Double Trouble (CC, AU, Adult) [COMPLETE]

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Double Trouble
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Double Trouble (CC, AU, Adult) - Part 11 - 3/12/09

Post by Double Trouble »

chanks_girl: We’re glad you like Alex and Isabel here – expect to see a lot more of them throughout the fic. While her upbringing has been less than ideal, Brooke has developed an interesting and unique approach to life. Scheming is a good word to use when it comes to Tess and Brooke working together!

nibbles2: LOL, well, as always, Michael and Maria will provide more than enough drama! Who knows… maybe Alex and Isabel will be a good example for them. Brooke doesn’t want to see either of her brothers hurt, but she does have a very close relationship with Michael, so it may appear as if she is cheering him on without considering Brendan. Your theory may prove to be valid.

Alien_Friend: Well, Maria isn’t going to give in easily… well… yet, anyway, lol! Alex and Isabel will be the stability in the group. LOL, interesting observation about Brendan and Sean! That theory may hold water. You’ll get a glimpse of Brendan’s reaction in the next chapter. Max’ appearance is getting closer!

destinyc: Don’t worry, we promise that Brendan will find his perfect fit.

tequathisy: That is quite possibly a very true assessment.

begonia9508: Oh, Maria’s recognized her attraction to Michael, and that is what’s making her fight it so hard!

Buddha-boy: Female logic… don’t try to understand it. It was a selfish request (well, more of a demand, really), but it wasn’t made with the intent of being selfish. She’s fighting the attraction because she honestly believes that if she can avoid Michael she can avoid the inevitable – which we all know is futile.

loviedovie: We’re glad you like Brooke! She and Michael have a very close relationship and it will be an important part of the story. Max will fit in… well, not saying how or where just yet, but we think the readers will love him and his fit in the story! Look for him to appear in just a few more parts.

Part 11 – When Twins Collide


Maria ignored Tess as they drove back to their apartment and as soon as the car stopped she grabbed her things and bolted.

“I don’t know why you’re pissed.”

She paused on the landing at the top of the first flight of stairs, cursing their decision to take an apartment on the second floor. She turned to glare at her best friend and slapped the wrought iron railing as hard as she could. Ow, that hurt! “You knew he was gonna be there, didn’t you? You knew he was on the football team last week when – “

“Don’t get pissed at me because you couldn’t keep your eyes off of him.” Tess shook her head when Maria started to deny it. “You’re attracted to him on a very primal level and you’re not doing anybody any favors by pretending that attraction doesn’t exist.”

“How many times do I need to remind you that I’m dating his brother?”

“Key word… dating. Have you slept with him? No. Have you made out with him? No. He’s been the perfect gentleman and yes, it’s nice when guys actually have manners and they know how to use them, but – “

“I’m not arguing about this with you anymore, Tess. Obviously you can’t or won’t support my decision to – “

“Do not start in on your decision to change. I know all about the losers you’ve been involved with, Maria, but you can’t just control who you’re attracted to. It’s not that simple; if it were you’d be screwing Brendan. I’ll bet my entire trust fund that you could put them in a room together and have them dressed and groomed identically, down to the smallest detail, and you’d still be drawn to Michael.”

“Did you know he was gonna be there?”

Tess shrugged. “Yes, of course I knew. And the fact that you would avoid going because he’d be there should tell you something.”

“Why are you pushing me towards a guy who’s just like every other guy I’ve been with?”

“Just forget it, Maria.” Tess was frustrated with her friend, the situation, and her non-existent sex life. She brushed past the other girl and continued on to the second floor. She was grumbling under her breath as she dug around in her purse for her keys when she suddenly felt like she was being watched. She turned around, wincing when she saw the couple sitting on the steps that led up to the third floor. “Um, hi… I don’t suppose there’s any way you didn’t just hear every word…” She trailed off when Alex and Isabel both shook their heads. “No, of course not. Right. Well, that’s just the icing on the cake, isn’t it?” She shoved the front door open and went inside, slamming it after her.

“I’d better go talk to her, Alex,” Isabel said and leaned in to kiss him before standing up. “If the two of them get into it and it gets outta control it’ll be hell living with them.”

“I can imagine,” Alex laughed and released her hand. “Take your time, Iz, I’m not goin’ anywhere.”

She was smiling as she went inside, knowing that his words were meant for more than just the present time.

Alex had been grappling with the choice of whether to get involved in the situation between his brothers and Maria, but the girls’ argument had made the decision for him. He waited patiently for her to come up to the second floor and his thoughts drifted to the evening ahead. He usually put in an appearance at the parties but he never hung around very long, so he had been happy to learn that Isabel was the same way.

He had set everything up for the evening and if the weather held out as promised it would be perfect. She had told him earlier that week that she had never seen a sunset over the ocean and he had promised to show her one she would never forget. He had made arrangements to take her sailing so she could see a perfect sunset, followed by a candlelit dinner on the private beach behind his house.

He had called in a favor from a friend who he now owed a major debt to for putting together the meal he had requested and ensuring that dinner would be flawless. What happened after dinner was Isabel’s call; he had no intention of rushing things between them.

Movement to his left caught his attention and he smiled and waved when Maria turned to face him. Her expression was carefully controlled and he was sure she was trying to ignore the fact that he had overheard her argument with Tess.

“Hey, Maria, can I talk to you for a minute?”

She sighed and held one hand up in a silent request for him to wait. When he nodded she went inside and dropped her things off, snagging a cold soda from the refrigerator before going back outside. “You wanna talk about your brothers,” she guessed, leaning back against the railing that bordered the walkway.

“Yeah. Look, I’m not tryin’ to stick my nose in your business or tell you what to do here; I’m just concerned that you’re gonna drive them even further apart.” He winced as he mentally went over his last statement. “Okay, that came out a lot harsher than I intended. I wasn’t tryin’ to say you’d come between them intentionally; their relationship is already strained and there’s a lot of animosity there so the last thing they need is another reason to hate each other.”

“I’m not trying to come between them.”

“No, I know that. But the day you came over to the house with Brendan… let’s just say the temperature in the room went up several degrees the second you and Michael noticed each other. And it happened again later that night when we ran into you and the others at the club.”

Fuck! Was there anyone who hadn’t noticed it? Maria wondered, annoyed. This was all Michael’s fault! If he weren’t so damn hot… sexy… fuckable… Her gaze shot to Alex when she felt heat suffuse her face, thankful when he didn’t comment on the flush that she knew had turned her face a revealing shade of pink.

“Brendan likes you, Maria, and I think you like him, but more in the capacity of a friend than anything else. If I’m right – and I’m not askin’ you to tell me either way – but, if I am right, don’t let him get anymore involved than he is now.”

They looked up when the door opened and Isabel paused with one foot over the threshold. “Am I interrupting?” she asked as she glanced between them.

“No, I think we’re done here,” Alex said as he stood and dusted his jeans off.

“Is this casual enough?” She bit her bottom lip uncertainly. “You wouldn’t tell me what we’re doing, so…”

Alex let his gaze slide down over her, taking in the black jeans that fit every curve to perfection, and the red shirt that was unbuttoned over a black tank top. He shook his head and whistled appreciatively under his breath. “Beautiful as always,” he murmured, “and, yes, you’re dressed perfectly for what I’ve got planned.”

Maria smiled when Isabel beamed under his praise and she took the opportunity to slip away undetected. Once she was inside the apartment she gathered her things together and carried them down the hallway to her bedroom and piled them on her bed. She turned around when Tess called her name and knocked on the door.

“You gonna talk to me anytime soon?” Tess asked, pausing on the threshold. “Or are you gonna stay mad at me for a while?”

“I don’t know yet.”

“Okay, but you’re still goin’ to the party, right?”

“Yeah, because I made plans with Brendan earlier this week; if I thought I could back out without hurting his feelings, I wouldn’t be going tonight.”

“So, you’re gonna be mad for a while?”

“Ding, ding, ding, looks like we’ve got a winner!” she snarled irritably.

“Seriously? Just because I pointed out – “

“Stop pointing things out, Tess! I might as well have a sign stuck to my forehead telling the world that I wanna fuck Michael Guerin!” She stomped around her room, waving her hands in the air in an erratic manner. “Why don’t you just rent a billboard and post it for the world to see?” She froze as she realized what she had just said and she whirled around to look at Tess, her expression one of warning. “No! Don’t even think about it!”

Tess just smiled and backed out of the room. “See ya at the party tonight, Maria.”

Maria huffed indignantly and made a mental note to keep an eye on Tess for the next few days. She wouldn’t put it past the other girl to rent a billboard right off the freeway and have that slogan plastered across it for the entire world to view.

*****

The party was in full swing by the time Maria arrived and she immediately went in search of something alcoholic to drink. After arguing with Tess she had been in no mood to ride with her to the party so she had waited around and caught a ride with Liz and Sean, who were only going because they had volunteered to be designated drivers. Which was nice, Maria thought. Nice and boring. What was the point of going to a party if you weren’t going to drink and engage in some form of depraved activity?

She quickly located the tables filled to capacity with every imaginable type of alcohol, easy enough to do since there were plenty of people milling about in the area. She braced her hand on the edge of one of the tables and was leaning over to reach the iced tub filled with the brand of beer she liked when a very male body pressed against her back and reached around her to grab two bottles. She knew it was Michael before he spoke and she couldn’t stop the shudder of awareness that raced down her spine when she felt his breath gust against her neck.

“It’s a crime to drink alone,” he growled.

Her breath locked up in her throat when his arms came around her so he could use the bottle opener on his keychain to pop the tops off. He pressed one of the bottles into her hand, tapped his bottle against hers, and disappeared into the crowd before she could turn around.

She cursed her body for reacting to him as she lifted the bottle to her lips, tipping it up and draining half of it in an effort to cool down. The ice-cold liquid did nothing to erase the memory of his big body pressing right up against her; she could still feel every heated inch of him at every point where their bodies had made contact.

Why couldn’t she just be attracted to Brendan? God, her life would be so much simpler if she was attracted to the nice guy for once. And if that wasn’t bad enough it was apparently obvious to the entire universe.

“Hey, Maria.”

She cringed and amended her previous thought. It was apparently obvious to the entire universe with the exception of one genius. Alex was right and there really wasn’t any way around it; she couldn’t make herself have feelings for Brendan and if she let things continue he was only going to get hurt in the end. Why did he have to be so damn nice? It was so much easier to break up with guys who were jerks because they didn’t get hurt when things ended. They either cussed you out or shrugged it off, but they were chasing after another woman before the sheets on your side of the bed had even had time to cool off.

“Maria?”

Damn it! Now it was gonna seem like she was preoccupied or ignoring him. She carefully schooled her expression and turned to face him. “Hi, Brendan!” She winced internally when her voice took on a high-pitched, squeaky quality.

“Hey, you weren’t waitin’ very long were you?” He was relieved when she shook her head. “I had a flat and I had to wait for someone to come out and fix it.”

“Why didn’t you just change it?”

Brendan frowned. “Change what?”

“The tire.”

“Well, that’s what I pay the auto club for.”

He was completely serious and it took a major effort on Maria’s part to not laugh at him. “You want a drink?”

Brendan nodded and accepted the bottle that she handed to him. Normally he kissed her when they met up, but he hadn’t been able to shake off what Sean had told him the night before and he knew he needed to talk to Maria. Just not yet, he thought, glancing at the people scattered around the beach, engaged in various activities. “You wanna…?”

Maria glanced up at him when he gestured out towards the party-goers, nodding enthusiastically when she realized that mingling with the others meant not having to have a conversation she wasn’t ready for.

For the next couple of hours Maria and Brendan both managed to avoid the thoughts weighing so heavily on their minds. Several times throughout the night Maria felt Michael’s gaze burning into her even though he didn’t approach her again. Around eleven Brendan asked her if she was ready to go and she nodded, telling him she needed to find whatever was passing for the ladies room before leaving.

“Well, well, well…”

Brendan turned to look at his brother when Michael joined him, wary of the taunting tone and the challenging expression he was wearing. “I saw you, y’know,” he said, his posture rigid as he stared his brother down. “Hangin’ all over Maria like you think you have any right to – “

“Get over yourself.” Michael took a drink of his beer and his insolent gaze swept over his brother dismissively.

“Stay away from her, Michael.” He shook his head. “You’re the type of guy who uses women like they’re some sort of disposable commodity. All the women in the city and on campus aren’t enough for you? You’ve just gotta go after the one girl I’m interested in? What d’you think you’re doin’ anyway?”

“What am I doin’?” Michael repeated. “I could ask you the same thing, couldn’t I?”

“What?”

“You’re seriously gonna stand here and get up on your soapbox an’ preach to me about usin’ women when that’s exactly what you’re doin’?” His forefinger jabbed the center of Brendan’s chest with every other word. “Has it completely gone unnoticed that she’s similar to Karen in several unmistakable ways? And if you say yes, you’re a fuckin’ liar.” Michael nodded when his brother shoved him away. “So, not as clueless as you look, huh?”

“I’m not getting into this with you, Michael. Maybe there are a few similarities, but I’m not like you; I don’t use women.” Brendan’s entire body tensed and he took several steps that brought him mere inches from his brother. “I know the truth about you, Michael, and I know why Karen broke up with me.”

“You’re goin’ out with Maria because of those similarities. And I don’t know what you think you know, but I didn’t have anything to do with you an’ Karen breakin’ up. If you’re feelin’ guilty because you’re in love with one fuckin’ woman while datin’ another one – “

“Whoa!” Maria’s voice drew their attention and the argument she had overheard kept her from noticing the similarities and differences between them. “What’s going on here? Brendan? Is what he just said true?” When he averted his gaze she knew Michael had been telling the truth. She nodded and backed away, holding her hands up and shaking her head when he moved to follow her.

“Look, Maria, I can explain – “

“Huh-uh, no, we’re done!” Part of her was relieved that she had been provided with a reason to break up with him because she just hadn’t been able to figure out how to do it without hurting him. “Don’t even bother trying to talk to me again!” She would have to talk to him about it eventually; even though this was a convenient reason to break up with him it wasn’t the real reason.

Michael reached out to grab his brother’s arm when he saw that he intended to go after her despite her wishes to be left alone. He wasn’t prepared for it when Brendan rounded on him and swung wildly, his fist coming into contact with Michael’s jaw and knocking him backwards. He reacted purely on instinct and his own hands curled into fists as he launched himself at Brendan.

*****

Maria was sitting in the dark, curled up in one corner of the couch, when the front door opened a little after midnight. She blinked rapidly when she heard the light switch being flipped and light from the lamps at either end of the couch flooded the room. She used the sleeve of the old tee shirt she was wearing to wipe away the tears on her face.

“Maria?”

“Hey, Iz. Boy, that light’s bright, isn’t it?”

“Give it up, Maria; I know you don’t think I’m that blond. You’re sitting in the dark, crying, instead of living it up at a beach party, so spill already.”

Maria chuckled to herself and shook her head. “You’re starting to sound like Tess.”

“I am not! And don’t change the subject.”

She sighed and picked at a loose thread on the cutoff shorts she had changed into when she had gotten home. “Me? What about you? Shouldn’t you be out with Alex, or over at his house? In his bed, maybe?”

“Okay, we can change the subject for five minutes,” Isabel agreed, eager to share the events of her evening.

Maria pulled her legs up, wrapping her arms around them as she rested her chin on her knees. She could see and hear how happy Isabel was as she recounted her date, but she couldn’t help teasing her just a little bit. “So, if things were going so great, why aren’t you still over there?” She stretched her right leg out and nudged the other girl with her foot. “The guy impressed you with an amazing sunset and a fancy dinner and you’re telling me you spent the rest of the night talking?”

“We both agreed that we wouldn’t rush into a sexual relationship and his little sister’s around a lot too…”

“Uh-huh. She wasn’t home tonight though; she was spending the night at a friend’s house.” Brooke had divulged that bit of information while they were watching the football team’s practice. “So, you’re telling me all you did was talk? You didn’t make out at all?”

“Well, I wouldn’t say that,” Isabel hedged.

“That’s good,” Maria said, laughing. “I was about to be very concerned.

“Why?”

“Because when you left earlier tonight you were wearing a black tank top under that shirt and now you’re not.”

Isabel’s gaze shot down to verify what Maria was saying and within seconds her face was nearly as red as her shirt. “Well…” She shrugged and grinned. “Okay, I don’t know if we would’ve gone all the way tonight or not… we were both definitely ready to, physically, but like I said, we agreed that we wouldn’t rush it.”

“Then what made you get dressed fast enough to forget your tank top?”

“Ah, well, that brings us back to your evening.”

“What? You’re saying I’m responsible for your evening being cut short?”

“No. Not directly anyway.” She straightened up and shifted closer to the end of the couch where Maria was sitting. “He got a phone call and had to go down to the police station to bail his brothers out of jail.”

“Are you kidding? Michael, maybe, but Brendan?” Maria shook her head. “There’s no way.”

“No, I’m not kidding, I’m completely serious. He wasn’t happy when he got that call either, and not just because we were… busy.”

They looked up when the front door opened and Tess came inside, looking anything but happy. She quickly went off on a rant and they had to listen closely to follow.

“I can’t believe that I’m the one who encouraged you to get your hands on Michael Guerin’s ass! However, if you had done as I suggested and dumped Brendan so you could screw his twin, Michael would’ve been otherwise occupied and not getting into a fight that my boyfriend just had to try and break up.”

“Wait, so Michael and Brendan were both involved in a fight?” Maria asked.

“Yes, they were involved in a fight… with each other! Kyle just had to get involved because he was sure he could break it up and do you know what he got for his efforts? He got punched in the nuts; don’t ask me how that happened because I don’t know. It was like watching one of those ultimate fighting matches; fists were flying everywhere, they were screaming at each other, and when Kyle tried to put a stop to it, one of your boyfriends punched him… in the nuts,” she growled through clenched teeth.

Maria bit her bottom lip. She wasn’t going to laugh… she wasn’t. “I’m sorry, Tess.”

“Did he get arrested too?” Isabel asked, certain that Alex hadn’t said anything about his brother’s roommate when he had explained what was going on. She stood and walked to the kitchen to get a drink and hopefully not laugh out loud.

“Arrested? No, I’m sure it would’ve been preferable to falling to his knees and crying in public though.”

“He cried?” Maria’s bottom lip was trembling because she was trying so hard to keep from laughing. Tess was already pissed and laughing would only make it worse. “I mean, I know that’s gotta hurt, but most guys don’t fall down and cry.”

Tess huffed indignantly. “He was hard, okay? We were making out when the fight started. And because I saw that he probably won’t ever talk to me again! Guys don’t want their girlfriend’s to see them cry like a little girl.”

“Well, that definitely falls under the category of extenuating circumstances – “

“Isabel, you’re not helping! Instead of spending the night getting blown he’s gonna spend the night with an icepack on his nuts and praying his dick isn’t permanently damaged. Do you know what he said when I drove him home?”

“No, what?”

“Nothing!” she yelled. “Because I didn’t drive him home! Liz took him home because he didn’t want me to take him anywhere. Liz, who wouldn’t know what to do with a dick if it came with an instruction manual.”

“Well, it’s not like he got a ride from her so she could help him with his problem,” Maria muttered. “She was doing the designated driver thing and it was probably just the fastest and most convenient way for him to get home.”

“He probably just didn’t want you to see him like that, Tess,” Isabel said sympathetically. “You know how sensitive guys are about their packages. And if he got punched while he was hard…” She shook her head. “The poor guy’s probably gonna be bruised and swollen for a few days, and he’s not gonna be a lot of fun to be around, so maybe he just didn’t want you around for that.”

“So it’s better for him to suffer all by himself?”

“How many guys do you know who would want their girlfriend to see them in that state? And he’s probably feeling a little self-conscious about crying in front of you too.” She rushed on when Tess glared at her. “Even though he had a perfectly acceptable reason for crying.”

“Just let him have a few hours on his own and then go over there in the morning and see how he’s doing,” Maria suggested.

“Yeah, I’m sure that’ll make him feel much better since not only will he not be having sex anytime soon, but he’ll also be missing tomorrow’s game now.”

“Well, it couldn’t hurt, right?”

“Uh-huh, and who will you be going to see in the morning? Brendan or Michael?”

“I broke up with Brendan tonight.” Maria told them what had happened leading up to her and Brendan breaking up and before long Tess forgot she was mad as she rushed to console her best friend.
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Fics: A Xmas Story - A Merry Mt. R. Xmas - Cupid's Revenge - Double Trouble - Double Date - Double Dare - Double Empire - Double Xmas Wish - In The Course Of A Lifetime - Mountains So High - Not A Question At All - Surrender - TIC TAC - Two Double Dates at Xmas
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Double Trouble
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Double Trouble (CC, AU, Adult) - Part 12 - 3/19/09

Post by Double Trouble »

Alien_Friend: The twins have more in common than either of them care to think about right now. Alex and Isabel are like the parents. Look for more of the twins and Alex in the next part! Tess and Maria do have a good friendship even if they do wanna choke each other every once in a while.

mary mary: LOL… another hobby, huh?

destinyc: Look for a conversation between Maria and Brendan about their break up later on.

tequathisy: There will be a conversation between Maria and Brendan regarding their break up. LOL, don’t worry… we don’t think you’re complicated.

guelbebek: No worries – Maria and Brendan are over as far as a potential relationship is concerned. There will be a conversation between them to clear things up. No… Michael and Maria, stubborn? LOL, there will be a little bit of a wait, but don’t look for it to last too long. Hmmm…. Sparks flying between Max and Liz? We sure hope so!

nibbles2: Brendan won’t be played as the bad guy – he may look like it at the moment, but there will be clarification a little bit later. Our promise is good! Liz will begin to make some changes, just don’t look for it to happen too quickly.

chanks_girl: We’re glad you like that Isabel didn’t wait very long to agree to go out with Alex. All of these couples will face ups and downs… you’re right, they won’t escape that. Hmm… what d’you think Isabel would do if/when she finds out about that little deal? The Maria/Brendan issue will come up again – they both need explanations for their break up. LOL, Maria definitely isn’t going to give in easily. Yes… poor Kyle!


Part 12 – The Plot Thickens


Alex was silent as he drove to Brendan’s apartment but the thumb on his right hand was thumping against the steering wheel in an irritated rhythm. He was just waiting for one of them to speak and he already knew Michael would be the first to break the silence. He couldn’t believe the condition they were in; bruised, bloody, swollen, and they were both irritable and sulking in their seats.

“Thanks for comin’ down to bail us out,” Michael mumbled finally. “I know you had a date tonight and you were pretty stoked about it – “ He broke off when Alex suddenly turned into a public park, slammed on the brakes, and shoved the gearshift into neutral.

“What is wrong with the two of you?” Alex snapped angrily. He unbuckled his seatbelt and shifted his in seat, turning so that he could look at both of them. “This is not about my date bein’ interrupted – although it was and I didn’t appreciate it anymore than Isabel did.”

“Aw, fuck, man, I’m really sorry! I didn’t have any idea you were getting laid tonight or I wouldn’t have called – “

Alex slapped the back of Michael’s head and the younger man frowned at him as he rubbed his stinging scalp. “Do not talk about my date like that,” he growled in warning. “One of these days you’re gonna have to learn how to treat a woman with respect or you’re never gonna find one worth keepin’ around.”

Michael shrugged. “I don’t give a fuck about keepin’ ‘em around.”

“We’ll come back to that comment and your attitude about women some other time. Right now I wanna know what the hell the two of you were fightin’ over.” He glanced between them when neither of them spoke up to volunteer an answer. “You were arrested for disturbing the peace, public intoxication, and resisting arrest; do you know what that means? We’re talkin’ about a $1,000.00 fine and up to a year in jail if the judge – “

“We weren’t drunk,” Michael interrupted. “That won’t hold up in court.”

“You’re not makin’ this any better, Michael. Do you know why they impounded both of your vehicles? Because you pissed off the arresting officers. Resisting arrest? With that charge it won’t matter whether or not the public intoxication charges hold up. What the hell were you thinkin’? Brendan?” His eyebrows lifted in question as he waited for an answer. He shook his head when his youngest brother just shrugged and looked down at his hands. “Do you understand that this is gonna be on your permanent records? This could get you kicked off of the football team, Michael, and Brendan, this isn’t – “

“Can you yell at me tomorrow?”

Alex fell silent and sighed tiredly. “You tell me what the two of you were fightin’ about and then I’ll take you home.”

“We were havin’ a difference of opinion – “

“Brendan, it’s two o’clock in the fuckin’ mornin’! Do not play stupid with me!”

That caught the twins’ attention; Alex rarely used the graphic word and his use of it now meant that he was beyond pissed. They glanced at each other when he viciously turned the key in the ignition and shifted the gearshift into drive.

“Fine. The two of you just sit back and shut up, and tomorrow you can have your roommates take you down to the impound lot to get your vehicles out.”

“Maria broke up with me,” Brendan mumbled quietly. “Because Michael made it a point to make sure she heard about Karen.”

