Note: This is not the ff.net version. If you don't like smut, go to the other chapter!

Chapter 9

At the unexpected resumption of physical activities, Grissom’s brain went blank. On some level, he was aware that Sara had unbuttoned his shirt while she kissed him passionately, but he was having trouble comprehending that his deepest desire was coming true.

Fortunately, his body had a mind of its own.

His lips moved against Sara’s repeatedly with a gentle pressure, steadily picking up urgency to match their rising passion. Not wanting to be left out, his tongue slid teasingly against her mouth until she captured it, drawing it in and sucking softly. When that kiss broke off and the next started, Grissom reciprocated, pulling her tongue into his mouth and gently running his over and around it.

While the oral explorations progressed, Grissom’s arms wrapped around her, hugging her body close to his to savor the feel of her. Releasing the pressure, he pulled back enough to allow his hands room to roam. They moved in random directions over her lithe form, trying to tactilely memorize every curve.

At the same time, Sara ran her fingers through his hair, clenching tightly and moaning into his mouth when he began to stroke her through her T-shirt. Placing a series of kisses over his face, she moved her hands down to his torso, undoing the last few buttons and yanking his shirt free from his pants. Once exposed, her fingers danced lightly over the muscles of his chest and back appreciatively.

With her willing acceptance, Grissom’s advances became bolder. His caresses went from glancing touches to deep probes, seeking out her more intimate areas. One hand slipped between their bodies. Starting above the knee, it moved upward and inward, massaging her through the heavy material of her jeans.

Breathing heavily, Sara arched underneath Grissom’s body, pushing closer to him. She alternately kissed and licked the flesh of his neck as her fingers raked lightly across his back.

Her responses fired Grissom’s confidence. While not inexperienced, he definitely was out of practice, and persistent doubts about their age difference were something he couldn’t ignore. But Sara’s enthusiastic reactions were helping to push those concerns out of his mind.

Rolling over on his back, Grissom pulled her on top. His hands were working their way under her shirt when Sara broke off the kiss suddenly, levering herself off of his body. He watched in trepidation as she rested a finger against his lips, her smile doing little to reassure him.

“I need to run to the store now, unless what you have in your pocket is what I think it is,” she said hopefully, rolling to her side.

After blinking uncomprehendingly, Grissom frowned and looked down in confusion.

“I, uh, meant you jacket pocket,” Sara clarified, following his gaze, a lone eyebrow rising favorably.

“What? Oh … right,” he murmured. Swinging his legs off the side of the bed and sitting up, Grissom fished the paper bag out of his pocket. Staring at it for a moment, he took a series of deep, calming breaths, trying to quell his growing unease.

For years, Grissom had fantasized about this exact moment. While the scenarios had taken many, many different courses in his mind, they all shared one thing in common – he’d savored every instant of it, taking his time as he leisurely and thoroughly explored –

and more importantly, pleasured – Sara.

Unfortunately, his body had a mind of its own.

After years of waiting and self-denial, the stress of their near-breakup, after the titillation of their brief exchanges at the park, the anticipation of the ride back, Grissom’s body vehemently protested the idea of waiting any longer. He was ready now, and it was taking all his mental skills to reign in his desire.

Grissom seriously wondered how long he’d last once they got started, doubting he’d have the ability to sustain a prolonged exchange. The thought of leaving Sara unsatisfied was nearly enough to quench his ardor.

Fumbling with the box, he fished out one of the latex contents. The action served double duty of getting his moment-ruining step out of the way and giving him an additional chance to regain some control. He was going through a mental cataloging of the types of hallucinogenics found in common houseplants when a hand rested against his back.

“You planning on making up for lost time?”

Looking over his shoulder, he found Sara had knelt behind him. Sensing his nervousness, she wrapped her arms around him and placed a single kiss on his neck. With an amused grin, she nodded towards the family-sized box in his hands.

“It was all they had,” he explained with a nervous smile.

“Oh, I’m not complaining.”

The tenacious mastery Grissom had regained over his overactive libido threatened to slip as he watched Sara, her already dark eyes deepening with passion – passion for him. With a repressed groan, he turned away. This was real; there weren’t going to be any interruptions from his ice cream-armed nemesis this time.

