Light In The Dark
by Kate04
Chapter Eight – A Love Worth Living For
Time: A few days after the events of Chapter One and Seven
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They strolled down the street along the small park arm in arm. They had left the car near the restaurant where they'd had dinner earlier and decided to walk to the theatre, which now gave them the opportunity to enjoy the fresh LA night air. Andy was more than happy to spend this additional time with her, even though they had run out of things to talk about a while ago. Just feeling her warm presence next to him, her hand on his arm, their hips and shoulders touching as they moved was more than he would ever have hoped to have with her.
And yet, here they were, having seamlessly slipped from their friendly dinners into this incredible evening full of possibilities. It wasn't so different from their previous outings. They talked and joked and laughed, they went over things that worried them about their families or a particularly difficult case – it was easy and comfortable. This time, however, there was an additional layer to their interactions. Looks lingered longer, smiles were softer and frequently, a gentle hand would be placed on an arm or fingers would brush, entwining on the table between them. In the theatre he'd had a hard time concentrating on the actors as her hand had somehow ended up resting on his thigh, covered by his own.
When he had picked her up earlier, Andy had been incredibly nervous. In all the years they had known each other, there weren't many things they hadn't done, but to actually go out on a date, to take that next step was a lot bigger. They had been headed in that direction for a long time, but the last month had been agony, having him shift from eager anticipation to slight nervousness to anxiety and back, a state of mind he had seen reflected in her furtive gazes and fidgeting hands whenever they had been alone at work.
The moment she had opened her door earlier that evening all that had fallen away from him, leaving him with an overwhelming sense of rightness. This was where he wanted to be and whenever their eyes met Andy knew that they would figure it out. Something had always drawn them together, and they were good together, always had been, as long as they kept talking. They had only ever really gotten in trouble when they'd made assumptions about the other. He would make sure they wouldn't go down that road again.
As they neared his car, Andy wondered about their next step. Officially, this was their first date, but the tension between them did not feel at all like that. Whatever might happen next, it wouldn't be their first time and yet, it was. So much time had passed since they had been close like that. He could still feel her lips on his, her firm body against his, even after all these years and he wanted her desperately. Should he just come out and tell her, hope she'd let him kiss her and maybe take him home or should he be a gentleman, drive her home, kiss her cheek and say goodnight in front of the elevator doors? The question almost drove him insane. He had resolved to never assume anything where their relationship was concerned, hadn't he? Might as well start right now.
Upon reaching the car, Sharon turned towards him and gave him a questioning look as he let her arm slip out of his only to take hold of her hand. He awkwardly tugged at his ear, his eyes on their joined hands.
"So, what's the proper protocol for first dates these days?"
Carefully looking up, he was surprised to see her laugh openly.
"You're asking me? I can't even remember when I last was on a date, let alone a first date."
They stared at each other for a moment, both grinning, trying to decide how to proceed in the obvious absence of any clear guidelines.
"I guess we'll have to play it by ear, then."
At her nod, he continued, his voice low as he stroked the backs of his fingers along her cheek, holding her gaze with his.
"Just let me know if it's going too fast for you."
His lips were so soft on hers, just a tentative caress as his hands went into her hair, cupping her head. Sharon closed her eyes and let her arms slide around him, gripping the material of his shirt.
For a long moment, they exchanged delicate kisses and gentle nips. Whenever they had kissed before it had been fast and hard and fuelled by anger, hurt, or desperation. She had never before taken the time to just feel, to let his scent envelope her, to be conscious of their shared breath, to enjoy the painfully slow build-up of arousal. It started as a gentle tingling in her core that slowly travelled through her veins until her toes curled and her fingers twitched with the need to touch every inch of him.
When she moaned, Andy deepened the kiss, his tongue sneaking out to trace her lips, tenderly seeking access. Sharon took a step back to lean against the car, pulling him with her as she opened her mouth for him. In a continuation of their unhurried pace, they let their tongues meet, circling lazily, sliding over teeth and lips, tasting and caressing as their hands started to wander.
