'Holby Olympics'

"How was the conference?"

Zoe Hanna twisted her heel, stubbing out the ashes of the cigarette she had just finished smoking, a smile creeping into her lips at the sound of his voice. "It was long and boring. Connie tried to give some inspirational speech about trauma being-"

She was instantly silenced by the sight of Max's raised eyebrows and unsure expression. "It doesn't matter." She added, clearly aware this was not the most exciting pre-pillow talk she could muster. He hadn't asked for details, more out of politeness than anything else.

"I'm interested, honestly." He told her with a smirk in his lips, teasing her in a way that only he seemed to be able to do. Of course, he had no ounce of understanding into what she was referring to, but listening to her talking was enough. Biting his lip with a little uncertainty, he parted his lips and spoke. "Do you wanna get a drink or…"

"No, you're not interested." She replied, laughing a little as she watched him lean against the wall of the entrance to the ED. There was certainly more allure to his offer than it first appeared, yet she wasn't sure that the local watering hole was really where she wanted to end one of the longest days she had endure of later. "And no, I think the bottle of white I know you have in your fridge sounds more appealing."

"How do you know I'm alone?" He questioned, his features expressing little that would make it easy to guess if he was simply teasing her once more.

"I heard Robyn and Lofty making plans for late drinks after work." She retorted, grinning a little as she managed to play the younger man at his own game.

For a moment he watched her, clearly taken by the glint that expressed itself in her eyes before shaking his head and standing upright once more. "Then I better get us a cab."

*/\*

"The wine is in the fridge." He mumbled in between feverish kisses. They had barely made it through the front door before Zoe had begun an assault on his shirt buttons.

Stepping backwards, she allowed herself to fall against the cool of the hallway wall, bare shoulders welcoming the sensation as he stepped to her. She peered up at him, her hot breath ragged and uneven against his cheeks as he smiled, passion clearly visible in its presence. Taking a moment to collect herself, she begun to smile too, forming her lips to express a few quiet words. "I think we both know I didn't agree to come here just for your wine."

Instantly their lips were reconnected for a few moments before he let his slip, guiding them across her chin, down the nape of neck and then towards the fleshy apex of her left breast, barely visible above the neckline of the purple dress she wore. Guttural groans emitted from her lips, clearly driven wild by the man who controlled the warm sensations across her chest. "Maybe we should take this upstairs before Robyn gets home." She managed, her chest heaving as she felt his hands join where his lips had been. He was pulling at the material, trying in ernest to expose all he could to his hot, wet trail of kisses.

"I don't know." She heard him say, clearly distracted by his ministrations as one hand found its way around the back of her dress, to the zip that kept it upright. "I kind of like the idea of being caught."

Max relished in hearing her giggle, clearly amused by his playful remark. Now having seemingly released the zipper a little, he was satisfied and stood back to admire his handy work; Zoe Hanna holding up the dress that had dropped off her shoulders and was barely remaining in place to cover her modesty. With a grin that expressed childishness and yet wanton desire, he tilted his head a little in the direction of the stairs that would lead them to his bedroom. "Last one up has to do a strip tease."

*/\*

Dispelling a soft breath, Zoe wriggled free of Max's arm that was keeping her against his chest and allowed her to role onto the mattress beside him. Her eyes closed for a few brief moments, clearly tired from their extensive activities. "I really shouldn't stay tonight." She said quietly.

"You always say that." He retorted, the sound of her words so familiar to him. It was a brief few moments that they always seemed to return to post-sex.

"Tonight I really mean it." She tried again, adjusting her head on the pillow as her eyes met the ceiling and her lips met a smile.

Max laughed lightly. "You always say that too."

Sighing a little once more, she turned her head in the material of the pillow and was met with the warm expression of her lover. It annoyed her only a little just how much power he seemed to have over her; every time they came together, he seemed to have a way of causing her to lose all sense of rationale in the choices she made.

"Max I-"

"Let me get us the wine I promised." He told her, cutting across whatever it was she was about to say. It was possibly something regarding her want to leave, even though he knew she probably wouldn't. There had been so many of these same scenarios recently, that he almost felt he could second guess her next manoeuvre before she made it. Sitting upright, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and rubbed his ruffled her a little.

"How did you manage that?" He heard her ask him, now seemingly also sat upright beside him in the bed, clutching the sheets around her bare chest. Within a few moments, he felt her weight shift as she came to her knees and the feel of her hand on the back of his head. The injury he had sustained earlier that day was still tender, more so now she seemed intent on probing the work of one of her registrars.

"It's nothing." He replied quickly, taking his feet and reaching down for his underwear, Zoe's hand now heavy from the sudden loss of contact.

Eyeing him with a certain air of uncertainty, Zoe raised her eyebrow which Max met as he turned back to face her, now pulling on his t-shirt. "I wouldn't say six stitches is nothing, Max."

"I just caught my head in a doorway, that's all. Cal stitched it for me… as a favour."

It was a blatant lie, of course it was, although the part about Cal stitching the cut for him was at least in some part the truth. He couldn't exactly tell her the truth however, quite aware that the news of their antics would not be at all welcomed by the person who ran the department. Max had been on the end of many of Zoe's stern rants, and if he could avoid it, he certainly was not going to incite riots.

"You're lucky, it looks quite superficial." She told him, watching as he once more touched the matted piece of hair that covered the wound.

Turning to the door, he let his hand clasp the doorway and a small smirk played in his lips out of view of the woman in his bed. "I'll be five minutes."

*/\*

"I've had to break into Robyn's stash of red. I think she polished off that bottle of red you-"

Max's ramble was cut off med-sentence as he re-entered the bedroom, greeted with the sight of a sleeping Zoe Hanna, curled beneath the week old, tired sheets almost central in the mattress. "Clearly I've been more than five minutes." He mumbled to himself, smiling as he placed the glasses and bottle he had collected besides the bed. Pulling back the sheets a little, he quickly proceeded to remove his clothing once more, before creeping onto the mattress besides Zoe. "Move over you." He told her quietly, assisting her body to shift to accommodate him in the small space she had left. Replacing the covers, he marvelled at the instant reaction the presence of himself in the bed seemed to have on her; twisting in her slumber, she seemed to curl into him and allowed her head to lull against the warm welcome of his bare chest.

"Max," She grumbled sleepily, moving a little again, prompting him to place an uncertain arm around her torso. "I can't stay tonight. I'm just having five minutes."

"If you say so." He replied, his eye lids seemingly growing heavily as she felt himself relax in their current position. It was the first time he could recall that they had ended their evening like this, Zoe's usual 'no cuddling' rule strictly abided by, but tonight he was going to enjoy that she was clearly too tired to argue with him.

"Max." She mumbled suddenly after a few moments of silence.

"Mm?" He replied, he too clearly taken by a sudden desire to sleep as every muscle in his body seemed to loosen.

"Next time you decide to hold the Olympics in the basement, can you at least try and win me back the tenner I bet on you?"

He smiled at her words, now very nearly upon the edge of sleep; clearly she had been aware of their antics and, most likely, just how he had come to receive medical attention from Cal. It was surprising that she hadn't said a word to any of them, considering the fact they had probably broken a million and one of her's and the trust's rules, but he wasn't going to say anything further. For now they were both ready for sleep, worn down by their days work and by the subsequent evening's activities. Instead, he turned his head little and pressed his lips into the shaft of her hair, nodding a little as he did so.

"Goodnight, Zoe."

"Goodnight, Max."