A/N: As promised, another chapter of A Time for Love on what could be called a 'quiet day'. I must applaud my beta's and my sister for their help in making this chapter work.
Please tell me what you think of this chapter or even the story as a whole so far, even though there's still a lot left to this tale.
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Unbounded in her craving for the intoxicating liqueur of his kiss, she yielded her mouth at his demand. Their tongues collided, tasting and exploring. Her fingers splayed through his hair, spreading over his skull, tangling with his curls as he shifted to free a hand. Her breath caught as his hand closed around her hair, drawing her head back. Her pulse quickened when his lips traced the supple line of her throat to the heated spot of her pulse. Straying from the silky strands of her hair, his hand ventured down her back supporting her as she wantonly stretched at his touch.
His other hand created a tingling path to the sensitized skin below her breasts and his fingers skimmed the soft cotton still covering them. But when his hand left her she let out a groan of loss, opened her eyes and met his impassioned gaze. She enticed him with her eyes to meet her need.
Lightly, his fingers trailed from the hollow of her neck down to the valley of her breasts, sending a shiver to course through her frame. Her breath caught when his hand stilled and she looked down entranced, while he fingered the strings that held the neckline of her gown together.
He drew back on the strings, tantalizingly. Their eyes met again and he held her gaze as he lowered his head to feast on the revealed skin between the taut peaks of her breasts. She cradled his head while her own fell back letting the sensations of his lips and tongue wreak havoc on her mind and body. She felt his fingers close about her shoulders then the cotton slipping down her arms, trapping them against her sides. The gown remained clinging to her breasts, caught on the hardened peaks of her nipples. She cried out when his fingers teased the gown past the barrier, skimming over the ripe swells with his thumb. She moaned when his mouth closed over her nipple and suckled, tasting it as a delicacy. I've died and gone to heaven.
Without thought, her hands found their way to his nightshift, deftly unbuttoning then dragging the material up over his back. She winced from pleasurable pain as his teeth tugged at her hardened peak. But she refused to be detoured from her destination. He reluctantly pulled back, the fire in his eyes communicating his passion. But he gave in to her and she pulled his shirt off unceremoniously and tossed it to the foot of the bed. Her assertiveness was short-lived, however, as he pressed her firmly back against the pillows. Grissom took the arms of her nightgown and pulled them down until they no longer encased her arms. Suddenly, he grasped the blankets and with a loud swoosh, he pulled them off of her then eased the gown from over her hips and down her long legs. Showing a flash of amazement, his eyes danced over her heated skin. Her pulse quickened at his lingering gaze and she made an attempt at modesty, bending her knees to hide his view of her most private area.
His tongue peaked out of its own accord and she couldn't stop the giggle that escaped from her. His eyebrow arched questioningly, so she explained, "You look at me as if I'm some delicacy laid out on a banquet table."
His lips twitched into a smile. "Who says you aren't?" he teased as his hand reached out and caressed her ankle then began the climb up her calf to her knee. He grasped her knee and pressed it apart from the other, all the while shifting closer to her. Once covering her breasts, her hands reached for him as she spread her legs further and invited him to close the distance. As quickly as her hands were upon him, she fumbled with his boxers, tugging at them in desperation until she felt a staying hand on hers. "Sara, wait."
"I don't want to wait. I need you," she whimpered.
His hands fell to the bed on either side of her, holding him above her as he took a steadying breath. "No, we can't." Before she could interrupt him, he continued, "Please tell me you're on birth control."
Her hands now stilled as her mind processed his words, and then slumped to her sides. She shook her head unable to speak.
A groan escaped his throat. With a heavy sigh, he pushed away from her, his breathing ragged from the rushing of unspent adrenaline. "I'm sorry, I should've thought of it sooner."
Sara heaved a sigh of resignation. "No, it wasn't just you. I've wanted this for so lo…" she stopped herself before she said anymore. Her slip hadn't gone unnoticed, though, as she saw his head snap up to meet her eyes.
His eyes remained fixed on her as he slowly rose from the bed, as someone who was being withheld life-sustaining nourishment. Her heart skipped with hope but then thudded at the defeat in his eyes. She wanted to offer… something, even as she felt the mood slip away. He swung around and grabbed the blankets throwing them hastily over her. Then he walked over to where her nightgown had been thrown. He picked it up, fingered it for a brief second then tossed it to her. "I'll sleep on the floor."
"Grissom, you don't need to do that."
He sighed and ran his hand on the back of his neck. "Yes… believe me, I do." He glanced back up at her and met her eyes.
With great hesitation, she nodded, and handed him the pillow when he stepped closer. She looked around for another blanket but he'd already grabbed one from the window seat. "You're not going to be warm enough –"
"I'll be fine. I'm too 'warm' already."
"Grissom?" She reached out to grasp his arm. He looked down at her hand but she didn't let go. "We could…well, –"
He shook his head fiercely. "Go to sleep, Sara." He slipped his arm from her grasp and walked to the hearth of the fire and dropped the pillow then laid out the blanket. He disappeared from her sight as he lay down. She fought the tears that pooled in her eyes. To come so close. Her body screamed out its need while she tried desperately to tamp it down.
