Author's note: I promised a longer chapter, and I wrote one! Keeping my word! I'm pretty proud of this one… we're getting somewhere people!

Every single one of your reviews makes me SO HAPPY and is SO MOTIVATING! I love writing for all of you!

Don't forget to review this chapter too!


Chapter 12

"Take the first step." Andy mumbled moodily, glaring at the phone in her hands. Traci was right. If she wanted things with Sam to get to the next level, she had to make the first move. Problem was, she had no idea what kind of move to make. She obviously couldn't just invite him over and crawl on his lap to make out, but still wanted to do more than go shopping and chat.

"What do I do?" She said out loud, the only reply coming from a loud gurgle to her left. She glanced at her son who was sitting next to her on his floor mat, looking up at her with a curious look. She leaned back against the couch and raised her eyebrows expectantly. "Huh? Matty, tell me what to do."

The baby squinted his eyes and gave her a dimpled grin, making her chuckle. "You're such a smooth talker." She told him, making him giggle happily.

Andy sighed and looked at the phone in her hands again, glaring at it as if it was mocking her. What was so hard in dialing his number and asking him out on a date? She groaned and closed her eyes tightly, getting more and more frustrated at herself. What the hell was wrong with her?

Her eyes shot open as she heard the front door open, and she grinned when she saw Dov walking in the house. "Hey! I didn't know you had the afternoon off." Her smile widened as she was glad to have some company.

Dov wrinkled his nose slightly and joined her in the living room. "I don't. Noelle had a few errands to run during our lunch break, so I asked her to drop me off here and pick me up after she's done."

"Oh." She mumbled, giving a small pout.

Dov sat on the couch and patted the empty space next to him. Andy lifted herself off the floor and joined him on the couch, sitting close enough to lay her head on his shoulder. "Hey, are you ok?" He asked her, concern filling his voice.

Andy shrugged her shoulders and lifted her head so she could look at him. "I'm fine." She told him, giving him a small smile.

Dov returned her smile and lifted his chin at the phone in her hands. "Waiting for a call?"

"I'm actually trying to find enough courage to call Sam. I want to ask him on a date."

"Really? That's cool." He told her.

Andy couldn't ignore the slight frustration she heard in his voice. "What's with you?"

Dov let out a long sigh and gave her a small smile. "I don't know. I kind of… miss you, I guess. Since Swarek came back in the picture, I've been feeling a little left out. Pathetic, huh?"

"No, you're not! Do you want to come on a date with the two of us?" she asked, trying to lighten the mood but regretting it when she saw the look on his face. "I'm sorry, I'm just kidding." She sighed and put her head on his shoulder again. "I miss you too, you know." She muttered sadly. She DID. She'd been so busy lately, she hadn't realized how much less time she spent with her friend.

"It's just, we used to spend so much time together with Matty, and now, you spend most of that time with Swarek. And, don't get me wrong, I'm GLAD you're working things out with him. I can see that you're happier, and I don't want anything less than for you to be happy, Andy." He titled his head to give her a small sad smile. "I should've known this was going to happen at some point."

A loud cry coming from the floor interrupted them, as Matty turned around and started crawling towards them. Dov grinned and picked him up, holding him up on his lap. "Hey, buddy! You want some attention too?" Matty gave him a large smile, showing off his two small teeth.

"I know I'm gonna sound stupid, but I was really enjoying this perfect little family life we had going for a while." He told her, smiling sadly.

Andy nodded her head, returning his weak smile. "I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't been there for me, you know that right?" She lifted her hand up to her son's head. "Matty loves you. I love you. We just… it's like we've been given a once in a life time chance to be a real family."

"I know! And I totally understand! Like I said, I'm happy for you!" He assured her, holding Matty as he jumped up and down on his lap.

Andy lifted her chin towards the baby. "You know you're always going to be his favorite uncle, right?"

"Of course I do." He chuckled, lifting the baby up over his head. "You love uncle Dov, huh Matty-man?" He said in a funny voice, earning a loud giggle from his nephew. "Promise me I'll have the right to visit any time I want when you and Swarek move in together."

Andy snorted. "We're not there yet, Dov." She sighed and nodded her head. "But you know you'll always be more than welcome in my house. I've actually been thinking about getting a house with an apartment over the garage or something, this way you'd still be living with us." She told him, half serious.

Dov chuckled and shook his head. "I don't think Swarek would be very excited about this idea. And ANYWAY, it wouldn't look good to bring ladies back to my friend's garage." He told her, giving her a playful wink.

"Maybe you're right…" Andy sighed and held her arms out. "Group hug?"

Dov rolled his eyes at her, unable to keep from grinning. "You're so cheesy, McNally." He let her pull them both into her arms, laughing as the baby tried to push her away. "Alright, enough!" He chuckled and stood up, taking Matty with him. "I've got to eat something before Noelle comes back." He held out his hand to her and gave her a small wink. "So let's go talk about that DATE with Swarek in the kitchen."

