Part Thirty-Seven
One week later, on Wednesday morning, I find myself sitting on a train going down to uni. Not quite ready to tell them about Max yet, I told Mum and Dad that I was going to see one of my uni friends. I know I should tell them, especially now that he's actually my boyfriend and not just a guy I might, perhaps, be sort-of seeing, but I just know that as soon as I let it slip that I'm seeing someone, Mum will insist on meeting him. And I don't think I'm ready for a 'meet the parents' adventure just yet.
Thing is though, just as my parents don't know that I'm going to see him, Max doesn't actually know yet either – I've decided to surprise him. Although I spent a little time debating whether or not I should discuss it with him, the spontaneous side of me wants to keep it a secret until I arrive… I just hope that everything goes to plan and that he's actually at home when I get there. Thankfully, I happen to know that he's not doing much this week other than some uni work, so with any luck, he'll be there.
I let out a half-excited, half-nervous sigh when the train finally pulls into my station and I grab my bag, ready to disembark. With a slight spring in my step, I exit the station and head for the bus stop just outside the building. Twenty minutes and a bus ride later, reach the end of Max's street and I feel a rush of adrenaline go through me as I start walking toward his house. Stopping in front of number twenty-eight, I exhale heavily, biting my lip to stop from grinning like an idiot as I knock on the door. It seems to take forever for it to open, but when it finally does, I'm a little disappointed to see Sophie on the other side and not Max.
"Liz?" she wonders in confusion when she sees me standing in front of the door. "I thought you'd gone home for the holidays."
"Oh, I did," I say with a grin. "But I had some free time and I thought I'd surprise Max with a visit. Is he here?"
"Yeah, he is," she smiles warmly as she opens the door further to let me in. "He should be in his room – he said he had a lot of work to do today. But feel free to go on up anyway… I'm sure he won't mind the interruption."
"Thanks, Sophie," I reply, stepping into the house and heading into the hall.
"It's the second door on the right," she offers as I start climbing the stairs, my heart pounding anxiously, despite the grin on my face, as I head towards his bedroom.
When I reach his door, I knock twice and then bite my lip in anticipation as I hear his muffled voice telling me to come in. I gently open the door and slide into his room, sucking in a silent breath as I shut the door behind me and he comes into view. He's sitting at his desk, his back toward me as he types on his laptop.
"What's going on, Soph?" he asks, without turning around.
I grin mischievously as I cross the room and slide my arms around his neck from behind.
"It's not Soph," I murmur next to his ear, chuckling softly when he stiffens and his head shoots up.
"Liz?" his tone is incredulous as he turns his head to look at me. "What are you doing here?"
I loosen my arms and take a step back and he swivels around in his desk chair to face my fully, his eyes wide in shocked surprise.
"Surprise!" I grin, raising my eyebrows in a teasing gesture as I lean down to kiss his lips.
The contact sends a thrill of excitement through me and what was meant to just be a brief 'hello' kiss, suddenly ends up being a very thorough 'I've missed you' kiss instead.
"No, seriously," he says, with a full smile when we finally break apart. "What are you doing here?"
"Well," I start as I take a seat on the edge of his bed. "I had a couple of free days and since it's been almost two weeks since I last saw you, I thought I might surprise my boyfriend with a visit."
"Well, in that case," he grins. "I'm very glad you're here."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah," he replies, gesturing to his laptop. "You can come and save me from this tedious task of dissertation-writing."
"You're writing your dissertation?" I ask, curiously.
"Yeah," he nods, with a roll of his eyes. "The deadline is about five weeks away and I still only have about two thousand of the ten thousand words I have to write for it."
"What's it on?" I ask curiously.
"It focuses on the relationship between Churchill and Roosevelt during World War II and discusses what might have happened had Roosevelt's plans for the US to help the UK out been successful."
"Wow," I murmur in awe. "Sounds very… in depth."
"Yeah," he grins. "But it's mostly just long and boring… well, the boring part, at least – the length isn't quite there yet."
"Well, it's a good thing I've come to save you from it, then," I decide.
