~ chapter 14 ~

Oh, sweet heaven above, this is going to be…delicious. Liz Parker’s eyes danced with devilish delight as her mind moved into seductress mode. She watched Max's fiery eyes greedily watch her every move and knew torture at this point was definitely in order…

For the particular type of torture she had in mind to begin, Liz needed Max. Every part of him. Open and vulnerable to her scheme...

Tilting her head to the side, Liz pursed her lips in thought. "On second thought, Max. Maybe we don't…need to…practice." Liz whispered as she intently watched his reaction expecting her next move to send additional sparks of fire through his eyes that she certainly didn't want to miss.

Max's adams' apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed back his disappointment. "Yeah. Practice can be…a little…over-rated…" He took a deep, searing breath. "Maybe we should just…not…" His gaze faltered until Liz's finger shot to his lips to gently silence him. There was an instant tingle where her finger brushed against their softness and Max's eyes sought hers questioningly.

Liz's chest tightened into a knot of awe as the golden flecks in his eyes sparked to life at her touch. The previously ebony depths glimmered to a light amber that sent fingers of fire dancing over every part of the exposed skin that they now openly caressed. Dear God. Was she actually able to do that to him with just a touch? Just that thought made a new ache grow deep inside. To see the untapped wonder of Max Evans displayed before her when he was truly touched…right down to the depths of his soul.

Liz somehow found her voice and was amazed to find it strangely calm to her ears. "Relax. I have an idea." Liz's eyes were bright with a plan.

By the devilish look sparkling in her dark eyes, Max was almost afraid to ask. Almost…but not quite. Even he knew at this point he'd been captured. Nothing would be able to drag him away from this play they’d begun. Now it was up to him to hold on tight and ride high on the wave of frantic desire that was bubbling inside. With a swallow, Max took a dive into the already steaming water. "What?"

"Take off your shirt."

An eyebrow raised. "What?"

"Seeing that we'll be sleeping together, I think its time we get to really know each other…don't you?" A scheming smile brightened her eyes even more and Max found it hard to concentrate on the words her juicy lips were forming. His mind suddenly filled with the inescapable notion that he, Max Evans, was in trouble. Big time.

Delicious. Luscious. Juicy. Delectable. Scrumptious. These were not words normally listed in the 'Max Evans' Book of Every Day Language', yet they were the only words his mind could form at the moment as he stared down at the tantalizing, mouth-watering feast before him. See. He was doing it again.

How could he not when she was standing before him like a chocolate covered, cream-filled éclair? Like a finely baked pastry, Max just knew that her light, delicate skin would crumble away if he touched her. And when his warm moist mouth finally got the chance to latch onto her, she would surely melt away to nothing against his heated tongue. Fortunately, for his human pastry she was standing far enough out of reach that any effort on his part to partake of this particular dessert would be like admitting immediate defeat. An admittance he wasn’t quite ready to proclaim…yet.

On the other hand, touching her was no longer an option. It was a necessity. And as a necessity, it would happen. Like a violent craving that had to be quelled for life to continue, Max impatiently longed for the moment her scent and taste surrounded him. Engulfed him. Became part of him.

The burning need to swallow her up shadowed his every thought. With her hair dribbling like chocolate down the rounded curves of her cream-coated shoulders tantalizingly slipping every once in a while beneath the loose confines of her towel, Max's eagerness grew as did the ache of desire burning deep inside him. Beaded perspiration tangled with the remaining droplets of her shower dropping with delicacy down the opening of Liz’s towel. Disappearing where his hands so desperately ached to go. Where his long, hot gaze had already drifted so many times he thought one more look just might melt the towel away.

So, he looked again. To his immediate disappointment, the towel didn't melt. Damn. Where is that alien x-ray vision when you need it? In the next instant, Max didn't care about x-ray vision or anything else because Liz tilted her head to the side causing the opposite side of her towel to dip lower than before. The top of her left breast swelled above the semi-rough material when she crossed her arms in front of her in an effort to either make a point or keep her hands from reaching out to close the distance between them. His dazed, befuddled mind really couldn't be sure which at this point.

All he could be sure of was that he no longer knew how to breathe. The instinctive skill fled him as quickly and as surely as a sudden tightness gripped a member of his anatomy that was suddenly springing to life in a way it never had before. Max’s hands clutched at the counter and the inside of his cheek received a severe bite as he valiantly fought to squelch a deep throaty groan before it escaped and gave away his weakness.

