Roswell Fanatics

mary mary: Lol, maybe Liz is just using the opposite method.

Natalie36: They will get to the talking part.

secretk: Oh, she hasn’t forgiven him just yet.

Double Dare is very close to reaching its conclusion..

begonia9508: Nope, they haven’t settled everything between them just yet.

Eva: Exactly... it’s only won for the moment. They still have things to settle.

Healerfan: No, it doesn’t resolve their issues. And you can be sure Liz and Maria will also be having a talk.

Earth2Mama: Yeah, Max wasn’t about to say no but they both know it won’t solve their problems.

nitpick23: In this situation hurt wasn’t the emotion that won out. She hasn’t let go of it and it will resurface once she’s thinking clearly again.

sarammlover: Don’t worry, Liz isn’t looking to screw around with his emotions.

keepsmiling7: Yes... and it was chanting it rather loudly.

angiebrenna: Lol, no doubt. Before long she’ll be thinking clearly again and then she’ll be kicking herself for not making him explain himself first.

Alien_Friend: They will talk and he’ll try his best to make her understand that he does care for her and that night wasn’t about the dare.

Oh, the girls will get their chance to talk things out too.


Part 31

Liz looked up at him, trying to push her thoughts away and lock them up somewhere where they would stay at least for a while. She didn’t want to doubt all the time, but it didn’t seem quite possible to let it go.

His right hand settled at her waist to work its way under her shirt as his lips met hers in a heated kiss. A soft groan escaped her lips when she lifted her hips up from the bed to brush against him. She could feel him harden in response and bit his bottom lip playfully.

Max inhaled sharply. How was it possible for her to get him worked up so fast? he wondered. Who cares? his body protested. He chuckled at his internal dialog and rolled them over so he could strip her shirt and bra off of her. He tossed them aside and sat up to palm her breasts.

His hands were incredible, she thought, glancing at him with half-closed eyes. God she wanted him and not just for the moment. “You like what you see?” she asked playfully, leaning back a little to distract her from her thoughts.

He glanced up at her and grinned as his gaze dropped back to her breasts. “Hell yeah,” he said as he leaned forward to tease her nipples with his tongue.

She bit her lip when his lips touched her. Damn, that felt good. Her body squirmed over him, rubbing against him in a steady motion.

He was having a hell of a time controlling his body as every move she made pushed his need for her higher. He unfastened her jeans shorts and slid his hand beneath the thick material, feelings her wet heat. He gave one of her nipples a gentle nip as he slid two fingers through her slick folds, the dual sensations making her gasp.

“Max,” her head fell back and she grasped his hair with one hand while the other gripped his wrist tightly to make sure he wouldn’t stop touching her.

Hearing her say his name, her voice breathless and needy made him even harder. His lips moved over every inch of skin he could reach while he worked two fingers into her tight entrance.

Her hands moved to his pants, tugging on the button of his jeans impatiently.

He glanced down when he felt the insistent tugging and he gave her clit a slow teasing stroke as he withdrew his hand. He quickly dealt with the button and zipper and working his jeans and boxers off with her help. “Your turn,” he growled.

“Shut up,” she huffed and bent over him, using one hand to steady herself on the mattress while the other grabbed his wrist to guide him back to the place where she needed him the most.

Max lifted an eyebrow at her tone but readily complied with her demand, quickly pushing her back to the edge.

She wiggled around, using her legs to get rid of the rest of her clothes and making sure his hand stood where it was while she did.

He gentled the pressure, easing off long enough for her to free herself. As soon as she kicked free of the last bit of clothing he wrapped his left arm around her waist and pulled her closer. His fingers sped up and he added more pressure against her clit as he sucked on the sensitive spot at the base of her neck.

It didn’t take long before her breath came in harsh pants. “God,” she hissed, not knowing how much longer she could handle this without crashing onto him.

He shifted his hand, altering his angle just enough that the next thrust of his fingers hit that one spot that would just about send her into orbit.

She gasped in surprise and dug her nails into the sheets, pulling on them while her orgasm washed through her body.

Max smirked in satisfaction as she slumped against him, her breath coming in ragged pants. He felt like he was gonna explode but he ignored his own needs as he ran his hands over her body, easing her through the aftermath of her orgasm.

Don’t let yourself get too lost in him, she reminded herself and straightened up a bit after regaining control of her body. Her hands moved down to his length to give him a few hard strokes.

He bit his bottom lip at her touch and mentally kicked himself for dropping his jeans on the floor. “Need a condom,” he rasped.

She held her hand up and showed him the little package. “Already there.”

“Hurry up,” he growled. “I’m not gonna last much longer.”

With a quick move she ripped it open and rolled the condom over him, smirking when he squirmed under her touch. “You know, it’s much easier if ya hold still, Evans.”

“You weren’t exactly a model of patience either,” he huffed.

“You’ll just postpone it this way,” she said and straddled him tightly.

“Postpone it?” he hissed. “You’ve gotta be fuckin’ kidding me.”

“Stop being a baby,” she said gently and leaned forward to kiss a trail down his neck while her lower body pressed against him.

He made a face at her. “Easy to say since you already got off.”

She ignored his complaint and concentrated on his body instead… his admittedly really hot and sexy body. The muscles of his chest and stomach twitched under her touch, showing off how well-toned he was.

