Reaching for The Moon by ThePekingNoodle
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Chapter Fifty-Three: Fly Me to the Moon
In which our hero and heroine discover exactly how much champagne an X5 can handle…
As they walked away from Lydecker, Logan could feel the tension still vibrating through Max. He stopped a waiter and handed her another glass of champagne.
Max took it silently and drank it down.
"Whoa, you think you might want to slow down on that stuff?" he asked her. "One sips fine champagne, not gulps it," he teased.
She looked up at him. "X5 metabolism. Takes a lot to affect me."
Logan silently counted up the glasses he'd already seen her down. "I think you've already had a lot tonight."
"I'm fine, Logan."
Just then dinner was announced and they headed out to the back lawn with the other guests. Tables and chairs had been set up on the terrace and lawn, and tiny white lights twinkled from all of the trees. Candles flickered gently in the table centerpieces and an orchestra played soft background music. Logan laid claim to a table for two and held a chair for Max to sit down. As soon as they were seated, a waiter appeared and poured more champagne into the tall flutes sitting on the table. When he started to leave, Max stopped him with a hand on his arm. "You can leave that bottle for us. In fact why don't you bring another one?"
The waiter glanced at Logan who nodded in confirmation, and then he placed the bottle on the table. Within moments he brought a second. At a nod from Logan he opened it and left in a bucket of ice next to the table.
Salads were quickly placed in front of them and Logan picked up his fork, regarding Max quizzically as she picked at her food. He noticed that she had already finished another glass of champagne. "Are you sure that doesn't affect you?"
Max looked seriously at him, "Just takes the edge off, Logan."
He wasn't so sure about that, but he shrugged and went back to his food. Throughout the multi-course dinner Max continued to eat little but she polished off both bottles of champagne almost by herself. As dinner progressed she began to smile and laugh more
"So now what, Logan?" she asked when the last course had been served and all that was left to come was dessert.
"Now we finish dinner, mingle a bit more, and then retire for the night. No one will be surprised since we're newlyweds. Especially after our performance earlier. Only instead of bed, we head out. We can have our stuff sent after us. No sense wasting time packing it up. I'll leave word that an emergency called me back to Seattle."
Max smiled agreeably. "Okay." She sipped more champagne.
"Max, I think you've had enough of that." Logan reached out as she started to pour the last of it into her glass.
Max pouted at him. "Not." She finished pouring the bottle into her flute.
"Max." he said warningly.
"You're so cute when you say Max like that." Amazingly Max giggled. "You're cute when you get mad at me, you're cute when you're leaning down to kiss me and you're cute when you're trying to get my clothes off. You're really cute when you're lying back moaning while I…" Max was caught up in her litany of Logan's cutenesses and didn't realize that heads were beginning to turn in their direction.
"Max!" Logan reached over and placed a hand over her mouth.
Max reached up indignantly and pulled it off. "Don't you like me telling you all the ways you're cute?"
Logan looked at her helplessly. "Max, I think we've found out how much champagne an X5 can handle."
"I can handle a lot more," she declared. Then she giggled again as she ran her eyes over Logan. "I can handle a lot more than champagne too. Wanna see?"
Before he could reply, the waiter brought the dessert to their table It was a large goblet filled with layers of strawberries, sponge cake, and whipped cream, soaked in strawberry liqueur. Since they were a couple, they received only one for the two of them to share.
"Mmmm." Max licked her lips as she reached for the spoon. Logan groaned inwardly at the sight of her inserting a spoonful of whipped cream and strawberries into her mouth and then sucking the remnants off of the spoon with those pouty lips of hers. "This is heavenly."
Next thing Logan knew, Max was holding a spoonful of the sweet up to his mouth. "Open up, Logan." He obeyed because it was clearly a choice between doing so or ending up with a faceful of whipped cream.
Max had pulled her chair next to his in order to share the dessert, and as he swallowed the mouthful she had fed him, she reached up with a finger and wiped a trace of whipped cream off of his lips. At the same time, her other hand found its way onto his leg and was inching upwards.
"Max." Logan protested around a mouthful of cream as he reached down and grabbed her wandering hand.
"Mmmm?" she asked as she innocently sucked the whipped cream off of her finger giving Logan visions of her sucking on other things…
"Max, You're making a scene. I thought the heat was over." He hissed at her in a low voice.
"It is," she replied airily. "I'm just playing the part is all. Isn't that what you wanted? Uh oh. Lydecker's watching. Don't frown at me like that. Don't turn around. Here." She handed him the spoon and he had no choice but to dip it into the goblet and then into her open and waiting mouth. "Oh yes…" Max made a production of rolling the sweet around in her mouth. Logan was ready to kill her. Or make love to her. He wasn't sure which one took priority at that moment. On the other hand…
Logan suffered the torture of the damned as Max insisted on finishing off every bite of the rich dessert, taking turns eating it and feeding it to him. She was obviously feeling the effects of the champagne she had consumed, but he had no choice but to play along with her or create exactly the kind of scene they had to avoid at all costs. He took a peek and Lydecker really was seated several tables away facing in their direction, although he didn't seem to be paying them an excessive amount of attention.
"Logan. Logan, I'm talking to you." Max was shaking his arm, bringing him back from his thoughts.
"What?" he looked down at her.
"I said the dessert's finished and I want to go for a walk in the moonlight."
Logan was about to say no, but then he realized it would be the perfect excuse to get a slightly tipsy Max away from everyone else without being too conspicuous. He started to get up but she held him down with a surprisingly strong grip.
