AUTHOR'S NOTE: IN RESPONSE TO LADY GAGA'S REVIEW... I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR FRANK REMARKS. I AM IN TOTAL AGREEMENT WITH MOST OF YOUR GRIEVANCES. MY 'DOTS' DO DRIVE A SANE PERSON BONKERS. I HAVE DEFINITELY STEERED FROM THE USUAL FAIR ON THE SHOW. BRENDA WOULD NOT HAVE JUMPED INTO BED WITH ANOTHER MAN JUST WILLY NILLY. THIS IS, HOWEVER..FANFICTION. I BELIEVE EACH AUTHOR HAS THE RIGHT TO USE HER/HIS IMAGINATION WHEN CONSTRUCTING A STORY. I EXERCISED MY RIGHT, JUST AS YOU DID TO REVIEW AND OFFER YOUR OPINION. THANK YOU FOR THE TIME AND EFFORT IT TOOK TO DO SO. IF MY EFFORTS FELL SHORT, I AM SORRY. YOU TOOK THE TIME TO CHECK OUT A FIC THAT WAS, OBVIOUSLY..NOT TO YOUR LIKING. I WISH YOU BETTER LUCK IN YOUR NEXT ENDEAVOR.
TO BAMBOOZLE, LANAJOY AND SPICYGOODNESS (LOVE THAT HANDLE!)... AND, OF COURSE, BELOVED MICHAEL. THE SUPPORT WAS GREATLY APPRECIATED AND MOST KIND OF YOU ALL TO RALLY AROUND A RATHER BEWILDERED WRITER. MY HEART WAS TOUCHED DEEPLY. YOUR GOOD HUMOR AND WIT MADE MY WEEK!
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE. (A GUY HAS TO DO..WHAT A GUY HAS TO DO...) SEXUAL SITUATIONS...VERY MATURE SUBJECT MATTER. NO MINORS PLEASE.
Flynn's pulse jumped erratically for the carelessly stated exclamation, his fingers tightening abruptly on the corner section of his hallway wall.
He had heard what Brenda had said..he understood the word and the premise behind it.
She wanted ..him. And while a part of his brain registered the sexual aspect of such a delicious concept, another was flashing warning beepers of alarm.
"...Chief." Perhaps she had not believed him when he told her..before. "You don't have to..eh.." He motioned aimlessly with his free hand, clearing his throat gently. "Hey..I didn't mean this.." He indicated, his hand swishing back and forward in an even stroke between herself and his form. "As a 'come on'..really!"
Brenda was touched by his effort to clear her conscience. She held her amusement admirably.
"REALLY..." He emphasized. "That would make me a real louse and a major asswipe. You shouldn't feel you have to.." Well, that just sounded egotistical. He backed off. "Look.." He decided to try another route, because this one..sucked. He scratched his head, totally thrown off balance by this new development. "If I've in any way made you ..."
"You don't want to..." Brenda had deliberately pretended to misunderstand his halting 'explanation'.
"Oh...I 'want', Chief!" Andy corrected THAT misconception hastily enough, his expression and manner delighting the woman's ego. "God is my witness.." He stressed, his tone unsteady, his hand wiping the newly formed sweat beads from his brow. "I 'want'..BELIEVE me! But..I gave you my word and what type of creep would I be if I went back on it now? You could never trust me again and with good freakin cause! Right?"
Brenda was touched by his sincerity, losing her previous mood. She closed her eyes for a long beat, deciding to be a little truthful herself. "...the thought of..being alone right now..." She felt shitty. Out of sorts and..afraid and..lonely and..just...not herself at all.
Life had kicked her in the teeth..again. For the first time, Brenda just felt like..laying there. She just didn't feel up to 'coping' this time. She was just too tired...too pissed...too...defeated. The 'fight' just didn't seem all that important any longer.
"I...just...don't want to do it." She confided in a soft whisper of growing anxiety.
She had always known what path to take..which way to go, the path was a straight and narrow one and..she had no trouble walking it. Not ever. She knew her goals..her objectives. Why then..now, did she find everything so..trivial.
Had her values changed so drastically in so short an interval?
Flynn stepped the space between them, his expression a 'worried' one. "Never said you had to be alone." He shook his head minutely, the dark eyes allowing his concern. "That was never on the table...not an option, Chief. You should already know that."