“Get over yourself, Brendan! I didn’t even know she was close enough to hear what we were talkin’ about. You make it sound like I did it on purpose so she’d fuckin’ break up with you.”

“Didn’t you?”

“Y’know, contrary to what you think, I don’t go around tryin’ to come up with ways to screw up your life.” He slouched down in his seat and crossed his arms over his chest as he reached up to prod his nose in an effort to tell if it was broken or not.

“And yet you always manage to do that anyway, don’t you?”

Alex glanced in the rearview mirror and grinned when he noticed that Brendan was mimicking Michael’s movements unconsciously. Despite the animosity that plagued their relationship they couldn’t escape the fact that they were twins and there were many times when that revealed itself through identical behavior patterns.

He rubbed his left hand over his face tiredly and shook his head as he thought about them. He was gonna have to talk to them, but he had decided it would be best to wait until he could talk to them one on one.

*****

Michael entered his apartment and slammed the door behind him as he turned the lights on. He was pissed off, he hadn’t gotten laid, and his body ached where Brendan’s fists had made contact. He had to give the kid credit though, he thought as he dropped his keys on the kitchen counter and grabbed a beer from the refrigerator, Brendan hadn’t backed down and he was developing one hell of a mean right hook.

“Could you possibly make anymore noise if you tried?”

He frowned when Kyle spoke and he followed the direction of his voice into the living room. He frowned when he found his roommate, his compact body curled up in the fetal position in his recliner. “Are you sick or somethin’?”

Kyle very carefully shifted his position, hoping to avoid any sudden or jarring movements, and he glared up at Michael. “Am I sick or somethin’?!” At any other time he would’ve been amused by the horrified expression on his roommate’s face, but his balls hurt like hell and that pretty much killed any chance of seeing humor in the situation.

“Dude, what’re you doin’?”

“I couldn’t find the icepack and this was the next best thing.”

“You couldn’t have grabbed somethin’ else? You don’t just wrap another guy’s ravioli around your dick…” Michael took a couple of steps back and held his hands up. “Okay, there are just so many ways that sounded perverted, but you know what I meant.”

“I’m not interested in a lecture on the superiority of Italian food right now.”

“What’s wrong with you anyway? And this had better be good because I lost a brand new bag of stuffed ravioli for it.”

“You can blame yourself… I know I do.” He shook his head and curled up around the frozen bag once more.

“You’re sayin’ this’s my fault?” Michael was confused.

“You or Brendan, I don’t know which one of you did it, but I tried to break up the fight between you and one of you punched me in the nuts.”

Michael winced and shifted uncomfortably. “Oh, wow, I’m sorry ‘bout that, Kyle.”

“You should be. It’s not bad enough that I’m not havin’ sex because my girlfriend won’t sleep with me out of loyalty to her best friend – somethin’ that is also your fault – but now I can add humiliation and emasculation to the list – “

“What list?”

“The list of reasons why my life sucks right now!”

Michael took a drink of his beer. “We’ve got a game tomorrow; that should cheer you up.”

“I’ll be lucky if I can fuckin’ walk tomorrow! I’ve already called the coach and told him I’m not gonna be able to play tomorrow.”

“I’m sure you’ll be fine by tomorrow afternoon – “

“And when was the last time you had a hard-on and someone punched you in the nuts?” He nodded in satisfaction when Michael’s hand automatically shot down to protectively cover his crotch. “Yeah, didn’t think so.”

“Oh, fuck, Kyle! That’s gotta hurt!”

“Ya think?” Kyle snarled.

“Well, where’s Tess?”

“At home, I’m sure. I told her I’d call her in a couple of days. I doubt she’ll be waitin’ by the phone for that call.”

Michael sat down on the large wooden chest they used for a coffee table, frowning at Kyle’s tone. “Man, she’s totally into you. She’s not gonna move on just because – “

“What’s the first thing that happens when you get hit in the nuts?”

Michael shrugged, wishing they could change the topic. “It’s a toss-up; I’m either gonna feel the pain first and grab my nuts or vice versa. The pain’s a given, but sometimes it takes a few seconds to register in the brain.”

“And after that?”

Michael leaned forward and crossed his arms over his lap. Just thinking about this was enough to send his nuts into hiding. “Depends. You get hit hard enough and you’ll throw up, your eyes are definitely gonna water…”

“Uh-huh, now magnify that by about a thousand times… and imagine it happening in front of your girlfriend.”

Michael winced, horrified. “Oh. You, uh… you cried?”

“Like a five-year-old girl.”

“Okay, well, I’m sure that’s allowed, right? I mean, guys are allowed to cry if someone close to them dies and their masculinity isn’t called into question. So, getting punched in the nuts has to fall into that same acceptable category. Plus, you get bonus points for getting punched while you had a hard-on.”

“Oh, that’s good,” Kyle muttered sarcastically, “bonus points.”

“I’m just sayin’ she’s probably not gonna think you’re a wuss or anything.” Michael glanced around as he reached up to scratch his eyebrow. “That, uh, that why she’s not here?”

“What?”

Michael shrugged and finished off his beer. “You just seem to like her a lot… you made her dinner the other night and I don’t remember you ever doin’ that for any other girl. She’s at every practice, you guys haven’t had sex but you haven’t gone out and screwed anyone else, and she seems to like you too.” He rolled his eyes. “She even thinks it’s cute that you’re into the whole Buddha thing.”

“I know you’re tryin’ to tell me somethin’ here…”

Michael shrugged again and looked at the floor. “I’m just sayin’ she probably wanted to, y’know, take care of you.”

Kyle’s eyebrows lifted in surprise when he finally sorted out Michael’s mumbled response. His friend wasn’t nearly as clueless about things as he let people think he was, but he kept that side of his personality carefully hidden and protected from the world.

“Anyway, I’m goin’ to bed.”

“Here, throw that in the freezer and get me somethin’ else that’s frozen.” He tossed the rapidly thawing bag of frozen ravioli at Michael and grinned at the look of disgust on his face. “Thanks.” He laughed to himself when Michael made it a point to search for a black marker and draw a large X across both sides of the bag before throwing it back in the freezer.

“That way you can use it again if you need it and I won’t forget that it’s tainted.”

Kyle waited until Michael had handed him another bag of frozen food and disappeared in the direction of his bedroom before he let his gaze settle on his cell phone.

Should he call Tess?

*****

Michael wasn’t expecting to find his father standing outside of his apartment when he answered the door on Thursday afternoon. He didn’t have any classes the rest of the day so he was just hanging out at home and trying to beat Kyle’s score on Resident Evil.

“I see you’re being productive as always,” Hank sneered as he shoved his way inside and shut the door.

The feeling of claustrophobia that always reared its ugly head whenever he was alone with the older man settled over him and he tried to ignore it. He hated that the man still had that control over him but he didn’t know how to rid himself of it. His anxiety level started to rise when his father stalked around the room, looking at things and muttering derisively.

His palms were sweating and he could feel his heart pounding as Hank completed his circuit of the room and came to a standstill right in front of him.

“You’re just determined to ruin Brendan’s life, aren’t you? It’s obvious that you’re not going anywhere in life, but your brother has a bright future and nonsense like that fight on the beach could jeopardize it. You wanna throw your worthless life away, go right ahead, but you are not dragging Brendan down with you. Now, that little legal problem that occurred as a result of your impetuous, thoughtless actions on Friday night is no longer a problem. As much as it pains me, I had no choice but to erase your participation as well.”

“I don’t need anything from you,” Michael growled.

Hank chuckled humorlessly. “You always were such an ungrateful cur.” He shook his head. “I have no idea where we went wrong with you, but it’s of little consequence now; that fight never happened. I will not see Brendan’s future ruined by one of your little temper tantrums. I don’t want to have to come back here to fix anymore of your messes, Michael; I’m growing tired of your screw-ups.”

“What?” He swallowed hard when his father took another step in his direction, bringing Hank mere inches from him.

“You might as well accept it, boy; you’ve always been the screw-up in the family and you always will be. It doesn’t matter what you do with your life because Brendan will always be better; he’s destined for greatness and you…” He shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest. “I don’t want to hear about anything else getting in the way of his future. I’m a very busy man and I have precious little time to waste running interference in these matters.”

Brendan’s insistence that Michael was somehow involved in his breakup with Karen suddenly made sense. “Matters like girlfriends, maybe?”

“No one appreciates a smartass, boy!” Hank roared as he slammed his fist into the door behind his son.

Michael barely controlled the urge to flinch, hoping that there was no trace of fear on his face. He had been living away from home for more than a year now, but he could still remember the back of his father’s hand as well as his fist with crystal clear clarity. Hank had always singled him out, but it meant that Brooke was safe from their father’s temper so he had never said a word to let on how the man’s anger was being directed. He knew Brendan was safe from the old man’s abusive actions because he was the favorite son, the one who had been chosen to take the reins when Hank retired. He knew Alex didn’t know about the old man slapping him around because he would’ve found a way to stop it, but Michael didn’t want him involved. Brooke had her suspicions and she had confronted him about it… it was the one and only time he had ever lied to her.

“Do we understand each other?”

He brought his father’s angry features into focus when he realized that the man was waiting for an answer. “Get out of my apartment,” he said, reaching behind him to jerk the door open.

“Don’t make me come back here, Michael.”

Michael slammed the door after Hank walked out and then he slumped back against it. His heart was still pounding and despite the fear that he hadn’t been able to completely shake after years of being knocked around by his father, he silently congratulated himself for telling his father to get out. One day, he vowed, he was going to be free of that fear and he wouldn’t waste one more single thought on Hank Guerin.

*****

Brendan spotted his twin sitting on the hood of his car as soon as he stepped into the parking lot and he wondered what had made Michael decide to approach him this time. They hadn’t seen each other since Alex had driven them home the previous Friday night and he was just fine with that.

“I just wanted to thank you in person for callin’ Dad and whinin’ about me beatin’ your ass on Friday night,” Michael said, not moving from his spot.

“I didn’t call Dad about Friday night,” Brendan argued. “He asked what I did on Friday night because he called and I didn’t answer my phone, so I told him.”

The sad thing was that he actually believed him. Michael shook his head. “Why couldn’t you have kept your mouth shut just one time?”

“What’s the problem?”

“I don’t want him fixin’ my mistakes for me!” he snapped. “I don’t want him involved in any part of my life, Brendan. You’ve got blinders on where he’s concerned; you don’t see what he’s doin’, how he’s controllin’ every damned aspect of your life – “

“Michael, let’s not go there again.”

“Fine, keep your fuckin’ blinders on, Brendan, but don’t tell him anything else that involves me. I don’t want him showin’ up at my place like that again.” He jumped off of the hood and faced his brother. “I didn’t have anything to do with what happened between you an’ Karen.” He jabbed his forefinger into the center of his brother’s chest. “You know I wouldn’t do that…” He shook his head. “I don’t know, maybe you don’t know that anymore, maybe you do think that I’m capable of that kind of betrayal.”

Brendan’s eyes narrowed and he shook his head. “Seriously, Michael… you’ve already put the incident with Maria behind you?”

Michael’s righteous indignation was brought up short at the reminder. Did Brendan know he had kissed her? If so he had just lost the last of his credibility with his brother. “Fine, but ask yourself if she was capable of it, Brendan, and then consider the source of your information.”

Brendan watched Michael as he walked away, certain that his brother was wrong. There was no reason for their father to lie to him about the reason for his ruined relationship. It was common knowledge that Michael liked to move from one woman to the next, he had always been very competitive with Brendan, and… why else would their father have told him that Michael had gotten involved with Karen?

He shook his head as he slid in behind the wheel and inserted the key into the ignition. There was really no reason to go over and over the wheres and the whys; all that really mattered was the career he needed to be studying for. He didn’t have time to be worrying about girlfriends, past or present, or getting into trouble with Michael; he needed to focus on his future and the rest would fall into place.
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Fics: A Xmas Story - A Merry Mt. R. Xmas - Cupid's Revenge - Double Trouble - Double Date - Double Dare - Double Empire - Double Xmas Wish - In The Course Of A Lifetime - Mountains So High - Not A Question At All - Surrender - TIC TAC - Two Double Dates at Xmas
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Double Trouble
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Double Trouble (CC, AU, Adult) - Part 13 - 3/26/09

Post by Double Trouble »

mary mary: Yeah, Michael didn’t appreciate that! And we totally agree with you about Hank!

Alien_Friend: Michael is a complex character and as his many layers are revealed and he learns to deal with his past he will begin to grow. Yes! You hit the nail on the head where Michael and Brendan are concerned, and more will be revealed about that later on. Michael and Maria aren’t going to have an easy relationship by any means, but it’s a journey that will allow both of them to grow and to realize what it takes to achieve true happiness. You can look for more interaction between Kyle and Michael – their relationship is important.

destinyc: Hank had actually left town, but he made a special trip back to Long Beach just to help Brendan out and ruin Michael’s day… mission accomplished. No worries, though… he’s on his way out of the country now.

begonia9508: Poor Kyle… it was NOT a good night for him. There will be more clarification of the situation that brought the fight on.

nibbles2: There will be more of this side of Michael.

guelbebek: Hmmm… yes, that is quite the dilemma – which one is true? Look for more M/M and K/T scenes coming up. And, we’re getting very close to introducing Max!

loviedovie: We’re glad you enjoyed that ravioli bit – we loved it!

tequathisy: The Guerin kids are all capable and high achievers – the difference is that Brendan is the one he was able to get control of. We will explain more about that later on.

Buddha-boy: LOL, yeah, we agree! He’s gonna need some simple vehicle maintenance lessons! That’s definitely didn’t help him – not that it really would’ve made a difference for him in this case, but for future reference, he’ll wanna learn to do that for himself.

Hank is only interested in fostering the distance between the twins – the last thing he wants is for them to get close.

We’re glad you’re enjoying Kyle and Tess! And we applaud your perseverance in making it through that last chapter!

April: You can expect more glimpses into this family throughout the fic – they’re gonna play major roles in each other’s lives.
Hank hate. :twisted:
That was great!

chanks_girl: Hank does suck on many levels… and the truth is we have yet to see the worst of what he is capable of. Yes, Michael has a lot of layers and they will be explored much more as we move along.


Author’s Note: Song credit for “Hell Song” goes to Sum 41 – lyrics obviously don’t belong to us!

Link to song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXOLq_6a-qQ


Part 13 – Let the Matchmaking Games Begin!


Isabel stood at the kitchen sink in Alex’s house, scrubbing the fresh vegetables she was going to use for steak fajitas. Her gaze was drawn to the teenager wandering aimlessly around the backyard with two small dogs. “What’s wrong with Brooke?” she asked.

Alex came up behind her and glanced over her shoulder to look through the window. “She’s been mopin’ around here the past few days; Michael’s been avoiding her since the fight with Brendan.”

“Why?”

“Well, the twins have basically been avoiding everyone, but Michael is Brooke’s best friend and her confidant so she’s takin’ it personally even though neither of them means it that way.”

“Maybe they don’t mean it that way, but it’s still personal, Alex, and she’s sixteen years old, so it’s even more personal.”

“Point taken.” He went back to the island and turned his attention back to the meat he had been cutting into thin strips. “Michael was gonna hang out with her tonight but the old man found out about his fight with Brendan and them getting arrested last week, and he rearranged his flight so he could layover here long enough to make sure the problem was taken care of and then stop by Michael’s place to tell him how he’s gonna ruin Brendan’s life.”

“Your dad’s a real piece of work.”

“Tell me about it. So, now, Michael’s pissed off all over again and he doesn’t want Brooke around until he cools off.”

“Okay, explain that to me because I don’t understand it; she has to know how volatile his temper is, so why doesn’t he want her around?”

“The twins have a very… confrontational relationship and that’s mostly my father’s fault. When they were little guys they were best friends and they were always getting into trouble but that changed as they got older. Michael’s a natural leader, he’s an extrovert, while Brendan’s an introvert and he’s more comfortable following.”

“Michael’s the oldest,” Isabel guessed.

“By a minute and 57 seconds. Michael was the one person Brendan was comfortable enough with to let his competitive side show through and once my father realized that he used it to turn them against each other. I think he saw that Brendan was coming out of his shell and if he didn’t do somethin’ he was gonna miss his chance to have someone in the family to take over the business when he retired. Michael figured out what the old man was up to, but he’s always been suspicious of people’s motives while Brendan’s always been very trusting; he doesn’t read people the way that Michael does. Even with everything the old man did to pit them against each other there was still a strong bond between them…” He shook his head. “My father chipped away at their relationship until practically nothin’ was left of it and things only got worse between them after that.”

“How’d they end up at the same college?”

Alex shook his head. “That’s somethin’ they won’t talk about. Whatever the reason, I just keep hopin’ we can fix the damage my father did.”

“Well, you’ve got a good opportunity with both of them here.” Isabel leaned on the counter. “You know Maria broke up with Brendan, right?”

“Yep, I heard about that.”

“I guess she overheard your brothers arguing about Brendan’s ex-girlfriend and how he’s still in love with her, and he was only dating Maria because she has some resemblance to her. She said Brendan blamed Michael for the breakup with his girlfriend.”

“I don’t believe that.”

“I think Maria knows what she heard, Alex.”

“No, I don’t believe Michael was responsible for Brendan and Karen breakin’ up. Michael may be hot-headed, have a bad temper, and there’s no denyin’ that he’s a womanizer, but he wouldn’t have gotten between Brendan and Karen. She meant too much to him and Michael never would’ve jeopardized that. She was tryin’ to find a way to close that distance between them.”

“So, you don’t think he would’ve made a move on her?”

“No. He wouldn’t intentionally hurt Brendan like that.”

“He kissed Maria while she was dating Brendan… before she knew he had a twin.”

Alex paused as he reached for the seasoning he was going to use on the meat and he frowned as his gaze lifted to hers. “He did what?”

Isabel was intrigued when his gray eyes changed to a darker shade, reminding her of the sky right before a bad thunderstorm. “I never realized there were so many shades of gray,” she murmured, smiling when the color shifted again in response to her words and tone.

“Oh, my God, are you guys seriously about to make out over dinner?” Brooke groaned as she threw herself down into one of the chairs at the table. “Could this night get any worse?”

“You have any homework tonight?”

“I already did it… right before I cleaned my room.”

“You cleaned your room?” Alex asked, shocked. She and Michael both had a tendency to leave a mess wherever they went, and it was rare for them to pick up after themselves. “Why?”

“Because there’s nothin’ on TV since you’ve only got basic cable, Michael and Brendan are both avoiding me, you won’t let me go out with my friends to see a movie, and I don’t have a boyfriend to make out with, so I’m bored.”

Alex bit back a grin at his sister’s sulky tone. “And in that order; the cable will be turned on tomorrow afternoon with more than enough channels to rot your brain, Michael’s done avoiding you, that movie is rated R and I don’t think you need to see it, when you do get a boyfriend I’d better not catch you makin’ out with him, and last… what’d Michael say he was doin’ tonight?”

“Practicing with the guys over at what’s-her-name’s house… the keyboard player.”

“Courtney?”

“If you say so.”

“You don’t like her?” Isabel asked, glancing between Alex and Brooke.

“She’s a complete skank.”

“Brooke.”

She rolled her eyes at her brother’s chastising tone. “What? She is! She puts out for any guy who looks at her twice. If you don’t believe me, put it to the test; make eye contact with her next time you see her and I’ll just bet she’ll roll over and spread her legs. Do me a favor and make sure Isabel’s around though, ‘cause I’d love to see Courtney get her ass kicked.”

“No one is getting their ass kicked – “

“So, Isabel,” Brooke interrupted, “if the skank – and, Courtney is a skank – made a move on my brother you’d kick her ass, right?”

Alex rolled his eyes. “Brooke, would you cut it out? Isabel’s not gonna – “

“Oh, yes, I would, Alex. Skank or not, if she tried to put the moves on you she’d get her ass kicked. Any woman who tries to make a move on my man will regret it.”

Alex’s gaze never left Isabel’s as he pointed at his sister and snapped his fingers. “Go get your stuff together.”

“So, now I get to go to the movies because you wanna have sex?”

“No, you’re not goin’ to that movie. You’re gonna go hang out with Michael for a while.”

Brooke rolled her eyes and left the room. Alex was soooo sending her to hang out with Michael so he could have sex with his girlfriend! How naïve did they really think she was? She was sixteen years old, not six! Not that she cared either way; she was finally gonna get to go see her favorite brother.

Isabel smiled as she kissed Alex. “You are dropping her off with Michael so we can have a few hours alone, right?”

Alex nodded and nipped at her bottom lip as he pulled away. “That’s the plan. It’ll take about half an hour to take her over to Courtney’s and drop her off.”

“I’ll have dinner ready by the time you get back.”

“It may be cold by the time we get around to eatin’ it,” he warned.

“That’s the great thing about fajitas,” she whispered, grabbing his collar and pulling him close to kiss him again. “They’re so easy to reheat.” She gave him a gentle shove. “Now go, and hurry up.”

*****

Michael was listening to the music building behind him, mentally seeing the notes as his right foot kept up with the beat of the drums. His eyes were closed as he let the music flow through him and wash over him, invading his soul and reaching for all the pain and anger he kept buried deep inside and tried so hard to hide from everyone around him. Singing with the band was the one place he could let all of those emotions out without risking discovery; the last thing he wanted was for anyone to find out that he had a history of physical abuse courtesy of his father.

The music was fast approaching the moment when he would need to add the vocals and his hands were wrapped around the microphone stand, the fingers of his right hand folded over his left hand as they tapped along with the rhythm. His eyes remained closed as the music swelled and he pulled the microphone back as he let the words latch onto his emotions and spill out.

Everybody’s got their problems
Everybody says the same things to you
It’s just a matter how you solve them
And knowing how to change the things you’ve been through

I fear I’ve come to realize
How fast life can be compromised
Stand back to see what’s going on
I can’t believe this happened to you, this happened to you

It’s just a problem that we’re faced with
Am I not the only one that hates to stand by
Complications headed first in this line
With all these pictures running through my mind

Knowing endless consequences
I feel so useless in this
Can’t patch that back and as for me, I can’t believe


His eyes opened as he hit the final chorus and he hid his surprise when he saw his brother’s truck pulling into the driveway. Brooke was out of the truck as soon as it had come to a stop and Alex joined her a few moments later. He finished the song and Brooke waited until the music had faded into silence before she ran up to him and threw herself into his arms, hugging him tightly.

“Oh, my God! That was amazing, Michael!” She grinned and waved at the man sitting behind the set of drums.

“Well, if it isn’t my favorite little rock-n-roll girl,” Kyle said, saluting her with his drumsticks.

“We should run through it again,” the dirty blond at the keyboards stated decisively.

Brooke turned to glare at the woman, not bothering to hide her dislike. “What was wrong with it?” she challenged.

Courtney rolled her eyes when the teenager spoke, her tone hostile. The girl hadn’t liked her from the first time they had met, passing each other as she was leaving Michael’s apartment early one morning.

Michael held a hand up in Courtney’s direction and collared Brooke with his left arm, stepping around the microphone stand to walk out to where Alex was waiting. “What’re you guys doin’ here?” he asked, releasing his sister to take the two dogs his brother thrust towards him. “Uh, Alex, what’s goin’ on?”

“Brooke’s gonna hang out with you for a few hours,” Alex said, pulling the drivers side door open. “You can drop her off at home around nine-thirty and make sure you’ve got the time to stay for a bit so we can talk about a few things.”

“Like what?”

“Nine-thirty, Michael,” he repeated, sliding in behind the steering wheel. He shut the door and leaned out through the open window as he slid his sunglasses on. “Have fun, but do not take her to see that movie she’s been talkin’ about. Nothin’ with an R rating, Michael, and I’m not kiddin’ about that.”

“What’s his hurry?” Michael asked.

Brooke laughed when Alex didn’t waste any time backing out of the driveway and taking off down the street. “Sex. Isabel’s waitin’ at home for him.” She rolled her eyes. “I think he forgot I was waitin’ to eat dinner.”

Michael chuckled and they walked back up to the garage. “I’ve got about another hour; you gonna be okay waitin’ around that long? ‘Cause if you’re hungry now, I can always cut outta here early.”

“No, finish your set; I’ll just sit over here and wait. Besides, that skank Courtney needs all the practice she can get.”

“Courtney’s good at what she does,” he protested.

“Yeah, on her back or on her knees, maybe; I’m talkin’ about her skills with the keyboard.”

“Stop that,” he growled in warning, but spoiled it when he grinned. “Alex is gonna have my ass if he hears you talkin’ like that.” He handed the dogs to her and took his place behind the microphone stand once more, keeping an eye on his sister as she settled down in one of the lawn chairs. He had told Alex to give him a couple of days and then he’d be over to hang out with Brooke; he preferred to get rid of any leftover anger from the visit with his father before spending time with her because he didn’t want to risk hurting her in any way. His temper was always simmering after a run-in with the old man and he preferred to have it completely under control before hanging around his little sister. He would never hurt her physically, but a run-in with the old man always made his temper even more volatile than normal and he tended to say things without thinking.

