Thank you so much for your feedback on the first chapter! It really helps, but especially when stepping out of one's comfort zone. Speaking of which, here's the next "way out my comfort zone" chapter. I welcome any and all feedback.

As always, I do not own Major Crimes or the fabulous characters.

Chapter Two

The rest of the week transpired without incident. Things were awkward the next morning when they first made eye contact in the murder room, but Sharon being the compartmentalizer that she is, led the way in allowing things to fall back into a normal rhythm quickly. Andy was still upset with what they had done, but their easy workplace camaraderie brought him some comfort.

The squad got stuck working on Saturday due to a difficult case that had occupied the last several days. Thankfully, they wrapped it up in time to get home for dinner. Andy finished up the last of his paperwork and made his way into Sharon's office to drop it off before leaving for the rest of his weekend. He knocked and she motioned for him to enter. He walked over and gently placed his stack of reports on her desk.

"There you go, Captain. Should be everything," he said with a smile. She looked up and nodded. "Nice work today, by the way," he added. And it was. She had used her empathy to get their suspect to open up and confess. If she hadn't, they would still be working the case.

"Thank you," she said warmly. He nodded and turned to leave her office when he heard her voice. "Do you want to get some dinner?" She asked. He froze. The shock of her statement rendering him immobile. Of all the scenarios that played out in his head that night as he tossed and turned after she left, her inviting him to dinner less than a week after they recklessly slept together was definitely not one of them. Once the shock wore off, he turned to face her.

"Sure, I'd love to," he replied. If she was willing to put their indiscretion behind her, then he decided that he could do the same. After all, he valued their friendship deeply and didn't want to lose her.

"Ok, I just have to sign off on these and then we can go," she explained. He nodded before exiting her office and returning to his desk. Maybe things weren't as much of a mess as he had feared.

Dinner was nice. They easily fell into familiar patterns and any awkwardness brought on by the other night was completely absent. When they were done, Sharon invited Andy back to her condo for coffee. He had gladly accepted.

As she stood in her kitchen preparing the coffee, Sharon thought about everything that had happened between them over the last week. She had feared that having sex with Andy would cause things to be uncomfortable and lead to the end of their friendship, something that greatly saddened her. But they had been able to bounce back and find some semblance of their comfortable friendship once again. There was only one problem, she was finding herself wanting to repeat their extracurricular activities. She knew it was a bad idea, but she trusted Andy and really enjoyed his company. She had maintained casual relationships in the past, back when she and Jack were separated, and things had gone well. The only difference here was that she and Andy worked together. It seemed like a bad idea, and yet, it felt like a delicious indulgence that she was coming to believe was exactly what she needed.

They enjoyed comfortable small talk over coffee, and Andy was a total gentleman. When he made a move to leave, Sharon followed him to the door. A wave of nervousness washed over her and took up residence in her gut. She wanted to ask him to stay, but she wasn't sure if they were on the same page.

"Well, thank you for the coffee," he said casually. She smiled.

"Any time," she replied. An awkward moment ensued where neither knew the proper way to end their evening. Andy wanted nothing more than to kiss her, but he knew she wouldn't take kindly to that, so he settled for a friendly hug. It lingered for a moment longer than what would be considered "friendly".

"Stay," she whispered suddenly. And for the second time that night, Andy felt shock consume him. Was she asking what he thought she was asking? She must have sensed his confusion because she began to explain. "There's no reason why we have to deny each other what we both want, right?" She added pulling out of his embrace and meeting his gaze. The problem was, Andy wasn't sure what exactly she was looking for with this request.

"And what is it you want, Sharon?" He asked, voice raspy. It sent a shot of arousal through Sharon. She leaned up and captured his lips in a searing kiss that left nothing about her intensions to the imagination. It lit a fire through him and his hands found her hips and pulled her body into contact with his. She ground against him a couple of times, and he could feel himself getting harder. Her hands began running along his chest and unbuttoning his shirt. He deftly navigated them down the hallway and she pulled him into her room, closing the door in their wake.

Once they were inside they eagerly shed each other's clothes and stumbled towards her bed. She pulled away from his lips and climbed onto the bed. He watched as she laid down on her back and slowly spread her legs, making room and inviting him to join her. He took a moment to study her naked form and paused on her enticing center. He could see her desire for him on her swollen flesh. Any thoughts that repeating this might not be the best idea were long banished. He climbed on the bed and covered her body with his and attached his lips to hers.

When the need for air became too strong, he kissed a path down her neck, across her chest, and finally landing on her ample, round breasts. They had been in such a hurry last time, he had barely had a chance to acquaint himself with this particular part of her anatomy, and he was excited to do so. He licked a path across her right breast before sucking the hardened peak into his mouth. Sharon tangled her hands in his hair and pulled his mouth closer to her chest. He flicked his tongue across her nipple before using his teeth to lightly tug on it. She let out a moan that went straight to his groin. He moved to the left breast and repeated his actions.

