Ch. 8 - Uncovered Feelings

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Andy left a sober Provenza at the pub and headed to his own apartment exhausted by the adrenaline-charged day that had him more than a little amped all day. Now, all Andy wanted was to crash on his queen-sized bed and let the dreams begin.

This particular day started and ended with confessions. First, his own to the lovely Captain Sharon Raydor about his feelings for her which he happily punctuated with three real kisses she never saw coming. The last being Provenza's grudging respect for the same woman.

Andy stripped off his suit, shirt and tie and headed into the bathroom. His face looked tired. After the usual bedtime ritual of brushing teeth, washing face and slipping on a fresh grey undershirt, Andy slid in between the cool sheets and pushed the comforter off to the empty side of the bed.

Talking with Provenza over dinner got him thinking about the long-term, something Andy hadn't thought to venture into until Provenza asked about it. Just telling Sharon how he felt was terrifying enough, and those kisses had been his reward. If Sharon decided she was not into Andy, at least he'd have the sweet memory of having kissed Darth Raydor and lived.

Dreams had become his refuge. There, he could do or say anything he wanted to the woman who preoccupied most of his waking thoughts and there'd be no repercussions. Andy sighed and found himself smiling as he recalled what it felt like to kiss her and put his arms around her warm feminine body. He had touched her long, gorgeous hair when he pinned it between his hands and her clothes. The initial look of surprise on her face made him grin all over again. He liked surprising Sharon. Now the ball was in her court and whatever decision she would make was something he'd have to deal with as promised. In his dreams, he unveiled the passionate woman he believed hid beneath a professional workplace reserve.

Sharon's tentative response to one of his kisses gave Andy an optimistic feeling that something was going to happen between them one way or another. Andy knew he had shaken up a solid friendship but someone had to. Afterall, they had been dating sort of. Platonic didn't break the rules but Andy was ready to escape the friend zone. With in seconds Andy was asleep and his dream began to get interesting.

It usually began with the familiar sound of her high heels clicking down the long hallway that lead to the Major Crimes squad. Andy would always find a reason to leave his desk and head in her direction if only to get a personal greeting and smile from the lovely Sharon Raydor, but truth be told, he really did this to get a better view of her walk. He loved it when she wore pencil skirts that showed off her curvaceous body and those sexy high heels that made her legs look incredible.

But it wasn't just a visual thing for Andy. Even Sharon's smooth voice excited him. The low, sexy way she spoke, speeding up when she was angry, humming now and then as she pondered something, breathy once in a while but especially how soft, slow and tender it was when she comforted victims, their relatives and especially children.

In this dream, Andy was once more in Sharon's office, pulling her out of her chair and holding her close, feeling the softness of her lips on his, seeing the look of surprise on her face and tasting her tentative response to his lips. Only this time, Sharon participated more fully. She was kissing him back, running her hands over his body and pressing herself against him.

He ached to feel her skin against his own and slowly moved her against her desk, knocking the phone off the edge and laying her down on top of papers and a case file. Sharon smiling as she kissed him back.. Andy slid his hand down her right hip continuing down her slim thigh before he found the edge of her skirt. His hand slid under it and back over her stocking-covered leg. She was breathing harder whispering her approval as he caressed her thigh.

Pinned against the desk by Andy's chest, she felt his right hand slide to her waist and to her silky blouse. Pulling it out of the waist band, he ran his fingers over her warm skin inching slowly towards the edge of her bra. He could hear her smile as she encouraged him to explore her body, "are we really doing thi…?."

Andy's cellphone's ringer blasted and began vibrating noisily against the wooden side table. "Sonuvabitch!" Andy snapped as he opened his eyes and reached for the irritating device. How long had he been asleep? Glancing at the clock nearby, he saw it was only 1:30 am.

"Who the hell is this?" Andy barked.

"Sorry to wake you, Lieutenant, but we caught another dead drug dealer." The voice belonged to Julio Sanchez.

"Now? Fuck! Sorry about that," Andy grumbled. "Why can't these rat bastards kill each other in the day time? Text me the location."

