Family Lies (AU,M/L,UC,ADULT) Ch. 12- -02/28/06[WIP]

[RebeccaBehrEvans]

Title: Family Lies

Disclaimer: For the third time, no I don't own anything Roswell related though I wish I did! (except maybe some tapes and tons and tons of pictures of Max and Liz )… However, the idea of this story is inspired by a French TV show, but there is absolutely no infringement intended on my part.

AN: Hey, guys…

Here I am again… you didn't have to wait long this time, did you??
Well… I should post the next chapter Wednesday, but in the mean time, let me know what you think of this one
Now… the Thank Us:

Earth2Mama:

OMG!!!

That was the most intense kiss ever!!! Jesus....every girl outta be kissed that way.

Thank U so much for the compliment…(got the inspiration in my sign ) I guess I don't see it the same way since I'm the one writing, but I'm glad you liked

They did that to poor Victoria and Cole on "The Young and The Restless". EWWWWW!!! I hate that storyline.

Oh… so you were talking about them… I thought you were referring to Christine Blair and that guy who was indeed her brother in the end… Scott something I think … … Oh damn, now everyone is going to know that I watched this at some point
Thank U really for your FB, and just know that I'm really happy to have you as a fan now

Roswelluver: Thank U so much for your feedbacks


Eccentric One:

He is ready to lose his virginity to Liz right now.

Really, do you think so ??? … what could have made you think that

I didn't like the reference at the end that makes me think that somebody is about to walk in on them. I hope not. But I suppose it might be better for them to stop. And I don't think either of them has the ability to stop themselves. I don't know if Liz is a virgin, but we know Max definitely is. His first time should be something more than a quickie against a bathroom sink. He's sensitive enough that doing that would bother him for the rest of his life.

Exactly!! … you know my Max quite well … I don't think he would have a great opinion of himself if he made love to Liz for the first time in his brother's bathroom… besides, they both deserve more… and well, with the way he already feels for Liz, it definitely wouldn't feel right to him to do so!

These last few parts I have almost completely forgotten about the heartache of the first part. I have a disastrous feeling that the shock is that Max and Liz are half-siblings. Or at least somebody thinks they are. I just hope I am wrong about that. There is no happy ending to that scenario.

… oh boy, too many people are fearing this, aren't they??
If it were that though… believe me I'd find a way to make a happy ending

Thank U so much Kara

Frenchkiss70:

So Liz and Max had both to give up on their dream, as I already said, maybe it's not too late? Dr & Dr Evans sounds really nice

Yeah it would be… but I'm not sure in fact… do you really think they would be able to keep their hands off each other between two patients??? Yeah sure …

And when Max let Liz's hair down, I was expecting a kiss like Liz, I was almost closing my eyes too And that kiss, my God, that kiss!!!! I love when Max loses control, and I guess Liz isn't complaining. But as I know thier first time won't happen in a bathroom, at least not tonight , I expect someone to interrupt them, let me think who's perfect for this job? ...Maria?

LOL… Oh… sorry girl… but it was okay finally, wasn't it?
As for their first time... shh, don't talk about it, people are going to know I'm giving you priviledges they don't have... I knew I shouldn't have told you when they're going to do it
Thank U so much for your feedback

Marteloise:

so I think I'm going to have to put my head in the fridge when they're finally going to make love (because Rebecca, they're going to do it sooner or later, right? ) ..

… uh?? Do you really think they're going to?? I don't know… I mean we wouldn't want them to do it too soon, right? … well, I'll make sure to let you know when it happens if it happens of course, before… so that you know when to clean up your fridge and make room for you

after verifications ( ), I have to agree with you, Max painted with his left hand but he wrote his assignment in 285 south with his right...

Oh boy … here we are again … okay I know he writes with his right hand… but man I can't believe anymore that each time he uses his left hand it's just because the director asked him to… I mean there are too many times… but anyway, I guess that until I meet him and he confirms/denies that he's ambidextrous I won't know for sure

Hope they will be able to fulfill their dreams and would be able to go (back) to med school.. Evans and evans.. Well, looks like Max knows whom he wants to spend his life with..

Yep… I guess he knew right away … I don't know yet about medical school… do you really want them to go??

what could happen if someone suddenly came up searching for them

.

Well… I guess the answer is coming
Thank U too! Love you girl

Milla:

No, you didn't disappointed us. No um, not at all. That was one hot kiss. But knowing Maria she is going to catch them in a moment, isn't she? I can't wait to see her reaction when she'll find Max and Liz making out in the bathroom.

That's almost the truth but someone's gonna do worse believe it
Thank U so much for the feedback

Begonia9508:

Vite, vite, une douche froide!!!!!!!!

Really sexy and sensual part! The way they kissed was so erotic!
You are the only one I know who wrote quite a whole part with kisses.....
Chapeau!!!!

Again, this feedback warmed my heart… I'm glad you liked Thank U once more Eve!


Snoopie13: I hope it was … Thank U too … I appreciated

Gigo:

I just... I almost wish that they could get interrupted (Maria interruptus?) just so that they can step back and make sure that they aren't going to freak out on each other when they do go all the way... On the other hand, who really wants this to stop?

LOL… it's gonna be even worse … but don't worry too much about that … love the gonna freak out when they do go all the way … I don't think so… besides, if Max wants to wait till marriage they aren't going to do it any time soon
Anyway, thank U so much for the feedback… and don't worry, I don't mind if you don't leave them the second I post, but I'll honestly say that I wait for you to post the next chapter almost every time

Lovalien;

Fantastic part , as always, Let me tell you that your Max is quite talented ,for a virgin, with his hands and all... Pfff it's hot in there or what..

LOL… well, Max in Sexual Healing was a 17 yrs old virgin and well… we all know what he did to Liz … imagine him at 25

So my advice: give up your job , your friends ( but not us on the F-R) and your life and Write for us continually.

I wish it could be so easy, believe me … but hey, I could at least try
Thank U so much for your kind words They meant a lot

Strawberry Shortcake:

I'm just thankful that either one of them weren't hurt that bad!! But I guess that's for later huh? And I bet, just taking a wild guess here, that Max's father has something to do with that mind blowing news Can't family be a wonderful thing

Yeah, well… that's mainly why I decided to give you some Dreamer Moments first, just so you know how much they love each other, and how happy they were together… maybe it'll make the rest less painful … or maybe not I guess … because then you will know what they are going to miss… but anyway, just know that you can trust me to find a way to make everything right for them in the end, whatever it is that's gonna separate them … and well, Philip Evans isn't exactly what I would call a model father, so yes… he could be the problem

Thank U too… I appreciate each and every of your fb

Now, I'm sure some of you are going to want to strangle someone… just remember that he's pretty much smashed

Hope you like



Chapter 8


Meanwhile outside and after having left Max and Liz in the bathroom Maria had joined Michael and Sean again, fearing the worst of course, only to find her dear boyfriend calmly seated near her cousin.
Way too calmly actually, she had almost immediately thought, thinking that either he had fallen asleep in his sitting position or he had done something and now was trying to play it cool.

She had approached him cautiously and hadn't been able to not frown when he had looked up at her and had proudly told her that there hadn't been any changes concerning Sean but that he had made sure he was alright and had taken care of him just like she had asked him to.

Maria had of course stared at him suspiciously, moreover when she had seen the gleam in his eyes and the way he couldn't stop grinning like a fool, but since she couldn't see what was wrong at first or prove he was hiding something from her she had dismissed the thought.

If her cousin hadn't woken up yet, maybe it was more because of the alcohol and whatever other illegal substance she was sure he had taken during the night than because of Max's punches, she had just concluded and after calling some of Michael's friends to help them carrying Sean, they had taken him back to the house and to one of the guestrooms so he could at least rest if he really needed it, but in a comfy bed and not on the ground. Not that he had really deserved any sympathy of course, but he was her cousin nonetheless.

Michael had followed obediently and had even stated that it was certainly a good idea and probably best for Sean anyway, drawing another incredulous stare from Maria who couldn't believe that he could suddenly be so understanding and hadn't even blown a fuse at her suggestion. She had more expected him to tell her that he didn't want him to come anywhere near his house again after what he had dared do to his brother, and yet she had heard none of it.
Yes, she had really found it odd that he could suddenly 'care' about her cousin's well-being , even if that was certainly a too strong word, but thinking that he was doing this for her only she hadn't questioned it any further.

She should have, at least when she had asked Michael why her cousin's nose was bleeding now when she didn't remember seeing any blood before, and he had just answered that it had to be a delayed-consequence of a previous impact and that it happened sometimes… post traumatic shock he had called it, but she hadn't, leaving Michael to gloat inwardly at his success.
That had been too easy.

Of course he wasn't going to tell her that her dear cousin had come back once from the world of darkness he had found himself in for a long time, only to have him smacking the daylights out of him the instant he had opened up his eyes again.
But what could he say? It had been way too tempting, and the urge to just punch him square in the face had been too great to be ignored or denied. He was only human after all, right? And though he hadn't been able to regret it afterwards, it didn't mean either that he was ready to flaunt his triumph into Maria's face. Not out of sudden modesty of course, but because he knew all too well what she would do if he dared. She would just kick his ass if she ever knew what he had been up to.


Twenty-five minutes later so, and after having gotten changed and made sure that Sean was comfortably settled, Maria and Michael were heading back to the bathroom: Maria to check on her friends and Michael to make sure his brother was okay, but most of all thank him for the opportunity he had given him, even if of course he wasn’t going to talk about that in front of his girlfriend.

As she reached the bathroom door, Maria was a little surprised by the apparent silence but thinking that maybe it was because the door was closed that she wasn't able to hear her friends discussing, she didn't really think about it twice and opened the door, only to stop dead in her tracks and turn around to stop Michael from entering himself when she took in the scene in front of her.
There in her bathroom, on her countertop was her best friend heavily making-out with her boyfriend's brother, like their lives depended on it.
Liz was sat on the edge of the marble counter with her legs spread open and Max between them, the two of them so close that it was nearly impossible to distinguish anymore where one started and the other ended, and with their lips fused together in such a way that it made Maria wonder how it was even possible for them to still be breathing.
Who would have thought that Shy Max Evans and Quiet Liz Campbell could act so passionately and out of control, huh?
Man, those two had really found each other, there was no doubt in her mind.


"Oh, oh, oh… no, uh… no Michael we're not going in there finally!" Maria hissed in a whisper the second she saw them, as at the same time she tried to push Michael out of the way.

"What? What is it?… why not?" Michael wondered and pushed the door open before Maria could close it completely again, not understanding what was the problem now.
He wanted to see his brother, and it was his bathroom too, right? So why would he have to wait to go in there if he wanted? he thought, by-passing her.
However that was clearly not what he had expected to find in his bathroom.
But of course the momentary surprise didn't stop him from reacting almost right away, much to everyone else's dismay.

"Oh fuck me… my brother's got it in him after all! Way to go, bro!" Michael cheered as soon as he was in and could have a good look at what was happening inside.
If this were any indication, he had underestimated his brother because what he was doing there was far from being pure or innocent.
And here he was wondering if little Max was alright! Duh, sure he was!


Like fire had suddenly indeed burned them, Liz and Max instantly parted when they heard Michael's voice, Liz nearly falling from the countertop once Max let go of her, and during a few seconds they just stared at each other like they couldn't believe themselves what had just happened.

Both were breathing heavily and trying to catch their respiration again, their gazes locked on the other. Both were standing frozen there with the same look in their eyes, with the same flushed faces, disheveled appearances and swollen lips. Until the high-pitched voice of a shocked Maria registered in their brains and they both blushed even more furiously. But after that, everything happened so fast that Max didn't even have time to react that Liz was already not in front of him any longer.

"Michael!" Maria gasped and immediately smacked her mate's head when she heard his so inappropriate remark.

She was quite blunt herself, but she knew better at this instant. She only had to look at Max and Liz's crimson faces right now to realize just how embarrassed they were at being caught, and mostly Liz. Therefore when in any other occasion she would have teased them herself, and moreover when she still had to get her revenge on Liz, this time she just held her tongue knowing that right now was not the good moment for that.

Besides it wasn't every day that Maxwell Evans gave in to his emotions either and she certainly didn't want to ruin that. Not like her moron of a boyfriend apparently.
Being drunk didn't excuse everything. If he couldn't control himself then or his damn mouth, he just shouldn't drink at all. And it wasn't as if it were the first time it had happened either. But would he learn? No, of course not.

"Oh my god!" Liz suddenly exclaimed and passing them all by, she hurried down the hall.
What had she done?
This was not what she had meant to happen when she had started to kiss Max. She hadn't wanted things to get so out of hands for God's sake, and yet here they had been behaving and humping like rabbits on heat. And God, Maria and Michael had witnessed that. She wouldn't show up in this house for the rest of her life after that. She wouldn't dare.
What was she saying? Of course she would, this was her best friend's house, but how was she supposed to face her after what Maria had just seen, and mortified as she herself was now?
Oh god! This was so totally humiliating.

"Liz… Liz wait!" Max called out to her, instantly recovering when he understood that she was really leaving.
No, she couldn't leave him like that.
What had happened here?
One minute he was kissing her and now she was running out of the bathroom like she was scared of him? Something was really wrong with that picture. It wasn't supposed to end like that!

Michael. It was all Michael's fault, Max realized then and immediately turned murderous eyes up to his brother.

"What? What did I say?" Michael stepped back and asked when he saw Max menacingly advancing to him.

"Oh…you… I'd just kick your sorry ass if I weren't sure you wouldn't even remember it later in your state!… but I'll get you, you just wait!" Max threatened, knowing that right now it wouldn't even be worth it, he knew his brother all too well.
Besides he needed to catch up with Liz first, it was way more important to him right now.

"What the hell did I say?" Michael reiterated turning to Maria for some clue.
Why were they all suddenly acting so weird?
Was it because of Liz that Max seemed so worked up. He definitely seemed in a good kind of 'work up' with her not so long ago, Michael suddenly smirked.
Nah. It had to be because of something he had said, but what was that already? He didn't even remember, was it that bad? Well, it didn't really matter, right?

"Michael Evans… you're sleeping on the couch tonight!" Maria announced coolly, leaving behind her an even more confused drunk man.

"WHY?"
Okay. It obviously mattered, Michael thought as he tried to follow them all wherever the hell they were going, but he had a sudden change of plans when he unexpectedly collided with a wall that normally shouldn't be there. At least he didn't remember seeing it there the last time he had come to this place.
Where was he at again, by the way?
Oh god, and why was everything suddenly turning black around him?
Hey, who the hell had turned off the light?

* * * * *

This is not happening.
This is so not happening, Liz kept repeating to herself as she rushed down the stairs and moved quickly through the throng of bodies that were still gyrating to the sound of music in the living room, desperately trying to reach the entrance door.
She knew she shouldn't escape like that but right at the moment she wasn't sure she would be able to face or talk to anyone. She didn't even really know anymore why she was reacting like she was, maybe she just needed to clear her mind a little, but for the instant it was the only thing she could think of.

"Liz… hey, Liz wait please!" Max caught up with her and gently grabbing her arm, he turned her around.

He stood there looking at her, holding his breath and wondering if he had done something wrong or something that had made her feel uncomfortable when they were upstairs, but until Michael's unwelcome interruption she had seemed to want it to happen just as much as he did. Had he misinterpreted her reactions or misunderstood something there?

"Max… I-I'm sorry! I… " Liz stammered helplessly not really knowing what to tell him and not realizing then how her words could be interpreted.

"What for?" he demanded a certain edge in the voice, almost dreading her answer.
Was she already regretting what had happened?
Of course he didn't mean for them to get so carried away but for the life of him he would never regret it.

"I… we… look… I think I'm just gonna head home now, okay?!" Liz eluded his question and said instead. She didn't even know for sure herself what she was sorry for.
For acting like she had?
For being a coward and running afterwards?

"Liz… if this is about Michael… I'm sorry, he's just drunk… and I'm sure he-he didn't mean to insult you in any way… he… I-I'm sorry!" Max tried to apologize for his brother's behavior thinking that maybe she had taken it this way.

Way to go, huh? Yeah, way to ruin my life bro, Max thought, cursing his brother's name all the way to hell and back.
Maybe she thought that this was a men's thing or some smutty joke between him and Michael and that they were used to cheer the other up whenever one of them 'scored', but that was just not him. And he couldn't let her believe that, because what they had just shared was really special to him. More than that, it had been amazing in every possible way and more than he could have ever hoped for, and no, no he absolutely didn't want her to see it otherwise.

"It's okay Max, it doesn't matter… but it's-it's pretty late now… I'm… kind of tired… and I-I should really get home!" she announced, thinking that they should better let things cool off a little.

Cool off? Yeah, what a joke! she almost immediately cringed.
She hadn't thought about 'cooling off' so much a few minutes ago.
God, she couldn't believe she had lost control like that. She had almost been grinding non-stop against the poor guy for heaven's sake, nearly attacking him and in nowhere else than his own brother's bathroom. And if it weren't for Michael's appearance, who knew where she could have let this go. And that wasn't like her.
She barely let a guy kiss her after a first date and she and Max hadn't even really reached this part that they were already almost devouring each other.
And the worst was that she had no explanation for that, except maybe that there was just something about this man that made her forget about everything else, that made her lose all judgment and damn the consequences, and with all that added to the emotional state she had been at that moment, she had just let herself go completely and had fallen apart in his arms. But was all that justification enough?

"But it's Maria's birthday! I-I'm sure she doesn't want you to leave yet or… or like this!" Max lamely attempted to use her friend to make her stay, even if he somehow knew that it wouldn't be enough.
Like they had really cared about that until now. They had been alone almost all night, if Maria had had anything to say about that she would have long ago, and Liz had to know that too. If Maria Deluca had left them alone until now it was clearly because she didn't mind at all. She saw Liz everyday anyway. But unfortunately that was not his case, so anything was worth trying.

"Oh, I'm sure she'll understand… but I really need…" Liz started only to be interrupted by his defeated voice.

"To go home…" Max finished quite dejectedly, hating to see his night with her ending this way.
Michael would hear about that, that was for sure, but Max would wait until he had sobered enough to remember each and every single colorful word he had in store for him before doing just that. And then, yes then his brother would learn to mind his own business and keep his big mouth shut when he needed to.

"Yeah!" she just uttered, obstinately refusing to meet his eyes, much to Max's disappointment.

"Then… let me take you home Liz! My car is just in front of the house… I…" Max proposed, hoping beyond all hopes that she would at least grant him that. If he could take her home, it would give him a few more minutes with her and it was better than nothing.

Of course she could have a car herself and not need a ride, which would seem logical, but trying to be logical was the furthest thing from Max's mind at this instant, and even if she had her car here, it wasn't as if Maria or Michael would mind if she left it there.
Please say yes!

"Oh that's not necessary Max, thank you… I mean… I don't even live a block away from here… it should be okay!" Liz refused politely even if everything inside her was telling her that she shouldn't reject his offer.
God, she had been kissing this man not even ten minutes ago and with a passion she didn’t even know existed, and now she wasn’t even able to look him in the eyes.
Could her situation be any more ridiculous?

"Let me walk you there then, Liz… I… let me… please!" he insisted, realizing that he had to sound just a little bit too desperate by now but honestly he was past caring.
Walking was even better, wasn't it? If he didn't have to concentrate on the road, he could talk to her.
Please. Say. Yes! he wished again.

"Max really it's…"

"Please!" he finally all but begged adding a little childish pout when nothing else seemed to work.
Thank God no one seemed to pay any attention to them because he was sure that more than one would have found him totally pathetic.
Well they could think what they wanted anyway, all that really mattered to him was what this woman in front of him could think of him.

"O-Okay" Liz relented at last after a little hesitation, but she was unable to hold a small smile at his antics.
She was sure that if he kept this up she was soon going to see his chin and lips quivering or even see him bursting into tears.
God, this man was definitely too cute to be refused anything. But that wasn't a good thing, was it?

"Great!…" Max answered excitedly, somehow controlling himself enough to not bounce up and down like he felt like doing at the moment. That would definitely be too much, even for him, right? " Let me just grab my jacket and we can go!"

"Oh, y-yeah… I've to get mine too. " Liz said, following him when she realized that she hadn't even remembered about hers herself. She had been so intent on leaving the place as fast as she could that she hadn't even thought she would certainly freeze outside if she just went like that.

She was losing her head because of this guy. She wouldn't be surprised if she weren't even able to remember her own name if she had to see him and spend some time with him again. The question was, was her sanity more important than being with him?

* * * * *

End of Chapter 8

TBC? ... depends on you guys

ALien614: sorry I didn't see you before posting You're welcome, and thank U for the fb

[RebeccaBehrEvans]

Title: Family Lies

Disclaimer: For the third time, no I don't own anything Roswell related though I wish I did! (except maybe some tapes and tons and tons of pictures of Max and Liz )… However, the idea of this story is inspired by a French TV show, but there is absolutely no infringement intended on my part.

AN: Hey guys,
Since the last part was already finished I thought there was no reason to make you wait any longer, so here it is
Behrsgirl77, Earth2Mama, Begonia9508, Marteloise, VeronicaB, Gigo, Roswellluver, Frenchkiss70, Milla, Lovalien... thank U all so much for the amazing feedbacks, I hope you're going to like the new part too
Cocopucks, thank U for your PMs they mean a lot

Chapter 9


"Liz? Max?… are you two leaving?" Maria immediately questioned Max and Liz when she saw them standing by the door with their jackets on now.

She had followed them both as soon as they had exited her bathroom of course, but had been stopped in her way by some of Michael's friends asking her where they could find more 'booze'. Like they hadn't had enough already, she had snorted.

"Yeah!" Liz replied succinctly not even able to look at her friend's face.

She was sure she wouldn't see the end of this one any time soon. There was no way Maria would let this pass, moreover with what she had done to her earlier and Liz couldn't help thinking that with her here now, it wouldn't be long before she would be embarrassed in front of Max again. So the sooner she got out of there, the better.

There was no need to say she was quite surprised then when the only thing Maria seemed to show was true concern. Not that she wasn't usually caring and all, but she wasn't really known to be one to miss a good opportunity to tease her friends either.

"Liz… you'd have to excuse Michael, even the idiot he is sometimes didn't mean to embarrass or hurt any of you! So if it's only because of him you feel the need to leave you can forget it!" Maria declared visibly quite embarrassed herself by her boyfriend's behavior.

"It's okay Maria… really… like I told Max… I…well I think all this day is just catching up on me finally… I'm tired… that's all… besides I know Michael, so you don't have to worry!" Liz dismissed quickly.

More than anything, she didn't want to talk about that in front of Max. And it wasn't as if she could really hold it against Michael, she knew he wasn't in his 'normal' state at that moment. Michael was always so sweet with her, he would certainly be mortified enough himself once he would sober up.

"Oh, believe me the one who has to be worried here is definitely not me!…" Maria told her, obviously referring to what was coming to Michael. They would definitely have a little discussion later. "So you're sure you don't want to stay even a little longer?… I barely saw you tonight. " she finished pouting slightly.

Not that she was always available for Liz when she organized those parties at her house, they both knew it, but tonight she had seen her even less than the usual. At least Max's presence had made her feel less guilty for most of the night, but she really didn't want her friend to leave on a bad memory. She was sure that Liz had had the time of her life with Max tonight -- duh, how had she figured that out, huh? Oh yes, maybe because of Liz's ruffled hair and partly undressed state when she had found them… could it be that? -- and it would be a shame to end it like that. And well, she certainly would have to be blind to not notice the tension and sudden uneasiness that had crept between those two.
Who would think seeing them like this now that they had been… swapping spit not so long ago, huh?

"I know but nah… thank you Maria… I'm going… but don't do anything tonight… I'll stop by tomorrow… well later actually, and help you clean and all, okay?!" Liz offered sure that Maria would need it.

"Yeah, sure… as long as you don't come too early!"

"Not a chance!" Liz smiled at last and hugged her friend.

With the day they had had, there was no way she would be up before two or three on the afternoon. Besides, for the last two days they had gotten up with the lark to organize everything and now she just wanted to rest. The cleaning could wait some more.

"Awww… mi chica… okay, sleep tight then…"Maria told her hugging her back, before whispering for only Liz to hear. " And we'll talk about you know who and you know what tomorrow, okay?"

"Like it could be any other way with you, huh? " Liz whispered back, already bracing herself for what that conversation would bring.

"Damn right!" Maria said as she turned to a clueless Max. " Are you sure you don't want to stay either Max?… I'm sure we could play a prank or two on your brother… you know… just to get him even!"

"No, thank you Maria … as tempting as your offer is… I'm… I'm just gonna walk Liz home and go and hit the bed myself. " Max answered feeling pretty tired himself actually.
He had just been in such good company until now that he hadn't really paid any attention to the first signs. Besides, he was pretty much sure that if he did come back Maria would literally grill him and ask for all the details about his night with Liz, and that was something he wanted to keep for himself. At least for a little longer and until he would see where they were going from there. If she wanted them to go anywhere of course.

"Well if that's what you really want… but you're more than welcome to stop by again when you come back, you know that!" Maria invited again nonetheless, not having missed the fact that Max had said he was going to walk Liz to her house, and therefore knowing he would have to come back to get his car later.

"Yeah, I know… but I don't think so…"

"Well, anyway… thank you for coming Max… I know you did it for me!" she warmly thanked him before engulfing him in her arms for his well deserved hug and whispering to him too. "I hope it was worth it!"

"Definitely! Thank you!" Max thanked back, realizing how much he owned her.

"Take good care of her!" Maria added though she had no doubt that it was already Max's plan. Liz would be in good hands with him. It was really too bad that for once she couldn't pride herself on being the initiator of whatever was happening between those two.

"That was my intention, don't worry!" Max whispered sincerely.

"Good… well, I see you both soon, okay?" she released him and addressed both Max and Liz this time.

"Yeah… goodnight Maria!" they said in unison.

"Goodnight Liz… Max!"

