A dark street in Terminal City
They'd skipped dessert, Alec jotting a note to their very professional waitress.
Enjoy dessert, Zed. Thanks.
Max was adamant that she couldn't squeeze in another thing. And as tempting as chocolate ripple cake sounded, he had other plans on how to top off the evening."Where are we going now?" Max tried to keep up with Alec's strides and usually she didn't have a problem, but she wasn't used to walking in pencil heels, and the back of her pumps were starting to chafing her feet.
Alec squeezed her hand. "Can you trust me?" He gave her a querying smile and he chuckled at her exasperated look. "Well you don't seem to allow me a lot of leeway when it comes to planning things. You having to know everything makes it almost impossible to surprise you, you know that."
"I'm not impossible, just curious." Max caught up with him with a few sweeping steps, wrapped an arm around his waist and squeezed his middle. "If I knew you liked doing this kind of thing, I'll make more of an effort to act surprised."
Alec stopped. He looked down into her warm brown eyes and gave her a quizzing glance. "You knew about this?"
"Not all of it."
Rolling his eyes heavenward, Alec groaned. "I should have guessed when you started making stupid excuses about why we needed to stay home. Is a night out alone with me so terrible?"
"Only if I don't know what's on your agenda." Max scrunched her nose. "Although I love getting presents." She turned the bracelet on her wrist admiring it. "I hate not knowing where I'm going or what the plan is."
Alec turned and abruptly pulled her against him. He narrowed his eyes at her and brought his arms around her waist and ran his fingers up her back. "Curiosity killed the cat, Max. You sure you want to test fate?"
"Fate brought me you. Can't be all bad." Max smiled coyly at him and poked him in the ribs.
Alec released her and caught both of her hands in one of his effectively trapping her for the moment. She could easily pull free if she wanted, he'd need both his hands to hold her if he wanted to keep her captive, but she wasn't fighting him and he led her down another turn and opened a fire escape door.
Max noticed that there was tape over the lock and smiled to herself. Someone had gone to a lot of trouble to set this up. He led her up the darkened stairwell past two landings before they reached a level where he opened another door.
It was pitch black and she was using cat vision to avoid the cracks in the cement floor. "Are you sure this place is structurally sound?" She skipped over another split and lost her footing when her heel caught something. She crashed into Alec, falling forward but he grabbed her before she had to put her hands out to brace her fall.
Alec held her to his chest, his hands gripping her upper arms like a vice. He forced his heart to return to a regular pace, counting out a soothing rhythm in his head. Would it always be like this? Every time he thought she was in danger or if she was hurt, would he always feel like someone had driven a blade through his chest? He shook his head, and realized that he was holding onto her too tightly. He immediately released his grip and took her hand. "Are you okay?"
His tone wavered and his eyes were full of concern. Max had difficulty swallowing. When he looked at her like that, it was both extremely endearing and frightening. Because even though he looked caring and gentle, he could go from calm and attentive to a savage on the warpath faster than she could say boo. Not that the latter mood had ever been directed at her, but still it was unnerving. "I'm fine. Just stupid heels. I should never wear them, they turn me into a klutz." She gave him a reassuring smile and smoothed his jacket lapel.
He watched Max unbutton his jacket and run her hand over his abdomen. Alec forced air into his lungs as he felt the warmth of her hand through the thin material of his shirt. She was slowly traveling upward, over the rippled cords of his torso and up over one of his twitching pectorals. He hated when they did that. When they started up he couldn't control it, and they seemed to react unpredictably to her touch. He hated that she could so easily make him lose control. He reached up and stilled her movements. Closing his fingers around her hand, he tried to ignore the look of disappointment in her warm brown eyes. "Do you really want this to start and end in the hallway?"
"No," she whispered calmly. Then she looked up with him with a suggestive glint in her eye. "But don't think you've got the upper hand in this. You've interrupted me twice tonight. Third time you won't be so lucky."
Alec swallowed and pulled at his tie. His collar was feeling unbearably tight at that moment. He stood back and he let her try the door to their left. He watched her still in the doorway, the contents of the room shocking her into a breathless silence. "What do you think?"
Red and white pillar candles lined the edge of the room and the window sill. A large iron tub that stood against one wall was filled to the brim with steaming water, and the scent of roses weighted the air. Pink and cream petals covered the surface of the water and the floor around the tub. But it wasn't just the bath that had her speechless, it was the four poster bed with crisp white sheets and a heavy gold threaded duvet, dotted with half a dozen pillows of various sizes that had her blinking in disbelief. "Where did you find all this?"
"The bath as buried under layers of dirt and junk in one of the scrap yards, and the bed… well that's a trade secret and I'm sworn on pain of death not to reveal my source."
Max leaned back into him, eyeing the bath with a purr. She could barely remember the last time she had been able to enjoy the luxury of soaking away, neck deep in warm water. It had been so long.
