PART THREE

Liz threw her head back, letting the warm shower soak her hair. Droplets cascaded across her skin, and she closed her eyes, just savoring the feel of the warm water against her body. She opened her shampoo bottle and began working the soap into a soft lather, massaging her scalp, threading her fingers through her long hair.

Marco had left about thirty minutes ago, and she’d sat with Max in the living room for a while, strategizing about gathering the group. They’d held off sharing anything about Marco until they could confirm his identity, and now he’d promised to return tomorrow evening, so that he could meet everyone. She’d seen his eyes dance a bit, as they’d talked about Michael, Isabel and Tess, and she realized that he was excited to meet them all. Then, when Max had mentioned that there were others within their group—humans—Marco had interrupted him, saying that he knew all about the others. His eyebrows had drawn together, clearly surprised that Max would feel he even needed to explain who they were.

"I don’t think you realize how closely we’ve been watching you, Max," Marco had said. "For a while now."

Liz stepped fully into the flow of water, allowing the shower to douse her soapy hair. She felt rivulets spill down her back and neck, and she kept her eyes closed against the soap.

Suddenly, she smelled Max… right up against her. His scent was heady and overpowering, especially with the steam swirling all around her. She felt him shimmy across her body, nipping at her skin, and for the briefest moment the intensity of his energy left her feeling unsteady.

She sighed, opening her eyes. No sight of him anywhere, and yet he couldn’t have been more fully with her. His heat began rolling along her skin, searing her, making her blood boil within her. The combination of the warm water beating steadily against her back, and Max’s touch all along her body was amazing—like little jolts of electricity exploding all across her bare skin.

Then his energy became more insistent, almost demanding that she open to him. He wasn’t teasing anymore now—he needed her desperately, right that very moment.

She gasped softly, as she opened their bond, and he rushed into her so quickly, she had to catch herself from falling. She planted her hands against the slick, wet tile of the shower wall, gasping again as he whirled through her.

Max, she laughed. You could have just joined me in the shower.

No. I couldn’t, he breathed.

Fire began to pool within her, as she felt his energy escalating.

Make love to me, he whispered. I need you.

And she thought how many times they’d both said those words to each other lately. Their need for one another simply never dissipated…it spiraled and grew, just roiling constantly within them both.

Liz eased her back against the tiles, her hands flat on the smooth surface. Max was just darting in and out now, so unsettled. She could feel all his restless energy from the day, shooting through her.

Shh, she whispered to him, soothed him. Shh…

And his frantic exuberance quickly stilled. She felt him settle more within her, as she closed her eyes. Then she entered him in turn, her breath catching in her throat as their souls quickly found one another.

Oh, God…Max cried as their joining came instantly. There wasn’t even time for a playful dance, they’d only been able to find one another and weave immediately together like that.

Liz slowly opened her eyes, her breathing uneven, and saw that the shower was filled with steam now. She turned off the faucet with a shaky hand, moving the curtain aside. She stepped onto the tiled floor, tossing a towel loosely around herself. She didn’t even stop to dry her body, just moved from the bathroom to their bedroom.

And found Max lying there on his back, beautifully naked, his legs slightly open. The expression on his face was unbelievable--his eyes were shut, and he looked deeply sated. Only, she could see that he was incredibly erect, and breathing heavily. He was desperate for the rest, yearning for completion, even as his alien side had already been so fully satisfied by her.

She stepped closer toward him, and drew a breath in at the sight of his lean, graceful body—it never ceased to amaze her.

Thank you, he whispered as he opened his eyes lazily, a seductive smile spreading across his lips. His chest rose and fell with heavy pants, and he reached for her.

She didn’t move, just tightened the towel around herself, dripping water on their carpeted floor. His hand lingered in the air, inviting her toward him, yet she didn’t move—just gazed at him, marveling at his wondrous form.

Beautiful, she thought. Absolutely beautiful.

"You’re a devil," he groaned, smiling at her. She let the towel fall away then, revealing her wet, naked body. His eyes swept over her, and she felt his gaze all along her skin, scalding her.

She moved closer toward the bed, climbing next to him. She sat on the edge, facing him and began tracing her fingers around both of his nipples. They sprang to life beneath her touch.

"I think, my love, that you would be the devil in this relationship," she laughed softly.

He pulled her mouth down toward his. "You’ve done something to me, Liz," he breathed, his voice husky and rich. "You’ve made me into this."

"Into what?" she asked, meeting his warm soft lips. Despite his urgency for her, the kiss was incredibly gentle. He slipped his hands around her waist, pulling her closer down to him. His skin was fiery and warm beneath her, and growing wet now.

