Irresistible.

Inspired by The Lady BAM's magazine interview comments on S4 (and the MC panel at Phoenix Con). MASSIVE thanks to borntofightandtowin for sharing! It's because of you that we're all losing our minds. :D

If I was James Duff, which I'm not, this is probably how I'd teach Sharon to let go of her control…

"Coffee?" Sharon's keys clattered into the dish on the hallway table as she passed, headed straight for the kitchen. She had to get away from him, get his hand off the small of her back.

Andy stopped to close the front door behind them before following at a more relaxed pace. "Coffee sounds great, Sharon."

Wanting to make sure that her- no, the Lieutenant was at a saf- respectable distance from her person, Sharon risked a somewhat flustered glance over her shoulder…. and instantly regretted it. Used to making himself comfortable in her home Andy was already shrugging out of his jacket and tie, leaving him in a light blue shirt that complimented the Italian in his heritage and a pair of red suspenders. Even worse, he was staring at her from across the room, chocolate melting-pot eyes crinkled, twinkling, like he knew something that she didn't.

Whipping around, Sharon nearly knocked over the two mugs she'd just set out. "Decaf?"

Her voice sounded shaky, even to her.

His rumble was warm, inviting. "It is getting kinda late..."

Oh God. Smoothing her palms over the cool surface of the countertop she managed to dredge up a fair imitation of her usual tone. "Decaf it is." Then, without turning to look at him: "Please, have a seat."

She busied herself with the ritual of brewing coffee for a few moments, trying to lose herself in the familiar movements and the rich, almost nutty scent of the ground beans, but her traitorous mind kept returning to the heat and press of Andy's fingers, winding up and down the length of her spine. His touches during dinner had been casual; barely there, almost as if he had been unaware of what he was doing. He had been much surer on the walk back to her condo.

Worried that Andy might wander over and reclaim that tingling trail of skin, Sharon twisted her upper body, attempting to peep into the room behind her surreptitiously. Andy was stooped over the dining room table, temporarily distracted by one of the centrepieces- the angel ornament he had given her last Christmas. Rusty still complained about the ornament being out which the holidays long gone, but Sharon had reasoned that the gift was too thoughtful to be seasonal. She was starting to regret that now.

Letting out a slow breath, she started to turn back towards the counter when Andy's dark eyes lifted to meet hers. He was grinning again, that same boyish smile he'd been wearing all evening. It alarmed her, her fascination with the way the left corner of his mouth tugged upwards, twitching when he was amused, stretching wide when he was sarcastic….

"How's it coming?" he asked, mouth still holding her eyes as he straightened up.

"Hmm?"

Andy gave a low, throaty chuckle. "The coffee, Sharon."

Mortified, she snapped back to herself, suddenly aware of which part of his face she'd been staring at. "It's, um…" a gentle flush covered her cheeks. "It's great; brewing."

Andy chuckled again, eyes dipping to the floor. "Irresistible," he murmured, shaking his head.

She paused, nearly turning back to the coffee. "What was that?"

His eyes lifted, locking with hers. "You think I'm irresistible," he answered, matter-of-factly, as if they were discussing the day's weather or which teams had made the playoffs that season.

A familiar fluttering broke out in Sharon's stomach. "And where did you hear that?"

"Well." He skirted the length of the table slowly, dragging a finger over the polished wood. "Sykes heard it from Julio, who heard it from Tao, who heard from Morales that you murmured something about me being "irresistible" in the morgue- y'know, after I updated you about the case and asked you out to dinner in the space of one phone call."

So that's why he'd been wearing that shit-eating grin all… Oh.

Oh!

Sharon felt the flush on her cheeks spread outwards, colouring her neck and chest. "I…"

Andy started towards her, chocolate-brown eyes glittering under the kitchen's recessed lights.

"A-Andy, wait a moment; are you sure Morales didn't mean… irresponsible?"

He was a few feet away and getting closer. "Nope. Morales definitely said irresistible, Sharon."

"What about irritating?" she suggested, sliding one step to the left along the kitchen counter for every step he took towards her, heartbeat loud in her ears.

The smirk was back, lifting both corners of his mouth now as he literally backed her into a corner. "Did you mean it?"

Sharon's hip hit the edge of the sink. "Mean what?" Why did she sound so breathless?

Andy was standing right in front of her, so close she could smell the heady scent of his aftershave- cardamom and something woodsy. "You know what," he murmured, pupils blown wide and boring into hers.