Brooke watched her brother for the next hour as he switched from one song to the next with a nearly flawless performance. She had overheard Alex telling Isabel that their father had paid Michael a visit earlier that day so she knew why he hadn’t stopped by that afternoon. She wished she knew what it was that their father had against Michael; he worked hard, he studied hard, and he was a good person. Admittedly, he was a womanizer, and she really wanted him to stop pursuing casual relationships so he could find someone who would care about him and love him the way he deserved to be cared for and loved. She smiled to herself, certain that she had already pinpointed who that woman was. Now she just had to figure out how to get Michael to stop being so stubborn and realize the potential relationship that was right at his fingertips.

Her gaze raked over Courtney and she shook her head. She knew they had been involved in a very short, very casual, relationship the year before, and it was just one more reason to dislike the woman. Michael could do so much better, she thought, smiling innocently when Courtney glanced up and caught her staring.

She turned her head when she heard someone turn into the driveway and she quickly recognized Tess’ blue Mustang. The small blond jumped out and joined her as the band worked their way through the last song of the set. “What’s up, Tess?”

“Not much, just picking Kyle up for dinner.” She caught her boyfriend’s attention and winked at him, grinning when his features lit up at her presence. She hadn’t expected to actually get into a relationship with him when they had first met, but her promise to Maria had given them the time to actually get to know each other and she had discovered that she really liked him and enjoyed spending time with him.

She hadn’t known for sure if he felt the same way until the previous Friday when he had swallowed his pride and called her, asking her if she wanted to come over and hang out. She had grabbed her overnight bag and hurried over to his apartment even though he hadn’t been in the mood to do much more than just lay around. She had eventually talked him into moving to his bedroom where she had fussed over him for a while before laying down with him and cradling his curled-up body until he finally fell asleep. It was the first time she could remember ever sleeping with a guy that she hadn’t had sex with and it had been satisfying in a completely different way.

“Hey, your brother’s not seeing the keyboard player, is he?” she asked when she noticed the way the woman kept looking at Michael.

“No! They hooked up last year for a couple of weeks and I’m sure she’d be happy to hook up with him again, but they’re not together. You’d better watch her around Kyle; she’ll screw anything as long as it’s breathing and it’s got a dick.”

Tess laughed. “You really don’t like her, do you?”

“Does it show?” Brooke shrugged and grinned impishly. “You don’t have to worry about Kyle; he’s happier than I’ve ever seen him, but you can’t trust her to respect the boundaries.”

“So, Michael’s not seein’ anyone?”

“Nope. How ‘bout Maria? Is she seein’ anyone yet?”

“No.” Tess’ gaze bounced from Brooke to Michael and back again and a slow smile lifted her lips up at the corners. “What’ve you got in mind?”

While the band wrapped up their practice and then set about putting the instruments away Tess and Brooke outlined their plan to get Michael and Maria together. They were still talking when Kyle came up behind the blond and wrapped his arms around her as he dipped his head down to press a kiss against her neck. “Do I even wanna know what you two’re plannin’ over here?”

Tess turned her head to plant a kiss on his lips and her blue eyes sparkled as she looked up at him. “Something that, if it succeeds, means we could be having sex before the weekend’s over.”

His hazel eyes widened at that. “What can I do to help?”
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Fics: A Xmas Story - A Merry Mt. R. Xmas - Cupid's Revenge - Double Trouble - Double Date - Double Dare - Double Empire - Double Xmas Wish - In The Course Of A Lifetime - Mountains So High - Not A Question At All - Surrender - TIC TAC - Two Double Dates at Xmas
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Double Trouble
Obsessed Roswellian
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Joined: Tue Dec 16, 2008 9:47 am

Double Trouble (CC, AU, Adult) - Part 14 - 4/2/09

Post by Double Trouble »

Alien_Friend: Look for the conspiracy to continue next week! Music is Michael’s escape and it allows him to deal with feelings and emotions that need to be channeled into a more creative outlet. We’re glad to hear that Brooke’s growing on you!

mary mary: Yeah, you could say that!

begonia9508: Brooke definitely needs a strong guiding hand and the good thing is that she has that with Alex.

destinyc: Alex will have to learn how to adjust his time and know when to leave his sister in the care of one of his brother’s – but, don’t worry, he has Isabel to help him.

Letting go of his father’s disapproval is something that will only happen with time and the understanding and help of someone very special (yeah, like you need a decoder for that one, right? LOL!).

sarammlover: Brooke will find her place – as you suggested, she has not only her brothers, but also her brother’s girlfriends. It’s gonna be an interesting year for the teenager.

Buddha-boy: You are sooo right! We’re glad you like Alex and Isabel here. Brooke is lucky to have Alex and she also has the twins and now all the girls. Tess and Kyle’s relationship is a lot more than what it first appeared to be and you can look for more depth as we progress.

chanks_girl: Brooke isn’t concerned with holding her thoughts and feelings about Courtney inside – she has an opinion and she’s not afraid to express it! Yes, Kyle has joined the plotting ranks… not that he has any investment in a Maria/Michael hook up or anything, LOL!
I’d like to see how Isabel would kick Courtney’s ass. an intersting image pops up in my mind...and totally worth it.
Okay, we’ve just gotta ask… please, please, please, share this image!!!

LOL, don’t worry, Brooke isn’t in any danger of starving, we promise.


Part 14 – Confessions…


Brendan was sitting on the ground next to the front door of the girl’s apartment when Maria reached the second floor. He knew from her resigned expression that she wasn’t happy to see him but she obviously wasn’t going to turn around and leave just to continue avoiding him.
“I know I’m probably the last person you wanna see right now, but if you’d just let me talk to you, maybe I can explain this.”

Maria stared at him for several long minutes as she debated the best way to deal with the situation. She had spent the whole week avoiding his attempts to contact her; refusing to talk to him when he stopped by, rejecting his calls when his name showed up on the caller ID, and ignoring him when he tried to talk to her on campus. It wasn’t just because of what she had learned on Friday night; she had done a lot of thinking the past few days and she had come to the conclusion that she had been lying to herself all along by thinking that a relationship with him would’ve worked.

She sighed and unlocked the front door, pushing it open and motioning for him to come in behind her. “You wanna drink?”

Brendan reached up to scratch his neck and he shook his head. “No, I’m good, but thanks.”

She shrugged and dropped her stuff on the couch as she walked through to the kitchen to get a drink for herself. She was reaching for a bottle of water but changed her mind at the last second and grabbed a beer instead. “So, what brings you by, Brendan?” she asked as she pulled the bottle opener out of a drawer and popped the cap off.

“Well, like I said, I wanted to explain what you overheard last Friday.” He pulled out one of the barstools lined up under the breakfast bar and settled onto it as he watched her pace back and forth in the kitchen. “I never wanted to hurt you, Maria – “

“It’s not so much hurt, Brendan,” she interrupted. “Well, it was at that moment, but the truth is that I was going out with you and expecting you to change my life.” She shook her head. “I’ve never had a very good track record with guys; I have a tendency to be attracted to the bad boys and unfortunately it never ends well. I thought if I went out with someone who was the complete opposite of that type it would make the difference, but I’ve realized that I’m not gonna find the answer by dating someone I’m not attracted to.” She reached out to cover his hands where they were clasped on the counter. “I’m sorry, Brendan.”

He shook his head. “Don’t be. Since we’re bein’ honest here, though, you should know that what Michael said… well, it wasn’t a complete lie. I didn’t ask you out with those similarities in mind, although on a subconscious level, I’m sure that the knowledge of those similarities must have existed.”

“I should probably tell you that I kissed your brother.” Maria sighed. “It was before I knew you had a twin, but I should’ve known that he wasn’t you.”

“You could tell the difference by the kiss, huh?” Even though they had both admitted that the relationship was basically doomed from the start, it still hurt to know that Michael was apparently better than him at that too.

“Your brother is exactly the type of guy that I’m attracted to, Brendan.” She took a deep breath, not really wanting to get into that just yet. “Can I ask you a question about your ex-girlfriend?”

His heart thudded painfully and slowly in his chest. “Okay.”

Maria watched him, easily able to tell that it was still a very sensitive and painful subject. “You don’t have to feel obligated to answer, Brendan; if you’d rather not talk about her – “

“No, go ahead and ask your question.”

“What happened when you kissed her?”

“Um, what?”

“How did it make you feel?”

“Oh, well…” He scratched his neck and cleared his throat. “Wow, I’ve never really put it into words. I felt… this’s gonna sound stupid.”

“It’s not gonna sound stupid; it’s how you feel,” she assured him.

“Well, I’ve never experienced anything that came even close to kissin’ Karen; it was like the most incredible… the most right thing that had ever happened to me. It felt like this amazin’ rush of wild and crazy mixed up with the safest and most secure feelin’ you could imagine; it was a complete contradiction.” A gentle smile crossed his features at the memories.

“And you didn’t feel that with me, did you?” She nodded when his gaze lifted to hers and she saw the look of understanding on his face. “So, no hard feelings?”

“No, not at all. Maybe we could just stick with bein’ friends?”

“I’d like that.” Maria smiled at him and pulled out the stool at the end of the counter so she could sit down. “Why didn’t you tell me about Michael?”

Brendan shrugged. “Because he’s a magnet for women; he’s charismatic, he can charm his way into any woman’s bed, and he’s good at everything he does.”

“You’re a great guy, Brendan, so why does he… I’m not sure if he intimidates you or if you’re jealous of him.”

He nodded at the beer on the counter in front of her. “You mind if I get one of those?” He stood when she nodded and he walked into the kitchen. “Michael and I don’t get along and he makes it a point to always interfere in my life… he pushed it the other night, talkin’ about Karen…”

“You accused him of being responsible for your breakup, and judging by his reaction it was the first time you had ever said anything like that.”

“I just found out about it myself, so, it was the first time it came up.” He popped the cap off of the bottle in his hand and took a long drink.

“You really believe your brother to be capable of that?” she asked curiously.

“What reason would my father have to lie?” he countered. He decided not to mention that just a few minutes ago she had said that Michael had kissed her and let her think it was him.

“Your father struck me as the type who would say or do anything to get what he wants, and, Brendan, strictly speaking as someone on the outside looking in, that man has you under his thumb and that’s where he wants you to stay.” She could see that he was about to protest so she changed tactics. “Just out of curiosity, how did Karen get along with your father?”

“Well, they didn’t really interact very much.” He sighed and sat down again.

“Who did you talk to about your breakup with her? Alex? Brooke?”

He shrugged. “I’ve never really talked about it with anyone.”

Maria rested her chin in her hand as she watched him tracing the pattern on the countertop with his pinky finger. “You’re still in love with her, aren’t you? Michael was right about that.”

He smiled sadly and took a drink of his beer. “You’d think after a year and a half I’d be over her, but… I don’t want to be over her. There’s this part of me that just knows somethin’ happened that forced her to break up with me and walk away, but then there’s this other part that thinks maybe I was somehow pushin’ too hard, makin’ her choose between my dreams and hers.” He set the bottle down and glanced at her. “Maybe she found out that I was gonna ask her to marry me and it just freaked her out.”

“You were that serious?”

“I thought we were. I had the ring in my pocket and I was plannin’ to ask her the night she told me it was over. God, I had been carryin’ it around for days, just waitin’ for the right moment, and when I walked into her room and saw her standin’ at the window… We had been plannin’ to go to college here; we were gonna get our own place, major in somethin’ related to computers and design so after graduation we could design and market our own gaming software.” He smiled softly. “She’s into all that stuff too and we had all these ideas about how to create cutting edge programs for educational purposes.”

“I’ll bet your father would’ve just loved that.”

Brendan chuckled. “I was so ready to be Dad’s final disappointment.”

“Have you talked to Karen since she broke up with you?”

“No, she refused to see me again after that day.” He turned his head and met her gaze steadily. “I didn’t think talkin’ about this would make any difference, but I actually feel better than I have in a long time.”

“Have you been involved with anyone since Karen?”

“Well, there’s this cute little blond that I went out with a few times, but I think she’s got a thing for my twin brother,” he teased with a genuine smile.

“I am not interested in your brother,” she denied, shoving his shoulder.

“Yeah, you are.” His expression turned serious. “Maria, you can deny interest in Michael all you want, but, I think we both know you’re attracted to him. Just… be careful, okay? He’s my brother and I don’t wanna say anything bad about him, but, he’s a womanizer, and I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“Fine, I’m attracted to him, but he’s the type of guy I’m trying to avoid.”

“We’re not gonna solve my problems with Karen or your problem with Michael tonight, so why don’t we go get somethin’ to eat and catch a movie?”

“It’s interesting how you seem to have lost that nervousness and awkwardness that you’ve had every time we’ve gone out,” Maria observed.

“I’m not quite as nervous or awkward as a friend.”

Maria nodded and stood up, taking their bottles and rinsing them out before dropping them in the recycle bin. “Alright, let’s go out and relax for a while.”

*****

Michael pulled out of Courtney’s driveway and smoothly shifted gears as he settled more comfortably in the plush leather bucket seat of the Charger. He glanced over at his sister and glared at the two dogs that would no doubt leave tiny Chihuahua hairs all over his leather interior.

“So, what’re you hungry for tonight?” he asked.

“Mexican. Isabel was making steak fajitas, so now I’m kinda in the mood for somethin’ along those lines. Is that cool with you, or you wanna get somethin’ else?”

“Nah, that’s cool.”

“So, Michael, whatcha think about Maria?”

His conscience pricked as his brain quickly supplied a mental picture of the woman. He really hadn’t intended to kiss her that day at the pier even though he had let her think he was Brendan, but when the opportunity had presented itself he hadn’t been able to let it pass by. No, he shouldn’t have been flirting with his brother’s girlfriend and if he’d had the slightest thought that Brendan was over Karen or that he had any chance of moving on with Maria he never would’ve acted the way he had. Or at least, he hoped he wouldn’t have acted that way if circumstances had been different.

“Michael?”

“What?”

“You didn’t answer my question; what do you think about Maria?”

He shrugged and glanced down when Buffy jumped across the console to sit in his lap. Great, dog hair on everything including him. “I don’t know, she’s okay, I guess. Why?”

“Well, two reasons, actually; first, she’s not dating Brendan anymore and I kinda got the feelin’ you liked her… a lot, and second, I overheard Isabel tellin’ Alex that you kissed Maria before she knew about you, which means she thought you were Brendan.”

“So?”

Brooke’s eyebrows lifted at his defensive tone. “I can’t believe you kissed her and let her think you were Brendan. That’s just wrong, Michael, and it’s totally beneath you.”

Michael winced at her disapproving tone and nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I know. I shouldn’t have done it, but there was somethin’… I don’t know…”

“You do like her!” she shouted triumphantly.

“Maybe.”

“There’s no maybe about it. Admit it, Michael, you’re attracted to her.”

“So what if I am? It wouldn’t go anywhere if we hooked up; it’d just be for a few weeks at most, and then we’d go our separate ways.”

“You deserve more than one night stands and relationships that last a matter of weeks.” She knew he didn’t believe it; he had grown up being told that he was worthless and he wasn’t worth loving and at some point he had started to believe it.

“How’s school goin’?” It wasn’t subtle in the least, it was simply an obvious declaration that he wanted to change the subject.

“School sucks like it always does.” Brooke turned sideways in her seat. “Let me drive your car, Michael.”

“Um, what?”

“Well, I’ve gotta learn to drive some time, right? I mean, back in New York Mom an’ Dad always made me take the limo, so I’ve never learned to drive.”

“This’s a new car, brat.”

“But, it’s a cool car! C’mon, Michael,” she whined. “Alex drives a truck, Brendan drives a car that doesn’t have the class that this one does, and Kyle has a Mustang. Granted, the Mustang is a cool car, but the Charger clearly outclasses it!”

His gaze slid over the interior and his right hand caressed the chrome shift knob as he debated whether or not to let his sister sit behind the steering wheel. The car was his baby and he didn’t want it to be damaged in any way by the enthusiastic sixteen-year-old. No, he wasn’t gonna do it; she got her way about a lot of things, but he was standing firm on this one.

Michael glanced at his sister and felt his resolve melt as soon as he saw the pleading look in her brown eyes. “Alright, let’s grab somethin’ to eat first though, okay? If I take you back home without eatin’ I’ll never hear the end of it from Alex.”

Brooke grinned. She loved it when she got her way! “Yeah, well, Alex does take this parenting thing pretty seriously. Can we get the food to go?”

His gaze shot to her and he shook his head. “No, no, no! We do not eat in this car, ever!” He rolled his eyes as he took the on-ramp to get on the freeway. “Lesson one – bring nothin’ into this car that could potentially harm the interior!” He glared at the dog in his lap. “That includes these little beasts, but they get a pass because they’re yours.” He grinned at his sister when she huffed in indignation but a moment later she was grinning back at him. “Put some music on, brat; if you’re gonna get your first drivin’ lesson tonight, you’ve gotta have the right music.”

“As long as you’ve got Metallica CD’s in the car we’re good to go.”

Michael snorted at that. “Six-disc changer and they’re loaded into every slot, so take your pick.”

Brooke reached for the power button on the stereo and quickly figured out how to operate the expensive system, selecting one of the discs and then scanning through for the song she wanted. The pounding music filled the car and before long they were singing along with the band and debating where they wanted to stop for dinner.

*****

Alex was making a pot of coffee when Brooke flounced into the kitchen with both dogs chasing after her, barking and growling. Obviously she was in a better mood, he thought. It hadn’t taken long to realize that the dogs reacted to her moods and for the past few days they had been blessedly quiet as she moped around the house. But, now that she was happy again the dogs were expressing their joy… loudly.

The reason for Brooke’s good mood sauntered into the kitchen after a few moments and pulled out one of the chairs at the kitchen table. Michael slouched down and stretched his left arm out on the table as he waited for Alex to tell him why he was there.

Alex was turning away from the counter when Brooke suddenly pounced, hugging him and whispering a quick ‘thank you’ before rushing out of the room. “You guys didn’t go to that movie, did you?”

“No. We stopped and got somethin’ for dinner and then we went out to find a deserted parkin’ lot so she could – “

“You let her drive?”

“Don’t give me a lecture, Alex. She’s sixteen years old and she’s never learned to drive.”

“Would you at least wait until I can get her downtown to get her learners’ permit?” He shook his head. “I don’t have any problems with you teachin’ her to drive – you know I completely trust you with her – but I don’t want the two of you getting into trouble because she doesn’t have that permit.”

Michael nodded. “Guess I didn’t think about that.” He made a motion with his right hand. “Okay, so, what’s up, Alex? You didn’t tell me to stop by so we could talk about Brooke’s learners’ permit.” He had a bad feeling that he knew what his older brother wanted to talk about and he really wasn’t prepared to deal with another lecture about kissing Brendan’s girlfriend. He had already endured one painful conversation with Brooke and he didn’t feel like going over it again.

“Did you pretend to be Brendan so you could make out with his girlfriend?”

“No. I never told her I was Brendan; she just assumed I was him.” He shrugged. “I can’t be held responsible for what goes on in her head.”

“You knew she thought you were Brendan.” Alex shook his head. “How could you do that, Michael? You know she’s the first girl he’s asked out since he and Karen broke up – “

“Why don’t you just ask what you really wanna ask, Alex!” Michael shouted as he shoved himself to his feet. “Everyone else thinks I’m the reason they broke up, so go ahead, ask!”
Alex watched his brother as he prowled around the room. “I’ve asked what I wanted to ask, Michael.” He turned to pour coffee into a couple of mugs and then set one on the island for his brother if he wanted it.

“You don’t think I’m the reason Karen broke up with him?” Michael asked cautiously.

“No. I just wanna know why you kissed Maria while she was dating Brendan.” Alex crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned back against the counter. “That’s not normal behavior for you.”

Michael shrugged. “I don’t know why I did it, Alex. I mean, she’s pretty hot, but… hell, you’re doin’ a hot chick and I don’t have any interest – “ He jumped when Alex brought his open palm down against the countertop hard enough to cause the coffee mug to bounce and sending the hot liquid sloshing over the sides.

“You’re a grown man, Michael, and you can say and do whatever you want, but do not disrespect Isabel like that. You shouldn’t talk like that about any woman, and you’re gonna have to learn that if you ever reach a point in your life where you want somethin’ more permanent from a woman. But don’t you ever talk about Isabel like that again.”

Michael held his hands up in surrender. “Whatever. I’m sorry, okay?”

“No, Michael, it’s not okay.” Alex paused to rein his temper in before speaking again. “Do you even have any idea why the way you talk about women is offensive?”

Michael shrugged and twisted the wide silver ring on the forefinger of his left hand. “Nope.”

He nodded. “You’re a liar. You treat women the way you do because you don’t want anyone to get too close. One of these days you’re gonna meet a woman who’s gonna make you take a good, hard look at yourself, Michael, and you’re not gonna like what you see.”

“Are we done with our Psyche 101 lesson? Because I’ve got somewhere I need to be.”

Alex sighed and nodded. He knew the time wasn’t right to push Michael. “Good luck tomorrow.”

Michael grinned. “Football and women, Alex… I don’t need luck with either of them.” He ducked out of the kitchen with the intention of avoiding any further discussion and froze when he came face to face with his brother’s girlfriend. Fuck! Had she overheard their conversation?

“Michael, isn’t it? I don’t believe we’ve been formally introduced.”

He just knew he had a dumb expression on his face when he looked down at her extended hand as if he had never seen one before. Shake her hand, you dumbass! “Uh, no… I know who you are though.”

“Uh-huh.” Isabel bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing at his panicked expression.
“Because I’m hoping we can actually use each other’s names as opposed to colorful… nicknames.”

“Um, right. Wait… what?”

“Well, for instance, I thought instead of calling you a bed-hopping man-whore I’d just use your given name.” Her dark eyes sparkled with humor. “And instead of you calling me the hot chick your brother’s doing, maybe you could just call me Isabel?”

“Yeah.” Michael reached up to scratch his eyebrow and he grinned sheepishly. “Well, I guess that’d be a lot easier to remember, huh?” He glanced over his shoulder to make sure Alex wasn’t close enough to hear them. “Look, about that… y’know, what I said…”

Isabel smiled at him and shook her head. “Don’t worry about it, Michael; I’ve already forgotten it.”

“Think you could make him forget it?”

“I doubt it, and I’m not sure I want him to forget it. I kinda like being with a guy who finds comments like that offensive and he’s not worried about saying something when people make them. Your brother’s a very honorable man and he gets on your case about stuff like that because he cares about you.”

“Yeah, well… I should go. Big practice game tomorrow.”

Isabel locked the door behind him before going into the kitchen where Alex was waiting. “You’re not really mad at him, are you?” she asked as she leaned against him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

His hands settled against either side of her neck and his thumbs stroked along her delicate jaw as he considered her question. “No, I guess not. He’s just… he’s better than that, Iz. I know why he acts like that; my parents are responsible for years of emotional abuse and neglect, and as a result he doesn’t think he has any right to expect happiness.”

“He’ll find his way, Alex.” She brought her hands up to frame his face and directed his gaze to hers. “He’s got you to look up to,” she said with a smile. “He can’t go wrong with you as a role model, so just be patient with him.”

“Be patient, huh?” He shrugged one shoulder and nodded. “Okay.”

“It’s getting late, so I should probably go.”

“Oh, I really don’t want you to go,” Alex groaned at her whispered words and lowered his head to kiss her. “I’ll talk to Brooke tomorrow,” he promised.

“Are you sure about that, Alex? Because if you’re not…”

“I’m not gonna sneak around, and I’m not gonna ask you to sneak around, just because I’ve got my little sister livin’ with me.” He smiled and shook his head. “She’s old enough to understand that we’re both adults pursuing a mature relationship; I’m not gonna treat her like a child. Besides that, she’s not my daughter, she’s my sister, and I can’t expect respect from her if I don’t give it to her.”

“Well, I guess you’d better hurry up and walk me to my car before all those good intentions go right out the window,” she said when his eyes began to darken and she felt his breathing take on a ragged quality.

“Right.”