Kicking off his shoes, Grissom quickly stood up and crossed the room to close the drapes, shedding his jacket and shirt on the way. Even though the storm still raged, he couldn’t shake the paranoia that at some vital moment, he’d find their redheaded stalker watching from a window washer’s scaffolding.

Sara’s grin broadened as she rolled over to her side of the bed, removing her own shoes and socks. The half-mumbled baseball statistics he was rambling off explained Grissom’s sudden distance.

She peeled off her still damp T-shirt and jeans, feeling the goose bumps rise on the exposed skin. It was from anticipation, not the room’s air conditioning, and that knowledge added to her eagerness. A tremble ran through her body as she thought about what was about to happen.

Sara understood what a big step this was for Grissom; his fears about their relationship ran deep. It was one thing to mentally accept the risk, but she knew the emotional roadblocks would take longer to completely vanquish.

Sitting back down on the edge of the bed, she closed her eyes briefly, resisting the urge to chuckle at Grissom’s non-stop litany of sporting statistics. She could understand his reaction. There had been a few awkward movements of new lovers, but her own body was responding strongly to their initial lovemaking.

She was reaching for her bra clasp when the mattress gave under Grissom’s additional weight. Swinging her head around, Sara saw him crossing the bed on his knees until he was directly behind her.

“Let me,” he whispered into her ear. Despite his request, his hands first moved along her shoulders, and he started kissing his way down her neck. After nuzzling there for a moment, he leaned back to unfasten her bra, quickly easing it away from her body.

Sara reached back to grasp his thigh when his hand crept down her flanks, slightly brushing against the sides of her breasts before coming to rest above her hips. While his fingers spread out over the smooth skin of her belly, his head came to rest beside hers.

“I can’t believe this is happening,” Grissom confessed, inhaling her scent deeply.

“It is,” Sara confirmed, pressing against him in invitation and tilting her head to allow his lips easier access to the flesh of her neck. A sigh of pleasure escaped when he obliged, his fingertips tracing patterns along her stomach.

One strong arm snaked around Sara, pulling her back on the mattress. Bracing himself over her, Grissom reverently ran his eyes across her exposed body, soaking in the sight of her. The muted light coming in from the drapes couldn’t disguise the look of desire, and love, in Sara’s eyes.

The enormity of the situation suddenly hit him. This was actually happening. It wasn’t one of his fantasies, or a cruel dream that he’d awaken from alone. Sara was allowing him to love her; he hadn’t ruined things between them.

His hand still hovered uncertainly over her body when he closed his eyes and swallowed deeply.

“What’s wrong?” Sara asked, her hand coming up to tenderly caress his face.

“Nothing.”

“Talk to me.”

He opened his eyes to find Sara watching him. Her tone had been understanding, but carried a clear indication that she expected an answer. Smiling, Grissom finally lowered his hand to cup her cheek.

“I just feel like a kid that’s been turned loose in the candy store, and I don’t know where to start. And I don’t want to blow my, uh, allowance too soon,” he added in an abashed warning.

Sara draped her arms around his neck, gently easing his body towards her. She brushed a stray hair from his face and fixed him with a smirk.

“Okay, I’m going to ignore that this is an analogy where I’m something you can buy,” she teased, “but there’s nothing stopping you from making return visits.”

“I want this to be perfect.”

“Perfection doesn’t exist.”

“I’m glad you’re not setting your expectations too high,” Grissom half-groused.

Sara chuckled and pulled him closer. “Perfection is an abstract, babe. It’s a goal you try to reach, not a final destination. And you keep on trying,” she said as her lips swept softly against his.

Grissom returned the kiss, allowing his hands to explore her. Without the encumbrance of clothing in the way, his fingers stroked the tender flesh directly, heightening her already excited state. Again, his mind failed to keep up, trying to come to terms with the fact that he was the one causing Sara to mew in satisfaction.

His hard-won self-control finally faltered when her hands reached to undo his belt buckle. Grissom let out something between a groan and a whimper as Sara freed his arousal from his boxers and began fondling him. He dropped his head to her breasts, alternately kissing and sucking feverishly while her fingers drove him insane.