Andy let his hands slip under the jacket he had draped over her shoulders earlier, letting them slide down her sides, his thumbs brushing along the sides of her breasts and making her shiver. He caressed the curve of her ass, pulling her against him, his arousal evident against the soft pillow of her belly.
The heat between them increased with every nip and kiss, with every flick of the tongue, every loving touch until the need to shed those hindering layers that separated them became almost unbearable. Sharon unashamedly ground against him, wishing her tight skirt would allow her to straddle one of his strong thighs. She was almost delirious with want, every cell of her body screaming to feel his skin against hers. Any thoughts of first dates and proper etiquette were lost in a sea of desire. They had been drifting towards this for years and she simply didn't wish to wait any longer. She needed him and he needed her. It was that simple.
"Take me home, Andy."
Neither her tone nor the heated look in her eyes left any doubt in his mind that she didn't intend for him to bid her goodnight in front of the elevator doors. It sent another wave of desire down his spine and he seriously needed to slow down a bit if he didn't want it all to end too soon.
Andy grabbed the lapels of the too-big suit jacket that covered her and drew her in for another quick, tender kiss before he pulled back and wrapped the jacket more tightly around her, smoothing the fabric with nervous hands. He gave her a long look, taking in her accelerated breathing, the slight flush on her cheeks and her swollen lips, before he stepped away to open the door for her, fighting the urge to press her back against the car again.
The instant Andy had slid into his own seat, the door closing behind him, her hands were on him, dragging him into another kiss. He let one hand sink into her hair, the other landing on her knee, slowly inching up a silky thigh as far as her tight skirt allowed. For a moment he thought Sharon would climb over the centre console and into his lap and he didn't think he would have stopped her. Instead, they reluctantly pulled out of the kiss, their foreheads resting against each other as they tried to get their breathing under control.
Surrounded by her sweet scent and her warm breath on his cheek, Andy had a hard time focusing on anything else, but he wanted her badly and, while tempting, fooling around in the tight confines of his car was not what he'd had in mind for tonight.
Giving her thigh a gentle squeeze, he put a respectable distance between them once again, the fingers of his other hand gently brushing along her jaw before he grabbed the steering wheel a little tighter than strictly necessary.
After he had started the engine and pointed the car towards his little bungalow, Andy's right hand reached out for hers and their fingers entwined in the space between them, the silence around them heavy with barely restrained desire.
Sharon let her head fall back against the headrest, her eyes closing as she enjoyed the warmth of his hand around hers. Traffic was pleasantly light this late in the evening and, with her thoughts focused on the man beside her and her anticipation being close to unbearable, she was glad that they reached their destination relatively quickly.
When the front door closed behind them, Andy dropped his keys on the small table in the hall before he guided Sharon straight towards his bedroom, a gentle hand resting against the small of her back. There was no hesitation in either of them, no thought spared for the soft leather sofa they passed or a hot cup of coffee. They were both sure of what they wanted. They had done the hurried fuck against a wall and the clumsy couch sex. This would be different, without bruises and carpet burn and without regrets.
Sharon set her purse on the dresser next to the bedroom door as she felt Andy's hands on her neck, slowly dragging the jacket off her shoulders. He tossed it onto an armchair in the corner before focusing his attention on her neck and the v-shaped expanse of bare skin beneath, his hands brushing her hair over one shoulder to expose her to his wandering lips.
She closed her eyes and braced one hand against the dresser to keep her balance as he stole her breath with the feather-like touch of his fingers, lips and tongue. Very slowly, inch by maddening inch, he lowered the zipper in the back of her dress, his tongue trailing along in its wake, circling each newly exposed vertebrae.
When he reached the lacy barrier of her panties, he reverently kissed each rounded cheek, nipping the yielding flesh until she moaned before he continued down the back of one thigh and up the other, the dress finally parting completely.
