I didn't question why Clay wanted to know what the Xavier twins looked like. I assumed he wanted to know what they looked like since he had torched their building and knowing how to pick them out of a crowd would help keep him and the others from jail time.

"Dark curly hair, kind of metrosexual in that way that some men get mani/pedis and are more picky than women, linen suits, one wears a black glove, the other a white one?" I was trying to recall what I might be missing. "I've heard that some people find them attractive." I shrugged, not much help, but I could point them out if they were nearby.

"Some people?" He raised his eyebrow at me. "Not you?"

I scrunched up my nose at the thought of it. "I prefer more," I moved closer to where he was sitting in the visitor's chair, as I got within touching distance, he pulled me onto his lap. "Ruggedly handsome men who don't mind getting a little dirty." His hands were sliding up my back and I smiled as I leaned in to kiss him. Our lips, then tongues met and I sighed into the feeling. I pulled back enough to speak. "Men whose voices sound bedroom deep at any time during the day," another kiss. Another slight break. "Men who have dark hair, stubble, and-" He practically growled when he took over for the kiss I was withholding from him. My fingers were tightly clenching the lapels of his jacket and I fought against ripping it from him again. His mouth left mine and began kissing down my neck. "Clay?" I breathed and he hummed against my skin. "We can't." Another growl, this time with a groan added in for good measure. "Not right now." I felt the tease of his teeth on my neck and swallowed hard against the burning lust that was rushing through me. "Later, I swear."

Clay kissed and sucked, he even nibbled a little, trying to wear down my resistance, but I knew that I couldn't neglect my work forever. Even if he made the idea very fucking tempting. "Fine," he grumbled, pulling away so I could see his face. "If you INSIST on waiting," his eyes moved from mine to my lips. "Just one more-" the kiss he took this time was slow and soft. Tasting me, savoring me and I knew if he kept going I'd give in. I told myself that I was thankful he stopped. That work called to me, and I was sure he needed to consult his group. Like a flash I remembered something that got overwhelmed every time we touched.

"Clay?" His eyes were locked with mine again. "What's your real name?"

Clay left my office promising that we'd talk about who he really was later that evening. I believed him, because I could see the war waged in his eyes that my question had brought on. Another lingering kiss at the door, and then he left with a longing look and a sigh.

Sitting at my desk, thinking that I could go through bills and other menial tasks before the end of the day, I wondered why Clay and the others were using aliases.

When I was ready to lock up for the day, I tried very hard not to show how upset I was that Clay wasn't in the cafe. Forcing a smile on my face as I said goodnight to Erin and Rachel, I told them I'd see them the next day and turned the lock. I turned off the lights downstairs and went through the door leading to my apartment and trudged upstairs. I was thinking that Clay might have ran off because I'd asked for his real name, and I wondered why I wasn't resigned to the fact that he may have scuttled off wanting to keep his real identity secret and feeling that my questions were too inconvenient to handle.

I'd tugged off my shirt and was working on my pants when the familiar quiet knock that he used on my office door was given at my apartment door. Forcing myself to walk carefully to the door, without rushing, I looked through the small window to make sure it was him before opening it.

"You always answer the door without your shirt on, Char?" His smile had me shaking my head. "I had to run some things by my group, that's why I came by the outside entrance." Must have known I'd wondered.

"I always throw off my work clothes when I get home," I offered, as his arms wrapped around my bare skin. "And I peeked to see who knocked before I opened the door." His lips met mine and I was highly tempted to finish undressing and forget about his promise, but shook it off. When he pulled back to stare down at me, I told him so. "I think you made me a promise." He sighed, and I knew a part of him wanted to put it off. I also knew that he could make me forget how to do simple things like count, so I wasn't going to give in this time.

"Could you at least put on a shirt before I start?" I raised an eyebrow. "You're too fucking tempting in just the lace covering you." I grinned, really?

He was licking his lips and I realized that if he was tempted by me shirtless, then he would be pulling out the stops to divert me from my goal. Sighing I told him to take a seat and I walked into my bedroom to grab a t-shirt. Once it was on, I shucked off my pants and replaced them with a pair of sleep shorts. Far more comfortable, I pulled my hair free from the knot I kept it up in during work and slid my fingers through the mass to release the pressure on the top of my head. I came out to find him on the sofa, and took a moment to appreciate how relaxed he looked. And strangely he looked like he belonged in my apartment.

"Should I sit in the chair?" I asked, as his eyes took the full tour of my body, from toes to loose hair. "I'd hate to keep you from keeping your promise."

He shook his head and patted the sofa next to him. "I think I can manage to stay on topic for awhile with you next to me."

I sat next to him, and he still deemed me too far away. Pulling me so I was curled close to him, his arm around my shoulder, the fingers of his other hand linking with mine he took a breath and began telling me just who he was.

It was a lot to take in, and I'd be lying if I said that my head wasn't spinning when he finished. I was working through it, all of it as he held me.

"I'll understand if you don't-" he stopped, and I felt his tension in the way his body stilled at whatever he was thinking. "I know that what I've said isn't easy to digest."

"Do you think that this Max person is here?" I looked up at him and waited. When he nodded, I took a moment. "You know, Matthew and Alexander Xavier sound identical as well as look the same." His eyes were on mine as I went on. "'MAX' could be an acronym. M from Matthew, A from Alex, and X from Xavier." He nodded again, clearly having figured that out from what I'd told him in my office. "Is that why you set fire to their building?"

His sigh made his breath fan across my face. "We didn't plan on the building burning down. He wasn't there when we went in, our lookouts were here, and they nearly missed the arsonist. The person who died, actually." I must have looked confused because he kept going. "We had intel that Max owned the building and might be using it as his base of operations. We'd done surveillance on it, but wanted to go in when we thought no one was inside. It was nearly a fucking death trap, but the asshole who set the fire, well it didn't end as well for him as it did for us."

"If I'd known you thought the Xaviers were operating out of the building, I could have told you they weren't." He looked surprised. "I may not have known they owned the building, but I do know that they barely come back to their hometown. I can't tell you the last time I'd seen the two of them before the building burned."

He looked thoughtful as his tension started to relax. Since I hadn't kicked him out, I think he knew he was safe with me, for now. "I hate to ask you, but-"

"Don't tell anyone that you're supposed to be dead?" A smirk played on my lips. "So I shouldn't shout out 'take me harder, Lieutenant Colonel Franklin Clay!'? I mean it is a mouthful-" and then, he made sure my mouth was very full as I choked back a laugh.