"Max. Max! Wake up, I've got you some milk - and I even brought you two turkey sandwiches." Alec knelt down beside the bed and spoke gently into her ear. He had no idea how Max reacted to people waking her up, and just in case she didn’t like it, he was going to coax her awake as gently as possible. The girl packed one hell of a punch, and he wasn't particularly in the mood for a fist in the gut. Max ignored him and burrowed deeper into her blanket, shudders continuing to rack her small frame.
"Come on, Max. Milk, sandwiches- just for you."
She mumbled something, then gave a contented sigh.
"That's right, Max. I've got food here." His lips twitched. If it was one thing an X-5 couldn't say 'no' to, it was food.
"Alec…" she moaned, lost somewhere in the last stages of dreamland the mind experiences before the body regains consciousness. Max opened her eyes lazily, and shot him a drowsy grin. Her eyelids fluttered shut again as she lethargically sat up, proceeding to stretch in a very catlike manner. Every movement of hers was done in idle pleasure, and Alec swallowed thickly. With her hair in a tangled mess from sleep and that smile curving those luscious lips, Max was pure temptation, and he was but a mere sinner. Alec was trying real hard not to notice how her shirt stretched tightly across her breasts, and he swore he was doing his best to ignore the memory of her in the lacy bra she had worn this morning -the same one that she still had on underneath her clothing. However, it was a ridiculously futile battle. He gulped again, his throat painfully dry.
Max's eyes flew open, and any remnants of sleep were gone in an instant. If Alec hadn't averted his eyes from her in trying to block out the images dancing in his mind, he would have noticed the red blush of embarrassment on her cheeks. He didn't see it however, and looked back at Max only when her body seized fitfully once again, thankfully interrupting his thoughts of long legs and lace. She hunched over on the bed and instinctively Alec lay a soothing hand on her shoulder. The consoling action seemed to unsettle Max, and she carelessly shrugged it off. Though she hadn't been rude about it, the movement cut nonetheless.
Alec turned around and set the lantern down, simultaneously picked up a plate off the nightstand. "Well, here are your sandwiches, and I found you a nice, big carton of milk," he said stiffly.
Max wordlessly took the milk from him and drank heartily from it. He had prepared himself sandwiches as well, and plopped down in a rocking chair that sat next to the bed. They ate in a very uncomfortable silence for a while, and Alec didn't fail to notice that Max was doing her best to avoid eye contact with him. Tension hung thickly in the air, much worse than it had been before.
"So, um….How are you feeling" Alec inquired, wanting to break the awkward quiet that filled the room.
Max leisurely finished chewing the bite she had in her mouth, and for a second, Alec wasn't sure if she was going to answer.
"Better," she finally offered flatly. It was clear she wasn't in the mood for conversation.
He cleared his throat. "Oh. Well. That's good, then." He couldn't think of anything else to say and decided it was easier to enjoy the rest of his sandwich rather than chi-chat with an unwilling Max. He was too damn tired of her game. Here he was going out of his way to be nice to her, and had assumed they'd settled on a truce of sorts. However, he supposed that her seizures were putting her panties back into a bunch.
Panties.
He directed his gaze to the ceiling and groaned inwardly. Okay, bad idea to think of Max and panties at the same time.
As soon as Max finished eating her sandwich, she set her plate on the floor and lay back down. "We stay until morning because I'm still not one hundred percent, but we are getting a move at dawn." Max's tone was every bit the soldier she was engineered to be, and when she was done, she rolled on her side and turned away from him - dismissing him.
Alec decided to deal with his annoyance maturely and made a sour face behind her back, barely containing the urge to mimic her words. Jesus Christ, if the girl didn't loosen up she was going to give herself a heart attack by thirty. However, she did have the right idea about sleep. He was tired as hell, and now that he'd sat down, his muscles didn't seem to be able to move. Even eating had become a chore. No doubt tomorrow was going to be a long day, so he may as well get as much rest as he could tonight. Yawning, he set aside his empty plate and tried to get as comfortable as he could in the wooden chair. He tried a few different positions and finally settled on the one that was most tolerable. He must've been more tired than he realized because as soon as he closed his eyes, his mind instantly went blank and within two minutes he was asleep.