He had dreamed of doing this all evening, the zipper that went all the way down the back of the dress drawing his attention every time he caught sight of Sharon's backside. That he actually got to play out one of these fantasies was more than he had dared hope for.
Kneeling behind her, Andy let his tongue trace the scalloped edge of her panties from one hip to the other as his hands moved up her sides to cup her lace-clad breasts, his thumbs flicking over her nipples.
Sharon moaned once more at the almost painful pleasure his touch evoked. His slow exploration was killing her, her body trembling with desire. When he pinched her nipples, she finally turned around, let the dress slide down her arms to pool on the floor, and dragged him to his feet. They ignored the popping of his knees, their lips already locked in another hungry kiss as Sharon began to peel him out of his clothes with deliberate movements.
When Andy tried to open the clasp of her bra, Sharon took a step back, removing his arms from around her and placing them at his sides. She gave him an almost desperate look, silently begging him to let her have this moment and he relented, trying to relax when relaxation was the furthest thing from his mind.
Her eyes never left his as she loosened his tie and slowly slipped it off his neck, tossing it on the chair to join his jacket, before her nimble fingers made quick work of the buttons of his shirt. His skin burned where she brushed against it as she went on her own exploration with lips and tongue. His shirt fell to the floor, but he didn't really notice, Sharon's teeth closing around one of his nipples at the same time, drawing a hiss from him. The slight pain shot right to his groin, making him twitch in the uncomfortable confines of his pants.
Her hands caressed his bare chest, travelling down to his stomach. She lingered on the long, slightly faded scar at his side, tracing it with her fingertips. He heard her shuddering breath and looked down at her. Her gaze was focused on his middle and she seemed lost in thought for a moment, before she looked up at him again, the haunted expression in her eyes making way for gratitude, happiness and longing. The force with which she launched herself at his lips mirrored what he had seen in her gaze and he returned her kiss with equal fervor, desperate to keep the ghosts of the pasts away.
When her fingers resumed their torturous journey down his torso, he let his eyes close again, a shiver running down his spine as she drew further and further down until she set to work on his belt buckle.
He felt her open his pants and drag them and his briefs over his hips and down to pool around his ankles. Gentle hands turned him slightly and gave him a push backwards as his legs hit the bed.
When Andy opened his eyes, Sharon knelt on the floor before him, untying his shoes. He couldn't remember ever having seen something so sexy. This strong, independent, stubborn woman, who always seemed to have the upper hand, was on her knees, divesting him of his remaining clothes. In nothing but her lacey underwear she presented a more than enticing view and it made him feel incredibly powerful, even though he was convinced that, right in that moment, he would do absolutely anything she asked of him.
With his legs finally free, Sharon pushed them apart, her hands moving up his inner thighs as she met his gaze. Her eyes had never been that green, deep and luminous like a mountain lake just before a storm. She licked her lips, her eyes flicking down to his middle for a second, and it was all Andy could do not to toss her onto the bed and sink into her.
Instead, he leaned back on one hand and buried the other in her thick mane. It was a struggle to keep his eyes from closing once more when he felt her hot breath feather over him before she licked his hard length from base to tip, still holding his eyes with hers. She curled her long fingers around him and cupped his balls in her other hand, her tongue circling his head before she took him into her mouth completely.
When she set a steady rhythm, her head bobbing up and down, Andy groaned and let his head fall back, his eyes closing after all. Her mouth was hot and wet around him, her tongue swirling around him whenever she came up and every time she hummed, he thought the liquid fire that crawled up his cock would consume him. He felt his balls tighten in her hand and for a second he was tempted to give in to the challenge in her eyes and come right there and then. He loved the thought that she was willing to do this for him, but this night was not about him; it was about them.
Gently tugging on her hair, Andy signaled that the end of his control was fast approaching and with one last almost disappointed hum she let him go, kissing his glistening tip before she leaned up to capture his mouth.
He slipped his arms around her and pulled her against him, their kiss slow and tender, both calming and incredibly arousing at the same time. Andy found the fastener of her bra and opened it, giving his hands unhindered access to the soft skin of her back.
