Huffing tiredly, Andy allows his bags to fall to the floor with a thump, stretching his back wearily as he relieves himself of the weight.
"That's all of it," he declares proudly, looking at the three bags he'd packed to serve him for three months at Sharon's.
"Three bags?" inquires Sharon incredulously, her gaze teasing.
"What? Too much?" laughs Andy.
"You're such a man," huffs Sharon in mock exasperation before giggling quietly, her tongue poking out between her teeth.
Grinning widely, Andy reaches for Sharon's hips, drawing her into him firmly, "You're damn right I am," he growls, his lips barely moving against the crook of her neck. He enjoys the reverberations of her husky chuckles against his lips in response. Moving up the column of her neck languidly, Andy meets Sharon's lips sweetly with his own, tasting her lips and…vanilla?
"Sharon Raydor!" gasps Andy with soft indignation, glaring at his partner mock-accusingly.
"What?" she asks, somewhat guiltily.
"You've been digging into the ice-cream without me!" he accuses with a self-deprecating pout.
"And if I have?" she teases, drawing herself up to square off with him as a mischievous glint enters her eyes.
"I hope you've left me some," murmurs Andy, pecking her lightly on the lips again, "'cos it tastes great…"
Smiling against his mouth, Sharon pulls Andy towards the sitting room, turning them so that she can push him down onto the couch with her good arm before seating herself on his lap. Before them sits the offending tub of ice-cream, a spoon sticking out from it.
"Help yourself," she utters seductively, grinning as Andy's face appears to register some conflict.
"I will, thanks," he grins, taking a spoonful of ice-cream from the tub and guiding it to Sharon's mouth, chuckling when she seems surprised by his actions. However, he laughs outright at her reaction when he taps the spoon gently against the tip of her nose, dribbling some down the front of her tee unintentionally. "Oops," he laughs, his shoulders shaking as he watches her glare at him, knowing that she's not actually upset with him so much as the cold now tracing its way down her cleavage. He stops the thought before it can reach its natural conclusion in his mind – they'd agreed to take things slowly, after all.
Smirking playfully at his comment, Sharon dips her head to meet Andy's mouth, enjoying the look of anticipation on his face before she suddenly turns her head, smearing the ice-cream on her nose all over his cheek instead. "Checkmate," she grins gleefully, finally allowing Andy to capture her lips in a kiss once more. Moments later, when they break apart, Sharon smirks lightly, tracing Andy's sticky cheek with her forefinger. "You should get cleaned up," she murmurs softly.
"Only if you join me," quips Andy lightly, enjoying the look of mock-scandal that crosses Sharon's features.
"Now, Andy, what kind of hostess would I be if I only had one bathroom for myself and my guests?"
"A pretty good one," chuckles Andy before smiling crookedly at her, a twinkle in his eye, "besides, the question here is not of how many bathrooms, but the amount of water used…" he finishes slyly.
"Tut tut, Andy, you must not be used to quality care. The amount of water is irrelevant – it is the quality of the shower that is important," admonishes Sharon mockingly, "I'll be sure to teach you that now."
"I'm sure you will," smirks Andy lightly, sighing contentedly against Sharon as she reaches up to rake her nails through his hair.
"Of course," she murmurs, her face inches from his, "I'll get you a towel," she breathes, laughing as she draws away from him teasingly, pushing him back down onto the sofa with her good arm as she saunters away from him.
"Flirt," he grumbles, smiling to himself as he enjoys the playful side of his partner.
Having finished his shower, Andy steps back out into the sitting room to find Sharon sitting quietly on the sofa, carding her hand through her hair absentmindedly. Smiling lightly at her behaviour, Andy sits himself down beside Sharon, curling his arm around her smaller frame lightly, and enjoying it immensely when she instantly shifts closer to his side. Still, she looks somewhat preoccupied with her hair, and Andy realises that it's probably discomfort – after all, she hasn't been able to wash it properly since before the shooting, and there's still some blood in the tips that she'd been unable to wash out the night before.
"I could do that for you, if you'd like," murmurs Andy softly, gesturing towards Sharon's hair.
