AN: thank you so much for all the reviews, I enjoyed so much reading them! Also thank you for the favs and follows it's amazing! I know it has been a while since the last update, I had to put it in my daily planner today to get around to posting it. I hope you will enjoy reading the next chapter!
As always a big thank you to glistening sun for all the hard work as a beta. All mistakes left are mine.
Chapter fourteen
Sharon's thumb caressed the back of his hand. Oddly enough it was very soothing to him. He tried not to think about his heart racing in his chest. He tried not to think about his heartbeat drumming in his head and pulsing in his groin.
Beside the bed she stopped. Their legs touched the mattress. Andy couldn't think long about that ominous presence when Sharon turned towards him. Her fingers were still laced through his. She used the grip on his hand to pull herself closer to him.
Sharon took the lead. It was simply impossible for him to do so. It would have to be her, but he wasn't ready for her to take the lead either. He'd rather not look in her eyes, but those emerald gems captured him. She wouldn't let him go again.
It felt like drowning, like he was in the middle of the ocean unable to stay afloat even though he had his life jacket on, like swimming against the stream, but only getting tired. He was tired, tired of fighting against his feelings, his emotions, his love for her. It was impossible to fight against all that when she looked at him.
He tried to read her, but he couldn't. He believed he saw desire, a flicker of passion. That was an act, right? She tried to make it look real, so Mario would start taping. Yes, that must be it.
Sharon squeezed his hand before her free hand touched his neck. A cold shiver went through his body, although her touch was warm. The back of her thumb caressed his jaw, her eyes never leaving him. As she moved closer the tip of her nose touched his. Their lips were so close they could feel each other's breath. Although his heart was pounding in his chest, his breathing was calm and so was hers. He could feel her breasts slowly heaving up and down, pressed against his chest. Somehow it was calming, until he felt her lips on his, warm and smooth as silk. Gently she captured his lower lip between hers, then slowly releasing it although her lips still lingered near. He looked down, her eyes were closed. As her lips parted again, his heart skipped a beat, her kiss deeper this time.
Andy could feel her inhale, as she sucked again on his bottom lip. Her movements intensified, his lips responding whether he wanted to or not. This was what he had been so afraid for. The moment his body would rule over his mind and he would lose control over the situation. Her hand slowly travelled down from his neck to his chest. He waited for the moment that she would break free from him and end the kiss, but she didn't.
Instead she grabbed his jacket, making a step backwards, before she lowered herself onto the bed pulling him with her.
Not the bed….
Why did she have to kiss him? Why did this have to feel so good?
"Mhm…" Sharon hummed.
He hovered over her on the bed deepening his kiss. She tasted so good. The last thoughts he had about this being wrong disappeared with her next hum. Her fingers laced through his short hair, her arms wrapped around his neck to keep him close to her.
She wanted him as close as possible, so she could connect with every inch of his body. She wanted to feel his heartbeat. She wanted to smell his masculine scent. She loved the perfect mixture of his aftershave and body scent. Andy made her feel safe and whole. She forgot everything around them. It was just him and her, the warmth of his mouth, his hands on her waist, his thumbs slowly tracing her ribs. If there had been one butterfly before, her stomach was now filled with them. A good kind of anxiety bubbled up inside her body. Andy answered her kisses, his body pinning her on the mattress. Not forceful, not dominant, just passionate. It only made her kiss him harder, her breathing heavier, her pelvis moving up and down rhythmically, feeling exactly how aroused Andy was.
Deepening her kiss she missed the door opening. She was so engulfed in this newfound intimacy between them that she only noticed another presence in the room when Andy pulled away from her. At first it was a voice in the distance while she looked at Andy with a confused expression. His face was flushed. She could only hear her heavy heartbeat drumming in her ears. Slowly the voice became more clear. Cohen.
"…. the act. We've got him."
