Chapter 7 & 8 "Crush On You" [SoNic]
Since chapter 7 is a short chapter, I figured I might as well include chapter 8 here as well. I have to warn the readers though that in chapter 7, things got a bit...uhm...steamy :devil:
(but nothing too graphic!!!) for our leads here, if ya know what I'm saying 
. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the fic!
There's also an accompanying fanvid I made for this particular fic (all because I was inspired and was giddy with excitement at the way this SoNic relationship is going in this fic :lol. If you wanna check it out, lemme know and I'll forward you to it.
CRUSH ON YOU
Disclaimer: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation belongs to CBS & Jerry Bruckheimer; I’m just borrowing these characters for my own amusement. Complete work of fiction, including some of the unknown city names that might crop up every now and again.
Summary: She already crushed on a co-worker that went no where except for one dinner date. Will it be different this time around on a different guy?
PhoenixRae’s Note: Hmm…I think I’m kinda dragging this thing now – or am I not? –LoL- Anyway, I hope you all are still enjoying this fic. Look! They’re on a date now, woo-hoo!
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VII.
SOFIA THREW HER HEAD BACK AND LET out a deep-bellied hearty laugh at what the dark haired, dark eyed Texan man seated across from her at the outdoor restaurant told her. They were enjoying a scrumptious dessert Nick picked for them to share. And to think she was thisclose to turning him down when he asked her this afternoon to join him for dinner.
Nick watched with twinkling eyes as the woman across from him laughed for what must be the umpteenth time since they were seated. He thanked all the gods and goddesses that helped him out in convincing Sofia to join him for dinner this evening. He has been meaning to ask her out countless times since he saw her at the ranch, but he could never muster up the courage or the time was never really right to invite her out without setting off warning bells in her head that them having dinner together might be construed as a date.
“I can’t believe you actually ended up setting the barn on fire! What a rowdy and horny teenager you were, Nick Stokes,” she managed to say once her laughter subsided.
Nick chuckled and took a sip of his drink. “I was sixteen and was being led by my hormones at the time. I didn’t really know the girl was Pete’s cousin until he caught us and threw the nearest thing he could grab,” Nick gave a nonchalant shrug and leaned back in his seat. “It just so happens he grabbed a gas lantern and threw it at us, hence setting his parents’ barn on fire when it crashed and landed on the dry hay stacks.”
Sofia grabbed her drink and shook her head. “Still you were bad.”
“Hey, what can I say?” he shrugged again and took another swig of his drink.
They stayed at the restaurant for another half hour before they decided to head back to the ranch. But instead of dropping Sofia off at the inn Nick made a detour and went somewhere secluded Sofia didn’t even know it existed until he took her there. He parked his truck facing the large tree by the river; it was the opposite end from where they were strolling earlier and it was a bit higher up.
“What is this place?” Sofia asked looking around the picturesque place after Nick killed the engine off.
“Just a little place Pete and I used to take our dates,” he answered.
Sofia cocked an eyebrow and gave him a pointed look. He didn’t need to spell it out to her exactly what this place was; she already figured out this place posed as a somewhat ‘lovers lane’ for Nick and his buddies.
Nick caught her look. “I didn’t bring you here for that, Sofia.”
“Now why am I having a hard time believing that?”
Nick made a face at her. Sofia’s face slowly broke to a mischievous grin. She broke eye contact with him and opened the passenger door. She watched her step as she climbed out of the truck. Nick followed suit and rounded the truck and held out his hand to escort her to stand at the edge of the bluff.
“This is nice,” she sighed, her blue eyes taking in the blue-black sky splattered with trillions of shimmering stars and the romantic full moon hidden behind a strand of cloud. “No wonder you and Pete chose this place to take your dates. Now did you discover this place before or after you guys burned his parents’ barn down?”
Nick let out a bark of laughter and shook his head. “We were in our senior year when we discovered this place. The barn incident happened when we were sixteen,” he answered.
“You should’ve discovered this place sooner,” she mused and gave him a knowing look, mischief shimmering behind those big blue eyes of hers before she looked away again and tilted her head back to look at the sky. “This is what we don’t really see a lot of in Vegas.”
Nick did what she was doing and tilted his head back as well to look at the night sky. It was just a little after ten in the evening, but the full moon and stars were out in full force showing off its natural wonder to those lucky enough to be outside at this time of the night.
“City lights obscure the natural beauty of this planet of ours,” he commented.
Sofia stole a glance sideways and studied Nick’s profile with his head tilted back and looking at the stars. The corners of his eyes showed lines from squinting too much. He exudes too much boyish charm it was no wonder why he was the stuff erotic fantasies were made of when it came to some of the female employees at work.
Nick felt himself being watched and stole a glance sideways at Sofia. Their eyes held and locked. Neither one of them showed any signs of looking away. It seemed like they were caught, frozen in time and nothing around them seemed to matter.
