Title: More Than Ready
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Greg Sanders/Ryan Wolfe
Series: 1) Catch Me I'm Falling, 2) Sparks, 3) Holding Steady
Fandom: CSI: Vegas/CSI: Miami
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my imagination, and I make no profit from it. I do not own the lovely Greg Sanders or Adam Ross, just borrowing them for a while. Please do not sue.

***

Greg stood outside the door of Ryan's hotel room, wondering if he should knock or not. He wasn't quite sure that he was ready for whatever might happen -- even though he knew that it was inevitable for the two of them to take these steps into the future.

It had seemed so easy to talk to Ryan when they were in the office, and he knew that he couldn't raise his voice for fear of being overheard. There had been an element of danger -- but there had also been a safety net, being surrounded by other people.

Here, there would be no safety net. The two of them would be alone, without any cautions to stop them from saying things that they shouldn't, things that they could end up regretting later. They might both reveal secrets that they'd be better off keeping.

But why would he want to keep secrets from Ryan? Greg asked himself. If he was going to be involved with this man -- and that was definitely what he wanted -- then he shouldn't keep anything from him. No secrets about his past, or about his feelings.

With that thought firmly in his mind, he took a deep breath and raised a hand to knock on the door, once, twice, three times. Then he took a step back, waiting for the door to open and Ryan to look out at him, hoping that he would see a welcoming smile.

There was no way that Ryan could be as nervous as he was. He seemed liek the kind of guy who could take everything in stride -- and from what Greg knew about his record as a CSI, he'd had a lot of hurdles to get over in the time that he'd been in that job.

The door opened suddenly, unexpectedly, and Greg's heart seemed to skip a few beats. He had thought that Ryan was an incredibly attractive man when he'd first met him and sat beside him in the office all day, but he looked even better now, in a more relaxed atmosphere.

He'd changed clothes, too; he was wearing black pants and a sleeveless black t-shirt, and Greg couldn't help focusing on those muscular biceps and wondering how it would feel to have those arms around him. It was something he couldn't wait to find out.

"Hey there." Ryan stepped back, holding the door open for him with a smile. "I was wondering when you'd get here. You're a little early, but that's no big deal. I figured you might be." There was some kind of promise hidden in his voice, lurking beneath his words.

At least, Greg thought there was. He couldn't be sure; a wave of shyness had overtaken him, and he wasn't sure of what to do or say. What he wanted to do was very different from the protocol of the civilized mating dances that everyone was used to.

What he really wanted to do was walk into Ryan's arms, to let the other man kiss him, to feel thoes strong arms wrapped around his waist and those lips on his. He wanted to lose himself in that kiss, to let Ryan move him towards the bed in the corner of the room ....

Greg pushed those thoughts away, berating himself for even daring to think like that. He was going to take this relationship slowly, and not let his physical desires jump too far ahead. The last thing he wanted Ryan to think was that he was only interested in a one-night stand.

"I would've gotten here even earlier, but I thought I'd look too eager," he blurted out, blushing as he realized that he'd spoken the words aloud. "Sorry about that," he tried to apologize, only to stop speaking when Ryan shook his head and pressed a finger against his lips.

"If it was up to me, you'd have come home with me right after work," he said softly, his eyes meeting Greg's. "I've been counting the minutes until you said you'd be here. I'm glad you're here early, or I might have gone crazy waiting and wondering."

"Wondering what?" The words were coming more easily now; it was as though there was some kind of shorthand between them, a mutual longing that their words assuaged. "Wondering if I was going to show up or not? That was never an issue. You knew I would."

"No, wondering if I was going to be able to keep my hands off you from the second you walked in the door. I'm having a pretty hard time doing that." Ryan's words were soft, barely above a whisper, but he might as well have shouted them. They were loud and clear in Greg's ears.

Greg didn't know exactly how it happened; one moment he was standing in front of Ryan, the two of them staring at each other -- and the next, he was wrapped in an embrace, his arms around Ryan, their lips meeting in a kiss that took his breath away.