***
Max's extra perceptive hearing detected the precise moment Alec's breathing pattern became even, and she light out a small sigh. Careful not to make too much noise, she delicately kicked the covers off and stood up. Alec was in a seemingly uncomfortable position in the rocking chair, his arms crossed over his chest and his head resting on his shoulder. She hesitated briefly, then grabbed the blanket from the bed and gently threw it over him, covering him from the neck down. He didn't stir, and for that Max was thankful. She wasn't sure she him right now. He had her feeling off-kilter, and all she wanted was time alone; time when Alec wasn't in the same room that she was in, breathing the same air she was, talking to her, and most importantly, taking care of her. So, she grabbed the lantern and quietly slipped out, shutting the door behind her with a soft click. She walked down the small hallway until she came across what she presumed to be the bathroom. Turning the flame up slightly, she opened the door and peered inside, pleased to see she had indeed found the bathroom. It was small rooms decorated in the same modest-yet-comfortable feel as the rest of the house. On her left was a sink surrounded by a blue and white marble countertop. Above that hung a gigantic rectangular mirror that nearly went to the ceiling. Next to the counter was the commode, its seat adorned by a fluffy blue cover. To her right was a large, elegant and antique porcelain tub with a pipe running up the front to form it's showerhead. Max nearly moaned out loud. It was perfect. After the last forty-eight hours, a long hot bath was just what the doctor ordered.
Max set the lantern on the counter, then bent to turn the facet on. She held her hand under the water, and a sigh escaped her lips when she felt the steaming hot liquid flowing through her fingers. Wasting no time, she quickly shrugged out of her clothes, practically having to peel her jeans off as they were still very wet from walking through snow all afternoon and evening.
The tub finished filling and she turned the water off. Gingerly, she stuck her toe in to test the temperature. It felt absolutely wonderful, and she stepped in completely. She languidly lowered herself until her entire body up to her chin was submersed, relishing the heat that seeped through and tinted her skin red. The sound of moving water echoed through the room, and the lantern provided a soft and relaxing glow.
Max leaned her head back to rest over the edge of the porcelain and shut her eyes. No matter what life handed her, a bath was always the one sure way she could collect her thoughts. Her mind roamed to the dream she'd been having when Alec had roused her for the sandwiches and milk. She knew that she had been standoffish to him a few minutes ago, but she couldn't help it. She was reeling, and he had been the absolute last person she wanted see. Just bad timing on his part.
Max's dream had been quite …interesting, to say the least. Gritting her teeth, she tried to push the images out of her head, but her psyche had other plans. No matter how badly she wanted to think about something else, anything else, the dream was the only thing on her mind, and images of it flashed behind her closed eyes…
…A soft flickering flame lit the cellar. Alec stood before her wearing jeans, but for some unknown reason was without his shoes or shirt. Max was sitting on the floor and knew without looking down that all she had on was her black bra and panties. She watched in fascination as his lips pulled up at the corner, and he offered her his hand. She took it, and struggled to stand. Much to her dismay, she tripped on something and her body slammed into his. His arms went around her waist, and her hands flew to his shoulders. A weird sense of déjà vu overtook her, but her mind was too foggy to concentrate on where she may have done this before. Of course, having her chest pressed tightly against Alec's wasn’t helping matters either.
"What's wrong, Max?" He questioned huskily. She looked up, and her eyes widened at the raw desire that showed on his face. She should step back, she needed to step back, but somehow she couldn't - and to be honest, she really didn't want to.
"I don't know," she answered. "I feel strange, very *off*." Her mind was still hazy, but with Alec this close, she was beginning not to care.
"Well, it's your dream." He shrugged nonchalantly, obviously feeling that his answer explained everything. Max nodded dazedly, but didn't fully comprehend what he said. She couldn't comprehend it because her attention was focused on other things: the feel of him against her, the subtle but strong muscles beneath her fingers, the piercing blue of his eyes, the way his voice seemed to catch on her name, and the oh-so-sexy shape of his lips.
She cleared her throat and halfheartedly tried to disentangle herself from him. His grip tightened, however, and she raised a questioning eyebrow.
Alec snorted. "Oh, come on Max. You don't want me to really let go."
"I don't?" she whispered, confused.
"Of course not. This is what you really want." In one swift move, he had her bare back pressed against the cold wall, and his hands came to grab her biceps. Her own hands flew to his chest - not in protest, but in surprise.
"What are you doing?" she breathed.
"Tell me, Max. Tell me what you want."
"I don't know what you'r-"
"Don't lie, damn it!" Alec demanded, his voice taking a raspy pitch. His thumb start drawing small, sensual circles on the tender skin of her upper arm, and her stomach quivered. He leaned his head down to her ear, and she got goosebumps as he whispered this time. "Tell me what you want, Max. Tell me who you want" He allowed his lower lip to brush softly against her flesh as he spoke, and her legs went weak.
