"So, you went to high school with Jake." Nick had a smug expression on his
face as he grabbed one of the bananas out of the bag and began to eat it.
Sara glanced over at him and smirked. "You're kind of cute when you're jealous."
"I thought you said you liked me jealous?" Nick teased as he took another bite from the banana.
Sara smiled. "Jake and I were in the science club together and he runs his parent's store when he's not teaching at the high school. End of story."
Nick tried to keep from looking too curious, without much success. "So, you dated him then?"
She shot him an amused expression. "You are jealous." She laughed. "No, I did not date Jake. In fact I didn't date anyone in high school."
Nick's eyebrows slowly curved upward. "No one." His tone clearly implied that he didn't believe her.
Sara felt her cheeks getting warm. She didn't meet his gaze but kept her eyes on the road. "No one." She let out a deep breath. "Nick, I didn't even have my first date until I went to Harvard and even then I can't say that I was very good at it."
He studied her with interest. "But you're so beautiful." He sounded incredulous.
Sara couldn't help but smile. "Could we talk about something else?"
Nick chuckled at her embarrassment. "Why does it make you so uncomfortable that I think you're beautiful?" He took the last bite of his banana and tossed the peel back into the bag.
She smirked. "I'm not uncomfortable. I'm just driving a car and I'd rather talk to you when I can look at you."
He chuckled softly. "Ok then." He stole glances at her as she drove and a short time later, she turned the car into 'Miller County Park'. "I thought we were going to Nick's Cove."
She looked smug. "We are at Nick's Cove; it's just that the official name is 'Miller County Park'."
He tried to swallow a grin. "Wanna go for a walk?"
"Yeah." She smiled at him.
As they got out of the car and began to walk toward the water, Nick reached over and took her hand in his.
Sara glanced over at him and tried to keep from grinning.
Nick raised an eyebrow at her. "Is this ok?"
She nodded, no longer holding back her grin. "Yeah, it's ok."
"Good." He smiled as they walked.
Neither one of them anything for a while and then in the same instant the both spoke.
"Sara."
"Nick."
They both laughed for a moment and then Nick started again. "Sara, can I ask you something?"
"Yeah, sure." She looked at him expectantly.
He looked at her with uncertainty for a moment, not quite sure why he was so afraid to say what was on his mind.
Sara raised her eyebrow at him as she watched his face. "What?"
He caressed the back her hand with his thumb as the words tumbled out of his mouth. "I really want to kiss you right now. Would it be ok if I kissed you?"
Sara just nodded as a smile overtook her face.
A grinning Nick leaned forward and softly pressed his lips against hers.
As he pulled away, Sara grinned. "You taste like bananas."
Nick laughed and leaned in and kissed her again. He searched her face as he pulled away. "I've wanted to do that for so long, but especially since this morning."
Sara felt her cheeks burn, but she continued to look into his face. "Wow." She closed the distance between them and pressed her lips against his as she slid her arms around his waist.
Nick wrapped his arms around her shoulders and focused his attention on the sensation of Sara's lips, how they felt, how they tasted, how soft they were.
Neither one of them seemed to notice as another car pulled into the lot as they continued to trade soft exploratory kisses. In fact they didn't seem to notice anything but each other until a voice broke through.
"I thought that was you, Sara." The smugness of the tone caused Nick and Sara to pull apart a bit short of breath.
Sara glanced over, her arms still around Nick's waist. Recognition flickered and she pasted a smile on her face. "Jenny."
"What brings you all the way up here?" Jenny's voice was a little too sweet for Sara's liking.
Sara felt Nick rubbing her back reassuringly. "Nick and I came up to visit my parents."
As if seeing him for the first time, Jenny turned her attention toward Nick. "Oh, aren't you delicious. How did Sara ever snag you?"
Nick coughed to keep from laughing as he extended his hand. "Hi, I'm Nick Stokes."
Jenny's face registered a surprised pleasure at hearing Nick's drawl. "Oh, that accent is just adorable."
"So, Jenny, what brings you here? Don't you live in San Francisco now?" Sara kept her smile pasted on her face, but she was becoming a bit irritated at being interrupted.