"Oh Maria… uh… where's Sean?" Liz all of a sudden wondered, realizing that with all that had happened she hadn't even asked about him.
Not that she really cared that much, but well, he was Maria's cousin after all and she just wanted to make sure he was alright.

"We took him to one of the guestrooms… but don't worry I'll deal with him later and believe me he won't come anywhere near you after I take care of him." Maria said, swearing inwardly that this was a promise she was going to make sure was kept.

After the stunt her cousin had pulled tonight, there was no way he would ever approach Liz again. And obviously if she failed, Max would take care of that, she couldn't help thinking when she saw how he perceptibly flinched at the mention of the other guy.
Yes, Liz had found herself a knight in shining armor tonight, and Maria knew he would protect her from now on.

"Okay… tell Michael goodnight too, okay?" Liz couldn't help but ask her before leaving, showing her friend that she wasn't upset with him despite what had happened.

"Oh… I'm sure he's already passed out somewhere in the house, and if he's not… I'm going to take care of that myself… so don't worry too much about him either… Bye!" the other girl joked as she opened the door for them.

"Bye!"

Maria closed the door behind her two friends with a broad smile lighting her features, hoping that everything would go fine for them and that Liz would decide that Max was definitely worth keeping. Because if the way Max had looked at her or had reacted to her tonight was any indication, there was no doubt in Maria's mind that he wouldn't let Liz go away any time soon.

* * * * *

The walk to Liz's house was made in eerie silence, neither of them knowing what to tell the other to break it or ease the obvious tension in the air. They were both lost in their own thoughts wondering where everything had gone wrong, both having so much to say but unable to express it.

It shouldn't be like that, Max thought as they descended Ocean Park Avenue.
This night had been perfect in every way, even his little confrontation with Sean hadn't been enough to mar it -- it certainly had been what had brought them closer actually or at least what had prompted the favorable context -- and then it had only taken one stupid sentence from his more than a little stupid himself traitor of a brother to ruin everything and send them ten steps backwards, as if nothing had happened, as if they were again two perfect strangers who had just met.

But then Max realized that it was even worse than that because even then when he had first seen her at the party and had first gone to talk to her, it hadn't been so awkward or strained between them and he couldn't not curse Michael again. Even without knowing each other at all they had acted so naturally around each other, they were so at ease together and now when he looked at Liz he didn't see the girl he had met at that moment anymore. She seemed so far away from here, so closed up and uncomfortable around him and he really didn't like it one bit.

Occasionally she would meet his eyes but those moments were always matter of seconds and then she would immediately advert her gaze and look down bashfully, and each time Max felt how his heart constricted as she did it. She looked so different now that Max found it hard to believe that she was still the same woman he had talked to all night.

Where was the girl who had spontaneously, effortlessly followed him and played along when he had approached her to rescue her, pretending he was her boyfriend or at least a very close acquaintance? Where was the girl who had teased him playfully when they had talked about his supposed secrets? Where was the girl whose eyes had sparkled when he had been explaining her about the different constellations? Where was the woman who with her kisses could ignited a passion in him that could only be described as out of this world?
God, how he wanted her back, but he didn't know what had caused her to withdraw so much to begin with, therefore he didn't know what was the right thing to do, the right words to say. Was it because of Michael or because of him? Was it because of what had happened between them? No, he really didn't know, so how was he supposed to make it right?

Should he apologize?
But if he did so that would mean that he was sorry for kissing her, which he wasn't and he didn't want her to believe he was.
Should he ask her if she regretted it?
He could, but he wasn't sure he was ready or in any emotional state himself to hear the answer.

Things were just so messed up, it was frustrating, and all courtesy of Michael Ethan Evans, dear brother of his. If he hadn't poked his nose where he had no business in, their kiss would certainly have ended differently and even if she had reacted the exact same way, Max knew he could have talked things out with her then without all the awkwardness there was between them now.


Unbeknown to Max, all the way Liz was racking her brain herself to find something, anything, to tell him and justified why she had acted so weirdly and impulsively before but whenever she opened her mouth to talk to him, the words always seemed to get caught in her throat.

What could she say? 'Max you made me feel things that scared the hell out of me, because I had never felt anything like that before, sorry if I panicked' or 'Max, I'm not myself anymore when you're around and that's the only explanation I have for my wanton behavior'. She could in fact think about a million things, but none of them seemed adequate enough. And then when she finally realized that the only thing to do was to be completely honest with him, to stop acting so stupidly and simply speak her mind, they had already turned left into Main Street and found themselves in front of her house, and the right moment seemed to have escaped her again.

"So… here we are!…" Liz remarked quite sadly as they stopped in front of her door, not really wanting to see the night ending but thinking that it wasn't as if she could do anything to prevent it now anyway. "Thank you for coming with me Max… and for everything else… well… you know."

"You're welcome." Max answered and nervously scratched his neck as he decided to take the plunge and finally tell her what had been on his mind since they had started heading here.

It wasn’t as if he had the choice anymore, he thought. As long as they had been walking he could keep telling himself that he still had some time, but now he hadn't that luxury any longer because everything could end here if he let her pass that door, and that was the last thing Max wanted.

"Look Liz… I'm really sorry about what happened… with Michael and all… but… well… in spite of that… I just… I just wanted you to know that I-I've had a really good time tonight… thanks to you!"

Some smooth talker he was, huh? He wasn't even able to utter a simple sentence without stuttering like a poor idiot. And he hadn't even reached the most difficult part.
Who would think at this moment that he was a lawyer perfectly used to speak in front of a whole court?

"Yeah… me too!" she shyly admitted, but wasn't sure if he had even heard her, so intent he obviously seemed to be to tell her something else.
Had he been practicing in his head on the way or what?

"And… I… I know I have no right to ask you that… and if you don't want, I-I'll understand… I mean you barely know me after all… but…"

Yeah I barely know you but that didn't stop me from ramming my tongue down your throat not half an hour ago, Liz thought ironically and inwardly berated herself again, not even really paying attention to all his words .

Instead she briefly wondered what he could really think of her, throwing herself into a stranger's arm like she had. Of course she could always blame it on the emotional state she was in at the moment, or even blame it on him, after all he was the one to say he wanted to kiss her, but the problem was that she had been the one to initiate the first contact.

What if he thought she was easy? That would definitely not speak for her because somehow she was sure that that wasn't exactly the kind of girls that could really interest someone like him. There was something more profound about Max Evans, she had felt it in his kisses, in his touch, in the way he had talked to her, like he was searching for something, someone else, and Liz wasn't sure she could be that someone for him.

What if she had given him a bad impression after all?

In the end, Liz was so engrossed debating on what ifs and all their consequences that she nearly missed Max's demand, which would have really been a shame because that was exactly what she had been waiting for. No need to say she nearly forgot how to breathe once she heard him therefore.

"… but… I would really like to see… to see you again." Max finally got out the whole sentence and held his breath while he waited for her answer, whatever it was.

"Really?" she uttered surprised, though at the same time feeling all giddy inside.
To be honest she had been more expecting him to say that they had had a great time but that wasn't what he was looking for, that she wasn't his type after all, and that it would be better if they just stopped things there.

"Yeah… yes… " Max stammered.
So far so good right? She looked a little startled -- which he didn't quite understand himself and made him wonder if she really thought that he would kiss her like that and then just act like nothing had happened and forget all about her -- but at least she hadn't said something like 'yeah and I'd rather drink nitroglycerin before spending one more minute with you'.

Encouraged by her reaction Max took a deep breath and tried to finish his thought. " Liz… I'm not meaning necessarily tomorrow or… I don't know…uh… well… but could I call you sometime? See if you want to go somewhere… do something… I don't know… whatever you want!… would… would you like that?"

"Yeah… yes, I'd like that… very much!" Liz answered, her voice just above a whisper.

She should have been an actress she thought, because her external appearance didn't reflect at all what was really happening inside her. Inwardly she felt like exploding all at once with the thought that this hunk of a guy, who above all was the most amazing man she had ever met, could really be interested in her and wanted to take her out on a date, despite how strangely things had ended not so long ago. Because that was what he was asking for, right? Could someone just tell her that she wasn't misinterpreting his words before she made more of a fool of herself?

"Great… that's great!" Max beamed, sure that his smile had to light up the whole state now. She would like that very much. That was a good sign, wasn't it?

"Just… just give me a minute, okay?" Liz told him, suddenly opening her door and going inside to retrieve something.

'I'd give you the world if you just asked me to.' Max thought when he saw her disappearing inside, meaning the words more than any others before.
Yes, he was sure that he would do anything for this woman if she just said the words. He had it this bad already, he had realized that on their way here, and he could yet predict that the more time he would spend with her, the more addicted he would become but strangely he couldn't care less at the moment because it felt amazingly right, like everything else had felt right with her tonight.


Liz hurried inside trying to remember where she had left her purse again and cursed herself once more for always throwing it so haphazardly each time she entered her house. Maria always made fun of her because of that, saying it always took her more time to search for her purse or her things when she wanted to go somewhere than preparing herself and that she should really try to work on that one of this day, but bad habits died hard, didn't they?
Or maybe tonight was just the right time to start changing after all. So many things had changed for her already, what was one more?

Searching in her kitchen after having gone first through her living room, she finally spotted it on one of the chairs and grabbing it quickly she rummaged through it to find her wallet. With trembling fingers she retrieved what she wanted from it and walked back to the door feeling how her heart was beating crazy against her ribcage or how her body temperature seemed to have raised a few degrees.
God, what was happening to her suddenly and why was it so hot in her house?

This was just too much she thought as she quickly discarded her jacket, not even caring where it landed. Max Evans was really totally affecting her whole metabolism, so much in fact that she wasn't even able to control her own body anymore.
She briefly took some time to compose herself then and after breathing heavily she passed her door again, trying to smile at Max as she reappeared.

"Here… you have the shop number… and then… then mine just underneath!… Cell and private numbers." she timidly explained, holding one of her business card out to him.

"Thank you!" Max whispered, drinking in the sight in front of him again.
God, he should really better go because one more look at that body clad in lace and leather and he wouldn't be able to control his physical reactions to her any longer. It was already a miracle he had been able to do so well until now.

Taking his own wallet out of his jacket pocket, he carefully put the card inside like it was some precious treasure, and swore that it wouldn't be long before he would make good use of it. He would wait a couple of days just to not scare her or make her think that he was harassing her or else that he was completely desperate to talk to her again, but then nothing would stop him from doing it.

"You're welcome!" Liz smiled at him again before they both grew silent once more. "So…"

"So… uh… okay…I'll just… go now… " Max said pointing behind him but not moving for all that. He was too busy memorizing every single detail of her beautiful face to last him until their next encounter, to be able to make his feet work and take him away from her.

"Goodnight Max!" she briefly looked up at him but almost immediately diverted her gaze, knowing that she would just get lost in his eyes once more if she didn't do so.

"Goodnight Liz." Max reluctantly murmured when he realized that he couldn't postpone the moment anymore and gently kissed her cheek, letting his lips lingering on her skin a little longer than he should have.

God he wanted to do so much more than just that, but with the way she had reacted after their kiss, kisses actually, he wasn't sure she would welcome him right now if he had to act on his desire again. It was already a wonder in and of itself that she had let it happen once, wasn't it? And another one that she had accepted to let him call her, he reminded himself.

And so not wanting to push his luck any longer, he unwillingly stepped back and after looking and smiling at her one last time, he forced himself to leave her there, wishing for the time to pass faster so that he could at least hear about her again soon.


Liz for her part watched him leaving with a myriad of mixed feeling ragging inside her.
Part of her was telling her that this was how things were supposed to happen, that they had certainly moved too fast and lost too much control already, that she should wait until he called her and see where this was leading, where this could lead before doing anything else, and that it of course was the wisest thing to do.
But her heart. God her heart was telling her that this was not right.

Her heart was screaming at her to show him that she absolutely didn't regret, and could never regret having kissed him. That kissing him had made her feel more alive than anything else had in her life before and that she wanted more of that.
Yes her heart told her to go for it and have another taste of all he had made her feel tonight, but could she really listen to it?

Then, if she let him leave like that maybe once he would stop long enough to think about it, her initial reaction after their kissing would make him reconsider calling her and seeing her, even if he had said he would, and maybe then she wouldn't see him ever again. And even if she wasn't ready to admit to herself the reasons why, just the thought was enough to make her stomach churn and twist in pain.

No, she didn't even want to imagine what she would feel if this had to happen just because she had been too scared or too embarrassed upon what had transpired between them before.
That had been right. She had let her emotions guide her where they wanted her to go, making her feel things that were true, real and amazing, though honestly certainly quite overwhelming too. But despite everything she couldn't let herself denying that.

And therefore in an instant her body was taking control, winning over any battle her heart and her mind had been engaged into, and she was doing the only logical thing.

"Max, wait!"


Max heard her calling him back just when he was arriving down the last of the steps that led to her porch and he abruptly turned around, thinking that she had forgotten to tell him something.
He wasn't prepared for her next move though, that was for sure, and everything happened so fast from there that he wasn't even sure he wasn't dreaming the moment.

One minute she was in front of her door, the next she was in front of him, her arms around his neck and her lips on his, taking his breath away once more in the process.
If he had been shocked at first to say the least, he quickly recovered and in no time he had her completely wrapped in his strong arms and he was kissing her back with just as much need and unrestrained passion, sending a silent prayer to God to never let anyone wake him up ever again nonetheless, just in case he was indeed dreaming.

Man, he had never wanted to kiss someone so much in his life.
He had never wanted to touch someone so much, and boy if it weren't because he was so inexperienced and was sure that it would be over before it even started and he would definitely disappoint her or make a complete fool of himself, he would certainly forget all about his good resolutions and convictions in the blink of an eye and prove her just how much she affected him because dear Lord, he had never wanted to make love to anyone so much before either. And when it came to him, that was saying a lot.

But that was how strong he thought of her, how strong she made him feel about her, even if he would not stop and think about what it really meant right now, or what could be the consequences for him. Because the longer he avoided doing it, the longer he would be able to believe the dream and keep intact the illusion that she could feel the same way about him too and seek the same thing he was so desperately seeking for himself.
So instead he just tried to concentrate on her and poured himself into that kiss.

And then he was kissing her with the eagerness of a starving man who had been deprived of everything vital for too long, sucking her lips, tasting them, even biting them lightly, then searching desperately for her tongue, caressing it with his own, making love to her mouth just as he wished he could some day make love to her body. Because at this moment he knew, at this moment he was sure that if he had to take that step with someone any time soon despite everything he had been thinking for the last few years, it would definitely be with her.

He did realize what was happening and he did know where this could lead them again, just like he was well aware that this was certainly driving Liz as crazy with want as he was himself and that this could quickly get out of hands and become dangerous for the both of them, but for the life of him he couldn’t stop. At least not voluntarily or consciously.

His body had grown a mind of his own and the only thing it understood was the feel of her. Consequently it was only the crucial need for air and nothing else that forced him to release his hold on her in the end and even that was made with a disapproving groan.

He even briefly found himself wondering if the prolonged lack of air hadn't already caused some major damages to his brain because at that moment he could swear that he wasn't able to think clearly anymore.
Then, did it really matter? No, because if he couldn't use his brain anymore, he might as well just act on instincts, and his instincts right now were only telling him one thing, DO NOT STOP, and that was perfectly fine with him.

Therefore Liz's reprieve didn't last long and if she hadn't seen first hand herself how gentle and tender Max could be, she might have really wondered if she hadn't released the beast in him. But did she really mind? Nope, she didn't think so.
She could honestly say that she had had her share of relationship even if none of them had been really serious till this day, and so she had had her share of kisses too but no one had ever come close to Max Evans, and no one had ever kissed her so thoroughly, so passionately, and so perfectly until now. And if she had a say in it, she didn't want to see this ending any time soon.

No, the instant the fear of seeing him walking out of her life for good before they could even have the chance to see if this could work had gripped at her heart, she had known without the least suspicion of a doubt that this was really what she wanted. He was really all she wanted.

"You call me?" she whispered once they momentarily pulled apart, her respiration still uneven but needing to hear him say it again, wanting to make sure she would hear his voice again very soon.

"Yeah… if you… want me to!" Max whispered back between kisses and sharp intakes of breath.

"I want you to!" she confirmed with a smile before pulling him back to her for another breathtaking lips-locking.

"Good!" Max barely pulled away and expelled before descending on her again with a vengeance.

God, he couldn't get enough of her, of her kisses, of the feel of her in his arms. He had been made for this, he was sure of it now. This was what he had been searching for all this time.

"Tomorrow?" he faintly heard her ask against his lips.

"Tomorrow it is!" he clipped and attacked her again.

"You should go now!" she continued without much conviction.

"I know!" he simply acknowledged. "You should go back inside too…" he then advised as he trailed a path of hot kisses along her jaw line."… before you catch something!" he finished and briefly ran his hands under the hem of her top, the warmth of his palms contrasting with the growing coldness of Liz's soft skin immediately sending fire through her whole body.

"I know!" Liz parroted in response, sighing and arching in his arms when his mouth reached her throat.
Oh dear Lord, what was he doing to her?

"Max." she moaned unable to stop herself.

"I'm going!" he whispered, his tongue coming to dance again on her parted and inviting lips.

"Yeah!" she backed, her own tongue following and teasing his now, which of course only served to fuel his own desire all over again.

It was no wonder therefore if instead of leaving like he was supposed to, Max pulled her even closer to him if that was possible and nearly lifting her off the ground, he blindly walked backwards toward her door, stopping only when Liz's back was pressed against the doorframe, and started to ravish her anew.

Not that she seemed to mind anyway. Liz was certainly just as demanding as him, if not even more, and more than once Max thought he would just lose it there and then.
Oh boy, this girl was totally intoxicating and he thanked God he was a lawyer because if they went on like that, he would soon be in no state to be still held responsible for his actions.

"I'll call you!" he finally miraculously managed to separate his lips from hers and uttered the words like that was some news, taking advantage of the small break to fill his starving lungs at the same time.

"I think we covered that!" Liz replied hoarsely before sucking back his bottom lip between her owns.

"You're right,… just checking!" Max nodded with a lopsided grin and then breathed heavily as he cupped her face, dove and captured her lips completely, kissing her senseless once more and only releasing her when they had to come up for air again.

"Go now Max!" Liz panted, as she tried to push him in the other direction, knowing where this would end if they didn't stop right now.

She was so far gone that she didn't give herself much longer before she would just grab him, lead him to her bedroom, if they were able to make it there of course, and have her ways with him over and over again until they would be both too spent to move again. And that would definitely be moving too fast, even if it was the only thing she could think about at the moment.

He was really driving her crazy. One minute she was thinking she was giving too much, the next she couldn't get enough. One minute she was berating herself for her actions, and the next she didn't care in the least. It was that intense and confusing.

"Yeah… yeah… I'm gone!… I am!" he told her but strained forward when she stepped back trying to still touch her lips, his hands refusing to leave her hips and bringing her back to him each time she moved away.
Just a little taste, he just wanted a little more of a taste before going.

"Goodnight!" she breathed and kissed him briefly once more.

"Goodnight Liz!" he finally whispered but all but groaned the next second.

How was he supposed to survive until their next meeting?
Would he only be able to not think about her at every minute of the day? Would he manage to concentrate on anything but her until that moment? He seriously doubted it and could already see and hear his father scolding him for having his head in the clouds constantly, or rather in Liz-land all the time and being unable to do his job correctly.

"Bye." she still added as she pushed the door open and finally left him alone outside, knowing that one of them had to move or they would never leave her porch. Besides something told her that if she didn't do it, he wouldn't budge at all. And despite herself, the thought immediately filled her with a strange sense of happiness.

"Bye." he murmured back, seeing her disappearing behind her door and fisting his hands at his sides to control himself and not follow her through it like he so much wanted to.


Once inside Liz quickly secured the locks and turned around, pressing herself against the door. Unconsciously then, she brought her trembling fingers to her lips and sighed, blissfully pleased with the turn of events.
Oh yeah, nothing could feel righter than the feel of Max Evans's lips on hers.
She briefly smiled though when she realized that finally they had barely talked at all. So much for racking her brain for so long on their way here.
Well, they would have time to do so next time, wouldn't they?


On the other side of the door Max rested his forehead against the wooden material, trying hard to bring back to normal his erratic breathing, with only one yet coherent thought in mind.
Liz Campbell would be the death of him.
He just knew it, but man he wouldn't wish to go any other way.

Finally running down her alley and into the street, he couldn't help the goofy smile that crept upon his lips. Tonight his life had really changed for the better.
At least that was what he thought.

End of chapter 9

TBC?
Hope you liked, let me know

[RebeccaBehrEvans]

Author: RebeccaBehrEvans

Title: Family Lies

Disclaimer: For the third time, no I don't own anything Roswell related though I wish I did! (except maybe some tapes and tons and tons of pictures of Max and Liz )… However, the idea of this story is inspired by a French TV show, but there is absolutely no infringement intended on my part.

Rating: MATURE or ADULT for some contents I guess

AN: For those who think they are hallucinating, well, you're not… I know it's been a very, very long time since I updated this fic so I hope there's still some people around here wishing to read more … I honestly hadn't realized it had been that long since I last updated and the funny thing is that I had first planned to be posting last Wednesday and that was when I realized that precisely that day it had been a whole year I just don't know where the time goes, but yeah I know, it's no excuse… and I'm very ashamed don't worry, but I also wanted to let you know nonetheless that no matter how long it'll take me, I plan on finishing this… I love this story, for so many reasons, so I hope that some of you are still willing to see it to its end.

Thanks anyway to those who kept bumping this fic despite my more than lousy updates (lousy, yeah they should come up with a new word just for me )… But anyway… this part is dedicated to Tanya and Anne-Laure

For those who can't remember where we left… and there is no way I could blame you here's where we were:

Once inside Liz quickly secured the locks and turned around, pressing herself against the door. Unconsciously then, she brought her trembling fingers to her lips and sighed, blissfully pleased with the turn of events.

Oh yeah, nothing could feel righter than the feel of Max Evans's lips on hers.

She briefly smiled though when she realized that finally they had barely talked at all. So much for racking her brain for so long on their way here.

Well, they would have time to do so next time, wouldn't they?


On the other side of the door Max rested his forehead against the wooden material, trying hard to bring back to normal his erratic breathing, with only one yet coherent thought in mind.

Liz Campbell would be the death of him.

He just knew it, but man he wouldn't wish to go any other way.

Finally running down her alley and into the street, he couldn't help the goofy smile that crept upon his lips. Tonight his life had really changed for the better.

At least that was what he thought.

New chapter posted in two due to length.

Chapter ten

Torture.

Pure, plain, simple torture. That was the only way Max could describe what he had had to go through for the last two weeks or so.

He wasn't exaggerating. Each single minute he had had to spend away from Liz Campbell had been a minute of torture of the worse kind, and nothing had prepared him for that.

When he had left her that night after Maria's party, he had really been on cloud nine and had barely been able to sleep at all, too eager he was for the morning to come and the moment he would be able to call and talk to her again.

His mind had been too full of sweet memories of their night together: her voice, her smile, the way she had to nibble her lip or tuck her hair behind her ear when she was nervous. And other things not so innocent, like the way she felt pressed against him, how well and perfectly she fitted him, or simply how she could moan his name with that breathy edge that drove him crazy. The way she kissed him with just as much eagerness as he could kiss her. And the only thing he had wanted of course was to see her again and as soon as possible.

But unfortunately his wish hadn't been granted. Though he had called her the day after like he had promised and they had spent almost three whole hours getting to know each other even better and talking to each other about everything that crossed their minds, Liz had had to cancel the date they had planned for the next Wednesday.

None of them had been really available until that day even if they had both wished they could have a chance to see each other sooner, but in the end it wouldn't have changed much.

On Tuesday morning, Liz had received a call from one of her aunts telling her that her grandmother had had a stroke and that she should better come as soon as possible, and of course she hadn't thought about it twice. Two hours later she was on a flight to Sacramento and Max had been left alone in Los Angeles wondering when he would see her again.

Of course she had called him to inform him of what was happening and though he had been sad to know she would have to leave for an undetermined period of time, he had perfectly understood her need to be near her grandmother. He had even proposed her to come with her if she wanted and not a second had he questioned the fact that maybe he didn't know her enough yet to make such an offer.

At that moment that had actually been the furthest thing from his mind. He had seen or rather heard just how affected Liz had been even if she had tried to act like she was perfectly handling it, and he had just wanted to be near her. He could feel she needed reassurance, needed someone to tell her that everything would be alright and comfort her through that rough time, and more than anything he had wanted to be that someone.

Even if he hadn't stopped to think twice about offering her to accompany her, or the consequences it would have on his work, he had really been ready to drop everything just to be with her. Just like that.

However Liz had been a little more reasonable, and though she had said that she definitely appreciated the offer, she had refused nonetheless, knowing that despite how sweet she thought that was of him, he couldn't just leave like that. And no matter how much he had insisted, there had been no way to convince her otherwise after that.

In the end, she had been right and he had to admit himself that it wouldn't have been really wise to leave with her with the ton of work he had to do and his father breathing constantly down his neck, but it didn't mean that letting her go had been easy in any way, moreover when he hadn't even been able to see her before she left for the airport.

The only thing that had actually comforted him had been the fact that Liz had promised she would call him as soon as she would arrive and then as often as possible, but much to his dismay, even that hadn't gone as planned.

After her first call and the first news she had given him about her grandmother, Max had been pretty much left in the dark. Liz hadn't called back and he had no idea of why or what had happened to her. Or at least he hadn't had any idea for the next two weeks and that had been enough to drive him insane.

It was one thing to have to let her go when he knew he didn't have much choice, but not knowing how she was doing, if she needed anything, or just if there was any particular reason why she hadn't contacted him after that first time was something else altogether.