Max chewed on his bottom lip as he watched her, knowing she was gonna torment him with every teasing touch. He already knew he’d love everything she was gonna do to him, but he was ready to blow.

Liz lifted her gaze to his. His features showed arousal and concentration at the same time. He probably had no clue how sexy he looked… well, on second thought, he probably knew. Would he miss this just like she missed it? Would things be over between them after this… again? She hated all the questions in her head. He said he wanted her back, but what did his heart say?

Shaking herself out of her own daze again, she lifted her lower body, taking him in with a quick, surprising move.

Max inhaled sharply at her sudden move but it quickly turned into a low groan when she rolled her hips slowly. God, don’t take it slow, he thought.

Her hips immediately took up a fast pace. Normally she would start off with a slower pace, but it just didn’t feel right today.

His hands settled on her hips, but she shook her head in warning when she realized he intended to take control and he nodded in response. He loved taking it slow but times like this slow was the furthest thing from his mind and he was grateful when she seemed to be thinking the same thing.

It didn’t take long for him to reach the edge. She could see it in his face, feel it when she touched him. He was close and it would only take a few more seconds. Her hand moved down on herself without her realization, rubbing her center hard to bring herself just as close as him.

Max felt the pressure building and his hands tightened on her as he watched the signs of pleasure moving across her face. He was almost there and he brushed her hand away, wanting to be the one to take her over the edge.

She opened her eyes when she felt his touch and after a moment of thinking she let him do it.

He varied the pressure he was applying, watching her face for his signals. She was right there and he knew they were moments away. “Let go,” he whispered.

And she did. His words were all she finally needed to release another orgasm, even more intense than the first. His hands clenched on her thighs, letting her know he was there as well.

He came hard and for several long, intense moments his entire body stiffened as all of his muscles seemed to lock up at the same time. His arms came around her as she collapsed against his chest and his harsh breathing caused her hair to flutter erratically.

As soon as she calmed down, she felt the tiredness and exhaustion. It was still early evening and they hadn’t even had dinner but she could just fall asleep. No, she told herself. Don’t let yourself get dragged away... not in his arms and not when nothing’s been settled between you.

Max could feel her pulling away from him even though she hadn’t moved. She was putting distance between them already and he didn't like it. “Liz... don’t do this,” he begged quietly.

“I’m not doin’ anything,” she denied.

“You’re tryin’ to put distance between us.” He cupped her face and made her look at him. “I can‘t change what happened, Liz.”

She swallowed. “Yeah, me neither.” One of her legs moved slightly to the side until it made contact with the floor. “I need to clean up.”

He grabbed her hand. “Hey, don’t leave like this.”

“I’ll be back.” She didn’t look at him.

He slumped back against the pillows, sighing raggedly when she disappeared into the bathroom and closed the door. “Damn it,” he snarled, slamming his fist against the mattress. He got up and took care of things, straightening himself up a bit and pulling his jeans back on. He sat on the side of the bed and ran his hand over his face. What the hell was he gonna do if she refused to get past him not coming clean the night she had told him about the dare she and Maria had made?

Liz leaned against the closed bathroom door quietly and looked at herself in the mirror on the other side of the room. Why had she let herself get carried away? Did he sound hurt when she left?

****

“Do you think the silence is a sign of peace or have they finally killed each other?” Michael teased when he took the steaks out of the refrigerator and put them on the counter.

Maria laughed and carried a stack of plates out to the table on the deck. “Maybe they’re busy with hot make-up sex?”

“Where’s the salt?” he asked, looking around.

“Cupboard right behind you.”

He nodded and went to look for it and several other spices that he needed for the marinade. “I like the cabin and the surrounding area.”

“Yeah? It’s not really luxurious, but the trees and the lake are really amazing. I love it up here.”

He shrugged. “Peace is more important than luxury.” He motioned to the windows that lined one wall, looking out over the lake. “That’s a great view.” He smirked as he glanced at her. “Bet you like to sit out on the deck at night... maybe even go down and sit on the dock with your feet in the water.”

“Not really a hard bet,” she teased. “Anyone would like that.”

He chuckled. “Not necessarily. Gas grill or charcoal?” he asked.

“Charcoal.”

He nodded. “Cool, I prefer charcoal. Gives food a better flavor.”

“Yeah,” she smiled. “Same thing Jim and Kyle say all the time.”

“Smart guys.” He covered the steaks with the marinade he had mixed up, covering them before walking out to get the grill started.

“I think you really impressed them last night. Jim’s never drank whiskey with a guy on a first meeting. That has to mean something.”

“I’m glad I made a good impression. I wanted to do that.” He glanced at her. “For you.”

She smiled at him. How had he turned out to be the perfect boyfriend? “Thanks.”

He got the grill started and watched the flames as they danced around the grate. He inhaled deeply as he looked around at the scenery. “You spend a lot of time up here?”

“We used to come up here more often when Kyle and I were younger. Now it’s just once or twice a year mostly.”

“Makes a nice getaway. You guys come up here as a family?”

“Yeah.” She pointed at a section of the cabin where the wood was a different color. “Jim extended it last year so we’d also have a playroom and more space since the family’s growing.”

“That’s cool. I like that your family’s so close.”

“You’re part of it now too… kinda.”

He grinned. “Your brother said I should bring Ben by next time I come over.”