Realizing he needed to regain control, Grissom captured Sara’s hands and carefully pinned them on the pillow. He held himself over her for a minute, both of their breaths coming unevenly.

Lowering himself on top of her, he kissed Sara deeply, plunging his tongue into and out of her mouth, an oral prelude of what was to come. Her hands immobile, she responded by pressing against him and rubbing her legs against his lower body.

Whispering her name, his lips went across her jaw, down her neck and to the sensitive flesh along the collarbone. He released her hands as his head moved back to her breasts so his own hands would be free to continue their discovery of her.

Grissom’s brain, finally catching up, frantically made him aware that he needed to see to her pleasure first, or he was going to be mortified when they were done. His hands leading the way, he began working his way down her body, pausing only long enough to ease her panties off.

Settling between her legs, he rested his hands on her thighs, gently squeezing the muscles as he took in the sight before him. Starting with the longing look in her eyes, his gaze traveled slowly until it settled on the patch of curls hiding his ultimate destination.

Licking his lips, Grissom dropped his head and planted a kiss on her thigh, near the inside of the left knee. His tongue drug over her skin, slowly working his way towards her center and stopping occasionally to kiss or nibble her quivering flesh.

His hands moved up and around to knead the flesh of her rear, subtly lifting her hips slightly as his head moved farther up Sara’s thigh. It wasn’t until she buried her fingers into his hair and arched towards him that Grissom moved to her most sensitive spot.

After some experimentation, his tongue moved skillfully, rapidly bringing Sara to her release. He stayed with her, trying to prolong her pleasure for as long as possible. When her muscles spasms died off, Grissom slid back up her body and kissed her passionately. Rolling to his side, he struggled out of his jeans and boxers, quickly grabbing his prepared protection.

Sara’s arms were around him as soon as he moved back over her. Hands roamed the length of his back, starting at the shoulders and gliding to his bottom before reversing course. Her lips soon joined in covering his flesh with kisses. She helped guide him to her entrance, both of them letting out deep moans when Grissom finally slowly sunk into her warmth.

Bracing himself on his hands, he moved slowly, allowing her to adjust to him. He grunted monosyllabic noises, his mind unable to form coherent words. Sara’s mouth was too busy moving over his chest and shoulders to talk, instead allowing her body to convey her thoughts.

As he suspected, Grissom’s grasp on his self-control shattered once he began to thrust within her, and his pace soon quickened uncontrollably. With a deep growl, he shortly reached his own orgasm, his head thrown back as he called her name.

His breath coming in deep gulps and sweat running off his body, Grissom collapsed on top of Sara. Lingering shudders coursed though him as he lay there recuperating.

Eventually, he became aware of Sara’s lips moving lightly along his hairline and her hands massaging his shoulders. He tried to pull away, feeling horrified by his short performance and his subsequent behavior, but she captured his face between her hands, leading him back for a warm, prolonged kiss.

Grissom eventually pulled out and away from her. His hand brushed her disheveled hair out of her face before he kissed her again. Wrapping his arms around her, he lifted Sara from the mattress long enough to pull down the covers. Laying her back down and settling her in, his lips touched her forehead tenderly before he stroked her cheek and stood up.

He wanted to discreetly dispose of the evidence of their encounter, but the trashcan was on the far side of the room. Grissom understood the logic of the protection, but it always struck him as an unromantic intrusion on what should be a very private and intimate act.

Not to mention that it meant a trip in his out-of-shape birthday suit. Glad that the bedroom was darkened somewhat from his earlier closing of the curtains, Grissom crossed it speedily, grabbing the room service menu as a cover story.

Turning around, he stopped self-consciously when he saw that Sara was propped up on one elbow, having watched his entire trek across the room. Seeing his embarrassed look and the way he tried to cover himself with the menu, she shrugged nonchalantly. “Your room has a much better view,” she quipped. “Just taking it in.”

He eyed the bedspread resentfully. His particular view wasn’t that appealing.