At first he had tried to convince himself that she had certainly a very good reason to not call. That maybe she was just too busy taking care of her grandmother to contact him, but the more time passed, the less he could find any that would really satisfy him. No matter how occupied she could be, he couldn't help thinking that if she really wanted to talk to him as much as he wanted to talk to her, if she really cared, she would have found a few minutes to do so.

After the first week so, he was not so surprisingly ready to pull his own hair out and he had lost count of how many times he had tried to join her himself on her cell, only to be directly directed to her voice mail. Not once had he managed to get through in fact and in the end, dejected, he had just given up, deciding that he would just wait for her to contact him, while praying that it would be soon because he really didn't know how much longer he could stay without hearing her voice.

He had also stopped dwelling too much on the reasons for her silence, knowing that it was no use torturing himself with all the possibilities, not when all those he could come up with didn't bode well at all for him. Just the thought that she could regret what had happened between them after all and was just trying to find a way to avoid him or let him down as nicely as she could was definitely more than he could take.

He didn't know how it was possible for him to feel that way. It was crazy, insane, so totally irrational but he did know that he needed her already almost as much as he needed the air to breathe. And only for that he couldn't bear the thought of losing her and could only hope that she felt the same way because he was all too aware of just how totally devastating it would be for him if she didn't.

He might not have known her for long and actually have spent only one single night with her, but that only night and the weeks of agony without her that followed had been like a revelation to him: Liz Campbell was the one for him, he knew that as he knew his own name, as crazy as it sounded.

He didn't need to think about it more or even to take her out on uncountable numbers of dates to get to know her better to be sure of that. She was perfect for him, and he would gladly spend the rest of his life showing her that he could be perfect for her, too, if she just let him. But now if he was well aware of that fact, there was no saying nonetheless just how much that realization scared him. Knowing and coming to terms with it were two different things after all.

No, it didn't make it any less frightening for all that, quite the contrary in fact because if he could easily admit that he was falling for her, he also knew that falling so fast was a recipe for disaster and that he could very well end up with his heart broken and all his illusions shattered. And then, how would he be supposed to survive after that?

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Liz was jerked awake by a slight shove on her shoulder and as she slowly opened her eyes and became aware of her surroundings, she was met with the smiling face of one of the flight attendants who signaled her that they were almost landing and asked her to buckle her belt up.

Finally, Liz thought, definitely relieved to be home again. Not that she hadn't appreciated the time she had been able to spend with her family, even if she would have of course rather done so in more enjoyable circumstances, but she had missed Los Angeles. She had missed Maria. And most of all she had missed Max. Tremendously.

Just thinking about him now was enough to actually make her shiver in anticipation and she couldn't wait to see him again, even if she knew she would probably have to still be a little more patient for that.

She didn't know how she would be able to do that however when the only thing she wanted to do was to hop in Maria's car and beg her to drive her to his house, even if she would most likely think her crazy if she was to as much as ask.

She had already thought they had it bad when two days after her birthday party Max had had a beautiful bunch of white roses -her favorites, thing that he obviously had remembered much to Liz's delight- delivered to her at the shop, so she could only imagine what she would think then. Liz had immediately known who they were coming from of course but as it was her chance, Maria had managed to steal the card that was attached to them before she could even take a look at it herself, and all hell had broken loose.

'Thank you for the best night of my life', it had said simply and Liz had gotten his meaning straight away since she had felt the exact same way, but Maria who despite her constant probing had not been privy to all the details, and what was more always had her mind into the gutter, had of course concluded the worst and had gone hysterical and nearly lost it, thinking that they had… well, it was pretty obvious what she had been thinking.

Yet she couldn't have been further from the truth even if it had taken all Liz's patience to convince her she was wrong. They hadn't needed to make love and be more intimate that night to realize just how much their life had changed or how special their encounter had been. Every minute of it had been pure magic to Liz and she was almost sure, not only by that note but by the conversations they had had before she had left as well, that Max had to feel the same way, too.

That was probably why she had gone half crazy herself when she had not been able to get in touch with him like she had wanted to. She would have never thought that it was actually possible to miss someone so much, moreover when they hadn't been a part of your life for so long, but boy had she been wrong.

In a way she was grateful for the fact that her grandmother had needed her almost constant attention, when she had been in the hospital and after when she had been released, because otherwise she didn't know how she would have been able to go through two weeks with Max on her mind almost 24/7, and have no contacts at all.

The last week had been harder though, because she had been expectantly waiting for him to call her back and either he had not wanted to, or he had just been too busy to do so. She didn't really know what to think, and if she was honest she had to say that the prospect of seeing Max again, as exhilarating as it was, made her anxious as well.

But she wouldn't let herself think too much about that now. No, now she was back in LA and soon enough she would be able to hear his voice again, she thought as she stood up and followed the flow of passengers who were already eagerly getting off the plane.

Seeking Maria's face among the crowd almost as soon as she passed the arrival gates, she frowned when she couldn't see her bubbly friend jumping up and down in excitation. Usually that was how she was greeted back home when she came back from one of her trips, and more than once she had been tempted to ignore her and yell something like 'sorry but I don't know you, you must have been mistaken' when she would throw herself at her, just to make sure she wasn't associated with her in any way, but now she realized that she kind of liked it nonetheless. At least it made her feel loved and like she had been missed. Now she felt like no one even cared that she had been away for two whole weeks and no one had been expecting her return either.

After the first moment of deception though, Liz started to find it weird actually to not see Maria since she was usually never late, or at least she managed when she was supposed to pick her up, and she immediately fought off the wave of instant fear that assailed her.

What if something was wrong? What if something had happened to her on her way here? Like a car accident or something? Maria wasn't exactly what she would call a great or careful driver, that was actually an understatement, and even less when she was in a hurry, so it could definitely have happened.

Getting more and more worried by the second, Liz was already trying to pinpoint the nearest payphone when suddenly, among the unknown faces in front of her, she spotted the tall dark-haired man that had turned her world upside down with barely more than a look, and she swore she stopped breathing altogether.

She loved Maria dearly, but there was clearly no comparison to being greeted by one smiling Max Evans instead of her. Still, she found herself blinking a couple of times, sure that it was her desire to see him that was making her imagining things, but when she looked back and found him still there, she couldn't stop her heart from skipping a beat.

How she managed to 'walk' the few feet that separated them, when the only thing she actually wanted was to run the short distance, throw herself into his arms and smother him with kisses, she didn't know but somehow she guessed it was better this way.

She didn't really know how such a display would be taken after all, and the last thing she wanted was to do something that would make them both feel uncomfortable. But god, how hard it was to restrain herself. He looked good enough to eat in his gray pants and shirt and his dark leather jacket, and Liz smiled when she noticed that except for the fact that her own shirt was actually white, they were almost dressed alike.

God, please, don't let me keel over, Max thought the instant he saw her, more beautiful than he even remembered her if that was possible. He wondered if it was because he had missed her so much, but she made his heart beat even faster than the very first time he had seen her.

He knew he should move, walk to her, whatever, instead of letting her come to him, and greet her properly, but for the life of him he just couldn't. Instead he found himself glued to the spot, trying desperately to wipe his sweaty palms over his pants and that as discreetly as he could, and prayed that he wouldn't break into a full sweat right there and embarrass himself completely.

"Hey!" Max managed to whisper ever so softly when she finally joined him, clearly relieved that she was finally here, just in front of him, but nervous as hell nonetheless.

He had to wonder himself by which miracle he was still able to stand up on his own two feet with the way his knees were shaking, but he was all too glad for that to really question his chance. Making a fool out of himself before Liz was not something he wanted right now. No, what he wanted was to take her in his arms and show her just how much he had missed her, but unfortunately he was still not able to move a muscle, so afraid he was to do the wrong thing or something that Liz would find unwelcome.

"Hi!" she answered back almost as shyly, not really knowing more where they stood than he seemed to know. "What are you doing here? I was expecting Maria to come!" she then asked before she could stop herself as she was clearly surprised to see him, and only when she saw his smile fade slightly did she realize how rude that could sound in fact.

"Yeah, but… I… she told me you were coming back today and asked if I wanted to go get you… and I… I wanted to… so I… uh… b-but… well, I-I didn't think that you would mind… I…" he stuttered and frowned, suddenly thinking that this had been a bad idea and that he had probably been right to think that she had been avoiding him on purpose.

He felt his heart tightening in his chest at the thought and was already trying to see what he could say in his defense or to have her reconsider her position, no matter how desperate that would make him look, but Liz beat him to it and just as quickly as he had lost it, he found himself hoping again.

"No, I don't… I mean, I don't mind at all! I'm glad you came actually!" Liz was quick to rectify, not wanting him to think that she didn't want to see him, and she cursed herself for not having thought before speaking.

She knew she was stupid to have started with that, but even despite that, how could he really believe that? Of course she was happy to see him here. She had wanted to see him so much actually that it had hurt to think she would have to wait, and so now that he was here, she was surely not going to complain.

"You are?" Max asked, still somewhat hesitantly nonetheless, but the dazzling and sincere smile she gave him in response put a rest to his insecurities, at least for the time being.

"Yes, really!" Liz insisted and on impulse reached to grab his hand, the simple gesture serving to dissolve some of the awkwardness that still lingered between them. "Come on, I still have to go to luggage claim!" she told him, smiling even more when she felt him entwining his fingers with hers and following her willingly.

"How is your grandmother?" was the first thing Max demanded when he was able to concentrate enough to speak again since the feel of her hand in his was definitely distracting. But oh, how it felt good.

"Fine… she's really fine actually, considering she had a stroke two weeks ago and the doctors were rather skeptical at first… but she was recuperating nicely when I left." Liz informed him, touched that he had asked and what was more seemed really interested and concerned by her grandmother's condition.

"That's really great.. I'm glad everything went well! I was really worried!" Max admitted, not the least uncomfortable to say as much since after all it was only the truth.

If he had been concerned about Liz's state or the fact that she wasn't calling him, his thoughts had also gone to her grandmother since even from the little they had talked about her he had understood just how much she meant to Liz, and for having gone himself through more or less the same thing not so long ago he knew how it could have affected her to fear for her life. The last thing he had wanted so was for anything to happen to her, and even not knowing her, he had prayed for her recovery and was all too glad to hear that everything was going to be okay in the end.

"Thank you!" Liz breathed out emotionally, knowing that his concern was not an act. It was clearly written over his features just how worried he had been, and once more she realized just how lucky she was to have found someone as caring as Max, even if that knowledge only succeeded in making her feel even worse.

"I'm so sorry I didn't call you like I said I would!" she apologized softly, hoping he could understand that it had never been her intention to break her promise and that it had only been a combination of circumstances that had prevented her from doing so.

"No… it's okay… I mean, you were busy and all I'm sure… so I understand!" Max was quick to tell her, even if deep down there was no saying just how frustrated her not doing so had left him.

"Yeah, I surely was… but Maria told you what happened, didn't she?" Liz questioned, wondering if Maria had given him all the details.

Liz hadn't called her much either even if it wasn't for the same reasons. It was just that every time she had tried the house Maria had obviously been out and when she called the shop she was always too busy or ranting about the fact that she couldn't wait for her return because taking care of everything alone, moreover at this time of the year, was slowly driving her crazy.

It had only taken two of those conversations with her, where after she had made sure her grandmother was doing better Maria ranted and raved without barely letting her place three words, to make Liz understand that it was no use trying to call more often. But of course it didn't stop Maria from giving her an earful for having left her with no news for a whole week when she finally decided to call her again and asked her to come and pick her up. It made no sense, but that was Maria for you.

"Uh, actually, she just said that you had a problem with your phone or something like that, and that if I wanted to know more I should just ask you… well, you know Maria!" Max informed her with a roll of his eyes that clearly stated that he hadn't been expecting anything else from his brother's girlfriend.

When had she ever done anything like normal people, huh? But for once Max had not even thought about berating her, too grateful he was that she had informed him of Liz's return and even proposed to let him go get her.

"Yeah, but I really didn't mean to leave you with no news like that… it's just that my phone ran out of battery and since I didn't think about taking my charger when I left, I couldn't even turn it back on. And I'm sorry but I didn't know your number yet!" Liz explained much to Max's relief, who was slowly getting a better picture of what had really happened. His enthusiasm deflated though with what she said next. "I tried to call you at work though, and I gave my aunt's number to your secretary, but well I guess you were just too busy yourself!"

"You did? I mean she didn't tell me anything… when did you call?" Max asked intrigued and slightly pissed actually, wondering how in the hell Pam could have forgotten to pass the message.

Even if she didn't know how important Liz could be to him, if she started to lack in her work, she was going to hear it from him. No, actually she was going to hear about that anyway, and as soon as he would be back to work. To think that he had been making himself sick with worry when he could have spent all of his evenings talking on the phone with Liz, yeah, Pam would have to pay for that.

"Beginning of this week, I think it was?… I was really busy the first few days and besides I didn't know how to join you without your cell number, and I couldn't find your home number… but then I thought that surely the firm would be listed even if you weren't and that's when I looked for that one and called!" she knew she was babbling, something she had picked up from Maria obviously and had a tendency to do when she was quite nervous, but she just couldn't stop the flow even if she thought that Max probably didn't care about all the details.

Of course she couldn't have been more wrong.

"Well… I'm really sorry I couldn't call you back!" Max apologized almost immediately, hoping she hadn't thought he had been purposely ignoring her himself.

He knew all too well how you felt when you had that kind of thoughts running through your head and he didn't want her to go through that. Now however he was just giddy with the knowledge that she had gone to such lengths to contact him. She could have just given up when she had seen that she couldn't remember his cell number, but no, contrary to what he had thought, she had tried her best to find a way to join him even despite the circumstances and everything else she had to do. That had to mean something, right?

"No, it's okay… I'm here anyway now!" she answered, not wanting him to see that she had indeed been kind of worried herself, even if considering how much he had insisted on the fact that he wanted to know her, part of her had known all along that she was just being ridiculous. "I will just have to memorize all your numbers now, so we won't have this kind of problem in the future!" she added with a cute smile that had Max go weak in the knees again.

"Yeah, you do that!" Max said, his grin matching hers, glad to hear that she obviously planned to use them 'in the future'. "So… despite what happened to your grandmother of course, did you enjoy your holidays?" he then queried, reaching out to pick up her bag when he saw the one she was going to take.

He had spent Christmas at the family's Estate himself with his parents and other members of his family, and like every other year he had enjoyed it even if he would have surely done without his father's work discussion at the dinner table, but it didn't change anything to the fact that he had missed her dearly. That day even more than any other. But now that they were only two days and a few hours from New Year's Eve, his only wish was of course to spend it with her. He just hoped she didn't have other plans yet.

"It was great… I mean, I hadn't seen most of my family for a while now, so it was nice being with them again!" Liz replied, bending down slightly herself when she spotted her carryon on the carrousel, and she favored Max with another small smile and a soft 'it's okay' when he tried to take that as well.

As they walked together to the exit of the terminal, she then proceeded to tell him more about her family and her friends in Sacramento and all the while Max couldn't help observing her, loving how she became so animated when she talked about her loved ones.

It wasn't until she started talking about some Ryan guy actually that he stopped and lost the smile. Suddenly he wasn't sure he wanted to hear so much about her fabulous time there.

"You should see him, he's so cute… a real charmer and he was always all over me… I swear, if I didn't know better, I'd say that he's in love with me!" Liz related excitedly, not realizing how her words sounded to Max.

Gradually he felt his steps falter, then he slowly loosened his grip on her hand, but it was only when he finally stopped walking completely that Liz realized that something was wrong.

She turned around and looked at him quite dumbfounded, wondering what was happening to him or if she had said something wrong because she really couldn't figure out why he would look so dejected all of a sudden, but even going back through what she had just told him, she couldn't seem to understand what could have caused such change.

"Do you love him?" Max asked out of the blue and in a painful whisper, feeling his heart plummet to his shoes at the thought that her answer could be yes.

"What?" Liz turned to him fully and demanded then, confused by his question and even more by the way he kept his head hung low like he was trying to avoid looking at her in the eyes at all costs.

"Do… d-do you love him?" he reiterated just as softly, berating himself for his lack of control when he realized how croaked his voice sounded even to his own ears.

He didn't even know why he was asking, but he couldn't help himself. He needed to know.

"Of course I love him!" Liz replied honestly and naturally, but sure now that there was something that she wasn't getting obviously. What kind of question was that anyway?

"Oh… well… it-it's okay… I mean… we d-didn't make any promises to each other…or… it… it's not like I re-really thought that we were serious or anything… it's just… I understand, I mean… I-I think…" Max started, stumbling upon the words but trying nonetheless to appear unaffected, which he could tell wasn't working though, if Liz's face was any indication.

Of course he was affected, this was killing him for crying out loud. It was just too good to be true, wasn't it? And it just couldn't last evidently. But what he didn't understand then was why she had been acting like she had been happy to see him, why she had been holding hands with him like they were a couple if she was obviously in love with someone else.

"Oh, Max… you really shouldn't think so much!" Liz interrupted him the second she understood what had been going through his head and before he could go any further down that road she did the only thing she had been thinking about ever since she had spotted him waiting for her in the crowded terminal.

She kissed him.

A slow, gentle but insistent kiss that didn't leave much doubt about its meaning. There's no one else. You're the only one I want right now. And she smiled against his lips when she heard the bag he had been carrying fall to the floor with a loud thud, the sure sign that she had all his attention now.

Nonetheless it took for Max to feel her running her tongue against his lips in silent request to truly realize that this was really happening, and that instead of standing so stiff in front of her, he should just let himself go and enjoy the moment as well.

Parting his lips eagerly, he let her do whatever she wanted with him but couldn't help but all but moan out loud nevertheless at the first contact of her tongue with his. God, it had been way too long since he had enjoyed that sweet taste of her, he had almost forgotten how good it could be.

His hands, strangely idle until then, found their way under the lapels of her leather jacket, and were soon caressing her back before bringing her closer to him, and he sighed in contentment when he finally felt the length of her body against his own.

He couldn't tell how long they went on kissing before breathing properly became too urgent, but there was no saying just how thrilled he was to note that Liz seemed as reluctant to let go and stop, if not more, as he seemed to be.

"I missed you!" she whispered the instant they parted but she kept her eyes closed, still savoring the amazing feeling.

"You did?" Max wondered out loud, having a hard time believing himself that after having waited so long for this moment, she was in his arms again.

"A lot!" Liz continued meaningfully, pulling him down to her for another tender kiss, as if to add more weight to her declaration.

"God, I missed you, too!" Max confessed, tightening his hold around her as he spoke the words, and he smiled into her hair when she just as eagerly plastered herself to him in answer.

"So… Who's Ryan then?" he couldn't help asking nonetheless after a few seconds spent relishing in the feel of her.

Not that he still doubted the rightness of this or Liz's intentions concerning him or their relationship. She wouldn't have just kissed him like she just had if she didn't want the same thing he did, but if there was another man in her life, someone who obviously meant a great deal to her, he wanted to know who he was, or more exactly what he was to her.

"My cousin… he's ten years old!" Liz looked up to him and revealed, giggling when she saw Max blushing to the roots of his hair when he realized his mistake.

"Oh!" he just uttered completely embarrassed and feeling stupid for having drawn the wrong conclusion.

What an idiot he was, no wonder Liz had seemed so confused and had looked at him like he was nuts when he had asked if she loved him.

"You were jealous of my ten years old cousin?" Liz cocked an eyebrow teasingly and questioned him, unable to stop herself from making some fun of him. He was just too darn cute to be true.

"I-I was not… j-jealous… I mean…" Max stuttered, denying the evidence even when he knew well that it was no use. His reaction had been all too obvious for her to not notice unfortunately.

"I like that!" Liz cut him off and breathed in a husky murmur that sent shivers down Max's spine, the feel of her palms burning against his chest surely not helping the matter either.

God, if she didn't stop pressing herself to him like that and looking at him like she currently was, he was going to lose it.

"You do?" he asked breathlessly, his forehead pressed against hers and his lips a mere inch from her own.

"Huh-uh!" Liz just uttered, winding her arms around his broad shoulders again and threading her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck.

"Well… I'm jealous then… very, extremely, horribly, tremendously jealous of any guy who can just as much as cross your path, or… or look your way!" Max declared then, playing with a few strands of her hair, but though his tone was teasing, he was all too aware that his words were closer to the truth than what he was ready to admit. At least to her.

He didn't want anyone else to have the pleasure of her company. He didn't want anyone else to lose themselves in her eyes and feel everything he knew they would feel if they just took the time to really look at her. He wanted her all to himself, wanted her to be his and his only, no matter how irrational his possessiveness could be or if he just couldn't even understand where such thoughts were actually coming from, or at least how they could so soon.

"This has to mean that you care, right?" Liz asked before she could stop herself, but then lowered her head slightly, blushing herself this time when she realized that maybe she was asking for too much, too soon.

"I care a lot, Liz… believe me, I care a lot!" Max whispered hoarsely, unable to hide the emotions behind his words.

He cared so much that he had gone crazy with the need to see her and was already dreading the moment he would have to leave her again even if it were only for a day.

"So do I!" she managed to breathe out just as huskily a mere second before Max's hungry lips descended on hers and she found herself lost in his kisses again.

[RebeccaBehrEvans]

Unaware of the attention they were drawing upon themselves, they kept kissing, slowly but surely getting used to the feeling again, and not surprisingly were soon brought back to a world where only the two of them existed.

As far as Max was concerned there couldn't be a more blissful feeling than this. Being able to hold Liz, to kiss her just like he wanted, to feel her returning every gentle caress of his lips, or to notice the same eagerness in her kisses, and he would have gladly spent the rest of the hour doing just this, if the need for air hadn't been so great. Or if someone hadn't obviously minded their public display of affection.

"Get a room!" the words penetrated the thick sexual fog that was slowly clouding his senses, but even with that it still took him a few seconds to find the strength to let go of Liz.

The instant he did however it took even more willpower to not just crash his lips to hers once more, the sight of her flushed face, disheveled hair and swollen lips being almost enough to make him groan out loud.

Yep guys, this was his doing, he thought proudly, not caring about how macho that thought could make him sound.

"Oh, my god!" Liz exclaimed when she became aware of her surroundings and noticed for the first time how many people had actually turned to look at them, some with disapproving scowls and others with playful or just understanding smiles.

The least she could say was that she had never meant to lose control in such a way, but she would be lying if she said that she regretted, even for a second, what had happened. She was just mortified to see that they had gathered a small crowd around, but she had definitely missed Max too much to have any kind of real regrets. Besides, it felt good to listen to her heart and her desires for once.

"I'm sorry!" Max chuckled and held her tight when she buried her face into his chest and he heard her groan softly, but Liz would have to be deaf to not realize that his words were lacking sincerity.

If she could believe that he could feel sorry because of how embarrassing this could be for them, she could also say that he didn't regret kissing her more than she had, and the knowledge filled her with immense joy.

"Let's get out of here!" Max whispered to her before kissing her temple tenderly, and though Liz nodded her consent, she was half tempted to just stay where she was and savor the moment when she felt him caress the nape of her neck lovingly as he spoke.

Consequently it was only when she felt him slightly withdrawing from her and reaching for her bag again and she realized that she had no choice, that she finally released her hold on him and decided to move.

"Come on!" Max said with a smile and after having taken her hand almost as soon as he had her bag secured on his shoulder again, led them to the nearest exit.

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The drive to Liz's home was probably one of the longest Max had had to endure and more than once he had to resist the urge he felt to just pull over and ravish her on the side of the road like he so wanted to.

Call him greedy if you wanted but after having gone without her for so long, the few kisses they had exchanged at the airport, though intense, were definitely not enough. Far from it.

Of course he knew that his need for her was unreasonable, moreover considering that they hadn't been together for that long yet for him to develop an 'addiction', but he couldn't bring himself to really care about whatever reason there was behind his reactions, or even mind said addiction.

The instant he had seen her, kissed her, all his doubts and fears had vanished and the only thing he could still think about was being with her. No matter the consequences, no matter the risks. And if he hadn't been already well aware of how much he felt for her, how much she could already mean to him before, the 'Ryan episode' would have surely and definitively opened his eyes.

Fear of losing her before having even really had a chance to be with her had gripped his heart so tightly then that he had really believed he would just stop breathing from the sheer pain, even if he couldn't understand himself the intensity of such feeling. And never mind the fact that he had known that it was too soon yet to show jealousy or already act all possessive, he had simply been unable to hide his reaction and even less his hurt.

He was just glad that Liz had reacted the way she had and had not looked at him differently or like he was completely crazy. He was sure that many women would have told him to get lost already after that or that he wasn't born yet the man they would allow to treat them like they were his when they had barely seen him twice in their life. But fortunately Liz wasn't that type of person.

She had liked it, he thought, recalling her words, which amazed him to no end of course, but even more amazing was the fact that she had not shown any hesitation when he had admitted to her that he really cared, probably more than she could have thought actually, and even less when she had reciprocated his feelings.

Of course even if Max didn't want to think too much about what it meant, he couldn't help but feel his heart swell with hope after her words. Hope that what he felt could really not be only one-sided. Hope that she could see their relationship evolving just the way he wanted it himself. And hope for a future together.

Yes, there was nothing he wanted more at that second than a future with Liz Campbell.


"And this… is my bedroom!" he heard Liz say as she opened the last door down the hall and this time he really took his time to get a good look at it.

Not that he hadn't paid attention to everything she had been showing him ever since they had arrived and after inviting him to enter and asking him to stay and have dinner with her, she had started her tour of the house, but well her bedroom seemed definitely the most interesting room she had shown him so far. It wasn't that he planned on visiting it more than that any time soon, even if there was no saying how much he actually wanted to of course, but you never knew.

He had to admit that he really liked her house, and though it was apparently smaller than his own, it was surely more 'homey', he thought. There was definitely a difference if only because, even with all his mother's efforts, his lacked the numerous feminine touches Liz's possessed.