“Yeah,” she walked over to him and leaned against his side. “We have to introduce the two kids soon.”

“Ben would like that. He’s shy at first, but get him around other kids and after a few minutes you’d never know it. He has this play group Isabel takes him to a couple times a week and now that he’s comfortable with them he’s quite the little leader.”

“Bet they’ll get along just fine. And Tess and Kyle would be happy to have another babysitter around.” She sighed, amused.

“Think I just got elevated to babysitter status?”

“Well, since you’re so good with kids…”

He shrugged with a wink. “I wouldn’t mind. Your niece is a sweetheart.”

She snorted. “Yeah, and she just fell in love with you last night.”

“Hey, I can be incredibly lovable when I wanna be.”

“As well as the opposite,” she teased and bumped his side.

“Yeah, okay, that’s true too.” He made a face at her.

“Well, it’s okay. I wouldn’t have been interested in you otherwise.”

“So if I hadn’t been an ass you wouldn’t have been interested in me?” He scratched his jaw as he studied her.

“I would’ve preferred if you had been a bit less of an ass, but yeah, somehow I’m a bit drawn to the bad boys.” She grinned.

He laughed and shook his head. “I’d better be the only bad boy you’re attracted to.”

“I can promise you that much.”

He checked the grill again before kissing her. “C’mon, let’s grab those steaks and get dinner goin’.”

“Okay,” she was about to go back inside when she almost bumped into Max. “Hey… Where’s Liz?”

“She's in her room. Hidin’ in the bathroom to be more precise.”

“Still no peace?” Maria made a face.

“No, peace isn’t the word I’d use right now,” he said miserably.

“I’m gonna go check on her,” she decided.

*****

Liz opened the bathroom door and listened for a moment before determining that Max had left. She walked out into the bedroom, ignoring the bed as she got dressed. How had she let that happen? He was probably having a big laugh over how easy it had been to get her in bed again. She jerked the covers into place just as a knock sounded at the door.

“Liz?” Maria asked. “Are you okay?”

Her back teeth were grinding as she looked at her best friend. “How could you do this, Maria? You knew I didn’t wanna see him!”

Uh-oh, she was seriously pissed. “I just want you to talk to him, Liz. He’s obviously down and he cares about you. Why else would he come up here?”

“I don’t know,” Liz snapped. “Maybe he thought he was gonna get laid.”

“Did he?” Maria asked when she saw her friend’s messed up hair.

“That isn’t the point, Maria!”

So it was true, she thought. “What’s so bad about talking to him, Liz? Just give a chance.”

“Give him a chance,” she snorted. “A chance to what? Screw me again? Oh, wait, too late for that.” She wasn’t sure if she was angrier at Maria for setting this up or at herself because she had allowed herself to give in to him again.

“What’s so bad about talking to him, Liz? Why are you being so stubborn about it?”

“Because he lied to me!”

“He made a mistake,” Maria tried. “People make them, girlfriend.”

She knew that but it didn’t make it any better. “How could you invite him here?”

“Because you need to face him. You can’t run from him and I won’t watch you just throw everything away because of one mistake he made. Listen to you heart, Liz. Do you really think he’s just here to have a nice fuck?”

“Well, he already got that so I guess we’ll find out won’t we?” Liz bit out, feeling like an idiot.

“He’s still there as far as I know,” Maria said sulkily. “We’re gonna have dinner soon, so if you think you can sit down with us and him then you can join us.” With that she left her friend alone.

Liz kicked the end of the bed without thinking and then cursed out loud when pain radiated out through her whole foot. “Damn it!” she yelled as she dropped down on the bed and grabbed her foot.

Maria walked down to join the boys again and watched them as they stood next to the grill talking. Liz was just too hurt to see the truth.

Michael glanced over his shoulder when he heard the door open out onto the deck and he sighed when he saw her shake her head.

Max turned to walk over to the steps. “I’m gonna take a walk. I’ll be back in time for dinner.”

“There’s a small path that way,” Maria gestured to her left. “Very quiet around this time and it winds down around the lake.”

He raised his right hand in thanks and took off along the path.

“She’s not lettin’ up, huh?” Michael asked.

“No, god she’s so stubborn,” Maria sighed, frustrated.

He chuckled and shook his head. “Sounds like another girl I know.”

“Hey, I listened to you when you asked me to answer your call, didn’t I?”

“You did,” he agreed, wrapping his arms around her and dropping a kiss on her lips. “And I‘m glad you did.”

“I don’t regret it,” she admitted, digging her hands into the collar of his shirt to hold him close when he tried to end the kiss too soon.

“Good.” His right hand slid under her shirt to rest against the small of her back.

“Maybe we can go to bed early tonight, huh?”

“I could be convinced,” he said agreeably.

“You need to be convinced?”

He grinned. “Um... no, not really.”

“Guess you should turn the steaks,” she glanced at the grill, “if we actually want to eat them.”

“Yeah, don’t want ‘em to turn into a pile of ash.” He released her to take care of the steaks. “I put the potatoes in the oven, you wanna check ‘em?”

“Okay,” she agreed and squeezed his ass playfully before going back inside.

****

Michael was slouched down in one of the deck chairs after dinner, watching a couple of deer that had stopped at the edge of the lake for a drink of the cool water. Liz and Max were sitting at opposite ends of the deck, ignoring each other. He looked up at Maria, smiling when she placed two beers on the table next to his elbow before making herself comfortable in his lap. “Got any idea what to do about the two of them now?” he growled quietly.