"You have whipped cream on your chin. Wait." Before he knew what she intended she had leaned over and licked off the said whipped cream. At the same time her hand finally found the objective it had been seeking all night. "Ooh. Logan is that all for me?"
"Max." he said in a strangled voice as he pulled her hand away.
"You keep saying Max." she pouted at him. "…and you won't let me do what I want to. I don't like that." Her hand was wandering again and Logan quickly stood up.
"Come on." He held out an arm for her to take. "Let's go for that walk."
Max smiled sunnily at him, her irritation instantly forgotten. "Will you kiss me under the moon?"
"If you behave yourself." Anything to get her away from the eyes of the rest of the guests he decided.
"Okay." Max took his arm in one hand and grabbed another glass of champagne from a tray with the other. Before Logan could stop her she had drained it. "I was thirsy… hic… thirsty…cup…" she said with dignity, hiccuping slightly.
Logan practically dragged her away from the tables and more importantly, from the supply of champagne. Fortunately they were not noticeable since many of the guests were now up and about, mingling and chatting, some dancing on the dance floor that had been set up on the terrace.
He started to head them towards the house, but he saw that his Aunt and Uncle were standing at the top of the steps leading to the terrace. There was no way in without passing by them, something he didn't want to do with Max in the condition she was in. So instead he headed in the opposite direction, toward the swimming pool area. From there they could cut around to the garages. In fact they could leave right from there without having to go back to the house at all.
Max purred softly as he walked her along, seemingly content to go wherever he led.When they reached the pool area she stopped and refused to move.
"What?" He looked down at her, impatient to keep moving.
"You said you'd kiss me under the moon."
"In a minute." He tried to get her to keep walking.
"No. Now. I like it here. It's pretty." She wouldn't budge.
It was pretty. The waterfalls were softly rushing into the pool and the moon cut a swathe of silver across the dark water, making it sparkle in the night. There was a soft scent of flowers and the music from the orchestra lent a romantic air to the scene. Logan knew if he started kissing Max that it would create quite a delay. He thought quickly.
"Tell you what. I need to leave a message for my aunt and uncle. You wait right here while I go over there and leave them a voice mail. Then I'll kiss you. Okay?" He pointed to the pool house, which he knew had an intercom phone inside.
Max cocked her head to one side and regarded him for a moment. Then she smiled smugly. "Okay."
Logan didn't trust the smile, but he figured if he could leave his message and then call the garage to have the car ready, it would make up for time lost while he persuaded her to leave. Without waiting any longer he hurried to the pool house where he spent the next five minutes making his calls.
When he came out Max wasn't where he had left her. He looked around in alarm. Then he heard a soft splashing from the pool.
"Max? What are you doing?" He walked over to the edge. Then he noticed a pool of turquoise material lying on the ground.
"I wanted a swim, Logan." Max's voice floated over the water to him.
"What are you wearing?" he asked holding up her dress even as he spotted two small pieces of material on the terrace that had been hidden by the dress.
She giggled. "Come and see."
"Max, come out of there, we have to go."
Max swam to the center of the pool and treaded water. "You have to give me my kiss."
"Fine. Come out and I'll give it to you."
"No you won't. You have to come in and give it to me or I won't get out."
"Max."
"Nope." She didn't move.
Logan looked at his watch. It was getting late and he wanted to leave. With a sigh he reached up and undid his tie. He slipped out of his jacket and shirt, and then sat on a lounge to remove his shoes and socks. Then he stood and removed his pants leaving only his boxers on. He heard Max's giggle from the center of the pool. He hesitated a moment but decided that he'd prefer to have dry clothes to come out to, and the boxers went the way of the rest of his clothes. That done he dove into the pool, slicing cleanly into the dark water. The pool was kept heated and the water felt like a warm caress against his skin.
He came up next to her and within seconds he had an armful of Max. She began to kiss him enthusiastically, even as her hands were busy under the water. Logan struggled to focus on the mission of getting her out of the pool and to the car.
He managed to pull away from her mouth long enough to say, "Max, we're gonna drown. Stop. Let's get to the edge."
She sighed, but let him tow her to shallower water where he could stand. But then, before he could get her out of the pool, her legs were wrapped around his waist and she was pushing him back against the side wall. He could feel her heat against him and despite his best intentions, his body responded enthusiastically. The water made her almost weightless in his arms and he found himself softly stroking her back as he held her there. Suddenly Max wiggled and then pushed up against him and Logan slipped inside of her.
"Logan…" Max threw her head back as she tightened her legs and began to move. He was lost in her heat as he grasped her waist and helped her along. The rough wall against his back and the warm water softly lapping against them, served to heighten the sensation of her soft heat surrounding him.
"Oh…Max…"
"ummm…"
"yes… like that…"
Max stopped moving, "Logan I want my kiss."
Logan pulled her head to his and kissed her fiercely as they both went up in flames together. When they came back to earth, Max loosened her legs and let them slide down his body until she was standing.
Logan gathered himself together and looked around. "Damn. We need to get out of here." Before she could start up again, he pulled himself out of the pool and then tugged her out after him. "Get dressed." He threw her dress at her and began to pull on his clothes.
Momentarily sobered, whether by their lovemaking or the water, Max silently complied. In minutes the two were slipping through a wooded path and the garage was in sight. Logan stopped with an exclamation.
"Wha…" Max began.
"Shhh." He said.
Max looked to where he was pointing. Colonel Lydecker stood conversing with one of the garage attendants.
End of Chapter Fifty-Three…TBC…