*****

Next part… look for Max to make his appearance!
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Fics: A Xmas Story - A Merry Mt. R. Xmas - Cupid's Revenge - Double Trouble - Double Date - Double Dare - Double Empire - Double Xmas Wish - In The Course Of A Lifetime - Mountains So High - Not A Question At All - Surrender - TIC TAC - Two Double Dates at Xmas
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Double Trouble
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Double Trouble (CC, AU, Adult) - Part 15 - 4/9/09

Post by Double Trouble »

Alien_Friend: No, there was definitely no malicious intent on Michael’s part. Maria and Brendan will become very good friends. Brooke knows how to work things to her advantage, especially with big brother Michael.

begonia9508: So, you think Brendan should look Karen up, huh? Hmmm… you just never know… Brooke does know how to manage her boys. Alex would make an awesome brother, wouldn’t he? We agree!

guelbebek: Our Max, a jerk? Never! He’ll be different in our fic than he was in the show, but we think readers will like him. We’ll look forward to everyone’s opinions of his character.

sarammlover: Maria and Brendan needed to have that talk, you’re right, and now they’re well on their way to becoming great friends. Too bad we can’t all have an “Alex” in our lives, huh? Yeah, Michael will get it… eventually.

tequathisy: No need for too much drama on the Maria/Brendan front… neither of them really wanted a relationship with the other. Which works well for the development of the Michael/Maria relationship, right?

nibbles2: Maria and Brendan needed that conversation and their friendship will play an important role for both of them later in the fic. Brooke won’t give up on her big brother – she’ll get through to him one way or another.

destinyc: Michael will get a clue… with the help of the women in his life – and he has plenty of them now – he’s going to have more help than he wants.

chanks_girl: The Maria/Brendan friendship will grow throughout the fic… no need for drama there! You can expect to see a lot more interaction between Michael and Brooke, and you’re definitely right about her having the guys wrapped around her little finger. Alex takes his role as the oldest very seriously and with their parents, that’s a good thing! We’re glad you enjoyed the introduction between Michael and Isabel!


Author’s Note: Song credit for “Whiskey in the Jar” goes to Metallica – lyrics obviously don’t belong to us.


Part 15 – More Than Meets the Eye

“You had sex!” Tess shouted when Isabel strolled in late that night.

Isabel merely raised one eyebrow and went in search of something to drink. “Maybe,” she said, her tone noncommittal.

“Oh, you sooo did,” Maria added as she hauled herself up off of the couch, nudging Liz in the process. “This’s gonna be much better than biology in a book!”

Isabel took a long drink of water and studied the nails on her left hand for several long moments before she looked up at them and grinned. “I don’t think ‘had sex’ really defines what we did… the phrase just doesn’t do it justice. Just for the record though, when you first met him and you asked him if he was good with his hands? Yeah, I can vouch for that.”

“Do I have to ask the question?” Tess asked.

Liz frowned. “What question?”

“Which guy’s better in bed. Spill it, Whitman,” Maria encouraged.

“Logan was an amateur. The weird thing is I had no idea what I was missing before now. I never questioned Logan, y’know? We pretty much did what he wanted, when he wanted, and the way he wanted. Alex is just… God, he’s incredible!”

Maria grabbed the spray nozzle off of the back of the sink and turned the cold water on, squeezing the handle and spraying a burst of water directly on Isabel. She laughed when Isabel squealed and hurried to get out of the line of fire.

“Maria, what’re you doing?!” she yelped, shaking water off of herself.

“You looked like you were getting overheated.”

“Overheated?” Tess laughed. “Hell, she looked like she was gonna start panting her way through an orgasm! Oh, God… oh, God… Alex… right there… harder… yes, yes, yes!!”

Liz’ eyes widened and she blushed an incredibly bright shade of red. She tried to slink away into the background but Maria grabbed the sleeve of her sweatshirt and held her in place. She just didn’t understand what all the fuss was about, and she wasn’t sure if she was more embarrassed by that or by the curiosity that plagued her every time the girls got together and started talking about sex.

Isabel rolled her eyes at Tess’ exaggerated moaning and groaning dialogue and flung the contents of her water bottle over the other girl. “I think it’s your turn to cool down now.” She chuckled and shook her head. “You’ve watched one too many porn films.”

“Hey,” Tess protested, “I haven’t watched them in years! They were just very educational when I was sixteen.”

Maria shook her head. “You do realize your brain is warped.”

“And you do realize that you watched them too? Besides, I’ve seen the books on the shelf in Kyle’s bedroom, so I don’t think I’ll need to rely on anything I learned from those tapes.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Isabel interrupted before Tess could move on to a new topic. “What kinda books does Kyle have?”

“The man has literally memorized the Kama sutra and some other book about sensual massage.” She glared at Maria. “So, if you’d like to get over this issue you’ve taken with him being Michael’s roommate sometime soon that would be just wonderful.”

“Frustrated?” Isabel taunted with a grin.

Tess glared at her. “I’m so glad you’re riding high on a wave of sexual satisfaction, but the rest of us are so far from that that it’s just cruel that you’re so happy.”

Isabel controlled her expression. “Okay, I’m sorry. I’ll try to control my happiness.” The smile broke out across her face again within seconds. “I can’t do it, I’m sorry.”

“Why didn’t you stay over there tonight?” Maria asked.

“Oh, we talked about it earlier and he wants to talk to Brooke before we start spending the nights together.”

“Okay, changing the subject before we go back to Isabel’s happy place,” Tess said. “Speaking of Brooke, I was talking to her earlier today when I stopped to pick Kyle up from band practice and…” She glanced at Maria to see if she was paying attention. “We were thinking about getting together at a local karaoke bar tomorrow night; she’s supposed to ask Alex about it so I’m sure you’ll be able to spend the evening gazing adoringly at your lover.”

“As much as I’d like to tell you where to stick your plans, I’m in too good of a mood to bother. Do you know why that is?” She grinned widely. “Because I had sex tonight… great sex… hot sex… and now, I think I’ll retire for the evening and see if Alex in interested in engaging in phone sex.”

Tess snorted at that. “You just lost your place on my Christmas list, Whitman.” She rolled her eyes when Isabel just shrugged, unconcerned with the threat. “Anyway, about tomorrow night… you guys are all coming to the bar.” She turned to glance at Liz. “That includes you, Parker.”

“Oh, well, Sean is planning to study – “

“It’s a Friday night and I’m not taking no for an answer. Just tell Sean that he can study after spending a couple of hours with friends. DeLuca, you’re going too.”

“Nope. I know what you’re doing, Tess, and I’m not falling for it.”

“You can’t just not hang out with me because I’m dating Michael’s best friend; that’s not fair.” She stomped her foot in a fit of temper. “We’re gonna go out, have a few drinks, get up on stage and make fools of ourselves, and just have some fun whether you like it or not.”

“Fine, I’ll go, but I’m not gonna enjoy it.”

“Since when do you determine that you won’t enjoy something just because some guy’s gonna be there?”

“I said I’d go!”

“But you don’t want to.”

“No, I don’t want to, Tess! Because you keep pushing me towards a guy that is just like every other guy I’ve ever been with and you know I’m trying to avoid that!”

“Okay, you guys, there’s no reason for this to turn into an argument,” Liz said, trying to placate them before it turned ugly.

“Liz is right, you guys. Tess, stop pushing so hard, and Maria, relax and just be yourself,” Isabel advised. “There’s no reason for us to not hang out together just because Michael’s probably gonna be there. We go, we have fun, and no one puts any pressure on anyone else, okay? C’mon, you guys! Maria, look, you don’t have to get involved with Michael; that’s totally your call and Tess understands that… don’t you, Tess?”

“Whatever.” She crossed her arms over her chest as she stared at Maria. “I’m just trying to get you out to have some fun. If that happens to include sex, what’s wrong with it?”

“But, you’re gonna stop pushing the Michael thing, right?” Isabel clarified.

“Fine, just suck all the joy out of my life,” Tess grumbled.

“Maria, release Tess from this goofy promise to not have sex because once you do that, chances are good she’ll be so focused on Kyle and what he can do between the sheets that she’ll forget all about her mission to get you laid. And, for God’s sake, let yourself off the hook here! Just because Michael’s the kinda guy you’re attracted to that doesn’t automatically mean that you have to sleep with him, so just go tomorrow night and if he’s there, just be yourself. And do me a favor, will you?”

“What?”

“You remember the advice you gave me about Alex? You told me to not judge him based on what Logan did, remember?” She nodded when Maria mumbled an affirmative response. “Take your own advice, Maria.” She smiled. “It was good advice.”

“Fine, I’ll go tomorrow night.” She glanced over at Liz. “You’re going too, so you might as well tell Sean that he’s gonna have to wait to study.”

*****

The atmosphere in the bar was lively and the stage was constantly in motion as people kept getting up behind the microphone to sing their version of popular songs. The crowd was good-natured and everyone who had taken the stage had been treated well despite the fact that there had been several who should’ve known better than to sing in the shower when they were all alone, much less get up and sing in front of a crowd.

Several tables had been pushed together when everyone had met up inside the bar and found a section large enough to hold all of them. Maria was watching Michael and Brooke as they took the stage, not expecting too much since she doubted he could carry a tune and was most likely up there just to make his little sister happy. Once the music started it was only a matter of seconds before her eyes locked on Michael; it wasn’t intentional, she hadn’t had any plans to focus on him, but she found herself transfixed by him all the same.

He was dressed in a snug black tee shirt and tight black jeans and the stage lights glinted off of the sterling silver dog tags he wore on a chain around his neck. She was certain that there must be a story behind them because Kyle was wearing a set of them too. While the way he was dressed was certainly enough to draw her attention despite her best intentions, it was his expression that held her captivated. It was almost as if the music had become a part of him, as if he could feel every note that pounded in the background. He was standing back from the microphone stand, right arm extended and wrapped around the microphone where it rested in the cradle at the top of the stand, eyes closed, and his right foot keeping time with the music.

Brooke spoke to him and he nodded without opening his eyes, the fingers of his right hand tapping out the rhythm. They launched into the song at the same moment, perfectly in sync, and it was obvious that it wasn’t the first time they had sung together.

As I was going over the Cork and Kerry Mountains
I saw Captain Farrell and his money he was countin’
I first produced my pistol and then produced my rapier
I said “Stand and deliver or the devil he may take ye”

I took all of his money and it was a pretty penny
I took all of his money and I brought it home to Molly
She swore that she loved me no never would she leave me
But the devil take that woman, yeah, for you know she tricked me easy


Maria only half-listened to the lyrics as she watched Michael – something she had found herself doing throughout the evening despite her best intentions to do so. He was different, not just because he could sing, but because of the way he acted around his little sister. There was a softer, gentler, side that came out around the teenager, something that she hadn’t seen when he was with anyone else.

She was surprised by the change in his personality as she observed him with the teenager and it occurred to her that maybe Isabel had been right when she had tossed her own advice back at her the night before. She glanced over at the other girl, smiling at the picture she and Alex made as they leaned in close together in the bench seat against the wall, kissing and gazing at each other adoringly. A few seats further down Tess shoved Kyle playfully when she reached up to grasp his chin and he nipped at her fingertips. Liz was sitting across from her, shaking her head at something Sean was saying. He smiled after a few moments and nodded agreeably before sitting back in his chair, right arm draped across the back of her chair.

Maria was glad that things were working out so well for her friends; they were all happy and involved in good relationships but as happy as she was for them, part of her was still jealous that she hadn’t found someone. She briefly wondered if Brendan had really had that much studying to do or if he just wasn’t ready to spend time with his twin after everything that had happened.

Her gaze was drawn back to the stage when the crowd broke out in applause and loud cheering. The music slowly faded and Michael grinned at his sister when she said something and pointed to the bar’s entrance. He grabbed the microphone and tipped it back towards him as he redirected the audience’s attention.

“Looks like you ladies are in for a treat tonight!” he announced over the PA system as he motioned for someone to come forward. “C’mon, ladies, give it up for that tall Texan, our very own prodigal son, Max Evans!”

Maria’s eyebrows lifted in surprise when a tall, dark-haired guy wearing a black cowboy hat loped through the crowd and jumped up on the stage. A lot of the people in the bar seemed familiar with the newcomer and laughter and booing erupted in response to Michael’s next question.

“Man, what the hell are you wearin’?”

The guy faced the crowd and held his arms out at his sides, revealing the rust-colored jersey belonging to the team for the University of Texas Longhorns.

“Take it off!” a woman across the room shouted and before long most of the women had started chanting the phrase.

“What’s going on?” Tess asked.

“Max is our roommate, teammate, and a very good friend. He and Michael do this to see just how much of a reaction they can get from the women in the crowd.”

“Well, why’s he wearin’ the jersey for a rival team?”

“It belonged to his older brother, Jason; Max was supposed to go to UT at Austin last year ‘cause his brother was in his third year there, but Jason was killed in a hit and run accident the summer before Max’ freshman year, so he transferred out here to get away from everything. Everybody razzes him about the jersey but his brother played for UTA the whole time he was in college and he was a hell of a player, so everyone knows its significance and nobody really gives him any shit about it.”

The women in the crowd went wild when Max took his hat off and plunked it down on Brooke’s head. The teenager rolled her eyes and shook her head in disapproval when her brother just encouraged the women.

“C’mon ladies, who wants to give this young stud a ride?” He glanced at Max and grinned, shaking his head at the frenzied women as he covered the microphone with his right hand. “Man, you know you’re getting laid tonight!”

“Just don’t ruin it by askin’ if they can hold on for an eight second ride, Guerin. I swear to God I’ll kick your ass.”

Michael snorted at that and took a couple of steps back as Max whipped the jersey off over his head and held his arms straight up in the air. But before he had time to enjoy the very vocal appreciation from the women the manager showed up and chased them off of the stage.

“Damn,” Michael muttered, “a couple more minutes and they would’ve been throwin’ money at us.”

“Us?” Max asked. “I didn’t see you takin’ anything off.”

“Not necessary.”

“You’re both disgusting,” Brooke complained, squeezing between them.

“Aw, c’mon, brat, we’re just havin’ some fun,” Michael said, trying to coax a smile out of her.

“Don’t get all pissy, Brooke… you’re gonna make me break out the tickle monster.”

“Michael… no!” She saw his fingers flexing and she ducked around a couple of people to avoid him. She knew he was chasing her, but she was smaller and that gave her an advantage. She saw him move to cut her off and she squealed as she scrambled to safety, landing gracelessly between Alex and Isabel.

“Don’t even think about it,” Alex warned when he noticed Michael debating whether or not he could reach Brooke without climbing over one of them to do it.

“Fine.” Michael threw himself down in the chair next to Maria and crossed his arms over his chest.

“Hey, how come you didn’t call and tell anyone you were gonna be back tonight?” Kyle asked when Max turned back from talking to a couple of women.

“How come you didn’t say anything about all the new faces around here?” he countered. He made his own introductions, memorizing who was who as he shook hands with each of them in turn. He kept his tone level as he and Sean exchanged a civil greeting, easily picking up on the hostility emanating from the other man.

Maria wished Tess were close enough to get her attention because Liz Parker looked like she was about to faint. Max had paused next to her chair and he had been dragged into yet another conversation by a woman passing by so there was a lot of exposed skin just inches from the poor girl.

Liz couldn’t stop her eyes from traveling up over the perfectly sculpted muscles… there were so many of them! A tattoo depicting two strands of barbed wire intertwined together encircled both of his well-developed upper arms and he was wearing a necklace identical to the one that Michael and Kyle both wore.

Her gaze slid up of its own volition and she studied his face; his jaw was shadowed by a five o’clock shadow, he had incredibly soulful brown eyes, a wide smile that was welcoming and warm, and his dark hair was just long enough that it looked perpetually messy. She blinked rapidly when he pulled the jersey on and the material slid down, covering his flesh.

Her eyes nearly shot out of their sockets when he popped the snap on his loose fitting jeans so that he could tuck his shirttail in. He moved with grace and ease, his body language so relaxed that it was evident he was completely comfortable in his skin.

Maria slouched down further in her seat, intrigued by the realization that Liz wasn’t mortified by his actions; the girl was positively hypnotized by every move he made. She glanced at Sean and immediately knew that he wasn’t impressed in any way, shape, or form. He felt threatened by the guy’s very presence and the fact that his fiancé was still staring at Max wasn’t helping any.

“So, Max, what’s with the cowboy hat?” Brooke asked as she ran her fingers over the brim of the felt hat she was still wearing.

“It’s just a prop, kid,” he answered as he moved to drop down in the seat her oldest brother had vacated to go and dance with his girlfriend. “People think I’ve gotta be comin’ in straight off the ranch since I’m from Texas.”

“But, you don’t live on a ranch.”

Max laughed at that and stretched his arms out along the back of the booth. “No, I don’t, and the closest I’ve ever come to horses and cattle is the State Fair back home.”

“So, you’ve never been in a rodeo?”

He shook his head at her disappointed tone. “Nope, but I’ve ridden a mechanical bull… and just for the record, that is not somethin’ you should do after half a dozen shots of Tequila.”

“Tequila? I can’t even get a sip of beer with my overprotective brothers hangin’ over my shoulder all the time.” She sidled up closer to him and met his gaze with the pout she had worked for years to perfect. “Can I have a drink of yours?”

“Are you tryin’ to get me killed?” he growled, his tone teasing. “No way, kid.” He reached out to slide his glass out of her reach. “Okay, what’s been goin’ on while I’ve been gone?”

The guys got involved in a conversation that rapidly turned to football, which pretty much left Sean out in the cold because he wasn’t much of a sports enthusiast. Tess seemed to be quite happy to be wedged in between Max and Kyle and she made it a point to participate in the conversation even though it was pretty clear that she had no idea who did what on the team.

As soon as a very attractive blond took the stage the guys’ attention relocated and before long they were rating her physical features and football had been forgotten.

“She’s okay,” Max admitted with a shrug.

“Okay?” Michael parroted. He frowned at the pathetic response and turned to look at the woman again. “Nah, man, she’s better than okay. Hell, her tits alone are – “

“You’re a pig,” Maria interrupted, turning in her seat to glare at him.

He turned his head to the side, his expression bland. “Oink.”

She shook her head. “A total pig,” she reiterated.

His lips turned up in an irritating smirk. “Wanna try my sausage?”

Maria’s eyes narrowed at his comment and she took a drink of her beer as she let her gaze slide over him dismissively. “No, but thanks anyway. There’s a major shrinkage problem with sausage… not interested in shrinkage.”

“I’m gonna go with Michael on that one, Max,” Kyle said, nodding in agreement and studiously ignoring the conversation going on between Michael and Maria. “She does have nice tits – Ow!” He glared at Tess when one of her high heels connected with his shin. “What? I was just complimentin’ her – “

“Say it again, Kyle,” she dared.

“Max, I’m throwin’ the ball back to you, man.”

“Well, like I said, she’s okay.” He shrugged at his friends’ disbelieving look. “I’m not really into blondes.” He held his hands up before anyone could protest. “Hey, you two, you’re gorgeous, and I’m sure you know it, but I’m just not into blondes.” He picked his glass up and tossed back the shot of Tequila as his eyes shifted to settle on the quiet girl at the end of the table. “I really prefer brunettes; dark-haired, dark-eyed, petite, and mysterious.”

Maria stood up at that point, certain that Sean was gonna blow a gasket at any second. Max Evans was not being subtle and it was time to talk to Liz before he actually pushed the quiet boy into a confrontation. “I’ve gotta go to the restroom, Liz. Go with me.”

“Why is it women can’t go to the bathroom by themselves?” Michael muttered. “You always go in groups. What’s up with that?”

“They go in groups to talk about us,” Kyle offered wisely.

“Kyle?” Tess waited until he looked at her. “Keep it up with those remarks and instead of my hot little body, you’ll be sleeping with one of your Buddha statues tonight.” She nodded to herself when she saw that her threat had bought enough time for Maria to get away with Liz.

“So, Sean, how long have you an’ Liz been together?” Max asked.

“Long enough that you can just look somewhere else for someone to hit on. I know why you’re watchin’ Liz – “

“Hey, man, I just asked a question.” He nodded at the ring on Sean’s left hand. “You guys married?”

“Not yet.” He glanced down at the ring. “It’s a purity ring.”

“That’s the gayest thing I’ve ever heard from a guy,” Kyle muttered and hurried to grab a hot wing out of the basket on the table and shove it in his mouth before he got himself in trouble.

“A purity ring?” Max shook his head. “How old are you?”

“20.”

“Uh-huh… and you’re a virgin? So, why’re you the only one wearin’ the ring?”

“Not that it’s any of your business, but Liz is wearin’ an engagement ring; it speaks for itself.”

“Why’re you wearin’ the ring?” Max stretched out in a lazy sprawl and his gaze was insolent as he waited for an answer. “Why d’you have the need to announce to the world that you’re not getting any?” He shook his head when Sean remained silent. “Most people who wear those damn things are nothin’ but liars. You wanna wait to have sex until you get married, that’s your call and you’ve got every right to do that, but if you’ve gotta put it out there like that…” He shook his head and motioned for the waitress to come over. He smiled at the woman when she nodded and held one finger up, letting him know it’d be a minute before she could get to him. He turned his attention back to Sean. “You sure you’re not screwin’ around behind her back?”

Sean was gritting his teeth so hard his head was already hurting. “I think I’d rather not talk to you anymore if you don’t mind.”

*****

“Okay, what’s going on with you, Liz?” Maria demanded as she pushed the other girl into the restroom ahead of her and locked the door. She looked around and shook her head, wondering why these impromptu meetings seemed to always take place in whatever ladies’ room was available.

“What?”

“Don’t you ‘what’ me, Elizabeth Parker. You were out there salivating over the new guy – “

“Max,” Liz supplied helpfully.

“Whatever! You’re out there drooling all over the place while you’re staring at him and the whole time Sean’s sitting right beside you!”

“You stare at guys all the time!”

“Not while wearing an engagement ring and sitting beside my fiancé.”

“Now I’m confused; you guys are always on my case because I’m quiet and I don’t have anything to add to conversations about guys…” She held her hands up in question. “So, I just happened to notice Max Evans – although you have to admit that he was pretty hard to miss since he was standing less than a foot away with all that skin on display – and now you’re upset with me!”

“I just wanna know what’s gotten into you.”

“Nothing, Maria! I was just appreciating the view, that’s all.”

“You don’t have to be like the rest of us, Liz,” Maria assured her friend. “I know how we all act, but you’ve got Sean, so… I guess I’m just sayin’ that you’re lucky that you’ve got him, y’know? You already know who you want, what you want, and where you’re goin’… just… don’t mess that up to be like us, Liz. I know I make fun of you sometimes, but truthfully, I’m a little jealous.”

“Of me?”

“Yes, of you… and of what you have.”

Maria was jealous of her! Liz had no idea how to respond to that and thankfully she didn’t have to come up with anything because someone started pounding on the door at that moment.
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Fics: A Xmas Story - A Merry Mt. R. Xmas - Cupid's Revenge - Double Trouble - Double Date - Double Dare - Double Empire - Double Xmas Wish - In The Course Of A Lifetime - Mountains So High - Not A Question At All - Surrender - TIC TAC - Two Double Dates at Xmas
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Double Trouble
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Double Trouble (CC, AU, Adult) - Part 16 - 4/16/09

Post by Double Trouble »

Alien_Friend: Maria is just worried that all of their teasing and harassing has made Liz want to be more like them – the realization that Sean isn’t the right guy for Liz is something that will become more apparent to her and the others later on. Don’t worry, Liz will be doing more looking as the story continues! The Max and Liz storyline won’t be rushed, but it is going to happen.

begonia9508: Max will be providing plenty of temptation here!

guelbebek: Max is a guy who knows what he wants, but he also has that troublesome little problem of having a conscience, so that is something he will deal with in his pursuit of Liz.

tequathisy: Our Max is many things, but subtle isn’t one of them. The guys do have a great friendship and we’ll see a lot more of that as the fic progresses. Maria wasn’t trying to be harsh, we promise! She’s just worried that Liz is trying to change to fit some image that they’ve convinced her she should resemble.

About the song, thanks for the heads-up! We weren’t insinuating that Metallica wrote the song, just that we were referencing their lyrics – maybe we should’ve been a little clearer!

mary mary: Don’t worry, Liz is definitely having a difficult time figuring out where she fits in and what she wants… and Max is gonna confuse and complicate things, but in the end he’s gonna actually make that choice very simple.

destinyc: We’re glad you liked Max’ entrance! The man knows how to create a stir. Don’t look for Max and Liz’ storyline to happen immediately… it’s gonna be gradual because Liz is in a precarious place and she’s trying to figure out who she is and what she wants.

chanks_girl: We’re glad you enjoying Alex here!


Author’s Note: Song credit for “I Kissed a Girl” goes to Katy Perry – lyrics obviously don’t belong to us!

Link to song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAmuhvyiHig


Part 16 – It All Started With a Challenge…

“So, Max, how’s the motocross thing goin’?” Michael asked, uninterested in Sean or his stupid ring. He didn’t care one way or the other if the guy was a virgin, but he agreed with his friend’s assessment – if he was flaunting it like that he was probably screwing around behind his fiancé’s back.

“It’s been good.” He shrugged and took a drink of his beer before leaning forward to grab one of the individually wrapped toothpicks from the holder near the center of the table. “Won a few, lost a few… I’ve got a competition next Sunday; it’ll be at a course about an hour from here.”

“I wanna go,” Brooke said. “You’re gonna go, right, Michael?”

“Maybe.”

“Aw, c’mon! Tell him he should go, Max.”

“You need to get the okay from Alex before you start makin’ plans to go outta town and drag me with you,” Michael said before she could get ahead of herself.

Brooke huffed impatiently. “You seriously think he’s gonna make me stay home when I could spend the day under your supervision and give him time alone with Isabel?” She jumped up and turned to drop the cowboy hat on her chair. “I’ll go ask him.”