"The bed's ours, if you like it," Alec said dropping his chin to bury his nose in her hair. She smelled of cherry blossom, and her soft hair felt like down feathers against his skin.
Max moved toward the bath, pulling him along behind her. Turning, she gave him a seductive grin. "Wanna help me out of this?"
It wasn't long before she was lowering herself into the water and feeling the heat curl over her chilled skin. The rose petals danced on top of the ripples of water as Alec stepped in behind her. She drifted back against him and pulled his arms around her waist. His shoulder was the perfect level to rest her head and she smiled with her eyes closed, feeling completely relaxed.
The candlelight played off the walls and shimmered over the water. The soft glow illuminated the water droplets on her bare skin like tiny crystals catching sunlight. Tilting his head, Alec kissed the sensitive spot behind her ear and ran his fingers over her shoulders, gently massaging. She moaned gratefully, melting under his ministrations. He trailed his hands down her arms to her sides, and lower, coming to rest against her belly. He stilled for a moment, committing the skin-to-skin contact to memory, relishing the feel of her against his hands. It wasn't quite flat there; it had a soft fleshy, womanly feel to it. She squirmed every time he paid more than a passing glance to it. He knew she was uncomfortable about it, which was why he was paying loving homage to it now. It was something he was intensely proud of. She'd carried his children in there, protected them, nourished them and loved them. He gently drew circles over her abdomen and kissed her temple. "Beautiful," he whispered.
Max interlaced her fingers with his and hugged his arms to her. He always knew how to brush away her insecurities without words and she loved him for it. She had tried loosing the weight she'd put on while she was pregnant with the twins but it was slow going. Not to mention getting her skin to bounce back. Her muscles weren't a problem; they'd tightened almost straight away. It was shedding the extra fat she'd accumulated around her middle that had her concerned.
They stayed there quietly enjoying the hydro-aromatherapy for a while before Alec spoke up. "Much as I love relaxing with you like this, I think I'd like to move before I turn into a prune." He brought her hand to his lips and kissed her fingers. On closer inspection he discovered they'd already wrinkled. "Oh well, too late I guess."
Max grinned and playfully tickled his sides. "Okay, Romeo, how were you planning on drying off?"
Alec stood up and stepped out of the bath. He flipped up a corner of the duvet to reveal two matching fluffy wine colored towels. He offered one to her. "Bagged them while I was in D.C. with CeCe."
Max grinned, unlike herself, she'd noticed that Alec never spaced on an opportunity to grab something of value. He was always thinking ahead, on the present situation and a myriad of other things. Not that she'd ever admit it, but he was probably the best multi-tasking, multi-processing transgenic she knew.
After they'd both dried off, they laydown on the bed side by side, just staring at each other. Alec brushed a few damp curls from her forehead and cheek and drew invisible lines down her jaw and chin with his index finger. She had such smooth features. There was not one blemish to her skin. Then they were designed that way. Her dark brown eyes, warmed to a honey color in the candlelight, and he leaned forward to kiss each of her eyelids. He loved kissing her. Everything about her features was soft and inviting. Her lips, full and bow shaped, lush and rosy, her cheeks, creamy and right now, dusty pink with a warm glow. Her eyes, round and moist, edged by long thick lashes and touched the bridge of her cheekbones when she closed her eyes. Right now she was looking at him with unblinking attention. In her eyes he could read the love and faith she had in him, and that feeling shot to his heart, squeezing it with aching precision that only she managed to evoke. He hugged her close and captured her mouth.
Alec pulled at the knot holding her towel closed. He lifted the edges apart slowly revealing her to his gaze. He propped himself up on one arm and leaned over her, bending his head to drop gentle kisses over her creamy flesh. He started at the dip in her neck, then the hollow of her throat, and move down slowly. She shivered against his lips and he moved his hands over her arms, to her shoulders and then down her body, his fingers following where his lips had been.
They made love tenderly late into the night. Afterward Max lay in his arms and leaned in to kiss his throat. Splaying a hand over the back of his neck, she ran her fingers softly over his nape. "I love you." The tremors of their lovemaking were slowly beginning to subside and she felt confident that she hadn't lost control of her limbs indefinitely, as she wriggled her toes.
Grinning at her exhaustedly, Alec kissed her temple and then leaned down to capture her lips. After kissing her expertly and thoroughly, he smiled into her hair. "I know you'll be the end of me, but I don't care."
Chuckling, Max wrapped one leg around his waist and rolled them over. On his back, Alec lifted a hand and ran it over the perfect curve of his lover's waist. "As much as I love the view, I need to clean up."
Raising and eyebrow curiously, Max wondered what he meant. They were still joined. Evidence of their exploits weren't going anywhere just yet.
Alec reluctantly rolled them to the side and disengaged himself from the embrace. It was only after he withdrew completely that he realized what that extra twang he felt was from. Sitting up, he threw the faulty piece of rubber in the trash and pulled on his boxers.
