AN: This is a slightly revised version of Chapter 4 – nothing major. Just some stylistic changes I made on reading it over.
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Once again I lean towards her and our lips meet. This time my arms are around her, and I tighten them, pulling her close. Max doesn't resist and her arms come up around my neck as she opens her lips to let me in. This feels completely right to me, this is where I belong. For long moments we kiss and our tongues tangle, as we learn each others taste.
Max's hands are busy, one playing in my hair and the other stroking the back of my neck and shoulders gently. I am running my hands up and down her back relishing the feel of her close against me, feeling her body heat through the thin sweater she is wearing. Finally, no longer satisfied with simply feeling the soft silky material of her sweater, I reach down and slide my hands up underneath it spreading them across her spine, loving the feel of her smooth warm flesh. Max sighs softly into my mouth and presses closer to me.
Somehow I am lying flat on the couch with Max sprawled on top of me. Feeling has returned to more than just my legs the last few days, and I am achingly aware of the heat of her pressed against my very definite arousal. Max notices as well, I can tell by the way she gently moves her hips, pressing herself closer and making me grow even harder. Our lips are still locked together and now I move one hand down to pull her even harder against me, while with the other I slide her sweater up.
Max doesn't object but she suddenly breaks contact and lifting herself up, reaches down and pulls her sweater over her head, sending it flying as it comes off. She then proceeds to reach down to grasp the hem of my sweater, and I obligingly raise my hands so she can pull it over my head. That done, I reach behind her and unclasp her bra, then slide the straps down her arms. In a short time. the rest of our clothes are discarded as well, and dinner is forgotten, as we finally come together, in the way I have dreamed about since the first time I saw her.
Long minutes later, I realize I am probably crushing her with my weight and I start to roll off. Her arms tighten around me and she murmurs, "Don't go Logan. Stay with me."
I raise my head to look at her face, shiny with sweat and flushed with the aftermath of passion. "I'm too heavy…" Before I can finish the sentence she rolls us over so that she is once again on top, keeping our bodies joined intimately.
"Be quiet," she says as she lays her head on my chest. Reaching down I grope for the cotton throw that was on the couch but is now somewhere on the floor. Luckily it is within reach, and I shake it out and let it drift down on top of the two of us. Cocooned in our blanket we rest there content. I'm not sure how long we stay that way but suddenly I am brought to full consciousness by the insistent chiming of the oven.
Max is dozing, and I hate to disturb her but unless we want Chicken a la Charcoal I need to turn off the oven. I gently roll Max off of me and not bothering with clothes head out to take care of the chicken. Removing it from the oven, I set the pan on the stove to cool and turn back to see Max sitting up watching me.
"The naked Chef?" she quips with a raised eyebrow. I grin and bow feeling more lighthearted than I have in years.
"At your service. Hungry?" I ask her.
She smiles provocatively then runs her eyes up and down my body, "not only for food."
Smiling back, I return the look and advance towards her. "If you insist…" I begin but she waves me off.
"On second thought, that chicken smells wonderful and I haven't eaten since lunch."
I give her a mock glare. "Cheese squares?" She giggles and shrugs her shoulder then rises slowly from the couch, stretching catlike, which has an immediate effect on me. She looks at me, then raises her eyebrows.
"Logan? Can we have some food first please?" Being naked has its disadvantages, and I glare at her as she laughs and heads off to the guest bathroom to wash up leaving her clothes where they landed earlier. Deciding I should do the same, I go to my room and after washing I don a pair of silk boxers and, after deliberating a moment, leave it at that. When I come back out I find that Max has availed herself of the extra clothes I keep in the guest room closet. She's wearing one of my silk shirts and nothing else. She has only buttoned a few buttons and the sleeves are rolled up which has the effect of making her look deliciously wanton. I want nothing more than to take her back to bed. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $100. Go directly to bed.
Max reads my mind and shakes her head with mock severity,"food first."
"If you insist," I return wondering why in hell we waited so long for this. We smile at each other and head to the kitchen. Max gets more wine and the salad I made earlier, as I slice the chicken and arrange it on a platter. Soon enough we are sitting at the table with the meal in front of us. Max has arranged our places next to each other, and as I pass her the food she leans over and gently bites my neck.
"I thought we were eating first?" I ask her.
"Couldn't resist." she mumbles through a mouthful of chicken. "I've wanted to do that for ages."
I smile back at her and on impulse take a forkful of mashed potatoes and hold it up to her mouth. She smiles and opens and makes a production of sucking them off the fork then slowly swallowing them. I gulp feeling a growing hardness in my groin, along with a waning interest in eating.
Knowing full well what she has just done to me, Max takes pity on me and offers me a bit of Italian bread dipped in olive oil. Deciding that turnabout is fair play I grab her wrist, and hold her hand to my mouth as she feeds me the bread.
"You've got oil on your fingers." Slowly, I take each one of her fingers in turn into my mouth and gently lick and then suck on them. Max gasps and I can feel her pulse increasing under my fingers on her wrist. When I finally release her hand, we sit and stare at each other dinner forgotten.
I rise and hold out my hand and Max takes it letting me pull her up and lead her to my bedroom. Cleanup will wait, this is definitely more important.