A/N: This story is dedicated to my friend Claudia. I hope this will make you feel better.

Sharon always thought that physical attraction was an odd thing. She could never pinpoint it, really. It was more than meeting a person who was so good-looking that sleeping with him seemed like the right thing to do. She's never really had that kind of feeling. No, it was about connecting to someone so deeply that she wanted to hold him close, to look into his eyes, to feel his lips pressing against hers, to caress his hair, to share her body and soul with him. That was something she didn't even feel with Jack, or maybe she did to an extent, but not with the same intensity as she fantasized about.

With Andy, this kind of passion was off the limits. That was because she was trying to protect her heart, her life, her family, and her job. With Jack it all started quickly. Only 8 months passed since she went on a date with him for the first time until she was walking down the aisle. She was not even 20 back then and the rushed decision to get into a lifelong relationship was something she definitely didn't intend to repeat.

For that reason, the boundaries between Andy and her were clear and she was the one deciding how and when they moved forward. She knew it was old-fashioned, but there was something very romantic about courting each other in the modern world. She couldn't think of anyone she knew who still did that. It was unusual for a couple to kiss each other for the first time on the 4th date, and even then only a soft short peck, and yet, when it happened, her skin tingled with excitement she could barely contain. The kisses between them deepened only a month and 6 dates later, when she finally opened her mouth to allow more than that. It was the atmosphere, she knew, that made her get carried away for the first time. They were at the beach, sitting on a blanket and having a picnic, sipping sparkling cider. Andy was looking at her so softly that she felt heat creeping up her neck. The last sunrays made his brown eyes seem golden, and she felt her breath hitching. As if an invisible magnet drew them together, their lips met and this time, Sharon let him taste her mouth, and she definitely enjoyed tasting his. She couldn't wipe the smile off her face for a good 24 hours afterwards.

Even though they have been dating for almost 6 months now, they still haven't gone much farther than that. The progress of their relationship has stalled since Andy's injury, health issues and surgery. The physical sense of it was actually in regression and Sharon was not sure how she felt about this. However, on an emotional level, they were definitely progressing and that was a great thing for her. She truly believed that a relationship needed to have a strong emotional foundation.

It's been a while since they found the time to be together without Rusty's presence and she craved spending time with him alone. Therefore after Christmas dinner at Nicole's she suggested to Rusty that he and Gus will head to the condo while she will spend some time with Andy at his home. Rusty didn't have any objections and since they arrived in two different cars, it was easy to split up.

She didn't have any particular thing that she wanted to do at Andy's, so she was perfectly content with just sitting on the couch, leaning into him and watching TV. They watched Home Alone silently, both of them knowing the films too well to actually consider it funny, although Andy did point out from time to time the different criminal offenses the characters could be arrested for and it made Sharon grin.

"I don't know if I said this to you recently, but I really missed this," she said softly.

"Watching Christmas movies?" Andy asked.

"No, being close to you, without having to worry about you dying on me," Sharon replied.

"I missed it too. I'm glad I can finally hug you without feeling pain," Andy smiled and wrapped his arms around her. "And kiss you without losing my breath." His lips captured hers in a tentative kiss. Sharon brought her palm to rest on his cheek and relaxed into it, spreading her lips and granting his tongue entrance into the furnace of her mouth. Their kiss was languid, a slow lock of lips, so careful and delicate, as if they were scared of breaking each other into pieces. It was Sharon who picked up the pace, sensually drawing his bottom lip into the moistness of her mouth and then releasing it and moving to do the same with his upper lip. Her free hand settled at the nape of his neck, the fingers slowly sliding into the back of his forest green Christmas sweater. She felt Andy smiling under her lips as his arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer, his tongue crossing the threshold of her lips and exploring the silkiness of her mouth. With his arms still around her waist, he shifted his position and pulled her over his lap, so she was now pressed between the armrest of the couch and Andy's body, with her legs draped over his. She felt the muscles of her neck straining and with her lips still latched onto his, moved one of her legs to straddle him. It's been quite a while since she's been in this position with any man, but somehow, this felt right. Actually, more than right, and it sent a wave of excitement all the way down to her center.

Their kiss was now a heated entanglement of lips, accompanied by ragged breaths and quick puffs of air coming from their mouths and noses. Sharon felt a sudden tightening in her lower stomach. It wasn't painful, but it gained her attention. It must have been the position straining her muscles, she concluded and pushed it to the back of her mind, as her lips devoured Andy's. One of his hands roamed up and down her back while the other grounded her to him. His lips descended to nibble at her pulse point. He's never done this before. In fact, they've never kissed so fervently before. Most of their kisses up until today were rather chaste and controlled. His tongue swirling against the skin of her neck erased any coherent thought from her mind, and the only thing she felt was her blood rushing in her veins. She wondered what his tongue would feel like on her naked body. The tightening at her stomach became a pleasant tingling sensation that travelled slowly down her body to the apex of her thighs. It grew stronger and stronger by the second, building up inside her until she threw her head back and let out a loud and deep moan that reverberated through the room. It took her a moment to realize what had happened and she jumped out of Andy's arms.

"I'm so sorry," she felt the blood rushing to her face.

"Sharon, did you just…"

"I don't know. I don't know! It's the first time this ever happened to me," she felt herself panicking. "I'm so so sorry, Andy. I don't know what got into me."

"Don't worry about –" Sharon shook her head. "Okay," he mumbled instead. He patted at the couch next to him and Sharon sat down, making sure to leave enough space between them to avoid touching. Silence spread between them and Andy looked at her. She was withering before his eyes, crumbling into herself at the thought of what had happened. "Do you want to talk about it?" he offered as she buried her face in her palms. "This never happened to you with Jack?" he tried again after a couple of minutes.

"No," her voice was weak.

"You know it's not a bad thing, right?" his voice was soft.

"We got carried away," she sighed.

"Did we do anything you didn't want to do, Sharon?" Andy looked at her and she knew he was worried.

"No, I enjoyed what we were doing. Too much." She felt like a silly teenager who discovered her desire for the first time.

"Sharon, were you having bedroom thoughts?" Andy tried to control his voice, but Sharon could sense the amused undertone.

"We agreed to take this slow, Andy."

"I know we did, but you were obviously thinking of something arousing, otherwise you wouldn't have had an orga–"

"Don't say it!" she waved her hands in the air frantically.

"Okay, I can see this is stressful to you. We don't have to keep talking about it. I just wanna say that if you've reached the age of 60 without experiencing one, then it only means that Jack and whoever else you've been with was a lousy lover. And I hope that when we decide to take our relationship to the bedroom, you will allow me to give you another one."

"We'll see about that," Sharon responded. Andy smiled in response and patted the empty spot by his side again.

"Let's finish watching the movie," he said and they resumed their previous spots – Andy's arms around her shoulders and her head tucked under his chin. Sharon could hear his heart thumping rhythmically under her ear. It grounded her and calmed her. She felt lucky to have a man like Andy, who truly cared for her happiness and pleasure. Maybe she was not ready to have sex with him yet, but she was convinced that when she does, it would be a wonderful experience. One thing was for sure: she was certainly looking forward for the next time Andy will make her spontaneously combust under his touch.

THE END

As always, I'll be happy to know what you thought about this story, so feel free to leave a review or send me a PM.