During the tour she had confessed that most of the decorations had been her own mother's doing, and Max hadn't missed the slight edge her voice had held when she had commented on that. Nor had he missed the fact that though she had pointed at a door indicating that that room had been her mother's, it had been the only one she had actually not opened and let him see.

He could only imagine why, she had probably not been there ever since her mother's death or most likely not touched, not changed a thing in there if she had managed to enter at all. He had already gathered how much her mother's absence affected her from the little conversation they had had about her weeks earlier, and that despite her efforts to hide it, but the loneliness and sorrow he had heard in her voice at that moment had torn at his heart again nevertheless, and at that instant, more than anything, he had wanted to just take her in his arms and swear to her that from now on and as long as he would be by her side, she wouldn't have to feel lonely ever again.

But he hadn't. Before he could even bring her to the safe confines of his arms, Liz had moved to the next room, plastered one of her beautiful smiles on her face and acted like nothing had happened at all. Max hadn't pushed and had let it pass, and even if he could clearly see through the façade, he had somehow managed to curb the sudden urge he had to comfort her, knowing instinctively that the last thing Liz would want or need would be his pity, because even if it would certainly not have been that as far as he was concerned, he was almost sure that was how she would see it. They weren't at a stage in their relationship yet where she could know that knowing what she had been through broke his heart every time he thought of it, and even less to know that he would do whatever it took to just assure her happiness and make sure she would never have to go through this kind of pain ever again.

"Nice bedroom!" pulling himself out of those dark thoughts, Max commented simply as he took a slow look around, but he couldn't help blushing himself when he saw Liz's cheeks taking a rosy hue when his gaze settled a little too long on her king sized bed.

Yeah, like she needed to be a mind-reader to figure out what was going through his head at that moment.

"Yeah… uh… how about we see what we can have for dinner now that you've seen everything?" Liz quickly changed the subject, knowing that it wasn't good for them to stay there any longer.

Considering all the not innocent thoughts that were running through her own mind, the sooner they got out of there, the better or Max would really think she wasn't exactly the woman he had thought she was till now. She didn't know what the hell was wrong with her suddenly but she was really only a few seconds away from throwing him on her bed and having her ways with him. She wanted him that bad.

"Sure!" Max agreed just as fast, thinking basically the same thing.

There was surely nothing he could want more then than to lie her down on that bed and finally experiencing the wonders of making love. And even if that thought honestly scared him out of his mind, even knowing it was definitely too soon for them yet, there was no way he could deny those feelings. Sooner or later he knew he would cave and make love to this woman. For just how long he would be able to resist her was the real question.

<center>* * *</center>

After going back down to the kitchen, it didn't take Liz long to understand that she seriously needed to go grocery shopping. She had been ashamed of course when she had realized that beside some corn salad and maybe some pasta or rice she hadn't had much to offer to Max, so in the end and after a short search for something more consistent, they had settled for heating up some pizzas she still had in her freezer.

Not the finest meal for sure, but fortunately Max had assured her that he absolutely didn't mind since he loved pizzas. Like he was going to complain anyway, when he would eat charcoal if he was asked to if that meant spending more time with Liz.

Yet, since Liz had still felt bad nevertheless, she had promised to invite him for a real dinner very soon. No need to say that Max had eagerly accepted even if he had first told her that she didn't need to do that of course.

When she had thought that Max would just stand by and let her prepare everything like many would, she had been pleasantly surprised to see that he was obviously not that type of man. Maybe it was just due to the fact that he lived on his own and he had to take care of himself alone, but apparently he liked cooking and being in the kitchen, and had been more than ready to lend her a hand even if there hadn't really been much to do, and that despite Liz's protests. Still, after some insistence on his part, Liz had had no choice but to let him have his ways and show him where everything was. She was slowly starting to realize that Max's trademark smile was a killer and that she would probably not be able to refuse him anything when he started to pout on top of everything else.

While she prepared the dressing for her salad so, Max had set the table for two and gone in search of a bottle of wine, surprised nonetheless when Liz had told him that she had a small cellar. It had actually been her mother's, who had always claimed that a good meal wasn't complete without a good glass of wine, but Liz had kept with that sort of tradition, even if her liking for the red substance was definitely far less pronounced.

Through all the preparations they had kept a light conversation, and even exchanged a few kisses that soon turned more ardent, but the timer going off suddenly had unfortunately, or fortunately, Max couldn't say anymore, put a stop to the growing passion before it could really explode.

The dinner in itself was pretty much uneventful, they ate and talk some more, and when they finished and put everything away, Liz left him briefly to call Maria and her aunt to inform them she had reached home safe and sound, while Max went to wait for her in the living room.

When she came back she found him comfortably settled on her couch, flicking through her numerous channel with a bored expression on his face, but that didn't stop her from cuddling the closest she could to him like what they were about to do was the most romantic thing in the world. Eventually Max found something that seemed to be to both their liking and they ended up watching Ocean's Eleven.

Yeah, Liz could definitely think of worse ways to spend her evening than with George Clooney, Brad Pitt… and Max Evans. And since Max was apparently a huge fan of Julia Roberts, he couldn't even complained.

Only Max had a hard time concentrating on Julia with Liz plastered to her side, or with the unconscious but incessant movements of her hand on his chest. More than once he found himself swallowing hard and closing his eyes to pray for the strength to not lose control. All in all, he didn't think he watched much of the movie, at least not until Liz had eventually fallen asleep on his shoulder.

As much as he definitely liked being with her, he was also glad for the short reprieve because more than once he had been only a second away from tearing her clothes off and begging her to let him bury himself inside of her. God, being with her was going to kill him slowly.

To think that he had gone years resisting advances, fighting off many women that made it very clear that they would be more than ready to show him everything he had always wished to know about the opposite sex and that without even really putting much effort, and now, this little wisp of a girl, managed to make him want to throw all that out the window without a second thought, and that with nothing more than a smile and a brief flutter of her long eyelashes.

As she lay across the couch now, with her head resting on his thighs, Max wanted nothing more than to wake her up and ask her what was her secret, ask her what she had done to him to have him willing to give up everything just to be with her, but he didn't.

While she was asleep at least, he could take all his time to look at her. Really look at her without having to justify what he was doing or why he was doing it. He could feast upon her without having to fear her reaction and most of all without scaring her, sure that she would be if she knew he had spent the last half-hour or so just drinking her in.

He knew he shouldn't but he just couldn't stop himself. The instant she started to slide slightly against him, he had moved her to a more comfortable position, and had been doing just that ever since. He probably looked like a fool right now, what with the smile he knew he couldn't wipe from his face, but he didn't care.

Liz moved in her sleep, then stirred, inhaling slowly and smiling when she recognized Max's particular scent, but when she opened her eyes and found him looking down at her, she couldn't help but blush.

How exactly had she ended up on his thighs? She remembered starting to drift off to sleep and doing her best to fight it, but obviously she hadn't won that one. Casting a quick glance to the TV that was when she realized that she had obviously been more tired than she had thought and definitely out more than just a few minutes.

"Hey!" Max murmured softly as he tenderly brushed back a few tendrils of her hair. He had wanted to do as much ever since he had repositioned her on his lap, but he had been too afraid he would wake her up if he started caressing her to do so then.

"Hey… I'm sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep on you!" Liz said, before groaning and pulling herself up some more, only to bury her face into his chest. And nearly giving Max a heart attack when her move caused her to brush her arm against another part of his body that he was desperately trying to get back to sleep himself.

But Liz didn't even noticed actually, much to Max's relief. She just couldn't believe that she had let that happen. He would probably think that she found him boring, or that she didn't enjoy his company but that was really the furthest thing from the truth.

"It's okay… I didn't mind!" Max reassured her and as he helped her up, grazed her lips in a soft kiss. " I should go… you look tired!" he then added in a soft whisper, his forehead resting against hers.

"No, don't go yet!" Liz pleaded the instant she understood his intention. "I'm awake, look, I'm more than awake!" she told him, moving to straddle him with the biggest smile she could have mustered as a proof.

"Yeah, I see that!" Max gulped when she settled herself on his lap, and fisted his hands on his side to stop himself from touching her. "But I should go nonetheless… it's getting late!" he reiterated, not knowing how much longer he could still be this close to her and not ravish her thoroughly.

"Are you sure?" Liz asked, her breath stirring near his ear provocatively and having exactly the effect she was going for.

"Liz…" Max breathed out almost painfully, conscious that this was far from being a good idea.

"Stay with me just a little longer… please!" Liz insisted nevertheless, ready to resort to the most wicked tricks if she had to to get what she wanted, and she teasingly nuzzled his neck until he had no choice but to cave.

"O-Okay!" Max stammered at last, realizing that there was no use fighting her. He was putty in her hands, and she obviously knew that and had no qualms using the knowledge.

"What?" Liz asked when for interminable seconds after his acceptance, he just kept looking at her in silent but obvious wonder.

"You've got to be the most beautiful woman I've ever seen!" Max whispered, his fingers skimming across her cheeks and down her slender throat, and tried as he might he couldn't conceal the awe from his voice.

"Thank you!" Liz smiled at him and then, squirming under his intense stare, she lowered her head bashfully.

"Hey… " he started, lifting her chin up and meeting her eyes again. "Don't thank me… it's only the truth!" he murmured, his lips caressing hers as he spoke.

He didn't give her time to respond and though he had wanted to leave not five minutes ago, knowing where this would lead them if he stayed, he couldn't stop himself at this second.

He craved her, needed her, and poured himself into that kiss, wishing he could tell her with words, make her understand everything he felt then, but knowing he couldn't. Not yet. It was too soon, too new, and neither of them was prepared for the consequences.

Spurred by his obvious eagerness, despite how hesitant he had been not so long ago, Liz wrapped her arms around his neck and she moaned into his mouth when his fingers, that had been massaging her scalp until then, drifted to her hips and cradled her closer to him.

All too willing to follow his lead, Liz pressed herself against the evident proof of his need and they both gasped at the feeling. This was the moment when things would get out of hands, the moment when Max should put a stop to whatever was about to happen, he knew that, but unfortunately his brain seemed unable to accept and process the information.

Drunk on her kisses, he was unable to tear himself off her, and he had to bite back a growl every time she fed him her tongue. No matter how wrong this could maybe be, he couldn't get enough of her.

Of their own volition his hands pushed their way under her shirt and this time he couldn't stop the low guttural sound that escaped his lips when all he encountered was lace. Lace everywhere, from the waistband of her pants to more than the half of her back. She had been wearing a lace teddy under that flimsy shirt and he hadn't known, yet now that he did, he could barely think about anything else.

Liz arched into his arms the second she felt his hands on her back and she tore her mouth from his with a small cry. Gulping for air, she barely had any time to think about what was happening before she felt Max's lips suckling on the flesh of her neck and she forgot about anything else. Nothing else could matter but this moment with him, or how right this felt.

His fingers wreaked an endless havoc on her back but it was when they trailed back to her hips briefly before making their way up to her front that she really thought she was going to lose it. They both heard the distinct sound of her shirt snap-buttons popping open but none of them really cared about what it meant.

How they ended up laying on the couch after that with Max on top of Liz neither would be able to say, but soon Liz had her legs tightly wrapped around Max's waist and he kept grinding himself against her core.

The friction was just too much, and Liz truly believed that she would just go insane with the need to feel more of him. All of him. Her own hands fisted on his shirt and not long after she managed to pull the t-shirt he had under out of his pants, she was running her fingers restlessly along his warm soft skin, unaware of the torture it was for Max to feel her hands on his naked flesh. He would definitely lose any rational thought if she kept this on.

"Oh, god… Liz, we have… we should…" he tried in vain but one of Liz's hands suddenly coming to grip the hair at the nape of his neck and her lips crashing on his almost immediately after stopped any protest he could have voiced.

"Liz, baby…" he started again, only to be cut off once more when this time Liz's caught his bottom lip between her teeth.

God, what had he done to have her be so responsive, so eager, but most of all, how was he supposed to stop her if she obviously didn't want? Considering he didn't know what he wanted to do himself, they apparently had a big problem.

"Max… don't talk…" Liz moaned out huskily, caressing his lips with her velvety tongue, and Max found himself unable to remember why in the hell they were supposed to stop exactly anyway.

His own tongue soon met hers again, and in no time the passion was taking over once more, blinding them to the point where they didn't understand anything but the pleasure they could bring each other.

He didn't know if it was the slight pressure of her hand on his head that guided him there, or if he went of his own free will but before he could realize what he was doing Max trailed a path of hot wet kisses down the column of her throat and didn’t stop until his lips brushed against the swell of her right breast.

Liz's legs tightened around him when he licked her skin there and that was all the encouragement Max needed. Tentatively his tongue ran lower and Liz whimpered when she felt him skillfully laving her lace-covered nipple. It wasn't enough though, she wanted to feel him directly on her skin, she needed to feel him or she would burst.

As if he could read her mind and before he could stop himself or consider the wisdom of such a move, Max pulled on her shirt and had the strap of her teddy soon following the same fate. The instant her breast was free of any obstruction then, he dove on the protruding peak and sucked on it greedily, much to Liz's delight.

She didn't only voice her appreciation, she showed him as well, her hand forcing him to swallow more of her flesh and Max gladly did what she asked. His mouth worked on the taut rosy nub, chewing lightly on it before twirling it around with his tongue, discovering its texture, learning its shape, and slowly but surely getting used to the feeling.

For someone who had never come anywhere close to the feminine asset, he knew how to treat it right nonetheless apparently if Liz's breathless moans and sighs were any indication.

If he had managed to relocate his brain at that instant, Max might have maybe been able to realize that they had already crossed the line, that they had already gone way beyond what they should have, but that one was obviously the only organ that wasn't functioning anymore. And if he had had any doubts about the powerful hold Liz already had on him, they were surely all dispelled at once after this.

In a effort to slow them down at least if he couldn't stop them, his fingers kept kneading the soft flesh but his mouth made its way up to Liz again. His eyes locked with hers briefly, and the look she gave him then was enough to take his breath away. God, never had anyone looked at him this way, and if he didn't know better he would swear that she could eat him alive if he let her.

"Liz…" he moaned out a brief second before his lips met hers again.

If all of their kisses so far had managed to hold some gentleness nonetheless, this one was all the opposite. It expressed all the raw passion they were both feeling, its needing, demanding nature leaving them both trembling.

Lust clouding his brain, Max didn't even protest when Liz wantonly rubbed herself against his length and if he could honestly say that the moans she emitted as she did so would have already been enough to make even the most experienced men come apart in her arms, it was her next move that very well threatened to kill him on the spot.

While one hand kept caressing the expanse of his back, the other one stroked his side until she was racking her nails through the scarce line of hair down his navel, and Max stopped breathing altogether, only realizing his mistake when Liz took that opportunity to pass her hand past the waistband of his pants.

Where she got the nerve from she didn't know, but what was sure was that she had surely not expected Max's reaction. The instant her hand came into contact with his straining erection, even still covered by his boxers, his lips left hers faster than anything she could have imagined and he bolted up right like her touch had burned him.

"Max? What's wrong?… why did you stop?" Liz asked panting, her hands already reaching to pull him down to her again, but Max danced out of her reach before she could even touch him again.

"God, Liz…" his breath coming out in staccato gasps, Max was barely able to comprehend how he could have let this happen and found himself in such a situation.

God, he wanted her, more than he had wanted anything or anyone in his whole life, but this was just too much, and if nothing had been able to wake him up before this second, her touch, right there, had had the same effect that if she had thrown a bucket of ice-cold water on him. He just couldn't let them go further down that road. Not yet. They weren't ready for this. He wasn't ready for this.

"Max?" Liz called out his name softly and after rearranging her shirt and easing herself upright, she touched his cheek to force him to look at her, thing that he obviously couldn't.

And for good reason, Max just knew that if he just as much as looked at her right now, if he stayed, despite the fact that he knew that the moment was more than wrong, he wouldn't be able to stop at just kissing her. He would want more. He would need more, and he couldn't let that happen.

"I'm sorry… I'm… I-I have to go… I'm sorry, Liz!" he said at last when he felt Liz trying to move closer to him, and he stumbled off the couch, his knee connecting with the coffee table in his haste to get out of her house.

"Max!" Liz cried out totally shocked by the turn of events, but before she could even make a move to stop him or just take a step in his direction, he was grabbing for his jacket and running out of there like a bat out of hell, leaving her alone in the semi-darkness.

Mouth agape, Liz kept her eyes strained on her front door, sure that there had to be an explanation to his reaction and that he would come back the second he would realize that he just couldn't leave her like that, but when she heard his car start and pull off her driveway, all the hopes she had to see that happening died right there. And as tears brimmed her eyes despite her efforts, she had to wonder if the thought of going further with her was really that scary or worse, disgusting to him.


TBC…

God, it has been a long hard road coming back to this after so long… so let me know if you're not too disappointed … and don't worry… Max won't go too far before he realizes his mistake So don't hate him… he's just confused right now

C U Soon

[RebeccaBehrEvans]

Author: RebeccaBehrEvans.

Title: Family Lies

Rating: ADULT

Disclaimer: For the third time, no I don't own anything Roswell related though I wish I did! (except maybe some tapes and tons and tons of pictures of Max and Liz )… However, the idea of this story is inspired by a French TV show, but there is absolutely no infringement intended on my part.

AN: Hey everyone… I know, I know… it's been like forever again but here I am finally.

I just want to thank you once more for the feedbacks you guys left before this was moved to the Dead and Buried … I hope it won't happen any time soon again.

Well, I haven't much to say about this chapter, beside that it's quite long and that it picks up just after Max ran off on Liz and then moves a little forward from then. I hope you'll enjoy it of course… I don't know if I should dedicate it to Kara, Tanya and Tiph, the only people I'm almost sure will still be reading, but if they're not the only ones, let me know, okay?

Tanya, I saw your message on another thread and honestly I thought a lot about you and Kara while writing this chapter… I'm glad to see you still there and interested, and I hope to not disappoint!! Oh and BTW of course, Congrats on all your noms again… you're the Queen of this board aren't you?

Tiph, thanks once more for your comments, I know I say that almost every time since you discover about everything as I'm writing it and progressing, even if it's only piece by piece sometimes, but your vision and opinion on things truly helps me a lot and makes writing so much easier! YOU're the one who rocks!!

Ellie, Sandra, thanks so so much for always being there, oh, Faithful ones! You have no idea how much that means to me!!

Okay… that's it I guess… hope to not bore you to death!

Posted in four due to length.


Chapter eleven.

The sound of her phone ringing made her jump slightly, and for a few seconds all she could do was look at it like it was a foreign thing.

It didn't take a science doctorate to figure out who it was considering how late it already was and how things had ended up between her and Max, and that was why it was so hard for Liz to make a decision.

Part of her wanted to just let it ring and ignore it, not sure she was ready to talk to Max yet, but the biggest part of her, the one that didn't understand what exactly had happened between them wanted to hear what he would have to say, what would be his explanation for the way he had reacted.

The phone stopped ringing before she had a chance to make up her mind and pick it up, and she thought she had let her opportunity pass her by, only to jump nearly out of her skin again when the shrilling sound cut the silence of the house once more, proving that contrary to what she could have thought, Max was apparently not going to give up before he talked to her.

Taking a huge breath and brushing away the few tears that had still been rolling uncontrolled down her cheeks, she picked up on the third ring, her voice sounding hollow when she whispered a soft 'hello' into the receiver.

"Hello?" she repeated after a few seconds when she was only met with silence over the line.

"Liz?" the soft murmuring of her name caused shivers to course up her spine, and she wondered how that could even be when she was so angry with him at the same time. Or maybe angry wasn't the right word, but she sure was disappointed and hurt. "I'm sorry."

A huge lump clogged her throat and she fought against tears once more, the way he breathed out the words tearing at her heart.

"I really am!" he continued when she didn't answer right away, and Liz would have had to be deaf to not hear just how sincere he was being. She had no doubt about that, even despite the fact that she didn't know Max that well, but it still didn't explain a thing or made her feel better. "Did I… did I ruin everything between us?" There was so much heartache in his tone that Liz couldn't suppress a soft sob, the sound carrying over the line and causing Max to close his eyes in pain.

His head dropped down to the steering wheel and he cursed himself once more for having left her alone like that. For having freaked out like he had and having run away from her.

He had not even reached his house before he had been forced to pull off the road and stop the car, his body trembling so much that he had been sure that he wouldn't be able to drive a second longer without crashing the car.

He had known the moment he had crossed Liz's threshold that he was making a mistake, but it hadn't been until that second that he had really realized just how badly he had screwed up.

He had known then that if he couldn't go back to her for fear of what would happen, he couldn't either spend the night away from her without knowing that she was alright, without knowing what she was thinking or how she was doing.

He imagined her confused or angry, mad at him for acting like he had, and he just couldn't bear the thought even if he had only himself to blame for that.

When she had picked up the phone so, he had been ready to apologize as much as he had to, if only to make sure that she would be willing to give him a second chance even if he wasn't sure himself he deserved it, but her silence was crashing all his hopes into dust and he didn't know what he could tell her to make her want to believe him nonetheless.

"Liz, please… s-say something." he pleaded throatily, thinking that anything at this point would be better than nothing at all. It would be better than wondering if she despised him now and if he had destroyed the most beautiful thing that had ever happened to him.

"I-I don't understand what happened… and it hurt…" her answer came like an eternity later, and though her words and the despair he heard behind them literally broke his heart, Max had probably never been happier to hear her voice.

"I know… and I'm so sorry… I don't know how many times I can say it… but I am sorry, Liz… I-I didn't mean to leave like that…" his own voice was hoarse as he spoke and he prayed with all his might that she would know how much he regretted his actions.

"Then why did you?" Liz demanded in a pained murmur, not hiding how much him leaving had indeed hurt her.

His reaction just didn't make any sense to her. Everything was going so fine between them. And yes, even if she had been well aware that things were moving a little too fast, she had not wanted to think about the consequences or question what she was feeling because it had felt right. Truly and amazingly right. And she had thought that Max was feeling the same way, until he had wrenched himself off of her like her touch had burned him.

"I-I… I think I panicked a bit…" was all Max could give her as an explanation, even when he knew that it was still putting it mildly.

"Did I do something wrong, Max?" Liz asked in return and it was enough for Max to realize the extent of the damage he had done.

"No, sweetheart, you didn't… It's me… I-I… god, Liz… I didn't mean to hurt you…" Max countered fervently, wanting her to understand that he was the problem, the only one responsible and that she had nothing to do with it.

Not directly at least. It wasn’t her fault he wanted her so much. It wasn't her fault he was barely able to control himself when he was near her. And not her fault either if he had handled this so badly.

"I-I know." Liz breathed out, eventually admitting what her heart had already known, if she was honest with herself.

Max was a gentle soul, she had already noticed that even if they hadn't spent much time together yet, and she could hear in his tone how bad he was feeling for having hurt her.

"It's just… I had all these f-feelings… and I guess… I just… I suddenly felt overwhelmed… and I don't know, Liz… I just…" Max felt the need to elaborate for her, knowing that if he couldn't tell her the whole truth yet, he had to make her understand where he was coming from nonetheless, at least as best as he could.

"You panicked." Liz interrupted him and finished for him, reiterating what he had told her a few seconds ago.

"Yeah… and now I just feel so ridiculous for it… the last thing I wanted was to make you feel…" Max continued, trailing off as he tried to find the right word.

"Inadequate?" Liz provided for him, and Max could only groan as he heard her.

"Is that how you felt?" he asked her dejectedly, feeling like kicking himself once more for having been so stupid and insensitive.

"Kind of." Liz murmured like it was no big deal, but it was easy to see that she was only trying to cover what she was really feeling for Max's sake.

It only made him feel even worse if that was possible and at the same time realize just what a special person Liz truly was. Not that he hadn't already known that, but it only reinforced his opinion of her.

"I'm sorry!" he mumbled quite pathetically for the umpteenth time, feeling like he could tell her a million more and it would still not be enough. "Forgive me?" he couldn't help whispering a second later nonetheless when all he heard over the line was Liz's breathing.

"Y-Yeah." she replied softly, knowing that she didn't have to think about it twice, and that there wasn't anything she could do but that.

She cared too much for him already to not want to work things out between them. Max had made a mistake, it didn't mean that she didn't want to be with him for all that. And he seemed too sincere anyway for her to not forgive him even though some would think she was relenting too easily.

"Thank you!" Max sounded so relieved when he murmured the words that Liz knew that she had made the right decision.

"Where are you?" she then found herself asking before she could stop herself, hearing traffic behind him even if it seemed to be light, most likely due to the hour.

"Almost home… I just… I didn't want to leave things like that. " Max answered in a sigh, glad to see that he had been right to stop and call her apparently.

"Why don't you come back then?" she knew there was always a possibility that he would reject her, but she couldn't help herself.

"I don't… I don't think I should, Liz… I mean… I want to… but…" Max stammered, confirming Liz's suspicions.

"Okay." was all she managed to say, trying nonetheless to keep her expression as normal as she could.

"Liz, it's not that I don't want to… I do… I just… it's really late now… and…" Max tried to explain, but his voice sounded weak even to his own ears.

Still, deep down he knew he was right. It was late, and if he came back, chances were that he would want to pick up where they had left, and though there was nothing he wanted more than to be with her, he wasn't sure he would be strong enough to stop them once more. Coming back was not a risk he could take then.

"Okay… I get it…" Liz replied, but she still didn't sound completely convinced for all that.

"Do you? You're not… angry with me, are you?" Max queried gently, his heart beating wildly in his chest as he waited with barely concealed fear for her to tell him if they were alright or not.

"No, you… you're probably right." Liz conceded at last, albeit it was done quite reluctantly.

As much as she wanted to see him again and make up for what had happened, inside she knew he was being more reasonable than her and that that was the right thing to do. Besides, as long as they were okay, she guessed she could be a little more patient and wait to be in his arms again. She had spent almost two weeks without him and she had survived them, what was a night, even with the way they had parted.