"I-" A small gasp slipped from her lips when he reached behind her, wrapping his hands around her narrow wrists. In nearly two years' worth of 'non-dates' (as Rusty persisted in calling them) Andy had never been this forward. He pushed her against the sink unit firmly, tethering her hands to the countertop, but his grip on her wrists was gentle- allowing her to move away if she wanted. Sharon wasn't sure what she wanted. She wasn't-

"Did you mean it?" Andy asked again, searching for something in the depths of her eyes.

Afraid of what he would see if he looked long enough, her head bowed, lashes fluttering shut. She had noticed, of late, that she was having trouble regulating her breathing around him. Tonight was no exception. "I, um…"

His nose ghosted along her jawline. "Tell me to stop and I will," he reassured, feeling her breathing stutter and hitch near his ear. "But I kinda want to hear you say that I'm irresistible first."

Oh God.

Andy nuzzled her hair away from her neck, chuckling when her fingers twitched against his. "Hmm, sensitive," he whispered, skimming his lips over the patch of skin just behind the delicate shell of her ear. "Say it and this all goes away."

Heat spread through Sharon's body, like dripping honey. "I…"

"Yesss…?" he whispered, mouth hot and open against her throbbing pulse point.

"I- uh…" her head fell backwards, goose-bumps breaking out on her skin. "I f-find you, um-"

He latched onto her pulse point suddenly, pulling a strangled cry from her throat. "Annndy," she moaned, voice liquid smooth and throatier than he had ever heard before.

He released her flesh with a soft pop, pulling back to look at her intently. She was breathing heavily, lips parted, green eyes open and dark with desire. Andy had imagined kissing Sharon many times over the past few months but, oh God, was she beautiful flushed and panting.

Struggling to focus her Andy-addled brain, Sharon felt the pressure on her wrists start to increase. It took her a moment to realize that she was the one causing it, straining towards him as he slowly, cruelly, inched his smirking lips away. Unfortunately, as Andy's arms were a fair bit longer than hers, he hovered just out of reach, breath fanning her face with a sweet hint of the mint gelato they'd shared for dessert.

"You're half-way there" he teased, lowering his head just a fraction- bumping the tip of his nose against hers. "Just say the word."

Sharon rubbed her lips together in frustration. "Irri-"

The rest of the word was swallowed up as Andy's mouth finally slanted over hers. She jerked in his arms as their lips met and meshed together, enjoying the unhurried pace and firm pressure set by Andy. He was a very thorough kisser, revelling in the taste and texture of Sharon's mouth, soft and pliant, as her startled heart beat out for More! More! More!

When his hands released her wrists, gliding down the length of her spine to rest, enquiringly, on the small of her back, the moan slipped out before Sharon could stop it.

So Andy did it again and again, tracing up and down the length of her spine through the fabric of her blouse until her body was flush against his and trembling.

Figuring he'd made his intentions clear and given her enough to process for one evening, Andy pulled back reluctantly, their lips separating with a gentle smack.

Not ready to look at him, Sharon pressed her forehead into the crook of his neck, trying to catch her breath. Why did he smell so damn good? "For the record, I was about to say irritating when you interrupted," she mumbled against his chest, completely undone from his kisses but not without her pride.

"Of course you were," Andy breathed, letting his arms settle around her comfortably. "And, for the record, I find you irresisti- whoops, I mean 'irritating' too."

Sharon could hear the smirk in his words, fully fledged and daring her to pull him up on it. "I don't know how to do this," she admitted softly, as his hands found the patch of tingling skin on her lower back once more.

"Neither do I." Sharon stiffened and Andy had to fight to keep her from pulling away completely. "But- But, Sharon, it's okay, hey, listen to me. Listen." He smoothed the pad of his thumb along her jawline, offering a small smile when her eyes fluttered open, looking up at him with a vulnerability that threatened to steal the air from his lungs. "I'm not going anywhere. You're not going anywhere. We've got time. "

"Time," she repeated, testing the word out on her tongue like it was a foreign substance.

"Time to figure out whatever we both need to figure out; time to be just Sharon and Andy and see where that leads."

Sharon lifted a hand to his chest, fiddling with a button there for a long moment. "I'd like that," she confessed, looking up at him through lowered lashes, lips still swollen from his ardent kisses.

He offered her a dazzling smile, slipping his hand into her thick, auburn hair. "Great, 'cos I'm about to kiss you ag-"

The second time Sharon cut Andy off.