RBRBRBRBRBRBRBRB

When Noelle came back to get Dov, Andy finally had a date with Sam.

Although she would have been surprised if he hadn't agreed, she'd had a moment of shock when Sam had actually said yes. With Dov, she'd come up with the idea of asking Sam if he wanted to have dinner at a nice restaurant, to spend time together and talk. Dov had made sure to remind her that the date didn't have to end after dinner. He'd graciously offered to take care of Matty while they'd be out together, and had not too subtly implying that she didn't have to come back 'till morning if she wanted.

Andy sighed, remembering how much she'd wanted to wipe that smirk off his face.

But right now, as she stared at her reflection in the full length mirror in her room, all she could think about was how nervous she was. She felt like she was a fourteen year old going on her first date with the boy she really liked. She let out a long breath, finally content with what she looked like. She'd chosen to wear her favorite black skirt, which was just short enough to show off her legs, and a dark red top. She'd chosen to let her hair down, letting the curls drop down her back.

She glanced at the time on her nightstand and nearly shrieked, realizing he was going to be there any minute. She turned around, scrambling to put her shoes on, grimacing as she saw the horrible state her bedroom was in. 'There's no way I'm bringing him back in here.' She thought, but then shook her head. 'Woah, there, Andy. You're not bringing anyone here tonight… nor going to his place.' She berated herself, not believing the thoughts going through her head.

She heard Dov calling her name from downstairs, so she grabbed her handbag and, with one last disgusted look at her bedroom, she turned the lights off and walked out. She found Dov sitting on the couch watching TV, with Matty sitting on his lap, looking like he was a few seconds from falling asleep. "What is it?"

Dov shrugged. "Nothing. I just thought you'd spent enough time staring at yourself in the mirror."

She groaned and came to stand in front of the TV, blocking his view. "Do I look okay?" she asked him, biting on her lower lip nervously.

Dov looked her up and down, his brow furrowed. "Turn around."

She did what she was told. "So?"

"Turn around again." He nodded his head solemnly, trying his best not to show his smile as she did everything he told her to do. "Now turn, but the other way around."

She did as she was told, but stopped and glared at him when she heard him chuckle. "DOV! You think you're so funny, don't you?" She told him through gritted teeth. "Could you stop laughing at me, please?"

Dov rolled his eyes at her. "You look awesome, Andy." He assured her, giving her a cheeky grin. "I'd say you look freaking hot, but wouldn't want Matty here to hear me."

Andy lifted her hand towards him. "Matty's asleep."

"So you want me to tell you you look hot?"

"NO!" She groaned and threw her head back.

Dov chuckled and shook his head at her. "Relax, Andy. You could be dressed in a pair of sweats and a large t-shirt and Swarek would still drool all over you." She sent him a doubting look, but still wasn't able to hide the blush on her cheeks. "When is he supposed to get here again?"

Just as she was about to answer there was a knock at the door, making her eyes grow huge in near panic.

Dov raised his eyebrows at her, waiting for her to answer the door. "Do you want me to get the door while you go change for the thousandth time?"

She pulled her tongue at him and went to the door, taking a deep breath before opening it. "Hi!"

"Hey. Sorry I'm a little late." He told her, walking inside the house. His smile widened when he saw Dov stand up from the couch and make his way towards him with a sleeping Matty in his arms. "Epstein." He stroked his son's hair gently, careful not to wake him. "You're gonna take good care of my boy while we're out?"

"Of course I will. Not like it's the first time I babysit, you know." He reminded him, ignoring the man's slight scowl at his words. He lifted his chin at him, giving him a cocky smile. "And you, are you gonna take good care of my best friend tonight?" He asked him, using the same tone Sam had used on him.

"OKAY!" Andy stepped in, taking Sam's hand and pulling him towards the door. "Wouldn't want to lose our table!" She sent Dov a look, letting him know she'd talk to him when she'd get back. "Thanks for babysitting, Dov! Have a good night!"

Dov waved at them, a wide smile on his face. "You two have a great night! Bring her back before curfew!" He added, chuckling as he heard Andy groan in irritation before the door closed behind them. He sighed and looked down at the sleeping baby. "I guess it's just you and me, buddy."

On the other side of the door, Sam was still frowning. "What was that back there?" Sam asked as they were slowly making their way to his truck.

Andy sighed and shook her head, sensing the irritation in his voice. "I'm sorry. He's got nothing against you, he's been teasing me all day." She gave him a shy smile. "He actually told me he was happy about our date tonight."

Sam's irritated frown disappeared instantly, replaced with a soft smile. "I'm happy too." He told her, stopping next to the truck. "You look incredible, by the way."