"I… but I'll see you tomorrow, right?… I mean… if that's alright…" once more he found himself stuttering awkwardly, not sure of what he could tell her, or what he could expect from her after what he had done.

"Yes." Liz whispered and this time she even managed a small smile at sensing him so insecure again.

"Dinner?" he asked hopefully, his mind already working furiously at a plan to make it up to her.

"Yeah, sure!" Liz responded right away, already counting the hours despite herself.

She knew she would have to go in tomorrow, at least for a few hours to see how everything had worked at the shop while she was away, but she just couldn't wait to see Max again.

"Okay then… I'll call you!" Max promised, relieved that they had apparently pulled through their first fight, if you could call this a fight of course.

"Yeah… goodnight, Max." her voice was a soft whisper to his ear, and Max could only hope that it would be enough to last him till the next day.

Just because he had left in a hurry and it had seemed like he couldn't get out of her house fast enough didn't mean that he wasn't still craving her. On the contrary. He knew if he had come back she wouldn't have had any difficulty seeing how much he could need her.

"Goodnight, Liz!" he murmured back tenderly, sighing into the phone when he heard her hanging up.

Liz closed her eyes briefly as she put the receiver back into its cradle but as she made her way upstairs to her room a few seconds later, she couldn't help the tiny and relieved smile that crept upon her lips. A nice change from what she had been feeling barely fifteen minutes ago.

Back then she had thought that she would spend the rest of the night, or at least a good part of it, crying her eyes out over something she just couldn't understand, but now she felt like she could face anything as long as she and Max were honest and talked to each other.

She hadn't thought they would be able to sort everything out so easily, but she was glad they had. Although truthfully she had probably accepted Max's explanation more because he had seemed so earnest when he had talked to her than because she truly understood what had happened to him, but in the end what really mattered was that she was feeling okay again, wasn't it?

She would just have to make sure she didn't give him any reason to 'panic' again from then on and everything would be alright.

<center>* * *</center>

Weeks later unfortunately, things were not alright between Max and her. Not anymore. Contrary to what she had hoped for, nothing much had changed and Liz felt even more lost than she had felt that first night a little more than a month ago.

Oh, of course Max was being a little subtler now than he had been back then and to the external eye everything seemed just fine between them, but the reality was far from being so idyllic.

At first Liz had just thought that she was overacting and that she was just imagining things, but there were only so many times a girl could try to get her boyfriend to take things further and be rejected as nicely as that could be, before she started wondering what was wrong with him. Or worse, with her.

Max was wonderful most of the times. Okay, that was a lie, because she could go as far as saying that he always was and that she couldn't wish for a better boyfriend, but their lack of intimacy, however little that could be at this point in their relationship, was something she wasn't handling very well now.

She knew that if she were to voice her thoughts aloud she would most likely sound desperate to get some, but really that wasn't what was getting her so depressed.

She wouldn't lie and try to say that she hadn't imagined, fantasized even about what it would be like to make love with Max, but considering the little progress she was making with him on this plan, it looked like that wasn't about to occur any time soon.

She just didn't understand what was happening between them anymore but what was sure was that she just couldn't take it anymore.

At this point she didn’t know what to think anymore, what to feel, and even if some would think she was just being paranoid, she now knew that she had been right to be worried.

She had started to draw her own conclusions concerning Max's reactions to her, or lack of actually, and that no matter how it could actually hurt to admit even just to herself that her boyfriend didn't want her, but if she had still wanted to believe she could be wrong, whatever slim hope she had still had, had been shattered yesterday.

How could she still give him the benefit of the doubt after what she had seen? Only a fool would, wouldn't they? Well, then she was a fool because despite everything, she still wanted to believe in him.

She had barely slept last night and she knew that Maria was wondering what was going on with her, she had been hounding her almost non-stop all day after all, but if she had been able to do with it until then, now she truly felt like she was reaching the end of her rope.

A million thoughts were running through her mind and she wished she could just sort them all out, maybe then she would know what to do with Max, how she should handle the situation, but what was sure was that Maria's constant questioning was definitely not helping her.

She just didn't know what she could tell her anymore. She had even foolishly thought that retreating into her office would be enough to make her drop the matter finally, but that was underestimating her best friend.

She looked through the window once more, not having moved at all, or barely since Maria had entered and she couldn't help but sigh as she saw some children playing some ball game on the beach.

Today though, not even the amazing view she had from her office window was enough to appease her. She just wished she could be so carefree again, and yet she knew she was just being irrational. She was a grown woman now, and she should just face her problems like the adult she was supposed to be.

She knew what she had to do of course, but she was scared out of her mind at the thought of what it could mean for her if she confronted Max, what she could lose if she did.

But hadn't she already lost Max? Had not last evening scene proved that enough to her? What more did she need?

"Liz… you think you're stubborn but you know you're no match to me sweetie… I won't go anywhere until you finally tell me why you've been holed up up here all afternoon and why you've been crying like you've lost your best friend almost all day." Maria said even more forcefully if that were possible, pulling her out of her thoughts once more, and Liz barely suppressed the groan that wanted to escape her lips.

She knew she was stupid and that ignoring Maria was going to get her nowhere, but one could hope, right? She had just thought that she would be successful and that her friend would eventually get tired if she just acted like she wasn't even listening to her, but that wasn't working well apparently.

"Liz… if you can't talk to me, then who are you going to talk to?" Maria insisted when all she received for an answer was a shrug, hating to see Liz like this and to not be able to do anything for her.

"Maria, please!" Liz all but growled, throwing her a look over her shoulder that clearly meant that she was finding her truly annoying now.

But Maria wasn't one to be dismissed easily and she had been patient all she could with her friend. If something was bothering her enough for her to cry, she wanted to know about it. Right now!

Truthfully, she had no real idea of what could be going on with her and that was what was scaring her so much now. Liz was usually very successful at hiding her emotions, even if she had her moments when Maria knew she thought about her mother for example and she was more depressed than she would normally be, but she didn't remember having ever seen her so affected during one of those moments.

Liz didn't talk much about her mother, but she was sure it didn't stop her from missing her dearly, and she knew there were days that were harder than others, so she had figured at first that today was just one of them, but the less Liz talked, the less convinced about her theory she became.

"Don't 'Maria me'!… Just spill already… you know you want to!" she all but ordered this time, hoping that Liz would see that she had no way to win this one and that she would relent at last.

She didn't know who was going to go crazy first if Liz didn't talk already, but chances were that it would be herself.

It wasn't until she heard her sigh heavily again however that she realized that she had finally stopped fighting and that they would get somewhere.

"He doesn't want me!" Liz blurted out at last, fighting tears that just wouldn't stop coming and filling her eyes, even if she felt stupid for not being stronger than that.

"What?" Maria uttered, suddenly even more confused about what could have put Liz in such a state, or whom apparently.

As far as she knew, there was only one man in her life at the moment but everything was going perfectly well between Max and her, so clearly she couldn't be talking about him or their relationship, could she?

The thought that it could be related to him somehow had not even crossed her mind until that second actually, but then who could it be if it weren't him?

"He doesn’t want me… M-Max… I mean… we haven't… he hasn't even t-tried to… you know… every time things get a little… 'heated'… he just pulls away and remembers that he has something to do… s-somewhere to go… I don't know… anything to not cross the line." Liz elaborated and Maria didn't need to hear more to know exactly what was going on with Max, even if truthfully she had had no idea Liz was already thinking so far and that it would already become a problem between them.

She could also clearly understand Liz's frustration, after all since she didn't know what made Max react the way he did, it was pretty normal that she would feel rejected, but thinking that Max could not want her was simply ridiculous if you asked her and she had a hard time believing that this could truly be what it was all about.

You just had to look at Max to know that he was crazy about Liz, whether they had already expressed their feelings out loud or not. It was so obvious. Sometimes it even made her want to gag to see them together considering how they were, and they had only been dating for a month and a half, she could only imagine how they would behave after years in a relationship or once they became intimate then.

"Liz… believe me… wanting you is certainly not a problem for Max!" Maria said convincingly, knowing that that at least was true, even if she wished she could tell her friend more.

Maybe she should have told her about Max as soon as they started dating, but she had truly not thought that that particular topic would be brought up so soon and even less that Liz would feel like talking about it with her. Well, she had asked for it, hadn't she?

"Then what is the problem?… I'm starting to think that I'm not good enough for him… not d-desirable enough!" Liz threw back, voicing her previous thoughts aloud.

Of course she knew that she couldn't compete with some of the girls Max was probably used to meet on a daily basis, at least in some departments, and she had never fooled herself into thinking she could either, but it hurt nonetheless to have to think he could find her lacking or not be satisfied with what she had to offer. While part of her wanted to believe that it was maybe not coming from her and that there was something else, she just couldn’t see why Max wouldn't be honest with her then, why he wouldn't trust her and tell her what was going on.

[RebeccaBehrEvans]

"That's ridiculous and you know it!" Maria countered right away, thinking that she would have a little talk with Max as soon as she would see him.

She was sure that he wasn't hurting Liz on purpose, that he most likely didn't even realize what he was doing to her, but that didn't mean that she had to like it or even find excuses for his behavior.

"Do I?" Liz just said but those two words were enough for Maria to see just how much she was indeed affected by this even if she had apparently managed to reign on her tears, at least momentarily.

"Liz… you should really have this conversation with Max, not with me." Maria advised gently, wishing more than anything that she could tell her what she knew.

As much as she hated to see her friend like this and as much as she could curse Max for not having seen this one coming and just been honest with Liz, she knew that she shouldn't be the one to tell her that her dear boyfriend was probably scared shitless at the thought of being intimate with her.

She and Max had not talked about it since he had started dating Liz, but no matter how many times she and Michael could have made fun of his desire to wait till he got married to cross that line, they both knew how important it was for him. She could rib him all she wanted when they were alone, but she respected his decision nonetheless, even when she didn't share his convictions.

That was why she truly thought it would be best if Max was the one to explain everything to Liz. At least he would know exactly what to tell her to make her understand where he stood. Maria wasn't sure she could or if Liz would even believe her anyway if she were to tell her that the hunk she was dating was still a virgin. She had a hard time believing it herself and she had known for a while.

Only Liz was apparently not seeing it her way. Not that it really surprised her.

"Why? What is it, Maria? What are you not telling me?" Liz accused, the soothing tone her friend had just used only telling her one thing: Maria apparently knew something but she wasn't willing to share the information with her.

So there was something, she pondered grimly, fighting the sense of dread that suddenly assaulted her.

What could be so wrong that it was forcing Max to pull away from her like he was and do his best to never really be left alone with her? Of course there could be a very simple explanation, but her heart refused to admit it even when her head already had. It couldn't believe that she could have been so wrong about Max, even when the proofs were staring her right in the face.

"Look… it's just not my place to tell you that." Maria retorted and though Liz could see how much it was costing her friend to have to deny her, it didn't make her feel better for all that. On the contrary.

It just didn't add up. And since when did Maria Deluca care when or if it was her place to tell something anyway. Unless she knew how much it was going to hurt her of course.

"Come on, Maria… if there's something wrong with Max, I have the right to know!" Liz insisted, seeking Maria's gaze when she saw she was trying to look at anything but her.

God, could Max be sick or something and he didn't want her to know? she thought suddenly, dreading that thought maybe even more than all the others that were already running rampant through her mind.

"There's absolutely nothing wrong with Max, Liz!" Maria told her, wanting to reassure her as much as she could when she saw the expression on her face.

No, there was nothing wrong with Max, beside the fact that he was an idiot and that he was going to lose Liz if he didn't grow some balls and told her what was going on.

"Then what? Maria, please… you're my best friend… if you know something you have to tell me!" Liz all but whined now, not caring how that was making her look.

"Liz, please… you should really just… talk to Max!" Maria repeated wearily, knowing that they could go on like this indefinitely if Liz didn't decide to drop it, at least for now.

She caught the hurt look on Liz's face, the one that could only say, 'how can you choose him over me' and it only made her feel worse if that was possible. Yet even with that she wasn't prepared for Liz's next words.

"There's someone else, huh?" Liz said dejectedly, her words sounding more like a statement than a real question and only serving to leave Maria even more dumbfounded.

"What?"

"Max… he's… Max is seeing someone else… I know it!" Liz elaborated, fighting the tears that once more were brimming her eyes.

"What? What the heck are you talking about?" Maria inquired astonished, not believing for a second that Liz could really be serious about it.

Okay, so Max was maybe not perfect, and was obviously not giving her what she needed right now, but Liz couldn't seriously be thinking that he could cheat on her. Could she?

"I saw them… at his office." Liz continued, once more recalling the scene she had witnessed a day ago and just how much it had hurt to see Max in another woman's arms.

"Who Liz? Who did you see?" Maria asked, now completely lost since she had no idea what Liz could be talking about.

Obviously there was more to Liz's attitude than what she had been suspecting already, and from what she was seeing it didn't look good.

"Max and some blonde b-…" Liz trailed off before she could insult the other woman, and then went on, but it didn't stop the words from echoing in her mind. "He was hugging her and then she… she kissed him… it's that, isn't it?… and you knew and you didn't tell me anything!" Liz accused once more, sure that that could only be the truth.

Of course Maria would know more about what she had seen. Max had probably confided in his brother considering how close they were, and then logically Michael would have told his girlfriend as well. The only one they wanted to leave in the dark apparently was herself, when she was the first concerned in reality.

It made so much sense if she thought about it. It was no wonder Max seemed to flip every time they became too close, if he was seeing someone else. Someone who obviously mattered more than she could.

"Okay, now I know that you're losing it… first that bullshit about Max not wanting you or not finding you desirable enough… and now you're thinking what?… that Max is cheating on you?" Maria gaped at her, looking at her like she had grown a second head.

This was just getting crazier by the second, and she was so not prepared to deal with Liz when she was being so irrational.

"You didn't see them, Maria!" Liz returned hotly, getting angrier now as she saw that Maria apparently refused to admit she had known what was going on all along.

Well, at least now she knew where her loyalty laid. But the worst was certainly to see Maria act all innocent, frowning at her and looking at her like she was the one losing her head or the one not knowing what she was saying.

"And what did you see, Liz? For all you know she's just a good friend!" Maria retorted right away, doing her best to not raise her own voice.

It wouldn't do them any good to get into a fight. It was definitely not what she wanted. No, what she wanted was to comfort Liz, but she was just starting to realize that there was nothing she could do for her just yet. She was too confused and hurt, too angry, too, probably, to hear her out.

"A friend he has no problem being affectionate with apparently!" Liz snorted, remembering how they had hugged each other, how Max had been smiling when he had said goodbye to whoever said 'friend' had been. And how much it had broken her heart to see him like that with someone who wasn't her.

"What the heck are you talking about now? Max is affectionate with you all the freaking time! God, Liz, that guy just can't stop touching you… it's almost… disgusting!" Maria all but shrieked then, making a face as she said the words.

She couldn't even remember how many times she and Michael had had to tell them to get a room since they had started to date, it was just too much sometimes. Though from what she was hearing now, obviously Max had yet to take their suggestion and it was slowly working on Liz's nerves.

The worst was that Liz knew she was right, Max was indeed always touching her, always keeping some kind of some contact with her when they were out, or had company, but it was once they were left alone that he suddenly seemed to have a problem with their closeness.

"Not where it counts!" Liz yelled back before she could stop herself, and then she felt even more stupid when she saw Maria gawking at her. Oh, god, she had not seriously said that out loud. "I-I didn't… I didn't mean it like that… I… god… forget it!" she muttered, completely horrified and embarrassed now. She was behaving like some stupid and horny girl who couldn't have it her way and it was just plain ridiculous.

So what if Max didn't want her? She wouldn't die from it, would she? It was his loss not hers, she thought angrily. And yet no matter how many times she repeated the words, she just couldn't convince herself.

"No, Liz… seriously, you…" Maria tried to step closer to her, but seeing her move, Liz turned towards the window again, mirroring the position Maria had found her in when she had first entered.

She knew well what that meant. End of the discussion, and there was no way to talk to Liz when she was being so stubborn.

"Maria, no… I-I… you know what?… this is getting us nowhere and I-I don't want to talk about it anymore.. I just… I want to be alone, okay." Liz whispered, confirming Maria's thoughts and her heart clenched at hearing the despair in her friend's tone.

She could clearly notice that Liz was close to tears again and that she had most likely borne all that she could. It wouldn't be long before she would lose it completely and Maria knew that she wouldn't want to see her cry.

"Okay, I… if you want to stay alone… fine, stay here… I'll take care of everything in the front… and if… well, when you want to talk, you know where to find me!" Maria conceded after a while, seeing that there was no other way around this for now.

Seeing that she wouldn't receive any answer from Liz beside the small jerky nod she had barely perceived, she got out, closing the door quietly behind her. Then as she walked back to the front of the shop, she couldn't help cursing Max Evans and his stupidity once more.

For someone supposedly so intelligent, it was hard to believe just how blind he could be sometimes. But she swore that she would kick his ass to Harvard and back when she would see him. She just hadn't thought that the opportunity would present itself so soon after she had expressed the thought.

Not ten minutes after she had left Liz to probably cry her eyes out, she saw none other than Max Evans walking through the door, smiling like he didn't have a care in the world, and she instantly felt her ire resurface and take hold of her.

"Hey, Maria!" Max greeted cheerfully, unaware of the hand that was about to smack his head and leave him momentarily lightheaded.

"Hey Maria?" his near sister-in-law repeated, her hands pummeling at his arm now and most likely leaving marks that would take some time to fade. "You big idiot! If you weren't Michael's brother I would just kick your stupid ass right now!" she shrieked as she kept hitting him, ignoring his yelps of pain or the completely lost expression he wore at that instant.

"Ahww… Mar… god, would you just stop, dammit!" Max tried to ward her hands off and yelled back when he saw that she obviously wouldn't stop attacking him any time soon. "What the heck is wrong with you!"

"What's wrong?… he asks what's wrong?" she said like she would to another person, and Max looked around to see that their little scene was apparently drawing the attention of most of the customers of the shop and the personal as well. God, just what he needed.

"You really want to know what's wrong? I'm gonna tell you… why the heck didn't you tell Liz you didn't know how to use your dick?!" she all but shouted for the world to hear, uncaring of the gasps her words elicited or the fact that Max suddenly looked like he wished the floor would open up and swallow him whole.

"What?… are you on crack?" Max yelped in outrage and embarrassment, not believing that she could have said that out loud when there were so many people listening to them. Then he grabbed her arm and drew her to the side before hissing through gritted teeth, "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

He knew that his brother's girlfriend was crazy, but what she had just done just took the cake. Like he wasn't feeling enough pressure coming from Liz as it was, even if he didn't think she realized what she was doing to him, he just would lose it if Maria started with that, too. Beside didn't she realize that his sex life was no one's business but his and that he didn't wish the world to know what he did and what he didn't.

What he couldn't figure out either, was why she would bring this up now… unless Liz had talked to her about it, but she wouldn't have, would she?

He wasn't stupid and he knew that Liz would want them to take the next step soon, or so it seemed at least, but he didn't know if he was ready yet for that. He wanted her more than he wanted his next breath, there was no questioning that, but it didn't change the fact that every time he found himself alone with her in a confine space he just lost it completely. He felt like an ass for always running out on her like he did of course, but there was no way he could act any differently when he had not yet found the nerve to tell her that he was probably as inexperienced, if not more, as the boyfriend she had had ten years ago.

"You… what the fuck are you doing?… or should I say, what are you not?!" Maria threw back and tugged on her arm to make him let go of her.

"Could you stop with the innuendos and just tell me what's going on?" Max gritted, having reached the end of his patience with her. She just wasn't making any sense to him and he had no more time to waste with her lunacy anyway. "And where's Liz anyway?" he asked then, wondering why she had not come yet and greeted him.

Usually he just had to cross the door to have her in his arms, and now between Maria's strange behavior and her absence, he was starting to get worried, moreover with how weird she had been on the phone yesterday.

They had planned to go out for dinner that night, but Liz had called him a few hours prior to their date to tell him that she wouldn't be able to make it. He hadn't thought much about it at first, considering that it wouldn't have been the first time he would have had to cancel himself because of work, but that had only lasted until he had realized that she seemed almost eager to hang up. He had tried to ask her if she was alright of course, but she had brushed it off saying that she was just tired and, knowing that she had been working a lot herself lately, he had believed her. At least until this second.

"You want to see Liz? Go right ahead, she's in her office." Maria invited him, pointing to the back of the shop, but before he could even take a step in that direction, she was holding him back, looking him right in the eye. "… but I'm warning you… you better be prepared to tell her the truth because she won't settle for anything else… she doesn't deserve anything but that… you my friend have some explaining to do and you better not run off this time!" she warned cryptically, confusing Max even more if that was possible.

"Maria… what…?" he tried to talk before he was once more interrupted by Maria.

"Just remember this… I love you like a brother Max, I truly do… but she is my best friend… you hurt her again, and you won't have any opportunity to see how it works!" she threatened him with a smile that completely contradicted the finality of her words.

Maria had never regretted having somehow contributed to getting them together, if only by organizing the party where they had finally met, not until this second at least, and now she could only hope that Max would prove she had been right to trust him with her best friend's heart.

It might have seemed to Liz that she was choosing Max over her earlier, but there was no doubt in Maria's mind that she would fight Max tooth and nails and ruin him if he hurt her friend, no matter how much she could care for him, and that even at the risk of ruining her own relationship with his brother.

She knew all too well how fragile Liz could truly be, even when she presented a tough front to the rest of the world most of the time, and she had sworn a long time ago that she would protect her from anything and anyone if she had to, and that no matter the costs. Max Evans wouldn’t be the one to make her break her promise.

"How what works?" Max asked after a short while, even when he wasn't sure he really wanted to know.

His thoughts were confirmed a second later when Maria raised a perfect plucked eyebrow and slowly let her gaze slide down to his crotch, and Max could only gulp in reaction, barely resisting the urge to cover his privates. He had no doubt that Maria could be very serious about doing him some harm, though what was really bothering him more than anything at that instant was the fact that she had insinuated that he had somehow hurt Liz. He would worry about his manhood later then, now the only thing he wanted was to go and see his girlfriend, and do whatever it took to repair whatever damage he could have done.

"Go now!" Maria then added, and without further ado she moved to join her coworkers, leaving Max standing there alone before he realized that if he wanted to know more he would obviously have to talk to Liz directly.

As he reached her office door a few seconds later, he paused briefly and contemplated if he should knock or just enter right away. Not wanting to invade her privacy, he first chose the former, but in the end he had no choice but to let himself in when he didn't receive any answer even after several attempts.

Liz prayed that whoever was at the door would go away, moreover if it were Maria coming back, not ready yet to face her again and have a second round with her, but when she heard Max's voice she almost wished it were her.

At least Maria she could deal with and she knew what to tell her to have her leave her alone. She doubted she would have the same strength with Max, and she was pretty sure he wouldn't give up so easily either.

"Hey!" he whispered coming closer to her, but he couldn't help frowning slightly when he noticed how long it took her just to turn to him and face him. He hadn't missed either how she had brushed what could only have been tears away and he immediately grew alarmed. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Liz breathed just as softly and tried to bypass him, only to be stopped short when Max caught her wrist.

His hold was gentle but firm nonetheless and she knew there would be no way to avoid him. She wasn't sure she wanted to either. Maybe it was time they got everything out in the open, and maybe it was time she faced her fears, as much as she could hate what could happen if she finally got all her answers.

"Liz? What's going on here?… Maria is acting all weird… or weirder than usual… and you, you've been crying… so don't tell me nothing's wrong!" Max argued and though his voice was nothing but tender and concerned, Liz knew there was no way he would let go without having his answer.

"Why don't you tell me what's wrong?" Liz replied, looking at him directly in the eye for the first time since Max had entered, but instead of helping him, it only made him feel even more lost.

Though he had gathered that she was upset, if not from the fact that she had been crying already, definitely from the fact that she hadn't even kissed him in greetings yet, he hadn't been expecting to see so much pain reflected in her eyes.

"What? What's wrong with what?… I-I don't understand." Max asked her quietly, holding her gaze steadily despite the fear that was slowly unfolding in the pit of his stomach.

He didn't know why or how he knew it, but this couldn't be good in any way.

"What's wrong with me apparently." Liz threw suddenly, and as she saw Max gape at her, she understood that he had evidently no idea of what she was talking about.

Instead of making her feel better or reassuring her some however, it only made her angrier to see him so clueless.

"What's wr-… Liz, what the heck is going on?" Max questioned again a little more impatiently now, but tried to take a tentative step to her nonetheless.

His heart clenched painfully when he saw her recoil like she was disgusted by his touch, and he was ready to ask her what was with that when her next question threw him for a loop.

"Who is she?" the words were expelled excruciatingly slow, and there was no way for Max to not see how much it had cost her to just ask, but he had just no idea who she could be talking about and therefore no good answer to give her.

"Who's who?"

"I saw you Max… I saw you with her! I saw you kissing her!" Liz spat heatedly, pinning him with a hurt and betrayed look that would have most likely chilled him all over if he hadn't been more preoccupied with what she was talking or who she was referring to.

At first he was just utterly shocked that she could even just think that he could be with anyone else but her. It just didn't make any sense to him and he found himself completely speechless, until he realized that he wouldn't make this right if he didn't know what exactly she thought she saw.

"What are you talking about, Liz?" he demanded more gently again, not wanting to upset her more than she evidently already was, but needing to know what was going on through her mind.

"You and some bleached blonde woman… in your office yesterday… rings a bell now?" she cleared for him and Max didn't need to hear more to know that this was just some huge misunderstanding.

"Okay, I-I see… but it's not what you think, Liz!" he tried to explain immediately, but the way she looked skeptically at him told him that he would have to elaborate some more for her to understand and believe him.

He couldn't believe his bad luck though. What were the odds that Liz would just come to see him apparently, and would just stumble upon him saying goodbye to Courtney. He had nothing to feel guilty about of course, because there was absolutely nothing between him and Court and there never had been, but that didn't mean that he didn't feel bad for having obviously hurt Liz, even involuntarily.

