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Chapter Twelve

"Are you really sure it was the ONLY towel there?" Max began, skepticism obvious in her tone but perhaps a bit too obvious, "Caesar's is a very expensive hotel. Somehow I doubt that one blue and one pink towel were the only ones in there. Besides I'm sure I saw more this morning," she blinked at him with eyes that would have made Bambi jealous; would've made any Disney woodland creature jealous and strangely proud at the same time.

For one amusing moment Alec allowed himself to try and gauge what cartoon character Max was most akin to. One moment only.

Realization.

"YOU! You hid the towels!!" he hissed underneath his breath with the dirtiest look he'd ever conjured. It could have made the hulk hesitate in uncertainty but of course Max took it in stride.

Pink neon once again became see through as Max removed the straw from her mouth using it instead to swirl her strawberry dakaree languidly and raised an eyebrow as she observed him. Observed the flush of annoyance upon his cheeks and the thinning of his lips as the features on his face defined themselves, "I didn't hide any towel," she stated matter of fact, in a tone that Alec paused in his next accusation, the sincerity upon her face could've have gotten her out of serial homicide from a redneck Texan jury.

The smile that swivelled onto her lips pulling the corners wide and revealing perfect white teeth however trashed that completely.

It was positively roguish and wicked, "I just didn't see the point in visiting such a great big huge hotel and not stealing any towels and since I figured when we leave here we'd be leaving in a hurry I shipped them off to Seattle with everything else."

Full bee stung lips smiled again before twining around her straw and with a hollow of her cheeks she took another sip of her cocktail.

Had Alec not been completely un-amused with her hiding-of-the-towels that simple sight would have caused a detour in blood flow but now merely stirred him subtly, "Can you see I'm wearing my I'm-so-not-amused-face?"

She burst into laughter, genuine mirth filled laughter and the sparkle of her brown eyes, warm and joyful watching him, directed at him, caused any ill-feelings he'd held against her to vanish and an ambivalent smile and a roll of his eyes brought him back to his usual relaxed and playful demeanour, "Alright, alright but do watch out because I will get you back darl'," he drawled putting on the snobbish accent they'd been hearing 24/7 around Caesar's clientele.

Fingers enclosed his glass almost pleasurably flinching at the coolness of it against his skin. Swirling the scotch watching it blur with the ice he mused to himself before taking a drink.

"So… I've been meaning to ask," Max raised an eyebrow silently signalling him to go on, "What exactly are we doing here?" there was that smile again, god how he loved it when she smiled like that, "Having fun."

His own eyebrow quirked and his lips swelled in confusion, "We're not scamming?"

Distracted Max pouted at her empty glass before his question registered and she grinned at him moving the forgotten glass aside, "Nope. It's just you and me. I mean you're probably sick of me by now but…"

"Not at all," Alec cringed at himself, 'God how lame could you get?'

The silence strangely wasn't awkward or overbearing, it was just a pause, a hesitant lull in conversation as they both took a second to digest the statement. Alec's mouth flapped open and Max was reminded of a snapdragon. The deep scarlet of their petals just as delicate and soft as what his lips must feel against her skin, their velvety tenderness hiding the sweet nectar within that bees had to pry open to get to.

'Snap out of it girly!'

"I mean," searching for something to say his words fell scattered like a broken jigsaw, "I've had a really good time this past week," 'That's even worse! Think you numbskull, think!!' "I mean… even though you sold my car. I forgive you for that."

'Slightly better.'

Realising she'd never seen Alec flustered before the X5 allowed herself a quick proud-of-herself grin before she smiled warmly and took his hand in hers patting it. It took all of her to stop the laughter that threatened when he looked at it in terror as if it would detach and attack him, "I've had fun too."

Water droplets dabbled his face like tiny explorers running in rivulets down his forehead and temples till they dripped off his chin into the basin below him. Hazel eyes bored into a pair identical to his, breathing ragged and gripping the marble bench he held one deep breath before allowing it to swoosh out of his lungs.

Three things proved he was awake; one the bruise that was starting to form on his upper arm from how hard he'd pinched himself, two the clarity of his sight and the definition of detail of his reflection in the club's bathroom mirror and three… he was vibrating. Took him a millisecond to realize the phone in his pocket had caused the jolt of surprise and puzzled he reached into his jeans.

1 new message

Rolling his eyes he grinned, he'd only been gone a few minutes having excused himself to the bathroom almost as soon as those words had left her mouth having desperately needed to splash himself in the face and make some conclusions on reality and already she was checking up on him.

Bill Gates look alike hitn on me. Very lonely, very cute & very disgustd wit th man thats old enuf 2 b my grndpa tryn 2 get in2 my pants. HELP! NOW!

Chuckling to himself he flicked the phone closed stuffing it back into his pants and with one last glance at the mirror moved back into the club. The throbbing beat that up to a few moments ago had been muffled and distant hit him full force but though he flinched mentally adjusting his hearing he didn't miss a beat moving back towards where he'd left Max. Hazel eyes searched for her through the throng of people and the flickered gloom finally spotting her leaning against the bar.

'He really does look like Bill Gates,' the blonde laughed to himself in amusement ignoring the territorial rush of adrenaline that was about to overtake him.

Max looked away trying to spot her so-called saviour hoping the deluded drunkard would get a clue and just leave her alone. It was moments like these that reminded her that sometimes being designed to be a hot revved up female could come back and bite you in the ass. Just because she was supposed to be vulnerable and needing protec…

Arrival of Saviour.