"I don’t know," he murmured helplessly, shaking his head. His salty lips parted for her, and his tongue slowly began intertwining with her own. "I can never get enough of you…of making love to you. I can’t pretend to understand it lately."

"You know what you’ve been doing to me," she whispered, stroking his hair away from his forehead.

Their kiss deepened and he pulled her on top of him with a quiet groan. She was dimly aware that her own breathing had escalated, as he pressed himself between her bare legs. She slipped her hand down between their bodies and began rubbing him firmly, and his breath caught for a moment. He throbbed within her hands, all velvet smoothness and yet incredibly firm. She loved the feel of him in her hands like that, and she rolled onto her side, so she could pleasure him more fully. She cupped his sacks, rolling them gently within the palm of her hand, and then trailed her fingers back over him. His erection leapt a bit at her touch, as their tongues desperately sought one another. She began rubbing him firmly within her hand, and Max gasped softly in her ear.

God, Liz…he moaned.

He’d already been teetering on the edge when she’d walked in the bedroom, and now he was pushing quickly past. He began to thrust his hips, meeting her rhythm.

We’ve got to stop, he pleaded, though his body continued its desperate response to her touch. You’ve got to…

No, she said firmly, escalating her assault on him. We’ve got all night, she whispered and his kisses stilled briefly. He looked into her eyes and something wild flashed in his expression. He rolled her quickly onto her back, and in the smoothest motion plunged into her deeply, taking her.

His hips continued their frantic pace, and she felt him driving into her hard. He buried his face in her neck, nipping her roughly there. Her fingers threaded all through his dark hair, tousling it within her hands. He was so deep within her now, crashing back and forth, and her desire escalated by quick degrees. Her own hips bucked up against him, trying to get more.

She decided to let go within the bond, to allow their connection to break…so that then he could just take her all over again. She felt their souls separate and thrilled anticipating their joining anew, when very suddenly Max stopped moving within her.

"No," he begged forcefully, and he looked almost frightened…a bit lost.

She stroked his cheek, surprised by his reaction. Their eyes locked for a long moment, and she felt such love surge within her for this man. With that, she slipped right back inside of him, her energy rolling across his body in desperate waves. He closed his eyes tightly, and began thrusting hard within her.

Their souls threaded together again immediately, and she felt him almost seize her from within their bond, surprisingly possessive.

Don’t do that to me again, Liz, he pleaded. Please.

I just wanted to experience the joining again, she explained softly.

Okay, she whispered and felt peace come over him again. God, this need was going to kill them both. His thrusting grew more frenzied now, and she met him over and over.

Out to the edge they went, Max carrying her all the way… pulling her. Commanding her…he cried her name out loud, desperation in his voice. Explosive shudders racked his body, echoing within her, and then finally they both stilled. And they lay just like that, he in her arms. She stroked his hair, his shoulders, tracing her fingers along his backbone. He was completely quiet, his breathing heavy against her.

She was surprised to feel a deep melancholy begin humming through her…not her own, but Max’s.

Sweetheart? She questioned. But she only felt the sadness intensify.

He kissed her neck lightly, pressing his face into her long, wet hair.

Again, he was silent. But she knew…sensed the growing pain within him. He couldn’t put words to his feelings, yet she still knew.

She’d hurt him, breaking their bond in the middle of the lovemaking. It had never been her intention, only to have more of him all over again. It was something they’d done occasionally before, but it had never created this kind of reaction. She didn’t understand it at all. Softly, she stroked his hair beneath her fingers, kissing the top of his head repeatedly. Maybe he could verbalize the feeling, and that would help him.

They lay like that for a long time, his ragged breathing finally slowing, her heart easing from its crazy pace. Yet Max remained so quiet and still in her arms, silently breaking her heart. Finally, he nestled his head more firmly against her, and spoke so softly, she almost missed it.

"Please don’t ever leave me, Liz." His voice sounded broken and small.

"God, Max! How can you even ask that?"

He rolled off of her, onto his side and gazed at her a long moment. His lovely eyes were filled with deep sadness.

"What?" she pressed him.

He shook his head slowly, then reached a hand to stroke her hair. "When you pulled away from me…while we were making love…" he hesitated, glancing away from her. "I felt something strange."

She pressed his hand to her lips, kissing his palm softly.

"Kind of like that feeling about the storm coming," he whispered. "Only it was about you."

He looked up at her, and seemed incredibly vulnerable and lost.

"Oh, Max," she soothed him. "That was only because things were so intense at that moment. It was a silly thing to do, I should never have tried it."