“No. We really tried, didn’t we? At least they’re not yelling at each other.”

“I don’t know... that might be better than the silence.” His thumb stroked her skin where her shirt had ridden up and he reached for his beer to take a drink.

“Yeah, it’s just sad.” She felt bad for her best friend and she could understand her trust issues. But then again, it was easy to see Max was miserable as well.

Michael glanced between their friends. Evans looked like he was ready to just throw himself in the lake and Liz didn’t look much better. “Maybe we should just leave ‘em alone out here.”

“Yeah,” she leaned her forehead against his. “My room’s upstairs. It has a very small private patio. Sadly, no hot tub, but a nice view.”

“No hot tub? I don’t know if I can deal with that,” he said with a teasing smile.

“Guess we’ll just have to get hot a different way.”

He grinned and kissed her neck. “Won’t be hard to do.”

She stood again and took their beers. “C’mon, Mr. Guerin.”

He got up and followed her inside. “Night, people.”

Liz glanced over her shoulder and rolled her eyes when the other couple left. Great, she thought. Not only had Maria invited them on a trip that was supposed to be free of men, no, now she was already leaving her alone. She checked her watch. At 9pm.

Max took a drink of his beer before tapping the bottom of the bottle against the arm of his chair. “It’s nice out here,” he said finally. Lame, yes, but maybe if he could get her to talk to him about anything at all they could make some progress.

She brushed her hair behind her ear and walked over to sit on the steps that lead down to the woods and the lake. Nice try at small talk, she thought with a roll of her eyes.

He sighed when she didn’t bother answering. “If you were nothing more than a dare for me why would I still be here?” he asked. “I did drive up here, I could leave at any time, and I’m still here. What’s that say to you, Liz?”

She shot an evil glare at him over her shoulder. “What does it say? Let me think. Hmm, maybe that you have another dare going with someone?”

“You know it’s funny how all of this keeps fallin’ on me. You started this dare bullshit and I’m not gonna go over why I kept my mouth shut that night again.” He shook his head as he stood up and stretched. “You know, it was a mistake. One fuckin’ mistake and if you can’t forgive me for that maybe I’m just wastin’ my time.”

“Yeah, maybe you are,” she muttered to herself. Tears welled up in her eyes and she was glad her back was to him.

He exhaled loudly. “Maybe... but I don’t think so. Liz, I’ve never been this invested in any other girl and I don’t wanna lose you over a stupid dare.” He took a couple of steps closer to her, stopping close enough so that his knees brushed against her tense back.

“Yeah, well, do you even have a clue how it feels to be the ex-girlfriend of a guy who obviously brought cheating to a whole new level AND to be the same girl who got laid because of a stupid dare right after that?” She wiped her tears away, finally saying what hurt so much. “I must be the stupidest girl in the world.”

“God, no, Liz! Damn, girl, we didn’t have sex because of a dare. Yes, yes,” he said when she just shook her head, “it was the dare, but Liz, I didn’t sleep with you because of it. The night we were together was... hell, I don’t have any words for it, but it was the best night of my life!”

She hid her face in her hands and sobbed. She wanted to believe him, but her doubts after everything that happened were holding her back.

He could hear the pain in her voice and he set his beer on the railing as he sat down behind her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her back against his chest. “Darlin’, I swear to you I never meant to hurt you.”

The heat of his body against her back felt good and she left him pull her closer, allowing him to comfort her.

Max held her tighter, wishing he could go back and change the way things had happened. “Forgive me, Liz,” he whispered raggedly.

Earth2Mama: We know what you mean, lol.

It’ll be settled very soon.

Alien_Friend: Something tells us you’re right.

We’ve had fun writing M&M like this.

mary mary: She’s getting there.

Natalie36: Lol, we’ll see what she’s gonna do in this part.

sarammlover: Lol, she’s almost there! We’re not sure but they seem to be happy with their status.

IceQueenMay: We’re pretty sure Liz knows, she just has to get past that roadblock (her ex) that she keeps tripping over.

keepsmiling7: Oh, it’ll be very soon.

begonia9508: Lol, that she is.

Healerfan: Thanks!

Liz is at that point... we’ll see in this part.

Nah, Liz and Maria will work things out.

secretk: Liz is trying to protect herself, that’s exactly right. If not for the fact that her ex screwed around and lied to her chances are good that she’d see that Max is sincere and wants to work things out. No, she probably shouldn’t have slept with him at that point, but she wasn’t listening to her brain at that moment.

Max is having a hard time stepping back. He’s in unfamiliar territory with Liz and a real relationship. So he’s just trying to get her to listen to him and see that he’s not a bad guy.

Maria does tend to stick her nose into things, but she means well. We think things will turn out well for everyone involved.

When Max showed up at Liz’s door to talk to her he wasn’t drunk, lol.

As for Michael and Maria, they did have a pretty serious discussion about what had happened between them before they went further with their relationship.

Michelle in LA: Yes, that’s exactly what Liz is doing, but she’s at the point where she’s ready to accept what she wants.

Liz is reacting without really thinking. Max has changed since they got together but Liz is still looking at things with the revelations about David fresh in her mind. If she opens her mind and really thinks about it she’ll see what’s right in front of her.

