Chapter 15

Sara jerked in startled surprise but Grissom merely turned his head slowly to glare at Sophia. Sophia took two steps inside and glared right back at them.

"That's what I would like to know," Grissom got to his feet and turned to face the blonde woman. "Clearly, my employee was so tired that she wrecked our vehicle while trying to return to town. So—I'd like to know just "why" she got it into her head to leave—especially after I instructed her that she was needed here."

Sophia took a step back as she stared at him, looked at Sara, then back at him while she placed her hands on her hips.

"Don't you think you should be asking her?" She asked defensively.

"I tried, but it was a little difficult for her to answer after she was injured. So—I'm asking you."

"Injured?" Sophia asked with a high-pitched voice which was extremely unusual for her. "Is that what you call it? Sitting here half-naked with you between her legs? Injured? The only thing injured on her is her over-inflated image of herself! She's so hard-up, she's pretending to be hurt just to gain your sympathy. Rather a cheap trick, don't ya think?""

Sara let out a sound that could have been associated with the growl of a dog about to attack, then started to lurch to her feet but Grissom stopped her abruptly when he put his hand on the top of her head to hold her in place. He remained focused on Sophia as he kept Sara from getting to her feet. The awkwardness of his hold provoked Sara even farther as she batted at his hand a few times until he finally moved it from the top of her head.

"Of course she's injured. Did you even see the Denali? She was thrown from it and hurt both knees. I was just examining them when you walked in. She clearly needs to be x-rayed to make sure she didn't fracture anything."

"Yeah," Sara finally spoke up as she looked at Sophia. "I need x-rays!"

"She doesn't need x-rays! She's fine!"

"Oh, how would you know?" Sara barked, bringing Grissom's hand back on her head as he continued to look at Sophia. "Now you're a damned orthopedist? Get your hand off my head!"

"No, I'm not an orthopedist!" Sophia glared back at her as she swatted at Grissom's hand again. "But I can certainly tell when a woman's faking it or not!"

This made both Sara and Grissom pause and stare at her before Grissom added dumbly, "You can?"

"That is NOT what I meant!" Sophia gasped then glared at Grissom this time. "If you want a woman who can tell when another woman's faking it—go ask your friend, Heather."

This brought an honest giggle from Sara before Grissom turned slowly to look at her with disapproval.

"Well, she's right about that one," Sara said under her breath then looked back at Sophia with renewed vigor. "But still! You have no idea what condition my legs are in." She jerked her head away from Grissom's hand. "Get your damned hand off my head!"

"Oh, the hell I don't!" Sophia nearly growled as she charged past Grissom and lifted Sara's foot into the air to inspect her injuries, bringing a yelp from the brunette before she dropped her foot on the floor again. "See! She isn't injured!"

"Goddammit, that hurt!" Sara blared at her as she attempted to get to her feet again but Grissom held her firmly in place.

"The only reason that hurt was because you're legs are so out of shape they can't stand a good stretch!"

"A good stretch?" Sara's eyes turned evil as she started to chuckle. "Is that what you call it? A good stretch?"

"Sara," Grissom warned quietly, although not putting much effort into it.

"We found your little toy you brought with you, Soph! Although I wouldn't call it "little" but I would say it gives you a good stretch."

"Ah, shit," Grissom breathed as he watched Sophia's eyes move toward the bag on the floor, as if realizing for the first time that her "accessories" weren't where she had left them.

"You bitch!" Sophia gasped as she grabbed the bag and started toward Sara again. She swung the bag at her but Grissom stepped in the way and grunted at the impact of it hitting his gut.

"PUT THAT. . .THING. . .DOWN!" Grissom roared, turning a very red-faced Sophia to look at him.

"It's not what you think! It isn't mine! Really!"

"Yeah," Sara agreed quietly. "That's why it's got the initials SC inscribed in gold lettering around the testicles."

"Oooh!" Sophia went toward Sara again but Grissom grabbed the bag this time and tossed it back on the floor, stopping Sophia mid-flight. "Enough! Now! Sophia! Sara "isn't" fine. She took quite a fall out there. We both did. So, if you'll excuse us, we're going to the local emergency room to get checked out." He took a step back from Sara and picked up her jeans. "Put these on."

"Well, what am I supposed to do while you're off getting "x-rayed"?" Sophia asked sarcastically.

"You—can stay here and wait for us—and go over the photos again. I'm sure with your expertise, you'll find something we've missed."

"Yeah," Sara grumbled as she pulled up her pants and started walking toward the door in front of Grissom. "that's likely."

"Well, maybe I should drive you to the emergency room," Sophia suggested as she started to follow them to the door, but Grissom warded her off with a wave of his hand.

"No. I need you to stay here. It's obvious that I wont be getting any more work out of Sara—at least you can pick up the pieces until we get finished."

Sophia looked at Sara smugly before Grissom pulled the door closed and started walking with Sara toward the Denali, noting how it seemed to be parked awkwardly over a small ditch and its rear-end shoved up against the fence.

They walked silently until they were standing directly in front of the truck, then Sara turned to look at Grissom with doubt.

"I don't think we're going to make it to the hospital without calling a tow-truck first."

"I think we can maneuver it out of there."

"Uh—Grissom, I'm not pushing that thing. That's what triple A is for."

He simply smiled at her and walked toward the driver's side where he opened the door for her. "Come on, get in. It'll be fun."

She hesitantly approached him then slid inside and turned the ignition. "Your idea of fun isn't the same as mine."

"Okay, straighten the wheels, now ease it forward."