"Would you?" she asks, relief flooding her voice. Suffice to say she hadn't been looking forward to attempting to wash her hair with one hand – nor had she even considered attempting to use her injured shoulder whilst the stitches are fresh.
"Of course," he grins, his hand finding hers. "Do you want to call me when you're done showering and dressed?"
"Why? I'd just have to get changed again…" Pulling him slowly behind her into her bedroom, she shuts the door behind her, locking it subtly. Smiling shyly at him, she lets go of his hand, leaving him dumbfounded at the door of her bedroom. Sharon moves to unbutton her blouse before Andy steps in front of her, helping to unbutton it before sliding it gracefully down her pale shoulders. Brushing his fingers gently over the bandage encasing her shoulder, Andy meets Sharon's eyes again, concern flitting across his features. Blushing slightly, Sharon runs her thumb across Andy's cheekbone before reaching to unhook her bra, not wanting to wet the black cotton as she washes her hair.
"Are you sure?" asks Andy quietly, not wanting her to do anything she may be uncomfortable with later.
"It's nothing you haven't seen before, I'm sure," she grins teasingly, referring to his ex-wives.
Raising his brows at the implication, Andy glances very obviously (and appreciatively) down at Sharon's chest, his fingers just brushing her collarbones. Then, he moves behind her and gently unclasps the bra himself, enjoying the feeling that comes as he slides the silky straps down Sharon's shoulders, pressing a kiss into her milky skin as he does. Moving around to face her, he takes her face in his palms, planting a heated kiss against her lips. Sighing against him, Sharon takes his hand in hers and pulls him towards the bathroom with a murmured, "later."
Sitting with her back to the bathtub and her neck resting on a rolled up towel, Sharon relaxes into Andy's ministrations. Meanwhile, Andy runs his hands through Sharon's sopping tresses; lathering the shampoo between his hands before massaging it into her scalp tenderly. Sighing, Sharon shuts her eyes in appreciation as Andy begins rinsing her hair expertly. The sound of water splashing into the tub fills the air, and both are content to remain in silence as Andy begins to work conditioner into her long, darkened locks.
"You're pretty good at this," she muses quietly.
"I had daughters," he grunts, attempting to maintain his focus as he feels her body shift marginally beside his.
Smiling, Sharon allows herself to picture a younger Andy, one who washed his daughters' hair and prepared them for bed. Feeling his hands running down the length of her hair, Sharon is immediately distracted from her thoughts and moans with pleasure, unable to stop herself. Grinning, Andy repeats the motion, enjoying her very visceral response. Sharon's eyelids flutter, half closing in relaxation. Then, opening one eye playfully, she whacks his leg lightly.
"My ass is getting cold on the floor here, Andy," she teases.
"Well, if your hair wasn't so long…" he replies, equally joking.
"You know you love it," she says, mock-arrogantly, momentarily freezing when she realises what she's just said.
"That I do," he says nonchalantly, noting her reaction. Rinsing the conditioner out of her hair, Andy reaches for a towel before wrapping her sodden waves in it. "Of course," he continues, "your hair's not the only thing I love."
Helping her to a standing position, Andy sets himself before her, gazing earnestly into her eyes. Half-teasing, half-terrified, Sharon raises a sardonic brow at Andy, inviting him to continue.
"I love you."
Sharon smiles shyly at his admission, unable to reciprocate just yet. Instead, she presses her lips firmly against his, wanting to show him that while she does feel the same way, she's not yet able to vocalise it. As usual, Andy understands her intentions perfectly, and allows her to get out of having to say it, instead enjoying the heat of her lips against his as the cold droplets of water hit his face from her recently washed hair.
She'd say it soon, he knew, and he didn't mind waiting for her body to catch up with her brain – after all, he was used to her now. Smiling lightly (and with some surprise) as Sharon elected to deepen the kiss before he could, Andy allows himself to be lost to her attention instead of worrying about the fact that she hadn't returned the sentiment.
She'd come around, soon enough.
Hey guys! Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it :) If you did, please leave a review! Thanks to ProfTweety, Meg0613 and EnvilRegalShandyLvr21 for reviewing last chapter - I appreciate it :) And sorry for the delay in updating - work gets in the way, sometimes :P