Clari: And we’re back!



A/N: Hey everyone!

We are finally back! Real life is still messing with up, so for now we will stay with updating one fic per week. Feel free to make suggestions for next Sunday, lol.

Today we thought updating DD would be the best, because we are reaching the big final. Yep, DD is coming to an end today and we hope you will like it as much as we did, when we wrote it.


A big thank you to all of you for nominating and voting for us in the award round this year. We were really beyond happy when we saw our winnings!!! *hugs* You guys rock!

Anyway, here is the final part of DD! We missed you guys and are glad to be back (well at least in most parts ).

Angel & Steffi





Part 32

She took a few deep breaths to calm down, turning slightly to rest the side of her head against his chest. “Tryin’.”

“I swear to you I’ll never lie to you again.” It hadn’t been an outright lie, but it had been a lie by omission. “Give me a chance to prove it, Liz. Don’t give up on us.”

Her gaze locked on him slowly. “What makes you so sure we can do that?”

“Make this work?”

“Yeah.”

“If I hadn’t fucked up that night we’d still be together... right?”

“Yeah… I guess.”

“We work, Liz, in bed and out.” He rubbed his hands over her arms. “I think if we can work past this we’ve got a good shot of havin’ somethin’ really good.”

She snorted with a slight smile. “As if you have any experience with this stuff.”

“Maybe not, but I’m willing to work at it.”

“Do you really think you’re gonna be interested in me longer than a few weeks? The girl you’ve knows wasn’t really me, Max. Not all of it at least. I don’t usually go to parties and flirt with guys. I do boring things like watch TV all night, study in the library an’ stuff.”

“So? Yeah, I like to party but believe it or not I don’t keep a 3.8 GPA by slacking off on my studies. I do my fair share of study halls and sitting around the house working on homework. No, I don’t spend a lot of time hanging out at home watchin’ TV, but I’m sure we can compromise.”

She sighed and stared down at her hands. “I’m just scared this won’t work out.” Max was popular, good looking, sexy as hell… everything women liked. Looking back at David, he had known that he was attractive as well… and he had betrayed her behind her back.

“Is that fear enough to hold you back? I mean, hell, Liz, none of us know what’s comin’ at us five minutes from now much less five years from now. What makes you think this might not work?”

“I don’t know. It just all went so fast the last few weeks and I wonder if we would’ve even met without the dare.”

“Does it even really matter how we met?”

“Normally I’d say no, but this is just kinda different. You don’t know me, Max, not at all.”

“Who’s fault is that?” he snapped, instantly regretting it. “Okay, look, I didn’t mean that to come out so harsh. Liz,” he shifted and sighed. “It’s like you’re lookin’ for every reason for us to stay apart and I feel like I’m fightin’ to keep us together.” He shook his head. “Maybe I don’t know everything about you, but you can’t say I don’t know anything about you.”

“Tell me a few things you know,” she said.

“I know your eyes light up and your nose crinkles when you’ve suddenly figured out a clue in a crossword puzzle, I know you put so much sugar in your coffee you can’t hardly taste the coffee anymore, I know the way you smile when you’re happy... I know I’ve seen something no other guy’s been able to see and selfishly I hope no other guy ever sees it.” His thumb stroked over her cheek. “I know how beautiful you are inside and out, Liz Parker. No, maybe I don’t know everything about you, but I know the important things. The rest I look forward to taking my time and learning.”

A small smile crossed her lips. She leaned into his touch and allowed him to comfort her. Maybe he was right. Maybe they had a chance. “Promise me you’ll talk to me and set things straight if another woman comes into picture. I can handle a break-up I think… but I’m not sure how much more betrayal I can handle.”

“I don’t juggle women, Liz. No, I don’t have any experience with relationships and I’ll probably screw up from time to time, but I’ve never been the guy who hooked up with more than one woman at a time. And I won’t ever cheat on you. Even without a history of relationships I’m a firm believer that cheating’s wrong.”

She nodded. “Okay.”

“Okay,” he said slowly. “So... what’s that mean?”

“It’s, okay you don’t have to fear death around me anymore.”

He smiled and kissed her neck. “That’s good. That whole fearing for my life thing was startin’ to wear on my nerves.”

She turned her head slightly to look at him. “I’ve missed you. I know it didn’t look that way, but I did.”

He chuckled and shook his head. “Can’t say it felt that way.” He sighed against her skin. “I can probably go the rest of my life without feelin’ like I have since you left my apartment that mornin’.”

“Ditto.”

His hands slid down her arms to link their hands together. “Next time somethin’ comes up... whatever it is, let’s just talk about it and deal with it up front, okay?”

“Okay,” she agreed, enjoying the feel of his warm hands.

He rested his chin on her shoulder and his arms tightened around her. “You know, I think I’m gonna like this relationship stuff. You might have your hands full with me but I’m a quick learner.”

“Well, we can start with small steps,” she teased.

“Um-hmm, got somethin’ in mind for the first lesson?”

“How about kissing an’ snuggling?”

“I’ll be at the head of the class for that one,” he said with a teasing smile.

She snorted. “We’ll see.”

He pulled back to look at her, his expression put out. “We‘ll see?” he mocked.

“Yep.”

“You don’t think I’m at the head of my class when it comes to kissin’?”

“Maybe you can show me?”