"I don't know what you mean…" She tried to protest again, but her voice was much less credible.
"Bullshit!" he accused. Alec decided to increase his torture, and slid one knee between her thigh. Should could feel his body heat seeping through the denim, and she was putty in his hands. He pulled his mouth from her ear, but only so he could trace her jawline with it. Shivers were shooting up and down her spine, and stars were dancing in front of her eyes. Finally, his mouth came near hers, but while she was expecting a kiss, he was content to just nip at her bottom lip with his teeth. She writhed restlessly and emitted a low, throaty moan of pleasure.
"Who do you want, Max?" he asked again, this time more forcefully as he briefly replaced his teeth with his tongue.
Her answer exploded from her in a desperate gasp, and Max knew that at this moment, she would've begged on her knees to feel him beside her, on her, in her. "You, Alec! I want you!"
It must've been what he wanted to hear, because his lips crushed down on hers, showing absolutely no mercy in their exquisite abuse. Max encircled her arms around his neck in a futile attempt to draw him closer. He pushed his tongue past her lips, demanding for entry to mate with her tongue, and she helplessly acquiesced. The ground was shaking and fireworks were going off in her mind, because this was intense. Madness, pure and simple, but Max needed his mouth on hers like she needed to breathe. Alec made some unintelligible primal sound, and dragged his head away from hers. Max moaned in protest until she felt his lips searing the tender flesh of her neck, and his tongue dancing deliciously along her throat. She gasped in ecstasy and let her head fall back. His fingers went to work on her bra clasp, and hers went to his fly. Everywhere they touched, his hands were fire on her, and she was burning alive. She needed to remove any annoying scrap of clothing that was preventing their skin from touching. After a few seconds, she had succeeded in unhooking his jeans, but he was having problems with her top. He tore his mouth off her stepped back, his voice a low growl in his throat. "Let's get rid of this damn thing," She trembled as he grabbed the material and savagely ripped it off her, sending pieces and shreds of it everywhere. Then she nearly died when he sank to his knees and pressed a hot, open-mouthed kiss to the tummy, right above her panties…
And thankfully, that was the point where Alec had woken her up. "Oh, God," Max cried as her eyes flew open. She dunked her head under the water and held it there for a bit. How in the hell could she have had an erotic dream like that about Alec? An amazingly detailed erotic dream at that! She found her way back to the surface and swiped the water out of her eyes. What in was wrong with her lately? When she had first woken up from that, she feared that she was in heat again. She'd frozen in fear, but after thinking for a moment, Max was certain that she wasn't. Part of her was deeply thankful, of course, but the other half was dismayed. It would have been much easier to swallow lewd dreams involving him if she could've at least blamed it on her Frankenstein work up. But no, she was fine - hell she wasn't even due for another cycle for at least two months.
"Oh, God," she repeated. She'd had that dream of her own accord, no heat to blame. Max felt nauseous. As much as she desperately wanted to, she couldn't deny it any longer. Deep down, she knew the truth.
She was attracted to Alec. Smart-ass, stubborn, arrogant, vain, shallow Alec. And those were his better qualities.
Damn.
Just when she thought things couldn't get any worse, they did.
Well, she maybe she couldn't deny it, but she sure as hell could ignore it. It would go away eventually. Just because she thought someone was hot didn't mean that something needed to happen. Not at all. People found other people attractive everyday. It was no big deal. As long as Alec never found out, she'd be fine. Pretty soon, she'd have Joshua back and they'd all be back home in Seattle, where the only time she'd see him would be at work. After all, she figured that the only reason this horrible attraction was rearing its ugly head at the moment was due to the simple fact that she and Alec were spending so much time together. That's the only reason. When this ordeal was over, she wouldn't have to be so damn up close and personal with him. But Max could handle it until then. Yep, she'd just go on as if nothing was out of the ordinary because really, nothing was. She still didn't like him. And, come on, it wasn’t as if she had any *feelings* for Alec. She wasn't that stupid.
Max conveniently ignored the small whisper in her head that was annoyingly repeating the word 'liar'.
Sighing in satisfaction at figuring out her dilemma, she took the plug out of the drain and stood up. She sure felt better now that she had analyzed her feelings - or lack thereof. Humming some odd tune, she grabbed a plain white towel that was hanging on a rack and dried off. Her muscles had lost most of their stiffness after having a chance to relax, and her seizures were now completely gone. Max glanced at the clothes that lay on the floor and dreaded putting them back on. She really didn't want to slip back into wet jeans and a damp shirt, so instead she knotted the towel loosely around her breasts. There had been an armoire in the bedroom, it probably had guest clothes in it. She'd find something to sleep the rest of the night in, and by morning, her clothes should be mostly dry.