Sara grinned at him and held up the covers when he approached. Grissom cocked his head to the side, thoroughly enjoying the vision before him. She laughed, resting against his shoulder once he joined her.

Grissom’s arm automatically went around her body, holding Sara close to his side. A sense of contentment was overtaking him physically, but mentally he was troubled. There was no point putting it off; it wasn’t exactly a secret. He licked his lips and stared at the ceiling.

“It will get better,” he promised softly.

Sara rose up slightly, tilting her head as she studied his face questioningly.

He cleared his throat, turning to look towards the window. “I, uh, barely made it down the first aisle before going through my allowance.”

“You really need a better euphemism,” Sara muttered. Sitting up, she pulled the sheet to her armpits before reaching over and forcibly shifting his face towards her. She gave him a playful smirk while shaking her head.

“I don’t know how many ‘aisles’ you think I have that you can go down, but don’t even think that I wasn’t satisfied.”

“But …”

“No. Don’t,” she said in a half-warning tone. “I wouldn’t change anything about today, Grissom. I mean that.”

“Anything?”

“Anything. Well, I could have done without that kid,” she corrected with a brief shrug. “But we’ve both danced around this for years. We were both more than ready.”

“Unfortunately,” he griped.

“Grissom,” she sighed affectionately, patting his chest. “Knowing you’re here, now, ready to give us a chance – to me, that’s all I wanted. And this smile I have? You put it there.”

He studied her expression closely, looking for any signs that she was trying to protect his ego. All he saw was love and happiness. That diluted his mortification, even if it didn’t completely dissipate it.

“Do you mind if I at least try to do better next time?” he asked, reaching to pull her down against him.

“Only if you don’t mind if I do the same,” she answered, dropping a series of kisses over his chest. After finding an especially sensitive spot, she smiled when he moaned softly. “You like that. I’ll remember that for future reference.”

“Hmm,” he hummed out. His own hand moved under the covers to the back of her leg, and he raised a victorious eyebrow when she groaned pleasurably in response to his ministrations. “And you like that. I think this is going to be fun.”

“Hell, yeah!”

Grissom made a happy sound, shifting so he could give Sara a long, passionate kiss.

Pulling back, Sara smiled blissfully, but a wicked gleam was in her eye. “Next time, though, take your socks off first.”

With an embarrassed groan, Grissom used his feet to work his socks off, kicking them under the covers. That done, he settled into the pillows, wrapping his arms around Sara and basking in a warm contentment.

While his hands were moving in a random motion over her body, he eventually noticed Sara’s were moving in an organized manner, starting with his chest, stomach and eventually methodically covering his leg. If he didn’t know better, he’d say it was an inspection.

“Looking for something?” he asked curiously.

Sara gave him a bashful smile. “Just confirming a suspicion.”

“Do I want to know?”

She shifted position so she was half across his body. Reaching up with both hands, she stroked his beard and grinned. “Well, I’ve only seen your forearms, so I wasn’t sure, but I always thought you had an impressive beard for a guy that doesn’t have a lot of body hair.”

“Oh.” The tip of Grissom’s tongue slipped between his lips as he thought that over.

Sara leaned forward, kissing him once before whispering, “I like the scruff.”

Reassured, he grinned at her, and picked the menu from the bedside table. “We can go out for dinner tonight if you like, or we could order room service.”

“I’d rather stay here with you,” she replied, her fingers tracing abstract patterns on his chest.

“I am so glad you said that.”

She grinned and lifted her head up long enough to snatch the menu from his hand. Leaning over, she put it back on the table, and kissed Grissom deeply. “But it’s a little early for dinner.”

This time their kisses were loving, not sexual. Their passion temporarily sated, they could unhurriedly kiss and explore each other. Both made mental notes of actions that elicited positive responses, storing the information for their next lovemaking.

After a prolonged necking session, their ardor returned, and the nature of their kisses and caresses changed. Sara dropped her head on Grissom’s stomach when his stomach began to grumble loudly. His look of consternation was too much, and she began to chuckle as she grabbed the menu.

“I think we better take care of your other appetites first.”