"Why have things been like this, Liz?" he questioned seriously. "What’s happening between us?"

"I don’t know," she whispered, shaking her head slowly.

"It’s starting to drive me slightly insane."

Liz laughed gently, pulling his mouth to her own. "You, too?"

"More than you really even know, Liz. It’s almost painful sometimes."

"For me, too," she breathed. "But I love it at the same time."

Max nodded, slipping his arms around her. He pulled her close against him, and her desire stirred all over again—and she felt his physical reaction pressing against her thigh.

"I love you, Liz." His voice was low and serious. "So much more than I can ever tell you."

His expression was still thoughtful, as his fingers traced a little pattern on her abdomen, circling lower and lower. She felt heat answer within her stomach, at his slightest touch.

"I know, Max. And you’ve shown me that over and over."

He leaned forward, giving her the slowest and gentlest of kisses, just letting his lips linger against her own.

I’m going to show you right now just how much I love you, he murmured.

His hands began a tender exploration of her body--all the chaotic passion between them earlier had stilled now, becoming so quiet and lovely. Liz sighed, breathing him in through all her senses, and felt his contentment envelop her, as their bond constricted a bit…he was pulling her closer within himself. Because tonight was all about being as close as they could get, allowing all the boundaries to vanish. They’d simply never yearned to be more completely one than they did at that moment.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Max leaned his forehead against the slick wall of the shower, the noise of the pounding water droning beside him. He had to get his emotions under control, had to collect himself.

He’d left Liz nestled in bed, sleepy and contented. She’d already showered, so now it was his turn. They’d remained connected, and he’d felt her drift off to sleep a few minutes ago. Max loved how it felt when she slept like that… it was totally soothing and made him feel so loved by her. He couldn’t explain why, except perhaps the infinite trust it conveyed—that she was his thoroughly and without reservation, so much so that she’d sleep entwined with him.

Now that she’d drifted off, he eased their bond apart, allowing her to rest without the buzz of his energy. He knew his thoughts were too restless—had been ever since their meeting with Marco. How could he not worry about Liz…about all of them? He was their leader, and had just been told they were all in danger.

But at the moment, something else was pressing in on his mind, slowly killing him. The sensation that had swept through him when Liz had broken their bond during their lovemaking had been more than frightening. He couldn’t tell her what he’d felt, because he didn’t want to scare her.

He’d sensed some moment, some coming time when they’d be unable to connect. He had an intense flash of reaching desperately for her, yearning to be joined…and simply being unable to do it. The sensation had been like a deathly cold wall of steel, blocking him from her. He’d known what it would feel like, to slam into that wall…so icy cold and impenetrable.

For a moment, he’d panicked, mistakenly thinking that he was unable to join with her right then. But then his fears had eased when he’d seen how easily they came together again, their souls instantly mating.

And that’s what had frightened him so. This intuitive flash had felt completely real…as if it were something that had already happened.

Or was going to happen in the future.

There was only one reason he could think of why he and Liz might be unable to connect, and he felt grief well within his heart anew. Sobs began quietly wracking his body—he couldn’t stop them. His Liz…life without her would be nothing. Life without their connection would only be empty and cold… a sterile place where he wouldn’t want to be.

He felt hot tears sting his cheeks, and shame welled within him. He was crying like a baby over this, when he should be strong. But it had scared him so badly--and he couldn’t even tell her what he’d seen.

Maybe Marco was wrong—maybe the time to go underground was now. So many thoughts swirled through his head, but one thing was certain. He would not let anyone harm his Liz—he’d die protecting her if need be—because without her his life wouldn’t be worth living anyway.

The water kept pounding his skin, as he leaned his forehead against the cool tile wall of the shower. His tears mixed with the water, falling in rivulets down his face. He wished so much that he was someone else in that moment, just a simple man who could give Liz the life she deserved.

The soft tears grew in intensity, his body now shuddering with gentle sobs. And he realized he wasn’t just crying about the terrible premonition he’d had about Liz—he was weeping for all their dashed dreams, for all the things he’d never be able to give her.

Why had loving him meant that she always had to hurt so much? He wondered, wiping at his tears, as he turned his face into the full stream of water. Instantly, he felt soothed by the rhythmic play of it against his skin—and he knew the answer to his question.

Because loving him meant that she was becoming everything she was destined to be—not just his wife, not just someone enduring all the complications that accompanied his life.

With him, she was awakening to every aspect within her self, and even if it might come at a great price, he knew it was worth it for her, just as it was for him—and for the other, beautiful entity they became together every single time they joined.