"A Moment in Her Presence" Part 3/3

By Joan Powers

Despite Sara's distractions, they managed to arrive safely at her apartment. The front door was barely shut before Grissom and Sara were in each other's arms.

Gazing into each other's eyes, Sara asked, "You're really here? It's not a dream?" She grasped his forearm tighter with her fingers as if to reassure herself.

Grissom laughed softly, he could fully relate to what she was saying. He too had dreamed many nights of holding her.

"Sorry it took me so long." He replied gently as he leaned closer to kiss her forehead.

She smiled, "I remember the last time you did that, after we solved that case back in 'Frisco."

It'd been an evening charged with energy, the thrill of solving a difficult case and the excitement of spending time with a friend. And surprisingly the realization that their friendship could potentially develop into something even more. They'd spent hours over dinner, talking about everything – rehashing the case, of course, but lots of other stuff too, entomology, criminology, and some other non-work related issues as well.

Sara was convinced that they were going to sleep together that night, but Grissom had chickened out last minute, simply kissing her on the forehead and saying goodbye, leaving her confused, standing in her apartment doorway.

For the first time, he explained, "It was a special evening. But I wasn't ready. It was too much, too fast. I'm not a spur of the moment guy. You should know that."

As excited as he'd been, he rapidly became afraid that a romantic relationship wouldn't last. He didn't want to lose her friendship for a few nights of sex. At that time he was also consumed by his burgeoning career in criminology, which would've be severely hampered by a long distance romance. He wasn't prepared to make any sacrifices that a relationship might demand.

"But you were interested." She teased him as she kissed the base of his neck.

He moaned softly. He didn't try to get out it, "I never denied that." A bit defensively he claimed, "I asked you to visit L.A. a few times but you never came. Why? What was going on?"

She shrugged as she continued to kiss her way up his neck, "Just playing hard to get, I guess." At the time, she'd had concerns similar to his; she was also wrapped up in her own career advancement. She wasn't ready for a long-term relationship either. And she'd felt slighted when he didn't pursue her more actively.

"And who invited whom to Vegas?" Grissom asked, as he slowly untucked her shirt so he could span her bare back with his palms.

His hands felt warm against her, she pressed herself closer to him as she followed suit, yanking his shirttails out of his pants and starting to unbutton his shirt. "You did."

He trembled as Sara kissed his exposed chest. "Guess I did something right. Why'd you come?"

She'd managed to undo all of his buttons so she helped him remove his shirt. Her hands roved over his muscular chest as she spoke, "I wanted to work with the best, the number two lab in the nation."

It 'd been good for a while. She enjoyed learning from him; she'd always admired him as a teacher. He was the ideal mentor, providing guidance yet challenging her to take the lead when she saw fit. She also loved becoming better acquainted with him, not an easy task when it came to Grissom. As they'd casually flirted with one another, she'd felt drawn to him in new ways.

He reached for her bra strap and fumbled with it. "It was good, wasn't it?"

"I guess I messed it up." Sara said, as she reached around and undid it for him. Maybe if she hadn't pushed the issue, he would've eventually made a move for her.

He explained, "It wasn't you, it was me. You didn't read me wrong, I was always interested. I was also scared stiff." As his hands began to cup her breasts, she began to moan with pleasure. His voice became husky with desire, "I missed you so much this past year, it was awful. For the first time in my life, the job alone wasn't enough. I need you."

Passion was rising rapidly in both of them; their breathing became more rapid as their mouths met in a kiss. Almost immediately, their lips parted and their tongues explored one another's mouths. Sara's hands continued to caress Grissom's chest while his hands stroked her breasts. After a few minutes, the two broke off to rise for air.

"You okay so far?" he gasped.

She assured him, "Yeah, I'll let you know. Just don't make any sudden moves. You want to go to my bedroom?"

He agreed. The two kicked off their shoes along the way. Her bedroom looked like a different place than Grissom had last visited. All the clothes were properly hung and organized. The bed was neatly made with matching pillows and comforter. She'd even cleaned off her dresser and there wasn't a beer can in sight. Under different circumstances, Grissom's keen eye would've noticed. But he had other things on his mind now.