"Sykes is calling Provenza. Would you like to call the captain or should I?" Sanchez asked with a smile.

"I'll do it," Andy answered knowing Sanchez was not afraid to call the captain. Crabby from a lack of sleep and dream interruptus as he hit the speed dial to call the Captain.

Sharon and Rusty settled on watching a predictable lifetime channel movie mostly to make fun of it together. Sharon found herself falling asleep and eventually excused herself to get ready for bed after shooing Rusty to his own bedroom. Undressing and changing into a pale pink night gown with three-quarter sleeves, Sharon pulled her hair up to wash her face. Waiting for the water to turn warm, Sharon stared at herself wondering what it was about her that caused Andy to be so bold with her that morning. She saw a red-haired middle-aged woman with green eyes stoically staring back. No smile on those kissed lips. Sharon tapped her lips softly and realized no one else had kissed those lips in that way for 25 years. Not even her now ex-husband for the past 15 years. It had scared her into a reality where she was still attractive to the opposite sex.

"Don't even think about it!" Sharon told her reflection before lathering the soap over her eyes and washing off the day's make-up and dust.

The low lamp light in her bedroom was ideal for reading once she slipped into bed. A couple of new novels and a political biography lay on the side-table but Sharon ignored them as she turned off the lights and lay in bed thinking about the man she tried not to dwell on after her conversation with the her district attorney friend.

"Why not think about it?" Sharon said out loud in the dark room. Andy. Her underling. Her direct report, her employee had kissed her - in her office – and turned her into a distracted, disorganized and nervous wreck throughout the day whenever he was in the same room with her.

I can't even…I don't…have those kinds of feelings for Andy, Sharon told herself. Do I? She touched her bottom lip and thought about how his mouth felt on hers. So warm, soft, and very, very alive. Safe as she was under her sheets, blanket and comforter, Sharon felt jittery. Her eyes stared into the darkness as if the right answer to his proposition might miraculously show itself as a movie on her ceiling. Sharon closed her eyes and allowed her brain to flood her senses with a replay of being pressed against Andy's chest, his body very real, very solid, very potent. Andy's aftershave, or possibly cologne, held an unanticipated spicy combination of masculinity, mixing clove with clean cotton.

She allowed herself to think the unthinkable of visualizing physical intimacy with Andy. The very idea of being with a man in anyway romantically or physically was no longer familiar to her after years of holding Jack at bay. Still, Andy's overture today was as equally scary as exciting. Being found attractive was nothing new - men flirted or tried to regularly enough sometimes playfully other times seriously. Andy had never once actually flirted with her until that evening of the Nutcracker. Now he was making it – ahem – extremely clear that he had new ideas for their friendship. Sharon twisted and turned in bed trying to get comfortable with the ideas flitting through her head.

Could she ever see Andy here, in her own bed with her? Sharon imagined what it might feel like to have Andy laying next to her, his arm around her waist spooning her as they fell asleep. Sharon found the idea of cuddling comforting but the possibility of cuddling in the nude sent her into a panic. This is so….so ….bizarre.

What the hell is wrong with me? Sharon wondered. I like sex. Well, I use to like sex. So it's been a while – years actually. Sharon came to realize it wasn't the idea of sex that was so difficult to deal with it. It was the thought of sex with someone she worked with that freaked her out.

Andy was obviously an attractive man, tall, charming, in good physical shape and rather handsome. He's not unattractive, Sharon thought. He does have an adorable smile, kind eyes, he's tough when he needs to be, and he knows how to kiss a woman. Why did't I kiss him back?

Perhaps in answer to her unspoken question, her cell phone rang loudly from her bedside table startling Sharon to bolt upright.

"Hello? Sharon Raydor," Sharon said automatically without glancing at the name of her caller on the phone's screen.

"Sharon? It's Andy."

What the hell is he doing calling me now?

"Sanchez asked me to call you. We got another dead drug dealer this time in Silver Lake. Looks like the old MO. Three gun shots.

Sharon sighed in relief, "Would you text me the address?"

"Sure, or I could pick you up. It's on the way," Andy suggested. Sharon nearly accepted but realized how it might look if the two of them arrived together on the crime scene at this hour of the night.

