an: Wish I could have posted this earlier, but I still had it on my pc and not in my doc manager yet. Your reviews are all so great and they get me so excited that I wanted to share more, but there was nothing. I hope you will enjoy this chapter as well. And hope to post more soon. Also a big thank you to the guest reviewers, who I wasn't able to send a PM to.
As always a big thank you as well to glistening sun, for doing the beta work. All mistakes left are obviously mine.
Rated M.
Chapter seven.
Mario had taken the bait for now, but as she was walking out of The Residence Hotel, she wasn't entirely sure whether he had bought her act. The cool evening air hit her hard in her face. Those four glasses of champagne suddenly felt like her head was filled with bricks. She felt someone behind her, but she didn't dare turn around. This was exactly when she could have used some back-up. Damn Dixon.
If Mario hadn't completely believed her act, he'd trace her paths. She couldn't go home. One look at her luxury apartment building and her cover would be blown. Checking into a hotel was out of the question as well.
Sharon stepped into a taxi without actually knowing where to go.
"Where to?"
"Just drive."
Her heart beat in her throat. She couldn't tell whether Mario was following. It was too dark to tell. Andy would be so mad at her. With reason this time. Andy. Of course, she'd go to him. There was nothing luxurious about his apartment building. She wouldn't be alone. In fact, she couldn't be more safe. She gave the taxi driver the address and finally allowed herself to breathe.
He watched her step into the taxi. She was perfect for the job. Couldn't jump the idea on her though. He did not want to scare her off. Now he would only have to hope she'd be back somewhere during the next couple of days and that she'd be willing to earn herself some good money. He had to be patient, make sure he wouldn't make another mistake again. He couldn't afford it. One call girl showing up dead wouldn't mean much, but a second one could point the L.A. police into his direction. That was the last thing he needed.
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Sharon stepped out of the taxi. Grateful to see someone entering the apartment building. She hurried for the door catching it right before it closed. It would have looked odd if she'd had to ring before getting in.
Inside the entrance hall she stopped at the mailboxes pretending to empty hers while she occasionally stared into the darkness outside. Was he out there? Was he watching her now? The memory of his eyes made her shiver. She should leave that behind now, she was safe. She was a cop, she had even volunteered. She could handle a guy like Mario.
Her heart was still pounding though when she arrived at Andy's door. Although it was ridiculous she had felt watched even in the elevator. The long corridors were either dimly lit by flickering lights or not at all. It didn't help her feeling of being watched. Her responsiveness was impaired by those four glasses of champagne. It made her feel insecure. She rang his doorbell, following it up with an urgent knock. She wanted to be inside, in the warmth, the light, the safe surroundings of a home and closed door keeping out the big bad world.
The doorbell harshly roused him from his sleep. The urgent knocking was drumming in his head. What the hell was going on? Was there a fire or something?
"Yeah, I'm coming!"
Sharon stopped knocking when she heard his slightly cranky voice. She only realized what time it was when she saw Andy in his boxers, tousled hair and sleepy eyes. She must have woken him up.
"I'm sorry…I didn't realize…"
Andy frowned concerned as she seemed a bit out of it.
"Is it okay if I come in?"
Her eyes were so vulnerable. He could swear he saw tears swimming in them.
"I know you're angry with me…"
Her voice broke and his stomach dropped. His behavior earlier had made a larger impact on her than he believed. He could kick himself. Andy wanted nothing more than to pull her inside and wrap his arms around her, kiss her, apologize for being such an idiot. He was worried because she had come to him even though she had believed he was angry with her. Something must have happened to her. Was she upset because of him or because of something else? He quickly looked her over. Despite her vulnerable eyes she seemed alright.
"Come in…"
He lightly touched her elbow to guide her in.
"Would you like something to drink?"
The champagne had left her throat dry and her head light headed. Still, she shook her head.
"I'm sorry I woke you up. I didn't realize it was already this late."
Andy only looked at her, a deep concerned frown between his eyebrows. She still seemed a bit out of it, and now she was also shivering.
"Are you cold? Do I need to get you a blanket? A vest, sweater?"
Sharon wrapped her arms more tightly around herself. The experience had rattled her a lot more than she had thought, she didn't want to tell Andy that though. He had been against this from the start.
"Sharon…"
He didn't like this distance between them at all. The silence was deafening.
