Juan Carlos was waiting alongside his taxi as the bus pulled up. He waved and smiled broadly at Nick and Sara as they stepped out of the bus and waved them over.
"Hey, Juan Carlos." Nick greeted with a smile.
"Nick and Sara, I see you had a fabulous time. Javi took good care of you?" Juan Carlos had taken a liking to the pair and for whatever reason he had decided that he was going to do everything in his power to make sure they had a good time in Cozumel.
"We had a great time." Sara began to tell him about the strange sensation of swimming where stalactites and stalagmites surrounded her and how eerie and surreal it was.
"Ah, I am how do you say in English not fond of small size?" Juan Carlos confessed a bit sheepishly.
Nick and Sara looked at each other quizzically for a moment before Sara realized what he was talking about. "Oh, claustrophobic."
"Ah, yes, closet photo." Juan Carlos grinned and neither Nick nor Sara decided to correct him.
They were back at their hotel in no time at all, and after paying the fare they bid Juan Carlos goodbye and headed up to their room.
As he closed the door behind them, Nick couldn't help but smile at Sara whose clothes were damp from her swimsuit and were clinging to her body.
Sara crossed her arms over her chest and felt a little self-conscious. "What?"
"You look really beautiful." Nick stepped towards her and tucked a damp curl behind her ear. After spending several hours snorkeling with her and seeing how she looked in that swimsuit, nothing could convince him that she wasn't beautiful.
She smirked. "I look like a drowned rat."
Nick shook his head. "No you don't." To emphasize his point, he leaned down and kissed her softly, taking his time to savor the taste of her lips.
Sara let herself get lost in the sensation of that kiss, her arms drifted around Nick's neck and she let out a soft moan as she allowed him to deepen the kiss. Neither one of them was thinking very clearly as they unconsciously moved towards the bed. Nick was making quick work of the buttons on Sara's blouse and all Sara could think about was what Nick's chest had looked like while they were snorkeling. Even after they'd tumbled onto the bed still kissing madly, Sara didn't put up any protest for where this seemed to be heading.
Taking her lack of resistance as his cue to take things a little further, Nick reached for the zipper on her shorts. It wasn't until the zipper was down and Nick began to plant a trail of kisses down Sara's neck that a sudden wave of panic hit her.
"Nick." There was a waver in Sara's voice. "Nick."
A thick fog had clouded Nick's mind and it took hearing his name a couple of times before he stopped to look at her. The expression on her face stopped him cold and he furrowed his brow hoping that he hadn't pushed things too far. "Yeah."
Sara looked worried as she lay there with her blouse open revealing her swimsuit. She nervously nibbled at her lower lip as she looked up at him with her brows knit together. "This probably isn't the best time to bring this up."
"What is it?" He wanted her in the worst way and if she was putting the brakes on here, he was going to have to go take a very cold shower.
"We, uh, that is you…you don't have any protection, do you?" She looked at him wide-eyed.
The fact that she seemed to think that they needed it only furthered Nick's excitement. He was definitely going to have to take that cold shower. He shook his head. "No, I don't."
Sara looked disappointed and relieved all at the same time. "We should stop then." There was a part of her that wanted to throw all caution to the wind and get swept up in the moment and then there was another part of her that was very practical and realistic. In the end practicality won out.
Nick nodded in agreement and rolled onto his back. "I'm sorry." He wasn't sure if he should suggest he run right out to the pharmacy, or if they needed to talk more about this.
Sara answered the question for him as she rolled onto her side,rested her hand on his chest and looked into his eyes. "Don't be."
Nick searched her eyes. "Are you sure?" He knew exactly how he felt about her, but he really didn't want to push her into this step until she was ready.
"I think so." She studied his expression. Her body wanted him in the worst way, but her mind was lagging behind trying to analyze every possible scenario and determine if they took this step now what the consequences of it were going to be when they got back to Vegas.
Nick let out a deep sigh and smiled at her, reaching up to tuck her hair behind her ear. "We have plenty of time, Sara." That was Nick; noble to a fault.
Sara furrowed her brow. "I'm sorry I ruined the moment." Sometimes she wished that she could just shut off the rational part of her brain.
Nick shook his head. "You didn't ruin the moment, Sar."
For some reason, Sara felt the need to explain. "I want this, Nick." Her voice was soft and intense. "I want you." There was a hint of hesitation in her tone. "I just want to enjoy being with you without worrying about..."
"Sara, you don't need to explain." Nick smiled reassuringly at her. "I understand. I don't think either one of us wants to become an accidental parent."
Sara let out a nervous laugh at the line of conversation. "I'm not sure I want to be a parent at all; I really don't think I'd be a very good one."
"I don't think anyone thinks they'd be very good at it until they have to do it." He had a furrowed brow and seemed to be thinking about something, but just as quickly his clouded expression faded. "At least that's what my sisters tell me."
"Maybe we should get ready to meet Ned and Carla." Sara really didn't want to get into a deep discussion about families. Nick didn't know about her parents and she didn't think she wanted to tell him just yet.
Nick smirked at her. "Well then, I'm going to start with a really cold shower."
Sara let out a deep throaty laugh. "I think that might be a good idea." She smiled at him, her eyes locking with his. "At least for the time being."
Nick studied her for a moment and then slid his fingers into her hair as he turned towards her and gave her a soft sensuous kiss before pulling back and whispering. "I love you."
She smiled at him. "I know you do." She wanted to let go and give him her heart completely, but it was another one of those baby steps that felt like giant leaps off of a cliff. In the back of her mind she determined that she needed to tell him exactly how she felt, she just had to find the right moment.