The words barely registered in her mind. The only thing she did was stare up at Andy. 'The act?' Was that it? Had it all been just an act? She tried to recall what had happened, how long it had been. It seemed timeless. From the moment her lips had touched his, time had slowed down. Andy had kissed her back, hadn't he? It hadn't been just her. Their kiss had deepened with each beat their hearts made.
One thing was for sure they had been both overwhelmed by their feelings.
Dazed she looked up at him, pulled from her intoxicated state of mind. Her lips were slightly parted and still wet from both of their saliva. She looked so vulnerable to him at this very moment. Her eyes were filled with emotions. They had both kissed, it hadn't just been him. It had been her and he had kissed her back, that's how it had happened. She had initiated it. Still, she seemed to look at him with so much confusion. Their lips were still close. He could feel her breath, her body slowly moving beneath him.
He was the first to break their gaze. His eyes fell. The sight of her heaving cleavage so inviting beneath him, made him practically leap up. It felt like he was restricting her. The last thing he wanted was for her to feel awkward. He didn't want their relationship to change and turn awkward over this.
Andy avoided her eyes. All of a sudden the mood had turned a hundred and eighty degrees. She bit her lip, turning on her side, so she could roll from the bed. Frowning she scanned the ground looking for her shoes. Apparently she had kicked them off at some point. The silence was deafening. Was she supposed to say something, or should she wait for him to start talking? Where butterflies had fluttered in her stomach before, a cold hard stone weighed it down now.
He didn't know what to say, so instead he lingered near the door waiting for her to join him. Was he making things more difficult for her like this? But what should he say? He couldn't just ignore this, could he? How would she feel? This was a mess. He'd been so afraid that something like this would happen, that it would destroy the easy-going relationship they had.
They had gone from not needing any words at all, to not knowing what went on in each other's minds. It was like all the time they had spend getting to know each other had been flushed down the drain.
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The ride to the station was reigned by silence. He was focusing on the road in front of him, while Sharon was staring out of the window into the dreary night. Outside the sky looked grey and grim. Rain was pouring down, like tears from heaven. How differently had the day started out: sunny, with smiles and laughter. The eerie silence between them made goose bumps appear all over his skin.
Mario was arrested and charged for solicitation, but that should only be the beginning. That was the only good thing about this. They were close to solving this case and Sharon wouldn't have to put herself in danger again. Andy tried to calm himself with these thoughts.
Sharon rested her back and head against the locker, looking up, staring at the little pattern of dots on the ceiling. Not one word had been spoken during their drive over there. She had practically run towards the locker room, once they had entered the building. She wanted to get out of that dress, away from the memories, away from his scent that still clung to her. She couldn't deal with that now. She had to be level headed. They would have to deal with Mario. At this moment they only had him on solicitation. She wanted him to go behind bars for murdering Andrea. She would just have to get her act together. She pulled on the hem of her blouse for a moment believing that if she pulled on it long enough, it would cover her body in the way Andy's shirt had. She loved the feel of his shirts on her skin, to be engulfed in Andy's scent. She even smelled for his scent on his sheets before trying to fall asleep.
In his arms she had slept peacefully, no nightmares were haunting her then. In his arms she felt safe, complete, like she had never felt with any man before.
A sigh escaped her lips. She would have to get some clarity in this mess. Now was not the time though. Swiftly she turned around, opening the door of the locker again, her hand reaching for the black skirt. Her legs were a bit wobbly when she stepped into it. All the commotion had drained her energy. She reached back to close her zipper. Her eyes closed at the sudden memory of Andy's hand on her hip, when he had closed her dress earlier. She bit her lip only stopping when she tasted blood.
Walking over to the mirror she stared at her own reflection. Her lipstick had faded, smeared by their passionate kiss. She wiped the remnants away, cleaned her eyelids and lashes from the excessive make-up. She ran her hands through her hair, smoothing out some of the mess the pillow had caused. She didn't like what she saw in her own eyes. Her mind wasn't where it should be. She needed this case with Mario to be over with, so she could get the far more important answers she needed. And the only way to accomplish that was to get her butt out there and into that interrogation room. Quickly she pulled her hair together tying it into a messy bun.