As he was lightly scraping his teeth across her swollen nipple, he felt her hand travel between their bodies and grasp his hardening length. She began stoking him up and down with the perfect amount of pressure and he grew harder by the second. He mouthed at her breasts again before bringing his lips back to hers. They met in a sloppy, lust-filled kiss that had him exploring her mouth while her hand continued to pleasure him with a steady grip and pace.

Suddenly, she pushed him and they rolled over. He watched as she straddled him and continued to stroke him a few times before she raised herself up and positioned her center right over his now throbbing hardness. She ran the head of it over her sensitive nub a couple of times, and Andy enjoyed the sheer look of pleasure that washed across her face. And then, she slowly sank down onto him, her velvety walls welcoming him as they stretched and then hugged him tightly. She paused while she acclimated, and then began a steady pace.

He watched as her body undulated over him, riding him with a variety of pleasure-filled looks on her face. Her breasts rolling in a tantalizing motion that had Andy mesmerized. He dragged his hands up her body before palming both of them and massaging them sensually. He could tell that she was getting close by the way her moans got louder and her motion more erratic. The entire scene in front of him was so damn erotic, he was having a hard time maintaining his own control. He used his thumbs and forefingers to tweak her nipples and she let out a deep moan, so he lightly tugged on them and she sped up. He watched as she brought her hand to her center and began running light, tight circles on her nub. She leaned her head back and arched her body before crying out her release. The entire thing almost caused Andy to explode inside her right then, but he wanted to watch her come down from her high first.

Once she was ready, he thrust up into her and she matched him until they were setting another frantic pace. Andy cried out her name as he came hard inside the warmth of her still pulsating walls. She collapsed on top of his chest while she caught her breath. Andy caressed the soft skin of her back while they regained their composure. After a few moments, she sat back up, and he watched as she lifted her hips enough that he slipped out of her. Just like the other night, she disappeared into the bathroom, and Andy was left wondering if she was regretting their repeat performance.

Sharon returned to her room a few minutes later wearing her satin robe. She hugged it tight to her body while she studied him.

"Rusty will be home soon..." She said suddenly, allowing the thought to drop. Andy got the hint. He sat up and began looking for his clothes and then began putting them on. She stood there silently, and he wanted to rage against it. He had hoped her invitation to stay meant more than just sex, but he knew now that he had been wrong. He went to leave, but turned back around to look at her. She wouldn't meet his gaze.

"Sharon, what are we doing?" He asked finally. She looked even more uncomfortable.

"I thought we were having a good time," she said quietly.

"Don't get me wrong, this was great, but what's going on between us? I think we need to be on the same page," he said sincerely. The emotion in his voice cut through Sharon like a knife.

"I don't know, Andy," she replied. Finally, some honestly. Andy was thankful for small favors.

"Ok. Well, what do you want this to be?" He asked carefully. She finally looked at him.

"Your friendship is very important to me. I don't want to lose that. But if there's a way to keep it and continue enjoying this aspect of it as well, then I'd like to explore that," she explained hesitantly.

"Like a 'friends with benefits' thing?" He asked surprised. She scoffed a bit.

"I think we're a little old for that, but something along those lines. We care about each other and trust each other, and I think we both like this part too," she said gesturing towards her bed. He nodded. "So, why don't we try being friends and having a casual relationship at the same time," she suggested. He rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. This was a terrible idea, but for some reason, he couldn't force his mouth to form the words his mind knew he should say.

"So, you want to be friends who fuck?" He asked a bit taken aback. She balked at his course language, but eventually nodded.

"In a manner of speaking, yes," she replied. He rolled his eyes at her inability to just say what she wanted.

"Just so we're clear, you want us to keep fucking like a regular thing?" He pushed.

"Yes. I'd like to continue having sex with you whenever we feel the urge," she replied annoyed. "But I'd like to continue to be your friend, too". He thought about it for a moment.

"Ok, yeah, sign me up," he said in an effort to lighten the tension. He knew it was a mistake as soon as the words left his mouth, but he didn't care. She smiled.

"We need to be honest with each other, though. If it gets to be too much or if it's not working, then we tell each other," she said quickly, attempting to set some ground rules. "And clearly, this can't affect our jobs or our professional relationship".

"Ok, sounds good. Any other rules?" He asked playfully. She pursed her lips.

"No spending the night," she said, and she watched as his eyebrows raised in surprise. "It's too intimate," she added. The irony wasn't lost on Andy considering they had just done the most intimate physical act two people could do - for the second time. He nodded in agreement anyway.

"Anything else?" He asked. She shook her head.

"That's all I can think of right now, but that might change as we go along," she replied, and Andy was starting to feel like he was arranging a business deal. "Rusty really will be here soon, so we should wrap this up," she said suddenly.

"Yeah, okay. I should get going anyway," he lied before turning back towards her bedroom door. As he walked down her hallway and out her front door, he thought about what he had just agreed to with his best friend. Everything inside him told him it was a bad idea, but now that he had gotten a piece of this side of Sharon, he didn't want to give it up. Sex with Sharon was amazing and being intimate with her was what he had wanted for too many years to count. So, he decided to go along for the ride and hope he didn't get burned.

TBC