Part 13

Liz froze, sitting still as a statue in her chair, staring down at Max as he knelt before her. His eyes burned lovingly into hers, and his words brought tears to her eyes. She was so choked up that she couldn’t speak, her words caught in her throat, so she just sat there in silence, trying desperately to show everything she was feeling with her eyes.

I’m yours.

Two simple words that Liz had always dreamed of being able to say to Max, through all the years that she had sat alone, waiting for him to come back to her. No one else was ever an option…her head had always belonged to Max, and Max alone.

I’m yours.

Two words, simple as they were that were loaded down with meaning. They were filled with promises of eternal dedication. They were loaded with the oath of Max’s unending love. And they screamed of Max’s complete and total surrender to Liz.

I’m yours.

It was a simple, honest admission…one that Max gave Liz from the depths of his heart…but it still managed to blow Liz’s mind…because it mirrored Liz’s own feelings towards him.

I’m yours.

She was...there was no doubt about it. She was his totally, completely. Her heart had belonged to him…she had no control over it. Over the past ten years of her life, on the nights where she sat alone, shivering, missing his arms around her, she knew that her heart was not there with her…it was millions of light years away, on some lonely planet, by some lonely star, and she sat waiting for him to come back to her. All of it had led up to this single moment…to the two of them saying the words that they had both known throughout the majority of their lives.

I’m yours.

Reaching down, Liz cupped Max’s cheek in her hand, lightly rubbing, as she felt the rough stubble beneath her touch. He closed his eyes, and leaned into her soft touch, relishing it, cherishing it, for all it was worth.

One thing was for certain…if ten years apart had taught them anything, it was not to take each other for granted…ever. Every touch was an amazing discovery, every moment together a treasured gift.

"You’re mine…" Liz whispered in amazement, finally breaking the silence. "And I’m yours…finally…completely."

As Liz’s words swept into Max’s heart, he began to realize that his earlier doubts had been completely unfounded…his desire for Liz completely normal. He and Liz were so completely in tune with one another, that of course if he was feeling something Liz was feeling it too. It was only natural, between the two of them. He needed to remember to listen to his instincts…to trust his heart.

Max thought back to the past few nights, how he and Liz had slept in each other’s arms…all the chances they could have had to cement their relationship, when suddenly he realized that he had no regrets. Tonight, now, was the perfect moment for this, and the past few nights had been perfect, just as they were. Now they would have the rest of their lives to intimately explore each other.

His heart pounded as he stared upwards into Liz’s loving eyes, and his lips tingled with anticipation as she slowly lowered hers for a sweet kiss, loaded with love and promise of eternity, and underlying desire, bubbling up right beneath the surface.

Their kiss unbroken, Max stood and gathered Liz in his arms, carrying her towards the bedroom, their dinner forgotten. Stopping just inside the door, Max made no move to approach the bed yet. After ten years apart, they were in no rush. He wanted to slowly, tenderly declare his love to her in the most intimate of manners…make it a moment that she would never forget. He wanted her to know just how deeply he treasured her, while taking her to new heights that she hadn’t even begun to imagine.

Letting Liz slide down his body to stand on her own, Max’s hands moved to her hips, as he pulled her flush against him. The kiss deepened, and their connection surged to life, as their mutual desires began to flood over each other’s minds. As their bodies pressed insistently together, and their mouths melted into one another, their minds followed suit, actually becoming one, as flashes flew across their minds, and their emotions became one.

Max could hear Liz’s breath growing raspier, and he knew his own was just as erratic, but he only allowed it the briefest thought, as his lips began to roan from hers, down to her throat, where he suckled on her skin for a few moments, before following his original trail back up for another deep kiss.

As Max’s lips explored her, Liz could barely think coherently as sensations like nothing she had ever experienced before came surging through her body…and they had barely even begun.

Liz felt fevered and lightheaded from the onslaught of Max’s kisses, and her skin felt like it was on fire….both at her hips where Max’s hands lightly gripped her, and also further up, wherever Max’s lips roamed. He was everywhere, all around her. His body consumed hers from it’s closeness, and the way his mind filled hers…Liz felt like she was drunk on Max…and she never wanted to sober up.

"Oh God!" Liz gasped aloud as Max’s hands began to move, slowly sliding upwards as he explored the curves of her tiny body, just barely grazing the edge of her breast, before sliding lower again.

For the first time since their lips first locked, Max pulled away and grinned down at Liz, finding a surprising amount of satisfaction in the knowledge that he was driving her crazy…and they had barely even begun.

Max wanted this to be slow though. He couldn’t drive Liz to the brink of insanity quite yet, so he pulled his hands away as well, trying to give her a chance to calm down a bit. Max had to hold back the evil smile that sneaked to his face after his next wicked thought.

Unable to resist touching her, even as he gave her time to regain control, Max reached up and slid her hair out of the tight ponytail she donned for her lab classes, allowing her hair to stream forth as he tangled his fingers in it, and combed them through her silky trestles.

When Max’s eyes finally fell from their worship of her hair to Liz’s eyes, he found himself face to face with two orbs burning with passionate mischief. Max gulped nervously at the look. He had been concentrating so hard on his ability to drive Liz crazy, that he had forgotten exactly what she was capable of doing to him…and he had an idea that he was about to find out just what that was.