‘There is a God, and he loves the shit out of me.’
That was Alec’s first coherent thought after the towel fell away from Max, leaving her glorious body exposed for his viewing pleasure. She was gorgeous, and he wanted her. Badly.
He whistled low in appreciation, struggling to find his voice. "Wow, uh, Max. Quite a, uhm, rack you got there. Manticore did a wonderful job. You should write a thank-you note."
"Shut. Up. Alec," Max ground out, effectively cutting off his musings. "Just shut the hell up and turn around. Now." Her expression left no room for argument, and Alec feared that if he didn’t do as she said, she would literally kill him.
He threw his hands up in mock surrender and gave her as innocent of a smile he could muster before facing the opposite direction.
"Fine, fine! All I was saying was that you have a nice set of ti-"
"SHUT UP!"
"Temper, temper, Max. You have anger management issues you need to address."
Alec heard her moving behind him, presumably picking up and wrapping the towel around herself.
"Come on, Max. No need to hurry up or anything," he drawled sarcastically
"Kiss my ass, pretty boy."
"Oh, my virgin ears," he said on a sigh and rolled his eyes. "Screw this, I’ve already seen you naked. It’s no big deal now." He turned, not caring whether she was ready or not. Unfortunately, she had just finished knotting the towel above her ample breasts.
"I didn’t say you could turn around!" she cried furiously.
"Oh, come off it. You’re covered up and your virtue is still intact." He raised a dark eyebrow at her suggestively. "Of course, I don’t mind changing that, if you like."
"It’ll be a cold day in hell before I let you touch me, Alec."
His mouth turned up mischievously at that, and Max took an almost imperceptible step back. "Is that so?" He took a step forward and closed the small gap between them. Max’s almond-shaped eyes widened in fear – and what was that? Lust?
Why, yes. Yes it was. Barely visible behind the mask of annoyance and impatience, but it was there none the less, taunting him. Teasing him.
Later on, Alec would curse himself for acting the way he did. He’d also curse her for pushing his buttons, but either way, he should have just left her alone. It would have been the wise thing to do, the smart thing to do. However, at the moment, Alec wasn’t feeling very wise or very smart. All he felt was desire, sharp and throbbing in his veins. He was struggling to keep it under control, to not do something stupid. But it was hard - damn hard, and the longer they stood there, the more appealing 'something stupid' became.
'Just do it,’ goaded his reckless side, his I-don’t-give-a-shit side. Damn the consequences, and damn Max for making him feel this way.
‘Do what you want. Take what you want.’
He’d been toeing a thin line ever since he ran into her in the hallway minutes ago, standing there dripping wet from her bath and barely covered. He’d been instantly aroused by the sight, and his blood had slowly simmered.
Then, when they’d gotten so close - her scent intoxicating him… his hand on her neck… her eyes closing…lips mere millimeters apart – he’d almost crossed the line. She was pure temptation, and he was vulnerable to her.
And then, when she’d pushed him away, he'd seen the disgust in her eyes. The shame. He knew she had been thinking of Logan. It cut, surprising, the pain surprising in it's intensity. However, he had only been able to muse over it for a split second, because then her towel fell off and he became completely distracted by *that*, forgetting that hurt.
But now that pain came back in full force, bringing along with it a need so powerful he felt he’d been kicked in the solar plexus. The fact that she could make him feel so many unwanted things infuriated him.
"Get out of my way, Alec" she hissed.
‘No," he said simply, and instead took a menacing step forward, closing the small gap that was between them.
Max attempted to take another step couldn’t. She was trapped between his body and the bathroom door.
In that instant, Alec became predator, and she became prey.
‘Can’t escape me this time, can you Max?’
"Do you not understand English, Alec? What the hell is wrong with you?" her voice hitched, breathless. There was a glint in his eye that was making her nervous -very nervous.
"You know, Max, your bad attitude was much more tolerable when you were naked."
"I don’t need or want your tolerance." She spat.
"No, Max, I didn’t think you did. But you know something? I don’t care for the way you’re talking to me right now. In fact, I hardly *ever* like the way you talk to me. You’re so nice to everyone else, but a total bitch when I’m around. Even after I take care of you, save your life countless times. We had this conversation earlier, and I thought you understood. You’re a smart girl. I guess I was wrong. Why can’t you be nice to me? Why can’t you ever just say one nice thing to me?" his tone was easy going – almost friendly - but fury and desire warred in his eyes.
