breakfast bar. He offered her a smile as he started to chop the vegetables, taking over from her as if he had been this comfortable around her for years.
Sara watched him for a moment, her eyes languishing over his body from his head, to his strong shoulders and back, then down to his rear and legs. This man had always caused her senses to sway and her knees to buckle when he deemed her worthy of his attention. She had to remind herself on several occasions since his arrival here that he had come to her, not the other way around. Taking a breath, she moved to stand next to him, leaning against his shoulder while she gazed up into his face.
"So… if they only wanted you to come up here and identify a few bugs, why did they ask you to stay for four days?"
"Oh I'm not finished, did I say that?" Turning his head, he smiled down at her affectionately knowing that he had deliberately misled her in search of her reaction.
"You said you couldn't do any more," she whispered hoarsely, her voice becoming trapped in her throat.
"I've identified the beetles and flies for them, initially that's all they needed from me, but I informed them that I had some more work to do before I could be sure of timelines. I'll be going in early tomorrow to start charting." His eyes lingered over her face as he watched her confusion blossom into full understanding.
"Oh, the timeline," she smiled. "Remember when we sat up all night watching that dead pig?"
How could he forget it? His body ached for her as the memories washed over him. Leaning close, he nudged her shoulder. "I remember."
"You need any help with this timeline of yours?" she asked softly, cursing inwardly for her imminent surrender to him. "Um…I mean…"
"I know what you meant, and yes, I'd love for you to help me if you got time."
"I can help you for a few hours tomorrow after shift," she offered, her whole body tingling with anticipation for his answer.
"You're working all night Sara," he told her softly, "I know you can pull double shifts on multiple occasions, but I don't want you to tire yourself out."
"Me tired?" she grinned. "I can sleep when we're done."
"Okay," he nodded, his smile lingering over his lips a little longer than normal. Turning back to the vegetables, he tried, in vain, to ignore the fact that she was standing dangerously close to him right at this moment and managed to nick his finger with the tip of the knife.
"Grissom, you're bleeding," she told him quickly as she grabbed his hand before he could object.
"It's a scratch," he told her calmly, letting her lead him over towards the kitchen sink.
"You won't be saying that if it becomes infected and your fingers fall off, will you now," she grinned as she turned on the cold tap to shove his hand under the stream of water. "I'm not sending you back to Vegas with battle scars, Grissom."
"Okay mom," he chuckled, at last giving up the fight to pull his hand away from her touch. His eyes lingered over her features while she continued with her task to clean the small cut. Words bubbled on his tongue, and feelings ached to be released from their locked up prison. Her touch only served to fuel his desires for her and he started to forget about the reasons why he had been resisting her for so long. Before he could stop his tumbling confessions, three simple words slipped out on a whisper. "I miss you."
Sara gulped visibly with his words and became acutely aware of his closeness. Reaching out to turn off the tap, she tried to twist around him but found herself trapped between the sink and his body. "We…we should put a band aid on that."
"Later," he whispered, stopping her escape with gentle pressure that kept her ensnared. "I really did miss you," he told her softly, finding more courage with every passing second.
Sara closed her eyes briefly and leaned into his touch. She wanted to throw her arms around him and melt into his powerful embrace, but so much had happened between them. Opening her eyes, she found her eyes locked in his gaze and the power to resist him slowly ebbed away. So many words needed to be spoken but she knew she only needed to speak honestly for him to understand his importance in her world. Taking a small breath, she lifted a hand to caress his bearded face and watched with overwhelming affection as he closed his eyes. "I missed you too."
Slowly, his eyes opened and he found himself unable to pull away from her beautiful eyes. She held his gaze, enraptured, silently willing him to understand that every emotion he could possibly be feeling, she was feeling it too, because she loved him.
Time slowed as they unhurriedly moved closer, their lips seeking an end to all the pain and sorrow they had caused each other over the past years. Grissom watched her eyes flutter closed as he descended on her, so close that her breath blended with his. Every second brought them closer, until his lips grazed hers lightly to bring a lifetime of longing to the fore, bursting through their barricades to leave them vulnerable to each other.
Pulling back, Grissom opened his eyes to gage her reaction, desperately hoping that she was as scared as he was right now. He knew the second her eyes opened and linked with his that she felt it too, and he took the courage she gave him to lower his lips to hers once more.
She met him half way, her fears melting along with any thoughts of resisting him the second his lips touched hers. Every thought, every fantasy that she could have possibly imagined didn't even come close when compared with the real thing. He pressed closer to her body, the firmness of his lips becoming more demanding and she whimpered softly when she felt his tongue probing her bottom lip, begging for entry.
Sara's hand slid up his chest to his neck as she opened her mouth to him, giving him everything she possessed. He moved closer, his kisses becoming almost desperate as he pulled her against his body. He needed to feel every inch of her, just to prove to himself that this wasn't a dream, but when she reached up behind him to pull his head down forcefully, he knew he was lost in her forever.
She groaned softly when his fingers traced the small of her back and sank further into him. Standing on tiptoe, she edged closer, her desperate need to sheath his body with her own overpowering every other thought in her mind. She needed this and she needed him.
As the kiss deepened, the ringing of Sara's house phone brought an annoying disturbance into the room. At first, when the shrill of the phone invaded their senses, Sara had only pulled him closer, urging with more ardent kisses as she silently begged him to ignore the unwelcome intrusion.
Pulling away slowly, Grissom gazed down at her breathlessly. Her hair was tousled and her lips were swollen, and at this precise moment he had realized he had never loved her more than he did right now. Leaning his forehead down to hers, he tried to catch his breath. "Might be important," he managed to whisper.
"Maybe," she breathed as she leaned closer to him to wrap her arms around his waist and tuck her head beneath his chin. She resented the intrusion when they had only just begun to bridge the divide between them, and for a few moments she drank in his warmth before untangling herself from his arms.
Walking over towards the phone she picked it up and almost growled her name when she answered. Grissom chuckled softly, his own frustrations flittering away as he slowly made his way towards her.
"Okay," she sighed after listening for a little while. "I'll be there in a few minutes."
She placed the telephone back in its cradle and turned to him apologetically. "I have to go to work."
"So I heard," he smiled, reaching out to gently trace his fingers over her arm. His lips still tingled from her kisses and if he was honest he wanted to pull her to him and never release her, but he was sure she would cause him bodily damage if he tried. "Want me to come with you?"
His question sparked a burst of love to her eyes and she smiled up into his. "Aren't you tired?"
He matched her smile with a warm one of his own and pulled her against his body to wrap her in his tight embrace. "Me? Tired?" he grinned, matching her words from earlier.
Pulling back, she gazed up into his eyes and lifted her hand to his cheek to trace his lips with the tip of her thumb. "This could take a while."
Pursing his lips, he kissed her thumb before encasing her hand with his own to place a soft kiss in her palm. "I have no where else I'd rather be."
TBC