Andy was slowly beginning to get anxious. Sharon had disappeared the moment they walked in. He felt torn by now. Should he go after her and ask whether she was okay? Okay. What was okay? He for one didn't feel okay. He felt empty, like he'd lost a part of himself tonight.
Mario was already in the interrogation room. He wasn't too sure about what it would bring them. The guy had screamed 'lawyer' the moment Cohen and Zygerski arrested him and read him his rights. His lawyer wasn't one of the court appointed ones either. It was one of those fancy suits. He hated those. The last thing he needed tonight would be to be provoked by one of those asses. That surely wouldn't get him back into Sharon's graces.
Andy took a deep breath. He heard the clicking of her heels, warning him right before Sharon entered. She had changed clothes, probably couldn't wait to get out of that dress, to get away from everything that had happened in that hotel room. Even without the clingy, low-cut dress and make-up she still made his heart beat faster. He now knew how it felt to be kissed by her, to feel her lips on his. He shook his head to get rid of the memory. His focus should be in that interrogation room.
Her pace slowed as she neared him. There was a big fat elephant in the room with them and he had no idea how to get rid of it. Hamilton broke the uneasy silence.
"Elliot. Good job."
The tiniest smile appeared on her lips. It was a sad smile. Her mind was elsewhere and Andy could imagine where it was. He knew her body language well enough to know that she couldn't keep her posture.
"I mean it, without you we wouldn't have been able to bring him in."
Andy stared at the floor. "Don't know what good it will do. He has already lawyered up."
Sharon looked over at Andy, hands in his pockets, staring down, acting indifferent to the world around him. He was clearly nervous about being close to her.
"The two of you will have a little talk with him, see how much he's willing to share." Hamilton looked at his two officers. Elliot nodded, Flynn was still studying the pattern of the carpet on the floor. What was going on with these two? The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife. They had better work it out, he needed them to be at the top of their game.
Sharon was the first to walk into the room. The shock on Mario's face was clearly visible. He stared in awe. His attorney smiled though.
"Sharon, what a nice surprise."
She answered his wide smile with a tight one herself, her eyes locking onto his. The vulnerable look from before had completely disappeared and was replaced by two green eyes calculating her move. The corners of her mouth curled, but her smile was far from genuine.
"Jonas, it's been a while. "
"I was sorry to hear Jack and you broke off your engagement."
Andy raised his eyebrow, the guy surely didn't look sorry.
"Maybe we should have a drink at the club, do some catching up?"
Andy's jaw tightened, his back muscles tensing while he clenched his fists.
From the corner of her eye she saw Andy's body tensing up. She couldn't help but smile, he was jealous. So she had been right, he had willingly returned her kiss. It hadn't just been an act. He had true feelings for her. For a moment she considered accepting the lawyer's invitation to tease Andy a bit, but that would bring with it the risk of him losing control somewhere during this conversation. That was the last thing they needed. She wanted to talk to him tonight and she couldn't do that if he had to spend the evening talking to an officer from IA.
Mario looked disgusted. "Are you hitting on her? You're my lawyer, you're supposed to be on my side."
"I can keep business and pleasure separate."
That slick smile of the guy! He was probably one of Jack's friends - or all lawyers were the same. Andy felt the extreme need to wipe it from his face. He needed Sharon to look at him, to calm him. She wasn't though. She was still looking at that slick bastard. He knew it was to either lay out a honey trap for the guy, or she was still desperately trying to avoid him. He cleared his throat.
"So."
"Before you start asking my client any questions: don't bother. He won't talk. We'll only talk to the DA about a deal."
"Yeah, you tricked me, lady."Mario looked angry as he pointed at Sharon.