When breathing became more essential than their shared kiss, Andy pushed her away far enough to tug the bra off her arms and enjoy an unobstructed view of her breasts. He noticed her self-conscious blush and the way she refused to look at him and, hooking a finger under her chin, he forced her to meet his eyes. When he was sure he had her attention, he let his gaze wander over her, lingering on her breasts, her nipples begging to be suckled, before traveling further down to her slightly rounded belly, over her hips to her shapely thighs and all the way up again. Upon meeting her eyes again, he leaned in to her for another deep kiss.
"You're beautiful, Sharon."
His words feathered over her lips on a warm breath, so quiet she almost didn't hear him. The way he had just studied her had made her tingle with desire, erasing the last bit of doubt she had about the way she looked to him. Andy cupped her breasts gently, his thumbs circling around her nipples, sending a wave of heat straight down to her throbbing core.
"Lay down on the bed. There's something I've been meaning to finish for almost twenty years."
He saw confusion on her face for a second before she complied, getting to her feet far more gracefully than he had earlier. Andy took his time following her, taking in her incredible body, the long limbs and the mass of unruly hair. He wanted this moment to last forever, bottle up the anticipation and longing, the desire and love.
The need to touch her once again won out over his sentimental thoughts and he crawled onto the bed, kissing his way up her legs. When he lingered at her knees, tickling the sensitive skin with his tongue, Sharon let her legs fall apart slightly, granting him access to her inner thighs. He drew random patterns along them with the tip of his tongue only to blow air over them, smiling at the goose bumps that erupted all over her body.
This close to her centre, he could smell her arousal and it ruined his plans for a slow, torturous approach. He simply couldn't wait any longer to taste her. Slowly dragging her panties down her legs, he threw them over his shoulder, not caring one bit where they might land or if they would find them again in the morning.
Andy gently pushed her legs further apart, settling himself between them on his stomach as he let his fingers run over her hips and into the soft patch of curls. When his thumbs spread her already swollen lips, she moaned and thrust up towards him, silently begging for more. He let her wait a few more seconds, blowing soft air over her folds and delighting in the resulting shiver. As his tongue finally touched her, they both groaned. She tasted divine, sweet and salty and Andy knew he would never get enough of her.
Her hands in his hair didn't surprise him as she tried to urge him closer, spreading her legs even more. He refused to be rushed, a gentle nip to her inner thigh his only answer, before he went back to thoroughly exploring her. It was painfully obvious where she wanted him most, her hips shifting underneath him in an attempt to make it happen. He teased her with too-soft flicks over her clit only to focus his attention on her slick folds again, dipping his tongue into her, circling her and then plunging into her once more. It didn't take too long before she was desperately bucking against his mouth, seeking the stimulation she needed.
Drawing the torture out just a little more, Andy circled her opening, letting his nose bump against her clit as her juices rolled over his tongue. He could keep this up for hours, but her whimpering told him that she wouldn't let him. When his nose nudged her again, Sharon tugged on his hair, groaning in frustration.
"Andy, please!"
Finally giving in, he closed his lips around her clit, sucking and nibbling as he slipped first one and then two fingers into her. Her walls clamped around him immediately, already pulsing and throbbing with her impending climax. He thrust into her, curling his fingers slightly, his mouth and tongue finding the right pressure and rhythm, taking her moans and thrusts as cues.
When she came with a strangled cry on her lips, hips bucking wildly against him, he stilled his hand, letting his tongue slide over her bud in a feather-light touch until she relaxed beneath him. She whimpered when he pulled out of her, a sound that turned into a moan as his tongue caressed her folds gently, until the occasional shivers stopped and she relaxed into a boneless mass of satisfaction.