“Well, she’s right about Alex,” Kyle said with a grin. “Hell, Max can probably introduce you to some pretty hot chicks.”

“You guys should all come out for the competition. Although, I don’t know about introducing
Michael to the hot chicks; that little blond of his didn’t look like she’d appreciate – “

“What? Who? Are you talkin’ about Maria?” He gestured to the empty chair beside him. “The little blond that was sittin’ in this chair right here? I’m not sleepin’ with her!” he denied emphatically.

“Really? The two of you just seemed like – “

“No! Man, I wouldn’t have sex with that chick if she was the last remaining woman on the entire planet!”

“Lucky for you I’m not,” Maria said, smacking the back of his head as she returned to her seat.

Michael smirked at her, leaning forward and completely invading her space. “Your loss,” he growled and his dark eyes grew even darker as he shifted closer and stole a quick kiss as he stood up. “You want another drink? Or do you have a problem holdin’ your liquor?”

Maria’s green eyes narrowed at his challenging tone. “Bring it on, Guerin.” Satisfaction rolled through her when surprise flashed in his dark eyes too quickly for him to cover it up. “I can guarantee I can drink you under the table.”

“You’re on.” He reached out and tapped a passing waitress on the shoulder. “Hey, can I get half a dozen shots of…” He glanced at Maria to see if she had a preference.

“Make it Kamikazes,” she answered, “and make it a dozen.” She rolled her eyes at Michael. “I’m not even gonna sit at the same table with you if you think three shots is any way to start a challenge.”

Michael nodded at the waitress and grinned. Oh, he was gonna regret this in the morning! “Make it a dozen.”

“Okay, so, Alex said I can go as long as you’re gonna go,” Brooke said, joining them again.

“What?” Michael turned to look at his sister, wondering what she was babbling about. There was something about Maria that intrigued him but he didn’t know what it was and every time he was around her his world seemed to narrow down until she was the only thing he was aware of. It was just weird, he thought.

“Max has a motocross competition next Sunday, remember?” She rolled her eyes and moved to sit down next to Max again, picking the hat up and placing it on the table. “Will you let me ride around the track with you after the competition’s over, Max?”

“Sure, as long as…” He trailed off and glanced at her. “Wait, you said Alex said you could go… where’re your parents at?”

“Dad’s in Munich babysitting one of his companies and Mom went with him; they decided I’d just be in the way so they asked Alex to take me.”

“Hell, darlin’, I’m sorry,” he murmured, hugging her to his side and dropping a kiss on her head. He knew the history of the relationship she and her brothers had with their parents and despite that distance between them he could hear the hurt and sadness in her voice.

“Hey,” Michael said as he crouched down next to her. “Fuck them and their lack of parenting abilities. This’s probably the best thing they could’ve done for you. Alex is a helluva father figure – do not ever tell him I told you that – and there’s no one better than him to watch over you for the next couple of years.”

“It’s just a year, Michael… if I’m lucky. After that I’ll have to go back to – “

“You don’t honestly think Alex would let them take you back, do you? Besides, they may be related to us by blood, but that’s not what it takes to make a family.” He motioned around the table. “This is what makes a family, brat; the people who watch your back and accept you, flaws and all. Don’t waste your feelings on people who’re never gonna give a damn about you, me, or any-damn-body else. You understand me?”

She nodded and the light reflected off of the tears pooling in her eyes. “Okay.” She sniffled. “You wanna do another song?”

“Why not,” he agreed, reaching up to brush away the single tear that escaped to roll down her cheek. “Just let me go teach that mouthy little blond a lesson first, okay?”

“Can I pick the song?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay.” She smiled at him. “Can I pick who you have to sing with?”

At that moment Michael would’ve given her anything she wanted if it would chase away that sad look in her eyes. “As long as it isn’t Kyle; we’ve got a game tomorrow and we can’t afford for him to miss it. I’ve heard him sing and if he gets up onstage and completely embarrasses himself he’ll be too humiliated to play in front of these people tomorrow. We can’t have the first-string quarterback missin’ two games in a row.”

“You missed the last game?” Max asked around the toothpick in his mouth.

“Guerin punched me in the nuts the night before,” Kyle defended himself.

“Okay, y’know what? It has yet to be proven that I am the guilty party and if it was me then I think I’ve already suffered enough.”

“You think you’ve suffered enough?” Kyle repeated incredulously. “Why? Because your ravioli was wrapped around my dick? I don’t…” He trailed off when everyone at their table fell silent and several people near enough to have overheard his comment gave them strange looks. “Wow, that really does sound perverted, doesn’t it?” He shook his head and laughed. “Okay, just to clarify that statement, it was a bag of frozen ravioli; I couldn’t find the icepack, and my nuts were on fire.”

“Well, that’s a waste of perfectly good Italian food,” Maria said.

“Thank you!” Michael shouted and then glared at Kyle. “Told you.”

“It’s good that you agree with the woman who’s about to drink you under the table.”

Liz leaned in closer to Maria. “What does drinking under the table have to do with it?” she asked, her voice pitched low so it wouldn’t carry. She didn’t want to feel stupid but there were so many things that she just didn’t know.

“No, it’s just a way of saying that I can drink more than he can.”

“Oh. Well, is that smart?”

“I’m not driving and we stopped and had dinner before coming here; the food will absorb the alcohol. Well, not all of it, but a lot of it.”

“Tryin’ to come up with a plan to get outta this?”

Maria shivered when Michael’s breath ghosted across her skin as he leaned down over her chair to ask his question. She resisted the temptation to just lean back into his body and elbowed him in the ribs instead. “Personal space,” she snapped. “Ever heard of it?”

Michael chuckled and moved back. He and ‘personal space’ were old friends, but for some reason that continued to elude him, he was drawn to her and every time she was around he found himself ignoring the rules that governed how personal space was defined. “Getting pissy ‘cause you know you can’t beat me?”

Maria pulled a twenty out of her purse and threw it on the table, defiance radiating from her eyes. “Put your money where your mouth is.”

“Oh, so it’s like that?” He shook his head and pulled his wallet out of his back pocket, flipping it open and pulling a twenty out. “There’s no need for money to change hands if you’re just wantin’ to get me drunk and take advantage of me.”

Maria’s gaze raked over him coolly. “Uh-huh, I wouldn’t pay twenty cents, let alone twenty dollars, for your ass.”

“Whatever. Let’s just do this.”

“Wait a minute!” Kyle yelled, digging into his front pocket for his money. “I want in on this action.”

The pile of twenty dollar bills grew as everyone picked a winner and threw their ante in. Brooke glanced down when Max nudged her, dropping a twenty next to her as he shifted to slide his wallet back into his pocket. He reached for his shot glass and tossed it back before picking up his beer and taking a long drink to chase it down. Brooke hurried to add her twenty to the pile and call out her predicted winner and Max just shrugged when Michael glanced at him, nodding in thanks.

Liz watched the interaction between Max and the others, touched by how gentle he was with the teenager. She flushed hotly when his lips turned up in a teasing smirk and she realized that she had been caught staring again. She glanced at Sean when he shifted to block her view of the other man, but he was acting as if he had turned to watch the stage.

“Hey, DeLuca!”

Maria looked up when Tess called her and she lifted her eyebrows in question when the other girl held up the folder that contained the list of songs available for those who wanted to take a turn at karaoke.

“They’ve got my song on here; you’ve totally gotta sing it with me!”

“What song?”

Tess waggled her eyebrows playfully. “My current favorite song. Aw, c’mon, DeLuca, where’s your sense of adventure? We’ll be finished before the waitress gets back with your drinks.”

“What’re they singin’?” Max asked after the girls got up to head towards the stage.

“I don’t know,” Kyle mumbled, busy stuffing his face with hot wings. “Where’s the pizza?
Didn’t we order it like almost an hour ago?”

“Yeah, we did.” Michael stood up and glanced around looking for their waitress. “I’ll go check on it and see what’s goin’ on,” he said when he didn’t see the woman.

“I think we should go,” Sean said, glancing at his watch. “I really do need to start studyin’ for that – “

“So, leave.”

Sean turned his head when the man Liz kept staring at spoke up from the end of the table. “Uh, I don’t believe you were included in this conversation.”

“Just seems to me Liz doesn’t need you to speak for her.”

“No, it’s alright, we should probably go.” She forced her gaze to stay away from Max as she and Sean gathered their things together and took their leave.

“How the hell did she get tied up with that guy?” Max asked, shaking his head.

“You do know they’re engaged, right?”

He glanced down at the teenager and his brows pulled together in a frown. “Your point?”

“Just that she’s engaged and it would be wrong for you to try to start anything with her.”

He chuckled and shook his head. “Everybody else has a date and I get stuck with Jiminy Cricket,” he complained, but his tone was teasing. “I might flirt, but I wouldn’t go after a woman who’s taken or who isn’t interested.”

“Oh, huh-uh,” Kyle mumbled when the music for the song started. He recognized it immediately and his gaze shot to the stage where the girls were dancing enthusiastically as they waited for the right note. He couldn’t take his eyes off of his girlfriend as she and Maria launched into the song and by the time they hit the chorus his mouth was hanging open and he was sitting on the edge of his seat.

This was never the way I planned
Not my intention
I got so brave, drink in hand
Lost my discretion
It's not what, I'm used to
Just wanna try you on
I'm curious for you
Caught my attention

I kissed a girl and I liked it
The taste of her cherry chapstick
I kissed a girl just to try it
I hope my boyfriend don't mind it
It felt so wrong
It felt so right
Don't mean I'm in love tonight
I kissed a girl and I liked it


As they reached the end of the song they leaned in towards each other and almost every man in the room was holding their breath as they waited for the two women to kiss. When less than an inch separated them they suddenly shifted and hugged instead and a collective groan went up from the guys in the crowd.

“Men are so easy,” Tess said as she made her way around the table with the intention of retaking her seat next to Kyle. She squealed when he grabbed her hand and tugged her down to sit in his lap instead.

“You were totally hot up there, babe,” he growled before he kissed her.

“Uh-huh, and you weren’t disappointed that I didn’t kiss Maria?”

“Okay, I’m not even gonna lie,” he admitted. “But, I’m a guy, so you can’t blame me for thinkin’ that two hot chicks kissin’ is off the charts.”

“No, I totally understand,” Tess said, leaning back and smiling at him. “And y’know, Maria and I discussed it…” She nodded when he glanced at her friend and then back to her. “And we agreed that we would totally make out, but there’s a catch…” Kyle shifted and his expression was so eager that Tess was having a difficult time controlling the urge to laugh. “Yeah, you’ve gotta make out with Michael first.”

Kyle made a face. “Oh, yeah, that’s not gonna happen.” He frowned when she watched him expectantly. “Well, why would you wanna see me make out with another guy?”

“Why would you wanna see me make out with another girl?” she countered.

“Okay, your point’s taken.”

“Besides,” she whispered in his ear, “wouldn’t you rather have me all to yourself tonight?”

“Hope you’re ready to admit defeat,” Michael crowed as he set a tray with a dozen shots on the table. “Clear some space, Valenti, pizza’s on the way.” He paused and looked around when the people at the table looked at him. “What?”

“Would you make out with Kyle if it meant you could watch me and Maria make out?” Tess asked, watching him.

“You’re kiddin’, right?” he asked, laughing uncomfortably. “Uh, no… no… fuck, no! Guys don’t come any straighter than me!” He shuddered at the thought of kissing another guy. “What kinda question is that anyway?” He snatched the first shot up off of the tray and tossed it back in hopes of erasing that image from his mind. Okay, that didn’t work as well as he had hoped it would.

“You’re cheating!” Maria accused. She would’ve been happy to continue to hurl insults at him but he suddenly grabbed her and his mouth settled over hers in a rough kiss. He wasn’t worried about finesse as his tongue demanded entrance and swept over the roof of her mouth before tangling wetly with hers. He shifted his stance and his hands came up to cradle her jaw as he gentled the kiss before pulling away.

Michael stepped back and waited to see what she would do next, curious about whether or not she would slap him for acting so boldly and taking something that she hadn’t offered. His left eyebrow quirked when she snatched up one of the shot glasses and drained it before slamming it down next to the one he had just emptied.

“I’ll go on record as saying that this man is one hundred percent heterosexual.” She turned around and poked him in the chest. “Not that you had any right to do that. We don’t know each other and I don’t even like you – “

He grinned and reached for another shot glass, holding it out to her. “You do like me,” he said when she took the glass from him. “And you’re about to get your ass kicked because you can’t drink more alcohol than me.”

*****

The atmosphere in the car was silent and heavy as Sean drove Liz back to her apartment after leaving the bar. He knew he had to say something but he wasn’t sure how exactly he should approach the topic; this was new territory for them and he had no idea what he should say. He didn’t want to come across as accusatory because he was sure it wasn’t all her fault, but at the same time he wasn’t stupid or blind and he knew what he had seen no matter how much he wished he hadn’t seen it.

He cleared his throat uncomfortably as they stopped at a red light at a busy intersection. “So, Liz, you wanna tell me what that was back there?”

“What’re you talking about, Sean?” She cringed at the question. She knew what he was talking about, but she wasn’t interested in discussing it. She had no idea what had drawn her attention to Max Evans or why she hadn’t been able to take her eyes off of him, but she was certain that if she ignored whatever it was and avoided him, she wouldn’t have to deal with it.

“It just kinda seemed like you were payin’ a lot of attention to the new guy and I think I have a right to ask about it.” He glanced back at the road when the light turned green and he shrugged one shoulder. “So, what is it? You think he’s attractive? You like him? What is it?”

“Sean, there’s nothing wrong with noticing that someone else is attractive; I don’t say anything to you when you look at other girls.”

“I don’t look at other girls,” he denied.

Liz rolled her eyes. “Yes, you do. I’ve seen you do it! All I’m saying is that we’re in a committed relationship so I don’t see why either of us should feel threatened if the other person happens to notice that someone else is attractive.”

“A committed relationship with no sex.”

“That was a joint decision,” she reminded him, shaking her head. “I didn’t come up with it on my own.”

“I’m sorry, Liz,” he apologized as he parked in front of her building. “If I go out I’m usually with you or Brendan; I don’t normally hang out with people who talk so freely about sex. It’s just a little nerve-wracking when you’re the only one not havin’ sex, y’know?”

Liz thought about all the times the topic came up at the apartment – which was pretty often – and she nodded with a smile. “Yeah, I know. It’s like there’s this big secret and everyone knows it but you. Hey, at least you share an apartment with one guy and he’s not having sex in the next room.”

“I guess that is an advantage.” They walked up to the front door in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. At the door he waited for Liz to retrieve her keys and let herself inside. “So, all the girls are, uh…”

“Well, Isabel is, for sure. Tess will be after tonight, and Maria… well, she and Michael are already kissing at every available opportunity, so it won’t be much longer before they’re having sex, too.”

“Y’know, I always just kinda figured Brendan was a virgin, too, because he’s never said anything about having sex and other than Maria, he hasn’t dated anyone the whole time we’ve been living together, but apparently he’s had sex before.”

“So, he knows what the big secret is too.”

“Yeah, everyone knows but us.” He leaned in to kiss her goodnight. “Well, we’ll find out one day, and it’ll be worth the wait.” He waited until she had gone inside and closed the door before he took off, feeling better than he had before. He was just feeling a little intimidated and insecure after being around the others, but after talking to Liz he felt better. Things were back on track like they were supposed to be, and like she said, there was nothing wrong with looking, right?

Inside the apartment Liz slumped back against the door and slid down to sit on the floor, drawing her knees up to her chest and dropping her head down to rest against them. Sure, she had been convincing and Sean had believed her, but it hadn’t been the complete truth. It wasn’t just a matter of looking at an attractive man; she had wanted to reach out and touch Max Evans, to feel all that perfect flesh he had been displaying. Her fingers had practically been itching to touch him and it was such an unfamiliar response towards a man that she didn’t know how to deal with it. How could she explain that to Sean? How could she explain to him that she was beginning to think that she was perfectly content waiting to have sex until they got married because she just wasn’t attracted to him that way?

Max Evans had caused her hormones to riot and she had no idea what she was supposed to do now. She had no frame of reference for these feelings, no way of knowing if it was a normal reaction to an attractive guy or if it was altogether something different. What if she wasn’t the person she had always believed herself to be? What if she had carefully planned and mapped out everything in her life only to find out that she had no control over any of it?

No. She refused to believe that. Everything was going to continue as planned; she and Sean would finish college, move forward in their chosen career fields, and get married. It was the way they had planned for their lives to go so she was just going to have to adjust the plan slightly to compensate for the outside influence that was now factoring into the equation. She nodded to herself, feeling slightly better as the pieces fell into place in her mind.
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Fics: A Xmas Story - A Merry Mt. R. Xmas - Cupid's Revenge - Double Trouble - Double Date - Double Dare - Double Empire - Double Xmas Wish - In The Course Of A Lifetime - Mountains So High - Not A Question At All - Surrender - TIC TAC - Two Double Dates at Xmas
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Double Trouble
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Double Trouble (CC, AU, Adult) - Part 17 - 4/23/09

Post by Double Trouble »

Alien_Friend: Plans have a way of going off in their own direction… As for Liz, well, let’s just say that Max will be difficult to deny.

Look for more Candy interaction in the next part!

Brooke is a lucky girl and the guys are an important part of her life.

destinyc: Max will provide an interesting option to her current plan.

nibbles2: We’re glad you like Max! The drinking game will reach an unexpected conclusion… we can’t have Michael out of commission for a game.

tequathisy: With the introduction of Max… you had doubts?

chanks_girl: Denial is not going to last very long! Brooke definitely knows how to get what she wants and she’s definitely a lucky girl. Don’t worry, Liz will slowly discover that there’s a LOT more to life!

MerlinsGhost: Welcome to our little world! We’re glad you took a chance on our fic even though Michael and Maria-based fics aren’t the type you usually read! We’re happy to hear that you’re lovin’ our Max!

We post every Thursday!


Author’s Note: Song credit for “Let’s Talk about Sex” goes to Salt-n-Pepa – lyrics obviously don’t belong to us – we’re just borrowing them!

Link to song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzfo4txaQJA


Part 17 – And it Continued With a Song…

Michael tossed back his fifth shot… or was that the sixth? He was having a hard time focusing on the shot glasses lined up in front of him. He glanced at Maria, nodding in satisfaction when he saw that she was being very careful as she leaned forward to add her empty shot glass to the ever-growing line. He was surprised that she was keeping up with him but he wasn’t about to admit that to her. Instead he reached for the next glass, frowning when someone reached out to take his arm and push him back in his seat.

“What’re you doin’?” he grumbled, turning to look at the owner of the hand.

Kyle grinned and motioned to Brooke where she sat at the other end of the table, waving the song list folder and speaking rapidly to Tess.

Okay, that probably wasn’t good, he thought. “What’s up, brat?”

“You said I could pick the song and who you had to sing with, right?”

He shook his head when she shifted back too fast and for a moment it looked like there were two of her sitting there. “Huh?”

“You’ve gotta get back up on stage and sing somethin’ the girls picked out,” Kyle explained for him.

“Oh! I’ve gotta go sing, that’s right. I knew that!” He stood and stretched, quickly grabbing the edge of the table when the floor shifted under his feet. “Someone needs to tell the manner… manger…” He frowned and looked at Kyle. “What’s that person called?”

“The manager?”

Michael snapped his fingers and nodded, pulling his expression into something resembling serious. “That’s the one.”

“What do we need to tell them?”

“What?”

“You said we needed to tell them somethin’,” Max said helpfully, grinning when Michael frowned in concentration.

“Oh, right… yeah, the floor’s not level or somethin’. Probably oughta tell ‘em.” He leaned back when Maria stood up beside him. “You leavin’?”

“I think I’m singin’ somethin’,” she slurred slightly.

“Nope, I’m the one who’s gonna be singin’.”

“Actually, you’re both gonna be singin’,” Kyle interrupted. “Brooke picked out a song that you can both sing together. Wasn’t that nice of her?” His tone was placating but neither of them seemed to notice.

“She can’t sing,” Michael protested, “she’s drunk!”

“I’m not drunk, I’ve just got a good buzz goin’ on… you’re drunk!”

“I think I’d know if I was drunk… this’s a stupid conversation, let’s just go do the song.”

It wasn’t until they got up on stage, holding onto each other since management hadn’t fixed that problem with the shifting floor that they realized that neither of them knew what song Brooke had chosen for them to sing. The music started and Michael’s muddled brain recognized it but he couldn’t figure out why he knew it.

“Let’s talk about sex,” Maria said when she heard him muttering to himself about not being able to place the music.

That got his attention and he looked at her, his dark eyes tracing over her features in a way that made her hot all over. “Right here?” he asked slowly.

“What?”

“You wanna talk about sex right here?”

“No, dumbass, the song… Let’s Talk About Sex…” She pointed at the monitor in front of them and he squinted to get a good look at the screen.

He was going to kill Brooke! He glanced back at Maria and she smirked at him, daring him to get off of the stage and refuse to do the song. No way, baby! “Hope you can keep up,” he challenged as he grabbed the microphone and launched into the song.

Let's talk about sex for now to the people at home or in the crowd
It keeps coming up anyhow
Don't decoy, avoid, or make void the topic
Cuz that ain't gonna stop it
Now we talk about sex on the radio and video shows
Many will know anything goes
Let's tell it how it is, and how it could be
How it was, and of course, how it should be
Those who think it's dirty have a choice
Pick up the needle, press pause, or turn the radio off
Will that stop us, Pep? I doubt it
All right then, come on, Spin


Despite the fact that they had both consumed enough alcohol to make their performance less than perfect, they managed to do a decent job of singing together. They had to rely on each other to remain upright since they were both a little uncoordinated, and even though there were a few times during the chorus that they lapsed into a fit of giggles – which Michael would later deny – they made it through the song without completely ruining it.

Let's talk about sex, baby (sing it)
Let's talk about you and me (sing it, sing it)
Let's talk about all the good things
And the bad things that may be
Let's talk about sex (come on)
Let's talk about sex (do it)
Let's talk about sex (uh-huh)
Let's talk about sex


They wound down from the last rendition of the chorus and the thinning crowd cheered with enthusiasm as they carefully made their way down off of the stage and weaved a path back to their table.

Michael frowned when he noticed Alex standing up and reaching out to offer his hand to Isabel. “You guys goin’ somewhere?”

“Home,” Alex answered. “It’s getting late and despite the mouthy complaints and backtalk I’m getting, Brooke’s tired, and if she plans to be at your game tomorrow afternoon, she needs to get home so she can go to bed. Otherwise she’ll sleep all day and miss the game and then I’ll never hear the end of it.”

“That is sooo not true,” Brooke denied. “I just don’t see why I have to go home when it’s a Friday night and everyone else is stayin’ out late.”

“Because everyone else is legally old enough to stay out late without supervision.” Alex shot a glance at his brother and nodded when Michael motioned at Brooke when she wasn’t looking.

“C’mon, brat, I’ll walk outside with you,” he said, collaring her with his right arm and walking her towards the entrance.

“Well, Alex, your life certainly isn’t gonna be boring for the next couple of years,” Max said with a quiet laugh. “She wants me to take her around the course after the competition next weekend, is that cool?”

Alex studied the other man for several long seconds before nodding. “I want her back in one piece and without so much as a scratch on her.”

“No problem, chief, I’ll make sure she’s got protective gear and I’ll be extra careful with her.”

Michael came back a little while after Alex and Isabel had taken their leave and he dropped back down into the chair beside Maria. The cool breeze blowing off of the ocean had helped to kill the buzz he had been working on. “Okay, what’s next on the agenda?”

“There’re a couple parties on campus we could hit,” Max said as he finished off the glass of soda sitting on the table in front of him. He was always very careful to cut himself off early if he knew he was planning to drive after leaving whatever party or bar he was at.

“I’m in,” Michael said.

“Me too,” Maria added.

Kyle glanced at Tess and she nodded. “We’re in,” he said. “Oh, wait, you guys are both still standin’, so who gets the money?”

“Just give it to the kid,” Max suggested, scooping it up and dropping it in the cowboy hat he was cradling under his left arm. “C’mon, let’s go; I haven’t had a chance to scope out the new girls on campus this year. I’m gonna just go on the assumption that you’re all gonna need a ride?” he asked as they crossed the parking lot.

“You seriously think Alex would’ve left without takin’ our keys if either of us had been drivin’?” Michael shook his head. “You know better than that, Evans.”

“Right, well, I’ve still got the jeep, so you guys are gonna have to fight it out over the seating arrangements.”

“I’ve got shotgun,” Michael called at the exact same moment that Maria called it. He frowned and shook his head. “I get it because he’s my friend.”

She grabbed his arm and pulled him back to stand beside her. “I know you don’t think I’m gonna sit in the backseat with Tess and Kyle while they’re makin’ out.”

“And you think I am? Girl, you’re crazy.”

“I’m sitting in the front seat.”

Tess and Kyle were quite happy to ignore them in favor of climbing into the backseat and making out.