An odd expression came over Sara's face.

"What is it? What do you need?" He hoped to God that he could do it. He wanted her so badly; his body was aching for her. He didn't think that he could stop.

Sara wasn't sure what to do; she needed to feel in control. "Can we take off your clothes first?"

"Okay."

She loosened his belt buckle and unzipped his pants. They slid to the floor. She kissed him, hard, as she pressed her body against his. Then after she helped him remove his boxer shorts, they kissed more.

"Can you help me with my clothes?" she asked.

Grissom was so eager to touch her that he wanted to just rip her clothes right off. But that wouldn't work for her, so he clumsily helped her pull her shirt over her head. He threw her loose bra haphazardly over his shoulder.

She placed his hands on the waistband of her pants, "I want you to." So he peeled them off of her, along with her panties.

Completely naked, the two climbed on to her bed. Although fully aroused, they didn't rush; they enjoyed the feel of each other's body. Grissom explored Sara with his mouth, trailing kisses along her breasts, her stomach, working his way down to her more sensitive areas. She writhed with desire.

Suddenly, Sara froze; a wave of fear overcame her. Grissom sensed her body becoming rigid; he glanced towards her with a worried expression.

"What is it? What do you need?" he breathed. Considering the fact that it'd been years since he'd made love to a woman, it was taking all of his self-control to restrain himself. But Sara was worth it. After all of his idiotic mistakes, he wanted this to be right for her, to set the stage for their relationship as a couple.

She groaned, horribly frustrated because she wasn't certain how to remedy the problem. He rolled to her side to attempt to give her a chance to think.

As soon as Grissom was lying beside her, it occurred to her. While the feel of his naked body upon her equally unclothed one had been tantalizing and erotic, the sensation created by his weight on top of her triggered memories of being trapped and helpless, unable to move.

We can deal with this.

She quickly sat up. "I need to be on top of you."

Almost trembling with desire, Grissom complied immediately. "Sara," he moaned urgently.

She realized he couldn't hold back much longer, so she grabbed a condom from her bedside table and put it on him. As she straddled his body, her discomfort continued to dissipate. Eager to enjoy the warmth of his flesh against her, she pressed herself against the full length of him and kissed him deeply. Their contact immediately stimulated her so Sara slid herself onto Grissom and their bodies began to move in rhythm together as they kissed. Their excitement rapidly escalated as she rode him until they climaxed.

XXX

That was excellent.

Sara stretched her legs then inched her back closer to Grissom's naked body to rest securely against his chest and stomach. He held her close, draping his arm over her hip. It'd been several years since she'd enjoyed cuddling with a lover. Her heart was overflowing with emotions.

I love him. I always have, I always will. And now I know that he loves me too.

The thought filled her with joy, a sensation that was almost unfamiliar to her.

When did their bond start? As a student at Harvard, she'd admired him greatly when he visited as a guest lecturer. He was so smart yet his knowledge was broadly based. He wasn't just stuck in his area of expertise like so many other professors. He'd always impressed her and influenced her tremendously. In fact, it was his influence that most likely led her to choose forensics as her specialty, for she'd originally had different plans for her physics background.

While their potential romantic relationship had briefly sparked in San Francisco, it hadn't taken. It wasn't the right time. Still, early on, they'd established a friendship and somehow he'd always held a special place in her heart. Yet she must've fallen in love with him in Las Vegas, since even during painful and difficult circumstances, she couldn't bear to leave him.

She turned onto her other side so she could examine her sleeping lover. Somehow, he looked younger; she hadn't realized that he had so much tension in the lines on his face. It hadn't been a good year for him either. That thought gave her some satisfaction.

Unable to resist, she traced his jaw with her fingertips, then bent forward to kiss his cheek.

Grissom began to stir. "Get some sleep?" he asked groggily as he opened his eyes.

"Some." Sara typically had difficulty sleeping; she'd had the problem for years. Grissom used to tease her about it, giving her dry Entomology textbooks, which he claimed would be guaranteed to help close her eyes. Unfortunately, instead of the desired effect, she simply ended up learning more about insects.

