KISS THE STARS - Chapter 7
Max was just making some hot chocolate and getting into a good book when
the handle of the front door of her apartment turned. She shot against the wall,
holding her fists out, ready for an attack- who would just barge in at this
hour? Finding the door locked, whoever it was knocked softly on the door and
waited about two seconds before picking the lock and swinging the door open. Max
grabbed him around the shoulders, slamming him against the wall.
"Agh, it's me!" Alec's voice came. She let him go immediately and closed the door, glaring at him.
"Be quiet," she said. "It's four in the morning." He turned around, rubbing at his chin where it had smacked the wall, and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw her safe.
"You don't sleep," he said, dropping his hand.
"Well, Original Cindy does," she said. She frowned at his relieved expression. "What's wrong?"
"I'll be quiet," he promised; Max stood aside, sensing the urgency in his voice. He looked like hell, she observed.
"You look like hell," she told him. He was momentarily surprised, then smiled tensely at her.
"Yeah, I just had the worst dream."
"About...?"
"You, actually."
"Thanks," she said dryly, turning back to finish making her hot chocolate. Alec caught her hand.
"It was a nightmare," he said softly. "You died." Max turned slowly to him.
"Oh," she managed. "How?"
"You got shot. I wasn't paying attention," he said, swallowing, not meeting her eyes. He gazed down at their entwined hands and was glad when she made no move to let him go.
"Haven't a told you a thousand times to pay attention?" she asked softly, trying to lighten the mood. "It messes everything up when you don't." Alec looked at her, scanned her throat, the flawless, unmarred skin of her neck. She hadn't been shot, but the dream had felt so real.
"Max," he said as she let go of him and turned back to her hot chocolate, stirring it.
"You want some?" she asked, oblivious to his struggle to find the words he wanted.
"Max," he said again, ignoring the question. "I- I..." He trailed off as she turned back to him, stifling a sigh, her brown eyes impatient.
"You came all the way over here to say that?" she asked, walking past him and curling up on the couch again. He hesitated, annoyed- couldn't she see he was trying to say something important. He turned on his heel and headed for the door.
"Fine," he said, grabbing the handle and pulling it open. "Just never-" Logan stood on the other side, his hand raised in a knock. Both men froze and they just stared at each other for several moments.
"What are you doing here?" Logan asked finally, sounding slightly panicked; seeing that he believed Max to be in heat, Alec wasn't surprised.
"What are you doing here?" he countered. Before Logan could open his mouth to answer, Alec shut the door in his face and bolted it. He went back into the living room and Max looked up from her book questioningly.
"Did I just hear-"
"I'm in love with you," Alec blurted. Max stared at him for a long moment, her brown eyes huge.
"You- you- you're- what?" she sputtered finally, looking half frightened and half sick. She reached up and put a hand over her mouth, staring at him as though he were radioactive. Alec stopped looking at her, stared at his shoes. There was a low knocking on the door that would have been a loud pounding if it hadn't been so early. Alec glanced up at Max again hesitantly.
"That's Logan," he said. Max stood up, went to the door.
"Logan?" she asked though she could see very well it was him through the peephole.
"Yeah, Max, open up."
"I don't think that's a very good idea," she said. "I'm still in heat." There was a long pause.
"What is Alec doing here?" Logan asked finally, sounding very much like someone who didn't want to know. Max panicked.
"Oh- oh, well... um... he- we- I mean..." She stopped, tried again. "It's nothing, he just came over to... to..." She searched her apartment wildly for inspiration. Alec, seeing the pure terror on her face, looked around too but found nothing useful and finally shrugged helplessly.
"To what?" Logan asked quietly through the door.
"To... to..." Max suddenly brightened. "He came over to fight."
Fight? Alec mouthed.
"Fight?" Logan asked.
"Yes," Max said to both of them. "Fight. Fighting helps, ask Cindy. She was the one who slapped me every five minutes last time it happened."
"But can you stop yourself from-" Logan stopped. "I mean, with Alec..."
"It's fine," she said. "I have no interest in him, you know that. He annoys me too much, I've said that a thousand times." She waited hopefully for Logan to accept this and finally she heard a little of the uncertainly leave his voice.
"Okay..."