Planting kisses on her flushed and sweaty skin, Andy unhurriedly moved up her body, bracing himself on his arms to keep his weight off her. Upon reaching her breasts, he lingered, paying special attention to the puckered nipples. Sharon was already panting again by the time he moved on to capture her mouth. She wrapped her arms and legs around him and drew him against her and the contact made his breath catch. He groaned as his length settled against her hot centre, the slick folds sliding along him.
Lingering in the fading haze of her orgasm for another moment, Sharon enjoyed their lazy kiss, tasting herself on his tongue. The sensation of his long and thick erection against her sent fresh shards of pleasure through her. Any thought of post-coital laziness deserted her in anticipation of having him inside her. She caught his face between her hands and fixed her eyes on his, rejoicing at the warmth they held.
"I want you, Andy."
She almost didn't recognize her own voice, deep and raw with longing and she saw his reaction to it reflected in his brown gaze.
When he finally slid into her, a long moan escaped her, answered by his almost pained groan. He filled her perfectly, her muscles stretching around him. For a long moment they just lay there, his strong body cradled between her thighs and their foreheads touching.
It was a glorious feeling to connect like that, taking the time to process their physical reactions and emotional responses. Sharon marveled at the fact that her body seemed to recognize his after all these years and despite the subtle changes, her hands caressing the familiar outlines of his shoulders, his long back muscles, his strong arms.
She moved her head slightly to plant soft kisses along his jaw, letting her muscles squeeze him inside her, pushing her hips against his. Their pace was unhurried, his thrusts long and deep, their tongues getting caught in their own leisurely duel.
As their pace increased, their kiss grew more and more heated, until the need to breathe pulled them apart. Andy planted kisses along her jaw and neck, finding that secret spot right behind her left ear, making her squirm underneath him.
The friction of him inside her and their sweat-slicked bodies gliding against each other moved her further up, closer to that edge, as desire shot through her light lightning bolts.
Andy nibbled on her earlobe, tracing the shell of her ear with his tongue before he moved down her neck, his lips lingering against her thundering pulse, his hips matching its frantic pace as he lost his rhythm. Their inarticulate noises, their laboured breathing and the blood running through her veins melted into one indistinguishable sound, almost like the roaring of the incoming tide.
Sharon teetered on the brink of another release, small waves of pleasure washing over her, building up to this one large one that would throw her off her feet. Andy shifted slightly to slip his hand between their bodies, his thumb pressing against her clit at a slightly awkward angle, but it was enough. The wave finally broke, pulling her down into the depth of oblivion, taking her breath away and leaving her disoriented and dizzy.
She had a vague sense of him following her over the edge, a strangled shout of something that sounded like her name barely audibly over the roaring of the storm inside her.
When she took notice of her surroundings again, Andy was heavy on top of her, twitching inside her in response to her quivering muscles, his breath puffing against her neck and their bodies glistening with sweat, completely spent. She tightened her arms and legs around him once more before she released him.
With a content sigh Andy rolled them over until he lay on his back with her tucked against his side, her head resting on his chest, her hand brushing through the coarse hair she found there until he intercepted it. Their fingers laced together on his stomach, they basked in the afterglow.
Andy planted a kiss into her soft hair, elated that this woman actually wanted him, despite their awkward history and despite the fact that he could be an asshole sometimes. He might not have expected this outcome two decades ago, but right now, right here, he couldn't be happier and he smiled into her curls.
"I could get used to this."
Sharon hummed in response, moving up to lean on one elbow as she looked down on him. She cupped his face with a gentle hand and slanted her mouth over his in a lingering kiss. Her thumb caressed his skin as her lips brushed against his ear, her quiet words washing over him and rendering him almost breathless.
"I love you."
Andy let the emotions her words evoked settle over him, let them take root in his heart. He met her eyes and was once again captivated by their colour, warmth and love and happiness dancing in their green depth. He could easily get lost in them for the rest of his life and he found not one single thing wrong with that.
He drew her into another kiss, this one more passionate than the last. When he mumbled his response against her parted lips he felt her lips stretch into a smile. No, there was not one single thing wrong with forever.