From the moment he met Sara Sidle, Josh knew she was special. He was fresh out of college, working for the Chronicle, and about to set the journalism world on fire. Sara was a rookie CSI with a fire in her belly, a brain rivaled only by the size of her heart and nightmares in her eyes. He was drawn to her because of her quirkiness. But then he got to know her, really know her, and he was hooked.
He lost count of the number of hours, and beers, the two of them had wasted talking about the man he was about to meet. The great Gil Grissom...The Man, The Legend. At least in Sara's eyes. Not that he had anything against him. After all, he couldn't be that bad if he had stolen Sara's heart. Besides, he didn't have time to worry about that because the man was on the way.
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The directions Sara gave him were easy to follow and Grissom made it to the cottage just before sunset. He parked behind her car and stepped out, stretching his tired muscles. Gazing out toward the ocean, he took a moment to appreciate the beauty of the Pacific coast. The blood red sun dipped into the water, turning the tips of the waves golden. The sky was glorious, pink and orange and purple that darkened to indigo miles above the horizon.
For a moment, the only sound was the waves as they crashed on the beach. Then the quiet of the October evening was interrupted by the sound of a door slapping against its frame. Sara flew across the few yards separating them and, before he could say a word his arms were full of warm, excited woman. And she was kissing him, stealing his breath and making his heart hammer against his ribs.
Standing in the open doorway, Josh watched as Grissom opened his arms to Sara and kissed her. Boy, did he kiss her. His hands were all over her; shoulders, back, ass, arms. He simply opened his mouth and devoured her. But Sara gave as good as she got. She held on to him for dear life. And right there Josh got it. Grissom wasn't Brad Pitt, but he was handsome and well dressed and desperately in love with his wife. And watching the two of them together was an incendiary experience. Desperate to break the spell, Josh stepped outside and let the door bang shut behind him.
Lost. Grissom was lost in her, the feel of her, the taste of her, the smell of her. For a moment, he wanted nothing more than to take her right there. Outside with nothing between them except the crisp October air. He couldn't stop touching her; her shoulders, her back, her ass, her arms. He couldn't get close enough. He had started to work his hands under her shirt when the sound of the door slamming for the second time snapped him back to the present.
Breaking the kiss, Sara leaned back against Grissom's arms and smiled. "I've missed you so much."
Grissom settled his growing erection more firmly against her and grinned. "I've missed you, too."
"I can tell." She gave a quick wiggle of her hips and, when he groaned, a soft chuff of laughter. "Later. First I want you to meet Josh."
Josh was tall, at least three inches taller than Grissom, and handsome in a surfer sort of way. Broad shoulders and hard muscles. Crow's feet and a tan. Sun streaked hair that flopped over hazel eyes that appeared amber in the waning light. And a smile that could easily rival Sara's. For a moment, Grissom simply stared at him, awed by his physical beauty and more than a little jealous of the time he'd been spending with Sara.
The three of them cooked dinner; bumping around in the kitchen, laughing and talking, drinking beer that was icy from being in the cooler Josh left out on the deck. Josh manned the grill, turning out two perfect steaks and a beautiful salmon fillet for Sara. Baked potatoes, a basket of crusty rolls and a big salad filled with tomatoes and cucumbers and peppers completed the meal. Abandoning the beer, they washed everything down with the wine Grissom brought.
Sara and Josh cleared the table while Grissom built a fire. Then they settled down in front of the fireplace. Grissom and Sara on the sofa and Josh in the arm chair. Already a little tipsy, they opened a second bottle of wine.
Conversation was lively. Grissom and Sara shared stories of cases they had worked, entertaining Josh with the more outrageous people they had encountered over the years. When Grissom related the story of the man and woman with a dishwasher full of dildos, Josh laughed until tears ran down his cheeks.
Wiping at his eyes, Josh said, "I'll bet you get hit on all the time." The alcohol made his words slower than they would have been.
Sara shrugged. "You'd think the smell of decomp would put them off but..."
Glancing at Sara, Grissom just grinned as he finished her thought. "It is Vegas."
Deliberately locking his eyes on Grissom, Josh asked, "Ever been hit on by a man?"
Something in Josh's gaze had Grissom swallowing hard. A tingle started low in his belly. "Of course." His tongue flicked out to wet his lips. "Why do you ask?"
With a shrug, Josh looked at Sara and then back to Grissom. "Cause I can definitely see why. I wouldn't mind being the man to turn you out." A grin slid over his face when Grissom's eyes widened. "Don't look so surprised. Surely, Sara told you I'm gay."
"No, she didn't." Grissom's eyebrow rose toward his hairline. "Why would she?"
"No reason, I guess." Raising his glass, Josh took a sip of wine. He was quiet for a moment, studying the flames. "Have you ever thought about it?"
Grissom shot a glance at Sara. His words were reluctant, as if he was afraid to ask the question. "Thought about what?" Again, that tingle low in his belly, that frisson of awareness skittering along his nerve endings.
Sara's fingers dug into his thigh. She was holding her breath, and he knew she was waiting to hear both the question and his answer. She knew him better than anyone, but she had never been brave enough to go down that road. Even after their trip to New York and her...their experiment with that waitress. She was still uneasy talking about it, almost as if she were embarrassed by the whole thing when she definitely had no reason to be.
Josh, however, seemed to have no reservations about the topic. "Having sex with a man? You know. Have you ever wondered what it would be like?" He paused, watching Grissom for a moment. "What another guy's dick would feel like in your hand? What it would taste like? If a man's mouth would feel different from a woman's? Have you ever looked at another man and thought about seeing him naked?"
Grissom raised his glass, ignoring the slight tremble in his hand, and took a fortifying drink of wine. He could feel Sara holding her breath the way she did when she was about to uncover an important clue and he risked a glance in her direction. Her eyes were wide and her lips parted. Her gaze was hot, desire simmering just below the surface.
In a voice calmer than he felt, Grissom said, "I would be lying if I said no." The silence in the room was deafening. He could hear the hiss of the flames and the faint crashing of the waves from outside.
Josh's mouth hung open for a moment. He had been baiting Grissom and only expected blustering and posturing as his response. Instead, he received a quiet, calm admission and he wasn't exactly sure how to react.
"You don't seem to have a problem admitting that." He shook his head as if to clear it. "I guess I wasn't expecting that. Especially in front of your wife."
His eyes never leaving Sara, Grissom replied, "I have nothing to hide. Not from Sara." Once again turning to face Josh, he continued, "Now can we talk about something else, please?"