"Yeah, about that… can you give me a few minutes to finish up here?" he asks. "I just want to get this section written while I have it fresh in my mind."
"Sure," I smile. "Go ahead. I'll just make myself comfortable over here."
I pat the mattress as I speak and then reach over to grab the car magazine that is lying haphazardly on the edge of his desk, before getting comfortable on his bed.
He doesn't turn back to his work right away, but instead watches me with an amused smirk as I stretch out with the magazine.
"What?" I wonder, raising an eyebrow at him.
He just shakes his head, before finally turning to face his laptop again, "Nothing."
I spend the next few minutes perusing the magazine, trying to avoid looking at the pictures of half-naked women posing with the cars that seem to be on just about every other page, while Max works diligently at his computer. However, I can't stop myself from lifting my head to watch him hard at work every now and then. It's amazing what a difference a few weeks can make, I think as I observe the way his fingers fly deftly across the keyboard, his brow furrowed in concentration as he writes. The Max I've gotten to know over the last couple of weeks is so different from the Max I've seen for the last few months. It's so strange; it's like he's made this complete u-turn from arrogant, flirty ladies' man to fun, caring boyfriend overnight. Not that I'm complaining, but it still leaves me wondering which attitude is closest to the real Max.
"Okay, done," he says a few minutes later, shutting the laptop lid and turning to me. "I'm all yours."
"Really?" I cock an eyebrow and shoot him a grin as I discard the magazine and sit up, crossing my legs. "Whatever will I do with you?"
"Well, that's up to you," he teases, scooting the chair forward so that he comes to a stop right in front of me, reaching out to gently stroke my legs with his palms. "What do you want to do?"
I gulp, my body suddenly reacting to his close proximity, "I can think of a few things."
"Really?" he repeats my earlier words, before leaning in to capture my lips with his once again.
I start to lose myself in the kiss, but then reality suddenly hits and I pull away, "This isn't why I came here, you know."
"No?" his grin is teasing.
"No," I say firmly. "I came here to spend some time with you."
"This looks like 'spending time' to me."
"Shh," I admonish, giving him a mock-stern glare, as I reach down and gently remove his hands from my legs. "You know what I mean."
"Okay, so what do you want to do?" he wonders.
"I thought maybe we could do something fun, you know, like go out for the day," I suggest. "Or maybe we could go back down to the beach or something."
"No," he suddenly cuts in sharply, sitting up straight in his chair. "Not the beach."
I frown in confusion, "Why not?"
He shakes his head, "The beach is where I go when I feel depressed or angry and just want to get away for a while. I don't want to go there today, when we're trying to have fun."
"Oh," I nod in understanding. "Okay, no problem, we won't go to the beach."
"Thanks," he nods in appreciation.
"So, what do you fancy doing then?"
He looks thoughtful for a moment, before looking me straight in the eye again, "Have you seen much of the city since you've been here?"
"Not a lot," I admit. "Apart from the shops and things."
"Okay, great," he smiles, his expression pleased in an almost smug way. "That's what we'll do then."
"Huh?" he's lost me.
He grins, standing up from the chair and holding his hand out to me, "Liz Parker, you and I are taking in the city sights today."
"We are?" I wonder with a smile as I stand as well and take his hand.
"Of course," he nods. "There's so much to see that so many people overlook when they come here; like the cathedral and cathedral green, the 'haunted' walkways and underground tunnels, the quayside and the river… I think it's time I gave you the tour."
"Wow," that does sound pretty cool. "Okay."
He flashes me another grin and I feel my knees go weak at his pleased expression. We head downstairs and he lets go of my hand for a moment to grab his jacket and shoes and then we head out of the house. We begin the walk towards the high street hand-in-hand, but about halfway there, Max extracts his hand from mine in order to pull out a cigarette and light it.
"Ugh," I make a disgusted sound in my throat as I watch him take a drag.
"What?" he turns to me. "You want one?"
"No, thanks," I make a face. "It's a disgusting habit."