"That's nice of you but I'll meet you there," Sharon replied.

"It's no trouble."

"Thank you, Andy, but its not necessary," Sharon reassured him.

"Are you afraid I might try something…again?" Andy teased.

"Oh! No, that's not what I meant!"

"Glad to know I can make Darth Vader nervous." Sharon could hear the grin in Andy's voice. "I'll stay on my side of the car, I promise. See you in ten." Andy hung up before Sharon could refuse.

Was it obvious? A nervous Sharon sprang out of bed and raced to her shower. It was likely to be a long night and she would probably have to stay at the office for the rest of the next day before coming home to change. Within minutes she threw on a pair of jeans, and long-sleeved t-shirt before brushing her hair back into place. She had just finished applying mascara when her phone buzzed with a text from Andy.

"I'm at your door, don't want to knock and wake Rusty."

Sharon texted him back. "2 minutes."

Andy smiled to himself. At least she didn't sound mad at him. He leaned against the wall and waited for her.

Sharon scribbled a note and left it on the bathroom mirror for Rusty to see in the morning before hurrying up the hallway to grab her purse, clip her holster on and grab a coat. She opened the door and saw Andy waiting for her with a small smile and a sleepy expression.

"Lets go," Sharon said quickly and brushed past him.

"You mad?" Andy asked as he hustled to catch up.

"I'm fine," Sharon responded.

"You sound mad."

"I'm just tired," Sharon said as she pushed the elevator call button.

"Me, too. I was having the best dream about you," Andy said mischievously. Sharon frowned and turned sharply in surprise.

"What? It's true!" Andy said with a smirk. "It wasn't smutty…well, maybe a little bit…" The elevator arrived and the pair stepped inside as Andy's voice trailed off. Sharon blushed before their hands collided in reaching to press the Lobby button. They rode in silence for two seconds before Andy reached over and hit the red stop button causing the elevator to slide to a slow stop.

"What are you doing?" Sharon demanded as she reached to restart the elevator. Andy pulled her into his arms and paused with their faces just inches apart.

"We're not in the office Sharon so you can kiss me back if you want to," Andy said softly. He waited for his words to sink in.

"But we're on our way to a crime scene!" Sharon protested

"You really know how to sweet-talk a guy," Andy said dryly. "He'll be just as dead when we get there, eventually."

Sharon stared back at Andy's tired eyes. This was it. Sharon rose on her tiptoes and planted a chaste kiss on his lips then pulled back.

"You call that a kiss?" Andy feigned disappointment. "I see I'll have to teach you…"

Sharon cut him off. Her parted lips pressed against his before her tongue grazed his upper lip. Andy's eyebrows rose in happy surprise as his lips responded to hers and divulged a slight moan causing Sharon to smile a little.

"Why Ms. Raydor, I'm starting to think you might like me, too," Andy teased.

"I guess I do," Sharon murmured a little bashfully. She had surprised herself.

"One more for the road?" Andy asked hopefully as he continued to hold her tightly against him.

Sharon leaned forward and met his lips just as Andy turned around to pin her against the elevator wall. Andy's hands slid between her shirt and coat, across her back and down her waist. Sharon gasped and pulled back.

"We have to stop...," Sharon said unconvincingly. Andy nodded as his forehead pressed against hers then reached over to restart the elevator. They remained in place still holding each other close and breaking apart only as the elevator doors opened.

As they headed out into the night, each glanced at the other occasionally catching the other's eye on their way to his car. Andy opened her door for her. Both had shy smiles on their faces as he started the car's engine and pulled out of the parking lot. Sharon was silent thinking about what she had just done with Andy and began to feel a familiar panic rising up from her stomach before a warm hand on hers squelched it.

"This is a first," Andy commented.

"How so?"

"I've never held hands on my way to a crime scene before," Andy laughed as he lifted her hand to show her proof.

"Me, neither." Sharon grinned as she squeezed his hand back.

"There's no going back now," Andy said meaningfully.

"I know," Sharon said as her gaze dropped to their clasped hands.

-end-