Not only was he beginning to see Liz Parker as one big, gigantic meal…the hunger for that meal was nearly incapacitating him. What was even worse than that…she didn't seem to mind. In fact, she was making the hunger all that more pronounced by her suggestive tones and the coy, little glances she shot up at him from under her lashes. All that with a smile that blew him into a realm where he could easily be crowned King of the Helplessly Frustrated.

With a deep sigh of defeat, Max finally admitted it. This petite slip of a woman in front of him had the ability to spin him around, knock him off his feet, and turn him inside out with a raise of her slender eyebrow. And she knew it. God help him. Liz Parker knew she had power over him.

So, if he was going to be King, it was time to claim a Queen. To see if he had power over her too. By the way he'd seen her tremble under his gaze earlier, he had a sneaking suspicion she did. A lot of it. Max was never one to go on suspicions alone, however. Ever the agent…ever the careful one, Max Evans wanted proof. And he knew just how to get it too. He was going to drive Liz Parker to the edge of insanity. And he was going to do it all without one single kiss.

A silent promise was forged in the halls of Max Evans' mind: His lips would not touch those of Liz Parker's until every last shred of control had been broken. Hers first…then his. She may have the assets to render him completely powerless in the end, but he wasn't going to go down easy. He was going to tease Liz with assets that were equally crippling just as much as the light in her eyes promised that she intended to tease him.

A devious smile lit Max's eyes. Oh, sweet heaven above, this is going to be…delicious.

Liz was rambling. She knew she was. For once in her life, she was completely, delightfully powerless. Powerless to stop the clumsy words from dropping from her lips. She was powerless to do anything but stare at the virtual god leaning so casually against the counter top. Did Max have any idea what he was doing to her?

Did he know that the way his eyes raked over her was making her blood literally simmer inside her veins? That the sight of his chest rising and falling in an uneven rhythm was sending chills throughout her body? Her fingers itched to knead the hard muscles that were becoming more distinct with each passing second as his shirt began to cling to his body from the oppressive steam, outlining the curves, hills and dips of his torso. Did he comprehend that the tiny beads of perspiration settling lightly over his skin were the cause of her tongue suddenly feeling like cotton?

She thought she heard a stiffled groan and wasn’t sure if it had come from deep inside of him…or her. Her knees began to wobble under her at the sound and the only defense she had against it was to wrap her arms around herself and focus on something else. So, she tilted her head to the side and forced herself to make sense of her own words as she spoke them. Even though Max seemed to have totally zoned out of hearing range in favor of a scenic trip over her body, it never hurt to remember what she said. Never know what that Evans’ factor will rear its head and you’ll be trapped in your own unidentifiable drivel.

Constantly aware, Liz continued speaking as if she didn’t see the way Max's eyes began to darken once again. Or how they alternated between her eyes and her lips, over her shoulders…down the slope of her neck. Or how his tongue darted out every once in a while to wet his lips as if he were contemplating a meal while steadily taking in the sight of her. "I…I mean, we're getting ready for bed right now, right? And you've…you've been in here with me for a while now…so…the assumption would be…" She raised her eyebrows and let her sentence dangle appropriately for Max to fill in the gaps.

At the silence of her stilled voice, Max snapped to attention and quickly registered her latest words filling in the gaps rather quickly, which was surprising for his present state of mind. His eyes began to shine with understanding washing away any disappointment that might have existed before. "So…yeah. I see what you mean. Ok. My shirt."

"Uh-huh. Your shirt." Liz watched with amusement as Max's shaking hands struggled to undo his first button. She bit back a chuckle by clearing her throat and crossing her arms in front of her. "Do you need any help undressing, Agent? Because I could always…"

Great way to start your test, Evans. Max scolded himself silently then took a deep breath and blinked quickly as his gaze dropped to the task at hand. "No, no. I think I've…got…" Max's hands stilled suddenly and his eyes widened when he felt Liz take a step closer and saw her hands dip under the tails of his shirt and move to the top of his pants. "W-w-what are you doing?"

