Michonne used the bathroom and since she didn't have a toothbrush, she improvised by spreading some toothpaste on her teeth and washed herself off. She wanted to take a shower but figured she would just go home and soak in her own bathtub instead. Staring at herself in the mirror, she looked like she had been thoroughly fucked.

And she had been.

Michonne put the toilet seat down and sat on top of it while she put her clothes back on. Thinking about the phone call caused little insecurities to creep in. They must have been pretty close for Jessie to be calling on a Monday morning even though he said he wasn't interested in her. Maybe her showing up unannounced had interrupted something. She shook the errant thoughts from her mind. She was being overly sensitive, and he said he told Jessie he wasn't interested. Plus, it didn't matter. They were just having fun anyway.

Sighing, she stood to try and tame her hair into a presentable ponytail and that's when she saw them. There were two small hickeys on her neck. She examined her torso and realized she had small marks on her stomach. To the naked eye, they would've been barely visible but she noticed them. Overwhelmed, she sat back down and put her head in her hands. It may have been a one-night thing but the physical marks and her feelings were certainly going to last longer. She wanted to blame Maggie for getting her into this mess or him for bringing it up when they should have let it go, but she knew there was no one to blame but herself. Spending all hours of the night and early morning having sex with her friend was not her intention. She definitely hadn't expected the pillow talk, the banter and to be so enamored with his company that she hadn't thought about one victim, case or anything else since the nightmare.

What she did anticipate was a quick, awkward fuck and they would act like nothing happened the next day. Maybe an occasional joke or two but not this. Before she hadn't considered herself a delusional person but now hiding out in his bathroom while he talked to another woman he had been dating, she realized maybe she had it all wrong. This was more than she thought it would be.

It was then she heard the soft knocks on the bathroom door. She gathered herself and put her shirt on, checking her face in the mirror to make sure she didn't look overly upset. He knocked again and she finally opened the door.

Rick leaned against the doorframe with nothing but his jeans on that hung low on his hips. She let out a heavy sigh. He was trying to cover himself, but for as sexy as he looked with his defined abs and V-shape leading to his groin, he may as well have been naked.

"Are you done in here?" he asked timidly.

"Yeah sorry you needed to get in?" She was trying to be nonchalant, but he clearly wasn't buying it.

He shook his head. "No, I just wanted to talk to you. That was Jessie on the phone but I suspect with the way you ran to the bathroom you already knew that."

Rolling her eyes, she folded her arms in a defensive posture. "Yes I did and I didn't run to the bathroom because of that. I had to pee if you must know."

He also folded his arms and nodded. "So, it had nothing to with her calling?"

"Nope," she countered defiantly swaying back and forth.

"You're a terrible liar but either way the reason she was calling—"

Michonne put up her hand to stop him. "No please don't explain yourself. It's none of my business I told you that already."

Rick sighed. He knew this would be her approach. She was going to play it down and he was prepared. "Actually, it is your business."

She tilted her head to the side as if she was confused. "How so? We're just having fun here."

"We are. But we've also had sex three times in as many hours and we didn't use condoms, which means we have a certain level of trust between us. For that reason alone you deserve to know what that phone call was about."

Well damn. She certainly couldn't argue with that and his blunt approach eased her anxiety some.

"Jessie was calling because she left something on my desk that was for the case."

Yeah right, she thought to herself.

He continued. "Now she could've left it with Shane or sent that in a text message but I do think she still wants to pursue something with me, but I made it clear to her again. I'm not interested."

The tension immediately left Michonne's body. "Oh," she said in her best fake indifferent voice.

He raised his eyebrow and put his hands on his hip playfully. "Oh?"

She smiled despite herself. "Yeah. Oh."

Rick moved closer to her and her breath hitched. "Just so you know, I wasn't lying to you. I haven't been with anyone else since Lori."

"I know," she said softly. "I know you wouldn't lie to me about something like that." His honesty was one of the traits she liked most about him.

He was so close and she started to feel woozy again. His bare chest was enticing, and she fought the urge to reach out and touch him. His hand stroked her cheek and he placed a sweet kiss on her lips. It felt like she was in an alternate universe. This wasn't the man who was distant at work and moody more often times than not. The contrast between the two sides of Rick was intoxicating. Overwhelmed, she kissed him again and it was like the kiss they shared earlier that morning. Slow, gentle and deliberate. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled him in closer and he grasped her hips. He kept his lower half away not wanting her to feel his arousal. Just like that he wanted to be inside her again. It was impossible to be this close and not want to be buried deep inside her.

When they pulled apart, he was breathless. "Hmm, I see you found my toothpaste."

She giggled. "Yeah and maybe you should find it too."

"Ohhhhhh," he laughed reaching for the tube and his toothbrush. "Good one. Although I didn't hear you complaining when you pulled me in that second time."

She didn't have a snappy comeback and blushed in response.

"Well let me brush my teeth and then I'll go and make you some coffee and breakfast. Unless you want to go out."