"I'm sorry for the way I reacted… I'm just worried about you. I don't want anything happening to you. I'm sorry. "
She couldn't blame him for being worried about her. She'd been afraid that he would stay angry with her.
"I missed you tonight."
Andy smiled. She had come to make amends then.
"It's not the same without you…"
"I thought about you all night. Were you lucky?"
"Hm. It's the guy Andrea argued with in the hallway."
"He came to you? Did he ask you to…?"
He didn't want to say the word. He didn't want to think about how far this could go. He didn't want to think about what could have happened already, because he hadn't been with her.
"Not yet, but I believe he will. That's why I couldn't go home. It would have blown my cover. Is it okay for me to stay here?"
"Of course it is."
As soon as he had told her it was okay, the thought struck him that being around her twenty-four/seven would make it very hard to hide his true feelings.
"I can't believe you found the guy this fast."
"We were at the Plantura first, but then I decided we better spend a few more hours at the Residence Hotel. I guess he was already in there when I came in."
"What now?"
"I'll go back there tomorrow, see if he takes the bait."
Andy fell silent, trying to occupy himself with anything, just as long as he wouldn't have to look at her. She could tell he still didn't like the idea.
"Andy this is the only way."
"I know…I know… Everything went well tonight. I shouldn't worry so much."
Sharon looked down, staring at the ground. Andy narrowed his eyes, she was keeping something from him.
"What are you not telling me?"
For the second time his scrutinizing eyes fell upon her, looking her over, searching for something that might have happened to her.
"Don't get angry…."
He raised his eyebrow, as she finally looked up at him. Her emerald green eyes put a spell on him. Like he could get angry at her like this.
"What happened?"
"I agreed with Dixon to go to the Residence. When I walked into the bar, Dixon wasn't there yet. I sat down believing he would walk in any second, but he didn't. He still wasn't there when Mario sat down next to me, but then I couldn't leave anymore."
Yes, she could have. She should have. He felt like blowing up, yelling at her, telling her how dangerous it had been for her to stay there alone without back up. He clenched his fists, swallowing down his anger. He didn't want to yell at her. It wouldn't help at all. Sharon was stubborn, he could blow up, yell at her, but she would do the exact same thing tomorrow, if she believed there wasn't any other way.
That moron Dixon. He could yell at him. In fact he liked to beat some sense into the guy. Hadn't he warned him? What the hell had he been thinking leaving her hanging like that?
"This was the only chance I had."
She stared at him, he was still silent. Anger was boiling inside of him, beyond a doubt.
"Where was Dixon?"
It took all his self control to remain calm.
"I don't know. Andy, I had no other choice."
Andy took a deep breath, forcing himself to smile.
"You're alright, that's all that matters."
He reached out for her cheek, a light touch while he locked eyes with her, trying to calm himself by saying that she was at least okay, that was all that mattered.
For a moment Sharon simply stared at him. He hadn't blown up the way she had expected him to. He had wanted to, but he didn't. That was so sweet. And she was so grateful, she was too tired for a huge argument with him.
"I don't know for sure, but I had a feeling of being watched."
"When?"
"When I arrived here. I was lucky I could catch the door before it closed. I couldn't see, it was too dark outside."
"Dixon should have been there."
His anger flared up. That's why she had seemed so out of it, she'd been scared. Dixon was supposed to keep her safe. Andy walked towards the window. He wouldn't see anything, but he had to try. The idea that the creep was following her made him feel uneasy.
"You did the right thing coming here."
She was safe here. Still, he felt the urge to take her in his arms and kiss her, gentle kisses on top of her head. He could not do that though. He wasn't allowed to touch her like that.
An awkward silence followed. Why was it that they didn't know what to say to each other anymore? This wasn't normal. Maybe he was still angry with her, was that it? Things were different.
"Are you really sure you're okay with me staying here?"
Not really, but there was no way he'd let her leave, not after what he knew now. She was safe here and that's where she would stay.
"Yeah, I am."
"Okay, wouldn't you much rather yell at me then?"
Andy grinned.
"I should."
"I know it could have ended differently, but it didn't."
"We should get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a long day."
She knew Andy avoided the topic, because he didn't want to argue with her. She should be grateful he was so considerate. He probably knew how exhausted she was.
Sharon looked over her shoulder. "Do you have a spare blanket? I could use on the couch."
"You're not sleeping on the couch, hon. Let me worry about the couch. Why don't you take a warm shower? Sorry, don't have a bath."