"It's not? Oh, so you're not seeing someone else behind my back… coz see, that's what I'm thinking!" Liz retorted, looking at him almost defiantly now and daring him to tell her she was wrong.

"Of course I'm not… I… Liz, I-I know that we haven't been together long… but you have to know that I'd never do that!" Max claimed a little hurt himself, even if he knew he had no right to.

Yet no matter what, even if he could understand where she was coming from and could see why she had come to such conclusion, he truly thought she knew him better than that nonetheless.

"I don't know anymore, Max… what am I supposed to think when I see some woman with her lips glued to yours!" Liz accused, not hiding how much pain it had actually caused her to witness that scene, and Max felt his heart tighten in his chest even more.

"Liz… I know how it looked like… but believe me, I would never cheat on you!… what you saw… it was just two friends saying goodbye to each other… and yeah, she kissed me… kind of… it was just a small peck on the lips though… nothing more!" Max explained sincerely, reaching out for her again and trying to not rejoice too much when she didn't pull away this time.

He knew he wasn't out of the woods yet, but at least that was a good thing, right?

[RebeccaBehrEvans]

"Two friends, huh? And I'm supposed to believe that?" Liz questioned so softly that her words were barely heard, but still Max detected the sadness and skepticism behind them.

"Yes, baby please… Courtney is a friend I met at Harvard… she's a lawyer, too… she was in town for a meeting and she just came to see me… she only stayed a little while before catching her flight back… what you saw… she was just saying goodbye… and yes she kissed me… but that's just Court, she always does things like that… but I swear it didn't mean anything… at all!" Max reiterated even more firmly, cupping her face in his hands when she refused to look at him.

When she did, he gulped audibly, her mixed emotions clearly visible for him to see, and he hoped he could find the right words to make her at least want to believe him, because he knew he couldn't afford to lose her.

"Liz?" he whispered her name ever so softly, his lips grazing hers in a feather-like kiss, but he felt his heart drop to his stomach when she didn't let him taste more of her. "Liz… I need you to trust me… I'd never, ever turn to another woman… and even less when I have everything I need with you… you're everything I want and so much more, Liz!"

"I… Max… I just… I…" she stammered as she pulled away from him, and he noticed the fine sheen of tears brimming her eyes before she managed to turn completely away from him.

"Liz, talk to me!" Max grabbed her arm and pulled her to him again before she had time to put even more distance between them. "Tell me what's really going on here!… I-I know… I know you wouldn't seriously believe I would cheat on you… you know I'd never do that to you!" he insisted when he understood that something else had to be bothering her for her to react that way.

It wasn't just what she had seen, he realized when he remembered that even before that, she had had her moments when he had noticed that she wasn't being herself. He hadn't been able to pinpoint what had been wrong then, and the few times he had questioned her she had acted like she didn't know what he was talking about, but it stopped now. She would tell him what was going on with her now, even if he had to spend the rest of the day begging her to talk to him.

"What's wrong with me?" Liz asked unexpectedly, startling Max slightly, as much because of the words as the way she spoke them, like it broke her heart to even have to say them.

"What? Liz? There's absolutely nothing wrong with you!… What… What are you talking about?" he queried softly, remembering that she had already said something like that a few minutes ago.

"I thought… I really thought we were good together… and that… I… that we… liked each other… that you liked me…" Liz murmured, voice barely audible and head hung low, which consequently made her miss the way Max looked at her with a deep frown marring his forehead.

"We are… and I… I-I do!" Max declared right away, even when he knew that, at least where he was concerned, it was already way more than that.

Even if they had only really been together for a few weeks, and known each other for a little more than that, he didn't just only care for her, he loved her. More than he thought would have been possible in such a short amount of time.

"But you don't want me." was Liz's next utterance, and this time Max couldn't contain his shock, his eyes nearly bugging out of his head in reaction.

"Wha-What?" he sputtered, wondering where the hell she had gotten the idea that he could not want her.

He wanted her so much that most of the times he was barely able to control himself and not jump her, witness or not. He wanted her so much that he had resorted to finding ways to not be alone with her too often, lest he would do something he shouldn’t and she would think he was some kind of pervert who couldn't keep his paws off of her.

When he was with her, it didn't seem to matter that he had no experience with women, or barely at all. It didn't seem to matter that he had believed for most of his life that he would wait till he would have married the love of his life before being intimate with her, and that not even two months with Liz were already enough to make him forget all about it and want to take her to bed.

The only thing that had stopped him from going further was because he was convinced that it was way too soon to take that step yet, but it had never, ever been a matter of not wanting her. Besides, he had not even been sure that it was something she really considered herself yet, or that it could bother her that he had not tried anything yet. Not after the first time he had nearly made love to her on her living room couch at least.

Apparently however, from what she was asking now, and from what he had gathered from Maria as well now that he thought of it, Liz was not as oblivious as he had thought she was.

"Is it because of my breasts?… they're too small… I know that… but I-I didn't think you m-minded…" Liz continued like she hadn't already shocked the hell out of him, and Max chocked on his own breath when she cupped them as she spoke.

"No!… I-I love your… b-breasts!" he countered almost indignantly, his hands forcing her to let go of herself, though he did his best to not really 'touch' her. He just didn't think he would be able to look at her and not lose it if he had to see her play with her mounds.

"I don't see how you would know." Liz all but snorted in answer, clearly indicating that it would be hard for him to tell considering how reluctant he seemed to be to touch her.

"Well, I-I remember clearly having f-felt them… that first night… at your place… I mean… you know… and believe me… I l-love them…" Max told her, the feel and taste of them still clearly imprinted in his brain, even if it had only been once and it had been more than a month already since that first night after he had fetched her from the airport.

It would be hard for him to forget the first breasts he had felt, or the first nipples he had tasted, and he hoped that the faint blush that tainted Liz's cheeks after his declaration meant that it had done quite an impression on her as well. She recovered quite nicely, but it had still seen it nonetheless.

"Then what? I'm not stupid, Max… and I can see there's a problem… but I just don't get it… you say you want me… and I want to believe you… but how can I when… when every time I… we… when things get a little more intense between us… you just… you pull away… like you're suddenly disgusted and can't stand to be near me… I just… I tried to act like it didn't bother me… but it does… and I just can't take it anymore!" it took a lot of nerve on her part to do so, but finally Liz managed to spill out everything she had hidden in her heart ever since she had started to notice Max's strange behavior, only now that it was all in the open she didn't dare look at him.

There wasn't anything else she could do but wait for him to either confirm her fears or put a rest to them, and if she hoped with all her might that he would have a good explanation for his reactions and that they could work things out from there, she just couldn't see what that could be yet.

Max's heart was pounding wildly in his chest as he listened to her pour her thoughts out to him, and though he wanted nothing more than to yell at her just how wrong she could be about him and what he felt for her or when he was with her, for a moment all he could to was to gape at her and fight for breath.

Unexpectedly it all came crashing down on him and he realized that his attitude had hurt Liz more than what he could have thought possible. Of course he wasn't naïve enough to not realize that Liz would eventually start thinking that he had a problem when he always came up with some lame excuse to not let things get too out of hand between them, but he had never, ever, considered the fact that she could think, even for a second, that she could be responsible for what was wrong with him.

He thought he had been doing a pretty good job at avoiding the real subject and covered his uneasiness at the thought of going further with her quite well. Yet apparently he had been so very wrong, and in the process he had done the one thing he never wanted to. He had hurt her and made her doubt herself. Again.

You would think that the first time had been enough to make him learn his lesson, but obviously not and he could only blame himself for that. God, how could he have been so stupid!

He had lulled himself into a false sense of security after their first discussion on the matter and therefore had somehow managed to convince himself that he still had some time before they reached that particular stage where he wouldn't have any other choice but to finally have a serious talk with her, only to have everything exploding abruptly into his face and making everything worse.

Of course he was always showering Liz with affection, with little attentions that were supposed to show her how much she already meant to him even if he couldn't prove that to her yet in a more physical, but if he had naively thought that it would be enough, he was now discovering that he had only been deluding himself, making Liz pay the price of his own stupidity.

And this all for what? To preserve his little secret. To avoid having to tell her he was a twenty-five years old virgin who didn't have a clue about what he was doing most of the time. That he had foolishly thought that he would be strong enough to ward off any advance and postpone having sex till he was a married man, only to have a little wisp of a woman enter his life and shatter all of his convictions in barely a night.

The worst of all now however, was that in the light of what he was doing to Liz and the pain that he had, voluntarily or not, caused her, Max realized that it was not worth it. No, not worth it at all, not if it meant that he could lose her or that she could doubt how much he could need her and want her.

God, no wonder Maria had seemed ready to rip him a new one and had threatened his manhood. Liz had most likely confide in her and Maria knowing exactly what was going on had certainly cursed him all the way to hell for his stupidity and his cowardice.

"Liz… I… I-I'm sorry… I really didn't know you were feeling this way!" Max apologized when he found his voice again, his hands grabbing almost fiercely at her shoulders and making her head jerk up to him.

"So I'm right… there's something, huh?" Liz breathed out in a painful whisper that tore at Max's heart.

"No… yes… I mean… I… yes… but it's not what you think, Liz, okay!" Max was quick to assure her, though it didn't take him long to figure that that wouldn't be explanation enough.

He knew what he had to do of course, but that didn’t mean that he had to like it or that he didn't fear what would be her reaction to the piece of news he was about to deliver.

"Liz." Max murmured as he cupped her face, only to swallow hard when her troubled eyes locked with his. "Come here!" he invited then as he pulled her to her desk, and after having delicately grabbed her by the hips, deposited her on the wooden surface.

"What?" Liz mumbled when he stepped between her legs, but her gaze remained fixed on his chest like that was suddenly the most amazing thing in the world.

"I'm an idiot!" Max admitted, which not surprisingly brought Liz's full attention back to his face.

"You are?" she questioned quizzically, the statement not being something she had expected him to say.

"Yes… I have this incredibly sweet, beautiful and smart girlfriend and I nearly ruined everything just because I was being a coward." he elucidated, his eyes radiating so much emotion it was hard for Liz to not see how serious he was being.

"A coward?" she repeated dumbfounded nonetheless.

She could say a lot about Max and there were many adjectives that would suit him and that she could enumerate off the top of her head, but 'coward' had never been one of them.

"Yes, Liz… I…" Max started only to falter almost right away. Boy, why was this so hard to say? "Okay… I don't know how y-you're going to take this… but there's something I should probably have t-told you about me… I just… I just didn't know how and now… I…" he knew he was stuttering like an idiot, but the more he said, the more he felt his ability to speak slip away.

"What is it, Max?' Liz asked softly, growing anxious as she saw him struggling with the words. That couldn't be good, could it?

"In my defense… I just want to say… I mean… I didn't think it would cause a problem so soon in our r-relationship… I-I didn't even know you… you wanted… things to get… more… you know… intense or… anything… not really… I… not that I'm saying that's what this is about…" Max was quick to continue, which in turn caused Liz to blush almost right away.

Max might think that he was reading the signs all wrong, but this was exactly what it was about. The fact that as crazy as it seemed, Liz was ready to go further in their relationship, even if she couldn't tell herself when she had reached that point.

Fact was that as much as she knew it was too soon, or sooner at least than what she had been expecting herself, she wanted Max, it was as simple as that. Which didn't mean that she wanted them to burn up the sheets right away, but she would definitely not mind or protest if it did happen.

She had reached that point in her head where she could picture herself giving herself to Max and her body was definitely following as well. She didn't think she had ever wanted anyone so much in her life before in fact, which was saying a lot considering her past relationships and how or why they had ended.

She didn't want to think back to that now though, she was more preoccupied by what Max was saying and how nervous he seemed to be, his attitude only reinforcing what she had already thought earlier.

"Max… you're scaring me now!" she told him, wondering again if maybe he suffered from some illness, or something that would perhaps prevent him from… no, that was just ridiculous, it couldn't be something like that. Right?

"No, I… you don't have any reason to be scared… well, I don't think so…" Max tried to reassure her even if truthfully he wasn't sure how she would react once she knew.

"You don't think?" Liz parroted, feeling the ball of anxiety growing in her stomach.

"What you said before about me pulling away… I… it's true but I don't want you to think that… I-I… god, Liz… don't ever say… don't even ever think that I don't want you, baby!… because I do… so very much!" Max vowed wholeheartedly, his hands cradling her face in a gentle grip, the pained expression on his face speaking volumes of how knowing that was what she thought made him feel.

"But…" Liz started, only to be interrupted almost instantly by Max's pleading voice.

"Shh… let me finish please or else… I'm not sure I'll be able to…" he cut her off before taking in a huge gulp of air. "I know that this is going to sound crazy or… I don't know… but the reason I act like I do most of the times is because… I'm just scared out of my mind…"

"Why?… I don't understand… did I do some-…" Liz immediately asked, thinking that maybe she was the reason for his fears, even if she couldn't understand what she could have done for Max to be scared of the new turn their relationship could take.

Maybe she had just come too strong on him and it had made him run away, but it couldn't be that? Or was it?

"No! it's not you, Liz… It was never you!" Max stopped her line of thinking with a quick but meaningful kiss that at least managed to make Liz forget what she was going to say, if it didn't completely appease her.

"Okay… here goes… the reason I'm so weird when it comes to… y-you know what… is well… because I have never… before…" once they pulled apart Max decided to plunge forward before he lost all of his nerve and run out of there once more instead.

"You've never what?" Liz queried when he stopped just there and looked at her like she was supposed to understand everything with just that.

Her mind analyzed the words a few seconds later nonetheless and then, she could only gasp in disbelief. Surely he couldn't be saying what she thought he was saying. Right?

"Done the deed." Max confessed after a while, cheeks flaming red despite his efforts to control himself.

"Done the…" Liz trailed off, trying to meet his eyes, which was kind of difficult with Max looking at anything but her. "Max, what exactly are you trying to tell me?"

"You heard me, Liz… I… I'm kind of waiting… for uh… marriage to… you know…" Max blurted out at last, almost cringing when he saw Liz's incredulous expression as his words registered.

If he had admitted to being an alien, she wouldn't have looked more shocked.

"You're kidding me, right?" at this point Liz didn't know if she should really believe him or be angry with him for not telling her the truth. Because clearly he couldn't be serious. Just the idea that a man like Max could really have never… 'done the deed'… as he had put it seemed too ludicrous for her to contemplate it seriously.

"Afraid not." Max whispered, feeling even more embarrassed when he realized that Liz thought he was pulling her leg.

It hurt a little to see she didn't believe him or thought that he could lie to her about something like that, but he guessed he could understand her reservations, after all he was probably the first twenty-five years old she met who didn't know the first thing about sex or at least had yet to experience it.

For a few long interminable seconds he saw Liz gape at him, opening and closing her mouth repeatedly before she could say anything, and he assumed that she was just trying to process everything in her mind.

"Waiting for marriage… oh-kay… wow… I… that's… uh… does that mean…" after what felt like eternity, it was all Liz could manage to utter, her heart telling her that Max would indeed not lie to her, but her head having a hard time coming to terms with his revelation.

"It means exactly that, Liz… I'm a virgin…" Max confirmed more explicitly what Liz couldn't apparently voice aloud.

Strangely, now that it was out, he felt almost relieved, like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. At least now there was no more secrets between them. He could only hope however that it wouldn't change anything for her, and that she wouldn't look at him any differently.

"But… but… it's not possible… I-I mean…" Liz sputtered all of a sudden, shaking her head as if to clear the fog in her mind.

"Why?… why is it so impossible?" Max asked gently, stilling her agitated hand and hoping it would be enough to calm her some down.

"Because… y-you're twenty-five and I mean… you're a guy… and well… have you looked at you… I'm sure you've gotten more propositions than most men on this Earth! And… and you're a guy…" Liz provided as an explanation, not believing for a second that Max had not gotten his pick of women who would have given about anything to bed him.

"Thanks, I-I guess… and yes, I got them alright… I was just never really interested…" Max replied honestly, the fact that he was still a virgin being certainly not for lack of opportunities.

He could have lost his virginity a long time ago if he had wanted, if not with one of his previous girlfriends, with one of the many women Michael had set him up with, with that only purpose when they were younger, but it had been his choice to wait. And it seemed to him now, more than ever actually, that he had been right, that all his life he had only been waiting for Liz Campbell, if what she had managed to accomplish with him in such a short amount of time was any indication.

"Never… interested… does that mean that you don't like… you know…" Liz couldn't help asking, wondering for a second if that could be why he hadn't gone any further with a woman before.

It seemed hard for her to conceive that Max could not like sex, but after all who knew. She wasn't even sure about the answer where she was concerned, though she knew for sure that she very much liked the little they had done together so far. That was what had made her want to go all the way with Max actually, or at least consider it, and she hoped that despite his obvious fears, he was feeling the same way.

"No… no, I-I mean… I'm sure that won't be a problem…" Max quickly defended, having no doubt in his mind that he would definitely love having sex with Liz.

A little too much maybe even, which was scary in itself since he already could picture just how addicted to it he would become and how hard it would be to not jump her at every turn once they would have ventured into that new territory.

"You just don't want to… right now…" Liz concluded once she had taken everything in.

She didn't know yet what to think of what she had learned so far, but she guessed it was always better than to think he was cheating on her, or simply wasn't attracted to her enough to want to make love to her.

"I want to… and that's the problem…" Max contradicted right away, surprising Liz once more.

"I-It's a problem? Why?" she questioned, confused as to why it could be, if they both wanted to make love.

She didn't think that they should just strip now and do it on her desk in the following seconds, but as far as she was concerned she thought it was actually a good thing that they were more or less on the same page.

"You have to understand, Liz… up until not so long ago, I truly believed that I'll be able to wait… that the day I say 'I do' would be the day I'll be ready to cross that line… that I'll make love to my 'wife' and that she'd be the only one for the rest of my life… it may sound cheesy or stupid but… that's the way I wanted it… I wanted it to be special… to mean something… and if… if I've gone out with girls before… it was never a problem… at least not until…" at that instant Max bared his soul to her, needing her to understand where he was coming from.

He had probably never said so much to anyone about his motivations, not even Michael, but he knew he couldn't be anything but honest with Liz. She meant too much to him to not be. Besides Maria had been right, she deserved nothing but the whole truth. If he wanted to have a future with her anyway, there wasn't any other way.

"Until what?" Liz whispered quietly when Max faltered slightly, her eyes boring into his and almost begging him to tell her what she wanted so much to hear.

Her heart was thudding erratically in her chest, her mind dizzy with the knowledge that Max could think that way but that maybe, just maybe, she could be the one he had been waiting for nonetheless. After his profession, she knew he was the one and that there would be no one else for her, even if truthfully, her heart had certainly known that the second she had seen him. Her mind had just needed a little more time to catch up.

"Until you, Liz… you… I just knew the second I laid eyes on you that I'd be in big trouble if I didn't stay away… but I just couldn't… and I was right apparently…" Max pursued, fingers caressing her cheeks as if to soothe the sting his words could cause. No matter what, he couldn't regret meeting her or having gone and talked to her.

"You were?" was Liz's next soft response, her eyes misting over once more when Max confirmed what she had only dared hope for until then.

"You make me forget that anything else exists… when I'm with you… I don't remember why I wanted to wait, or why it was so important to me before… all I can think about is you… what it would be like to be with you and lose myself in you… and sometimes… most of the time actually… it just scares the hell out of me." Max admitted huskily, the words causing delicious shivers to run up both of their spines.

"Why Max?" Liz all but moaned out, voice quivering despite her efforts to keep it steady.

Just hearing him talk about it made her picture herself what it would be like to be with him and she couldn't deny that it made her react very strongly.

"Because it's too soon… and it's too much… and I don't think we're ready for that… or at least… I'm n-not…" Max whispered honestly, even if he already knew that it wouldn't take much more for her to persuade him he was.

"But you want me?" Liz couldn't help but ask once more, needing the voiced reassurance, even if everything he had told her so far had already done a lot to appease her previous fears.

She couldn't have been more wrong about his motives in fact, but she was glad he had finally opened up to her, because she could never in a million years have fathomed that this was what was causing Max to act like he did. She knew she could definitely deal better with him wanting to wait for that reason than with him not desiring her at all.

[RebeccaBehrEvans]

"More than I ever thought possible… more than you can even imagine, Liz… sometimes I want you so much I can barely breathe and it truly hurts to not just let go and do what my body is begging me to do." Max confessed, not the least ashamed of what he was feeling, and not regretting either to finally let her know.

If he wasn't almost sure it would scare her, he would even tell her that there was no doubt in his mind that married or not, she would be the only woman he would ever make love to. He knew that now as clearly as he knew his own name, no matter how scary the thought could actually be for him as well. He had found the one for him and he had no intention to ever let her go.

No, wanting her had definitely never been a problem and he doubted it would ever be. His life would actually be way easier if he didn't want her so much, but he wouldn't change that for anything in the world.

"Really?" Liz croaked out, overwhelmed with emotion.

"You don't believe me?" Max sighed heavily, taking that she didn't even if her reaction had nothing to do with that this time, and before she could react he was taking her hand in his. "What about this for a proof?" he asked hoarsely, pressing it against the evident bulge in his pants in a bold move, probably shocking the both of them in the process, but at least it didn't leave any doubt about his current condition and what he was feeling right at that instant.

"Max…" Liz panted, eyes growing wild as she noticed just how hard he was even if all they had been doing so far had been to talk.

She couldn't even begin to imagine how he would feel under her palm if they had been doing more then.

"I want you, Liz! Don't ever doubt that!" Max reiterated with even more conviction if that was possible.

He couldn't help closing his eyes almost in pain however, when Liz didn't let go of him even when he retracted his own hand. His move had not been calculated or even thought through, obviously, he had just wanted to make sure he alleviated all of her doubts and fears, and he was only just realizing now that it had most likely not been the best or most intelligent thing to do.

"Liz!" he groaned as she caressed his length through his pants, her touch light but enough for him to feel it all the way to his toes nonetheless.

God, what had he done?

"Show me!" Liz whispered hoarsely, not sure herself if they should be doing this, not sure what she wanted either, and yet she couldn't bring herself to care in the least for all that.

"What?" Max croaked out, sure that he had to have heard her wrong. She couldn't mean what he was thinking, right?

"Show me how much you want me, Max!" Liz repeated even more explicitly, her fingers squeezing him and leaving him momentarily dizzy.

"Liz… I don't think… I… god…" Max stuttered, Liz's lips slanting over his preventing him from saying whatever he had had in mind.

Not that he had much at this point honestly, considering that he was painfully hard, that she was touching him like no one, beside himself of course, had ever touched him before, and that that seemed to be the only thing he could register at that moment.

"What… what are you d-doing?" he sputtered then when she swiftly helped him out of his jacket and then just as quickly started to unbutton his shirt.

The words sounded as a protest, but he did nothing to really stop her nonetheless, which proved how lost he was feeling at that moment. He couldn't even understand how he had found himself in such a situation. One minute they had been talking and he had been trying to prove a point, and now he was almost shirtless and Liz was all but begging him to show her how much he wanted her. How was he supposed to keep a clear head after that? He didn't even know what to think anymore.

Part of him wanted to say to hell with caution and just let her do to him whatever it was she had in mind, but the biggest part of him was wondering if this was really where he would lose his virginity, in Liz's office, on her desk, and if he would be able to do anything to stop it if it came to that. Somehow he didn't think he would be strong enough to do so if that was what she wanted. He wasn't even sure he knew what it was exactly she wanted them to do right now. He wasn't sure about a damned thing anymore.

"Shh… I won't hurt you, Max!" Liz soothed gently when she had his shirt lowered to his elbows and she felt him trembling under her fingertips.

God, he was truly the most beautiful man she had ever seen, she thought in awe as she caught her first glimpse of the magnificent expanse of his tanned chest.

She had already more or less figured that he would be rippling with muscles, but what she had conjured up in her imagination still paled compared to the reality.

Exploring fingers trailed up his muscular arms and she couldn't help but smile when she heard Max's sharp intake of breath when they descended down his shoulders to the center of his chest, only to stop at the dark areolas of his nipples.

"I know you wouldn't… I-I just…" was all he managed to get out before Liz's lips on his suddenly burning skin made him lose his trail of thoughts once more.

"Please!" Liz just whispered, but the soft word was enough to be Max's undoing.

There was no doubt in his mind that his body was very much ready for her to take her exploration further, the real question was if he would be able to go through whatever she had in store for him without popping a vein and dying first.

In truth Liz knew that this was not the place nor the time for them to take things all the way, and she respected Max's decision to wait and that for as long as he would want, but that didn't mean that they couldn't test the water so to speak and do something else, something less phenomenal.

Besides, weeks of doubting herself and wondering why Max didn't want her had shaken her confidence and now she just needed to see him, to feel him, feel his need and have all her previous certitudes proved wrong.

"Do you trust me, Max?" she queried softly, lips nibbling torturously at his mouth while her fingers worked at the buckle of his belt.

"Yes… yes, I do…" Max answered truthfully, knowing that he would put his life in her hands and go with eyes closed wherever she wanted if she asked him to, but was that enough?

"Then don't think… just feel!" Liz ordered gently, wondering herself nonetheless where she had garnered the courage to do what she was about to do. "I just want to see you, Max…" she pursued then once she had lowered his zipper and parted the flaps of his pants, revealing to her gaze the boxers he wore under.

See him? She just wanted to see him? Well, he could do with that, couldn't he? Or at least he hoped so, and wished himself to be strong enough to not humiliate himself in front of her.

A shaky nod followed Liz's sentence and she knew right there that would be all she would get out of him for now. It was all the answer she needed though.

Her own fingers trembling now, she freed him from the painful restriction of his boxers and she couldn't help but gasp quite audibly when his manhood sprang in front of her for the very first time, inches of pure hardness proving just how much he indeed wanted her.

