"Get your hands off me," Alec said.
"Why?" Max baited, letting her warm hands rest over his. "Afraid I'm gonna feel your pulse speed up just from my touch?" She caressed the backs of his hands, looking at the thin line of where their hands touched.
He was blushing. He was most definitely blushing. She'd observed over the past few weeks that he'd been doing that quite a bit. It both terrified and excited her – the anticipation of his response.
"No. Your touch does nothing to me," he quipped, his pupils dilating.
"Sure," she said, stepping closer to him. He was already leaning against the wall and could step no further back. "So when I do this," she purred, sliding her open palms up his chest, over his clavicle and around to the nape of his neck, barely tickling his barcode with her fingertips, "you have absolutely no reaction."
His eyes were closed, reveling in her barest touch as he rested with his back against the brick interior of Crash. His mouth was shut tight, but she could feel the tension in his body – he was balancing on a taut wire, ready to snap. His skin thrummed at her touch.
He cleared his throat and looked down through heavy lids. "Not at all," he said lowly.
"And when I do this?" she said, rocking forward and kissing his neck just under his jaw line. Her lips were just as soft as her touch, if not softer, and it felt feather light against his stubbled neck.
He exhaled audibly and sunk down a few inches on the wall, bringing him closer to her height. "Still nothing," he flirted, staring into her eyes with reigned passion. It was a challenge.
"And how about this?" Switching to the other side of his neck, Max tongued at the skin behind his ear, letting her taste buds rub against the soft skin there as he turned his head to give her better access.
A groan deep within him reverberated through their bodies. "Mmmm," he hummed. "You know, you are really bad at this."
With their bodies touching, Max understood every twitch and movement his body made. She understood the desire, captive behind his shy mask, and the way his heart beat faster with every second.
She smiled knowingly and slid one hand into his hair, pulling him forward. She brought his lips to hers and kissed him softly, and slowly. He let her control the speed of their kiss and was surprised as how slowly she savored him. Motivated by her tongue's languid strokes, he circled his arms around her, lifted her to her tiptoes to gain easier access, and tilted his head to deepen their kiss.