Reaching for The Moon by ThePekingNoodle
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Chapter Forty-Two: Are We There Yet?
A long private car ride for our hero and heroine…
"Max, are you ready to go?" Logan called out as he stood in the front hall with luggage surrounding him. He couldn't for the life of him figure out why in the world females seemed to feel the need to take the entire contents of their closets whenever they went on a trip, but it seemed to be a fact of life. He supposed he should be happy that Max hadn't had time to fill her wardrobe out more than she had.
"All set, Logan." Max breezed into the hallway and he took a deep breath when he saw her. She was wearing a very short skirt and high heeled sandals that showed her legs to great advantage topped by a sleeveless silk tank. Both were in a luscious melon color that served to set off her golden skin tone and her flowing dark hair. Both clung to all of her curves in a sophisticated and tasteful yet extremely sexy way. Both made Logan think about how much he'd like to run his hands over said curves…
"Logan? Is this outfit okay I asked you?" She was giving him a puzzled look.
"It's perfect," he managed to get out. Just then the elevator opened and a uniformed man walked out. Logan showed him the bags and he loaded them onto the cart he had brought with them. Soon the two of them were crowded into the elevator with the chauffeur and the luggage cart. Logan was intensely aware of Max standing crushed up against him. He only hoped she wasn't aware of his awareness. He remembered his resolution not to treat her like one of his past girlfriends but somehow his undisciplined body wasn't getting the message at all. He breathed a sigh of relief when the elevator doors opened and they could step out into the lobby of Fogle Towers.
Max for her part was extremely aware of Logan behind her and of his reaction to her proximity. The minute she had seen him standing in their hallway, tall and trim in his khaki pants and casual button down shirt she had felt a rush of heat run through her. Standing crushed against him she was aware of every inch of him that was in contact with her. She probably could have moved forward an inch or so but somehow her feet refused to make the motion, and her body reveled in the feel of him, warm and strong behind her. She sighed, annoyed that she wasn't better able to control her physical reactions and determined to do better.
They walked outside and Max took a breath at the gleaming stretch limo sitting at the curb. Logan shrugged. "New car isn't delivered yet, and we couldn't exactly fit your luggage on the Ninja so I thought we might as well go in comfort."
Max smiled at him as the chauffeur held open the back door for her to climb in. Logan gulped again at the sight of those shapely legs disappearing into the car. He followed Max in and soon the two were comfortably seated on one of the two soft couches that filled the back. The chauffeur finished loading their luggage and the car pulled smoothly away from the curb.
"How long will this take?" Max asked curiously.
"It should only take about an hour but with the checkpoints and all of their wonderful post-Pulse paper work, it will probably take about three. That's if we don't run into any roadblocks on the way."
Suddenly Logan wondered why in the world he had ordered a limo. Three hours confined with Max in pretty much complete privacy (The driver was behind an opaque partition that was also soundproof unless Logan turned on a speaker system) was going to test his resolve for sure. "Want something to drink?" he offered in an attempt to break the silence.
"Sure." Max said brightly wondering why Logan suddenly seemed uncomfortable.
Logan opened the small refrigerator set between the couches. He was quiet and then turned to Max with a rueful smile. "Seems like our choice is champagne or champagne. I forgot to specify anything else." As he spoke he opened the bottle and then poured the sparkling liquid into the two flutes that Max held out to him. He had forgotten that the limo company had a standing order from him to stock the fridge with only the best champagne. Soft drinks or bottled water might have been safer on this trip. He resolved to limit his consumption; he needed a clear head for sure in this situation.
There was silence for a while as they sipped their drinks. Logan stared out of the window as they rolled through Seattle and Max sat and drank in her fill of Logan while he wasn't looking. After a while she noticed that it seemed to be a bit warm in the limo.
"Logan is it warm in here?"
"I hadn't noticed." Actually he'd been a bit warm ever since she'd appeared in that outfit, but he wasn't about to let her know that. "I can turn up the air if you want."
"Thanks." She sent him a grateful smile and their eyes met and locked. Next thing she knew Logan was leaning toward her. Then he was reaching past as he adjusted the thermostat that was located on the side of the car behind her head. Their bodies were only inches apart and she could feel his breath. When he pulled his hand back she thought she felt his fingers lightly run through her hair. But then he was sitting back in his place, a safe foot or two apart from her. Max sighed.
"Why don't you try to rest?" Logan suggested. "You still have the ordeal of Aunt Margo to come today."
Max giggled a bit at the face Logan made when he said his aunt's name. She decided maybe sleep was the best thing to do. It was that or give in to the sudden urge she had to pull Logan to her and start kissing him, and that would never do. She couldn't stand to think about the look of revulsion he would surely have at being kissed by a genetically created thing. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the seat.