“Hell, darlin’, I thought you’d never ask,” he murmured, using their joined hands to nudge her chin up. He brushed his lips against hers lightly at first, the touch gentle and undemanding.

“Mmm, not bad.”

He chuckled. “Just wait.” He added a little bit of pressure and angled his head.

She smiled against his lips, when he got more invested in the kiss. Yeah, he was definitely a great kisser.

His tongue swept over her lips before retreating and then making the move again.

A slight groan escaped her throat when she parted her lips enough to let him in. She let go of his hands to turn in her seat to make kissing easier.

Max shifted when she leaned all of her weight back against the inside of his left leg and he brought his right hand up to cup her neck as he deepened the kiss.

In response to his touch she ran a hand through his hair, sighing at the relief rushing through her.

His free hand slid around her waist and he groaned when his fingers came in contact with bare skin.

She didn’t know how long they sat there and kissed, but it seemed like a small eternity. Pulling away from him slightly, she ran her fingers over her swollen lips. “How about skinny dipping in the lake?” she asked playfully.

His lips turned up in a smirk and he licked them before shooting a glance at the lake. “Let’s go.”

She took his face in both hands and kissed him one more time properly, almost missing the small wince that flashed in his features. “What’s wrong?” she asked, turning his head slightly and seeing the light shadow on his jaw. Why hadn’t she noticed it before? “How’d that happen?”

“Would you believe me if I said I just fell on my face?” he asked carefully.

“Max,” she complained, “didn’t we say no more lies?”

He sighed. “Yeah, okay so… It’s from your ex.”

“My ex?” She frowned. “How…”

“We ran into him at the gym and he picked a fight.” He nodded when she looked at him skeptically. “Ask Guerin, the jerk was begging to be hit, he started it.”

“Did you hit him as well?”

“Hell yes, Liz. That asshole said a few things he shouldn’t have. He deserved a lot more than he got.”

“What’d he say?”

Max shook his head. “Nothing I’m gonna repeat. It was enough to make my blood boil and I won’t apologize for what I did. He should be happy that’s all he got.” Just thinking about it made him angry all over again.

Liz studied him, not knowing what to think. On the one hand it was hot that he had jumped to protect her, but on the other hand it could also mean more trouble. “He deserves a lot of pain, but sometimes it’s better to just move forward.” She shook her head when he was about to say something, pressing her index finger against his lips. “Thanks for defending me anyway,” she added in a whisper.

*****

Maria blinked a few times against the sunlight, which came through the curtains. She smiled slightly when the memories of where she was and who was with her came back to her and she rolled over quietly to watch the man beside her.

A frown appeared on her face when she didn’t find Michael next to her as she had expected. Stretching a bit, she grabbed the cell on the nightstand to check the time. It was shortly before 10am, so maybe he was already up. Groaning slightly, she pushed her legs out of bed first and got up, taking a ribbon from her things and binding her hair into a ponytail.

As soon as she opened the door, the smell of freshly brewed coffee and pancakes teased her nose. She smiled and made her way to the kitchen, leaning in the doorframe while she watched Michael preparing breakfast for the four of them. He was wearing a pair of loose jeans, bleached from wear, and a black Metallica tee shirt. His hands made quick, efficient moves to turn the omelette in the pan. How the hell did people do that? she wondered.

“I was hoping to snuggle with you this morning,” she said softly when he turned to the counter and noticed her.

He smirked. “I was up pretty early, sorry.”

“What’d you do?”

“Already swam a few laps in the lake, showered, and started breakfast as you can see. Coffee?” He held up the can in questioning.

She laughed slightly and moved further into the room. “Ya know that offer to marry me is still on the table. I don’t think we should wait any longer. I need the guarantee to get this treatment every morning.”

“I can give you that guarantee without the certificate,” he winked at her. “For now.”

“I guess I can live with that,” she hopped up on the counter and took the mug he had just filled for her from him.

He turned the omelette again before slipping it on a plate and putting it in the oven with the others to keep everything warm before he gave her his full attention again. He stood between her legs, his big hands resting on her bare thighs. The sight of her wearing just one of his tee shirts was enough to make him hard as a rock again and he was pretty sure that one day he was really going to take that step and pop the question. “You’re runnin’ a pretty high risk when you wear just that while wandering around the house.”

“Risk? What kinda risk?” she asked, amused.

“Oh, I don’t know…” he said huskily as his hands moved higher on her legs, teasing the skin under the shirt.

She bit her lip and her eyes followed his hands. “Ya know, if you don’t plan to finish this, then you’d better stop right now.”

His thumbs grazed over her bare skin, sliding up the insides of her thighs. “Who said I’m not planning on finishing what I’ve started?”

She sipped her coffee before placing it aside. “Just thinking we might get interrupted.” Her lower body moved against his hands, even though she tried not to. “I’ve already heard them talking upstairs, so they could be down in no time. Seems like they made up though, since Max isn’t on the couch.”

“That’s a problem?” he teased.

“Well, can you stop if they do?”

He leaned forward to brush his lips against hers. “Can you? Because I was planning to make this one-sided.” The tips of his thumbs brushed against her panty-covered center.

“Why?” she breathed. “We can go to our room.”

“Later,” he denied, withdrawing one hand back along her thigh to push them slightly further apart. She whimpered when he brushed the knuckles of his curled fingers on his other hand against her in a steady but unsatisfying rhythm.