Jenny kept her eyes on Nick as she answered Sara's question. "Oh, I moved back after Bryan and I got divorced last year. I'm free as a bird."
"Oh, really? Well, Nick and I are a little busy right now." She glanced at her watch. "In fact we really need to be getting back. We promised mom and dad that we'd help out with the dinner prep."
"It was nice to meet you, Jenny, but Sara's right, we need to get back." Nick could tell that Sara wanted to get as far away from Jenny as possible and he hoped that she'd tell him more about it later. He began to propel her towards the car.
"Maybe I'll see you around." Jenny called out a bit saccharine.
As soon as they were in the car with the doors closed, Nick glanced over at Sara and raised an eyebrow. "Why do I feel like I need to take a shower?"
Sara huffed as she started the car. "Because she was undressing you with her eyes."
"You sound jealous." Nick observed.
Sara smirked at him. "I don't want anyone undressing you until I get the chance."
Nick chuckled and a grin spread across his face. "I sense a little rivalry there. What's the story?"
Sara tried to keep her tone even. "She tried to make my life miserable in high school."
Nick kept silent as she continued.
"And then when I lived in San Francisco, I had the misfortune of running into her on several occasions and each time she introduced me to a new husband. Apparently, Bryan wasn't famous enough for her." Sara concluded as she drove back towards the bed and breakfast.
"Bryan?" Nick looked at her quizzically.
Sara glanced over at him, her irritation dissipating. "He's some important player for whatever the football team in San Francisco is."
Nick couldn't help but laugh. "You mean the 49ers?"
"Sure." Sara smiled. "In any case, she goes through men like they're going out of style and I'm sure if we stayed there any longer she would have tried to put her claws into you too." Her brow was furrowed again.
"Sar, pull the car over." Nick's voice was soft and reassuring.
She pulled the car off onto the shoulder and turned toward him. "What?"
He leaned toward her and slid his fingers into her hair, resting his forehead against hers. "No one is going to put their claws into me. The only woman that I'm interested in is you." He leaned in and kissed her softly, letting his lips linger against hers for a few moments before he pulled away and a wide grin formed on his face. "Besides, I'm kind of excited that you want to undress me."
Sara glanced over at him and smirked. "You're kind of cute when you're jealous."
"I thought you said you liked me jealous?" Nick teased as he took another bite from the banana.
Sara smiled. "Jake and I were in the science club together and he runs his parent's store when he's not teaching at the high school. End of story."
Nick tried to keep from looking too curious, without much success. "So, you dated him then?"
She shot him an amused expression. "You are jealous." She laughed. "No, I did not date Jake. In fact I didn't date anyone in high school."
Nick's eyebrows slowly curved upward. "No one." His tone clearly implied that he didn't believe her.
Sara felt her cheeks getting warm. She didn't meet his gaze but kept her eyes on the road. "No one." She let out a deep breath. "Nick, I didn't even have my first date until I went to Harvard and even then I can't say that I was very good at it."
He studied her with interest. "But you're so beautiful." He sounded incredulous.
Sara couldn't help but smile. "Could we talk about something else?"
Nick chuckled at her embarrassment. "Why does it make you so uncomfortable that I think you're beautiful?" He took the last bite of his banana and tossed the peel back into the bag.
She smirked. "I'm not uncomfortable. I'm just driving a car and I'd rather talk to you when I can look at you."
He chuckled softly. "Ok then." He stole glances at her as she drove and a short time later, she turned the car into 'Miller County Park'. "I thought we were going to Nick's Cove."
She looked smug. "We are at Nick's Cove; it's just that the official name is 'Miller County Park'."
He tried to swallow a grin. "Wanna go for a walk?"
"Yeah." She smiled at him.
As they got out of the car and began to walk toward the water, Nick reached over and took her hand in his.
Sara glanced over at him and tried to keep from grinning.
Nick raised an eyebrow at her. "Is this ok?"
She nodded, no longer holding back her grin. "Yeah, it's ok."
"Good." He smiled as they walked.
Neither one of them anything for a while and then in the same instant the both spoke.
"Sara."
"Nick."
They both laughed for a moment and then Nick started again. "Sara, can I ask you something?"
