Masquerade & Disguise
Part Two
The music had now changed to something slower, more hypnotic as he led her to a space on the dance floor. For a moment they stood across from each other, before he extended his arm. She placed her hand within his as he gently pulled her closer to him. His hand came to rest on her hip, as hers found its place on his shoulder. They began to move along to the music, becoming victims of its rhythm as they slowly spun in circles on the floor. She didn't anticipate his touch affecting her this much. She found herself trying to calm her breathing, to silence her thoughts and instincts, and keep her mind in the moment. Sara glanced across at her hand in his. Yet another mystery about this man...even his hands were hidden from her behind the veil of gloves. She looked down at the space between them. She began to wonder if he was suddenly shy and hesitant, or he was simply being courteous, trying not to invade her space too fast and too soon. Considering the way they'd ended up on the dance floor, she believed the latter.
She felt his grip on her hip tighten slightly as they continued to spin along with the music. She wondered if this was somehow a reaction to the thoughts she'd just processed, trying to analyze the situation. She hated herself for it, for trying to figure out why he had chosen her, and why she was still there in his arms. The truth was, she wanted to be there, whether the more 'sensible' half of her wanted it or not. He'd chosen her without knowing her name, without seeing her face, without knowing a single thing about her.
The only thing they both were aware of was the attraction between them; an attraction which caused her to boldly move closer to him. The space between them quickly disappeared as she pressed her chest up against his and draped her arm over his shoulder. The sudden warmth against her caused her to breath in, inhaling his scent, something oddly familiar and yet...mysterious, alluring. He moved his arm around her waist possessively, pulling her even closer to him. He was strong, though completely gentle. She found herself once again trying to gain a greater view of his face, but was met with the mask once more. They continued to dance as the music began to slow. She lowered her head to his shoulder as they slowly rocked back and forth. The attraction between them was magnetic. But again, she began to analyze the unique situation that she found herself in. Dancing with a stranger. But did that matter? Wasn't it all just useless information that she didn't need to know? And his appearance? What did that matter? She didn't need any of that. All that she needed was to feel the way that she did in his arms, the way her body felt against his...that was all.
Sara glanced across the room, spotting the open doors leading to the balcony, beckoning her away from the dance floor. She found herself desperately seeking fresh air, whether it was for the sake of breathing or for another reason entirely. He seemed to immediately notice the distraction, almost as though he could read her thoughts, as well as everything else about her. He placed his hand at the small of her back as he gently guided her to the balcony. He paused by the doorway as she made her way out into the open space. She quickly removed her mask as she leant against the balcony, admiring the sight of the city lights before her. She felt free from the restriction of the mask, and at the same time felt exposed. Sara cast a quick glance back at him, realizing that it was now she who had placed space between them as she gripped onto the railing. She felt the sudden urge to speak to him, to hear his voice. She'd spoken to him, but only when she'd mistaken him for Greg, otherwise they'd been in silence.
She turned around to face him, finally gathering the courage to ask what that tiny part of her wanted to know. She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could let out a sound he had moved towards her, closing the distance between them in a single stride as he placed a single gloved finger on her lips. Her heart raced as she looked up through his mask, into his eyes. He gently shook his head as he lowered his finger. Such a simple action, and yet, she completely understood. She continued to gaze into his eyes, something about them, magnetizing, they drew her in. She registered how close they were to each other, and found herself holding her breath as his hands found their place on her hips. She kept her focus on his eyes as he moved one, no ungloved hand to her face, gently caressing her cheek. She closed her eyes as she leant into his touch, savoring how his skin against hers made her feel. He moved his hand to her chin, lifting her face closer to him as he slowly leaned in, giving her enough time to pull out. She leaned in closer to him, pressing her body against his as his lips gently brushed against hers. She felt his mask move to the side as the extent of their attraction was reflected through the kiss as it deepened, becoming more passionate and fiery in intensity.
He pulled away from her as they both gasped for oxygen. He stepped back from her, almost as though the kiss between them hadburned him, as if he'd been startled. She frowned. She now had a view of his mouth, the most she had seen of his face up until that moment. She moved closer to him, watching as his body tensed as she raised her hand to the mask. She tossed between moving the mask to its original place, or removing it all together. She held the corner of the mask in her hand as he gripped onto her hand gently, and pushed the mask back, revealing to her his face.Her body and thoughtsfroze. He watched her as she tried to shake the state of shock she had fallen into. She couldn't believe it. How could she not realize that it had been him...his eyes, his stance, his touch...All along, it had been Grissom...
No surprises there, lol. Thanks for the great response! Gotta heart the new features, now I can personally reply to everyone's comments :) Seeing as it's no longer allowed to right replies to reviews in chapters anymore, I'll just say thank y'all for the reviews for the 1st chapter! Sorry for taking a while to update, couldn't get started, and once I did it took me about 4 hours to write even a third of it. I don't know why it was so challenging to write. Hope y'all liked this chapter, couldn't have had Sara with anyone else for this fic, just returning to my GSR roots, lol. Review if ya want me to continue, and I'll reply to your reviews now that I can. Lemme know what y'all would like to see happen/ Britt