Andy could feel her cheek growing warmer. Somehow she knew she'd had to get used to blushing tonight. "Thank you. You look great too." Great wasn't enough to describe the man standing in front of her. With his black pants and dark shirt, Sam looked… simply gorgeous. She'd never seen a man look more endearing than he did right now.

Sam's grin widened, making his dimples appear, and opened the door for her. She climbed in the truck and took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves as Sam made his way to the driver's side. He joined her in the cab and gave her a small wink before starting the engine. "Hope you're hungry! I'm starving."

"Yeah!" She agreed, even if food was the last thing on her mind at the moment.

The restaurant she'd chosen to bring him to wasn't too classy, but was still a lot nicer than all the places they'd eaten together before. Their night might have had a rocky start, but then everything seemed to fall into place perfectly. They started making small talk, their conversation going from station gossip, to Matty. Then, she talked about her pregnancy, about her past, her mom. Sam, on his part, talked about his undercover mission and his sister.

Time seemed to fly without them noticing.

When the waiter came to get their empty plates and asked them if they wanted dessert, they both glanced at each other, silently asking the other if they were still hungry. "Yeah, give us a few minutes please?" Sam asked the waiter politely, taking the menu from his hands. He looked at Andy, grinning. "Come on, I know you want dessert. I can see it in your face."

She grimaced and patted her stomach. "I don't know. I'm already pretty full from the main course."

Sam gaped at her mockingly. "Are you going to tell me you don't want dessert?"

She rolled her eyes at him and chuckled. "Alright you win." She grabbed the menu from his hands and glanced at it, looking for anything with chocolate in it. "Yum, chocolate mousse."

Sam just grinned at her, apparently finding her quite amusing. She glanced up at him and raised her eyebrows innocently. "What?"

"Nothing."

"What? Sam, tell me."

Sam reached out and took her hand in his, brushing his thumb slowly on her skin. He let out a long breath and gave her a soft grin. "I was just thinking… about how much I wish I could spend every dinner with you."

She blushed, unable to keep herself from smiling back. "Really?"

"Yes, really. Almost makes me wish this night would never end."

Andy gave him her megawatt smile and tilted her head slightly, eyes sparkling. The waiter chose that moment to come back to get their order. "I'll have the chocolate mousse." She told him, her eyes never leaving Sam's.

"Good choice. And you sir?"

He nodded his head. "I'll have the same thing."

"Excellent."

Andy broke eye contact to look at the waiter before he walked away. "Could you please make them to go?" The waited nodded his head and walked off.

Sam raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Are you ready to leave?" he asked her, sounding a little disappointed.

Andy gave him a crooked grin and shrugged her shoulders. "I thought we could eat dessert at your place." She told him. "I mean… if it's okay with you." She added, waiting for his reaction.

Sam seemed more than pleased with her idea. He squeezed her hand gently and nodded his head in agreement. "I'd love that."

Just a few minutes before both hadn't wanted the evening to end, but now they couldn't wait to get their desserts and leave.

The drive to his place was mostly quiet, both of them a little nervous about what the evening would bring. Andy was having a silent conversation with herself, trying to remind herself not to take things too fast.

What she didn't know was that Sam, on the other hand, was also having a conversation with himself. He wanted her, no doubt about it, but he had to make sure that he did the right thing and waited for her to be completely ready. At this point, a simple kiss on the lips would mean a lot more to both of them than it would to another couple.

They finally reached his house. Sam parked the truck and turned off the engine, giving her a slightly nervous smile. They climbed out of the cab and Andy followed him up the stairs to the front door, carrying the brown bag that held their two desserts. Sam quickly unlocked the door and walked in, turning the lights on as he moved out of her way. "Sorry for the mess, I didn't think I'd have company tonight." He told her, giving her an apologetic grin.

Andy smiled back and let her eyes wander around the living room. There were a few magazines on the coffee table and a shirt that had been left on the back of the couch, but that was it. "If THIS is was you call a messy house, I wonder what you call my place." She told him half jokingly. With Matty's toys scattered everywhere, her house looked like a zoo.

Sam let out a low chuckled and shook his head, giving her a warm look. "Your place looks fine, Andy. Don't worry about it." He pointed at the bag in her hands. "I'll get us a couple of spoons and we can eat in the living room, if you'd like."

She nodded her head and watched him disappear into the kitchen, before making her way around the couch. She sat down and opened the bag, taking out the two plastic containers and setting one in front of herself and the other one next to hers. She smiled as Sam walked back into the living room and came to sit down next to her, handing her a spoon.

They both opened their container and dug into their chocolate mousse eagerly. Andy closed her eyes as sighed as it hit her tongue, letting out a small moan. "This is even better than I thought." She mumbled, glancing at Sam. She blushed furiously as she found his dark eyes staring right at her. "What? It's good!"