He leaned in further, bringing them nose-to-nose, and placed a hand on the door behind her. Max could feel his breath on her cheek, and it sent several small shivers through her. She schooled her face into resignation, desperately trying to hide the unease she was feeling. "Alec, look, I said I’m sorry if I’ve been a bi-"
"I never talk to you the way you talk to me," he interrupted as if she hadn’t even spoken. "In fact, even though I’ve screwed up things a little here or there-" she snorted derisively at that "- I’ve done my best to make it up to you. And why should I even care what you think? Why?" He didn’t bother waiting for an answer. "Well, I guess part of it’s because you are a pretty hot chick. It’s amazing what you can get away with that face and that body."
"Damn it, Alec! I don’t know what the hell your problem is, but get off my back, would you? I’m cold all I want to do is put some clothes on." She tried to push her way around him, but he moved quicker, effectively preventing her from leaving the conversation.
He raised an eyebrow in angered amusement at her. "You don’t know what my problem is. That’s pretty fucking funny, Max." He thrust his hips forward, and even through his jeans and her towel, Max could feel his erection pressing into her stomach. Her eyes widened in shock and a surprised gasp escaped her lips.
"*You* are my fucking problem. This is just what standing next to you does to me." He grinded against her and nearly groaned out loud at the pleasure it brought. "And do you want to know what’s even better than *that*, Max? Better than me getting a hard on every time we’re within ten feet of each other?" She paled, afraid to hear his answer, and slightly shook her head 'no'.
He gave a harsh chuckle, the sound gritty with pent-up desire. "Too bad."
In an instant, his lips crushed down on hers, bruising in their force. He was so angry with her, and even angrier with himself. It was almost as if he wanted to punish her for everything she had unknowingly done to him; for every emotion she made him feel that he didn’t understand; every time he had done something for her, only to get brushed off by her later on. Alec heard Max make a muffled protest in her throat, and he knew that he was going over the edge and acting a little crazy. But she made him crazy, damn her, and he couldn’t pull away – not yet. He just needed to get a little taste of her, a little touch, and then he’d be fine, and he’d let go. Max would no doubt kick his ass when he stopped this, but for now…
He pushed his tongue against her lips, demanding entrance to the heated depths of her mouth, needing to see if it tasted as good as it looked. She stiffened beneath him, and he prepared for the blow he knew was coming.
Max surprised him, however. On a moan, she opened her mouth to him, letting him inside. And suddenly, he was drowning. Her tongue darted out to duel with his, mating in an intricate dance that also involved teeth and lips. She was intoxicating, a heady mix of cherry and honey. He brought his fists up to tangle themselves in her hair and pull her head back, allowing himself a better angle to taste her.
From day one, Max had known deep down that there was some sort of unexplainable - and on her part unwanted - chemistry with Alec. He drove her crazy and now she knew why. She had been scared to befriend him, scared because of this. This madness that was encompassing them right now. He was hot, hard and male against her, and she wanted him. Logic told her to push him away and run as far and fast as she could, but for the life of her, she couldn’t call up the willpower.
Desperately, she tried to conjure an image up of Logan, but it wasn’t working. Every time she thought she might be able to, he’d do something different to assault her senses – nip, lick, slide or suck. God help her, she was lost. She felt desirable and wanton, dizzy with feminine power, but at the same time was mentally cursing herself for letting him kiss her. And kissing him right back.
Kissing? Ha! The more appropriate word is devouring. His velvet tongue darted in and out, tasting, teasing, and driving her crazy. His lips were full and surprisingly soft, and they slid over and through hers with skill and finesse. The dream she had earlier paled in comparison to this. In fact, every man she’d ever kissed – including Logan – paled into comparison to this. This was raw, animalistic and primal. This was hot.
Suddenly, all of their arguing and verbal abuse seemed to be nothing more than a long, drawn out verbal foreplay, a storm that had been brewing to clash violently in this one moment. She needed to feel him, to touch him. She pushed her hands up underneath his shirt, raking against the hard muscle that lay underneath. Her mind flashed to the first time she met him; how he’d entered her cell all male arrogance and pure sex. Yes, even back then he’d exuded sex. She couldn’t deny it anymore.
He moved his lips off hers, and Max mewed softly - at first in protest, but then in pleasure as she felt his them drag down her jaw and onto her neck. He tugged her head back further and flicked his tongue out to savor the tender flesh at the base of her throat.
"Alec…" she moaned breathlessly, clenching her fingers against his chest.
Alec growled low in his throat. Oh my God, how he wanted her. How he needed her. He was hanging on by a thin thread, and at any moment, he would be ripping that damn towel off and plunging himself inside her, hallway floor or not.
His stomach dropped suddenly, and he realized just how animalistic his thoughts were. He’d never lost control before – never even feared losing control, and the fact that Max was pushing him off the edge so easily scared the shit out of him.
Fuck!