Maria went to walk past Michael with the intention of taking the seat with or without his agreement, but he suddenly scooped her up in his arms. “What do you think you’re doin’?!” she squawked indignantly.

“Well, the way I see it, we’ve got three options; one of us sits back there with them, I sit on your lap, or you sit on my lap. And, since I’m bigger than you are, it only makes sense that you sit on my lap.”

“I will do no such thing,” she stated adamantly.

“Then you can have the backseat.” He put her down and slid into the passengers’ seat, grinning at her arrogantly. “And when they start humpin’ each other back there, just remember that I offered to let you sit in my lap.”

Maria glanced at her best friend and rolled her eyes. It wouldn’t be that shocking if she and Kyle did actually start humping each other in the backseat. “Fine, but I want you to know that I’m not happy about this,” she growled as she accepted his hand and clambered up to sit in his lap.

Neither of them paid any attention to Max as he slid in behind the steering wheel and started the engine, smoothly pulling out of the parking lot and heading for the freeway.

The top was down on the jeep and in spite of the cool night air Michael quickly felt himself start to break out in a sweat. Maria was shifting around in an effort to get comfortable and the constant friction combined with her proximity was already affecting him. “Would you mind bein’ still?” he rasped in her ear.

“I’m tryin’ to get comfortable – “

“Yeah, well, you’re makin’ me uncomfortable, so quit it.”

“How could I possibly be making you uncomfortable? You got the seat,” she complained. She rolled her eyes and shifted once more, but this time the movement caused her right hip to brush up against his… Her eyes widened as she turned her head to look at him and she whispered an apology.

“Would you please stop movin’ now?”

Maria couldn’t help but to feel sympathetic towards him; they had been flirting back and forth all night long, but she had the advantage of hiding her reaction to him. He was in a position where he couldn’t hide anything from her and judging by the set of his jaw and the way he was staring out through the windshield he wasn’t happy about that. She knew he had enjoyed the flirting and the teasing, so she could only assume that it was the lack of control in the situation that he was having a problem with.

He swore under his breath when Max exited off of the freeway and turned onto a smaller road that was poorly maintained. Every single bump in the road caused the woman in his lap to shift against him and under other circumstances it would’ve been an enjoyable sensation, but he was too close to the edge and they weren’t about to engage in any sexual activities so it was pure torture for him.

Maria tried to shift away from his lower body, but it wasn’t like there was really anywhere else to go. She froze when his right hand settled on her bare leg, right below the hem of her shorts, his rough fingers stroking the flesh in random patterns. “That’s not gonna help the situation,” she said, her voice low so it wouldn’t carry to the others.

Michael didn’t doubt that, but there really wasn’t anything else he could do about it either. “No, but it’ll let me focus on somethin’ else other than the fact that I’m hard as a fuckin’ rock and even though I’ve got a woman squirming around in my lap I can’t do anything about it.”

“Good point.” She relaxed against him and wrapped her right arm around his broad shoulders as she tried to focus on anything but his big hand on her skin. Her breath caught in her throat when his fingertips slid up under the material before easing back out again. He continued to torment her, sliding his fingers higher with each pass before backing off again. For several very long, endless minutes, he teased her mercilessly until she had no choice but to shift against him restlessly, needing more than his teasing fingers were providing.

Michael lowered his head and took her mouth in a hot, hard, demanding kiss just as his forefinger slid up to trace along the edge of her panties. He was so close that he could feel her heat against his fingertips and satisfaction roared through him when she whimpered against his lips and surged against him to take control of the kiss. Her left hand came up to tangle in his spiked hair, raking her nails against his scalp and earning a growl in response.

“Okay, everyone out,” Max called as he parked at the curb outside of one of the frat houses on campus. “No one’s havin’ sex in my jeep, so out, all of you!”

The two couples disentangled and exited the jeep and as soon as the opportunity presented itself Tess grabbed Maria and held her back as the guys walked ahead of them.

“For someone who isn’t interested you were certainly doing a rather extensive examination of his tonsils,” she said, raised eyebrows indicating that she was waiting for more information.

“He doesn’t have tonsils,” Maria muttered absently, watching Michael swagger ahead of her.

“Whatever, that isn’t the point.”

“Okay, I’ve been thinking, and if you’ll leave me alone about this I will release you from your promise to not have sex with Kyle. You can leave here tonight and go to his place and have all the sex you wanna have.”

“As much as I would like to be all noble and insist that we talk about this, I have needs and I really can’t wait any longer.” She ran after Kyle. “Buddha-boy, wait up!”

As soon as they walked in the door they were surrounded by people who rushed to welcome them. Because they were with the guys who were practically worshipped due to their status as football players, the girls were quickly welcomed as well. Under normal circumstances, the fact that they were freshmen would’ve kept them from being invited in to a party at any of the frat houses, but their association with the guys made them exceptions to the rule.

The guys were popular among their classmates and it didn’t take long before they had been dragged into various conversations, drinking games, and in Max’ case, a game of pool in another room of the house. Tess stayed glued to Kyle’s side for close to an hour before the two of them called it quits and called a taxi to take them to his apartment. Michael – who she had just found out was the singer in a band with Kyle and a couple of other people – was in the middle of a conversation with some obviously smitten groupies who were hanging onto his every word as if everything he said was important.

Maria decided to take a walk outside to get some fresh air and try to ignore the fact that making out in the jeep with him had obviously not been important enough for him to spend any time with her in public. He hadn’t said a single word to her since they had arrived at the party, too busy holding court with his minions, and if Tess had been going home she would’ve caught a ride with her.

She stepped out onto the porch, walking along the railing until she reached the far end where no one was making out or passed out drunk. She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and was considering whether she should call a cab or just walk home since it wasn’t very far away when a couple of guys stumbled upon her hiding place and disrupted her peace and quiet.

“Hey,” the taller guy greeted with a smile. “You’re here with Guerin, right?”

Maria was many things, but stupid wasn’t one of them. No, she wasn’t technically there with Michael, but she wasn’t about to tell them that; they looked like they were on the prowl and looking for some action and she wasn’t interested. Michael was the kind of guy that people knew better than to cross so if they thought she was with him, they would most likely leave her alone. “Yes, I just came out to get some air; he said he’d be right behind me.”

“You sure?” the other one asked. “Because he looked pretty busy to me.”

Maria shrugged, careful to keep her expression unconcerned; she didn’t know them but she didn’t like where their questions were leading and she didn’t want to let them know she was uncomfortable. “He’ll be along when he’s ready.”

“Maria?” Michael stepped out on the porch with two bottles of beer and he ignored the two guys as he shouldered his way between them. “Hey, baby, I got you a drink.”

She couldn’t control the relief that washed over her when he leaned back against the railing beside her and pulled her up against his body. “Thank you,” she breathed against his neck as she accepted the bottle he held out to her.

“They’re gone,” he murmured a few minutes later. “Why didn’t you just come an’ get me if you were ready to leave?”

“You were busy.”

“Not too busy for the woman who was lucky enough to have my hand in her panties not that long ago,” he chuckled.

“You did not have your hand in my panties, Michael.”

“Pretty damn close to it.” He set his bottle on the railing and then took hers from her and placed it next to his. He shifted, widening his stance and pulling her so that she was facing him, her body fitting snugly between his muscled thighs. “I’ll bet if we hadn’t been interrupted I’d have made you come so hard you would’ve passed out.”

“I guess you’ll never know.”

He smirked at her superior tone and wrapped his arms tighter around her. “I’ll bet I find out,” he said smugly.

“Y’know, I could’ve been totally mean and just let you suffer in the jeep – “

Michael just rolled his eyes and cut her off, using the most effective method in his arsenal to shut her up. His mouth settled over hers and his tongue swept over her lips, requesting entrance and receiving permission within seconds. He felt her hands tugging at his tee shirt and he shifted to give her enough room to maneuver. He eased back into his former position as soon as her hands made contact with his skin and he let his hands do some wandering of their own.

Maria’s fingers traced over every inch of his skin that she could reach, memorizing every dip, hollow, and ridge. God, his body was exquisite! She could feel the leashed power in him, the sheer strength that made him such a formidable opponent on the field. She couldn’t help but imagine having all of that strength and power focused completely on her and just that thought alone made her so hot she felt like she could spontaneously combust.

She moaned when his hands grazed the sides of her breasts as they slid down to roam over her hips, pausing to squeeze her ass before continuing down to her thighs. She felt them flex against her flesh and she made a sound of agreement, pulling her hands free of his tee shirt and latching onto his shoulders when his hands gripped the backs of her thighs and lifted her up. She never felt him move, but just as she locked her legs around his hips her back settled against the side of the house and then he was pressed against her everywhere as his weight rested against her.

“Oh, God, Michael,” she breathed when he released her mouth and pressed tiny kisses along her jaw until he reached her neck. She bucked against him when he nipped at the flesh of her throat and her fingers gripped handfuls of his hair to hold him in place.

Wailing sirens went unnoticed until the red and blue flashing lights of approaching police cars caught their attention. People were pouring out of the house and running in every possible direction as the cruisers screeched to a halt at the curb.

“We’d better get outta here,” Michael said as he moved back and released her, letting her slide down the length of his body. He pointed behind her and made a waving motion with his right hand. “Go that way before the cops see us; I don’t wanna have to call Alex to come bail me out again anytime soon.” He glanced back over his shoulder and shook his head when he realized that Max’ jeep was gone. He had no idea when Max had left the party, but now he didn’t have a ride home. “Damn it,” he muttered.

“C’mon, I don’t live that far from here.” Maria took his hand as they ran, ducking low enough to hide behind some hedges that grew along the sidewalk. When they got far enough down the street that the flashing lights were no longer vivid they stood up straight and stepped out from behind the bushes to cross the street.

When they reached the apartment building where Maria lived they hurried up to the second floor and she was fumbling for her keys when Michael turned her around, pressed her up against the door, and kissed her again. They nearly fell through the doorway when the door suddenly opened and only Michael’s arm around her waist and his quick reflexes kept them from falling.

“Oh, my God! I am sooo sorry!” Liz apologized and quickly stepped back when they turned to look at her. “I heard a sound and…” She blushed. “I am really, really sorry, Maria.”

“No, don’t worry about it.” Maria looked at her closely, seeing the sadness and confusion in her expression. “Is everything okay, Liz?”

“No. I mean, yeah, yeah, everything’s fine. I was just on my way to bed and like I said, I heard a sound and… Look, I’ll just go to bed now and you two can… whatever.”

Maria frowned when Liz practically ran from the room and she turned to look at Michael. “I should really go talk to her, Michael.”

“Yeah, doesn’t look like this is gonna be our night, does it?” He chuckled warmly and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. “Can I call a cab before you kick me out? Since my options have now been limited to either a cold shower or my right hand I think I should at least get a phone call.”

“Well, I’m not gonna deny a horny man at least a phone call.” Maria laughed and kissed him, backing away before the temptation to stay with him became too strong. “Go ahead and make your call, Michael. I’m gonna go check on Liz.”

“Take your time. I’ll let myself out and lock up when the cab gets here.” He punched in a number from memory and glanced at her. “Will I see you at the game tomorrow?”

“Maybe.”

He nodded at her teasing tone and watched her walk away, enjoying the sway of her hips and completely missing the dispatcher’s voice on the other end of his phone until the third time she asked if she could help him. He gave her the information and decided to just wait downstairs in front of the apartment building for the cab. Maria was busy with her crazy virgin friend and it wasn’t likely that he would see her again before he left anyway.
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Fics: A Xmas Story - A Merry Mt. R. Xmas - Cupid's Revenge - Double Trouble - Double Date - Double Dare - Double Empire - Double Xmas Wish - In The Course Of A Lifetime - Mountains So High - Not A Question At All - Surrender - TIC TAC - Two Double Dates at Xmas
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Double Trouble
Obsessed Roswellian
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Joined: Tue Dec 16, 2008 9:47 am

Double Trouble (CC, AU, Adult) - Part 18 - 4/30/09

Post by Double Trouble »

Alien_Friend: Hmmm… friends, you say? That’s one possibility.

destinyc: Michael definitely deserves some compassion. Liz will slowly begin to loosen up as the story progresses… after all, Max is now in the picture!

AnnViolet: Liz is beginning to question some things now.

begonia9508: You’re heading in the right direction with your theory about Liz and Sean’s engagement. The frozen ravioli… one of our favorite scenes!

tequathisy: Satisfaction will be reached… in some form… soon…

nibbles2: You’re so sure they’ll give in? Maria was only interested in doing whatever was necessary at that point to make Tess forget all about asking questions about Michael – she’s not completely over her denial phase. But, you’re right – at that moment, Tess would’ve promised her anything!

guelbebek: Don’t worry – the alcohol only enhanced feelings that were already there and they will continue to pursue them in an interesting manner. Oh, and we won’t forget BD!

kismet: We’re glad your found Double Trouble! Max has a very strong moral code, but his attraction to Liz will make him question himself.

chanks_girl: We’re glad you enjoyed karaoke night!


Part 18 – All’s Fair in Love and… Football?

Maria opened one bleary eye to stare at her phone where it was buzzing loudly on the nightstand, relieved when it finally stopped and fell silent once more. She burrowed back down under the covers with the intention of going right back to sleep when it started again. Her arm snaked out, feeling around on the surface of the nightstand and cursing out loud when she brushed against the cell phone and knocked it on the floor.

She leaned over the edge of the bed and felt around until her fingers closed around the small phone, picking it up and flipping it open as she pulled the blankets back up over her head.

“Hello?”

“Good morning, sunshine!” Tess greeted enthusiastically.

“Oh, God,” Maria groaned. “What do you want at…” She pulled the phone away from her ear to glance at the time. “Tess, it’s not even eight o’clock in the fuckin’ mornin’!”

“Um-hmm, and what time did you get to bed?”

“About four hours ago!”

“Really? Michael kept you up all night, huh?”

Maria rolled her eyes as she fell over onto her back, giving up on the possibility that more sleep was in her near future. “Tess, you stayed over at their apartment, so I’m sure you know he came home alone last night, and before you ask, no, I did not have sex with him. Yes, the possibility that it could’ve happened was there, but it didn’t, so let’s just move on.”

“Whatever. Come and meet me for breakfast at the IHOP off of Mercer and Sixth.”

“Tess,” Maria whined, “the only time you ever want pancakes is when you’ve had mind-blowing sex and you wanna share the details… I don’t wanna hear about it.”

Tess just laughed. “Of course you do. Get your ass outta bed, take a shower, and meet me there at nine. See ya then!” The phone call ended abruptly.

Maria huffed in annoyance and forced herself to get out of bed and make a trip to the shower. She was exhausted and she just wanted to sleep, was that really so much to ask? “Alright, Tess,” she grumbled to herself, “I’ll meet you for breakfast and then I’m coming right back here and going back to bed.”

*****

Tess was in a ridiculously good mood and as soon as she saw Maria step inside the restaurant she stood and loudly called her friend’s name and motioned for her to join her at the table she had been holding.

Maria rolled her eyes when most of the restaurant’s patrons turned to see what the commotion was all about and she gave them a pained smile as she crossed the room. She shook her head when she realized that Tess was bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet, seemingly incapable of standing still.

“Oh, God, you cannot be this happy,” Maria mumbled as she slid into the booth.

“Oh, I assure you, I can be this happy.” Blue eyes sparkled with amusement as Tess sat down across from Maria and took a sip of her coffee. “I’ve already ordered for us so we can talk without any interruptions.”

“I don’t think you need any caffeine,” Maria said, shaking her head.

Tess just grinned and shrugged before taking another drink and setting the cup aside. “Do you remember me telling you about the books in Kyle’s room?” She went on before Maria had the opportunity to speak. “Well, let me just tell you that he has absorbed that knowledge like a human sponge! Girl, the man has taken sex to a whole new level and I am not even kidding! We literally went for hours; there’s definitely something to be said for this whole Buddhist-zen-meditation thing he’s got goin’ on because he’s got stamina like you would not believe!”

“And don’t really want to know about either.”

“Seriously, Maria,” she said as if her friend hadn’t even spoken, “I’ve had that poor man in a state of arousal since the night we met, so I figured last night was gonna be pretty fast and furious, right? I couldn’t have been more wrong.” She glanced up when the waitress brought their breakfast out, placing the dishes on the table and asking if they needed anything else before making herself scarce. “He starts with lighting all these candles, right? And then he starts kissing me, and seriously, that went on for forever! I have to admit, I was expecting him to go straight for the clothes and then a quick fuck, right?”

Maria sighed and watched Tess as she cut into her pancakes, recounting her evening in a way that had the group of women at the next table ignoring their cooling food in favor of hanging onto the energetic blonde’s story. She really did not want to know this much information about Michael’s roommate or Tess’ sex life.

“No, no, he slowly undressed me, and we’re talking agonizingly slowly here, Maria. The whole time he’s kissing and nibbling… the man was practically worshipping my body, and it was sooo hot! So, I’m naked, I’m ready, I’m in his bed, and I just know that as soon as he can get out of his clothes it’s on…” She shook her head. “Wrong again. And I’ve gotta admit, I was starting to get frustrated by this point because I really wanted to get off, right?” She raised her right hand to point at something on Maria’s side of the table. “Can you pass the syrup?”

Maria pushed the decanter across the table and sent a quick glance at the women eavesdropping on the conversation and nearly laughed. They were on the edge of their seats, just waiting to find out what happened next.

“So, he’s naked, and let me tell you…” Her eyebrows lifted and she nodded. “He’s impressive, Maria… like, oh-my-God impressive!”

“Really don’t need to know the specifics, Tess.”

“Anyway… then he starts with the full body massage, and trust me when I tell you there was nothing that didn’t get massaged.” She grinned and reached for her glass of orange juice. “I couldn’t believe how in control he was because I was so far out of control that it wasn’t even funny. I was squirming around all over the place because I was so turned on that I felt like if I didn’t come I was gonna die… I was that far gone. So, he pins me down with his whole body and just holds me still for a minute, kissing and stroking me to calm me down, and then he starts sliding down my body…”

“You really don’t have to share anymore, Tess,” Maria begged. No one needed to know this much information about their best friend’s sex life!

“Fine,” Tess grumbled. “But just let me add that I didn’t know it was possible to come that hard without actual penetration. I blacked out for a few minutes after that and when we did get to the main event… stamina, that’s all I’m gonna say.”

Maria breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that she had avoided further descriptives.

“So, let’s talk about you and Michael since you won’t let me talk about my amazing night of mind-blowing sex.”

“There’s not much to talk about,” Maria denied.

“Any time you lead with that statement, it means there’s something to talk about.” Tess finished off her pancakes and reached over to take the untouched plate of pancakes sitting in front of Maria. “You would think you’d know that by now, but you always forget it. So, spill… what’d you guys do?”

“He walked me home and then he called a cab.”

“You expect me to believe that you didn’t make out with him again after the way you two were goin’ at it on the ride over to the party?”

“Okay, so we made out at the party, but it’s not gonna go anywhere, Tess. The guy’s not the type to stick with one woman longer than the time it takes to get into her panties and I’m not really looking for another relationship with a guy who can’t commit to anything beyond sex.”

Tess rolled her eyes. “C’mon, Maria, what would it hurt to have a little fun; I’ll bet he’d be a good distraction for a while.”

“I have no doubts that he’s very talented between the sheets, and I let myself get more involved last night than I intended to, but I have no interest in chasing after another guy that’s just like the others.”

Manicured fingernails drummed out an irritated rhythm on the table as Tess narrowed her eyes at her friend. “I thought we had decided that you weren’t gonna judge Michael based on the losers in your past?”

We decided nothing of the sort, Tess.”

“No, I’m pretty sure we did… you may not have been involved in the decision, but Isabel and I both agreed that it would be the best way to go. Now, since you obviously don’t know how to act in your own best interest, I’m making the decisions from now on. First thing on the agenda is today’s plan; we’re going to a football game. The boys are playing at one o’clock, so I’ll pick you up between eleven and a quarter after. We’ll meet everyone else there; Isabel has assured me that Alex will make sure there are seats available for us.”

*****

The temperature was in the mid-seventies, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky, and there was a gentle breeze blowing as the game kicked off for the second half. The home team was down by three points but the mood on the field was spirited and before they had gotten very far into the third quarter they scored on an interception and took the lead.

Maria, Isabel, and Tess had dragged Liz with them and they were sitting with Alex, Brooke, and Brendan. Based on the fact that Brendan had spent the entire game and the halftime with his gaze focused on his open laptop Maria was pretty sure he had come with his brother and sister against his will.

Brooke leaned against Brendan’s shoulder and glanced at the screen on his laptop, frowning at the graphs he was putting together in some sort of presentation. She lost interest in the game when Michael wasn’t on the field and she had to find somewhere else to focus her attention. “Hey, Bren, what language classes did you take in high school?”

“Um, Spanish.”

“Huh. What about you, Alex?”

“What about me?” he asked, turning his head to look at her.

“Did you take a language class in high school?” She grinned. “I mean, if you can remember back that far.”

“I don’t know… it was sooo many years ago.” He shook his head and chuckled. “I took French in high school, so that’s probably not gonna help you.”

“You’re taking German, right?” Isabel asked, leaning forward to look at her boyfriend’s little sister.

“Yeah, why? Did you take German?”

“No, but Maria took a crash course in it before she and Tess took off to travel around Europe earlier this year, so she might be able to help you.”

“Really?” Brooke glanced at Maria and smiled when she turned to follow the blonde’s gaze. She nodded to herself when she realized that the other girl was staring at Michael where he and Max were standing on the sidelines discussing something as they watched the players on the field. “Thanks, Isabel; I’ll go talk to her about it.”

Maria looked up when Brooke dropped into the empty seat beside her, wondering if she was about to be subjected to yet another inquisition regarding Michael Guerin.

“Hey, Isabel said you took a German class, so I was wondering if you could give me some help with my language class? I’m only a couple of weeks into it and I’m already so lost that I just know I’m gonna fail.”

Maria smiled. “Well, I’m not an expert on the language or anything, but I’m sure between the two of us we can figure it out.”

“Cool. So, maybe we can get together a couple times a week or somethin’?”

“Sure, just let me know what would work best for you.”

Tess suddenly jumped up beside them and started shouting when the boys took the field again, lining up in formation and facing off against their opponents. They ran a couple of plays and the referee had to step in when the player Michael had tackled on the previous play stalked up to him and shoved him, obviously hoping to get a reaction out of him.

Brooke frowned when the player was sent back to his own team and he quickly pulled a couple of his teammates aside as they moved to their own side to get ready for the next play. Her gaze tracked the players when they separated and she noted their positions before shifting back to the home team and watching as they set up for the play. As soon as Kyle had the ball in his hands he was in motion, searching for Max and locating him with ease. She knew he couldn’t release the ball just yet because Max wasn’t open and her gaze quickly shot back to Michael when she noticed that none of the players were going after Kyle despite his continued possession of the ball.

As Michael stood back up from tackling another player he was rushed by three guys from the defensive line and they drove him straight to the ground. He was fighting his way out from under them when one of them rammed a knee into his right shoulder and pain exploded at the point of impact. The next thing he knew whistles were blowing and flags were flying as the referees hurried to pull the players apart and he sat up slowly, not moving his right arm as he reached up with his left hand to unsnap the chinstrap and pull his helmet off.

Alex reached out to stop Brooke when she rushed past him, intending to keep her from running down on the field and getting in the way, but he didn’t have a good grip on her arm and she twisted free. He started to go after her but Max met her at the railing and caught her when she scrambled over the side, holding her back while the coaches and the team doctor were crouched around Michael. He nodded when Max glanced up at him and waved to let him know that he would keep an eye on her.

Michael winced as they helped him to his feet, nodding when the team doctor insisted on a more extensive check of his shoulder before they put him back out on the field. He was pretty sure that it was nothing more than the initial pain, but he wasn’t about to argue with the doctor until he knew it wasn’t anything more serious. He glanced up in the stands when he heard the loud cheering and he immediately searched for his family. He raised his left arm, helmet still clutched in his hand when he spotted his brothers, letting them know that he was walking by himself and that he would be fine. He was surprised to see Brendan there and he ignored the momentary feeling of happiness, pushing it aside as he quickly realized that his twin had probably been dragged kicking and screaming to the game.

He wasn’t expecting it when his gaze slid to the left and settled on Maria and he saw the concern on her face. Concern for him… concern that he was hurt… and he didn’t know how to feel about that. They weren’t a couple or anything – not that he was interested in them getting together like that – but it felt good to know that she was worried about him. He added that to the feeling that had come over him when he had seen Brendan and he shoved all of it down deep inside where he wouldn’t have to deal with any of it.

He was glad when Brooke suddenly appeared out of nowhere and hugged him, careful to avoid contact with his right shoulder. Her worry and concern he could deal with; it was something that fell within the boundaries of his understanding and he let her fussing override everything else he had been feeling.

“Do you think he’s okay?” Isabel asked, glancing at Alex.

“Yeah, they’re probably just takin’ precautionary measures since he broke that collarbone last year.”