Some unknown force was pulling them towards each other albeit slowly. One second they were standing at least an arm’s length apart and the next second the distance between them was a mere couple of inches, their bodies twisted so they were facing each other.
Their breaths came out hard and ragged. Something was tickling their spines and the soles of their feet.
Sofia tilted her head one way and tilted his head the opposite way. Their mouths felt like two opposite ends of a magnet pulled towards each other.
The initial touch of his lips against hers made Sofia freeze. Nick did the same too, but soon his lips started to move against hers, his tongue slipping out to tease her lips to part. Sofia’s eyes felt like lead and closed the moment her lips parted and Nick’s tongue found hers. She was hoisted up against his strong chest, his lips crushing hers for a kiss so passionate she was rendered senseless. Her hands moved on their own accord, sliding up the side of his neck and her fingers would’ve raked between his hairs if it were longer, instead her palms were tickled by the brush-like texture of his crew cut hairstyle, clamping her hands around his hand and pulling him for a deeper kiss.
They staggered back to the passenger side of the truck, their lips locked except for when she reached out behind her to open the door and let themselves inside the cab. Sofia scooted back a bit to allow Nick some room. He pulled the door closed after him, hitting the button to automatically lock both the driver’s and passenger doors. Their eyes met once again, their breathing more ragged than before. In their eyes numerous questions were asked but never voiced out loud. Obviously neither one of them wanted to answer them now and soon they were back at ravishing one another.
Clothes were removed and tossed aside. The truck’s windows fogged up as its two occupants got lost in each other’s arms inside…
>>>>>>>>>>> END CHAPTER <<<<<<<<<<
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VIII.
SO THIS IS LOVE…I CAN’T HELP FROM HUMMING that song from that Disney classic, Cinderella, since I returned back from my holiday. Mind you I was freaking out after Nick and I ended up in his truck all sweaty, exhilarated and downright crazed beyond belief, but it was all worth it. I thought it will be just a one-off; no repeat performance of what happened, but for the rest of my vacation (Nick talked to Pete about extending my initial one-week booking at the dude ranch to two) Nick and I spent as much time as possible with each other. We still ventured outside, but the nights were spent either at that private spot by the river or in my bedroom at the inn. We haven’t declared our love out loud, but I know he feels the same way for me. I can feel it in his touch every time we are together. Of course we have to watch ourselves at work; office romances are frowned upon in every work place hence why it wasn’t allowed.
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LOOKING GOOD, SOFIA!” commented Greg the next time he ended up working a case with Sofia, but only this time Nick was also a part of the team solving the latest crime they were about to unravel. “I say that holidays suits you,” he added and looked over his shoulder when Nick joined their twosome. “Don’t you agree, Nick?”
Nick frowned and looked from the somewhat quirky CSI then to the blond detective before returning his gaze back to Greg.
“Agree to what?”
“Sofia and going on a holiday. She’s glowing!” Greg gestured for his partner to look at the detective working the case with them. “She’s got that tan that screams not fake ‘en bake. And I think she has a permanent blush on her cheeks these days.”
Nick feigned examining Sofia’s new ‘look’ since her return from holidays a week ago. She flew in a day ahead of Nick as opposed to them catching the same flight back in case somebody from work spotted them at the airport and raise suspicion about their coziness.
“She always has that glow about her, Greg.”
“I know,” agreed the blond CSI. “But this time her glow’s intensified to the nth power.”
Sofia couldn’t believe Nick and Greg were talking about her as if she wasn’t there. They were on their way to check up on another suspect and as they made their way to the parking lot Sofia felt left out at the conversation the two CSIs were having. Granted she felt flattered that Greg was complimenting her, but still they shouldn’t talk about her in her presence!
“Guys, in as much as it’s somewhat flattering to be the cause of your debate, please don’t talk about me in front of me, hm?” She cocked an eyebrow and eyed both CSIs sternly.
“Oh, sorry,” Greg quickly apologized.
Nick didn’t say anything. He merely straightened his shoulder, nodded his agreement then gave her a sly wink behind Greg’s back before flashing a devilish grin, reminding her of what they just did before they clocked in for their shift. That reminder made Sofia’s cheeks blush and she had to look away before Greg noticed. She couldn’t help herself from grinning, remembering the way Nick woke her up and the lovemaking that ensued after that before they reluctantly showered – separately this time or else they’d both be late from getting to work if they shared – and got ready.
“Okay, let’s concentrate on the case now, shall we?” Sofia needed to get some sort of order back.
“Oki-doki,” Greg walked ahead of them and headed for the dark SUV parked out in the parking lot.
Nick fell into step beside, his head bent low and his voice lowered so only she could hear what he has to say.