He ripped his mouth from her throat and pushed her away, struggling to catch his breath, which was coming in short pants. Max’s breathing was uneven as well, and Alec tried not to notice how his kisses had swollen her lips, if possible making them more tantalizing and luscious than they were naturally. Her chest heaved and her eyes opened in confusion, her lids heavy with desire. He wanted nothing more than to pull her back to him and take her hard and fast, right here on the cottage floor. Max would willingly let him.
But in the morning, she would hate him – and herself. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, that knowledge was what kept him from doing it. The thought of ruining things with Max – the only person that he knew who even resembled a ‘friend’ – was enough to keep him away. For now, at least.
"Damn you, Max" he whispered raggedly, and with jerky movements, pushed himself past her into the bathroom. He slammed the door behind him, physically putting the barrier between them that he desperately needed.
Now, if it were just that easy to shut her out of his mind, as well.
*~*~*~*
Max slipped beneath the covers of the king-size bed for the second time that night. The long johns that she found would in the drawer of the Chester drawer would keep her warm until morning. More importantly, they also covered her from head to toe, hiding her body from the gaze of a certain someone who was – according to the sound of water running through pipes – taking a shower.
‘What in the hell happened, Max?’ she thought frantically. ‘Alec and I did not do that. No. We did not just make out in the hallway of some tiny cottage in the middle Wyoming. No. We didn’t. We just…didn’t.’’
She licked her tender lips, which had a faint metallic taste from where his teeth had slightly broken the skin. It was a very real reminder that, indeed, she had just ‘made out’ with Alec.
X5-494.
Ben’s twin.
The jerk who had ruined things between her and Logan indefinitely – possibly forever.
‘The man whose kisses left you dizzy and hot and wanting.
"No! No, goddamn it," she cried aloud. She could not let herself think that kind of thing.
‘You knew this was going to happen sooner or later.’
"No, I didn’t!"
‘Didn’t you?’
"No!"
‘This is going to be a problem. A big problem.’
Max grabbed a pillow and covered her face in frustration. Now she was holding a conversation with herself. She really was going crazy.
Sonofabitch! What had possessed him to kiss her? Why in the hell had she kissed him back?
"Because you wanted to. You’ve wanted to do it for a long time."
"Arrrgh! Shut up!"
She rolled over onto her stomach, keeping the pillow over her head. The water was still running, and for that she was thankful. She was dreading and having to face Alec after that whole…ordeal. He might want to talk about it or something horrible like that. So, she was just going to have to pretend she was asleep, and ignore him. Tomorrow morning, she would continue on like nothing happened between them.
It was going to be hard, but she could do it. She was a master at this kind of thing, after all.
*~*~*~*
Alec banged his head softly against the shower wall. Cold water stung his flesh, temporarily extinguishing the fire that had burned within him moments before. He shut his eyes tightly, trying to fight the images that danced in his mind…
…The way her silk hair had slid so easily through had his fingers… The way her body curved into his perfectly... The cherry and honey flavor that still lingered on his lips... How the name that Max herself had given him had never sounded 'right' until she'd cried it out in ecstasy…
"Goddamn it!" Alec threw a fist at the wall in aggravation, pulling his punch it at the last minute as to not create a hole. His frustrated action surprised him. He was not one to lose control, or become easily angered. And he was definitely not one to take express his emotions in a violent manner. He'd always prided himself on being laid back and easy going - totally opposite of the always alert and tense solider Manticore had trained him to be.
This was not good. He'd never lost control of himself before he met Max - well, all except for that once. Even then, he'd accomplished the mission he had been ordered to do.
Lately, it had taken everything in him to restrain himself around her. And tonight - well tonight was just fucking great. He was the master of his domain, and he'd sure shown her that! Sheesh. Could he have been more out of control? Well, at least he didn't screw her. That was something to be thankful for. Right?
Alec laughed bitterly. No. It wasn’t, because he would’ve at least gotten some.
It didn’t matter, though. This whole situation, quite frankly, sucked.
He exhaled and grabbed the soap, lathering his muscled body fervently, trying - unsuccessfully - to wash the imprint of Max off. He scrubbed hard, his skin reddening in protest before letting the freezing water rinse the suds off. His mind raced a mile a minute, thoughts slamming in from every which way.
"Just pretend like nothing happened – because nothing really did," he whispered to himself. "You kissed her, so what? It’s not that big of a deal. You didn’t declare your undying love for her or something ludicrous like that. It was just a fucking kiss. Wasn’t even all that good - you’ve had better."
‘Okay, that last part was a lie. You’ve never reacted like *that* to a mere kiss.’
He bent to turn the faucet off and opened the shower curtain.
There was no towel hanging on the rack. It figured. "Fuck, " he muttered through clenched teeth. He hadn’t even bothered checking for one before he had stepped into the stall.
Could anything else possibly go wrong?