Brenda slipped her hands around his body, her fingers curling into the hard muscles of his shoulders and back, taking comfort in his presence. She hid her face into the warm recesses of his neckline, the masculine tang of cologne and 'male' offering added consolation. "I do know that, Lt." She murmured quietly. "...does this make me...weak?" She despised such a failing in others and could not tolerate it in herself, her voice holding her disgust.
"That is one adjective that can't be attributed to you, Miss Atlanta...trust me." Andy laughed at such a ludicrous question. He returned her embrace, his hands easing the tension and stress from her back and shoulders with gentle, nurturing trails of light, evasive pressure from his finger tips. "Obnoxious..pig-headed...opinionated...brash...rude.."
"HEY!" Brenda took offense, her small fist tapping his chest 'offensively'... "Stop helping!"
Flynn smirked down to her. "You're just tired, Chief..it's been one shitty, lousy day" he surmised, gently guiding her into her room. "You just need a little down time. We can do this one of two ways.." He threw back the covers on her bed. "One..I can go make you a cup of hot chocolate even though, there is none in the apartment and I'll have to go down to the Seven-Eleven and get myself shot interrupting the nightly hold-up, which I would do..no problem there. Then I could tuck you up and read you a bed time story.."
"Oh, get fucked, Lt!" Brenda pushed out of his vicinity, irritated but..kinda amused too..the irritation just won out in this instance.
"Ohhhhhh." He offered a sensual sound in his throat, his expression taking on a very 'approving' look. "Why, Chief..do you like to 'watch'?" He tried very hard to hold his own laughter. "I'm serious as a heart attack, Chief..we can do that one.." He lifted his brows suggestively. "I'm not shy. Where do you want me?"
"I hate you." She shoved against his chest, her scowl increasing, fighting the urge to laugh right in his face.
"Yeah, well..stand in line, lady." Flynn snorted plaintively. "Like I haven't heard that one before...get in the bed."
"Excuse me?" Brenda stopped trying to push him away, mostly because she had been doing it half-heartedly to begin with.
"I can't tuck you in if you're not in bed.." He reasoned. "A little cooperation would be appreciated here, you know. Been a long time since I've done this sort of thing."
"And when have you ever done 'this sort of thing." She demanded to know.
"Had a girl friend once..she was into the kinky stuff..used to like to be tucked in and spanked..not necessarily in that order."
"Too much information, Lt." Brenda climbed into the bed, flipping the covers back over her legs. "Go away now..I'm miraculously all better. Whatever was ailing me is over and done. You've done a great job and have been a wonderful host..now, get out of my room so I can get to sleep."
"No..that's not going to work cause see...now 'I'm' all frazzled and upset. I don't think I can possibly sleep alone tonight..not now."
"Make the effort, Lt." She suggested..strongly.
He grinned down at her. "Sleep tight, Chief." He put his hands on his hips, his eyes gentle on her upturned face. He wore blue cotton pajamas, the top unbuttoned, showing the grey/dark hair of his chest. She highly suspected the sleep wear was for her benefit, though. "I'm just down the hall...if you need me."
"...thank you, Lt." She mellowed. He turned, walking to the door. She noted that his cocky swagger was still apparent even in such 'comfortable' surroundings. It seemed a part of the man. The confident air. She wasn't sure at this moment..if she liked it or not. "...for everything."
The man turned, his hand on the door facing, his manner subdued. "Night, Chief."
Brenda listened to the sound of his footfalls fading down the hardwood of the hallway. The carpet was only in certain rooms. She lay back, turning the light out. The night stand held her travel clock, her watch and her Lisa Kleypas novel, and one simple white lamp.
There were no personal touches in the room. It could be a hotel room. The bed was comfortable but the man clearly was not into decorating. The drapes were a dark brown and matched the bed coverlet which was surprisingly soft and new. No one had ever sleep on this bed, she knew.
It would stand to reason..if he brought a woman here, it would be for sex and he would have felt more comfortable in his own bed, of course.
She tried to imagine him making love to another woman. She gave the line of thought up almost immediately for it made her feel as if she were just one of many. Not a pleasant feeling.
Had she wanted him to stay with her ..truly? Or had it just been a moment of passing weakness that she would have eventually worked through on her own had he not been..present.
