Sarah was finally getting more comfortable, a situation credited at least partially to the social lubricant that was a bottle of wine.

>> "I rarely have time to meet as many gentlemen as you claim. I think I've met two, maybe three. And I'm sitting next to one of them."

Nate could not stop his grin; the wine was making it harder for Sarah to play her cards as close to the chest as she was over the phone. "Oh, are you now? I must admit, it's nice to get a compliment like that from such a beauty." He took a sip from his wine glass to realize his glass was once again empty. "But if there are two other gentleman vying for your affection, I guess I'll just have to work harder, huh?" It was a more direct comment than he had been making, and he hoped she would not take offense to it or feel awkward that her affections were in his sights.

Sarah could feel her face burn and tried to hide from meeting Nate's eye. She moved her head away from him and looked down at the glass in her hand, letting her hair fall over her shoulder.

>>"Oh, are you now? I must admit, it's nice to get a compliment like that from such a beauty... But if there are two other gentleman vying for your affection, I guess I'll just have to work harder, huh?"

Once his words registered in her head, the brunette looked over at the handsome male beside her. She was glad she kept her hair down since it created a nice curtain to hide behind. However, it also made it harder to guess what Nate was thinking.

"I don't know," she heard herself start to say, "You're pretty much winning most of my affection."

>> "I don't know. You're pretty much winning most of my affection."

A comment like that was enough to reunite Nate with his beloved, once lost confidence. Sarah was sweet and beautiful and he was glad to see his interest was returned, and that he was successfully wooing.

And she looked so mysterious with her hair falling in front of her eye like that. It was like a curtain begging to be pulled away. His hand moved slowly to the locks and brushed them away, revealing her face and bringing him a bit closer to her. "Well then, I'm a pretty lucky man." His hand lingered there beside her face, not yet finding a reason to pull away.

As Nate moved his hand closer to her, Sarah felt her body freeze. She wasn't sure if it was the alcohol causing her reaction or simply the fact she wanted to see what he was doing. When he started to push her hair away from her face, she realized how close they were to each other.

>>"Well then, I'm a pretty lucky man."

Sarah tilted her head a little to get a better view of Nate. This caused her head to lay on his hand.

"I think I'm the lucky one," she said softly, thinking of the unexpected phone call that started the night.

>> "I think I'm the lucky one."

Part of Nate thought it might be too much of a risk; that Sarah was just doing her best to keep up with the situation and by becoming too forward, he would scare her off.

But that was only part of him; the other part of him was feeling confident again-- a confidence he had been struggling to recapture. Not quite the bravado of a conman, but maybe the self-assured attitude of a true Southern Gentleman.

Yes, he had every reason to feel confident; Sarah was interested in him as he was in her, and she was doing nothing to deter him.

So he slowly moved in, bringing his lips within a breath of hers, inviting her to close the final millimeters of distance.

As Nate moved closer to her, Sarah became conflicted. On one hand she thought they were going a little too fast and if the night ended badly, the trip would be difficult for them. She also wasn't too sure if his actions were alcohol driven.

On the other hand, she had been attracted to Nate since they met, though she hadn't said as much. The fact he was interested in her was exhilarating. She also knew, even though she was a flirt while drinking, she wasn't truly impulsive.

Sarah waited to see if Nate would stop before she moved. When she noticed that he was giving her a choice in what happened next, she smiled softly. Then she slowly diminished the few millimeters between them.

Nate was pleased to feel Sarah's lips against his own, proving that his gambit paid off. His hand slowly moved behind her head, his fingers running through her hair as his palm rested at her neck.

This kiss lasted the right amount of time; not a little peck, but not so long that it was something obscene. Nate had done "hook ups" before, but that was not his intention with Sarah. She was something special, and special should be taken slowly. Well, slowly-ish.

Pulling away from the kiss, Nate grinned, his hand moving to Sarah's cheek. "I'm starting to feel real glad I invited you over." It certainly went from being an unexpected plan to a fortunate turn of events. "I would love your company again sometime. Maybe after the field trip I can cook dinner to repay you for your kindness in accepting my favor." That field trip was already starting to pay dividends, too. It seemed like things were turning up aces for Nate lately.