Max's inner bitching halted with the grip of Alec's hand falling onto the man's arm -that had been heading towards her shoulder- and the crushing of his tightening hold that was turning his knuckles white and the man's face red with pain. Sobering up in an instant 'Bill' met the eyes of a man that was a little less human and a little more predator, an expression of sheer surprise and terror at the burning stare passing through him.

Releasing him he stumbled back before scrambling to his feet cradling his already bruised forearm and rushing away.

Gaze wide but not alarmed she watched the primitive emotions slip away returning the Alec from before. She didn't know what to feel, so many feelings were rushing through her, anger at how he'd dealt with it, admiration of how he'd taken care of her, safe, proud, surprised, impressed. In fact the second of anger that had sparked inside had very quickly dissipated, vanished like morning dew on a hot summer's day.

"You know Max if you choose to leave the privacy of your own room n clothes like THAT I wouldn't complain on all types of men trying to get in your… skirt… well what's left of it that is," he grinned devilishly apparently shameless of his once over of her form, pausing his gaze on the expanse of skin of long golden legs. Sitting back down on his stool h watched her.

Innocently acting genuinely surprised she stood and twirled on her self inspecting her outfit, "Whatever do you mean Alec?"

Grinning indisputably he let mirth overtake him and played her game as his weariness of her nearly completely disappeared; there'd been little left anyway.

Again his eyes flicked to the floor to the black heels she wore and up her stairway to heav… legs to the plaited red mini, so short he was certain it was envious of the amount of fabric a hipster underwear possessed. Her top was long sleeved and V-necked cut low enough to tempt in dark grey cotton, hair loose framing her face, "What?"

Alec couldn't help himself, he cracked up laughing, heartily and happily as he watched his very tempting fellow thief pull off the best staged storm off he'd ever seen and dropping a few bills on their table he grabbed his coat and chased after her, curious to see where she was gonna take them next.

Finally catching up to her just outside the doors she smiled at him and laughed grabbing his hand, not letting go, "C'mon pretty boy. Let's find something more fun, I'm sick of the social scene," laughing at the thoughts visibly flickering in his irises, "You have a dirty mind but then again…"

Max had officially lost count of how many times she'd been interrupted in the last few days, whether from someone or just pure shock.

"Where the fuck is the car?"

They glanced around quickly, catching every detail in their vision; from the teenagers making out in a dark corner on the other side of the street to how many watts the streetlights were. It was gone.

Completely star struck they stared at the place where they'd left it. Silence enveloping for a split of a second but felt like a thousand years. Neither knew who'd started, in fact Max was quite sure it had been simultaneous but laughter erupted again as they almost drunkenly turned towards the hotel and began walking.

It took a while for it to die down but eventually only a smile was left as a trace of their amusement, 'I guess there's a first for everything. Even a thief can have his car stolen,' Alec mused to himself with infinite hilarity. Hands still coupled; their pace was languid and leisurely, nonchalant; a rhythm that wasn't common for them and both realising took their time revelling in it. Enjoying the amiable quiet between them, a rarity as well.

It wasn't born to last though.

"Tell me more," Alec spoke, perhaps surprising even himself in voicing his thought.

"About what?" Max replied confusion puzzling her, "About yourself, about being out here."

Gentle pressure of his fingers stopped the ready protest on her lips and with almost need in his eyes he silenced her, "Please."

Entranced by all these sides of him she'd never known, never had given herself the chance to discover she mutely nodded an assent forcing her eyes to look away, find refuge from the intensity of his demeanour, "I remember this one time," she began, memories coming back to her, "I'd basically just hooked up with Cindy so I was sixteen maybe seventeen. She'd found me a place to stay for a couple of weeks squatting with a girl she knew, Kendra. Which in the end happened to turn out to be the only place I ever had in Seattle; still is my apartment now."

Alec grinned at that and she smiled back clearing her throat looking away before a schoolgirl blush could sneak up on her. She hated how he could do this to her without even trying, with just a simple smirk, just being his curious smart ass self, "Anyway… when she introduced us we clicked right away and got along. I was the youngest… in fact come to think of it I seem to always be the youngest!"

The indignation and puzzlement on her face broke a laugh out of him again and he ruffled a hand through her hair messing it on purpose knowing she'd get even more piqued, "Hey hey! You wanna hear this or not?"

"Absolutely," he said smiling from ear to ear.

"Well then shush, more listening from the storytellEE, less distracting the story-tellER."

Holding his hands up in surrender he gestured for her to keep going, "You were saying…"

"I knew I should have gone for Dick," those few words took her as-of-late one-track mind on a non-return trip straight to the gutter. Clasping her hands onto her mouth to stop any further flow of words, "My, my Maxie. You are one very dirty transgenic lately. What's happened? The frustration finally got to you?"

Angry her irises contracted and her nose flared ready to bite back nut the only reply she could come up with in that moment was, "I am NOT sexually frustrated!" she hissed at him.

Eyes wide and disbelieving Alec nodded, "A-ha. Sure you're not. Besides I didn't say anything about sexual frustration. You did that all by yourself. But since you asked I'd be happy to unhook your panties for you."

For the first time in his life Alec didn't hold his ground, he didn't face his enemy. Alec ran for his life.