He frowns, looking puzzled, "I don't seem to remember you finding it disgusting at that party the other week. In fact, you spent most of the night smoking with me."
"Don't remind me," I mutter, remembering how I shared cigarettes and beer with him that night. "As a rule, I hate smoking – it's gross and unhealthy and just generally yucky."
"O-kay," he still looks confused, as he takes another drag.
"I don't even smoke, really," I sigh. "It was just that I'd had a bit to drink that night and sometimes when I've been drinking I fancy a cigarette. That was the only time I've smoked in three years. Plus, I can't stand the smell of cigarette smoke normally; it makes me feel sick."
"Oh," he murmurs, looking down at the fag in his hand. "Would you like me put this out?"
"Well, I really don't fancy the idea of kissing an ashtray, so if you wouldn't mind…"
"Okay," he nods, although I notice him looking down at the cigarette with a look of longing before disposing of it and I resist the urge to roll my eyes. "There, it's done."
"Thank you," I murmur in appreciation, as I slide my arm around his waist and hug him close for a moment.
Although I can tell he's slightly annoyed at losing his cigarette, he still smiles down at me and reciprocates the gesture as we continue the walk into town.
For once, it's actually a lovely day – warm, with not a cloud in sight – which makes it perfect weather for seeing the sights. Max shows me all around the city centre, pointing out the old buildings and intricate brickwork above the shop fronts that I would never have noticed otherwise. We paid to visit the underground passageways that run beneath the city and then took a tour round the cathedral. For lunch, we bought toasted baguettes, chocolate muffins and coffee from one of the small bakeries in the high street and then settled down on the grass on the cathedral green to eat them.
Max is great company, joking about our eccentric passageways tour guide who was convinced that the entire city was haunted by sixteenth century soldiers, but then also being very serious and focused as he explains the history behind some of the things we see during the day. By late afternoon, we end up down at the river and spend some time walking along the quay, taking in the beauty of the water and the greenery surrounding it and then we stop off at one of the quayside pubs for a quick drink before making our way back to his place in the early evening.
"Okay, I should probably go back home now," I murmur between kisses, as we stand together just outside his house. "I have a train to catch."
He pulls back and looks down at me, his eyes searching, "You don't have to go to work tomorrow, do you? Why don't you stay?"
"Max…" I shake my head. "My parents will probably start wondering where I am soon."
"So? Call them and tell them you've decided to stay with your friend instead," he suggests – I told him about my cover story during lunch. "I'm sure they won't mind."
His expression is pleading and so adorable that I just can't say no, "Okay, fine, you've convinced me."
"Great," he grins, leaning down to capture my lips in an enthusiastic kiss. "Come on, let's get inside."
He leads me into the house and through to the kitchen, where he announces that he's cooking me dinner. As first I feel very touched and flattered that he would do that for me, but then I realise that by 'dinner' he means easy-cook pasta and ready-made tomato sauce and I can't help but give a chuckle… it's such a typical student dish. However, the meal does get slightly classier when he produces a bottle of white wine from the fridge and two wine glasses – the perfect complement to Italian food.
When we've finished eating, Max suggests watching a DVD or something in the living room, to which I happily agree, but then we discover that Sophie is in there with a guy and so we decide to go upstairs and watch in his room instead. I perch myself on the bed while Max starts the movie running – it's one I haven't seen before and I'm eager to finally watch it – but when he turns and makes his way over to the bed, I feel my breath catch in my throat and my heart constrict in my chest at the look in his eyes.
Neither of us speaks as he advances towards me and then leans down, bracing his hands on the bed on either side of me, and kisses my lips with an intense passion that makes my head spin. I wrap my arms around his neck and sink into the kiss as he lowers me to the mattress. Suddenly hands are everywhere as the DVD playing in the background is forgotten and I give in to the to the wonderful feelings of tension that have gradually been building up inside of me for the last few weeks… last few months, even.