"Taking your jeans off." Liz's voice was matter-of-fact, but she couldn't help the blush that crept up her cheeks or the slight shake of her own hands as they ran along the edge of Max's jeans in search of his snap. The back of her fingers brushed against the taut skin covering his firm stomach muscles and sizzled on contact. Liz closed her eyes and took a few quick breaths willing her heart to beat normally and her hands to stop their shaking as she bored holes into the material of Max's shirt as it slipped over her hands.

Get control, Liz. You can't let him know how bad you want him. He has to admit it first. As if speaking to a child, Liz's eyes opened to place an innocent gaze on Max's flushed expression. She smiled serenely pulling him further into her web of seduction. "Max. You weren't really planning on wearing your jeans to bed were you?"

Max shook his head slowly as his gaze raised to meet hers. "No, but…" Max's hands dropped to cover hers creating a seductive web of his own.

The second their hands met, a helpless sound escaped from the back of Liz's throat. She felt an instant tug on the cotton under her fingers and the breath left her body when she realized the cause was the suddenly restrictive confines of Max's clothes. And what exactly they were restraining. Her lashes batted a few times as her eyes raised slowly to meet Max's steady gaze. A flicker of amusement flashed through his eyes and a slight smile parted his lips. "You're right. It is time we…get to know each other."

Liz swallowed…hard.

Max Evans knew in that moment he would win this battle of control. A sly smile curved his lips upward as he removed his hands from Liz's and returned to quickly, confidently unbutton his shirt while Liz was left with the chore of undoing his pants. Liz suddenly felt like she'd just exploded into a ball of flames. Considering the fact that Max's scorching gaze never left her face and that her hands were now pulling a zipper up and over a stiff bulge in Max's pants, the analogy was a gross understatement.

Shirt now hanging open, Max's hands dropped to grip the counter behind him again as he silently waited for Liz to finish her self-appointed task. He closed his eyes tightly and bit his lower lip to stop the groan that her fumbling hands pulled from deep inside his chest as they rubbed and bumped against his growing hardness sending tingles of fire racing through him with each graze. Even in his wildest dreams it had never felt like this. And she wasn't even trying to please him. Max had never known such sweet torture and vowed to make Liz's torture just as sweet when her time came…

Liz was not only having a hard time pulling Max's zipper down with her clammy hands, she was also having the hardest time finding air. It was all around her. She could feel it. Moving, breathing, swirling. But it refused to enter her lungs. The zipper finally reached its base and Liz let out a shaky breath that she had been unconsciously holding as she nervously tucked her hair behind her ears. It was then she realized the air now searing her lungs was the first she’d breathed since trying to aid Max’s present state of undress.

A light gasp stole that very same breath as quickly as it came when her eyes rested on Max's hidden prize. Her eyes widened when it twitched under her gaze. Tearing her fiery gaze from Max's now open fly, Liz shot him a quick look hoping he hadn't seen her reaction.

He had. Max's eyes twinkled devilishly as he leaned forward slightly with a bold whisper. "Looks like you've made a friend." His statement sent a scarlet blush rushing to her cheeks and Max grinned as he held out his arms. "I'm open for further inspection…if you're game."

Hearing the note of challenge in Max's voice and slightly embarrassed to have been caught so off-guard, Liz squared her slim shoulders and cleared her throat as a defiant eyebrow raised. Teasing determination flashed in her eyes. "Oh, I’m always ready to play, Agent Evans." She took one tiny step forward her eyes leveling him with a bold challenge of her own as her voice lowered suggestively. "I do think I should warn you, though…not only do I work hard, I play hard."

His grin deepened sexily and his gaze dropped with a thud from her eyes to her lips. "Well, now. If ‘hard’ is the operative term, I do believe I’m half-way to the finish line already."

His words brought a sly smile to her full lips as she took yet another step closer putting her body within centimeters of his. Her hands instinctively reached out to bridge the short gap between them, finding the top of Max’s jeans with little difficulty. She leaned into him slightly, careful not to make complete bodily contact as her fingers slipped between the jean and cotton materials of his clothes, her hands pressed solidly against his skin. "Only half-way?"

She arched her neck to fully look into his face and her hair fell to the side feathering lightly against his arm. Her warm breath blew against the exposed skin of chest and he immediately felt the impact in the goosebumps that spread over his flesh. Those same goosebumps increased to the level of heated chills when her breath became a suggestively charged whisper. "Let’s see what we can do about that…"

Snap. The first shred of Max Evans’ control broke…without one single shred of resistance.