Reaching for the Moon by ThePekingNoodle
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Chapter Eighty-Two: Goodbye or Is It?
In which our hero does what he believes he must…
Logan lost track of time as he sat at his computer and then finally set to work researching the information Lydecker had sent to him about Zack's whereabouts. When Max re-entered the penthouse several hours later, he was staring at his screen with a frown.
She was soaked through from her sojourn on the roof, and her hair hung in stringy wet ropes around her face. She stood there watching Logan for several moments, before he became aware of her presence and turned to look at her. When he finally saw the state she was in, his look of grim concentration turned to one of concern.
"Max. What did you do to yourself?" he exclaimed.
"I'm fine," she dismissed his concern brusquely. Then she looked down at the floor where a small puddle had collected on the hardwood floor at her feet. "Or are you worried about the floors? Don't be. I'll clean them up." Before he could respond she strode briskly to the bedroom.
When Logan followed her he saw her wet clothes on the floor and the bathroom door closed. He picked up the clothes and brought them to the laundry room. He then returned to the bedroom just as Max emerged from the bathroom, wearing her terry robe and toweling her hair dry. She glanced at him but didn't say anything.
"We need to talk." Logan began.
"You didn't want to talk before. What's different now?" She asked him with a shrug.
"Max…I…" Logan stopped, at a loss. You need to do this. The longer you wait the worse it will be for both of you.
"You what?"
"You need to leave Seattle." Logan said flatly.
"Why? Because it's not safe? News flash, Logan, it isn't safe anywhere for me. And what about you? The Colonel knows where you live. He has you in his sights. The minute you make a wrong move he'll kill you…or worse. You think I'm leaving you to that?"
Logan took a breath. "It isn't about the Colonel. It's about us."
Max stopped in the act of turning to the closet to pull out some dry clothes. "About us?" Her eyes narrowed. What the hell is he doing now?
"I've been thinking about things. I don't think we're really right for each other when it comes down to it."
"What in hell are you talking about?" Max had a dangerous look about her as she stared at him.
"Face it Max, the sex is great, hell it's even mind blowing, but it's sex. What else do we really have in common? I'm twelve years older than you are and in a different place in my life. I think it would be better for both of us if we called it quits now, while we still have good memories. Better to go out at the top has always been my motto. Ashley called before, wanting to know if there was any chance we could give things another try and I hate to say it, but I think I want to." There that should do it. She'll hate me for sure now.
He's got to be the world's worst liar. And a complete idiot if he thinks I'm buying that story. Max just stared at him for a few minutes. "Okay." She finally said.
Logan was taken aback at her calm response. "That's it then?"
She shrugged. "What do you expect me to do? Fall down in hysterics at your feet? You said from the beginning no strings, that the sex was just sex. You were honest with me." Now that's as big a lie as his. Yeah, well there's no point arguing with him right now. Let him think I'm leaving. Makes it easier for me to figure out his game I've got his back whether he wants it or not. Logan has no clue who he's dealing with here.
"I'll make arrangements for a new identity in a safe place for you. It'll take about a day but you should be able to be on your way tomorrow." What the hell are you doing, you fool? She's the best thing that ever happened to you. There has to be another way.
"I'll be ready." Max still showed no signs of emotion.
Logan just looked at her. He felt like his insides were being torn into pieces. He turned to leave the room.
"Wait." Max stopped him with a word. He turned to see what she had to say. Her eyes met his as she let her robe slide off of her shoulders and drop to the floor.
"Max? What…" Logan stammered.
"Since all it was, was sex, why not give it one last go? Who knows when either of us is going to find such a great bed partner again." There was a slight edge to her voice despite her iron control.
"Max…I…" Logan didn't move. Damn. You knew she was going to be hurt and angry.
"Oh I'm sorry. I didn't realize that your little speech before was just trying to spare my feelings. We passed the top already didn't we? You've had your fill of the transgenic freak." Stop it girl. No, he's a liar, but he's also an idiot and he deserves some payback for that. She bent down to pick up her robe from the floor but a foot came down on it, holding it in place.
Logan grabbed her arms and pulled her to him. His lips met hers and she could taste the desperation in his kiss. Max didn't fight him; instead she leaned into him and yielded willingly to his lips and hands.
Don't do this, Logan. It's only going to make it worse. I don't care. I can't let her go without this one last time.
He raised his head from hers. They were both out of breath. Without any more words, Logan scooped her into his arms and carried her to the bed. He stripped out of his clothes and joined her on it, still with no words. Max held out her arms to him and he rolled onto her letting his emotions take over. Still wordlessly he made love to her throughout the ensuing night. There was no more discussion, no more words. Only his unspoken pain and her simmering anger fueling the passion. Finally, hours later, Logan rolled onto his side and fell into an exhausted sleep. When he woke the next morning, the bed was empty and he was alone.
Without looking he knew that Max was gone not only from his bed but also from his life.
End of Chapter Eight-Two…TBC…
PN winks…sorry about your nails Superblonde. But a writer's gotta do what a writer's gotta do. Or rather what her muse tells her to do. But have faith … has PN let you down before?
