Title:
Love Loss 7
Name:
Joy
Email:
SleepingBeauty2@ziplip.com
Rating: R
"I'm going to go blind Logan!" Max fussed at the man sitting next to her as he plowed through the microfiche of the 1880 census for the county. Max meanwhile was going through all of the accounts of Alexanders during the post-Civil War period. Truthfully there was no problem with her eyes she just wanted Logan's attention.
The playfulness of the past day and half slipped into the background as his single focus came into vision again. Finding out whom Nimue Alexander had been was all that mattered at the moment. "Do you at least have anything for us to take pride in?" she asked when he didn't look up from the machine.
"The Alexander family that lived next door had a daughter whose middle name was Nimue but she was only fourteen at the time of Lysander's death… I really don't want to think about this man having a Lolita complex… Besides if it was her why wouldn't have the family accepted the money and property?" he asked.
"Maybe because they didn't want to face the idea that their neighbor was a pedophile or that he may have been molesting their daughter…" Max said with raised eyebrow.
"You would think a story like that would have gotten leaked over the years though… Sex scandals have been attractive in every generation- just look at Clinton."
"Well I haven't found a solitary account of a Nimue Alexander having born, lived, or died during the period of time. Then again lots of the records of this area were torched during the Civil War," Max said with a sigh. "What is that?" she asked pointing a finger to a string of tallies in the far right side of the screen.
"This is the census account of the Alexander plantation. Those are the accounts of the slaves that lived on the plantation," Logan said looking at Max.
"There are no names written down?" she asked perplexed.
Logan sighed, "No Max. They weren't considered people. It was a time in America's history no one is proud of."
"We should take a break and relax before we go nuts," Max said attempting to get Logan out of the archive.
"Maybe there will be something at the plantation we missed," he said thoughtfully.
"Fine… But I want to do something fun on this vacation that doesn't end with us in a big fight," she came back at him.
"Alright. Lets hit the campus for some fun. Maybe there's a frat party that we can crash and the men can honor you with kegs of beer," he said with frustration.
"Where the hell did that come from? Are you my husband on this vacation or not?" she said accusatorily. He looked at her with great curiosity and nodded. "Well then… I am not the type to cheat besides the frat boys can't hold a candle to my Robin Hood."
He gave her a small smile as he chuckled at his own insecurity. "Robin Hood?"
"Very sexy!" Max said with a wink. "Anyway, I bet you were a frat boy at one time. I'm sure you worshiped your fair share of women."
"None as magnificent as you," he said with sincerity in his clear blue eyes.
"Magnificent, huh?"
"Gorgeous… Intelligent… Amazing… There are a million adjectives that I could use but none of them really does you justice. Magnificent will have to do," Logan said finding courage in her Robin Hood comment.
"Let's go to dinner," Max commented as her cheeks flushed.
Playing husband and wife on campus was nice. Especially when Max allowed Logan the privilege of putting a drunken frat boy in his place when he came on too strong to Max. Logan seemed completely at peace with shoving the kid saying, "Stay away from my wife." Max actually got a surprising thrill from him saying the words and coming to her 'rescue'.
The couple walked arm in arm around campus enjoying being together with nothing pressing in on them from the outside world. They stopped to gaze at the moon in front of a very large magnolia in front of a brick building. "I knew you would look amazing next to a magnolia," Logan commented as Max stood off from him for a moment.
"I'll be right back," she said gazing at the tall tree. Soon enough Logan realized she had climbed almost to the top.
"Max… What are you doing?" Logan strained to whisper/ yell at her.
"Being one of the clever," she responded.
"What?!" he called as she jumped to the top of the building.
"We're at the Planetarium Logan," she said as she propped the roof door open. Soon she arrived on the ground level and led Logan to the roof. "We can see the stars really well from up here," she said looking at the sky. "And we aren't anywhere near the edge for you to get freaked out."
Logan breathed deeply and lay down on the roof staring at the stars. "We can't see these this well in Seattle," he said quietly. Max lay down next to Logan attempting to get comfortable. Logan instinctively wrapped an arm around Max and pulled her to his chest. "I don't get to see you this well in Seattle either."
Her eyes found his filled with tenderness. "It… If anything… Never mind," Logan muttered.
"What?" Max asked.
"Nothing…" he murmured but then continued as she glared at him. "Eyes Only isn't as important as you are to me, Max. Sometimes I go overboard, but I need you to believe me when I say you mean more to me then it," he said softly touching her face.
She snuggled down into his chest further and kissed the palm of his hand. Holding his hand in hers Max said, "I believe you," but didn't look up.
Max and Logan had retired to bed pretending that their emotions weren't running high. After cuddling on the roof of the planetarium for an hour, they returned to the hotel making small talk about what direction to take next with the search for Nimue. In the end they acted like an old married couple reading in bed then rolling over to go to sleep.
The summer heat was stifling as the night moved on. The fans and air conditioning of hotel were only marginally helpful. Max instinctively kicked off her shorts and the covers. Logan pealed his shirt off and the covers lay at the foot of the bed. He got up to turn the AC up all the way and returned to bed half asleep.
The male side of him was very aware of Max's shapely hips bare of anything but panties and breasts reacting to the texture of the tank top she was sleeping in. He groaned hardening at the sight and slipped back into bed. Max turned toward the motion in the bed and threw her arm over Logan's chest inching closer to him. "Thanks for getting the air," Max mumbled and kissed his chest.
Logan grunted, feeling her lips on his chest only made his erection flare up, "No problem."
"You're grumpy," she said settling more of her body along his side.
Unsteady breathes shook from him. "Max… It's too hot to snuggle."
"No its not. You liked it this morning," she said playfully biting nipple slightly.
Logan suddenly was above her having rolled to the side. "Fine… I'm too hot to snuggle," he said with clarity in his eyes.
Max opened her eyes and took in the sight of his taut body hard for her. She licked her lips involuntarily, saying, "Then lets not snuggle." She leaned up and kissed him hungrily.
Logan attempted to leash himself, "Max… Max…" he muttered as his body rested on her hips. "I can't play right now… You didn't want to… You're tired… You'll hate me." He said as she licked his ear. He groaned heatedly and then rocked his hips with hers, caressing her hip.
"You feel so good Logan," Max whispered in his ear as their bodies rubbed together. "Touch me."
The moan that ripped from Logan's heart was one of anguish and frustration. "I want you so badly. I want to be in you and feel you all around me… But you'll hate me…I know you will," he said as he shook pulling away from her. "I couldn't handle not having you in my life Max. I… I can't…" he said stealing away to the bathroom.
Max sat trembling on the bed. The shower started and Max got up crossing to the bathroom. She listened at the door as Logan cursed over and over his weakness. She his frustrated groans and slight sobs for her. She kept hearing him mutter how it would never work. They could never be together… And then she heard him cry in the shower…for her. He was Lysander in so many ways. He could see her everyday and everyday be reminded of the distance between them. The pain was unbearable as she listened to Logan cry.
Logan opened the bathroom door almost an hour later, with a firmer resolve to keep Max at a distance from his heart. He found Max on the floor right outside the door asleep on his silk robe curled up in a ball. Logan bent down, picked her up and laid her in the bed. He kissed her goodnight and set himself in the front room's couch.
He knew at that moment, he could never lie next to Max without thinking of this night. The easiness between them was gone. He couldn't risk her safety. He knew in that moment the pain Lysander Moore felt all those years ago. Pain like that isn't fictitious… there was a Nimue as alive as Max and he would find her.