By the next day, she'd had it.
"Logan, I'm fine. Healthy as a horse," she announced. And I'm bored. If we've got to stay here another day, you're going to have to amuse me."
Logan shut down the laptop and gave her a strained look. "You've read all the books I can find, there's no TV, and this town doesn't have much in the way of entertainment."
"I'm sure you can think of something." She set her chin, stubbornly. "Otherwise I'm going out looking for something to do."
Logan raised an eyebrow. "Going to beat up some more goats?"
He knew that remark was a mistake, as soon as it left his mouth. Her face darkened, then shifted to a look of innocence.
"That was so funny, Logan!" He wanted to play games with her? Fine. "You're such good company, so charming, why would I want to play with a goat when I can play with you?"
Logan knew he was in trouble. "I'm afraid to ask, Max, but play with me how?"
Max grabbed his laptop and sat on it. As good as he'd been all week, taking care of her and otherwise keeping his hands to himself when he wanted to....never mind...but after all that, he wasn't going to risk fate by going after it.
"I'll have it back if you please!"
Max laughed. Logan was flustered. Good. "Not now, Logan dear, let's play a game."
"Max," Logan said reasonably, aware he had made a mistake in demanding the laptop instead of asking nicely, "I don't know any Manticore games, we don't have a chessboard, and I doubt Twenty Questions will keep you interested for long. Besides, whatever we play, I always lose."
Max gave him a siren's smile, and he grabbed at his resolve to keep his distance. She needed time to heal, physically and mentally, and...
"Logan? You ever play this game I Never?"
Oh shit. "Yes, Max, but it's not that interesting..."
"Logan? I Never ate a roasted goat."
She wasn't going to stop. "I did, once," he said, giving in. "Ten points for me." Maybe she'd realize how ridiculous this was.
"Your turn," she prompted.
Guess not. Maybe she'd get so bored she'd go back to sleep or something. "I Never...swam the English channel."
"Me neither." The game went back and forth for a few minutes, then longer. It was even fun, sort of. They were sitting across from each other, moving in closer, they were both laughing. Max looked good again, Logan thought. Really good, and in another few days maybe...
"Logan?"
"What?" He'd spaced out, missed her I Never.
"Logan! You weren't listening. I get ten points and another turn." He'd been staring at her, she was almost sure he...and tomorrow they were leaving. Back to Eyes Only and everything else. Now or never.
"Bonus turn," she said. She took a quick breath and slid forward the last few inches, landing on his lap. "I Never...sat on the lap of an anonymous computer hacker/cyberjournalist."
Logan was floored. "You have so!" He grabbed at the game to buy time to think.
"I'll have you know that's my knee you're straddling! That's a lie!"
Max looked down. "I guess it is," she said thoughtfully. "Does that mean I lose?"
Logan stared at her, thinking about his resolutions, her need for space, his fears of endangering her. And then he thought about how he just didn't give a damn.
"Yes," he said, shaking his head mournfully. "You lose." He broke into a grin for half a second. That was as long as he could wait, before he kissed her.
THE END
"Logan, I'm fine. Healthy as a horse," she announced. And I'm bored. If we've got to stay here another day, you're going to have to amuse me."
Logan shut down the laptop and gave her a strained look. "You've read all the books I can find, there's no TV, and this town doesn't have much in the way of entertainment."
"I'm sure you can think of something." She set her chin, stubbornly. "Otherwise I'm going out looking for something to do."
Logan raised an eyebrow. "Going to beat up some more goats?"
He knew that remark was a mistake, as soon as it left his mouth. Her face darkened, then shifted to a look of innocence.
"That was so funny, Logan!" He wanted to play games with her? Fine. "You're such good company, so charming, why would I want to play with a goat when I can play with you?"
Logan knew he was in trouble. "I'm afraid to ask, Max, but play with me how?"
Max grabbed his laptop and sat on it. As good as he'd been all week, taking care of her and otherwise keeping his hands to himself when he wanted to....never mind...but after all that, he wasn't going to risk fate by going after it.
"I'll have it back if you please!"
Max laughed. Logan was flustered. Good. "Not now, Logan dear, let's play a game."
"Max," Logan said reasonably, aware he had made a mistake in demanding the laptop instead of asking nicely, "I don't know any Manticore games, we don't have a chessboard, and I doubt Twenty Questions will keep you interested for long. Besides, whatever we play, I always lose."
Max gave him a siren's smile, and he grabbed at his resolve to keep his distance. She needed time to heal, physically and mentally, and...
"Logan? You ever play this game I Never?"
Oh shit. "Yes, Max, but it's not that interesting..."
"Logan? I Never ate a roasted goat."
She wasn't going to stop. "I did, once," he said, giving in. "Ten points for me." Maybe she'd realize how ridiculous this was.
"Your turn," she prompted.
Guess not. Maybe she'd get so bored she'd go back to sleep or something. "I Never...swam the English channel."
"Me neither." The game went back and forth for a few minutes, then longer. It was even fun, sort of. They were sitting across from each other, moving in closer, they were both laughing. Max looked good again, Logan thought. Really good, and in another few days maybe...
"Logan?"
"What?" He'd spaced out, missed her I Never.
"Logan! You weren't listening. I get ten points and another turn." He'd been staring at her, she was almost sure he...and tomorrow they were leaving. Back to Eyes Only and everything else. Now or never.
"Bonus turn," she said. She took a quick breath and slid forward the last few inches, landing on his lap. "I Never...sat on the lap of an anonymous computer hacker/cyberjournalist."
Logan was floored. "You have so!" He grabbed at the game to buy time to think.
"I'll have you know that's my knee you're straddling! That's a lie!"
Max looked down. "I guess it is," she said thoughtfully. "Does that mean I lose?"
Logan stared at her, thinking about his resolutions, her need for space, his fears of endangering her. And then he thought about how he just didn't give a damn.
"Yes," he said, shaking his head mournfully. "You lose." He broke into a grin for half a second. That was as long as he could wait, before he kissed her.
THE END