As he kisses me, his hands sliding beneath my top and caressing my fevered, bare skin, I feel this amazing rush of emotion flow through me. For so long, I ignored the pull I felt toward him, resisted my ever-growing attraction for him because I was scared; scared that he would turn out just like another Chris, that I would give into my feelings for him and that he would hurt me. But what I didn't realise was how good it would feel to be in Max Evans' arms, how right we would be together. If I'd known then that Max could make me feel things that no one else could ever make me feel, I'm not sure I would have ever resisted him… well, actually, that's not quite true; I'm sure I would have resisted him at first, but perhaps not for as long as I did.
We undress each other frantically, pulling and tugging at every possible scrap of clothing in an attempt to free ourselves from their restrictive bindings and when all clothing except our underwear is gone, Max begins an explosive assault of hands and lips on my body. My head falls back against the pillows as he kisses a hot trail down to my bare chest, gently nipping at my hardening nipples and making my back arch in response. I feel a rush of heat pooling between my thighs as he moves lower still, and I cling to his shoulders, gasping in barely-concealed impatience at the feel of his mouth on my stomach, my hips… and lower still.
My breathing becomes harsh, my chest rising and falling heavily as he tugs my knickers down over my hips and deftly pulls them off, before settling his shoulders between my legs. I gasp with desire and bury my fingers in his hair, my back arching again as he gently traces a finger over my clit, sending thrills of pleasure shooting through my body and I cry out in satisfaction when he finally lowers his mouth to the juncture of my thighs. As the waves of orgasm crash over my body just seconds later and I find myself gasping for air, I wonder how I could have gone this long without knowing what this would feel like with him. Nothing I have ever experienced can compare to the feelings coursing through my body right now, as Max Evans kisses his way back up my body again and settles between my legs.
I let my hands slide down over the smooth, bare skin of his back and round to his waist as I reach for the waistband of his boxers and tug them down. He has to help me because my arms are shorter than his and I feel slightly embarrassed, but then I feel the full length of his naked body pressed flush against mine and all feelings of embarrassment fly right out of the window.
"Do you have anything?" I murmur into his ear, as he nuzzles my neck, peppering it with dozens of tiny kisses. "I'm on the pill, but better safe than sorry."
He lifts his head to look at me and I'm struck my how handsome he looks, cheeks slightly flushed, longish dark hair mussed and untidy, deep, penetrative eyes watching me intently as his lips curl up into a smile.
"Right here," he murmurs, lifting his upper body slightly and reaching into his beside table drawer.
In a matter of seconds, we're protected and my mind clears of all rational thought as I feel him pressing enticingly against my entrance. I shudder with desire, my heart pounding at the sensations ripping through my body as he enters me carefully, gently building up an agonisingly slow rhythm, before finally increasing the pace as we get more comfortable with each other. I wrap my legs around his waist as our movements become more frantic and reach for the wooden headboard behind my head with both hands so that I can lift my hips to meet his thrusts. The pleasure is overwhelming and my harsh breaths soon become gasping moans as I near completion.
The tension in my stomach builds and mounts as we move together and I can feel myself on the edge of orgasm. Frustration begins to rise in my chest when I can't quite get there, but then I feel Max's fingers on my clit and my hips jerk in response, the climax rushing over me in intense waves, leaving me gasping for breath as I cry out his name. The feelings are so powerful that it barely registers when Max lets go with a deep groan and then collapses above me moments later. With a huge, contented smile on my face, I relish in the heat of his sweaty body against mine. I don't want to move from this position at all.
"Oh my God," I sigh, releasing the headboard and burying my fingers in his hair. "That was amazing."
I feel him smile against my flushed skin and then he lifts his head, a cocky grin on his face and a twinkle in his eye, "It was, wasn't it?"
"I think we should do it again," I announce matter-of-factly.
He chuckles, shaking his head, "Give me a minute to recover, why don't you?"
"Well, okay, if I must," I sigh. "But I'm counting the seconds… sixty, fifty-nine, fifty-eight, fifty-sev–"
He cuts me off with a kiss and I grin against his lips as we get caught up in each other all over again. The movie is now completely forgotten as I get ready for round two of the best sex of my life.
TBC…