The loud crash woke Grissom from his slumber. One eye cracked opened. The flashing light and rumbling echoes indicated the storm was back, hitting the city for another night. Waking slowly, he noted the other side of the bed was cold.

It took a moment to remember why that was a problem.

Sitting up quickly, he turned on the bedside lamp and scanned the room. The evidence from their earlier trysts was plain to see. Rubbing his hand over his hair, Grissom looked for his shorts, hoping that there was a logical reason for Sara’s absence. He noted that her clothes were still spread across the room, so she hadn’t completely abandoned him.

Walking into the common area of the suite, he saw her standing in front of the large window. She’d dressed in her pajamas, and a towel was draped over her shoulders. Grissom started to relax until a flash of lightning illuminated the room, and he caught her wiping her hand over her cheek.

“Sara?” he asked nervously, turning on a lamp. A million reasons why she’d be crying were running through his mind, and none of them struck him as positive.

“Hey.”

“What’s wrong?” he whispered, waiting for her to answer, but she only shook her head. “Did I hurt …”

“No!” Sara answered quickly, wrapping her arms around him reassuringly. She exhaled slowly, resting her head on his shoulder, gladly soaking in the warmth from his body.

Sara knew the difference between making love and sex, but in a way, she felt like it was the first time she’d been made love to. While hurried, Grissom had been reverent in the way he watched her, in the way he touched her. Afterwards, he’d been especially tender, taking his time to learn all her sensitive spots.

“Did I do something wrong?”

She pulled back, shaking her head slightly. “No. Trust me – it was great.”

“You weren’t rushed?” he asked, running through his mental checklist.

“Uh, Grissom, I kinda remember initiating things. But I have to tell you, I never slept with a guy on a first date before,” she admitted shyly.

“I didn’t think you would,” he admitted, still feeling a bit anxious. “Does that bother you?”

“Not really. It’s not like we just met. We’ve known each other for years, even if we haven’t been dating.”

“How many meals have we had together?” Grissom asked suddenly.

“Why? You want to make them retroactive dates?”

He shrugged nonchalantly. “What would you say if we did?”

“That you’re a cheap date,” she deadpanned. “Okay, so it was us, Cath, Nick, Warrick, sometimes Brass and Greg. Were they really unique double dates, or do you have some sort of weird lifestyle preferences?”

“No, I don’t,” Grissom said, raising an eyebrow pointedly. “Why won’t you tell me what’s wrong?”

Sara rolled her shoulders. “It was just a bad dream.”

Letting out a relieved huff, he rested his forehead against hers. “Want to talk about it?”

“It’s nothing.”

“It’s enough to have you standing out here by yourself.”

“It’s silly,” she said, shaking her head.

“You can talk to me,” Grissom said, hoping his voice sounded encouraging and not petulant.

“Ugh. Okay, promise me you won’t get angry. It was just a dumb dream.”

“What?”

Sara took a deep breath, answering him quickly as she exhaled. “We were back in Vegas. The expense reports show we had the same room. The gang started teasing us about having to share a suite, and you …”

“Panicked?” he offered.

“I was going to say ‘went ape shit’.”

“First, I never understood that expression, and I prefer panicked,” Grissom said with a chuckle, idly brushing his fingers through the curls framing her face. “Your hair is curling.”

“It’s the humidity. And I told you the dream was stupid …Hey! You’re laughing. What gives?” she demanded.

Grissom shrugged. “Who am I to say anything? I’m still waiting to wake up myself. I can’t believe this isn’t a dream.”

“Hmmm. I think I like your dreams better than mine,” Sara purred, moving to nuzzle his neck, but Grissom stopped her, pointing at her sheep-covered pajamas and shaking his head.

“Those are too disturbing.”

It was Sara’s turn to laugh. “You’re ovinephobic. Or is that even its own subset of zoophobia?”

“Sheep are fine in fields. Or on plates. But it’s hard to think of you amorously when you’re covered in little, ribbon-wearing, playing sheep.”

“So, now I know what to wear when I need some rest,” she said with a broad grin.

“I am a forensics expert. I can make those sheep disappear,” Grissom warned, but it became more of a whimper as she started nibbling his earlobe.