‘Maybe you should sleep in the living room- avoid her.’
He stepped out, letting himself air dry.
‘You’re going to have to face her sooner or later. Plus, you’re acting like a big priss.’
He looked down at his clothes on the floor and sighed. He grabbed his jeans and shrugged into them, but didn’t bother with his shirt or jacket, and walked out of the bathroom.
‘Why shouldn’t you get a comfortable bed anyway? That couch is probably hard as a rock.
He made his way back to the bedroom.
‘Anyway, are you going to let a woman dictate you’re actions? Don’t you have a mind of your own?’
He pushed the door open as quietly as possible.
‘After all, you’re probably the last person she wants to see right now anyway.’ The thought made him smile.
Max lay on her side with her back facing him, seemingly asleep. He couldn’t help but exhale a sigh of relief. Slowly, he lowered himself onto the bed, careful to not move it too much with the weight of his body. If he could just get in without disturbin-
Max shot straight up into a sitting position, her sudden movement nearly giving him a heart attack. "What in the hell do you think you’re doing?"
‘Damn.’
"Jesus Christ! Have a cow, will you? I’m coming to bed. What do you *think* I’m doing?"
"You. Are. Not. Sleeping. In. This. Bed," she punctuated each word, her eyes challenging him to argue.
"Yes. I. Am. Max," he imitated her voice. "And if you have a problem with it, *you* can find someplace else to sleep, because I’m not going anywhere." With that, he laid down, turning his back to her, signaling the conversation’s end. He was tired. He really didn’t want to deal with her right now. Maybe he should’ve gone to sleep on the cou-
Thud!
"What in the hell was that for?" he cried. He couldn’t believe it; she’d kicked him off the bed! The girl was nuts! Psycho!
"That was for being you, Alec," she answered haughtily, and then resumed the sleeping position she’d been in when Alec had first entered the room. He climbed up onto the mattress, making sure to face so she couldn’t kick him off again. However, Max seemed to be resigned to him sleeping on the bed whether she liked it or not. Good. The girl had been way to used to getting everything she wanted, and he’d be damned if he was going to give. Especially after what she just did to him.
She really was unlikable - bad attitude, selfish and she had a horrible temperament. But she was also loyal, caring, and would go out of her way for -.
‘Damn it! Don’t think like that!’
Alec shifted, flipping to lie flat on his back.
‘Shut your mind down. Just go to sleep'
"It didn’t mean anything," he blurted out, and immediately wanted to kick his own ass. Why, oh why, was he in the habit of saying whatever was on his mind?
"You bet your ass it didn’t, Alec. And if you ever force yourself on me again, they’re gonna be raking your body parts up off the road."
Alec couldn’t believe his ears. "Are you delusional? Force myself? You really are whacked, aren’t you? Because as I recall, you weren’t pushing me off, now were you? In fact, I very vividly remember you moani-"
"SHUT UP!" She roared, and for once he did. She took several slow, deep breaths and Alec wondered if she was silently counting to ten., "Just don’t let it ever happen again," she gritted out when she was able to collect herself.
"Trust me, your highness, it won’t."
"Good."
"Fine!"
"As long as we understand each other."
Alec ignored her last comment and rolled over on his side again, shutting his eyes. He seriously needed to get some solid rest, and at best he was looking at four or five hours before Max would be wanting to get a move on. Silence roared in his ears, deafening in its volume. A few minutes passed and he was still awake. He didn’t know whether Max was or not, but her breathing was even, meaning either she wasn't, or she faking to avoid talking.
And that was fine with him.
Eventually, consciousness began slipping away from him, and images of the two of them slick with sweat and sex tortured his hazy thoughts. It was no use trying to think about something or someone else. It just wasn’t happening, he was just too tired.
So in a trend he was becoming very uncomfortable with, she was the last thing on his mind for the second night in a row.
*~*~*~*
A few hours later, his supersensitive hearing picked up the sounds of a person moving about the room.
‘Jesus Christ, it’s probably not even dawn, and she’s already up. Hell, Manticore was more lenient than her!’
He groaned sleepily, and buried his face in his pillow. "Max," his pleaded in exasperation. "Come on! Can’t we sleep ju-"
"I’m afraid I’m not your little girlfriend, 494, but I would appreciate you telling me where she is." Alec knew that coarse male voice that all too well. A telltale click resonated in his ears, and less than a second later, Alec felt the cold steel of a gun being jabbed into the back of his neck.
He slowly rolled onto his back to face the intruder, taking in the empty space beside him where Max had lain when he fell asleep.
‘Where the hell is she?’ he wondered. However, he quickly masked his confusion by greeting the unwelcome visitor with a lazy smile and sarcastic drawl.
"Well, good morning to you too, Agent White."