She could hear the worry in his voice despite his reassuring words and she leaned closer to him, sliding her arm around his waist. She sighed contentedly when he shifted and his right arm settled across her shoulders as he turned his head to press a kiss against her temple.

“Thanks,” he whispered.

Maria glanced at Tess when her cell phone rang and after a quick conversation she disconnected and turned to look at her. “Kyle said to tell everybody that the team doctor is just being cautious; there was nothing to indicate a break, but he’s probably done for this game.”

“Shouldn’t there be some kinda punishment for what they just did?” Maria asked, her tone indignant when the referee made his announcement and the game started up again. “They assaulted him on the field and they lose some yards and that’s it?”

“I would say their coach will do somethin’, but it doesn’t look like it,” Alex muttered, shaking his head when the man in question slapped the guys on the back and sent them back out on the field.

Liz’ gaze had stayed glued to number 87 throughout the game even though she had intended to just watch the game and go back home. Her roommates had refused to let her spend the day at home alone and she had found herself being unwillingly escorted to the game. She watched as the coach called the players together and they huddled up around him, nodding as he went over something on a clipboard before sending them back out. She forgot to breathe when Max Evans turned to grin at her around the mouth-guard clamped between his teeth before tugging his helmet back on and following his teammates.

It was near the end of the fourth quarter when Brooke joined them again, excitedly announcing that the doctor had assured them that Michael hadn’t suffered any permanent damage. She sat down between her brothers and led the loud cheering when the teams took the field with just under a minute left to play. The home team was winning by two points and had possession of the ball with seventeen seconds left on the clock when the guys jogged back out on the field.
Michael rolled his shoulders back and he glanced at Max when the guy thumped the back of his helmet. “What’s up?”

“You sure you’re ready for this?” Max asked, stopping when he reached his place on the line. “I thought you were done for this game?”

“I don’t end a game sittin’ on the bench or standin’ on the sidelines if I’m conscious and I can walk. Besides, you wanna make it into the end zone, don’t you? I know you wanna show off for Liz.” He nodded when Max just grinned.

“Yeah, like you’re not out here just to show off for a certain little blond.”

Michael snorted and held his arms out at his sides as he walked backwards, ignoring the soreness in his right shoulder. “Hell, I’m out here to show off for all the blonds, man.”

“Uh-huh, so you want me to believe that you’re not showin’ off for that hot little blond you were all over in my jeep last night?” He laughed and shook his head as he reached up to slide his mouth guard into place. “You’re a fuckin’ liar.”

Michael chose to ignore everything he had just heard. “Get ready to run, Evans and I’ll clear the road.” The play was executed to perfection and as promised, Michael cleared the path for Max so that he was in position when Kyle threw the ball for the 43-yard touchdown.

*****

Maria was startled when Tess suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet. “What’re you doin’?”

“Let’s go see the boys.”

“Well, what about Liz? We can’t just leave her here all alone.”

“No, no, you go ahead,” Liz rushed to say before Tess could include her in their raid on the locker room. “I’ll just go wait for you in the car.”

Tess lifted her eyebrows and shook her head. “Why would you want to avoid Max Evans, girl? I saw the way he was looking at you last night.”

“What?” Liz shook her head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“So, you’re sayin’ the thought of stripping him naked and licking whipped cream off of his body never occurred to you?”

Liz blushed bright red and grabbed her purse. “I’ll wait in the car.”

“Tess, that was mean!” Maria muttered, thankful that she had at least waited until they had separated from the others to say what she had just said.

“Maria, I know you don’t think anyone at the table missed the looks between the two of them last night.”

“Do you honestly think Liz Parker has ever thought about licking whipped cream off of anything but a hot fudge sundae?”

Tess’ grin was wicked. “I’ll bet she does now. Oh, come on, Maria, where’s your sense of humor?”

“She’s having a difficult time dealing with the Max thing, Tess.”

“What is so difficult about it? The man is fine, he’s got a gorgeous body, he’s sexy, and he likes her! Hell, I’ll bet he would’ve taken her home last night if she’d given him – “

“Hello, she’s engaged!” Maria sighed in exasperation. “You do remember Sean, don’t you?”

“Okay, I haven’t forgotten about Sean, but, Maria… did you see the way she and Max were looking at each other last night? She was totally attracted to him!”

“All I’m sayin’ is you need to back off; she’s not ready to deal with anything like that yet,” Maria said as they entered the tunnel between the field and the halls that led to the locker rooms.

“You’re seriously ruining all of my plans to have a good time – “

“Focus those plans on me, blue eyes,” Kyle said as he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her up against his body. “I’m more than ready to have a good time.”

Maria’s gaze was immediately drawn to Michael where he was leaning back against the wall. His helmet was sitting on a nearby table and she felt his heated gaze slide over her as her eyes traveled over him. His dark blond hair was matted down and sweat ran down his face and neck where it disappeared into his jersey. He reached up to wipe his left hand over his neck and she followed his hand when he dropped it back down by his side. He was wearing black wristbands on both wrists and she unconsciously followed his movements when he grabbed the hem of the jersey and lifted it up to wipe his face. Her gaze was riveted to the triangle of golden hair below his belly button, the short hairs darkened by sweat and plastered to his skin.

Michael grinned arrogantly when her fingers flexed and he leaned forward to grab her hand and tug her towards him. He left his grip loose to see whether she would move closer or if she would pull away from him. Most of the girls he dated wouldn’t have come so close to him while he was all hot and sweaty after coming off of the field; they would’ve waited for him to grab a shower and get changed before letting him touch them. He didn’t understand it because they were just hanging around to get laid – and that was fine by him – but he was gonna get all sweaty during sex anyway, so what difference did it make if he was sweaty before they had sex? He was drawn back to the present when Maria settled against him and he stared down at her when her hands came up to frame his face.

Maria studied his features, easily reading the confusion that was written plainly across his face, and after a few moments she smiled. He was on unfamiliar ground and he wasn’t comfortable with that feeling; she had no idea what was going through his mind, but she was certain that whatever it was, it had to do with her. She liked that feeling, she decided, unable to hold back the smile that accompanied that thought.

Michael was immediately suspicious when he saw her smile and he tipped his head to one side as he tried to figure out what was going through her cute little head. He didn’t get the chance to decipher her expression because Kyle started to talk and she turned to look at the other man.

“So, me an’ Michael were talkin’ earlier an’ we were wonderin’ if you guys would be interested in doin’ somethin’ fun tonight?”

Tess hopped up and down excitedly, squealing in anticipation. “We’re interested,” she insisted without consulting Maria.

Michael lowered his head to whisper in Maria’s ear. “I realize she’s your best friend and she has a tendency to speak for you, but feel free to speak up if you’re not interested.”

Maria forced the smile down before she turned to look up at him again. “Why?” Her fingers slid under his jersey and she dragged her nails through the patch of hair she had been admiring earlier. “Think you’re gonna show me something I can’t handle?” Her words and actions were designed to arouse and she knew she had achieved that as soon as his eyes darkened.

His voice was a rough growl when he spoke again. “I guess we’ll find out, won’t we?” He dipped his head to take her lips in a quick, hard kiss, but before he could withdraw she turned the tables on him and her hands came up to thread through his damp hair as she took control of the kiss.

It was easy to tell that Michael Guerin was used to getting his way and always having the upper hand, and that was something Maria wasn’t going to tolerate. She changed the tone of the kiss, gentling it as she ran her tongue over his teeth. She changed the angle of the kiss and she felt his arms slide around her waist as her tongue tangled with his and her left hand slid down to settle around his neck, her thumb stroking the flesh under his ear.

When she ended the kiss he leaned back against the wall but didn’t release her; his dark gaze traced over her face, taking in every feature and wondering what it was about her that fascinated him. She still hadn’t complained about being pressed against him while he was sweaty and grungy from the game, she had made it a point to take control of the kiss despite his intention to make it short and quick, and she didn’t seem to be in any hurry to move.

“So, we’ll pick you girls up at eight?” Kyle asked his girlfriend, rolling his eyes when he noticed the staring contest going on between their best friends.

“We’ll be ready.” She reached out to poke Maria and get her attention. “C’mon, let’s go. The guys have to get cleaned up and we have to get ready for tonight.”

Michael grinned at Maria when she stepped back away from him and he could see the reluctance in her expression. “Dress casual.”

“What’re we gonna do?”

He shook his head. “Nope, that’d ruin the surprise, baby. Just be ready at eight and dress casual; leave the rest to us.”
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Fics: A Xmas Story - A Merry Mt. R. Xmas - Cupid's Revenge - Double Trouble - Double Date - Double Dare - Double Empire - Double Xmas Wish - In The Course Of A Lifetime - Mountains So High - Not A Question At All - Surrender - TIC TAC - Two Double Dates at Xmas
User avatar
Double Trouble
Obsessed Roswellian
Posts: 925
Joined: Tue Dec 16, 2008 9:47 am

Double Trouble (CC, AU, Adult) - Part 19 - 5/7/09

Post by Double Trouble »

kismet: We’re glad you like Tess – she definitely sees things that others either don’t see or just plain don’t WANT to see!

mary mary: We’re glad you’re all caught up now and still enjoying!

Alien_Friend: Oh, it means something! Their barriers are more mental and emotional than physical… and while they don’t seem to have an issue with physical barriers, well, just read and see.

Tess has her opinion on the Max and Liz situation, but she’s also not subtle in the least, so her bull-in-the-china-shop way of handling things could actually backfire in their case.

We will be dealing with the Michael/Brendan relationship throughout the story, but it isn’t one that will be resolved right away. They have some major issues to work through first.

keepsmiling7: LOL, not a Sean fan? Neither are we, but the Liz and Max relationship will take time to develop, and Liz has a lot of soul-searching to do before that happens. However, the seeds of doubt have already been planted and you can expect them to have more encounters as the story progresses.

tequathisy: LOL, no comment! Tess is quite the storyteller, isn’t she? The girl definitely knows how to captivate an audience.

destinyc: The pied piper of romance, huh? Okay, trying to delete that mental image! You can expect more scenes between Max and Liz, but it’s gonna take time for them to get together.

begonia9508: No, there was no reference to Sting and his wife intended. Tess knows how to tell a story, huh?

nibbles2: Keep reading, Michael and Maria are heading in the right direction. Although, it might not be exactly what you’re expecting.

You’re so right about that spotlight! You can expect to see Maria running interference for Liz more than once when it comes to Tess. Not that she means any harm, but Tess is quite outspoken and she just wants all of her friends to be happy. She hasn’t quite learned the art of subtlety.

chanks_girl: We’re glad you’re enjoying Tess and her ability to spin a story, lol! M&M… look for that temptation to step up a bit in this next part.


Part 19 – The Issue of Control

Maria was looking through her closet for something to wear when the sound of the shower running caught her attention. She knew Liz wasn’t home, and obviously she wasn’t using it, so who was in the bathroom? She shut the closet door and barged into the smaller room without knocking.

“Tess?”

“What’s up?” the intruder asked, peeking around the shower curtain.

“You’ve got your own bathroom so what’re you doin’ in here?”

“Isabel has barricaded herself in our bathroom to get ready for her date with Alex tonight.” She rolled her eyes and ducked back into the shower. “And, I’ve gotta shower before we leave, so I don’t have time to wait.”

“Well, are you gonna be much longer? Because I’d like to grab a shower, too.”

“I’ve gotta finish shaving first.”

“So, five minutes? Ten at the most?”

“It’s a sensitive area, Maria; these things take time and cannot be rushed.” Tess chuckled and pulled the shower curtain back again. “You should shave all over too.”

“I don’t know how many times I have to tell you this, but I am NOT having sex with Michael Guerin tonight or any other night,” Maria snapped, annoyed.

“Tell me that the thought of his big hand touching you – “

“Not happening.” Maria squirmed at the thought despite her denial and hurried back into her room to find something to wear.

*****

Maria stood on the beach, the cuffs of her jeans rolled up to mid-calf so they wouldn’t get soaked as she played in the small waves that rolled up over the sand. She loved the ocean and she didn’t think she would ever get tired of looking at it or being near it. The beach that they were on was privately-owned and belonged to a friend of Kyle’s parents so there were no crowds cluttering up the scenery or disturbing the tranquility of the setting.

The moon above was shining down over the water, dancing on the choppy waves and providing plenty of light to see by. She glanced over her shoulder when she heard Tess laugh at something Kyle had said or done and her gaze quickly moved to the fourth member of their little group. Michael was stretched out on one side of the blanket they had spread out for their takeout dinner and even though he was less than half a dozen feet from the other couple he looked isolated and lonely.

“C’mon, Maria, let’s eat,” Tess called.

“Yeah, get over here an’ fix me a plate, woman.” Michael rested his chin in his hand and his gaze followed her as she grabbed a towel to dry off with.

“Kiss my ass, Guerin,” she fired right back. “This isn’t 1950 and I’m not the ‘little woman’.” She placed her foot on his thigh and gave him a shove. “Move over.”

“No.”

“You’re seriously not gonna move?”

“It’s a new millennium, baby, and chivalry is dead.” He smirked and shifted so that he was taking up even more of the blanket.

Tess glanced between them uncertainly. “You can sit over here, Maria.”

“Oh, no,” Maria said, shaking her head negatively. “He’s gonna move.”

His expression was nonchalant as he stared at her. “You could get down on your hands and knees and beg and I still wouldn’t move.”

Maria snorted at that. “I wouldn’t waste too much time worrying about that. You’re sure this’s the way you wanna play it?” She nodded when he turned his attention to the bucket of chicken Tess was opening. “Okay, fine.”

Michael’s mouth dropped open in surprise when she sat down in front of him and wiggled around until her ass was pressed right up against his crotch. He just barely managed to get his expression under control before she looked at him, daring him to tell her to move. He refused to give her the satisfaction, but he wrapped his right arm around her waist and tugged her further up his body so that she was pressed against his stomach instead.

“Compromise, huh?” She smiled at him and leaned back to rest her forearm on his side.

He shrugged and reached for a piece of chicken, biting into it to distract him from the weird feeling that came over him whenever she smiled at him.

After eating they sat around and talked for a while and before she had even realized it, Maria was leaning back against Michael in a comfortable sprawl; his right arm was around her and his hand had worked its way under her shirt to rest against her skin. He was still lying down behind her, refusing to give up so much as an inch of the space that he had claimed ownership of.

“You guys goin’ to Max’s competition next weekend?” he asked lazily, content to remain where he was and converse about nothing in particular.

“Uh-huh. We don’t have early classes on Mondays so we’re gonna make it an overnight trip,” Kyle answered.

“Hey, you guys know Max pretty well, right?”

Kyle tipped his head back in his girlfriend’s lap to look up at her. “Yeah, why?”

“Well, what kinda person is he?”

“He’s a great guy.”

“Better watch it, Valenti; looks like your woman’s in the market for someone else.”

Kyle chuckled at his friend’s teasing remark. “She’s not lookin’ anywhere else, Guerin.”

Tess would have spoken up at that moment but Kyle’s tone wasn’t smug, it was confident, and she decided that she liked it. A lot.

“Why are you askin’ about Max?”

“For Liz – “

“Tess!” Maria interrupted.

“What? I know she’s engaged; I’m just asking on the off chance that her status changes at some point in the future.”

“Oh, yeah, he likes her.” Kyle shook his head and smiled reassuringly. “I’ve never known him to go after any woman who’s with someone else. He’ll flirt with her, but Max…” He shrugged. “He’s a good ol’ boy from Texas and he’s got this whole code about bein’ noble and honorable, so I can’t imagine him makin’ a move on Liz while she’s with another guy.”

“Hey, you ever been cliff divin’?” Michael asked, changing the subject and drawing Maria’s attention back to him.

“What?”

He shifted until he was almost on his back and he pointed at the cliffs behind them. “We go up there and dive into the ocean.”

“And risk landing on rocks or something else and being paralyzed for the rest of our lives? No thanks.”

“Why not?”

“Um, what part of that response did you not understand? It’s dark out here, Michael.”

“It’s a full fuckin’ moon. You can see everything around you.” He shrugged and sat up. “Don’t worry about it; girls never make that jump.”

That comment made Maria’s blood boil and she hurried to join him when he stood up. “Are you callin’ me a chicken?”

“Hey, if the beak fits.”

“Whatever. I’m sure if I can out-drink you I can – “

Michael howled with laughter. “You haven’t seriously deluded yourself into thinkin’ you out-drank me last night, have you?”

Maria glared at him. “Keep it up and I’ll shove you off of that cliff.”

“Baby, you haven’t even made it off the beach yet.”

“Oh, it’s on. Let’s go.”

“I wish they’d just do it and get it over with,” Kyle muttered when they took off for the path that led up to the cliffs, still bickering.

“I’ve been thinking about that very thing…” Tess said as she took his hand and they followed the other couple.

Maria looked down at the choppy water below and took a mental step back.

“It’s just one step,” Michael whispered as he pressed up against her from behind.

“Uh-huh… how far down is it?”

“I don’t know, 25 or 30 feet,” he said, unconcerned. “Not that far.”

Maria glanced over the edge once more. “And you’ve done this before? At night?”

“I wouldn’t dare you to do somethin’ that could hurt you,” he snapped in irritation.

Oh, boy, she had hit a nerve without even meaning to. Trust was obviously a big issue for him and from his expression it looked like she had just made a major mistake. “No, Michael, I know that – “

“No, you don’t know. If you knew you wouldn’t be standin’ there thinkin’ I’m puttin’ you in danger.”

“I can’t believe you’re pissed at me about this! Because this is just a little nerve-wracking for me, Michael! God, have you forgotten that I’m from a little town in the middle of the fuckin’ desert?! I’ve never really done anything like this, so I think I have every right to have some reservations about blindly jumping into the ocean from 30 feet above!”

Michael had to stop and think about that for a few seconds and he finally started to calm down. “So, you haven’t actually been in the ocean yet?”

“No… not yet.”

He nodded and smirked at her as he motioned towards her clothes. “Strip.”

“What?”

“You want your first time in the ocean to be memorable, right? Well, getting pulled under because you’re wearin’ your clothes is certainly one way to make a memory, but it won’t be a good one. So, strip down to your underwear and jump off a cliff with me.”

Maria rolled her eyes as she reached for the hem of her shirt, silently thanking anyone listening that she had worn matching bra and panties. “I’m surprised you didn’t just leave it at ‘strip down’ and expect me to take it all off.”

His gaze was smoldering as he watched her pull her shirt off over her head and drop it on the ground. “Oh, I would’ve made the suggestion,” he muttered as he shook his head, “but, I don’t like to share an’ I’d hate to have to kick Kyle’s ass for seein’ somethin’ he ain’t got any business seein’.”

Somebody was territorial. A frisson of excitement accompanied that realization and Maria nodded at him in an effort to control the urge to rip his clothes off. “Are you gonna undress or are you just planning to jump in fully clothed?”

“Maybe I am…” His heated gaze locked on hers as he closed the distance between them, moving close enough that he could feel her breasts brush against his chest with every indrawn breath. “And maybe I want you to do it for me.”

Maria didn’t drop his gaze as she reached blindly for the snap on his jeans, studying every nuance of his expression. She felt his breathing hitch in his chest when she slid her left hand inside his jeans to keep the zipper from biting into his flesh as she slowly slid it down. She could feel his reaction to her nearness when her knuckles brushed against him and she felt him harden in response.

It hadn’t taken long to realize that he liked to be in control and he liked to be the one calling the shots. He was used to people doing what he wanted them to do and it was obvious that he didn’t like to have his authority challenged. She smiled to herself. He had no idea what he was dealing with when it came to her; she didn’t like to be controlled and the only time she did what someone else wanted her to do was if it happened to coincide with what she wanted to do in the first place.

He would learn though, she thought, smirking as she turned her left hand to cradle him in her palm. “You have nothing to be ashamed of, do you?” she asked huskily.

Michael bucked against her hand, unable to remain still when she slid her hand along his length, gently rasping her nails against his boxer-clad erection. He wasn’t sure how to handle her; on the one hand, he didn’t like that she had the guts to stand up to him or that she wasn’t content to let him have his way with everything. But, on the other hand, it was pretty fuckin’ hot that she gave as good as she got and she wasn’t afraid to take what she wanted, he thought as he stared at her.

He glanced over his shoulder when he heard Kyle’s voice as he and Tess reached the top of the path behind them. He jerked his shirt over his head and dropped it on top of hers where it was lying nearby before he looked back at Maria.

“You seem to be in a hurry all of the sudden,” she commented, her tone amused.

He growled when her thumb brushed over his tip and he grabbed her wrist, trapping her hand against him as he pulled her close enough to kiss her hard and fast. “Nothin’ to be ashamed of, baby, but I’m not about to stand here and show it off either.”

Maria glanced down and her expression was amused when she looked back up at him. “Baby, you’re not getting rid of that in the next thirty seconds,” she said, chuckling as she eased her hand free of the confines of his jeans.

“Finish strippin’,” he ordered as he hurried to unlace his boots and kick them off, followed by his socks and then his jeans. “A dip in that cold water’ll take care of this.”

Maria paused with one leg in her jeans and one leg out when his words registered in her brain. “What?”

“Would you hurry up!” he hissed. He rolled his eyes when she didn’t move fast enough to satisfy him and he wrapped one arm around her waist so he could lift her up to jerk her jeans off of her right foot and toss them over his shoulder.

“Wait just one damn minute, Michael!”

He growled when she continued to argue with him. He was pretty damn sure that her less than agreeable attitude should’ve been enough to take the edge off of his arousal, but for some reason, arguing with her was only making him harder. And in a matter seconds, they were all gonna be aware of that little fact. Well, he amended silently, not so little.

“You didn’t say anything about the water being cold!” She wasn’t expecting it when he suddenly tightened his grip around her waist, pulled her up against his body, and launched them both over of the edge of the cliff. “Michael!”

Her shocked scream was abruptly cut short when their bodies sliced through the surface of the water, and even though she remembered to take a deep breath just in time, the temperature was unexpected and she came up sputtering indignantly.

“Bad ass, right?” Michael shouted when he surfaced nearby.

“This water’s fuckin’ freezing, Guerin!”

“It is not.” He was treading water not far from her, but decided that he wasn’t getting any closer until she didn’t appear to be quite so furious. “Just give it a few minutes and your body will adjust to the temperature. The water’s at about 64° so you’re not gonna freeze to death or anything; it’s not like we’re gonna spend hours out here.”

Maria could already feel her body adjusting to the temperature of the water, but she wasn’t ready to admit that he was right. Instead, she concentrated on the intimidating and exhilarating feeling of being so small and insignificant while surrounded by something so expansive and powerful.

Michael watched her, unaware that he was smiling as he took in every change in her features as she took in each new experience. The moonlight shone down over her and his gaze traced over her shoulders and arms, sliding down to stare at her breasts when her body bobbed on a small wave.

She glared at him when he swam closer after several minutes of warily observing her from a safe distance. “I don’t know why you’re coming over here.” She turned and started to swim for the shore when his hand wrapped around her upper arm and stopped her movements.

“You can quit actin’ like you’re pissed off at me.” Michael pulled her up against his body, letting the waves buoy them as he stared into her defiant green eyes.

“I thought you were gonna make my first time in the ocean memorable,” she taunted. “Granted, having the breath sucked out of my lungs due to the cold water was certainly mmmph – “

His lips crashed into hers and his right hand curved around her neck, exerting just enough pressure to keep her from moving once he had her where he wanted her. His mouth and tongue were relentless as he let the kiss continue past the point where the need for oxygen was imminent. He finally let his hand slide down from her neck when he was confident that she wasn’t going to pull away, and he cupped her breast as he lifted his mouth from hers. His thumb dragged across her nipple, the peak distended from exposure to the cool night air brushing against her wet skin.

He smiled when she moaned and he maintained eye contact as he lowered his head to trace his tongue along the lacy edge of her bra. “Wrap your legs around me,” he demanded, his voice rough.

“I’m not having sex with you,” she denied even as she followed his instructions.

His right eyebrow arched in question. “No?”

“No.” She shook her head. “You’re everything I’m tryin’ to get away from, Michael.”

“Uh-huh. So, you just want someone to have fun with without sex getting in the way.” His grin was feral when she nodded and his big hand settled on her hip. “Then we’re on the same wavelength, baby, ‘cause I’m not lookin’ for anything serious either. No strings… no attachments… no sex…”

“Oh, God!” she hissed when his hand slid under the waistband of her panties, his rough fingers catching on the material.

Michael’s eyebrows lifted in surprise when he moved lower and his fingers encountered perfectly smooth skin. “Shaved, huh? And you weren’t plannin’ on us havin’ sex tonight?”

She rolled her eyes, refusing to inflate his ego any further. “We’re gonna have company soon.”

Michael chuckled as his fingers dragged along either side of her opening. “Guess we don’t have time to waste then, do we?”

“Huh-uh,” she breathed, shifting her hips in an attempt to move his fingers to a more satisfying position. “So, stop teasing, Michael.”