Flynn lay, his stocky form stretched out on his bed, hands folded behind his back, staring at the ceiling. He glanced at the clock readout on his night stand. Twenty minutes later than the last time he had checked.
He could not sleep. He wasn't even really tired although, by rights, he should have been. He was on a natural high, his mind full of thoughts about the woman who lay sleeping in the room down the hall.
She was in his home. Just a few feet away. He could not believe his good fortune of late, a part of him..the Celtic ancestry, no doubt..half expecting gloom and doom to be waiting just around the corner.
A person, especially not him..never got to be this happy for very long in life. It was the way of things. Something would come along, any day now, to put matters back into their proper place.
Andrew Joseph Flynn was not meant to be content..not in this life. The man had faced that fact a long time ago..two marriages ago, to be precise.
The man listened to the sound of the rain on the roof. The constant thudding increased it's tempo, the wind picking up a notch or two. On the third floor up here, the sound usually emitted a rather mournful wale from time to time but tonight, it merely lulled him..a melancholy song of the ages, sent down from primitive times. It spoke to his soul, soothed his mind, easing the troubled doubts he was experiencing.
Flynn felt a peculiar type of shame. One he could not shake, no matter his reasoning.
John Wayne would not be happy with him right now. No matter how you sliced it, Andy had trespassed on another man's property. It was wrong and it did not set will with the ethical code Flynn had set down for himself to follow.
Brenda was everything he had ever wanted in a woman. The kind of female, he decided, long ago..he would never have. A classy dame with smarts and elegance and gams that could wind around a guy's waist, latch on and ride him to heaven and back.
Flynn shook his head, grunting derisively. He had to stop reading those Micky Spillane novel, that's all there was to it.
He half groaned, half smirked at the direction of his thoughts, turning over to his side, grabbing a pillow, hauling it into a crumbled mass, cramming it against his chest and stomach.
He better get some sleep. But this damned pillow was little consolation in a guy's arms when he could be holding a cute, little Southern belle instead.
Well, just put that thought from your head, cause..it ain't gonna happen tonight, he reminded himself, stop being such a selfish bastard and think of her for a change.
He lay his chin on the edge of the pillow, sighing heavily, closing his eyes, determined to grab what was left of the night. She would be expecting him to be alert and functioning in the morning.
The rain thudded consistently, as the minutes ticked by..the wind's melody taunted him, filling him with a restless intensity he knew would not go away on it's own. This feeling? He was more than familiar with..this one he knew quite well, especially of late.
His body..well, his dick, more accurately, wanted some relief from all the bottled up emotions he was reigning in.
Flynn knew it wasn't going to let him sleep until it found some release.
It wasn't like this little activity was new to him. He practiced it nightly of late. All he had to do was remind himself of a particularly interesting moment of the day when he had interacted with Deputy Chief Brenda Lee Johnson.
When she brushed by him, for example and that tiny whiff of perfume caught in her nostrils..or the elevator was overly crowded, say..and she was forced up close to him. He could actually count the freckles on her shoulder line, that translucent, alabaster skin fascinating him no end. He knew now..that it tasted just as delicious as it appeared.
But the worse time of all..when he would come up with some way out of a difficult or trying situation that they had been hitting their heads against the wall over. And Brenda would squeal that little girl squeal that made him want to chuckle for it was so infectiously warm and inviting to a guy's mind.
And then..she would impulsively throw her arms about his neck and offer up an enthusiastic hug of what, he was certain..was meant as a congratulatory commendation for his efforts. The only thing being..when those fantastic tits were pressed up against a guy's chest..the last thing he was thinking of was..congratulatory commendation.
At that time? You got all three lethal combinations..the perfume, the closeness and the tits. A hard combination for a man to resist.
Oh, not that she didn't react the same to Tao or Sanchez or Provenza..especially Provenza.
Hell, always..Provenza. Andy often found himself jealously coveting the attention given the older detective or the ease with which Brenda communicated or confided in..the old dick head.
She trusted Provenza implicitly. Just as Flynn did, were he honest with himself..or anyone asking the question.
Slowly but surely, though, Flynn was winning her over. More and more, of late..she seemed to favor time spent with him over even her pet, Gabriel.
Flynn refused to think about that shit though. He had to get some sleep and the only way to do that was to rid his body of this nagging..need.
