Chapter10

"Dinner was wonderful Ian, thank you." Sara gave a sigh of contentment and pushed her almost empty plate back.

She couldn't eat another bite, even thought the asparagus had been tender and the steak done to perfection. Even the cooked carrots, which Sara normally did not care for, had been good. When Ian had put the rosemary in the steamer with the baby vegetables, she had been skeptical, but the first bite had shown her that Nottingham knew his stuff.

"Ah, ah Sara, you're not done yet. You've still got a few carrots left there." Ian pointed with his fork at the remains of a largely demolished plate. Sara had eaten better than he had expected, but he couldn't resist the urge to tease her a little. She was so open and relaxed that Nottingham had found himself following suit.

"If I eat another thing, I'll burst," Sara giggled. The red wine had been a little heavy, with a slight pepper finish, but it had gone very well with the steak. Perhaps too well, as she had drank two glasses relatively close together, hence the giggles.

"Does that mean you don't want your dessert?" Ian teased.

"That all depends. What's on the menu?" Sara arched a brow and asked suggestively.

Ian blushed. He could feel the heat creeping up his cheeks and he hated it. He did not want to appear callow and inexperienced, even if he was. Rallying, he stood with his lap tray and said, "If you don't eat enough to keep up your strength, it won't matter what I have prepared. You'll be too tired for it."

"You sure know how to motivate a girl," Sara chuckled as she watched Ian retreat with his dishes.

Wishing she had a potted plant or a pet to fob the last vegetables off on, Pez tipped the carrots onto the floor. Keeping an eye on Nottingham's broad back, she kicked them under the couch. When he turned around, Sara set her fork back on the green china and pretended to be chewing. After an equally pretended swallow, she held her now-empty plate up with a naughty grin.

Narrowing his eyes, Ian stared at the china. Sara had not eaten those carrots, he was sure of it, but he could not see them anywhere. He hoped she had not stuffed them under the cushion or one of the pillows; the idea of putting his hand in squished carrot during a romantic moment was not a pleasant one.

"Why don't you put in a movie while I do the dishes?" Ian asked as he came back for her lap tray.

"I'd rather you did me and left the dishes," Sara muttered to herself in a pout.

Ian suddenly found his hands would not work. He fumbled with the tray twice before getting a grip on the laminated wood. He didn't think she'd meant for him to hear that. It took all his will not to act on the softly spoken statement. Nottingham carried the tray back to the kitchen, only a fine trembling of the china as he walked betraying the fierce inner battle that was taking place.

His body was more than willing to take Sara up on her offer. It rejoiced at the thought of touching and being touched so intimately by his beloved. His head was awhirl with the ramifications of such an act, torn between wanting and fearing what she offered. His heart, traitorous paranoid beast that it was, was not willing at all.

Ian would not settle, no matter how wonderful it would be to merge his flesh with hers, for a purely physical proposal. If all he wanted was sex, there was any number of women that had let him know they were available. If it was all he had wanted from Sara, they could have had sex months ago. Detective Pezzini lived in the moment, indulging casual lusts whenever she chose. She would have fucked him and forgotten him at any time.

She still might. Ian knew perfectly well that sex now would ultimately be disastrous for them. For all that they wanted each other, physical intimacy would scare Sara away from emotional and mental intimacy. She did it all the time with the other men that had come and gone from her life. They got sex or a relationship, but never both, and Ian was not going to settle for anything less than everything.

Nottingham slammed the tray down with more force than was necessary. Just because he knew better, didn't mean he had to like it. Feeling frustrated, Ian washed the dishes with short jerky movements, trying to get himself under control. It would be so easy to push her back on the couch and...

"Hey Ian, you about done in there? I've got the movie cued up." Sara called, the remote in her hand.

It had taken her a while to figure out just what to watch, but in the end 'Dune' had won out. Intrigue, politics, genetic engineering, it just seemed like the perfect choice. Besides, Paul rebels against the destiny chosen for him and that was a lesson Sara thought Ian could stand to learn.

"Just a minute," Ian said over his shoulder.

For a long moment he stood there, doing his best to pull his mind away from its contemplation of what Sara would look like under him. The plan. Remember the plan. Slow and steady, until Sara can't imagine life without you. It was a good plan, a sound plan. Yeah right. Ian gritted his teeth and tried to think about anything but how amazing kissing and caressing the beautiful woman reclined on the futon would feel.

Nuns. Brussels sprouts. Hairless cats. Dr. Immo in a pink tutu.

Once Nottingham had reined his libido in, he turned reluctantly to the couch. He wasn't sure his willpower was up to sitting next to the woman of his dreams for the next few hours without losing his mind. He sat on the far edge of the couch, pretending it was to keep from bumping her injured arm, but knowing that it was really because he didn't trust himself.

Sara reached over and turned the lamp off. The only light now came from the television, flickering over their faces as the opening credits began. "Have you ever seen 'Dune'?"

"I have not." Ian's voice was clipped, and he was sitting as still as stone.

"You're in for a treat then. It's very good." Sara smiled at his perfect posture.

Didn't the man know how to relax? Well, she'd just have to set a good example. Sara twisted around until she was lying facing the television. She shoved a pillow under her chest and snuggled down. This was perfect movie-watching posture. She nudged him with her elbow, "Hey Ian, relax will ya?"

Nottingham looked down at the brunette sprawled so comfortably. "I am not accustomed to... relaxing."

The pause had been very revealing to Sara's trained ear. So, Ian was having personal space issues was he? She buried a grin in the pillow. Poor boy, he was going to have to learn how to deal, because she wasn't going anywhere. "Oh come on, it won't hurt you to kick back."

"Maybe later," Nottingham temporized.

"Suit yourself," Sara shrugged and turned her attention to the movie. Ian would relax eventually. It was like luring in a stray cat, pretend to ignore it and the feline would come in all by itself.

Twenty minutes later Nottingham was completely absorbed in the movie. Another ten minutes after that and he had joined her in sprawling across the futon. "Good kitty," Sara murmured.

"What?" Ian asked absently.

"Nothing." Sara gave a broad smile and leaned into the warm body so close to her own. She savored the warmth of his frame, and breathed deeply of the subtle fragrance that was uniquely Ian.

qpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqp

A/N: Erin, sorry sweeting, this is gonna be at least as long as Tango. I really set myself up for some serious plot issues this time out. Moon, I'm not going to ask how I came to be using your dishes. It's that 'evil minds think alike' thing again. Thelma, yeah, Kenny isn't reading this situation very well, is he? Well, there are none so blind as those who will not see. Dragongrrl, you just know Kenny doesn't give up easy. Icy, you are in for some serious fun then. More Jake and more plot complications coming up! ; D