He'd known just from looking at Ryan that his lips would be soft and warm, that he would be an incredible kisser. And he hadn't been wrong; there had never been another kiss in his entire life that felt like this one. He wanted to sink into that kiss until there was nothing left of him.

When they finally drew apart, Greg found it hard to catch his breath -- he simply wanted to breathe in and dive back into kissing Ryan, to feel those lips on his for the rest fo the night. If that kiss could have gone on forever, he would have been a perfectly happy man.

But nothing could last forever -- and especially not a kiss. His senses were whirling when their lips parted; he couldn't do anything but stand there, leaning against Ryan, feeling as though he would melt into the other man's arms if Ryan kissed him again.

"I love the way you kiss," he managed to whisper, leaning back in to brush his lips across Ryan's again. He couldn't get enough of tasting the other man's mouth; if he had his way, they would spend the rest of the evening in bed doing just that.

Ryan's arms tightened around his waist, pulling him closer, his words soft in Greg's ear. "I love everything about you," he murmured, the tone of his voice sending a shiver of anticipation down Greg's spine. Oh yes, this man wanted him. There was no doubt about that.

"I know we said we'd go out and I'd show you around Vegas tonight -- but what do you think about going back to my place and spending a night in?" Greg managed to say, raising a hand to trace the outline of Ryan's lips. "I suddenly don't feel like sharing you with the whole city."

"I was thinking the same thing about you," Ryan answered, a smile curving his lips. He was so close that Greg knew all he'd have to do was lean forward for their lips to touch again -- but he wasn't going to do that. He would hold himself back, at least until they got to his place.

"You might want to bring some clean clothes," he murmured, his gaze locking with Ryan's. He wanted to make sure that this man knew exactly what he had in mind, that there were no surprises later for either of them. "I doubt you'll be back here tonight."

"I thought about that, too," Ryan assured him, still smiling. "I doubt that I'll have these clothes on for very long tonight once we get back to your place, so I think they'll do." The words made Greg's breath catch in his throat again, his heart thumping in his chest.

"I don't think you'll be wearing your clothes very long -- and neither will I," Greg told him, his mouth going dry at the prospect. Was he moving too fast? What would Ryan think of him if they actually did have sex tonight? And was he ready for that kind of a step?

After all, it had been a long time since he'd been to bed with a man. He didn't count the many dates he'd had with guys, or the blow jobs, or the fooling around. That wasn't nearly as intimate as letting a man be inside you, taking him into your body.

Greg wasn't at all sure that he wanted that to happen tonight -- but he could explain everything to Ryan. It was something he didn't usually feel comfortable discussing, particularly with someone he'd just recently met, but Ryan was different from the other guys he'd dated.

He didn't feel that he had to hold back the secrets of his past from Ryan. He wanted to be completely honest and open with this man, in a way that he'd never felt he could be with anyone else he'd been with. Telling all would be a little scary, but he felt that he had to.

If he wanted their relationship to get off to a good start, he couldn't hold anything back. And maybe Ryan would be the man who could help him get past that first bad experience; maybe this was the person he was meant to spend the rest of his life with.

Greg reluctantly disentangled himself from Ryan's embrace, nodding towards the door. "Come on, let's get out of here," he said softly, feeling his heart begin to beat faster. "The sooner we get back to my place and order dinner, the sooner we'll have time for .... other things."

The answering smile on Ryan's face took his breath away again; all he could think of was being in those strong arms again, feeling Ryan's body close against his own. He hadn't felt this way in a long time -- not since that first fateful relationship that had ended so badly.

He was ready for this, Greg told himself as he watched Ryan pick up his keys, then reach out for his hand. It had been a long time since he'd thought he was capable of making a leap like this, but the time was finally here. This was the first night of the rest of their lives, and he was more than ready for it to unfold.

***

Next story in series - Talk About It.