Sara pressed on the accelerator but instead of "easing" it forward, it roared with energy and surged forward, bouncing the back tires over the ditch so hard that it made the engine stall again.

"Ow!" came Sara's voice as Grissom moved up to where she was now sitting and rubbing an area over her forehead.

"You okay?" he asked as he looked in the door at her. "I said to "ease" it forward—not floor it."

"Well, I got it out of the ditch, didn't I?"

"Yes. But you've smashed the underside so hard, I don't trust it. The way it came down, I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't rupture the gas tank."

"Should we call HAZMAT?"

"Pull it around to the other side of the motel—out behind my room." He closed the door and spoke to her through the open window. "I put down one of our tarps and you can drive over it until it's under the tank. If it's leaking it should tell us immediately. Then we'll see about going to that emergency room."

Within ten minutes Sara and Grissom were walking around the edge of the motel and heading back to his room where the lighting was much more adequate. Sara suspected that he would allow her to more thoroughly inspect his wound on his shoulder before taking Sophia's vehicle to the hospital for the care he needed. Contrary to what she had said to Sophia earlier, she knew she wasn't harmed enough to warrant a trip to the emergency room. But, if Grissom needed to go. . .

"Close the door," he commented as he moved across the room and turned on the light to the bathroom.

"Would you like me to look at it for you? I didn't realize it was so bad you would need to go to the hospital."

Sara moved into the bathroom with him as he unbuttoned his shirt and pulled his arms out of it. She could see where it was scraped and beginning to bruise and she couldn't seem to stop her hand from rising to touch the damaged skin.

"It isn't," he hissed upon contact, then continued to remove his shirt, tossing it onto the luggage rack when it was completely removed. "What about you? You said your knees needed x-rayed."

"No," she said quietly. "Then why?"

"Because if she thinks we're at the hospital, she won't be looking for us." He turned and looked at her. "I don't want her listening in on what I wanted to say. It's private."

"Okay."

"I, actually, didn't want to tell you either, but it seems at this point, there is no way around it."

"Okay," she said again, fearing what he was about to talk to her about. "No way around. . .what?"

He stared at her a long moment then looked past her as if in indecision. When he finally looked back at her again, she knew he had come to a conclusion to his problem, whatever that was. Her eyes grew large as he took a quick step and grabbed her upper arm, not pausing as he pulled her along with him into the sleeping area. Once at the side of the bed he stopped and turned her in his arms. He grasped onto her face with both hands and held her firmly as his mouth lowered to hers and he began devouring her. Finally, he pushed her back and lowered her onto the bed as he came down with her.

"There's no way around telling you that I can't seem to stop myself tonight—even knowing you're going to go running back to Cavaliere," he whispered into her ear before moving his lips to her neck and throat.

"No, Griss," Sara breathed, knowing she wanted to dispel that idea from his mind but the more she lay there and he worked his magic with his lips and tongue as well as the hand he was using to investigate her upper body, the more she couldn't quite voice or even remember what it was that she wanted to tell him.

"Yes, Sara," he whispered again and moved his hand down over her stomach, sliding his fingers inside her jeans and beneath the elastic of her panties.

She turned against him, pressed against him and opened her legs on instinct but the act tightened her jeans across his hands and denied him the access he was seeking. He lifted his head and looked down at her face, then down farther to where his hand disappeared beneath the denim and in a split second he was on his knees next to her.

"Griss?" She was alarmed until she watched his hands go to his own belt and start to open his pants.

"Take off your pants," he urged.

She didn't need to be told twice as she unbuttoned and unzipped her bottoms, lifted her hips to push them then, yelped when he grabbed her feet and tried to yank them the rest of the way off.

"My shoes!" She watched the frustration cover his face as he fought with the sneakers she was wearing.

"Fuck!" Another two seconds and he had them tossed on the floor, then pulled the jeans off her legs. He held onto her calves and spread her legs on each side of him then positioned himself on his way down to her. She gasped at the quick intrusion and the power behind it. He took two more strokes then buried his forehead against her shoulder and she knew he was trying to slow himself. "Now," he breathed. "what were you saying?"

She moaned as he took long, slow stroke. "I—I don't know."

"Something about. . .no?" He moved inside of her again as his powerful arms encircled her.

"No?"

"You don't want this?" He continued, bringing his eyes up to meet his before she grasped onto him and pulled him even closer. Her mouth found his, nibbling and tasting those incredibly sensual lips until he couldn't seem to hold back any longer. His hips moved against her and he closed his eyes with the effort it took not to ram into her. "Tell me you want this."

"Yesss," she hissed as she started to buck her hips against him and causing him to groan before he finally dipped his head down and resumed their kiss.

Their session was fast and furious, each doubting the other's sincerity but not willing to give up their obsession with each other. Sara climaxed first, finding it amazing that he had the capability to make her come without external stimulation. She knew that he fit her perfectly, the size of him causing the pressure exactly where she needed it. It didn't hurt that his kisses turned her on to the point of near mindlessness. The force behind his final thrusts made her suspect that she would be walking with a bit of a limp in the morning, but it would be well worth it.

"Jesus! Sara!"

She finally felt the tremors slow down as they rolled through her and she took this time to run her hands over his back and curved buttocks. She could feel the sweat covering his body and turned her face toward his, gently kissing his cheek until he turned into her kiss. What was hard and passionate now was slow and delicious as their mouths gently tasted of one another. When she thought he was falling asleep she was surprised by his sudden movement with her as he rolled them over onto his back with her on top. He remained connected to her as he pulled the bedspread over top of them and they both lay contemplating what was going to happen when the morning sun would invade their bliss.