As he went about brushing, she stood watching him thinking how familiar it was that she was in his bathroom watching him do the simplest task. "I don't really feel like going out. I'd rather stay here."

He smirked and winked.

"That's not why jackass." She slapped him on the back. "I just don't feel like being social."

He rinsed his mouth and dabbed his face with the towel. "Sure, if you say so." As he walked past he gave her a quick kiss. "Is that better?"

She licked the taste of mint off her lips. "Much. But honestly all the kisses were just fine."

"Good to know."

Rick made her bacon and eggs and they drank coffee while he told her all about the camping trip. Michonne watched him move effortlessly around the kitchen as they talked and then relocated to the living room to eat. Since his sofa was smaller than hers, they were much closer together. The conversation flowed easily and she loved the way his face lit up when he talked about his children. Judith, who was ever the drama queen but smart and Carl that despite his parents' divorce was really only concerned about finding new comic books for his collection. The split had affected Rick more than it did his children.

He lifted her feet onto his lap and rubbed them while they talked about any and everything. Stifling a moan was a challenge and initially she thought he was trying to make a move, but it was clear that he just wanted her to be comfortable.

"Oh shit. It's almost noon. You're trying to make me miss the replay of the game on purpose aren't you?" He used the remote and turned on the TV. "Dammit, we are already down a touchdown."

"Man, how about those Falcons. Only halfway through the second quarter and they've already been scored on."

Rick tried to give her his most serious look. "Michonne. There are plenty of things that I will tolerate. Talking about the Falcons isn't one of them. You are getting dangerously close to a third strike."

"Maybe I'm curious to see what the consequences are," she countered seductively.

His cock twitched in his pants. This was pure torture. There was no way they could go back to being just friends. Now that he knew what she felt like it was going to be hard to keep his hands off her.

"Oh, I think you know what the consequences are."

"Nope, I don't."

"Well, I'll give you a hint. You've already endured those consequences three times. You aiming for a fourth?" His eyes traveled the length of her as his teeth bit into his bottom lip. Her nipples instantly hardened. Shit. She scolded herself.

Michonne felt the desire course through her veins and she needed to get herself under control quickly. "Actually, I need to go take a shower."

Rick stood up too. "Great, I was just thinking the same thing."

Stopped in her tracks, she looked at him as if he were crazy. "You must be joking."

"What?" he feigned innocence.

"We are not taking a shower together Rick," she insisted putting her hand on his chest to stop him from walking towards the bathroom. When she felt the hard ridges underneath his T-shirt, she knew that was the wrong move.

"Why not?"

She sighed and smiled at him. "I'm either showering alone or I'm going home. Your choice."

"Fine," he acquiesced and sat back down. "But if you need someone to wash your back I'm here."

Michonne scoffed. "Ill keep that in mind. Do you have another shirt and some shorts I can wear?"

"Nope. Fresh out," he smirked.

He was incorrigible. "Fine, since you insist on being no help, I will just find something myself."

Unphased, he put his feet on the coffee table and continued to watch the game. He would help Michonne do a lot of things but getting dressed when she could so easily be naked wasn't one of them.

In the bedroom, she rummaged through his dresser and found an old Atlanta PD shirt that he worked out in and some sweatpants with a drawstring that she would be able to tighten to fit her waist. They would have to do. As she showered her mind started to wander while she washed away the remnants of their activities. A part of her liked the smell of him on her skin and was relieved that Jessie was really out of the picture as well as any other woman.

The water ran over her face and down her body, soothing her sore muscles and she took a deep breath. It was time for her to really come to terms with everything. She had sex with Rick.

Sex.

With her co-worker.

Her friend.

Rick.

The only other person besides Maggie that she had been close to since she came to Atlanta. The only man that she really trusted. The man who's soon to be ex-wife she was sure hated her guts and gave her mean looks whenever they ran into each other. Also, the man that she didn't tell that she was told to stay away from work for the next few days because she had an outburst at the office.

It wasn't until the soap hit the floor that she was jarred from her rampant thoughts. Everything was changing. Her job wasn't in jeopardy despite the forced days off but she wasn't doing herself any favors by being sexually involved with the lead detective of the unit she was assigned to. Sooner or later they would have to discuss it all but for now, she just wanted to enjoy their temporary cocoon.

It was halftime when Rick walked to the kitchen to get a beer. He heard the shower running and wished he was in there. The conversation about Jessie had gone better than he thought. Originally when she ran to the bathroom he figured she would leave but she didn't. Thankfully, she was still there spending time with him and hopefully reconsidering their original agreement. The least he could do was get lunch lined up and if he ordered something she liked, maybe she would stay longer.

"Hey Mich." He knocked on the bathroom door. "I was thinking about ordering from that BBQ place you like."

"Oh..can you do me a favor first?" she asked.

"Sure."

"Can you come wash my back?"

His body went still and he stared at the door as if it would tell him he misheard. Just thinking about seeing her supple body wet from the shower caused his cock to harden. He thought she didn't want to have sex again but all of their playing was starting to wear him down.

