Five minutes later Sam was pulling into the 15 parking lot.
"I'll meet you back at your truck in half an hour," she smiled, as she clambered out.
She was extremely motivated. The sooner she got out of her uniform and clocked out, the sooner… well the sooner, they could get out of here tonight.
She had even acquiesced; just this once, that he use his influence over Oliver so she could complete the pesky reports tomorrow. This was one of those times when it certainly worked that Sam and Shaw were best buddies.
Sam could have filled the time writing his own reports and doing actual police work. Yet, he was restless and anxious to have Andy all to himself again. Christ, he hadn't dreamed the past hour had he?
He kept his conversation with Oliver concise and to the point, avoiding his suggestive looks and pointed remarks. He wasn't up for that right now.
He wondered aimlessly to his locker, then decided to take a quick shower and don a fresh shirt, just like he used to when he was a uniformed beat cop. Heck he knew she was doing the same in the women's locker room, and that got his mind racing!
Half and hour later he was waiting for her in the lot. It was freezing out, but he chose to wait leaning against his truck, eager to get a glimpse of her the minute she stepped out. She didn't keep him waiting long. And when she arrived she looked ravishing.
Some clouds had gathered and it had started to snow. As she slowly walked towards him he watched the light flakes drift across her loosened hair. Her hands were firmly planted into the pockets of her slim cut jacket and he knew instinctively she was curling and uncurling them in wild anticipation.
He saw a base hunger and desire flowing from her, and knew she saw the same things bristling from him. But, there was something else there too. There was another rich layer of emotion. He swallowed hard on the realization that it was love in her eyes.
She got really close to him and he took in her captivating smile. She was twitching with a vital, flirtatious energy. She caught several fresh whiffs of that sports soap he used. So he had snuck in a quick shower too! God he looked amazing!
"Want to get something to eat?" He asked her casually. For all he knew she was starving. They hadn't eaten properly since lunch really, unless you counted half of a Tim Hortons bagel and a few Timbits as a meal. He certainly was hungry. But, he could wait!
"Nope." She replied rolling her eyes. Her voice was teasing, yet impatient.
"Okay," he smiled looking away and then quickly back at her.
"Do you want to drive?" He asked, calmly holding his keys out towards her. The snowflakes shimmered in the dark strands of his hair. There was a sparkling glint in his eyes. His dimples cut appealingly in his cheeks.
Naturally he was offering her control. He was giving her the option to take the driver's seat literally and figuratively. Heavens above, it just made him climb like a thousand points higher on the hotness scale!
"No," she murmured in response, her eyes never leaving his. The truth was the control thing didn't seem so relevant right now. She didn't care who led, just so long as they were going in the same direction together.
He nodded and opened the passenger door for her. Seconds later he turned on the ignition and pulled out of the driveway. It was only a ten minute ride to his place, in light late night traffic. Thank God.
Andy was quiet, but he knew that wouldn't last. She really was allergic to silence.
"So the Northern Lights!" She snipped playfully, a few moments later, confirming his theory.
She couldn't resist the urge to touch him any longer, so reached her hand out to stroke his jaw and cheek. Good grief she had always thought his face was like chiselled marble. It was that flawless!
Her caress was feathery, warm and enticing! Heck maybe he was crazy thinking the ride home would be short.
And, while it was only her finger touching him, he couldn't help feeling as though she was catching him in a soft, yet strong embrace. Andy McNally was his soft place to land.
He had always been pretty cynical about the existence of such all-consuming love. He was weary to the point of mocking the notion. He had actually refuted the idea that it was possible to want to give every part of oneself to someone.
Yet, here was proof positive. God, how he hoped she knew that, this time, she could really trust him. He was her soft place to land. If she didn't believe anything else, he implored the heavens that she believe that at least.
Andy's hand lingered a moment longer. It felt magical. God, the intensity of the heat between them was hitting him full throttle.
"You said you wanted to go up north to see the Northern Lights," she reminded him, as her hand trickled away.
Sam probed the inside of his mouth with his tongue as he recalled their whimsical conversation from yesterday. Distracted by her touch and the way she looked, he struggled to focus on the road ahead.
"Why there?" She asked, leaning forward to turn the music on. She kept it deliberately low. Rides with Sam were typically punctuated with music.
"Why not," he chuckled, looking back into her eyes. All the strain and load from the previous hour had disappeared. All she saw now was that irresistible boyish sparkle and the secretive tease in his smouldering brown eyes.
"I don't know it's something I've wanted to see ever since I was a kid. I still think it would be a great place to escape to." His voice was gruff and deep, simply because he needed her so much.
"With me?" she whispered looking at him with a smile.
"Definitely with you McNally!" He quipped, turning to meet her eyes. "Who else?"
She smiled sweetly as if to reward him.
"I mean the peace and quiet there would be too overwhelming. You're the only one I know who could find a way to keep that kind of silence at bay," he chuckled.
She giggled and reached out to playfully tap his knee. It was crazy, but Sam always made her laugh at herself in a good way.
"So Sam Swarek is intrigued by the Aurora Borealis." Andy sighed softly as she called the lights by their legendary name. She let out an introspective sigh and leaned her head back against the head rest as if she was looking up to the heavens to see those lights.
He smiled momentarily moving his eyes from the road to look at her profile. She was so completely distracting dammit.
"That isn't all that intrigues me," he whispered coarsely. His hand drifted to touch her this time. He found a lose strand of her hair, and ever so gently curled it behind her ear. His fingertips felt fiery and demanding.
He gently dropped his hand to her knee. Her body pulsed in excitement. Heavens she had missed this lightning bolt voltage that pulsated between them. She realized again that she loved this man with every fiber of her being.
Physically it always felt so right between them. And, after the many bridges they had crossed; and the thousands of miles they had travelled today, maybe just maybe, they were in sync emotionally now too.
"I've read that some believe those lights are actually the spirits of great ancient hunters," he said slowly the timber of his voice dropping several decibels. His fingers trickled slightly to her thigh.
God! Hunters! Just drive Sam. Just get us home, she thought frantically.
"No wonder they speak to you," she mused softly, managing to keep her voice on an even keel. She looked straight to the bright moonlit road ahead. They had faced no red lights or road blocks.
"Huh?" He asked her. She noticed that his hand, was clinging a little more tightly to her thigh, and her skin was burning in unfathomable anticipation.
"You are a hunter Sam. You hunt for justice. You hunt for righteousness. You live to provide protection to others. It's what makes you who you are."
Sam pulled up before his town house and turned off the engine. He looked at her intently. What she said was so introspective and revealing. She had sought to describe an element of his character, much as he had done for her a little while back.
He realized again how much he had missed Andy and that she, like him, had gone through a certain transition too.
"I realized it the first day I worked with you. I saw the way you helped and protected Emily. You really hunted for justice for her. You were so motivated to make her life better."
Sam sighed and nodded as he recalled the sad and troubled life of Emily. The last he heard she was well on the way to creating her own happy ending. He honestly hoped that was still the case.
"That is one of the reasons I love you Sam," Andy whispered boldly.
"Andy," Sam croaked steamily. He instinctively raised his hand from her thigh and stroked her face.
She giggled nervously, as if she knew something bigger than she even imagined possible was about to happen.
"Can we go inside now?" She asked playfully, yet demurely licking her lips.
"Oh. I think we should," Sam teased, removing the keys from the ignition.
The last sound he heard was her vivacious giggle as she dashed out the truck practically slamming the door. He chased her up the stairs since she was sprinting ahead of him.