"Logan, you'd better go, okay, because I'm finding it very hard not to throw myself through this door at you every time you talk." She heard him back away from the door.
"Okay, Max," he said. "Okay, I'm going. Goodnight."
"Goodnight," she fake-whined, and heard him dashing down the hallway. She turned back to Alec, smiling a little; her smile faded when she saw his face.
"So I guess that's it," he said, looking absolutely crushed. She stared at him, speechless because she'd never seen such an emotion on his face before. "I annoy you too much," he said, tried to joke. It failed miserably as his face fell again. He wasn't looking at her. "Anyway, I'd better go." Max grabbed his arm as he walked hastily by, slammed him against a nearby wall.
"What-" he started, then was cut off as she attacked his lips with her own. He pushed her away a little though he really didn't want to, stared at her with passion-darkened eyes, hers similarly deep. "Max," he said. "What are you doing?"
"You're in love with me?" she asked softly, running a hand from where she'd gripped his shoulder down his arm, finally taking his hand in hers. She smiled.
"I..." He swallowed hard; his voice was small. "That's what I said, didn't I?" When she said nothing he barrelled on, "But I don't expect you to love me back. I mean- I want you to- but- if you don't- and Logan." He was rambling but the more she stared at him the more he couldn't stop. "I just-I don't mean that I don't want you to love me. I do, but I know you probably-"
"Alec," she said, halting him. He looked at her.
"What?"
"You talk too much," she whispered before she leaned down and kissed him again, harder this time, more ferociously. His hands came up and stroked through her dark hair, touched her neck, trailed shivers over her barcode. He moved down to grasp her jacket, pull it off, then work at the button of her jeans. She pulled back from his lips and shoved him away.
"Sorry," he said, immediately withdrawing his hands. "I thought-" Max smiled and took a step back, then reached down and pulled her shirt over her head, dropping it to the floor. "What about Cindy?" he asked as she stepped toward him, her black sports bra hiding everything and driving him wild. His mind screamed, Cindy? Who the hell cares about Cindy?! Why are you arguing, just kiss her, you idiot!! So he did, pulling her close, his hands everywhere on her body, her skin hot and soft against his. His shirt quickly joined hers on the floor and that's when Max reluctantly pulled back again, took his hand, and walked with him back to her bedroom. They didn't quite make it to the bed before they had to start kissing again, but Alec managed to nudge her hip and topple them onto it.
"Now our pheromones won't get in the way," she told him as she nuzzled his throat, nipping at the sensitive skin behind his ear. He trailed his hands up her back and unhooked her bra, throwing it to the floor, both their jeans soon joining it. He leaned down to kiss her again but she took his strong arms in her hands, stopped him, gazed up into his passion-filled eyes.
"Alec," she said.
"Max," he answered impatiently, pushing his hips against hers a little. She let out her breath in a long hiss and tightened her arms around his to stop him.
"Before this goes any further," she whispered even as she allowed him to lean down and kiss her again. "I want you to know..." Another kiss. "That you don't..." His tongue warred with hers. "Annoy me..." His lips pressed hot against hers. "All the time." Alec pulled back in surprise, searched her face for any hint of sarcasm; there was none.
"I don't?" he asked cautiously.
"No," she said, smiling at his expression; she swallowed nervously. "And I really think that I... no, I do..." Her voice lowered. "Love you."
"Really?" he breathed, looking like a child who'd just walked into a toy factory and been told he could have anything he wanted. He brought a hand up, stroked her cheek. "Really?" he asked again softly. She kissed him.
"It's crazy," she said, trailing a hand up the soft skin of his back. "But yes. I do, Alec." His eyes sparkled as his hands moved lower, inflaming her already burning skin. "Oh..." she whispered, her dark eyes fluttering closed. "I love that, too." Alec smiled ferally.
"I thought you would," he growled.
"Alec," she forced out, her voice like a purr.
"Yes?" he breathed. "What can I-"
"Shut up and just kiss me, okay?" she asked in a voice tense with pent-up desire. He grinned and obliged her, trailing his hands over her body, driving her wild.
A/N: Sorry to cut off at the "best part" but it embarrasses me to write
sex for them because it's like I know them. It's different with Krit and
Syl. Hopefully you liked it anyway.