"How are you?" she asked.

He smiled affectionately at her, "Wonderful. Was it good for you?" His blue eyes were fixed on her brown ones.

Sara took a breath. If the eyes were truly a window of the soul, she was peeking directly into Grissom's. Finally he'd let down some of his barriers, she could sense how much he loved her. She'd never felt so close to him.

Her grin become more pronounced, "Yeah, completely worth all the years of waiting. But let's not wait that long next time."

He laughed, "I agree." He put his elbow down on the mattress to boost himself up to a sitting position, as he leaned against the pillow and the headboard of the bed. Sara moved over to rest her head against his shoulder.

Grissom cleared his throat. "I was going to ask you if you wanted to go with me to a forensics conference in Virginia in a month or two. I've been invited to speak."

Sara considered it. "Sure, I've always enjoyed your lectures. You know, I used to look for them on purpose."

Somewhat sheepish, he replied, "I never really clued in but I was always thrilled to see you."

"Virginia, huh?" She was puzzled as to why that location would be attractive to him.

He explained, "Colonial Williamsburg is there, tons of interesting American revolutionary history."

"And..." Although Grissom had varied interests, she sensed there was something even more appealing to him at that location.

With some excitement he added, "Sara, it's got Bush Gardens."

Now she understood. "Roller coasters. Okay, I'll try it, for you." She'd never been much of a thrill ride person but she sensed it was time to explore and stretch her wings. Life was providing a fresh start for her and she intended to take full advantage of it.

Grissom was thinking aloud, "But that sounds like a long time away and it involves work, how about a real vacation?" Although Sara had been off for almost a week, he was aware that counseling sessions weren't very restful.

"Use my vacation time? I don't know, I don't know what to do with myself during off hours, more or less a real vacation. Even with the counseling this week, I'm going a little nuts. It's not very relaxing." She frowned.

Grissom cleared his throat. She'd misunderstood him. He emphasized, "I meant with me."

Oh. I've never done that before. Taken a real vacation or gone on one with a lover. That could be fun.

She grinned happily. "Now that's a different story. What did you have in mind?"

"I don't know, I'm not good at this stuff myself. Most of my trips have involved business. I guess we could get a cabin at Lake Mead and just enjoy each other's company."

"I like the sound of that. I'm sure we could amuse ourselves." She licked her lips suggestively as she playfully massaged his chest.

He had another idea. "Or we could go on a real trip. Go to Mexico. There's lots of fascinating history there – Mayan ruins and pyramids."

She knowingly added, "And exotic bugs."

"Well, that too," he admitted.

Sara warned him, "Just so you know, I'm not bringing home any insects in my suitcase."

He didn't take her seriously, "Sure you will."

"I'm not changing my mind." She held firm.

"We'll see about that," he teased.

What have I gotten myself into?

Still, Sara was starting to get caught up in the planning. "Can we do room service? That always sounded like fun. That way we don't have to wear any clothes if we don't want to."

The expression on Grissom's face was priceless, clearly revealing that the idea was extremely appealing to him. "For you, yes."

"When do you want to go?"

More seriously he replied, "How about after you speak with your counselor about the rape?"

Talk about motivation.

"You bet." She agreed enthusiastically. "Maybe I can do some research in the next day or two, since I'm on leave. I'll check out some possibilities then we can make a decision."

"That sounds good," Grissom replied. "I'd like to spend some more time close to you before we're back at work together."

"Oh, you mean you can't keep your hands off me?" Sara teased.

"Yes." He responded as he bent over to silence her with a kiss.

After they parted, Sara asked with some concern, "Do you think that will be a problem at work?"

Grissom smiled, "Only if we don't get enough time alone together."

"I think we can arrange to be together as much as possible," she responded. The idea was appealing to her as well.

Changing the subject, Grissom asked, "Sara, why did you come to Vegas?" He asked again, because he didn't think she'd been completely honest with him earlier. Or herself.

She hesitated, knowing he suspected the truth. She was half-ashamed to admit that a career driven woman like herself had done it. Sure it was a great job opportunity. But logic hadn't influenced her decision.

"You know why, I did it for you."

THE END