“You wouldn’t dare. I can get other disturbing PJs before you find where I hid your racing roaches.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“Oh, yeah. I would,” Sara said, nodding her head in emphasis. “You don’t want to start practical jokes on me, Grissom. Ask Nick what happened to him the first – and only – time he tried to pull one on me.”

He raised an eyebrow in surprise, stepping back and taking her hands in his. “I have a feeling that’s something I don’t want to know about. What I do want is to go back to bed. And I want you to come with me.”

“I think we’re going to need to get some more practice in before I can guarantee that happening.”

Grissom shook his head at the pun, but breaking into a smile at her faked naïve expression. “Those have to go first,” he insisted, quickly deflocking her before carrying her back to bed.

Once freed of her woolly pajamas, Grissom relished the feel of her nude body against the bare skin of his chest. Sara’s arms were draped lazily around his neck, and she resumed her assault on his earlobe, pulling the fleshy part between her lips.

Stepping gingerly around the destruction in the bedroom, he eased them unto the rumbled bed. The time they spent earlier learning each others’ bodies paid off as each lovingly worked to gradually heighten the other’s pleasure.

Sara broke off the kiss when her hands reached the waistband of his boxers. Pushing against his shoulders, she rolled Grissom onto his back and sat up. “You are so overdressed,” she stated. “I think something’s not right here.”

He merely shrugged, but his lips twitched playfully. “I carried you in.”

“And that entitles you to have me naked while you stay dressed?”

“Porter’s rights. For the effort of lifting,” Grissom started to tease, his voice wavering as her fingertips traced the shape of him through his boxers.

“I think I already have you up.”

He grunted in reply, closing his eyes as her strokes became more pronounced.

“Think that entitles me to see you naked?”

Again, he didn’t respond, but lifted his hips when Sara’s hands slipped into the waistband and began carefully tugging his shorts off.

Grissom finally snapped his eyes open when the first kiss landed on his arousal. Propping himself up, he watched as Sara ran the tip of her tongue along the underside of his length. She looked up to see him staring, and she gave him a reassuring nod before softly brushing her lips against his tip and running her tongue around his girth.

Whimpering in delight, he grasped the bedspread tightly when she repeated the movement, this time applying slightly more pressure to his heated flesh. He dropped his head back on the mattress after her hands joined in, reaching underneath to cup and knead him gently.

His breath became more uneven as she continued her actions. When she did stop, Grissom opened his eyes to see her straddling his body to reach the box on the bedside table. Blushing, he grabbed it, quickly taking care of the protection.

Bracing her hands on his chest, Sara slowly lowered herself onto him, closing her eyes in delight. Grissom allowed her to set the pace, his hands moving to her hips to help lift on the upstroke. Sweat glistened on both of their bodies as they continued. Grissom moved one hand from her waist when she bent to kiss him, using it to brush a lock of hair out of her face.

As Sara’s movements became more urgent, he began to caress her thighs, her breasts and rear. When her orgasm approached, one hand moved to her center, coaxing her response. Her head dropped back as she thrashed against him, calling his name in a hoarse whisper.

Grissom’s arms snaked around her limp body, pulling her close before he gently rolled her underneath him. Smiling tenderly at her, he again brushed the hair from her face and moved to kiss her.

After catching her breath, Sara looked at him in surprise.

“I told you it would get better,” he responded between kisses. Slowly, he began to thrust inside of her. His hands meandered over her breasts, squeezing and stroking the flesh and reviving her passion.

Grissom waited until she began to move more frantically before gradually picking up the pace, determined to improve on his earlier performances. His own breath matched Sara’s gasps, and neither wasted breath on talking, instead offering short words of endearment and encouragement between their kissing.

When her nails began to rake his back, Grissom increased his pace again, desperately waiting until he felt her muscles begin to spasm around him a second time before allowing himself to find his own release.

This time, he only rested his weight on top of Sara, bearing the brunt of it with his arms. His head drooped wearily beside hers, but Grissom smiled contently when she pulled him into a hug.

Both sated, they snuggled together under the covers, continuing stray kisses and caresses until they drifted into a satisfied sleep.