Yes, things were looking up already…
…until she swung open the bathroom door and ran smack dab into the solid wall of Alec's chest.
His hands flew to her shoulders to steady her. "Oomph!" he cried out as her elbow landed in his stomach. He exhaled loudly and gave a pained chuckle. "We've really got to stop meeting like this, Max," he said. Amusement and sleep colored his eyes, but she didn't dare dwell there. Instead, she looked straight ahead at his shirt. She wasn't ready for any sort of encounter with him yet. A few more minutes and she would've been fine - she could have dealt with him with no problem. Right?
Images of ‘dream Alec’s’ lips on her skin taunted her, and she paled. Who the hell was she kidding? The sooner they got Joshua and returned to Seattle, the better.
"You okay?" He saw her face go white and his brow knitted in concern. Oh, God! Not the tender Alec thing again! Damn him! And he was way too close for her comfort. His male scent was intoxicating, and she was having trouble keeping visions of her dream at bay. She couldn't concentrate, and she was forgetting how to breathe.
'What in the hell have you done to my brain?' was what she thought.
"Fine. I'm fine," was what she said. Her answer sounded strangled, even to her own ears.
"Alright...if you say so," but he seemed uncertain, waiting for her to convince him.
"Yes." Max cleared her throat when her voice came out as a high-pitched whimper. "Yes," she repeated, more sure of herself this time.
She stiffened. She needed to get away from him - now. His body was still pressed up - hard - against hers, and she could feel his heat warming her blood through both his clothes and her towel. But before she could move, he spoke.
"I was wondering where you had gone, so I came looking for you." Alec's voice was amused, and he showed no signs of backing away or letting go of her shoulders. Quite to the contrary, he seemed to know exactly how uncomfortable he was making her, and was immensely enjoying it. Instinctively, she looked up at him, then silently cursed herself for it. Max had been ready to spit out a smart-ass comment, but his face was a lot closer than she had thought, his mouth mere inches from her own. As her gaze settled there, she realized she needn't have worried about looking him in the eye. Oh no, his lips were even more intriguing.
And just that quickly, the mood changed, the air between them crackling with an unseen but very alive electricity. Alec's breathing became more shallow, and her eyelids were starting to feel heavy. Max swore that there was a small earthquake and the ground had shifted - why else would she have leaned into Alec when all she really wanted to do was get as far away from him as possible?
"I needed a bath, so I took one," she finally answered his non-question, albeit distractedly. Alec's gaze narrowed hungrily and her heart began to pound painfully against her ribcage. Her hands were still tangled in his shirt, and no matter how her brain kept telling her to let go, she couldn't quite get the message out to her body.
"Hmm…really?" His lips curved up mischievously, much like the Alec in her dream, and she held her breath. He slowly bent his head to her delicate shoulder and inhaled. His face was so close that she felt his hair brush against her cheek, and the action seemed incredibly erotic, causing her to tremble. Desire pierced sharply through her and she could only stare as he brought his eyes back to hers. He was close - so damn close. "You smell good," he whispered huskily. She said nothing - she couldn't, because she couldn't think - and he softly trailed his hand along her collarbone on a delicious journey that ended with him gripping the back of her neck. The action was both gentle and rough, and primal instinct began to take over. Max's eyes fluttered shut, and she tilted her face toward his.
'WHAT IN THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?,' her brain screamed. 'Damn girl, you aren't some nitwit teenager with a schoolgirl crush. So, he's cute - yeah, yeah, whatever. Just move - that's all you gotta do! MOVE!' In a hazy and desperate last-line-of-defense attempt, Logan's face popped into her mind. Guilt and shame immediately washed over her, and she was finally able to act.
Her eyes flew open and she flexed her hand firm against Alec's torso. "Um…I, uh, I got to get some clothes on," she stammered, her face burning. "You know, cold and all." She pushed off of his chest and practically flung herself backward out of his arms.
That was a huge mistake.
It all seemed to happen in slow motion. The zipper of his jacket caught on the edge of her loosely tied towel, and it unwrapped from her body as she pulled away from him. Max watched in sheer horror as it fell oh-so-slowly to the floor. Something must be very wrong with her muscles - that was a recurring problem of hers the past two days - because she made no move to stop it.
However, when she looked up at Alec, whose expression was a comical mixture of desire and shock, she sure wished she had. Standing totally naked in front of him after her erotic dream and the intense *moment* they'd just shared was not her idea of a good omen.
Not at all.