He chuckled and shook his head, lifting his cake up to her. "Do you want to eat mine?"

"Why? You don't like it?"

"Oh, yeah, it's delicious. I just like hearing you moan more than chocolate." He told her, giving her a mischievous grin.

She gaped at him and slapped his arm playfully. "SAM! I can't believe you just said that!" There she was again, blushing at something he'd said. She shook her head and took another mouthful of the cake, making sure she moaned even louder than before.

Sam chuckled and wrinkled his brow. "Nah, this one did nothing for me." He teased her, taking a bite from his dessert. "You're gonna have to try harder."

Andy raised her eyebrows at his bluntness. Was he actually going there? She tilted her head and squinted her eyes, deciding to play along. The Sam she remembered loved flirting with her. She also knew Sam hadn't been acting like himself lately, probably making sure he didn't step out of her comfort zone. As much as she found the special attention he was giving her nice, she was enjoying him going back to his own teasing self again. "Oh, you want me to try harder, is that it? Wouldn't you like that?" She teased back, loving the way his eyes sparkled with mischief.

She took a deep breath and, surprising herself almost as much as him, she put her hand behind his head and slowly pulled him towards her. She closed her eyes and sighed as his lips touched hers in a tentative kiss. Sam lifted his free hand to cradle her face gently, instantly responding to the kiss. The kiss was slow and sensual as they took their time tasting each other. Andy let out a small moan and parted her lips, deepening the kiss.

She felt Sam moan into her mouth, making her grin against his lips. She broke the kiss and pulled back a little. "How was that for trying harder?" she whispered saucily, making him smile.

"A lot better." He whispered back, caressing her cheek gently. "Do you want to finish dessert?" He asked her, a not so subtle attempt to know if he could kiss her again.

Her blush deepened and she shook her head. She dropped her dessert on the coffee table and did the same thing with his, before pulling him down to her once more.

Sam didn't hesitate to deepen the kiss again, this time letting his hands wander over her shoulders and down her arms to rest on her waist. He squeezed her waist gently as their lips danced in unison. One of his hands reached up to cradle her cheek again, tilting her head back slightly. His lips left hers and travelled to her neck, leaving a hot trail of passionate kisses as he tasted her skin. She could feel herself quickly losing control as his mouth moved sensually on her skin, making her whole body tingle. She heard a low growl coming from him before he lifted his face back up and captured her lips again.

Without any warning Sam took a sharp intake of breath and broke the kiss, pulling himself back slightly. Andy frowned and opened her eyes as she tried to control her labored breathing. "Sam?"

Sam took a long shaky breath and slowly shook his head, his eyes heavy with passion. "Andy, you have no idea what you do to me." He breathed out, his warm hands softly stroking her cheeks. "I just… I don't want us to jump into something you're not ready for." He told her, grazing his thumb over her swollen lips. "What happened to 'taking things slow'?"

Andy gave him a shaky grin, her eyes never leaving his dark gaze. "You know I don't do time and space." She told him, remembering a short conversation they'd had a long, long time ago. "But…" She sighed. "I think you're right. I should go."

He nodded his head slowly, a soft smile playing on his lips. "You should." He whispered back, agreeing with her.

She couldn't keep herself from grinning as he didn't move nor take his hands away from her. "Before we do something we regret." She added, glancing at his full lips.

He shook his head slowly and held her gaze. "I wouldn't regret spending the night with you, Andy. The only thing I'd regret would be not to have taken my time seducing you." He admitted.

Her smile widened at his words. "What? Sam Swarek, are you saying you want to WOO me?" She asked him teasingly.

He let out a low chuckled and nodded his head in agreement. "I do. I think you deserve to be wooed." He repeated her words, stroking her cheek softly.

Andy's heart skipped a beat at the look of love and devotion she could see swimming in Sam's dark eyes. Never, in her whole life, had a man made her feel this way. Like she was the most important person in the world. She could feel her eyes filling with tears as she held his gaze, her hands still fisted in the fabric of his shirt. She gave him a weak smile and pulled his face down to hers again, kissing his lips softly and pulling back before it got out of control again. She moved out of his embrace and stood up from the couch, holding her hand out to him. "It's time for you to drive me home, Sam." She told him, smiling down at him.

Sam took her hand and stood up, following her as she led him to the front door. "You didn't finish your dessert." He told her, pointing towards the living room.

"I think I've had plenty of dessert for one night." She told him as she opened the door and walked out.

Sam chuckled and shook his head, grabbing his keys and following her out to his truck. He couldn't wipe the grin from his face the whole drive back to her house, as he thought how much this date had turned out even BETTER than he'd expected.


SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO? Liked it? Was kinda hot, wasn't it? I think Ben Bass is just so FREAKING HOT! Sex on a stick. ANYWAY don't forget to let me know what you thought!

Tanya