She only smiled amusedly, raising her eyebrows. Making him more annoyed.
"You certainly looked different before, what's with the librarian outfit?"
Sharon simply smiled. Andy narrowed his eyes though, once again protective. She had always believed that it was just him being protective over her as her partner and mentor. She had never believed he loved her, not until that kiss.
"Why don't we concentrate on why we're here. You had me paying you to go up with her."
"My client was tricked into this."
" We have witnesses willing to testify your client had his business first set up at the Asturion hotel."
Sharon's eyes locked on Jonas.
"This wasn't a onetime venture. I did not approach him, he approached me."
Andy smiled, as Jonas suddenly no longer looked at her as friendly as he had before.
"My client will use his right to remain silent, so he won't incriminate himself."
Sharon put her hands on the table, smiling.
"Fine. If you want to play it like that, we will."
Sharon pushed herself up from the chair and walked to the door. Andy wasn't sure whether this was her way to pressure this guy or a form of her bluffing. He looked just as surprised as the lawyer.
He still did when they met up in the murder room. Hamilton looked just as confused, and even more when he saw Andy looking confused as well. Normally they were a team, partners who didn't need words to communicate. That was what made them so good. Something had already been off before the interrogation. He had noticed it when they returned from the field.
Andy listened while Hamilton asked the question he couldn't ask her, as he didn't dare speak to her.
"Why didn't you continue?"
"Jonas won't let him answer any of our questions. We better focus on getting more proof rather than waste our time in that interrogation room."
Hamilton believed she must have her reasons for being so sure. "You know that lawyer?"
"Yes, he's a friend of Jack's. He's good. If I was his lawyer, I wouldn't let him speak to us either. "
Sharon was probably right. Like so many times. They should find more evidence.
"Do we already have a search warrant?"
"Cohen is on it."
"Do I hear my name, Commander?"
"The search warrant?"
"Wouldn't count on it. Spoke to the DA, Oldman is the judge on call. He's got it in for us."
Andy grunted. The last time he'd dealt with Oldman he had ended up in jail for the night. Some bullshit about being in contempt.
Sharon looked confused from Hamilton to Cohen and Andy. "It can't be that bad. We have the law on our side. I'm sure we'll manage to convince him."
Hamilton sighed. Sharon might be able to persuade the old geezer with her charm. Besides, she still had a clean slate with the man.
"You better go with Cohen. You certainly won't get anything done with Flynn."
Hamilton saw the surprise on her face.
"Last time I send Flynn to the man he was locked up in jail for the night. "
Andy narrowed his eyes. "The old geezer lost his marbles. "
"And that's exactly why he held you in contempt. You go with Cohen, Sharon, maybe we'll be lucky and he'll like the newest addition to our team."
Part of Andy was relieved that he wouldn't have to spend another uncomfortable car ride with Sharon. He could go home. Alone. No uncomfortable goodbyes. Maybe, just maybe things would all have cleared up by morning.
Hamilton pulled Andy aside. "What's going on with you?"
Andy hated Hamilton's scrutinizing eyes.
"What's wrong with the two of you?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"You aren't communicating. Elliot and you, you aren't talking."
"That's ridiculous."
"No, it isn't. You haven't spoken one word to each other since you got here. You had no idea why she walked out of that interrogation room."
"She could hardly tell them our strategy, could she?"
"It doesn't matter, normally you know exactly what she's thinking. So what the hell is going on? Did something happen?"
Hell yeah. They had kissed and God knows how far it would have gone if Cohen hadn't interrupted them when he did. He had felt her pelvis move up, she must have felt his arousal. He'd lost himself in his passion for her. He had lost every ounce of control over his body. That's what had happened. That's why things were awkward now.
"Don't tell me nothing happened. Both of you are acting strangely."
"Look, I'm tired. Tomorrow's going to come soon enough. "
Andy would not give him any answers. Hamilton just hoped things would resolve soon. He needed them to be at the top of their game.