“Grissom, we have to get up,” Sara stated, rolling her eyes when he once again pulled her back down. The gesture was wasted, since he refused to open his eyes.

“Why?”

“Because it’s morning. We’re still on the schedule of the light dwellers. This is when they get out of bed,” she said, resting her head on his chest.

“I don’t want to.”

Sara chuckled. It was easy to understand his reluctance. This would be the last day they had together before they had to head back to Vegas and their hectic lives there. But they also had to shower, pack and get their belongings in the rental car, check out of the hotel, spend a half-day at a conference, before a multiple-layover flight back to Nevada.

“It’s the last day of the conference. You don’t want to miss that,” Sara pointed out as she wiggled out of his arms.

“They’ll have other ones,” Grissom said, slipping his arm around her again.

“We have to check out of the hotel.”

He grunted. “Not for a few more hours.”

Sara lifted her head from his chest and pulled out the heavy artillery. “If we don’t get up, you know Bob will come looking for us.”

Grissom opened a single eye, giving Sara an annoyed look.

“And you know he’ll find a way to get in here.”

With an audible groan, he finally let her go. “Spoilsport.”

“He’s your friend,” Sara mentioned as she slipped out of bed and pulled on her T-shirt from the day before.

“Don’t remind me,” he half-groused. Grissom went around the room, searching for their clothing.

“I like him. Just not too often. Bob’s a bit … boisterous. He did get us this suite.”

“True,” he admitted, turning to give her a smile.

“And we don’t have much time to get packed!” she insisted, noticing his hungry stare as she walked half-naked around the room.

“We could skip breakfast …”

“I’m going to go take a shower, or we’re going to have to deal with Bob walking in on us at a very bad time. And I don’t want to be the subject of one of his ‘funny’ stories.”

While she did that, Grissom straightened the bedspread and picked their clothes from the floor. It did little to disguise what had happened in his room. It was a silly thing, but the thought of the hotel maids discussing his involvement with Sara seemed a violation of their privacy, even though no one knew who they were.

He grabbed the scattered dishes from their dinner and moved them to the table in the living area of the suite. Back in the bedroom, he sorted their clothing out. After retrieving his outfit for the day, he emptied his dresser. He’d just finished repacking most of it when Sara returned.

“Your things are there,” he said, nodding to the stack of clothing on the bed.

“Uh, I don’t think I did this,” she said sarcastically, holding up a pair of his ripped boxers when he looked at her. “Or this. Something I should know about?”

Grissom felt his face redden as he gathered his tattered shorts. “The counter. I kept getting snagged on it.”

“And you’re keeping them as a souvenir of the trip?” Sara asked with a happy grin.

“No. I didn’t want the maids to find them in the trash and talk about what could have caused it,” Grissom sighed as he looked at the bed. “Not that I think it’s going to be a secret. Maybe you should leave your nonoxydil-9 for the next guest.”

“Ugh. I was really trying not to think about that,” she whined. “That is so much worse than unsanitary amusement rides.”

Grissom gave her a contrite smile as he tossed the shorts into the bag with his dirty laundry. Gathering his clothes, he headed to the shower, frowning when he noted that Sara had already retrieved her nightclothes from the suite’s living room area. He was certain he could have found a way to explain how the airline could have lost just one set of clothing from their luggage.

By the time he got out, Sara had finished the packing, moved both of their bags into the hallway by the front door, emptied the fridge of the last of the fruit, which she was stashing away in her purse.

“I guess we’re ready to go,” he said, heading to the bedroom to gather up his roaches. Moving back, he went to retrieve the luggage, but Sara slipped her arms around him tightly. Holding the container with his bugs away from her, he returned the embrace, gently swaying their bodies.

“We’ll make this work,” Sara promised as she broke off the hug.

“I know,” he replied, his bravado serving to cover his own insecurities.

“I like my private life to stay that way. I’m not going to tell everybody in the lab about us. You don’t have to worry about that. And I won’t tell them that story Bob told, about what happened with those sorority idiots.”

“Thanks.”