He straightened his form out on the mattress, feeling the coolness of the sheet beneath his body. He kicked the covers aside, his nudity revealed. His body was heated nicely from another source, the blankets not needed for a while. He had lost the pajamas, for he couldn't sleep in clothes. Never had. The only exception, his army days.
He cleared his head, concentrating, his right hand easing down his body, his fingers latching around the thickness of his cock.
He sighed, closing his eyes to the tension building inside him as he allowed his mind it's freedom.
She had been so beautiful..even without makeup tonight..those freckles across the bridge of her nose mesmerizing him. She had them all over her phenomenal body.
Oh..man! That body! Andy grunted happily, visions dancing in his overly active mind. Delectable curves, soft smooth skin, warm to the touch..sweet to the taste.
The man's hand squeezed the building ache from his shaft, his fingers molding confidently to the shape, as he lifted into the moment, as if thrusting gently..seeking the hot, wet cavern he could so well envision in his mind.
He remembered well the feel of the liquid heat. How it enveloped the head of his dick, fusing warmth around the surface, teasing, making him want to shove greedily into the beckoning depths.
Andy groaned a raspy whisper, his weakness for such a scrumptious treat overwhelmingly real at that moment in time. His hand moved the flexible flesh of his cock up and back, simulating the pleasurable friction he craved. Slowly..not too fast..building the tension in his body.
Savoring the feel, in his mind's eye..behind his closed lids, he could see the woman..poised over him, her breathtaking face serenely content, her eyes filled with passion and desire, for him alone.
He could feel her heat and smell her fragrance. It made his breath catch in his throat. He quickened the movements of his hand's activities, grunting brokenly.
"...Why...Lt." A soft, melodic voice washed over his flesh, causing goose flesh to rise on every part of his body. He was jolted harshly from his 'created' world back into the reality of..the real one. "Imagine my..surprise..."
Flynn's euphoric state was shattered, his eyes flying open, startled shock within the stunned depths which locked with the half-amused..half-sensual stare of the creamy brown orbs observing him so analytically, even now.
Brenda Lee Johnson stood calmly by his bed..looking down at him, her expression a little bemused.
Andy felt the flush of embarrassment spread over his nakedness. He had hastily pushed himself erect, struggling to a sitting position, his body crushed into the stack of pillows kept at the headboard, his face flushed a ruddy hue.
Brenda's finger, with it's sculptured nail, halted it's excruciatingly pleasurable trek just short of touching his scrotum but her hand remained poised..at the ready. Flynn's gaze had darted to the pastime, when she had began the journey, his heart thudding wildly suddenly.. "To discover...I actually 'do'.." She seemed surprised. "Like to..." Her eyes fell to the pillow covering his..condition.
"Watch."
Andy's eyes closed, a deep, heartfelt groan escaping his lips. "Ssssshhhhit!" He grimaced self-consciously, ashamed to admit, his cock lengthened and grew for the woman's..proclamation even at such a mortifying moment.
"Oh, now..don't be like that, Lt. Flynn." Brenda poo-pooed such a notion. "Do you think I have never..indulged before?" She smiled ever so innocently for him. "I am no different than any other woman. I have needs too...just like you." She taunted playfully.
She raked his body with a curious interest. "I don't have the same equipment, of course.." she smiled sweetly at him, provocatively chastising him a little. Her hand gently cupped his heaviness, beneath the pillow causing the man to stiffen as the electric shock shot through his susceptible body.
Flynn inhaled sharply, his entire system suddenly on 'alert status.' He forced himself remain very still under her gentle probing, his blood heating, his pulse reacting chaotically to the stimuli offered.
His mind was reeling, his senses over-loaded, his embarrassment complete. With any other woman, Andy would have been able to laugh the situation off because..shit happened in life. He was not inordinately shy about his body or it's many functions.
But at the moment..all he wanted to do was sink through the floor and find a dark hole to hide in for the duration.
"You have...a very nice body, Lt." Brenda tugged on the pillow covering his nether regions but the man's hand snaked out, his fingers gripping the cotton material in a hasty gesture of denial.
She kept looking at him with those eyes and the way she was looking at him, shocked the hell out of Flynn. He knew that 'look'..he knew it, as a former cop who walked the beat and he was especially acquainted with it..as a man.
That 'look' from this woman? Made his insides turn to mush and his dick..hard as a steel scratching post.