The look on his face was priceless. Max followed his gaze and realized why he'd been preoccupied with distracting her the first few seconds of their embrace. He'd been trying to use protection. Trying being the operative word. "I don't think those were designed for transgenics," she said trying her best to suppress the urge to laugh. She obviously didn't succeed because he cast her a narrow look.
"They weren't designed for you and me, that's for sure." He ran a hand through his hair. "Damn it, Max. This was supposed to be perfect and…"
Max sat up and put her arms around his shoulders. Resting her chin on his shoulder, she kissed his barcode. "And it was. I've honestly never felt so out of control in my life. I'm still not sure if that was such a good thing. Even though it felt…"
"Great?"
Catching the hopeful tone and the hint of smirk on his lips, Max poked him playfully in the ribs. "You'd like to think so wouldn't you, Casanova?"
Alec turned and pulled her into his lap. He took the sheet and wrapped it around them both. "The truth Max? No one's ever made me feel the way you do."
He said it with unflinching sincerity and Max almost had to look away. She felt tears clog her throat, and rather than risk a girly emotional outburst and ruin the moment, she kissed him.
"So what happens now?"
"We get dressed and send Joshua home. If the twins haven't collectively driven him mad by now, they will soon and…"
Alec put a quieting finger to her lips. "I mean, if you get pregnant again."
Max sighed. She toyed with the idea of making him sweat a little longer just because she was enjoying the open concern on his face, and the gentle way he was holding her but she loved him too much to torture him like that. "Lexie said that breastfeeding suppresses ovulation, and with my body in recovery mode it's highly unlikely I'll be producing any anytime soon. Do you have any idea how hard it actually is to get pregnant? An ova only lives for about hours. If it's not inseminated within that window, then we're safe."
"Inseminated." Alec snorted, "That's such a turn on."
Max pulled a face. "Seriously, the twins were a miracle."
"Well they are called, The Promise." Alec winked at her. "Their special, predestined and no, it's not just because their mom can kick ass."
Snapping her mouth closed, Max hugged Alec around the waist. "I wasn't going to say that."
"Okay." Alec nudged her and trailed kisses down her neck. "What were you going to say then?"
She eyed him for a minute, he was still teasing. "I was going to say, they're special because they're ours."
Alec swallowed thickly. Kissing her forehead, he pulled her close and hugged her tightly. "They sure are." The soles of his feet started to feel the cold concrete floor, and he lifted his head and tilted Max's face to his with his hand. "Let's head home."
Nodding, Max slid from his lap and dropped the sheet from about her shoulders. Silently, they both dressed and went around the office blowing out all the candles. Alec held the door open for her and ushered her out.
As they walked down the alley and back toward their building Max leaned into Alec. "I had a great time."
"We'll have to do this more often." Smiling down at her, he pulled her securely to his side. He'd keep her there for as long as she'd let him. It's the way things had to be between them. She was too much of a free spirit to be tied to down. Which is why he had his doubts about her marriage proposal. Sure having the kids had changed her considerably, but he could still see the fiery independence in her. Just the other day she'd talked about Seattle being the longest stretch she'd ever been in one place. Going on four years. Was that too long already? He'd fight to keep her heart with his dying breath but if she chose to leave them, he wouldn't hold her back. He loved her too much to see her miserable. And he would swallow his pride and his own pain, if things ever went that way. That didn't mean he wouldn't kill the third party if there turned out to be one…
"What's going on in that head of yours?"
Squeezing her about the shoulders under his arm, he gave her a casual grin. "Nothing important."
"Ah huh." Max knew that wasn't the case, but she wasn't going to press him. Alec talked when he wanted to. And that was almost consistently. He hated quiet. It was probably because it reminded him too much of Manticore. Making up for lost time, he talked about anything and everything.
She wasn't into idle chatter or trivia, but since they'd started spending more time together, she found herself absorbing that information in droves. If she were ever selected for one of those quiz shows, she was sure she'd clear them out. It was when he was silent that it worried her. She knew he was thinking. They were always thinking, even in their sleep. The only time a transgenics' conscious brain was offline was if it was in strategic shutdown.
Alec was only quiet when he had something weighing on his mind. She knew he always worried about her and the kids, and it was both adorable and frustrating. There wasn't much she could do for him on that score but reassure him that she was responsible and doing her best to be a good parent and partner. The latter didn't start out so great, with them both stepping on each other's toes and disagreeing at every turn, but they were getting there. She put an arm around his waist and hugged him back. He knew how much she loved him, didn't he?
Notes: The uncensored version of this chapter will be posted at NWP soon. Rather than keep you guys in the dark, I thought I'd post this without a beta (hope it wasn't too hideous). calistra, L80bug, thanks for hanging in there - it's been a long ride but we're almost done. ontheDL, reading your response to the previous chapter prompted a writing frenzy. Shana and yourself were the only ones at NWP to review, so I was intensely relieved to read your comments, learning that the lack of response wasn't because the chapter sucked.