CHAPTER 15: Roller Coaster

Sara woke up in Grissom's arms. Their lovemaking last night had been tender and slow. Grissom had explored every inch of Sara's body with his hands, bringing her to a slow, intense burn. She extracted herself from his grasp and headed to the bathroom to freshen up. It was almost dawn.

Grissom stirred and realized he was in bed alone. He pulled his robe on over his naked body and padded to the bathroom to clean up and brush his teeth. When he came out into the suite, he smelled the fresh coffee brewing and realized that Sara was at the balcony. Their view faced East. He came to her side as the dawn was breaking and snaked his arm around her.

"Morning sleepy head," she teased.

"Good morning, honey. Everything OK?"

"Absolutely," she replied. "Watching the sun rise is one of my favorite parts of my day, whether I am at work or at play".

As the dawn turned to day, Sara turned to face Gil. "Do you trust me?" she asked.

"Yes."

Sara took his hand and led Gil back to the bed. She pulled him onto the sheets and silenced him with kisses. He laid back as Sara plied his torso with soft kisses intermingled with intense nipping. She slowly worked her way down Gil's body, opening his robe as she went. He tried to pull her back up to his face and she complied, but just for a moment.

"Let me love you," she pleaded. "Please trust me."

Gil kept a hold of one of her hands and Sara slowly resumed her quest to take in every part of his body with her hand and with her mouth. She went slowly so that Gil would relax and enjoy the sensation. She revisited his nipples and chest. He slowly released his grasp on Sara's hand and grabbed the sheet as she touched her tongue to his thigh. With both hands free, Sara restarted her exploration using her hands to knead Gil's shoulder muscles. She was careful of his ribs because the bruising was still evident. She worked on his hips with both hands as she pushed him higher onto the bed. She had plenty of room on the large bed, so she turned half way around, and lay her upper body across his firm abdomen. Sara hesitated briefly. She looked up at him and told him, "I love you". It was his undoing. She slowly put him into her mouth. The pressure of her body kept Gil still for the moment. He had never felt the sensation of anyone stroking him with their mouth. Sara teased him with her hand, while her mouth licked and sucked. She put all her focus into pleasuring Gil. As she intensified her actions, he bucked beneath her. She swiveled her body back between his legs allowing him to move more freely. Sara rode him with her mouth and hands until he reached his release. She swallowed and softened her kisses as he began to relax. She felt his hands pulling her body up until she was nestled in his arms. Sara briefly wiped her face on the sheets and then she felt his warm mouth on hers.

"That was incredible," he panted.

"Thank you for trusting me," she said.

They lay together until their breathing evened out. Sara sat up and told Gil not to move.

"Like I could, even if I wanted to," he joked.

Sara came back to bed with two steaming cups of coffee.

"Can I ask you something?" she said.

"Anything."

"How does everyone here know you?" she asked suppressing a sly grin.

Gil launched into a story about two of his diversions. He had originally made money in college as a poker player. On occasion, he would leave Las Vegas for a day off and come here to gamble. It was far enough from Vegas to not run in to his coworkers and just a bit run down and seedy. The hotels added several annual poker tournaments to subsidize the downturns in the tourist economy and Gil won several large purses and poker bracelets.

"So that is how you funded so many of your office curiosities," she added.

"And how I got some of the speciality equipment, too."

They also have one of the tallest roller coasters," he said. "Would you like to give either one a try?"

"Poker or a roller coasters?"

Sara was apprehensive. She had been down to Santa Cruz to ride the old wooden coaster on the boardwalk, but it was on a dare. She didn't really enjoy it. And poker, she didn't stand a chance against a pro like Gil.

"Do you trust me?" he asked.

"Yes," she responded. "Maybe we could start with the coaster."

They showered and went to breakfast. The giant coaster didn't open until noon, so they walked through the gardens and then decided to do some shopping at the giant outlet mall. Neither of them were shoppers, but the two of them together managed to find a couple of new outfits for Gil. He, in turn, found a hammered metal necklace for Sara and managed to purchase it when she was out buying a smoothie. They dropped everything off at the bell captains desk and headed for the coaster.

Grissom usually rode in the front car, but he told Sara they should start in the back car first. He held her hand as the coaster climbed into the sky. He never let her go during the entire ride. Sara had a grin plastered on her face. They rode it two more times; front car; arms in the air. Neither wanted to ride the other thrill rides. The headed back to their room and were surprised to find that it already had been cleaned.

"We usually sleep during the day," she said. "What would you say to putting out the do not disturb sign, taking a bath in the jacuzzi, and then catching a nap? Or would you rather go downstairs and play poker?"

Gil answered Sara by sweeping her into his arms and kissing her.

"The door, Gil," she said, "please, put the sign on the door."

By the time he came back, Sara was already filling the giant tub. He undressed her slowly and helped her in to the swirling water. Minutes later, they were relaxing in the bubbles. When they finally got out of the tub, they polished off the last of the champagne and curled up in bed. Sara reached across Gil in order to make sure he put the condoms in reach. She had gone to her doctor for a refill of her birth control pills on the Friday before they left, but she didn't want to take any chances, this early in their relationship.

They slept until 9 p.m. and then took a quick shower and headed out the door to dinner. The monorail took them over the highway and dropped them off at the third resort in the town. After a light supper of salads and appetizers, they wandered through the casino. There was a movie theater that was showing a set of classic cartoons. It seemed bit wacky to be in a casino watching cartoons at night, so Sara and Gil kept walking.

They found a lounge with a live band that was playing classic rock. Gil led Sara over to a table and they ordered drinks. The band was good. Several couples got up to dance when a slow song began to play. Gil leaned across the small round table and asked Sara if she wanted to dance. Her look of surprise was met by his smile. He took her hand and led her out to the wooden dance floor. Gil held her close with one hand at her waist and the other holding Sara's hand. They moved slowly to the beat and just enjoyed the feeling of being close in public.

When the song ended, Gil walked Sara back to the table. The set was over and the lounge filled with the sound of couples talking.

"Wow, I thought you saved your dance moves for when we were alone," said Sara.

"I do, most of the time," Gil replied.

"So I could see....what changed your mind?"

"You," he answered. "The band is good and others were dancing, and I thought it would be a waste if I couldn't hold you in my arms."

When the band came back on stage, Sara and Gil danced a few more times and just enjoyed the rest of their evening. They took the monorail back to their hotel and packed up their clothes. By 5:30 a.m., they were waiting for the valet to bring the car to the hotel entrance. They were back in Las Vegas as the sun was coming up.

A/N Sorry for the long delay; life interrupted CSI. I will be back up to speed now. Thanks for reading!