"You..out of the mood?" The sexy little accent teased him..thrill him..tantalized him..kept him completely off balance. He searched desperately for some sane..rational..response.
He could only remain mute, try as he might to offer an articulate reply..any...reply.
His eyes watched her religiously, the panic he felt clearly visible within the dark depths.
Brenda slid her hand beneath the pillow yet again, the warm fingers tracing his length. "Ohh, that feels nice, Lt." She mused openly, her thumb easing over the slick top of the full, pulsating bulb.
Andy closed his eyes, grasping shakily, her touch inflaming him.
"Am I doing this right?" The woman asked silkily, her eyes never leaving his face. "Is this the way you like it, Lt?...how does it feel to you?"
"Ohhhh fuck." He swallowed with stressed difficulty..his throat dry and grating, his voice coming out cracked..hesitant. Flynn's head fell back, banging slightly on the wrought iron of his headboard, his hands curling into the covers tightly, holding on for dear life. His pulse pumped erratically through his veins, his entire body attuned to each and every nuance of Brenda's actions.
"Maybe I can help you with your problem." Brenda leaned, her mouth gently kissing a slow path from the man's thigh..upward. By the time she had reached the 'pillow' Flynn had overcome his..doldrums, his fingers having filtered into the mass of blonde curls, gently guiding, coaxing Brenda in the direction he needed her to go.
The woman allowed herself to be maneuvered, her mouth closing over the slickness of his head, taking him into her orifice, sucking gently, tasting the clean flesh to her leisure. She enjoyed the long, drawn-out groan of acquiescence Flynn gave.
She noted his hand tightened convulsively about the sheet he gripped so desperately and she felt him lift his body to aid her decision to ..remain steadfast at her pastime.
Brenda took the man's shaft deep into her mouth, suckling him methodically for a goodly while, her nails raking the bottom of his scrotum lovingly, as she kneaded his sac with a tender massage of her fingertips.
Andy's moans were more frequent and heartfelt and he murmured incoherent phrases of encouragement, his body moving instinctively in the ancient movements of love-making in answer to her administrations. But then...he felt the woman's antics...escalate.
"N-NO!" Flynn moved slightly, trying to disengage her hands from the base of his cock..he knew her intent. "..Together..." He shook his head negatively, his eyes opening, searching out her face. "Stop...now." He pleaded. "Come..." He asked more than told. Because..if she didn't ..he couldn't be responsible.
"You want to 'come'..Lt?" Brenda arose gracefully, removing the sage tee over her head, letting it fall to the floor unnoticed as she fluffed her hair a bit. "I know you do." She was in total agreement of such an eventuality. "And I want you to..I do." She pushed the grey sweats from her hips, taking the pink panties with them as she wiggled them down her legs and off her bare feet. Flynn's eyes devoured her nudity, a savage hunger building behind the dark depths.
"No." He closed his eyes wearily, his hand cupping her face. "...Together...come..." He reached for her. "Here.'
"Let me please you." She did not resist when he lifted her bodily, placing her on the bed beside him. Brenda climbed over his thighs, settling on his 'lap' her wetness sliding directly over his hardness. She moved her body erotically, rubbing against him meaningfully.
Andy's mouth caught her full lips, his tongue pushing past the warm lips, his hands cupping her naked buttocks, pushing her hard into his arousal, matching her movements eagerly.
"You...are..pleasing me." He lifted his lips only enough to murmur the words. "Now..." His breath thrilled her as his mouth gasped close to her ear. "Fuck me." He pleaded unashamedly his tone raw..a hoarse whisper of it's former vitality.
"Well, now.." She had to say it or die. "I thought you didn't want to..." She raised slightly, her hand wrapping around his thickness, squeezing lovingly, rubbing the bulbous head against the slick warmth of her opening, her mouth teasing his lips with brief moments of contact, diliberately holding back any real intimacy. "...inconvenience me...Lieutenant."
Andy fought the urge to grab her hips and shove his cock up the delicate little hole. "...How about I turn you around, put your sweet ass over these pillows and fuck your cunt raw..would THAT..'inconvenience' you, ya think?" He knew what she was doing, fighting back instinctively, his pride dictating he must put up a show at least.
Oh, I don't know." Brenda mused, opening her mouth directly over his, her breath enchanting him no end, the tip of her tongue flicking languidly against his, then melted into a lascivious kiss of ever growing passion. "...why don't you..try it and see?"