“If only Greg really knows what the reason behind that glow of yours is, it will fuel his fantasies for weeks,” he chuckled then picked up the pace, leaving Sofia to falter in her steps, her cheeks as bright as the ripest tomato.
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WHEN DO YOU THINK A RELATIONSHIP should end? Not that the one I’m in right now is giving me grief. Heck, this past few weeks has been the best few weeks of my life! I mean, SHE is amazing. Granted we both have to keep things under wraps, and with Ecklie sticking his nose everywhere – including everyone’s private businesses – we better make sure to not let him sniff us out.
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NICK GRABBED SOFIA INTO THE NEAREST SECLUDED room he could find; no other doors, no windows for unwanted eyes to look in to. The room turned out to be the evidence room. Soft, blue lights turned low to avoid tampering with the evidence collected; the perfect place for a quick rendezvous in the middle of a somewhat mundane shift.
“Are you crazy?” whispered Sofia in-between ardent kisses.
Nick pressed her up against the wall, away from the door. “I think we’re both crazy,” he chuckled, his lips trailing kisses down the side of her throat.
Sofia replied with a chuckle, cupping his face and bringing it back up to capture his mouth for another kiss.
“We…could…get…into trouble…for this,” she said against his lips.
“I know,” he agreed, his hands dipping lower, pulling her shirt from where it was tucked in her pants. “Adrenaline,” he paused, pulled away from her. “It’s the best high there is.” He slowly grinned from ear to ear.
Sofia merely rolled her eyes at him. “You’re a lost cause, Nick Stokes,” she teased.
“I know, but hey, a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do, right?”
“Oh Nick,” she sighed, framing his smiling face between her hands. Her eyes glistened with what she couldn’t say – or was afraid to say out loud.
Nick saw that passing glimpse in her eyes. He wrapped his hands around her wrist, gave it a light squeeze.
“I know, Sofia, I know,” he nodded.
“We should get back to work.”
“Yeah,” he agreed and reluctantly pulled away. “So, dinner at your place or mine?”
Sofia did her best to put her clothing back together. “I think it’s my turn to host breakfast for us this morning,” she winked, checked herself one last time and walked out of the evidence room.
It was their routine. They switch from time to time, making sure not to attract too much attention. Nick will follow a few minutes later. It was tricky and risky, but so far so good as far as they were concerned.
Nick headed for the direction of the lunch room. He felt like grabbing a cup of coffee and hoping it was a coffee from Greg’s good stash.
Warrick and Greg were in the lunch room whiling away the time until something lands on their laps, like a case that would get them out of the office instead of sitting in the lunch room twiddling their thumbs. Nick’s steps slowed when he saw that both his teammates face were dead serious, their eyes glued on the white piece of paper they each were reading. It wasn’t one of those half sheets of paper Grissom passes out to them for their assignments; this one looked like a memo.
“What’s up guys?” He asked and made a beeline for the coffee machine where a freshly brewed pot of coffee stood.
“Can you believe this memo?” Warrick slammed the paper down hard on the table. “I mean, what is Ecklie up to?”
“I think he’s not getting some hence why he’s preventing everybody else from getting some,” commented Greg, throwing the piece of paper on the table and watched it float/slide almost halfway across. He craned his neck and looked at Nick, “Have you read Ecklie’s latest memo banning people from getting cozy with one another?”
The coffee pot in Nick’s hands rattled and nearly spilled its contents as soon as he heard what the memo was about. He shot his two friends a confused look.
“I beg your pardon?”
Warrick made a face and lifted the sheet of paper he slammed on the table, fanning it for Nick to grab from his hand.
Nick forgoes grabbing himself a cup of coffee and instead crossed the room to snatch the sheet of paper Warrick was handing to him. His brown eyes quickly scanned the main part of the memo. His brows couldn’t help from furrowing, his eyes shooting daggers until he finished reading what Conrad Ecklie has to say.
“This is preposterous!” he complained.
“Exactly,” agreed Greg and Warrick at the same time.
“What’s reason behind him bringing down the iron fist like this on office romance?” Nick demanded and pulled out a chair to sit on.
“I think he’s jealous of Grissom and Sara’s relationship,” commented Greg.
Nick and Warrick both turned to look at the blond CSI.
“What did you just say?” demanded Warrick.
Greg raised his hands palms out to fend off his two co-workers. “Look, it was just an observation. I just noticed that Grissom and Sara are cozier than before. Granted they’ve always been close, but this time around…well, Grissom seems to be in a jolly good mood as of late, and same goes for Sara. Anyway, body language, man. Just watch those two when they’re within close proximity of each other!”
Nick and Warrick exchanged looks. Somehow what Greg just said made sense. They did notice Grissom being in a different kind of mood. He was acting more and more like a man in love.
“Gris and Sara?” echoed Warrick.
Nick merely shrugged and leaned back in his seat. His eyes strayed back on the piece of paper on the table and re-read what it said once again.
