AS2.06: Paper Caper by Star24

Disclaimer: Dark Angel and its characters are property and copyright Twentieth Century Fox and James Cameron and Charles Eglee. This original story is copyright 2003 Star24.

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Chapter One Fogle Towers

Max stood outside of Logan's door and took a deep breath. She ran her hands down her sides reflexively, smoothing her clothing. There was a tiny bulge in one pocket and she reached in to see what it was. When she pulled her hand out, she realized that Original Cindy had shoved one of the little foil packages into her pocket when she had hugged her. She stood there holding it, at a loss with what to do with it. If Logan were to find it when they were…her thoughts veered away. She definitely didn't want him finding it in her pocket. She looked around the hallway for a place to put it, but before she found one, the door in front of her swung open.

Logan was standing there smiling at her. "I thought I heard the elevator. Is my doorbell not working or did you forget your lock picking tools?" he asked quizzically.

Max clenched her hand into a fist to hide what she held, as he leaned down to give her a brief kiss.

He smelled good, a mixture of aftershave and soap, but there was something different about him. When he raised his head she ran her eyes over him. "Wow. You shaved. What's the occasion?"

"Does there need to be one?" he twinkled. "Maybe I just felt like shaving. You coming in, or are you standing out here all night?" He stepped back to let her enter and Max flushed as she realized that she had been standing in the doorway staring at him, the package still clutched in her hand. She really had to get rid of it.

Max followed Logan into the apartment. A spicy aroma greeted her and she sniffed appreciatively. "That almost smells good enough to eat," she teased.

Logan gave her a mock frown, "Almost? Maybe I should have invited someone who has an appreciation for fine cuisine if that's all you have to say about it." They had walked to the bar that divided the kitchen from the dining room as they spoke. Two glasses and an already opened bottle of wine sat on the counter, with a plate of cheese and crackers sitting between them. Logan pulled out a chair for Max and then sat down next to her. He was so close that their arms brushed as he poured the wine and Max shivered slightly at the contact. His sweater was clinging in all the right places and between that and his scent, and the sight of his smooth jaw line, she was afraid she was rapidly losing all control of the situation.

"Mmm, nice." She said as she sipped her wine in an attempt to buy some time.

Logan smiled smugly at her, as if he knew full well the effect he was having. She still held the package in her hand and there was nothing to do with it, not with Logan sitting there next to her. In frustration she shoved it back into her pocket, deciding she'd just have to get rid of it later.

Logan enjoyed sitting next to Max and watching as she sipped her wine. The red of her sweater brought out her vivid coloring and flattered her skin tones. Not to mention the way it hugged her curves so sweetly and revealed just enough cleavage to be tantalizing. Her lips had tasted sweet when he greeted her and he thought of repeating the taste only in more depth. She set down the wine, licking a stray drop off of lips that were now moist from the drink and he gulped. If he didn't get himself under control, the dinner he had taken such care to make for them was going to be wasted.  Max made a small motion with her hand, shoving it into her pocket and then taking it out, and he idly wondered what she had put there.

"How was your day?" He asked more to relieve the growing tension, than out of a real desire to know.

"The usual. Normal bipping away, Sketchy being an idiot, Herbal floating above it all. Nothing special. What about yours?"

"The usual. Hack into some sites, do some investigating…"

"…fight the power, protect the downtrodden…"

"…blah blah woof woof." Their eyes met as he repeated what had become their unofficial mantra, and Max smiled.

They sat there for a moment staring into each other's eyes. Logan set down his glass and took Max's from her unresisting fingers. He set the glasses on the counter, never breaking eye contact. Swiveling his chair so he faced her and his legs were outside of hers, gently touching, he set his hands on her face and leaned in. Max closed her eyes as their lips made contact. He tasted good. Wine and cheese and some kind of smoky spicy taste. Probably from tasting whatever it was that he was making. She brought her hands up to play in his spiky hair as his slipped from her cheeks into her hair. They kissed for a long time, letting themselves relax into the closeness and warmth of each other.

When they broke the kiss, Logan slowly sat back. He ran a gentle hand down her cheek as he smiled at her. "That was…nice."

Max felt suddenly shy. She was familiar with sex and heat and she could deal with them. This was something altogether different. Feeling like a tongue-tied schoolgirl she managed only to say, "Yeah, it was."

Logan dropped his hands so they rested on her legs, just above her knees and she could feel the heat from them burning through the denim of her jeans. She knew things were getting dangerous, but she couldn't seem to make herself care. 

"I missed you when you were gone." Logan was saying. "Missed you so much that it actually hurt physically. And I promised myself that if by some miracle you came back to me, I wasn't going to make the same mistakes I made before." His eyes were intense. "You know what I want, Max. What I want to happen between us…here…tonight. If you don't want that, if you aren't ready for that, then you need to go home. I don't want to play games anymore."

Max stared at him, caught off guard by his words. She'd seen signs of change in Logan since she'd been back, but this was the first time she'd had to deal with it directly. She knew he was serious and that he wasn't going to allow her to deflect him back into their old dance. She also knew that he was right. They weren't going to be given infinite chances to get it right.

"I… want that too." She finally found her voice.

Logan smiled in relief and she realized that he had been nervous about her reaction. The realization made her relax.

"But that smell is about to drive me insane with hunger," she continued. "Are you at least going to feed me before…"

"I didn't waste my day slaving over a hot stove just to let it go to waste." He grinned. He leaned in and kissed her once more, then straightened. He stood and held out a hand to her. "Dinner is served, milady."

Max smiled and let him lead her to the beautifully set table where several candles twinkled, casting their light over the sparkling china and crystal.

End of Chapter One