"A shower is just fine. And, uhm, can I borrow a t-shirt or something to sleep in?"
Andy smiled inwardly at the prospect of teasing her a bit. He tried to keep his face as neutral as possible.
"Oh you don't sleep naked then?"
"You do?" Her eyes widened, a red flush covering her cheeks, her voice higher pitched than normal. The panic seeping through caused laughter to rise in his throat. The look on her face was simply priceless. She blushed a brighter red as Andy burst out in laughter, embarrassed for being so prude.
"Sure, you can borrow one of my shirts. I'll get you one. I'll drive by your apartment tomorrow, get some of your things. We don't know how long this will take."
He was right. She had not been thinking about this in the longer term. This operation could take weeks.
"This guy could be waiting outside. Better be me then."
Sharon nodded, Andy was right. That guy could be waiting outside. Maybe she hadn't imagined the feeling of being watched. Just the thought send a shiver down her spine.
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Andy realized he had forgotten to get Sharon the t-shirt, when she stood right behind him, a hand touching his shoulder.
"Andy?"
She smiled.
"Sorry, I didn't want to startle you."
'Get your act together, Flynn.'
He knew he was staring at her. His gaze resting on the top of her breasts where her towel was held together, because she rolled the edge down. He couldn't help thinking about what was underneath. His eyes caught a drop of water slowly rolling down between her breasts, disappearing underneath that towel. He shouldn't stare at her, he shouldn't think about what it would be like to undo that towel, to glide his hands over the smooth skin of her body, trace every curve before pulling her close, to bury his hands in her wet hair, to touch her lips with his. He shook his head trying to get rid of the thoughts that had invaded his brain. As he looked up at her face he saw how shy she really was. She fumbled with her wet hair, twisting it, probably trying to focus on anything other than the fact that she was standing in front of him wearing nothing but a towel. He hoped his voice was working. "Sorry, that was one quick shower."
"I'm really tired."
"Dresser drawer on the right of my bed."
"Thanks. Good night."
"Night."
'Stop staring at her.' He scolded himself for always staring at her as if his eyes were glued onto her body. He bend his head. His eyes were now fixed on her swaying hips. How was this supposed to work out? The door of his bedroom closing soundly broke the spell.
For a moment Sharon looked around. The sheets on the bed were disheveled. He'd been asleep when she had rang the doorbell. Her knees slightly bend, the palm of her hand touched the mattress. It was still a bit warm from Andy's body heat. It spread a warmth through her stomach.
A shiver went down her spine again as the fresh evening breeze blew through the open window. She didn't want to think about what or who was outside. She didn't want to think about anything that had happened tonight. Here she was safe.
Sharon pulled the top drawer open, closing it quickly when she saw Andy's boxers inside. Again, a nervous heat spread through her body. She looked into the next drawer. Andy better not be teasing her again! She was happily surprised to find neat stacks of folded shirts. She took the one on the top into her hands. Closing her eyes she took in Andy's scent, the remnants aftershave on his shirt. Before she knew it she was inhaling deeply, allowing herself to drift off to a place that was safe and warm. He gave her that warm, fuzzy feeling.
A soft smile formed on her lips and she allowed herself to drop down on his bed. Pulling his shirt over her head allowed the towel to slip onto the ground. She would pick it up in the morning. She was too tired to do anything else but lay her head on that pillow and close her eyes.
Every muscle in her body relaxed when she laid down. Tension flowed from her body. She had been more scared than she had admitted. She shouldn't have stayed by herself. Andy was right. She had been lucky tonight. Her face dropped sideways on the pillow, her nose inhaling once again Andy's scent. This time stronger. Instinctively she snuggled closer. It soothed her, she almost felt him near.
Her mind was too exhausted to wonder why she was inhaling her partner's scent, why she was so willingly snuggling into the blanket and pillow that had hugged his body only an hour ago, why his scent made a warm comfortable feeling coil inside her belly. Instead she drifted away into the comfort of a dreamless sleep.
Andy laid down on his back breathing out deeply. His eyes were wide open. All thought of sleep was gone now. How was he supposed to get any sleep with the blood rushing through his veins. The mere thought of Sharon asleep in the other room. If he was really quiet, he could hear her breathe. A lot of sleepless nights would follow. The sooner this guy was caught the better. Then Sharon would be out of danger - and out of his apartment.