Max almost hissed himself when the cool air hit his throbbing member, but the sound transformed itself into a groan when he saw the way Liz's eyes were literally devouring him and her little pink tongue came to lick her suddenly dry lips.

"God, Liz… don't look at me like that, please!" he growled huskily, feeling his hardness give a twitch in reaction, which only caused Liz's eyes to darken even more.

This wasn't her first sight of a male sex, but she didn't remember having been so impressed the first time she had been given to see one. He was huge. She didn't recall either having ever wanted so much to touch it and experience what it would be like to feel it in her hand.

"Can I?" she demanded, her voice cracking with need, and though she just hovered over it for a few seconds, she could as well have been touching him already because Max knew he would be powerless to stop her.

"You're going to kill me!" eyes closed, forehead against her own, Max croaked weakly, having already resigned himself to what was going to happen.

"I won't, I promise!" Liz murmured thickly, hand already wrapping around him before he had any time to really make up his mind and tell her to stop.

This time Max's hiss of pleasure echoed through the room and if he had thought it already felt like bliss when she had been rubbing him through his pants, nothing could compare to that first touch skin to skin.

It was like nothing he had ever felt, and not even his own experienced hand could feel this good. Hers felt even warmer around him, softer somehow, the sensation causing goosebumps to break all over his skin, and he couldn't help wondering how being sheathed inside her would feel if one simple touch of hers already made him feel like he was going to lose his sanity.

Very slowly, tentatively, Liz started to work her hand up and down his shaft, learning his length, discovering his soft but hard texture, oblivious to the sweet torture it was being for Max.

His eyes all but rolled to the back of his head and he could do nothing much but grunt her name in pleasure and pray that he would be able to last more than thirty miserable seconds.

His fingers gripped almost painfully at her thighs as Liz brought him closer and closer to ecstasy but Liz didn't feel even the slightest discomfort, so focused she was on what she was doing.

She moaned herself when Max's head dropped to her shoulder and he started to nibble at her neck, his breath hot and heavy on her own skin, the sweet but husky words of appreciation he whispered in her ear causing her own stomach to tighten in need.

"Let go, Max!" she murmured in encouragement when she heard him whimper her name and harden even more under her delicate touch.

She could sense he was holding out, fighting the inevitable, like he was afraid he would shock her or something if he didn't, but what he didn't understand was that she wanted him to lose control. She needed it. Probably more than anything else in the world at that instant.

After that it didn't take her more than a few strokes to be rewarded with exactly what she had been seeking, like Max had actually been waiting for her go ahead, and she couldn't help but moan all along with him when he finally went over the edge with a small cry and she felt his seed coat the back of her hand.

"You're okay?" Liz whispered after a while when all that could be heard was Max's still labored breathing.

"Yeah… I-I think so." his answer came a little muffled since he had yet to lift his head from the crook of her neck, but Liz heard him nonetheless and a little smile adorned her lips.

"See, it wasn't that hard…" she teased, and only when she heard Max snort did she realize how that had actually sounded. "I mean… I… you know what I mean."

"Yeah." Max smiled and placed a tender kiss against her throat, knowing for a fact that he had certainly never been as hard in his life as he had been today and that couldn't be what she had meant.

Forcing himself to pull apart after a few seconds, he was almost ashamed to look at her now, even if he knew he had no reason to. Obviously Liz had wanted this, probably even more than he could, and if it had somehow helped her to feel more secure, he couldn't regret having finally let go of some his control, could he?

He groaned however, when he caught sight of his stomach and her hand, sticky with his essence, and he couldn't help but blush slightly when Liz regarded him with a sheepish expression on her face herself.

When she reached for the box of handkerchiefs on her desk then, he helped her clean both of them, starting with her of course, and he offered her a small smile when their hands met as they both reached for his pants.

She smiled back as she let him take care of that, but she was glad when he didn't immediately button back his shirt. She could definitely enjoy the sight a little longer.

"So… I… it was okay?" Liz couldn't help asking timidly after a moment, hoping that she had not disappointed him.

She knew he had probably nothing to compare it with, beside his own touch maybe, and he seemed to have appreciated it, but she couldn't really judge how that was considering she didn't have any real beforehand experience herself. Did the fact that he had come prove that he had really liked what she had done, or was it just a natural reaction, one that would have been just the same if it had been anyone else touching him in such an intimate way?

"Okay?" Max chuckled, finding it almost cute to see her still having doubts after something like that. "Liz, it was unbelievable… I think I saw stars… and maybe even a spaceship crashing down." he finished joking, but it was enough to make Liz smile and make her realize that she had nothing to fear.

"Good!" she whispered back, answering almost right away when he pulled her into a loving kiss.

"You're incredible, you know!" Max uttered as he nibbled at her lips, seconds before he ran his tongue over them and coaxed her into deepening the kiss.

He didn't think he would ever tire of kissing her, or of holding her. Or of just spending time with her actually. She was a dream come true, one he never wanted to wake up from.

"Are we okay, Liz?" he couldn't help questioning nevertheless when they parted, needing to know for sure that they had overcome this little hurdle and that she wasn't upset with him anymore.

"Yes… yes, we are!" Liz confirmed, punctuating the statement with another kiss as if to prove her words.

They were more than okay now that she knew what the problem had been and just what to do to make sure it didn't cause any more tension between them.

"And you're okay with… I mean… you don't mind…" he stuttered awkwardly, wondering why it was still so hard to talk about it even now that she knew.

"No, Max, I don't… I mean, yeah… I can't say I was expecting this… but if you want to wait, that's okay… we'll wait as long as you want to… as long as you need to." Liz affirmed sincerely, not wanting him to feel like he had to do anything he didn't want to, or like she didn't understand.

She knew they weren't anywhere near marriage yet, but she couldn't deny that, just like she hoped Max did, she already couldn't picture herself spending the rest of her life with anyone but him.

So for now, she would be happy with just knowing that he wanted to be with her as much as she could, and she would let their relationship progress naturally.

If they had to reach the next level soon, all the better, and if they had to wait until getting married, she could only hope that it wouldn't take Max an eternity to propose.

"Thank you!" Max breathed out against her lips, satisfied with the knowledge that she understood him and that she wouldn't resent him if he didn't give in right away.

He definitely felt better now though, knowing that he wouldn't have to panic or run away every time they would get carried away, which he could already tell would happen often.

"Don't thank me, Max… I… I guess I should probably tell you something, too." Liz told him, knowing that it was her turn to make some revelation.

"What?" he urged her on curiously, thinking that unless she told him that she had no desire to wait, thing that he knew now she wouldn't say, there was nothing he couldn't hear.

"I… okay… I might be a little more experienced than you are… but… I-I've never gone all the way either." Liz revealed, although she probably should have done so when he had told her himself.

It hadn't seemed like the right moment then though, but now she knew that there was no reason to wait anymore, or to not tell him so. He would have found out sooner or later anyway, and at least now he wouldn't have to feel so embarrassed, knowing that he wasn't the only virgin one in their relationship.

The truth was that Liz wasn't still a virgin by 'conviction' like Max could be, she had just never found the guy she would feel secure enough with to want to take that important step. If she had had various boyfriends with whom she had fooled around some and who would have definitely wanted to be the first one for her, none of them had been serious or special enough in her eyes for her to want to give them that gift. That and the fact that some of them had downright broken up with her when she had hesitated and pointed out that she wasn't ready for that yet and they had therefore understood that they wouldn't be getting any any time soon.

That was why she had been so surprised herself when she had realized how frustrated she could get when she noticed that Max had apparently no intention of trying anything with her. Normally it wouldn't have been a problem, and certainly not after such a short amount of time, but for some reason, things with Max seemed to be different. Beside the fact that she was practically pulsing with need whenever he was close, she felt at ease with him, and she had known, even before the huge revelation of today, that she could trust him and not fear he would only be using her if they eventually crossed that line.

"You… you haven't?" Max seemed quite surprised by her own admittance, but the little smile that tug at the corner of his mouth at that instant left little doubt about how pleased he was to actually hear it.

He hadn't let himself hope that Liz could have also been waiting for the right one to cross her path before, but inwardly he was doing somersaults at the knowledge that they could experience it all together and that maybe then it would mean as much to her as he already knew it would to him.

"Uh-huh." Liz just uttered, shaking her head, delighted herself when she saw his reaction.

"Wow!" Max expelled in almost awe, until another thought crossed his mind. "But then, why did you look so surprised when I told you about me?"

"Max, you're a guy… and you're twenty-five…" Liz reiterated still shocked even if she didn't doubt anymore he was telling her the truth.

"And you're barely two years younger!" Max countered, reminding her that there wasn't such a huge age gap between them.

As far as he was concerned, it was as surprising to be a virgin at twenty-three, as it was at twenty-five.

Liz saw the logic of course, after all what were two years, but she wondered nonetheless if she would still have her virginal status when she would be his age, or if she would have found a way to convince him to remedy to that before she reached that mark. It had honestly never preoccupied her more than that before, but she doubted she would be able to wait two more years before having her way with Max.

"Yeah, well… I guess I just didn't find the right guy for that… and then, I didn't exactly date much once… a-after… I mean… I…" she trailed off almost unconsciously, like she didn't feel comfortable speaking about that now, but Max didn't need her to say more to understand what she was referring to.

"Your mother?" he asked gently, remembering all she had had to give up once she had been left alone. He guessed she hadn't had the time nor even the heart for a lot of things after such a tragedy.

"Yes." Liz confirmed in a sigh, not really wanting to go into more detail about how her mother's death had affected her. "I didn't have time and I didn't feel like it either I guess, but Max… I won't lie to you… I-I want to… I mean… I want to make love with you… maybe not today o-or tomorrow… but I want to… I want you…" she couldn't be more honest than that and Max couldn't stop his heart from skipping a beat at her confession.

It was one thing to know she could want him as much as he did, it was another one to hear her say it so clearly and bluntly.

"I want you, too!" he concurred huskily, relieved to be able to say so without fearing what would be the consequences.

He didn't feel like he had to control himself so much either now, which was probably why Liz was so surprised when his lips covered hers in a kiss that would most likely have caused her knees to give out under her if she hadn't been sitting.

She was even more grateful for the fact when his hands drifted to her behind and he pulled her flush against his body, pressing himself between her legs in a non-equivocal gesture.

She would have never believed he had found release a few minutes ago if she hadn't been the one to cause it and witnessed it herself first hand, considering how hard he seemed to be again and so soon after.

Unfortunately she didn't have time to really enjoy it or even take advantage of it because before she could even moan in appreciation, they were brutally interrupted, Maria's voice breaking them apart faster than anything else could have.

"Liz… sorry to bother you, I just…" Maria was in barely a second after she had knocked but as she took a look at them, she wished she had waited for one of them to invite her in before she had thrown the door open.

The last thing she had been expecting when she had come to ask Liz if she could get her some change from the safe was to see Max between her best friend's legs with his shirt half off and doing God only knew what to her if her flushed face and disheveled appearance were any indication.

"Oh, my… Maria, get out!" Liz yelped, adjusting her skirt that had visibly ridden up, while Max himself tried to cover himself and dress up as discreetly as he could.

"Just don't mind me… I didn't see anything!" Maria was quick to throw as she closed the door, but the evident smirk in her voice proved that she was having a hard time keeping her seriousness and that she had most likely seen a lot more than what she was admitting. Max and Liz's thoughts were only confirmed a second later when her giddy and amused voice drifted to their ears once more even through the door. "Guess you've worked everything out, huh?…You go, Max!"

If it weren't because she knew it was no use and she had most likely already left, Liz would have certainly thrown the first thing she could have grabbed for at her best friend. Instead though, she just settled for burying her face into Max's chest when he stepped closer to her again.

"I'm sorry!" she grumbled, mortified to have been caught in such a position… once more. It made her wonder if they would ever be able to share an intimate moment without having someone walking in on them.

"Hey, it's not your fault." Max soothed, his hands caressing her back tenderly. He would actually laugh at their situation himself if he weren't actually so embarrassed. He was just glad Maria hadn't come a few minutes earlier or he would have just wished to die if she had found them with Liz's hand wrapped around him. Now that would have been truly embarrassing. "I'm just pretty sure that she won't let us live this one down though." he groaned a second later as he pictured just how long they would have to hear about it.

"She wouldn't be Maria if she did!" Liz acquiesced, knowing that her best friend would rather cut herself an arm than let such opportunity pass her by.

"Well, I guess we're just lucky it wasn't Michael this time!" Max tried to find some humor where he could even despite their situation.

It would have been even worse if it had been his brother opening that door. It had taken Max a whole week to forgive him the last time, and he didn't really wish to go through something like that again. Michael looked pretty pathetic when he tried to apologize, probably because he didn't know the first thing about what could be said in such circumstances and what couldn't.

But well, at least he should be happy that Michael had stopped mentioning his virginity at every turn like he had promised. Or at least he didn't most of the times. Max still cringed when he thought about that time he had teasingly insinuated that now that he was going out with Liz, maybe it wouldn't be long before he finally lost it.

"Yeah!" Liz chuckled despite herself, completely agreeing with him. At least she knew she had some ammunition she could use if Maria became too much, but as close as she could be to him she just didn't know how to handle Michael most of the times. "Max?"

"Yes?" he whispered, noting how she had suddenly turned more serious again.

"Stay with me tonight." she demanded, playing nervously with the buttons of his shirt, and if she hadn't been so close, chances were Max would not have even heard her considering how low and soft her voice had been.

"What?" he couldn't help but ask nonetheless, the words barely registering in his mind.

"Stay with me tonight, at my house." Liz repeated breathlessly and they both could hear what she wasn't saying out loud. Stay with me… spend the night.

"Liz… I-I don't think that's a good idea…" Max stammered, fighting with himself to not say yes right away like he so wanted to.

There was nothing more he wanted in this world than to spend the night with her, but the only problem was that he didn't trust himself where Liz was concerned and he knew there was only so much he could take.

"Max, we… we wouldn't have to do anything… I mean… I just want to be with you… and I don't want to say goodbye to you after dinner, or the movie or whatever we will do." Liz quickly argued, wanting him to understand that the fact that he would stay wouldn't have to mean that they would have to do anything he wouldn't want or wouldn't be ready for.

She would be satisfied with just cuddling with him in front of the TV and falling asleep wrapped in his arms afterwards. She just wanted to spend as much time with him as she could. It wasn’t too much to ask for, was it?

"Liz…" his voice sounded even weaker as he replied this time and Liz knew that she was winning him over.

"Please!" she knew it was a low trick, but she was determined to get what she wanted and therefore she couldn't feel any remorse when her lips sought his and worked their magic on him. "I promise I will behave." she added nonetheless in an attempt to reassure him some, even if she couldn’t keep a certain amount of teasing from seeping through her words.

They both knew now the power she had over him and that things could quickly get out of hands if they weren't careful. What had happened tonight had more than proved that if it still needed to be.

And still even knowing what could be the consequences, Max couldn't find it in him to refuse her anything, or refuse himself something he had probably wished for the second he had laid eyes on her.

"Okay." It felt like an eternity to Liz before Max eventually answered, but though his acceptance was spoken in a soft sigh, she couldn't help the thrill of excitation that spread through her whole body as she heard him.

As soon as the word was out however, Max for his part couldn't not wonder if it had really been wise to agree… or just how long it would take him before he lost it completely.

And as Liz wrapped her arms around his waist and he held her tightly to his body, he could only pray that he would at least survive their first night together.

End of chapter eleven.

TBC…

Sorry if there is any big spelling or grammatical mistake… I'm falling asleep on my laptop and I just didn't have the strength to edit the end… will be back tomorrow and proof read everything again. … I just thought I'd made you wait long enough.

Take Care,
Rebecca

[RebeccaBehrEvans]

Author: RebeccaBehrEvans.

Title: Family Lies

Rating: ADULT

Disclaimer: See first parts.

AN: Hey guys,

I know this is the last story I updated and you were maybe waiting for something else, but my muse has been quite difficult lately and she seemed to want me to continue on this story some more before allowing me to get inspiration for anything else , so here is the next chapter.

Not much to say about it, except that you'll get some small clue at the end of it… I'm sure you'll have no problem figuring it out

(Oh, yeah, and I took a line from "Graduation", but I'm sure everyone will recognize which one and know that it was not mine.)

Thank you all so much for your feedbacks!! I hope you'll like the next part as well!

Kara, don't know if you remember your comments on the last part… but I'm just gonna say, it's almost scary to see how close you actually are to the truth… not quite, but oh, so close!!

Tiph, before you ask… yeah, you can have him… once Liz and I are done with him *LMAO*

Anyway, without further ado, here goes:

Posted in three due to length.

Chapter twelve

Spinning around one more time, Liz's eyes twinkled as she admired her handiwork through the mirror, having a hard time believing herself that the person looking back at her was really herself.

She wasn't really used to go to such lengths to dress up, the times she could go out and show off a little being scarce and few, but for once she had decided to make some effort. It was more for Max than for herself, clearly, but as she took herself in, she knew she couldn't regret it. Max was going to have a heart attack when he saw her.

Today was Valentine's Day, but more importantly it was their two months together anniversary, if you didn't count the two and half weeks she had been away to see her grandmother, and Max had decided to treat them to one of the most expensive and finest restaurants in town.

She had told him that it wasn't necessary of course and that she would be satisfied with a simple TV-pizza plan, but he had insisted and she hadn't had the heart to deny him anything.

It was the first evening they had been separated, too, since Liz had offered him to spend the night with her, and she couldn't wait to see him again. It seemed crazy to her that she could miss him so much when she had only spent a few couples of hours away from him, but Max had said that that way it would feel more like they were really going out on a date when he would come and pick her up, and she had relented after that.

She and Max had been practically living together ever since that day at her office when they had cleared up the air, even if honestly none of them could really say how that had actually happened. Except when they were both at work, they were almost always together and hadn't spent a single night apart, whether they slept at her house or at his.

Beside some heavy make-out sessions, the first few nights had actually been uneventful yet Liz couldn't help but blush when she recalled some of the things they had actually done thereafter, the memories causing her to tremble in need.

She had told Max the truth that day when she had said that just because he would be staying with her it didn't have to mean that anything would have to happen between them, but she had apparently underestimated their attraction and their need for each other.

So far she could still say without lying that they were still both virgins, but gradually they had lost the fight and started exploring each other and they consequently had now both a better idea of what they both liked and what they appreciated less, even if those things were very few, if not downright inexistent.

Nothing had been prepared or planned of course, but Liz couldn't regret that it had happened either. Everything was moving fast between them, faster than any of them was used to, faster than everyone else would probably recommend them to, but Liz guessed that there was no way to stop the course of things. Nor did she want to, truthfully.

It all seemed to come so naturally between them, and when they were together Liz felt like there was no one else in the world, nothing else that mattered but Max Evans and the way she felt for him.

Sometimes she still had to resist the urge to pinch herself just to make sure that she wasn't dreaming and that Max was really by her side, but all in all, she didn't think she had ever been as happy as she currently was, and she was lucid enough to admit that it was all due to him.

If she was honest, that feeling was a little scary as well because she couldn't say that she was used to feeling so carefree or even so loved -even if Max had yet to say the words out loud- or at least she hadn't felt that way since before her mother's death, and sometimes she couldn't help thinking that it was too good to be true and that sooner or later a new tragedy would hit her and crash her happiness. She tried her best to be optimistic of course, but sometimes it was just so hard to not believe history would repeat itself.


Sighing, she applied some light blusher on her cheeks and lip-gloss on her lips, and tried to get rid of those thoughts, not wanting anything to ruin her night with Max before it even started, and when she was satisfied with her appearance, she forced herself to leave her room and marched downstairs to wait for Max.

She didn't know why she was being so nervous, after all if was just diner with Max, it wasn't the first time they went out and it would certainly not be the last either, and yet, somehow, it seemed different, more important for her that everything went right.

The light knock on the front door a mere minutes later nearly made her jump out of her skin and she scolded herself for acting so weirdly tonight, when she was sure that there was no reason to. Taking a deep breath to try and calm herself down, she reached for her coat and her purse and quickly made her way to the door before Max had time to knock once more.

If she could have seen him as his hand hovered near the door, Liz would certainly have felt better at realizing just how nervous Max was being himself.

It had taken him an eternity not only to choose what to wear but to prepare himself as well, nothing he had done so far having gone smoothly, even if he couldn't tell what was wrong with him tonight. If it weren't the tie he couldn't make match with his suit and shirt, it was his hair he could comb and fix as he wanted it, and in the end he had just renounced to try any longer and had just left before he pulled it all off completely.

He hadn't been better off on the way either. He had actually been, and still was, a real ball of nerves and he was sure the chauffeur had more than once wondered what the heck was going on with him as well, considering how many times he had looked through the rearview mirror and seen him squirming on his seat.

The truth was that he hadn't been able to think about anything but the velvet box that was still burning a hole in his jacket pocket.

He knew it was an expensive gift and Liz would probably kill him for spending so much for her, but as far as Max was concerned nothing was too much when it came to her. Besides, today was their first Valentine's Day together, and he wanted to celebrate that properly. He also hoped that this would be the first of a long series, and that they would have many, many others.

His hands were trembling like rarely ever before as he eventually knocked on the door and it was with barely contained trepidation that he waited for Liz to answer it. She had said that she would have a surprise for him and that she hoped he would like it, and despite his nerves he just couldn't wait to see what she had in store for him.

He forgot all about it though the second she appeared in front of him, her beauty literally taking his breath away. God, when had he gotten so lucky?

"Hey!" Liz whispered as she took in his own appearance, her voice soft and almost shy as she saw how he was looking at her.

"Wow…" was all Max managed to get out, his eyes traveling over her form, and though her dress was hidden by the bell-like coat she was wearing, he already had a good idea of how short it could be and how much he would like it, considering that all he could see was the alluring lengths of her legs. "You look… wow!"

No matter how many times he could see her, he just couldn't get over how beautiful she always looked to him.

Liz giggled as she saw him struggling to form a whole coherent sentence and then complimented him as well.

"Thanks, I guess… You look good, too!" she admitted easily, even if good was still a mild way to put it.

Max never looked just good. He was just too gorgeous, stunning, sexy, for that, but she had yet to find the word that would really depict all that he was or all that he inspired her.

"Thank you… I think I deserve a kiss then, don't I?" Max told her playfully, as he considered that he had waited all he could to have her in his arms again.

The second the words were out he had her wrapped in his embrace and his lips were descending on hers, but it wasn't as if Liz would have minded or denied him anything, given that it was becoming as hard for her to be apart from him as it obviously was to him.

Not caring if they had any witnesses or not since they were now in her porch, they kissed like they were the only two people in the world and they hadn't kissed in ages.

"I missed you!" Max whispered as they parted, even though their separation had been really short.

If he could though, he would spend every single minute of his life with her because every second he spent away from her was nothing but a second wasted in his eyes.

"So did I!" Liz answered just as softly, forehead against his and arms still wrapped around his neck.

There wasn't a place in the world where she would rather want to be than right here, in Max's arms.

"Hmm… are you sure you want to go out?… we could just… you know…" he trailed off as he nuzzled her neck, but Liz didn't need to hear him say the whole sentence to know exactly what he meant.

Yet as tempting as his suggestion was, she knew Max had gone to great lengths to manage to have them a table at 'Chez Pierre' on such a night, and she didn't want all his efforts to be for nothing.

"Max… be reasonable, please… the sooner we leave, the sooner we will be back here!" she suggested instead, the way she nibbled on his earlobe leaving little doubt about what she was promising him for later if he complied.

"You're right…" heaving a long sigh, Max conceded after a while, knowing deep down that there wasn't any other way. "We have reservation at 8.00, so we should probably go right away."

"Okay." Liz uttered softly, following him as he took her hand in his and led her down the steps. She stopped dead in her tracks however when she took a look beyond Max and noticed the long vehicle parked in front of her house for the first time.

Oh, boy… how the heck had she done to not see it before? The whole neighborhood had probably seen it. It wasn't every day such a car ventured in their street.

"A limousine? Max? You… you rented a limo?" her voice reflected her shock, but Max couldn't hide the smile her reaction caused to creep upon his own lips.

She looked like she was waiting for him to deny it and tell her that it wasn't for them or something like that.

"Only the best for my girl!" he replied however, like that was a daily occurrence and he couldn't see what was wrong with that.

"Max, you didn't have to!" Liz all but whined, having known he had planned something big, but having surely not thought that he would do so much.

"I wanted to… now come on, your chariot awaits, my lady… you wouldn't want us to be late because of you, would you?" he teased her as they reached the limo and he opened the door for her.

The truth was that securing the limo for tonight had not been the hardest thing to achieve, he had just had to ask for it. It was actually one of the perks of being Philip Evans' son and even if Max usually didn't like to have to resort to him for anything, for once and for Liz he had been ready to make an exception.

He regretted even less his decision when he saw how ecstatic Liz seemed to be once the shock had worn off and she was inside, taking everything in. She looked like a little girl in a Christmas store, taking a look at everything, touching everything, and he could only sit there, looking at her with a fond and slightly amused smile on his face.

"God, Max… this is just sooo… cool…" she exclaimed excitedly as the roof opened and closed, then opened again, and she barely resisted the urge to pass her head through the opening to look outside and shout to the world that she, Liz Campbell was in that limo.

She didn't want to suddenly sound superficial, but despite her earlier protest she knew well that this would be a one in a lifetime experience and she guessed that like anyone else in her shoes, she wanted to make the most of it.

She indeed felt like a little girl who had been given a wonderful present, and it wasn't until she spotted the look Max was giving her that she realized that her attitude might be just a little too much and that he was certainly thinking she was a little crazy.

"This is incredible!" Liz whispered still in awe as she tried to calm some down and settled on Max's lap, much to his surprise but pleasure nonetheless.

"You are incredible!" Max countered softly his eyes roaming her face lovingly as one of his thumbs traced her cheekbone.