“I guess this is it,” she sighed, helping to collect their belongings. “I know we’ll be able to have time together back in Vegas, but this was nice. Not having any calls to go to.”

“No interruptions.”

“Having time away from everything.”

“This is an annual event,” Grissom pointed out with a trace of a smile.

“Oh, yeah. No one would notice that we both go to entomological conferences at the same time. Never in a building full of investigators.”

“We’ll make this work,” he parroted, giving her a last, drawn out kiss.

Sara expected the morning to pass by slowly, knowing it would be another day before she and Grissom could be alone again, but she took comfort in the occasional, shy glances he directed her way as they sat through the remaining talks.

Things went well until the finals for the roach races. Grissom’s bugs – who had earlier broken their personal best times – refused to budge from the starting line.

“What happened? They were doing so well,” he said in astonishment.

Sara moved to his side while he put them back into their traveling containers. “They did get traumatized.”

“What do you mean?”

“You left them out on the dresser last night. They watched us. Can be very distressing to the young.”

Grissom gave her a mock-scowl. “Even if I were to anthropomorphize their performance, blaming it on what they saw, it doesn’t mean that was the reason.”

“And you can’t exactly use it as an excuse to your buddies,” she said, smiling as Bob stepped up. She let out a mild yelp when she swept her off her feet and into a bone-crushing hug.

“Down, Bob! We’ve had this talk before,” she said with a laugh, rolling her eyes when he pecked her cheek avuncularly.

“Doesn’t Gil like to share?” he asked softly, his great, bushy eyebrows waggling at her stunned expression. “Oh, relax. I’m just kidding. But he’s not a bad guy … if you’re looking.”

“Thanks, Bob,” Sara answered dryly, smiling when Cheryl stormed over, swatting her husband over the head.

“Stop playing matchmaker. You’re terrible at it,” she sighed before turning to Sara. “I won’t tell you what he did to our neighbor.”

“That wasn’t my fault!”

Grissom intercepted them before they launched into another exchange, pointing out they had to catch a flight. After quick exchanges of goodbyes, Sara and Grissom headed to the hotel garage. Pulling into traffic, he briefly glanced her way. “When we get back to Vegas, I’ll drop you off at the lab so you can get your car. I’ll have to check my messages at least.”

“That’s okay. I want to see what happened on my case.”

“Would you like to come over for a late dinner? The meal they’ll serve us won’t be that good. You don’t have to – I know there are things you’ll need to do. Water the plants, get the mail, things like that,” he added quickly.

“That won’t take long. The post office is holding my mail for me, and I gave the plants a long soak before I left.”

“Okay.”

“So, yeah, I’d like to come over for dinner.”

“Good,” he said with a pleased smile. “I don’t want to monopolize all your free time. Well, yes, I do, but I won’t push.”

“Same here,” she grinned at him. “You know, we have to get back into the night shift. I wasn’t planning on going to bed until tomorrow morning. Well, going to sleep, anyway. If you want to do something after dinner, I’m game, but if you want time to bond with your bugs …”

“How about a movie? I understand I’ve been a cheap date,” Grissom said.

“A movie would be nice.”

They made their plans on the way to the airport, spending the time questioning the other about their preferences in movies, music and novels. After returning the rental car, they waited patiently to board their plane.

Sara was grinning at him, when she suddenly looked up in shock. Grissom turned around, letting out a groan when he saw the redheaded boy taking a seat in the waiting area. Then another one. And then a third one.

They turned to stare at each other, both of them shrugging. Sara was the first to speak. “Triplets?”

“It looks that way,” he said, looking back at them. All together and up close, it was possible to see slight variations in the three boys’ appearances.

“I don’t know which is worse,” Sara mused. “That we keep running into him, or that there’s three of him.”

“It is disturbing.”

“Worse than my pajamas?” she teased.

“Different category of disturbing.”

All three of the boys looked up at the same time, their heads swiveling to face the criminalists. All three waved at them simultaneously.

“We’re going to be on the same plane with them for hours,” Grissom pointed out in mild horror. “This is going to be a trip to remember.”

Sara turned around, giving him a quick wink. “Oh, this is one trip I won’t forget.”