She leaned back on the counter when he pushed her upper body back slightly. Her hands grabbed the edge of the counter behind her. “Michael, you need…”

The words stuck in her throat when he added more pressure. Fascinated, he watched her face, taking in every feature while he continued touching her. Hell, she had no clue how sexy she was. Thank God he had decided to wear tight boxers this morning in case the other couple did show up.

Maria’s head fell back and she groaned slightly when the move made her body shift on the counter, bringing his hand even closer. Her legs tightened around him, trying to prevent him from withdrawing.

Michael chuckled slightly. “Can’t really move my hand this way, Sexy.”

She lifted her head to look at him, her breath heavy. “Promise not to tease.”

He nodded. “No teasing this morning. We need to hurry, right?”

“Yeah,” she agreed breathlessly, opening her legs a bit more again.

His eyes locked on hers while he pushed the soaked fabric of her panties aside to drive his fingertips though her wet folds a few times before turning his hand palm-side up to enter her with his index and middle finger. His thumb massaged her clit, keeping the rhythm fast right from the start.

Maria lifted one hand from the counter and bit into the back of her hand to keep herself from moaning too loudly. The cabin didn’t have any real doors other than the bedrooms and bathrooms, so nothing was really soundproofed.

He watched her in awe, tempted to forget about his plan to leave him out of it, but he forced himself to stay strong. “Look at me,” Michael ordered gently when her eyes remained closed.

It was hard to follow his wish, but she forced her eyes open. “That’s really hard, Michael.”

He took her wrist with his free hand, pulling her towards him until she sat on the edge of the counter. He stepped to one side of her, one arm wrapped around her protectively so she wouldn’t fall while his other hand was still buried between her thighs. The strokes of his fingers increased while he used his whole palm to rub against her.

Maria rested her head against the side of his neck, her breath coming in pants. She ran one hand over his upper body, her fingers stretched over the fabric of his tee shirt before curling into a fist and pulling on it when she felt her orgasm close.

In response to her reaction, his arm around her tightened. She fit so well against his body, he thought and pressed a kiss to her temple when he felt her whole body trembling.

“Michael, hold me,” she gasped when her inner walls contracted around his fingers and her whole body seemed to be on fire.

“I have you,” he promised and waited for her to calm down before retrieving his hand from her to wrap her fully in his arms.

Her whole body went limp when she relaxed again. She rested her weight against him, enjoying being able to smell his scent.

Slight noise could be heard from upstairs, announcing Max and Liz’s arrival soon. “You should go to the bathroom to recover,” Michael mumbled in amusement.

“Yeah,” Maria admitted, smiling. “You okay?”

He laughed. “Hard as a rock, but okay.” He pulled her from the counter, kissing her forehead. “You look so sexy after you come, but I hate to share, so go.” His hand smacked her ass playfully.

She left the kitchen through one door just before Max and Liz walked in through the other entrance. “Mornin’,” Liz greeted.

“Do I smell coffee?”

Michael cleared his throat slightly. “Yeah,” he gestured to the mugs he had already sat on the counter and the coffee can next to it.

“Anything we can do to help with breakfast?” Max asked, smiling at the brunette when she handed him a cup of coffee.

Seems like the storm’s over, Michael mused. “No, I think I got everything covered.”

“Isn’t Maria up yet?” Liz asked. She needed to apologize for being a bitch the day before.

“She’s in the bathroom. I’ve gotta change my shirt, be right back.” Michael followed his girlfriend out of the room.

“Is he acting weird?” Liz frowned.

“You mean weirder than usual?” Max laughed and sat down, pulling her in his lap. “Ya know we could sneak some food and go back to our room.”

Liz smirked at him and shook her head. “We could and maybe we should... but I really need to talk to Maria first.”

“Okay, guess I can understand that,” he nipped her neck.

She shivered and turned her head to smile at him. “I’m glad you came up here.”

“Yeah? We should probably thank our friends for it.”

“First I’ve gotta make sure Maria’s still talking to me,” she said with a frown.

“Ah c’mon, she probably knew you’d be mad at her at first. She’ll forgive you.”

“She’ll forgive me but I know what I said probably hurt her feelings. I wasn’t very nice last night.”

“You were very nice to me from what I remember,” he wiggled his eyebrows when he thought of the heavy make-out session in the lake and the hot shower they had taken afterwards.

She snorted, feeling hot all over just thinking about the night before. “Yeah, well, just be glad I didn’t give you the same treatment.”

“Oh, I am,” he said honestly. He had seen her angry and he was glad it was over.

“I try to not let my temper get the best of me because I’m not immune to letting my inner bitch out.”

“I guess we all saw that,” Maria said when she and Michael joined their friends again.

Liz cleared her throat and gave Max a small smile of thanks when he squeezed her hand. “Can I talk to you, Maria?”

“Can you?” she asked back. They couldn’t be mad at each other for long, but normally Maria was just a bit more stubborn than Liz.

She sighed and got up, feeling the reluctance in Max’s grip as he released her. She walked over to Maria and took her arm, tugging on it insistently. “C’mon, let's go talk.”

The other girl followed her out onto the deck, leaning against the railing while she waited for her best friend to apologize.

“I’m sorry about last night,” she said, jumping in with both feet. There was no reason to beat around the bush because they both knew why they were there.