"Rick?" she asked again with a flirtatious edge in her voice.

Slowly, he opened the door and thanked God that his shower curtain mixed with the steam in the room was hiding her nude silhouette. He approached carefully, closing his eyes when she opened the curtain.

She laughed and he started to laugh as well. "Are you serious right now?"

He would not be swayed. "Just hand me the towel. All you have to do is turn around and back up into it," he instructed her. This way he wouldn't be more tempted than he already was.

"This is silly," she complained. "Just open your eyes and wash my back."

"That's what I'm trying to do Michonne." He was fumbling around like a blind person trying to feel where she was and his hand eventually found her back. He washed it thoroughly listening to her snicker under her breath. "I'm glad you find this funny. There. All done."

Relieved, he closed the curtain back and opened his eyes scrubbing his hands down his face.

"Now was that so hard?"

He looked down at the bulge in his pants. "Actually yeah it was."

His hand was on the doorknob to leave when he heard the water turn off and the shower curtain open.

"Turn around Rick." Her rich soothing voice bounced off the walls and he closed his eyes briefly.

Michonne stepped out of the shower, ran the dry towel across her body once and let it drop to the floor. "Turn around."

Her heart was racing. Beating completely out of control. Nothing about the past 12 hours was according to plan but she was tired of over thinking. She just wanted to feel. To feel him. She hadn't left his apartment yet so technically it still counted as the same night. Whatever she needed to tell herself to get what she wanted. And what she wanted was Rick.

Slowly he turned around and his breath caught at the sight of her. Her skin was still damp and the water glistened on her body. Drops of water from her locs landed on her chest, sliding down her dark nipples that were peaked. His eyes traveled down to the apex of her thighs and he licked his lips.

"This is strike three," he rasped moving closer to her.

Michonne smiled seductively. "I know."

His lips crashed down on hers and the sheer force almost knocked her off balance. "I'm ready to accept the consequences."

Their kisses were frantic and he hauled her body against his with one hand fisting her hair and the other squeezing her ass. She felt his bulge against her core and broke the kiss for a second to pull his jeans down. Her hands were relentless but he had to stop her because he was already on the edge. Improvising in the small space, he sat on the closed toilet seat and pull her to where she was standing, straddling his legs. Her breasts were eye level and he stroked himself in anticipation.

Rick kissed her flat stomach and the underside of her breast while he slipped two fingers into her dripping center. He groaned feeling how slick she was. "Shit Baby. You are so ready."

And there's that voice again. The one that makes her weak in the knees. Throwing her head back, she balanced one hand on the counter and the other on his head as his fingers continue to move.

"Mhmmm Rick," she moaned when his tongue flicked her nipple and then sucked hard. "Fuck," she cursed and she could the familiar building in her lower belly. It was too soon. Rick's touch was so intense that she couldn't help herself. "I need you."

With his hands on her hips, he guided her onto his throbbing cock. She bit her bottom lip as she accepted every blessed inch of him. In this position he was deeper than before and had to fight the urge to instantly shatter.

"Ok?" he breathed.

"Yeah."

Michonne moved slowly, her eyes never leaving his. His piercing blue eyes were hooded, dark and his breathing was shallow. She tried her best to maintain eye contact but every stroke made her eyelids flutter. Trying to maintain control, they both shook and clawed each other's backs wanting to drag this out for as long as they could. Any unexpected move was going to make one of them explode triggering the other one's orgasm. He kneaded and squeezed her breasts and she leaned back placing her hand on his thighs. Her breasts bounced as she moved her body in circles and he cursed.

There were certain things that Michonne couldn't get enough of like Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream, trashy gossip magazines and cheesy medical dramas. Rick Grimes' dick was well on its way to moving to the top of that list.

It was becoming more and more difficult for Rick to stave off his orgasm. His head dropped and he saw himself moving inside her and the glistening from her juices coating his sex. As she got closer, Michonne wrapped her arms around his neck and he held her close. It was a simple but sweet gesture especially in that position as they both hurled toward the inevitable.

Rick's head was spinning. There was so much he wanted to say, that he needed to say. He wanted her to know. She needed to know. "I don't want anyone else," he whispered in her ear. She moaned and his movements became frenzied. "No one else," he repeated.

His words were her undoing. She came hard. Harder than she ever had before. She thought she would pass out from the sheer force of it and he soon followed, emptying himself. Their chests heaved and he placed a single kiss to her shoulder blade. His head rested on her shoulder as she leaned into him, not wanting to let go.

Despite the odd location, it was the most intimate sexual encounter Michonne had in her life. His words hit her directly in the chest and it felt like her heart would explode. She wasn't one to take chances especially when it came to relationships but at that moment she decided to do something completely out of character.

She became vulnerable.

Stroking his hair, she brushed her lips against his ear and whispered, "I don't want anyone else either."

A/N: Goodbye Jessie, we hardly knew ye.