"Ohhh, f-fuck, Chief!" Flynn lost the battle, giving in completely. "I'm fucking dying here.." He moaned his fate. "Help me out..can't ya?"
"I can, Lt." Brenda eased down on his rod ever so slowly, taking her time, enjoying the beads of sweat on the man's brow. "I absolutely can..do that." She kissed him lavishly, sighing her contentment. Brenda did not need anymore encouragement, repeatedly easing him into her cavern, over and over again. The man inched resolutely deeper and deeper. His groans of prurient pleasure mingling with her softly excited moans.
Andy relished the quick, shallow breaths on his cheek, as he struggled with his own breathing.
He fingers slid about her hips, holding her stationary, thrusting desperately upward, his body dictating his actions. Brenda assisted, insisting on a slower pace than the man would have liked but..in the end, they compromised and..each participant was allowed to experience a mutual 'bonding'...of sorts...of the very nicest sort.
Brenda's chamber ached poignantly, the constant friction of the man's full blown erection heating it nicely. She whimpered her gratitude, increasing the strength of her 'rocking' motion..eager now, to match Flynn's forceful stabs.
His constant grunts, low, intense moans of ecstasy egged her on. She knew, without doubt, that she was pleasing the man. She could feel his heart beat thudding against her bare breasts, her arms holding him tightly. His mouth felt an extension of her own, and every time his tongue sought her's, it made her a little bit wetter, the moistness easing out of her vaginal area with each invasion of his organ.
She closed her eyes to savor his abilities, her head falling back slightly, as he eagerly took the opportunity to suckle her breasts, having caught the sensitive nipple of either breast in his hungry mouth, to nibble and lick to his heart's content.
His arms supported her body, cradling her protectively within his sphere of influence.
"You're going to make me cum, Lt..." She whispered the fact, smiling benignly at the truth of her own words. "You better slow down..."
"Not fucking going to happen." He growled his defiance. "Come on, baby...give it to me." His tone altered, becoming more confident..commanding. "Show me how much you want it..."
Brenda ..did. She had to admit, not only to herself..but, this man as well. She did want him..desperately, she wanted what he could make her feel.
"Take me there.." His voice was anxious..insistent. "Make it happen!"
Brenda knew how to do that. She grasped the iron bed rail with both hands, giving herself some leverage, her knees digging into the mattress, increasing the motions of her body's movements. It took only a few well placed 'strokes'... Flynn cried out, a rather descriptive epitaph escaping him as he prepared his mind for ..impact.
He did not have long to wait...the overwhelming tidal wave of emotions began, brought on my Brenda's impetus...Andy gasped weakly, submitting to the wondrous sensation invading his mind.
Bright colors exploded behind his eyes, a streak of ecstasy flashing into his groin area, the implosion taking his breath away, as his body reacted to the pleasure sweeping through his limbs and stomach.
He held on tight to the only reality he knew, his arms crushing the woman's body against his straining form, riding the awesome sensations subjugating his cock. It went on and on, the force threatening to drown him in thick, hot pulsating stabs of blatant desire. It felt phenomenal.
And..when it was finished, he could only lay back against the support of the pillows, his head resting on the iron headboard, his body twitching and quivering pleasantly, his hands limp by his sides.
He could feel Brenda's heart beating, the sweaty little body drenched and sated, lying on him. "That..was the best pussy I've ever had." he was in total awe of her abilities.. his throat dry..parched, his voice a mere whisper as he gulped the sentence out more for his own edification than her's.
He felt her climb off him, snuggle against his thighs, curl into a fetal position and..pull the sheets about her nakedness. "I know."
Flynn slid down, curving his body to her's, his arms embracing her lovingly. He rested his head on a stray pillow, snuggling into the warmth of Brenda's form, having lifted the sheet to fit in beside her then tugged on the coverlet insuring her added comfort. And then...he smiled. For her quip, definitely but moreso..because he was happy. Just plain damned..content. Down to the marrow of his bones. He had never felt so...at peace. With himself..with the freakin world in general...with the Universe.
He felt the woman wiggle about, fitting against his chest area more securely. In moments, her breathing lapsed into an even, soft rhythm. Andy closed his eyes, the sleep which had alluded him before, blanketing his mind in seconds. He slept soundly the rest of the night.