Sarah's hands slipped up to rest on Nate's shoulders. She felt safe, something she hadn't felt in a single person's company in a long time. That thought fluttered through her mind as the kiss ended.

>>"I'm starting to feel real glad I invited you over... I would love your company again sometime. Maybe after the field trip I can cook dinner to repay you for your kindness in accepting my favor."

Sarah hummed in a way similar to how she had while "deciding" if she would come over. When she had an answer, she leaned into Nate's hand. "I might be able to fit you in sometime," she teased. Her lips turned into a smile to make sure he knew she was joking.

>> "I might be able to fit you in sometime."

She was coy and she was witty, and Nate liked that. He returned her smile, keeping his hand at her cheek for a small while longer. He enjoyed the way it rested there, especially when she smiled that gorgeous smile of hers.

Eventually he did have to pull his hand away, as much as he'd prefer not to. He picked up the wine bottle, quickly being reminded of how empty it now was. "It's getting late. As much as I love your company, I'm sure I have to let you go sleep at some point." It was a new idea for him, but he was going to try the "take it slow thing." It worked with Quin for a while, after all.

He grabbed the bottle and the glasses and walked over to the kitchenette to deposit the glass in the sink. "Would you like me to call you a cab?" She was certainly in no shape to drive, and New York at night was not something a lovely tipsy woman should walk through on her own.

Sarah laughed at Nate's comment about sleep. She would need some if she wanted to be close to 100% for work. She let her hands fall off of his shoulders as he stood up, bottle and glasses in hand.

>>"Would you like me to call you a cab?"

"That'd be perfect. I'd rather not walk home tonight," she stated as she stood from the couch. She moved closer to Nate was. "I hope Parker hasn't made a mess for you. You'll need some sleep too."

>> "That'd be perfect. I'd rather not walk home tonight."

Nate had to agree; all of a sudden, he was now more acutely aware of how dangerous it could be for a beautiful human woman walking the dangerous streets of New York alone.

>> "I hope Parker hasn't made a mess for you. You'll need some sleep too."

He grinned, turning on the spigot of the sink to fill the glasses with water just enough to keep the wine from leaving sediment. With that out of the way, he walked to Sarah. "Oh, he's very well behaved."

Approaching her from behind, he wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned in and low over her shoulder to kiss her cheek. "And don't you worry about me. I'll get some sleep as soon as I can stop thinking of this amazing girl I know." It was probably true; it was going to be tough to sleep when he was smiling so hard.

Sarah smiled as she felt Nate's arms go around her. She leaned back into his warmth, happy to be there. A small sigh escaped her lips, as she felt him kiss her cheek. She let her hands rest on his as he spoke.

>>"And don't you worry about me. I'll get some sleep as soon as I can stop thinking of this amazing girl I know."

She let her head fall back so she could look up at him. "Sounds like I have some competition," she stated, the picture of serious. The only part of her that let on she was joking were her eyes.

>> "Sounds like I have some competition/"

God, she was cute. Nate kissed her cheek as her head fell back to watch him. "Yeah, she's something special." And she was. Smart, pretty, and interesting. Not bad for a human girl.

Nate called the cab and walked Sarah out to the door of the building, keeping her held close in the winter chill as they awaited the car. When it finally arrived, he gave one last goodnight kiss. "Night Sarah. I look forward to seeing you Friday."

>>"Yeah, she's something special."

The blush Sarah had been fighting spread across her cheeks. No matter how much she teased, she was very shocked that the night had even happened. It was strange for her. However, she was very glad that she had answered the phone when she had. She had a habit of letting the phone go when it ringed while she did something.

As they walked to the cab Nate had called, she felt the telltale sign of butterflies in her stomach. The night was cold, something she was glad for since it hid the shiver that raced up as Nate kept her close to his warm body. She smiled as they shared another kiss before she went to enter the cab.

>>"Night Sarah. I look forward to seeing you Friday."

"It'll be more than just Friday. Goodnight, Nate," she teased lightly. With those words, she closed the door to the cab and made her way home, a smile on her face.