"Yeah, sure." She looked at him expectantly.
He looked at her with uncertainty for a moment, not quite sure why he was so afraid to say what was on his mind.
Sara raised her eyebrow at him as she watched his face. "What?"
He caressed the back her hand with his thumb as the words tumbled out of his mouth. "I really want to kiss you right now. Would it be ok if I kissed you?"
Sara just nodded as a smile overtook her face.
A grinning Nick leaned forward and softly pressed his lips against hers.
As he pulled away, Sara grinned. "You taste like bananas."
Nick laughed and leaned in and kissed her again. He searched her face as he pulled away. "I've wanted to do that for so long, but especially since this morning."
Sara felt her cheeks burn, but she continued to look into his face. "Wow." She closed the distance between them and pressed her lips against his as she slid her arms around his waist.
Nick wrapped his arms around her shoulders and focused his attention on the sensation of Sara's lips, how they felt, how they tasted, how soft they were.
Neither one of them seemed to notice as another car pulled into the lot as they continued to trade soft exploratory kisses. In fact they didn't seem to notice anything but each other until a voice broke through.
"I thought that was you, Sara." The smugness of the tone caused Nick and Sara to pull apart a bit short of breath.
Sara glanced over, her arms still around Nick's waist. Recognition flickered and she pasted a smile on her face. "Jenny."
"What brings you all the way up here?" Jenny's voice was a little too sweet for Sara's liking.
Sara felt Nick rubbing her back reassuringly. "Nick and I came up to visit my parents."
As if seeing him for the first time, Jenny turned her attention toward Nick. "Oh, aren't you delicious. How did Sara ever snag you?"
Nick coughed to keep from laughing as he extended his hand. "Hi, I'm Nick Stokes."
Jenny's face registered a surprised pleasure at hearing Nick's drawl. "Oh, that accent is just adorable."
"So, Jenny, what brings you here? Don't you live in San Francisco now?" Sara kept her smile pasted on her face, but she was becoming a bit irritated at being interrupted.
Jenny kept her eyes on Nick as she answered Sara's question. "Oh, I moved back after Bryan and I got divorced last year. I'm free as a bird."
"Oh, really? Well, Nick and I are a little busy right now." She glanced at her watch. "In fact we really need to be getting back. We promised mom and dad that we'd help out with the dinner prep."
"It was nice to meet you, Jenny, but Sara's right, we need to get back." Nick could tell that Sara wanted to get as far away from Jenny as possible and he hoped that she'd tell him more about it later. He began to propel her towards the car.
"Maybe I'll see you around." Jenny called out a bit saccharine.
As soon as they were in the car with the doors closed, Nick glanced over at Sara and raised an eyebrow. "Why do I feel like I need to take a shower?"
Sara huffed as she started the car. "Because she was undressing you with her eyes."
"You sound jealous." Nick observed.
Sara smirked at him. "I don't want anyone undressing you until I get the chance."
Nick chuckled and a grin spread across his face. "I sense a little rivalry there. What's the story?"
Sara tried to keep her tone even. "She tried to make my life miserable in high school."
Nick kept silent as she continued.
"And then when I lived in San Francisco, I had the misfortune of running into her on several occasions and each time she introduced me to a new husband. Apparently, Bryan wasn't famous enough for her." Sara concluded as she drove back towards the bed and breakfast.
"Bryan?" Nick looked at her quizzically.
Sara glanced over at him, her irritation dissipating. "He's some important player for whatever the football team in San Francisco is."
Nick couldn't help but laugh. "You mean the 49ers?"
"Sure." Sara smiled. "In any case, she goes through men like they're going out of style and I'm sure if we stayed there any longer she would have tried to put her claws into you too." Her brow was furrowed again.
"Sar, pull the car over." Nick's voice was soft and reassuring.
She pulled the car off onto the shoulder and turned toward him. "What?"
He leaned toward her and slid his fingers into her hair, resting his forehead against hers. "No one is going to put their claws into me. The only woman that I'm interested in is you." He leaned in and kissed her softly, letting his lips linger against hers for a few moments before he pulled away and a wide grin formed on his face. "Besides, I'm kind of excited that you want to undress me."