“You gonna treat me to chocolate cake the next few days?”

Liz smiled. “If that’s what it takes.”

“That and maybe some flowers,” Maria teased.

“Flowers and chocolates?” Liz mused thoughtfully. “I don’t know... Max might get jealous,” she said and giggled.

“Oh, and one more thing. When you two get married I will get a special mention in the thank you’s because I am the person who made you see what was right in front of you.” She thought a moment. “Yeah, that’s it.”

She took a moment to think about that. Marry Max one day? She glanced back over her shoulder, watching him through the window as he laughed at something Michael said. Okay, she didn’t really have to stretch her imagination too far to see that. “Deal.”

“Nice,” Maria slipped from the railing to hug her friend. “So everything okay with you and Evans? No more yelling and stubborn fights and denial?”

“Well... he is stubborn and he can yell and we’re probably gonna fight once in a while, but I think we’re past the rest of it. Besides, a fight once in a while might not be a bad thing.” She bit her lip for a moment before busting out in a big grin. “Not necessarily a fight like this last one, but... the makeup sex is amazing,” she admitted with a light blush.

The blonde girl laughed. “Who are you and what’d you do with my best friend?”

Liz shrugged and rolled her eyes. “I don’t know, but I think I like the new me.”

“Me too. And Max does as well I bet.”

“It’s like I’m still me but... I’ve just stepped it up, you know? With him I feel like I can be adventurous, like I want to be adventurous.”

“Told you the right guy would bring it out of you,” she rolled her eyes. “Just more proof what kinda loser David was.”

“Ungh, must we mention him?” She shot another glance at Max. “Max got into a fight with him.”

“He did?”

“Um-hmm. He won’t tell me what David said but I can just imagine if it was enough to provoke Max into a fist fight.”

“Whatever it was, he probably deserved a good kick in the nuts.”

Liz snickered. “Probably.”

“Anyway,” Maria looked at her friend. “You look like you had a pretty satisfying night.”

“Better than that. We probably wouldn’t have come downstairs but we were both starving.”

“Okay, no more information needed,” the other girl laughed. She couldn’t complain either.

Liz laughed and gave her friend a shove. “What about you?”

“Oh, I’m doin’ just fine.”

“Yeah, you look like it.”

“Michael knows what to do with his hands,” Maria admitted with a wink.

“Good to know,” Liz said, sticking her tongue out at Maria.

“C’mon, I need food.”

“Me too. Last night was a long, long, long, loooooooong night.”

“Ungh,” Maria covered her ears.

Liz laughed and threw her arms around her friend as they stumbled through the door and into the kitchen.

“Where’s the food?” they both wanted to know and took a seat at the table.

Max and Michael exchanged a look at the sudden mood shift between the girls. They hadn’t known what to expect when Liz and Maria went outside to talk... yelling, screaming, cat fight, crying... there were so many options. Michael shrugged and pulled a platter of pancakes out of the oven and slid it on the table.

“Do we have syrup? I need a load of syrup on ‘em,” Maria said, sipping on her coffee.

Michael rolled his eyes and put the syrup on the table next to her plate. “Do we have syrup?” he repeated. “You can’t have pancakes without syrup.”

She stuck her tongue out at him and gripped the bottle, letting some of the sticky sweetness drop on her finger and then licking it up.

Michael had to bite back a groan at her teasing move. “You know you’re not right for that,” he growled, pointing at her with the spatula.

She shrugged innocently. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“You’re doin’ your best to get that spanking,” he said with a wink.

“What’re you doin’ there? Come on over here.”

He pulled a platter of bacon out and slid it on the table before taking a seat next to her. “Gotta have meat with breakfast, woman.”

“How could I forget,” she mocked and took a pancake, soaking it with a lot of syrup.

“You’re not even gonna be able to taste the pancake,” he said, making a face at the lake of syrup her pancake was swimming in.

“Who cares?”

“My pancakes have a very good flavor but you’re gonna miss out on it. But that’s okay... if you like all that syrup...”

“You won’t teach her any better,” Liz said. “She always drowns her food.”

Maria rolled her eyes at them without ever looking away from her food. “You guys just don’t know what you’re missing,” she said as she cut into her pancake.

Max snorted when her fork slid through the sticky mess on her plate and a hunk of the pancake flew over the side and landed on the floor with a wet splat.

“Oops,” Maria looked up and grinned before she bent down to lift it up with her fork.

Liz made a face as she glanced at Max. “Not the first time that’s happened.”

“Yeah, not likely to be the last either,” he said with a laugh.

“Probably not,” she agreed. She grinned and looked at the sad square of pancake hanging limply from Maria’s fork. “I dare you to eat that.”

“What?” The other girl looked at her friend, her eyes turning into a challenging darker shade.

“I. Dare. You. To. Eat. It.”

Max and Michael exchanged a horrified glance.

Maria took the fork from her friend, sticking another piece of her pancake on it and sliding it over the counter behind her before handing it back. “I dare you to eat that.”

“Okay, that’s officially gross,” Max said.

“Yeah, put that in your mouth and I’m not gonna kiss you any time soon,” Michael muttered.

“Think it’s time for a dare of our own, Guerin.”

He leaned back in his chair and glanced at Max when he spoke. “Maybe we should dare ‘em to never make another dare, whatcha think?”