His eased his middle finger inside, but only enough to continue his torturous teasing. “Settle down,” he ordered, shaking his head as he met her gaze in the moonlight. “You’ve got your rules and I’ve got mine; you said no sex and I’m sayin’ we move at my pace.”

“I don’t have to put up with this shit from you, you controlling bastard!”

“I’m agreein’ to hangin’ out and getting each other off without actually havin’ sex; I think the least you could do is be grateful.”

“Oh, yeah, like that’s really a hardship for you.” She grabbed a handful of his hair and forced his head up so that she could look him in the eyes. “This isn’t a relationship, buddy, it’s two people getting off… that doesn’t give you the right to – “ She squeezed her eyes shut as his finger slid fully inside, cutting off her rant.

“I don’t have the right to what?” he asked arrogantly, working his finger in and out until she was ready for more. He glanced over her shoulder, looking up at the two people silhouetted in the darkness atop the cliffs. “We’re runnin’ outta time here, baby.” He slid a second finger in along with the first and used the heel of his hand to provide extra stimulation.

“I’m not kidding, Michael,” she gasped, doing everything she could to keep from moving. “You can be an arrogant prick with everyone else if you want to, but we’re not gonna continue this… we’re not even gonna finish this, if you don’t stop acting like you can control me.” And wasn’t this just the most inconvenient time to be having a battle of wills, she thought, resisting the urge to move against him.

Michael didn’t understand why this was such an issue, and the most confusing thing was that he didn’t want to stop this. He wasn’t getting off, so it didn’t make any sense. Why should he care one way or the other if she came? But for some irrational reason, it did matter, and it wasn’t just because it would be a major blow to his ego if he had his hand between her legs and she didn’t come. “You would seriously just walk away from this… right now, without getting off, if I told you I’m not gonna act different for you?”

“That’s what I’m sayin’.”

He shook his head in confusion. “No. I’m not gonna be told what to do by you or anyone else. So, you can either take what I’m offering or you can get yourself off.”

“Control is that important to you?”

It was more than that but he wasn’t gonna spell it out for her. “It’s everything.”

Maria nodded. “You can move your hand.” Her eyes rolled back in her head when he deliberately misunderstood her words and thrust his fingers deeper inside her. She tightened her legs around his waist, trapping his hand and restricting his movements. “I wasn’t kidding, Michael. I’m not gonna be told what to do by you or anyone else.”

“Fine.” He withdrew his hand, certain that she was bluffing, and annoyed beyond belief when she turned and started swimming towards shore. Well, what the fuck was he supposed to do now? He had no idea and he ignored the shouting followed by loud splashes as Kyle and Tess jumped into the water. He stalked across the sand and crossed his arms over his chest when a gentle breeze blew, raising gooseflesh on his skin.

Maria had walked further down the beach and despite his intention to climb back up to the cliffs and make another dive, he stood where he could keep an eye on her while looking like he was staring out over the ocean. He didn’t pay any attention to the other couple when they came out of the water, laughing and asking if he was going to make another jump.

They made several more jumps while he was waiting for Maria to make her way back to him, but she had apparently chosen to be stubborn and sit on the beach several hundred yards away. He knew she had to be cold even though it was just over 70° because she was wet from their dip in the ocean, but she obviously had no intention of coming back for her clothes or the blanket.

He sighed and turned to walk back up to the cliffs to get their clothes. He supposed he should at least take hers to her; whether she chose to put them on or sit there and catch pneumonia just to spite him was her decision to make. How had the night gone so wrong? he wondered as he stomped up the sandy path. He finally reached the area where the ground leveled out and his gaze scanned the ground for their clothes.

Their clothes that weren’t anywhere to be seen. He looked around, certain that he was in the right place, and irritated when the clothes didn’t materialize. He stepped up to the edge of the cliff and looked down, hoping to spot Kyle or Tess so he could holler at them and ask where their clothes were. He quickly became suspicious when he didn’t see them and it suddenly registered that he hadn’t heard them for a while.

No, they wouldn’t… would they? He turned and jogged back to the area where they had parked the car – Kyle’s car because Tess had thought it would be more fun if they all rode together. At the parking area he stopped and stared at the spot where the car had been parked. The spot that was now empty because there was no car parked there.

“Fuck!” he screamed as anger and frustration exploded within him.
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Fics: A Xmas Story - A Merry Mt. R. Xmas - Cupid's Revenge - Double Trouble - Double Date - Double Dare - Double Empire - Double Xmas Wish - In The Course Of A Lifetime - Mountains So High - Not A Question At All - Surrender - TIC TAC - Two Double Dates at Xmas
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Double Trouble
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Double Trouble (CC, AU, Adult) - Part 20 - 5/14/09

Post by Double Trouble »

Alien_Friend: Their battle of wills will continue and they’re gonna make it interesting. There will be some give and take, but is it control or is it something else?

Tess does have a devious mind, but she’s determined to give Maria the push she needs. The… arrangement… yes, compromise, or at least an agreement of sorts, will be necessary for it to work.

mary mary: What?! Okay, okay, we’re gonna make up for it in the next part.

begonia9508: LOL, c’mon, the plan has merit… granted, it might not seem like that if you’re the one who gets left practically naked on the beach… unless you happen to have an equally naked Michael Guerin in close proximity… yeah, then the plan would rock!

tequathisy: Yes, how thoughtful of them… a blanket, a deserted beach, and most importantly, a practically naked Michael… who needs anything else?

destinyc: Are you absolutely sure it’s about control? For either of them?

sarammlover: Well, there will be more ‘bitchy’ and there will be more of ‘being a dick’, but perhaps they’ll take a break this week!

nibbles2: Hmm… yes, what will they get up to? Well, it’s quite possible that it isn’t exactly what you want them to do, but we are gonna turn up the heat in this next part.

Eva: We’re glad that our trailer got you interested and you found the fic! Hmm… well, it’s gonna go. Now, whether or not it goes smoothly is a different story – they are Michael and Maria after all!

chanks_girl: Very near!


Part 20 – Control vs. Trust

Michael was not happy as he stalked back down to the beach and snatched up the blanket that had been left from their earlier dinner. He slowed down as he closed in on Maria’s position, debating the best way to approach her in her current mood. He wasn’t a talker, he was a man of action, and normally that was enough to keep women interested for a few dates at least.

He had never once had a woman walk away from him without being completely satisfied. She had to be so on edge and frustrated right now and part of him sympathized with that, but a larger part of him was pissed that she wasn’t seeing the bigger picture.

He shook the blanket out before spreading it over the sand once he was certain it was far enough back that the water was no threat. He made it a point to make sure he was in Maria’s line of sight before he shoved his boxers down and off.

“That ship’s already sailed, Guerin,” Maria said, shaking her head at him.

“Only one of us needs to get off right now, DeLuca, and since cold water followed by a nice cool breeze isn’t conducive to keepin’ a hard-on, it’s not me.”

“Then why are you naked?” Her gaze raked over him and she bit back a grin. He wasn’t kidding about that cold water.

“Because it won’t do any good to wrap up in a blanket to get warm if I’m wearin’ wet boxers.” He shrugged and sat down in the center of the blanket, pulling one end up over his shoulders. “You’re only gonna get colder if you keep standin’ there in wet underwear. I could be wrong, but that wind feels like it’s getting just a little bit cooler.”

“I’m not fallin’ for that.”

He shrugged carelessly. “Suit yourself. It’s gotta suck to be cold and unsatisfied though.” He lowered his voice and watched her as he spoke again. “You’re not cold everywhere though, are you? Your legs are pressed tightly together, trapping all that heat… you’re still so horny that you can feel every beat of your heart throbbing between your legs… you’re wet and swollen, and you want relief so bad it’s takin’ all of your willpower just to keep from touchin’ yourself.”

“Why don’t you just shut up?” she snapped.

“You’re pissed because while you could get yourself off it wouldn’t be completely satisfying,” he continued, knowing his words were driving her crazy.

“You think you’re such an expert on what I want because you had your hand in my panties?”

“You’re a very sexual woman, Maria, and you’re not gonna be satisfied by your own hand when I’m sittin’ right here and you know what my touch feels like.”

Maria stalked towards him and crossed her arms over her chest as she glared at him. “Fine, let’s just get this over with.”

“What’s with the attitude?”

“This is just another way for you to be in control.”

Michael shook his head and looked up at her. “I do have a controlling personality and I’ll be the first to admit it, but that’s not what this’s about.”

He wanted her to trust him, she realized suddenly. The orders issued in that challenging tone he used, the way he constantly pushed at her boundaries… in a flash of understanding, it all made sense. Did he do this with every woman he got involved with? she wondered. Could she do it? Could she give up her own control in order to prove to him that he already had her trust?

Michael watched the emotions chasing across her face and he knew the exact moment that she figured it out. Would she do it? Would she give up control, put it in his hands, and let him prove that her trust wasn’t misplaced?

“No sex,” she reiterated.

He nodded. “We’ve already agreed on that.” She claimed that he was the kind of guy she didn’t want to get involved with and he accepted that. Not because he didn’t want to have sex with her – because he did – but there was something about her that screamed of attachment, strings, and emotional involvement, and he wasn’t interested in any of that. So, they would keep it simple; hang out, get each other off whenever the opportunity presented itself, and just have fun.

“Where d’you want me?”

He nodded and smirked as he made a downward motion with his right hand. “Take it all off. No, wait.” He curled his forefinger back towards him. “C’mere first.” He let the blanket fall back off of his shoulders as she paused beside him and motioned for her to straddle his body but remain standing. “Now take it off.”

Maria could feel his molten gaze burning into her as she reached behind her to unclasp her bra. The straps slid down her arms as she lowered them again and she pulled it the rest of the way off and dropped it on the ground.

Their eyes met and locked when his hands came up to cup her breasts, teasing and playing with them until the green in her eyes nearly disappeared. His teased her nipples until they were fully distended and his hands slid down her sides to tug her closer. He stretched up to suck on her nipples, taking his time with each one before he started to kiss his way down her stomach.

“I can’t take my panties off in this position,” Maria whispered raggedly as she fisted handfuls of his hair.

“Anything special about ‘em or can they be replaced?”

“Nothin’ special.” Her eyes widened when his big hands grasped one side of the lacy material and started to rip it. “Although it might be kinda difficult to explain if we ever decide to go back up to the cliffs to get our clothes,” she said, her left hand covering both of his.

“Our friends took our clothes and left us here,” he muttered, brushing her hand aside and completing his task.

“They what?”

“Don’t worry about it.” He tossed the torn scrap of material away and slid his hands up and down her legs several times before moving them to stroke the insides of her thighs. “Sit down and put your legs over my shoulders.” He raised his own legs so she could lean back against his knees and waited patiently for her to do as he had instructed. He nodded when she settled back against his thighs and she raised her legs to his shoulders, opening herself up to him. “I know it won’t take long for this position to become uncomfortable, but you’ve been on edge too long and if you’re gonna enjoy this you need to be relaxed or it’s gonna be over too soon.”

“Take the edge off,” she repeated, bucking when he slid one finger along her shaved opening, teasing her. Her hips moved erratically, seeking friction or penetration and finding neither when he suddenly grasped her hips with both hands. “God… Michael, please,” she begged.

“Tighten your legs around me,” he ordered as he lifted her hips up. The position opened her fully to his hungry gaze and he blew gently on her swollen folds before dipping his tongue inside to taste her. He tightened his hands on her hips when she thrashed wildly, seeking the release he was still denying her.

Michael ran his tongue over her but carefully avoided contact with the little bundle of nerves that was begging for attention. With each swipe of his tongue he came closer and closer and just as he touched the tip of his tongue to it he pulled back and chuckled at the profanities pouring out of her mouth.

Her hands were gripped in the blanket on either side of their bodies, her knuckles white with the strain. “You ready to let me know if you’re a screamer or not?”

Maria’s eyes shot open and she stared at him in disbelief. She was about to blast him with some scathing comment when he suddenly winked at her and leaned his head forward to slide his tongue inside her again. Her breath caught in her throat when his talented tongue swept up to play with her clit and when he gently nipped it with his teeth she started to pant heavily.

She was so close to flying off of that sensual ledge and she clawed at the blanket when his tongue started to flick against her in a rapid back and forth motion. When he started to suck on her clit while humming she lost it and screamed as waves of pleasure rolled through her body. She slumped against him weakly and she was barely aware of him lowering her legs and carefully tucking them against his sides.

“You are so incredibly sexy,” he murmured, fingertips lazily trailing up and down her thighs.

Maria smiled at him, sated and completely relaxed. “So’re you.”

“You’re much more agreeable post orgasm.”

“You think I’m agreeable now? Wait until I’ve come several times.”

Michael’s gaze fixed on a small tattoo on the right side of her stomach, right below her waistline and his thumb shifted to trace over the tiny roman numerals: MMVIII inked into her flesh over the body of a small tiger. “What’s this for?” he asked.

Maria knew what he was asking about without looking down and she shook her head. “That’s too much tequila,” she said dismissively.

He nodded, accepting her explanation even though he wasn’t buying it; there was a story behind the tattoo, he was sure of it.

She shivered when the wind picked up. “That wind does feel cold.”

“Here, turn around so I can wrap us up in the blanket before Mike Jr. decides to go into permanent hibernation.”

She laughed and changed positions, sitting between his muscled thighs and leaning back against his chest as his arms came around her and covered her with the blanket. “Mike Jr.?” she asked, moving with him when he shifted back to brace his back against a boulder.

“What the hell else was I gonna call the damn thing? It’s got a mind of its own, but it’s part of me, so givin’ it a completely different name would’ve been weird.” He huffed indignantly. “Look, every guy names his dick, okay? Any guy who says he doesn’t is a liar.”

“Okay.” Maria rolled her eyes. Only guys would name their… brains.

*****

Tess’ loud moans filled the car as Kyle kissed his way down her neck to her shoulder. Their shirts were already gone, tossed out of the way in their haste to reach naked skin. “Kyle…” was all she was able to breathe out over and over again.

“Damn, babe, it was definitely a good idea to leave the others at the beach,” he whispered while caressing her inner thighs.

“I told you, I’m full of good ideas!”

His hands slid further up to play with the edge of her bikini panties, the only thing she was still wearing under her short skirt. “You should get rid of these, y’know? They’re wet an’ you could catch a cold,” he murmured softly against her lips as he started to slide them down her slim legs. She lifted her bottom up from the passengers’ seat to assist him.

“C’mere,” Kyle said, his voice thick with arousal. He reached down, wrapping his left hand around the lever that adjusted the seat and released it so he could shove his seat back as far as it would go.

“Okay,” she whispered, climbing over the console to brace her knees on either side of his body. She wasn’t wearing anything now but her short skirt and she could feel his excitement when she pressed her body against him.

Kyle cupped her face with his large hands and pulled her down to him for a soft kiss before he leaned back to stare deep into her sparkling blue eyes for a few moments. He could get lost in the depths of her eyes. She was so beautiful, gorgeous, and so damn hot! When had it changed? When had he started to see more in her than in all the other chicks he had been with? They hadn’t been together that long, but he couldn’t pinpoint the moment that it had happened.

A loud clap of thunder suddenly rolled across the sky, followed by a bright flash of jagged lightening that was easily seen through the window on the drivers’ side and it made Tess jump. Her eyes widened in horror and she latched tightly onto Kyle’s broad shoulders. “When did the storm start?” she asked, jumping again when the next rumble escaped the clouds above them.

“Don’t know, we’ve been kinda busy, huh?” he asked with a gentle smirk.

For a moment she smiled back at him and then leaned down to get lost in another long kiss, but then out of nowhere she remembered her friend, who was still out on the beach. “Oh, my God, Kyle! We’ve gotta go find Maria and Michael before this storm gets any worse.”

“Just give it a few minutes, it’s not even rainin’ yet,” he pleaded. He grasped her hips, his grip firm so that she had to stay in his lap. “You can’t just leave me like this.” He motioned to the bulge in his shorts.

Tess grinned at him, her expression all sassy and sexy. “Okay, Buddha-boy, but we’re gonna have to make it quick this time.”

“No problem with that,” he growled, and they both started to drag his shorts further down in a hurry. A cell phone started to ring and he immediately recognized it as Michael’s ringtone, which meant that the phone was somewhere in the back where he had tossed it earlier along with the clothes they had confiscated from their friends. “Great,” he muttered, his body twisted awkwardly as he tried to feel around the backseat while still gripping Tess’ bottom with the other.

Kissing her in this position was totally uncomfortable, but he wasn’t willing to release her just to find Michael’s stupid phone. He groaned for a completely different reason when his fingers
finally closed around the blasted thing and he flipped it open without bothering to look at it; he just wanted to silence the damn thing, but instead of that, he accidentally pressed the button that allowed the phone to be answered in the hands-free mode.

“Michael? You there, little brother?” Alex’s tinny voice resounded through the car.

Kyle and Tess broke apart and stared at each other in shock when the voice intruded on their little corner of the world. He suddenly realized his mistake as he turned his head to look at the phone in his hand and he pressed a finger against his lips in a bid for silence. “Uh, hey, Alex,” he greeted as he brought the phone up to his ear. “This’s Kyle.”

“Kyle? Where’s Michael?”

“Oh, he’s um… he’s still at the beach with Maria.”

“Have you looked outside recently? We’ve got a bad storm comin’ up. Half the city’s already without power… are you guys still outside?” Alex sounded pissed.

“Uh, well, Tess an’ I are on our way to pick them up,” Kyle lied, hoping his roommates’ older brother wouldn’t see through it.

“Fine, but come to my place after you get them; we still have power over here. And, Kyle…”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t even think about havin’ sex with Tess while my brother’s still out on the beach. Understood?”

Kyle groaned in disappointment. “Yeah, understood. We’ll be there in a few minutes.” He heard Alex hang up the phone and he made a face at the inanimate object. “One day, I’m gonna kill Guerin,” he muttered while shifting to pull his shorts back up.

Tess climbed back over to her own seat, pulling her shirt on and straightening her clothes up as she fumbled for her seatbelt. “Which Guerin do you mean?”

He shrugged and reached for the key that was still in the ignition. “I haven’t decided yet.” He started the engine and turned back towards the beach.

*****

“Tell me what it is about guys like me that you’re tryin’ to get away from,” he said as his hands started to move over her body, massaging her breasts and smiling when she shifted to settle more fully against him.

“I’ve always gotten involved with the bad boys… I get involved with them, we have sex, they do what they wanna do, and I get hurt in the end.” She shrugged, sighing when his fingers tugged at her nipples. “I’m tired of getting hurt and I’m the only one who can change that, so I’m goin’ after a completely different kinda guy this time around.”

“Um-hmm… and how do you plan to get this other guy while we’re getting each other off?”

“I haven’t exactly worked that part of the plan out yet.”

He chuckled suddenly. “That’s why you were datin’ Brendan,” he guessed. “He’s about as far away from the bad boy persona as a guy can get.”

“I don’t think it’s wrong to want a guy who can treat me right and…” She shrugged again. “I don’t know, maybe it’s unrealistic to think I can have it all.”

“A guy who can treat you right and still get you hot?” He nipped at her jaw as he reached up to turn her head so that he could kiss her. “You ain’t gotta hide anything from me; there’s nothin’ wrong with admitting what you want an’ goin’ after it. Nothin’ at all.” He glanced up at the sky when he noticed that clouds had moved in and they were quickly closing in on the moon. “We’re about to lose our light.” He shook his head when he felt her tense up. “Don’t worry about it, baby, they’ll come back for us.” His hands moved down over her stomach and his thumbs stroked the creases at the tops of her thighs. “Open up for me,” he whispered against her lips.

Maria whimpered when she moved to comply with his demand and she encountered resistance when her legs bumped against his where they were raised on either side of her body.

“Hook ‘em over mine,” he said as he stretched his legs out alongside hers. He waited for her to comply and then raised his legs again, but only about halfway this time to avoid hurting her or moving her into an uncomfortable position. He shifted his legs further apart as his right hand eased down over her mound, cupping her and holding her still for several long moments.

His left hand stayed focused on her breasts as he curled his right hand and grazed her sensitive flesh with his knuckles. He made a sound of approval when she reached down and grabbed his right hand, uncurling two of his fingers and pushing them back down into her heat.

“Please,” she rasped when he grabbed her wrists and shifted her hands to his thighs. “What’re you doin’?”

“My pace, my rules,” he growled.

“I need…”

“I know what you need, baby, and I’m gonna give it to you.” He nipped her earlobe. “Don’t move your hands.” He moved his own hands back into position and rubbed his fingers over her folds, testing her readiness before he slid two fingers inside her. “Stay still,” he growled as he slowly, torturously slid his fingers in and out. He could feel the tension building in her, feel how taut her body was as she struggled to stay still. Her thighs were trembling with the effort it was taking to follow his command and her fingernails were digging into his flesh where she was gripping his thighs so tightly. He moved his thumb so that it was rubbing against her clit as he started to speed up the pace of his thrusting fingers and he felt her hands clench convulsively on his legs. “What would you do if I said you could move your hands?” he whispered huskily, chuckling when he hit her G-spot and he heard her breath catch in her throat.

“Turnabout’s fair play, Guerin,” she stuttered out. “Don’t think I won’t torture you when it’s your turn.” She could feel him against her lower back and judging by how hard he was they were generating enough heat to make Mike Jr. happy… very happy. She groaned when his movements suddenly stopped completely, his fingers only halfway inside of her, and she knew her nails were digging into his thighs so hard that she was probably drawing blood as she made an effort to keep from moving.

“Remove your claws from my legs and show me what you’d do.” He was expecting it when she latched onto his right wrist, holding his hand still as she used her legs over his for leverage to thrust her hips up, impaling herself on his long fingers. She was wild and uninhibited as she rode his fingers and he could feel it when she was getting close. She was panting heavily and her eyes were screwed shut as she concentrated on her search for release and he could feel the scream building within her. He wrapped his left arm around her and cupped one of her breasts, running his thumb over the peaked nipple and circling it before gently scraping a nail across it at the same moment that he sank his teeth into her shoulder. The dual sensations were more than enough to send her screaming over the edge before she collapsed against him and he ran his hands over her body to soothe the tremors and ease her back down.

“Oh, God…” she choked out.

“Good, huh?” he asked smugly. “You’ve certainly got Mike Jr.’s attention.”

“Give me a minute to recover… I feel like every muscle in my body is jelly right now.”

“No rush. Just out of curiosity though, how do you not have the cops called when you have sex? You must scream the roof down!”

“Usually just muffle it with a pillow. My most recent ex always covered my mouth with his hand to keep me quiet.”

“Fuck that! I’d have the place soundproofed,” he said as he leaned down to kiss her. “You’re so beautiful when you come, and I don’t understand why any guy wouldn’t wanna hear you scream his name like that. Apparently you don’t just date bad boys, you date bad boys who are too stupid to recognize a good thing when they’ve got it.”

“Better watch it, Guerin, you’re startin’ to sound like a nice guy,” she said, joking.

“Well, don’t ever let that get out; you’d ruin my badass reputation.” He glanced over his shoulder when he noticed a light reflecting off of the water. “Fuck!” he hissed under his breath.

“What’s the matter?” she asked, turning to follow his gaze. “Are you kidding me?” She shook her head when she saw Kyle and Tess running down the beach, flashlights bobbing with their quick movements.

“Mike Jr. just isn’t havin’ any luck tonight,” he grumbled. “Sit up so I can subject my dick to more abuse before they join us.”

Maria winced. First cold water and now cold air… “I’m really sorry, Michael.”

“What?” He looked at her when she sat up. “Why?”

“Well, I’ve gotten off twice and you haven’t even been able to stay hard.” She giggled when he glared at her. “By no fault of your own, of course. You know what I mean.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m not happy about it or anything, but there’s nothin’ you can do about it. Besides, it’s not a competition.” He shrugged. “Granted, I’d be happy if I could get off at least once tonight.”

“Hey, we just heard the weather report,” Kyle said as he slowed to a walk and tossed a set of clothes to his roommate. “There’s a bad storm movin’ through. Alex called your phone and I answered since I had it; he suggested we just come by his place because – “

“Y’know what? I don’t care why,” Michael snapped. “Why don’t you turn around while I get dressed?”

Maria accepted her clothes from Tess and motioned for her friend to turn away. They quickly got dressed and grabbed their things before following the others back to the car. She was going to tell Tess a thing or two, but when Michael started in on an angry rant directed towards both Kyle and Tess she decided to stay quiet and let him handle it. She wasn’t sure if he was pissed because they had been interrupted before he had gotten off or if it was because their friends had taken their clothes and left them alone together. It had to be the first one, right? Surely he didn’t regret what they had done? She was feeling just a little bit insecure now and she didn’t like that one bit.
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Fics: A Xmas Story - A Merry Mt. R. Xmas - Cupid's Revenge - Double Trouble - Double Date - Double Dare - Double Empire - Double Xmas Wish - In The Course Of A Lifetime - Mountains So High - Not A Question At All - Surrender - TIC TAC - Two Double Dates at Xmas
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