Logan sat staring at Max as she appeared to be asleep. He was relieved that she had taken his suggestion. The urge to reach over and pull her to him and start kissing her had become almost impossible to control. That was all he needed to do, start treating her like some easy piece who would fall into his arms simply for a limo ride and some champagne. Max was worth more than that, and he wanted to be sure that she knew he knew that. If he could figure out how to let her know, that was.
He'd never had to actively court a woman before, actually he'd never wanted to bother. They came to him on his terms or they didn't. He hadn't cared one way or another. There were plenty out there. Even Val had pursued him from the very beginning. He wondered if his cousin Bennett could give him some tips this weekend. Bennett had never been the playboy Logan was. His girlfriends tended to be long term and serious. Logan brightened. Bennett would know what to do. Perfect.
After a while Logan noticed that Max seemed to be shifting around uncomfortably. She was going to have a stiff neck if she stayed in that position. He hesitated but then he reached over and gently pulled her over so that she was resting against him. Max sighed and turned her head so it was snuggled against his chest. One of her hands came around and rested on his stomach. He felt a surge of heat at the feel of her soft body against his and her hand resting just above his waist. Maybe this hadn't been such a good idea. But he couldn't disturb her now. She looked too comfortable and a soft smile was on her face. Maybe he should try to sleep as well. He wrapped his arms around her so that she wouldn't slide off if the car stopped suddenly, and leaned his head back and closed his eyes.
Max wasn't asleep when Logan reached over to pull her onto him, but the feel of his arms around her and the sound of his heartbeat steady and strong in his chest, were too good to pass up. She kept her eyes closed as she curled up against him and let one of her hands rest on his flat stomach. When he pulled her close to him and then kept his arms protectively around her she sighed happily to herself and let a smile cross her face.
The two stayed that way for most of the rest of the trip. Logan fell asleep and Max rested, listening to his even breathing and lightly playing with her hand on his stomach and chest. Then the limo pulled onto what seemed to be some kind of gravel roadway and slowed considerably. Logan opened his eyes and looked outside.
"Max? We're almost there."
Max opened her eyes and made a production of yawning as she straightened up and away from Logan. "I must be a mess," she said.
Logan chuckled and reached out to smooth her hair. "Nothing a quick brushing won't fix. Anyway you look beautiful."
Max felt a jolt at his words and the look in his eyes as he said them. There was a silence as the two stared at each other. Suddenly Logan remembered something. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small jewelers box.
"I almost forgot." He handed the box to Max. "Open it."
Max opened it and gasped. Nestled in it was a matched set consisting of an engagement ring and a wedding band. The engagement ring had a beautifully cut pear shaped diamond that glittered as a ray of sun hit it. Both bands were of platinum. She felt a faint stirring of hope. Surely Logan wouldn't go to the expense of something like this if he didn't feel something for her.
Logan watched Max closely as she opened the box. He wondered if she'd realize that he had hunted high and low to find the perfect set for her. He could have easily just picked up anything from his jeweler but he had wanted the rings to be perfect. Not just something that the world would expect to see. But she was silent and he realized that she was probably not very happy at this reminder of her forced marriage to an unregenerate playboy. He rushed to say something to cover his disappointment at her silence.
"We got away without this last time because things were done in such a rush. But this time Margo's going to be looking for this. If you don't have the right rings she'll never believe the marriage story. So…"
"Oh. Right." Max said. They were just part of the cover story. Part of Logan's attention to detail. She had been stupid to think for even a minute that Logan had gone to any special trouble for her.
"Max you need to put them on."
When she didn't respond he took the box from her and removed the rings. He took her left hand and slipped them onto her finger all the time wishing that the circumstances were different. That she wanted him to be doing this. Impulsively he lifted her hand to his mouth and dropped a soft kiss onto her ring finger.
Max watched Logan as he bent his head and slid the rings onto her finger. Then he surprised her by lifting her hand to his lips and softly kissing it.
He looked at her and smiled. "Here. Want to put this on me?" He was holding out a man's wedding band. Max took it and slowly slid it onto his ring finger. Despite her confusion over his behavior she felt another of those surges of warmth run through her. Logan was looking at her as if he expected more. Slowly she raised his hand up and duplicated his action of kissing his finger. He turned his hand and let it rest on her face for a moment as he looked deep into her eyes. Max felt another more intense surge of heat rushing through her.
Suddenly she realized what was happening. She felt a sense of panic. It couldn't be. She quickly counted it up in her head and silently groaned. It was. She was in heat.
End of Chapter Forty-Two…TBC