God, sometimes he still had a hard time believing that she was really with him, that she could feel as much for him as he felt for her.

"Thank you so much, Max!" Liz murmured in answer, her lips caressing his as she spoke, and Max had to exert an incredible amount of willpower to not groan in reaction.

It still amazed him the power a simple kiss of hers, a simple touch could have over him, and yet he wouldn't change it for anything in the world even if given the choice.

"I haven't done anything yet!" Max replied sincerely as he nibbled on her soft lips, highly pleased when Liz couldn't control her moan herself.

"Still." Was her simple answer as she was already too distracted to say anything else.

She couldn't help thinking however, that if she was already impressed now when they had barely started the night, she could only imagine what he could have in store for her and how much it would affect her.

As they quickly got lost in the kiss, as it happened more and more frequently now, Max was truly glad Liz had managed to draw up the partition separating them from the driver earlier, because he was in no way ready to give him a free show or having him seeing something he shouldn't have seen and reporting it to his father.

The truth was that he was less and less able to control himself when he was around Liz now and today was no different. She simply drove him crazy and she didn't need to do much for that.

"Liz…" Max moaned out as he realized that once more they were getting carried away and it was certainly not a good thing considering all he had still planned for them.

"Hmm…" Liz whispered back, focusing on nibbling up his jaw line, which caused Max's hands to tighten around her thighs where he had been resting them then.

She didn't stop what she was doing though, even with the pressure, and before Max could help himself his fingers were running up her stockings-clad thighs, only to stop short when he realized that that seemed to be the only thing he encountered.

"Liz?" his tone brought her attention back to his face this time, and she couldn't help smiling at the look on his face. "Are you… don't you… god… are you not wearing anything under y-your coat?" his voice cracked slightly as he uttered the words but there was no way it could not with the things imagining almost naked under this was doing to him, even if he couldn't help thinking as well about what a problem that would prove to be given where he was taking them.

"I guess you'll just have to wait and see!" Liz teased much to Max's dismay who just knew he wouldn't survive the night if he had to keep picturing what little else she could be wearing.

"Liz, seriously!" he groaned, even if she didn't seem to mind seeing him like that. Quite on the contrary in fact.

She looked pleased with herself and Max was already imagining ways of making her pay for this torture.

"You have your surprises and I have mine!" she replied shamelessly, making him regret having been so secretive himself. "But we've arrived apparently, so you'll know soon enough!" she then added as she felt the limo stop for good and she quickly hopped off his lap before he could investigate more and ruin her surprise for him.

For a few seconds all Max could do was stare at her, bewildered, until he seemed to snap out of it and realize that he had to move if he didn't want Liz to have to open the door herself.

Before he could take care of it though, the chauffeur had apparently already moved around the car, and was allowing them both to exit it.

Max went out first, even if he had barely regained his composure and he feared it would be pretty obvious for anyone looking at him to see just how aroused he still was, and extended his hand for Liz to take, a soft growl escaping his lips when she stepped outside and he caught a glimpse of the lacy edge of her stockings. He was actually just grateful when he noticed that he had been the only one to witness such sight.

"You're going to be the death of me tonight!" Max groaned into her ear as he clasped her hand tightly in his and pondered the wisdom of spending even just a mere hour in a public place with her dressed like this.

"I hope not… I have plans for you Mr. Evans and they don't include getting rid of you anytime soon." Liz told him, punctuating her statement with a sweet kiss on his lips.

After having given instructions to their driver and made sure he wouldn't leave without them, no matter how long they took, Max guided Liz inside, wondering all the way to the door if he was just being paranoid or if everyone was really looking at them.

Well, considering just how stunning Liz looked tonight, he guessed it was pretty normal after all, but it didn't stop him from wanting to strangle about every guy who looked her way a little too long for his liking, and that even when they had their own girlfriends or wives by their side.

As he gave his name to the maitre d', Max couldn't help laying a protective, if not possessive hand on Liz's hip, yet he had no choice but to let go of her again a few seconds later when another man joined them and asked if he could take Liz's coat.

Max was ready to help her out of it himself when Liz turned to him fully and presented her back to the restaurant employee, the way she fixed Max right in the eye telling him that it was more for his benefit than the other man's.

He saw her eyes almost glint with mischief and the next second he all but choked on his own breath when there she stood in the smallest but sexiest dress he had ever seen.

Liz felt slightly self-conscious as he stayed there devouring her with his eyes, but one look at the hunger she discerned in them was enough to convince her she had made the right choice.

"Liz… I… god…" Max sputtered stupidly, unable to make his brain function, or take his eyes off of her.

The dress was extremely short, showing a great amount of cleavage, and as much of silk-covered leg, hugging her curves like a second skin and eliciting a reaction he would rather not have anyone witness for fear he would seriously embarrass himself.

"You said you'd pay to see me in this… I'm being nice, tonight it's for free!" Liz whispered only for him to hear, and it took a moment for Max to register what she meant.

When he did however, he couldn't help groaning aloud, remembering when he had spoken those words at Maria's party when he had found that dress amid the mountain of clothes thrown on Maria's bed. He had just never thought that he would one day indeed see her in it, or that she would choose to wear it to go to a restaurant full of other people who could enjoy the sight as well.

In truth Liz had hesitated long and hard before daring going out with just that on, and more than once she had been ready to change back to some more comfortable clothes just like she had that night at Maria's place, but just to see that look on Max's face she knew it was worth the trouble.

"God, baby… you are killing me here!" Max rumbled as he pulled her to him and showed her without any equivocation the effect seeing her in such a dress was having on him.

He didn't even pay attention to the maitre d' who was looking suddenly very uncomfortable and was praying they would let him take them to their table already before they did something that wasn't supposed to be done in a restaurant or even just in public, and instead he cupped Liz's face a second before joining his lips to hers in a hot and passionate kiss that had the other man blushing to the root of his hair.

He had seen a lot of things in his life and many people coming to his restaurant in all the years he had been working there, but never before had he felt so embarrassed. It might have been just a kiss, but he was sure that if those two had gotten at it hot and heavy just there on the carpeted entrance, it wouldn't have looked more sexual. Talk about getting carried away and flaunting your love in the face of the world. Or should he say your 'lust'.

"Wow." Liz moaned out when Max released her lips, and she licked them unconsciously, not at all surprised when she couldn't even feel the faintest taste of lip-gloss on them anymore.

She had wanted a reaction, she had definitely gotten more than she had even bargained for.

"Tell me about it!" Max concurred, obviously not ashamed since he was already ready to go for more, completely uncaring of where they were or who could be watching.

At least until he heard someone cough next to them, that is.

"Excuse me, but if you would just follow me, I'll take you to your table now." It was the way he looked at him and insisted on the 'now' that made Max realize what exactly he had been doing and if he did absolutely not regret having almost ravished Liz just there, he had at least the courtesy to blush and appear mildly chagrined with his behavior.

Obviously relieved when he noticed Max was going to comply, the maitre d' led the way, only to falter slightly when he heard the inelegant 'oh, fuck' coming from behind him the instant the young woman turned to follow him.

Guess horny guy had finally seen the back of the dress, he thought as he rolled his eyes and wished to god he wouldn't decide to jump her before they had finally reached their reserved table.

He didn't think he had ever been as thankful as he was when he noticed that said table was actually quite isolated from the others. Apparently Mr. Evans had to have given some special instructions for something romantic and intimate to be done and he could only be glad for that fact since at least they wouldn't be giving a show to the whole restaurant if they got carried away again.

The second Max saw the back of Liz's dress, or what little there was to it, he just couldn't prevent the curse from leaving his lips and his next reaction was just as spontaneous.

Before Liz could take two steps he was asking her to wait and all but plastering himself to her back, an arm wrapping around her waist in a clear sign of possession this time, while he dared any man around to venture a look at her. The glares he was sending left and right would have been enough to scare even the bravest away in fact and more than one lowered their eyes as soon as they met his.

As much as he was proud of Liz and being seen with such a beauty on his arm, what he wanted more than anything was to make them understand that Liz was his and he had absolutely no intention to let her go or give anyone a chance to take her away from him.

As they walked to their table, Liz couldn't help grinning like the cat that ate the canary, the sure sign of how satisfied and proud with herself she was. She even forgot about how uncomfortable she would have been, walking through a crowd in such a dress under normal circumstances. The only thing she could feel was Max's body pressed flush against her own, and the way his grip tighten around her with each step they took.

The maitre d', who normally would have lingered there and made small conversation to see if everything was to their convenience, couldn't get out of there fast enough for once, and was quick to direct a waiter their way. Anything to not have to witness more of their public displays of affection.

Liz was awed of course when she saw the table, set in a secluded area, with a few candles and several white roses in a vase, all the thing Max knew she liked, but when she commented on it, he just brushed it off with a tender kiss, assuring her that it was nothing. If he had been able to, he would have surely booked the whole restaurant so they would have been only the two of them. Now that would have been going over the top.

The dinner in itself was pretty much uneventful, beside the few times Max seemed to be completely elsewhere during their conversation and Liz had to call him out on it, but honestly what else could she expect from him when she was sitting in front of him in the hottest dress he had ever been given to see. He was only human after all.

If he had already wanted to stay in before when he had first seen her, after a mere ten minutes through their meal, Max wanted to bolt out of there and find himself alone with Liz even more than before. Fortunately for him, even with the many couples who where dining there just like them for Valentine's Day, the service was faster than what he had expected and they hadn't had to wait long between each course.

A little over an hour later so, Max and Liz exited the restaurant the same way they had entered it, with many stares laying upon them, but this time none of them noticed, too wrapped into each other to be able to care about their surroundings.

[RebeccaBehrEvans]

It wasn't until Liz's coat was brought to them that Max snapped out of it and took care of it, not wanting anyone else to touch her. He wouldn't have made the mistake earlier if he had actually known what she was hiding under.

Liz didn't think Max could pull at her hand harder or get them back to the limo any faster, and she wasn't at all surprised to see that it only took for the chauffeur to open the door for them and for Max to settle on the large back seat, before he had her pulled down onto his lap and was ravaging her mouth again.

Showing even less restrain than he had when they had been inside the restaurant and he had gotten his first glimpse of her, he sucked on her bottom lip before plunging his tongue in and out of her sweet mouth, all the while groaning as he did so.

"This dress… god, this dress, Liz… it's just a rape waiting to happen!" he grunted as he left her lips just long enough to allow them both to catch their breath, and left a wet trail down her neck.

"I know… that's why I wouldn't wear it at Maria's party." Liz moaned out, holding his head against her as he sucked on her skin. "At least tonight I knew you'd be there to protect me if anything happened."

"Don't be so sure… I was this close to throwing you on the table back there and taking it off of you myself!" Max informed her and Liz giggled when she saw him indicating her just how close he had actually been, the space between his thumb and index finger not reaching even an inch.

"I know you wouldn't hurt me, Max… besides, you know what they say… you can't rape the willing!" Liz retorted, cupping his face between her hands and running her tongue over his parted lips, the obvious proof of how willing she could indeed be, and that no matter what he could propose.

"You're right… but still!" Max growled, his hands drifting to her bottom and pulling her even closer, her warm heat coming in direct contact with the impressive bulge in his pants now and leaving them both lightheaded.

"God, Max!" Liz purred at the friction and this time she was the one to attack his lips hungrily.

None of them even noticed that they had yet to leave the restaurant until they heard the voice of the chauffeur echoing through the interior, asking Max where he was supposed to take them.

Breathing heavily, it took him a moment to even just understand the question, so far gone he already was.

"Baby… I…" he stuttered as he tried to get himself back under control, which was probably one of the hardest things he had ever had to do.

"Your house or mine?" Liz asked almost simultaneously, not caring where they went as long as they got there fast.

"I think… I-I think we n-need to cool off a little… maybe… maybe we should you know… what about a small walk down the beach?" Max proposed out of the blue, knowing that there was no way he wouldn't jump Liz's bones if they went directly home. Besides, even if he had almost forgotten about it, he still had to give her his present.

"The beach, Max? Isn't it a little too cold for that?" Liz looked at him like he had lost his mind, even if honestly they had been pretty lucky tonight and the weather was pretty nice for a night of February. Still, as romantic as that sounded, she had clearly had other ideas in mind.

"I need to cool off… and we don't have to stay long." Max insisted with a cute pout that was eventually Liz's undoing.

"Okay… maybe I should, too… you know… " she voiced, pointing to the space next to Max, and when she saw him nod, she slid off his lap.

Max took the opportunity to give the driver new instructions, but since he wanted to keep some kind of contact with Liz and didn't want her to go too far away, he grabbed her hand and brought it down to his thigh.

The rest of the trip was made in almost silence, but it wasn't uncomfortable for all that. Then once they reached the beach, Max dismissed the chauffeur, assuring him that they would just walk to his house from there, and hand in hand they made their way down a small path that led directly to the beach.

With Liz in high heels they couldn't go far though, and when Max spotted a swing, he walked in that direction, sitting first before pulling Liz onto his lap once more, making her sit sideways this time however.

"God, I love it here." Max murmured as he anchored his feet into the sand and rocked them gently.

"So do I." Liz whispered back, having always enjoyed the feeling of peacefulness being there brought upon her.

For as long as she could remember it had always calmed her down and just made her feel better when she was feeling down. There was no saying then just how glad she had been to discover that Max enjoyed it just as much, and she couldn't even count anymore how many times they had come down here since they were going out, seeing as just like herself he didn't live too far from the beach.

For a few minutes, they just stayed there, relishing in the soft breeze blowing that night and the sound of the waves crashing against the shore, but their quiet moment was soon interrupted by a cry and Max and Liz instantly turned in the direction it was coming from, only to see a man walking apparently as fast as he could while a woman all but ran behind him.

It was obvious they were having some kind of argument and they both couldn't help but eavesdrop. Like today was the day for that.

"Michael… god… can't you just listen to me for once?" they heard the woman say as she tried to catch up with whom they assumed was her very pissed off boyfriend.

That was actually confirmed a few seconds later when she added that she hadn't said that she didn’t want to marry him but just that she thought they weren't ready for that yet.

What he answered to that was lost to them since they were already out of earshot, but Max couldn't help but feel sorry for the guy, wondering how he would react himself if he were to propose to Liz and she gave him a negative answer in any way.

"What do you think Michael and Maria did tonight?" he asked all of a sudden, not wanting to dwell too much on the possibility of rejection, even if he knew they were far from marriage yet.

"Hmm… they probably fought for one thing or another before even going out… and now they're most likely having sex to make up for it!" Liz answered all too seriously, having wondered herself when she had heard that woman calling Michael's name and knowing that what she was saying was definitely a possibility, moreover when Maria had said that as far as she knew Michael hadn't planned anything special.

"Probably, yeah!" Max chuckled, having no problem with that scenario himself. "I'm glad we never fight… well, almost." he whispered as an afterthought, tightening his grip around her unconsciously.

He knew that fighting was like some kind of foreplay for his brother and girlfriend, but he didn't think he would be able to stand it if he had to have that type of relationship with Liz. He remembered all too well just how bad he had felt when they had had that argument in her office a few weeks ago. No, he was happy with what they had and didn't want it to change for anything in the world.

"Yet… but it will happen… sooner or later… it's normal… but we'll go through it!" Liz replied, lucid enough to admit that there was no thing as perfection and that they would have their disagreements like any couple.

"Not too soon, I hope!" was all Max said, before quickly changing the subject once more." I got you something!"

"M-Max?" Liz stammered when she saw him pulling a rectangular velvet box out of his jacket and he handed it to her.

"Happy Valentine's Day, sweetheart." he whispered, giving her a small kiss in encouragement. "Go on, open it." he then added when she still seemed to hesitate and just look at it.

"I… Max… I-I don't have yours here… it's at my house!" Liz lamented, berating herself for not having thought about taking it with her, but Max was too nervous to really care about that for now. Besides, he knew he would like anything she could have chosen for him, as long as it was coming from her.

"It's okay, don't worry… you'll give it to me tomorrow or later… now open mine!" he assured her before he insisted again, sure that he wouldn't be able to wait much longer to see her reaction, good or bad.

"Okay… I… thank you!" Liz just uttered before complying and opening the box, and the next second she could only gasp as she discovered the amazing gold necklace and attached diamond heart-shaped pendant it held inside.

"Oh, god… Max… it-it's beautiful… but it's too much…" her voice cracked slightly due to the emotion that overwhelmed her as she kept looking at it, not having ever seen anything so precious and much less been offered something like it. "This is just… Max… first the limo, the restaurant… and n-now this… it really is too much…"

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't help feeling slightly ridiculous when she thought about the watch she had gotten him. It was quite expensive itself but nothing compared to what she was sure Max's gift had to have cost.

"I already told you… I only want the best for you!" Max reiterated his earlier statement while he took the necklace out and secured it around Liz's neck. "So you like it?"

"Like it? God, Max, I love it!" she affirmed excitedly, fingering the heart delicately and knowing already that she would never take it off. "And I already have the best… I have you!"

She had no doubt about that. Max Evans was the best thing that had ever happened to her.

"Let's go home!" Max suggested huskily when he noticed that they were getting lost into each other once more.

Suddenly he couldn't wait to have Liz all to himself again, and he knew that what he had in mind for them for the rest of the night could definitely not be done out in the open, even if there was barely anyone around them.

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"So…" Max uttered the second he closed the front door behind them.

The walk home that should have normally taken them ten minutes couldn't have taken more that six minutes top tonight, considering how anxious they had both been to arrive, and it still showed in the way they both discarded their coat and jacket as soon as they entered.

"So…" Liz repeated as she made her way to Max, walking to him with her hips swaying enticingly, like the true seductress he had discovered she was. "I had a wonderful time tonight… thank you again…" she spoke softly, lips inches from his own, but it was her hands on his chest that wreaked a true havoc on him.

"The night is not over yet!" Max remarked throatily, his own hands going to caress the soft bare skin of her back.

"You're right… it's not over yet!" Liz concurred, her slim fingers working at his tie now, and when she had it undone, she used the loose ends to pull him to her and drag him up the stairs.

All the way up Max had to fight with himself to not tear her dress off or just pine her against a wall and have his wicked way with her, but something in Liz's eyes told him that she had other plans for him and he didn't feel like ruining them for her.

They had barely crossed the bedroom door however that they were all over each other, kissing and touching like it had been hours since they had been with each other.

"Lose the shirt, handsome!" Liz all but ordered once she had gotten rid of his tie and had worked on all the buttons of said shirt.

Max couldn't obey her quickly enough of course, and the garment soon covered the tie on the floor before being just as quickly joined by his shoes and pants.

When he was only standing in front of her in his boxers, Liz took her time exploring the wide expanse of his chest and Max could do little but let her torture him with that sweet mouth of hers.

"Liz…" he moaned out her name almost desperately, but Liz was too busy licking a trail down from his collarbone to one of his nipples to pay him any real attention.

"Hmm?"

"It's not fair, baby… you're still fully dressed!" he observed in a hiss when Liz nipped at his skin.

Oh, god, this was going to be over sooner than they both wanted it if she kept that on.

"And you're almost naked!" Liz pointed back, her hands running over the only piece of clothing that was separating her from what she desired most at that moment, and making Max almost jump out of his skin when her fingers grazed over his throbbing erection. "You're right, it's absolutely not fair!"

"What are you going to do to remedy to that then?" Max queried huskily, nibbling his way down her shoulder and lowering one of the small straps of her dress when he reached it.

Liz stopped him from doing more however and sought out his lips again, her passionate kisses leaving him all but dizzy, and before he could even realize that they had moved, she had managed to turn them around and lead them to the bed, and he could only let himself fall down on it when he bumped against it.

He all but whimpered when Liz left his arms the second he was settled, only to smile almost nervously with her next words and action.

"Let me take care of it!" she stood at arms length and whispered to him, and when she was sure she had his full attention, she turned her back to him.

Max felt his throat suddenly turn dry and if that was possible, he hardened even more when he saw her wiggling out of her dress and he was presented with one of the skimpiest but definitely sexiest thong she could have worn.

His fingers itched with the need to touch her and when she turned back to him, bare-chested and obviously aroused herself, he knew he couldn't take it anymore.

There was just no way to describe what it was doing to him to see her almost naked but for her small piece of underwear and stockings, hair flowing freely down her chest and wearing the necklace he had just offered her so close to her heart.

"Come here!" he beckoned her, his lips caressing her stomach when she stepped between his legs.

Her fingers naturally found their way through his hair and she held him to her as his tongue flicked over her flesh and already promised her more pleasure than she was probably ready to take.

"Max…" his name came out in a purr and Max lifted his head just long enough to gift her with one of his sexy smiles.

"God, I love your breasts!" he sighed as he palmed their fullness, and Liz couldn't help the small smile that tugged at her lips at that.

Ever since that day in her office when she had insinuated that Max could find her inadequate in that department, he had made sure she remembered just how wrong she could have been and how much he indeed loved her breasts almost every time he was given the opportunity to see them.

It would be hard for her to not believe him or think he was lying considering the particular attention he always paid to them. If he could spend hours caressing them or teasing them with his tongue like he currently was, Liz knew he would and without ever tiring.

"You're so beautiful!" he breathed out, voice so charged with emotion it caused Liz to gulp audibly herself.

No matter how many times he could tell her so, and God knew he never missed an opportunity to remind her of that, she always reacted the same. Maybe because before Max, no one had ever told her she was beautiful. No one that counted at least, because the few times she had heard it before, she had known there had always been a purpose behind the words, some other hidden motive. Max didn't say it for any reason but because he meant it and wanted her to know how he felt.

"Let's get you out of this, too!" he suggested, bringing one of her legs up to his shoulder, and eyes fixed on her gorgeous face, he proceeded to roll one of her silk stockings down.

He was just glad they were ones of those adhesive kind and not those you had to attach to a garter belt, because he knew it would have taken him an eternity to figure those ones out.

When he was done with the first one, he placed a tender kiss on her inner thigh and did the same thing to the other, leaving Liz trembling under his gentle touch.

"Your skin is so soft!" he whispered out, nuzzling his nose against it and causing Liz to emit little mewing sounds the closer he came to where she wanted him to touch her the most.

"Max… please…" she croaked out, sure that she was still standing only because Max was holding her tight.

Her knees buckled even more when she felt his hot breath inches from her core, and she truly thought she would pass out at last when he eventually kissed her panties-clad sex.

"What do you want?" Max asked teasingly when he heard her moan at the brief contact.

"You know what!" Liz all but growled, knowing full well that Max already had the answer to that question.

She had made no secret of the fact that she just loved when he pleasured her with his mouth after the first time he had tried it, and all the times after that.

None of them had truly known what to expect the first time since Max had never done such thing before of course and Liz had never been on the receiving end either, and they had both been pretty much nervous about it when Max had hinted on the fact that he wanted to try, but considering how much they had both enjoyed it, Max about just as much as Liz, it was little wonder they never missed an occasion to improve in that department. After all you could only get better with time and experience.

Though Liz had to wonder if she would survive it if Max get any better.

"You want this?" he queried softly after having pulled her panties aside and he traced her nether lips with his thumbs.

"No… M-More…" was all Liz panted out, wondering briefly if she would have to tell him explicitly 'I want your hot mouth on me' for him to do to her exactly what she wanted.

"Demanding much, aren't we?" Max chuckled throatily, but decided that he had made her suffer enough as it was nonetheless.

Besides, he was not only torturing her, he was torturing himself as well, and after having been so close to her, after having inhaled her sweet spicy scent for so long now, there wasn't much more he could take either.

He was simply addicted to her, to her scent and to her heady taste. Had been from the very second he had gotten his first sample of her essence and there was nothing he wanted more at that instant than to savor it again.

The husky moan that spilled from Liz's lips when he flicked his tongue against her clit sent a jolt of primal desire directly to his groin, and it was all it took for him to attack her center like this was going to be his last meal.

Liz could barely hold on his shoulder as his talented tongue laved her slit then plunged in and out of her dripping entrance, causing pleasure like she had rarely known to course through her entire being, and she knew that given how aroused she was and had been all night, he wouldn’t need much more of what he was doing to bring her to ecstasy.

"Max… oh, god… M-Max…" her voice caught in her throat as she cried out her satisfaction and it took all of her strength to hold on to him and not just fall over.

The leg that kept her standing trembled under his torturous ministrations, threatening her equilibrium, and she found herself gritting her teeth and whimpering almost in pain.

God, she was so close, all she needed was for Max to keep going and for her to hold on just a few more seconds.

As if he sensed her mild discomfort, Max concentrated his efforts on her clit, sucking it lightly into his mouth, as at the same time he pushed two long fingers into her tight core, and it was all Liz needed to finally stumble over the edge and found the release she had so desperately been seeking.

She wasn't surprised to feel her knee give out a few seconds later even if she was still riding the last waves of her orgasm, and she eventually collapsed on Max who had been too preoccupied lapping at her juices and collecting how much he could, to notice her state.

"You okay?" he inquired tenderly when she still shuddered in his arms, his fingers brushing away the few strands that obscured her face.

Liz's answer was a soft kiss of thanks that quickly turned heated when she tasted herself on his lips, and Max couldn't suppress a groan when she all but pushed him into the bed, her body molding into his when she had him lying down completely.

His hands bracketed her hips when she started grinding seductively into him, and he knew he had to somehow regain control of the situation if he didn't want to lose it completely.

"Tease!" he grunted after having rolled them over and he was the one now laying on top of her panting form.

"No more than you!" Liz countered breathlessly as she nibbled on his bottom lip in retaliation and wiggled under his weight, causing her burning center to rub against his painful erection.

"You're a bad girl, Liz Campbell and I think that only for that one, I'd have to punish you!" Max growled this time, but instead of scaring Liz like he pretended to, he only managed to turn her on even more.

"And what are you gonna do to poor lil' bad me, Mr. Evans?" Liz taunted back and wrapped her legs around his waist, a sly smile on her lips that proved to Max that she was ready for about anything.

Or so she most likely believed, Max thought mischievously, a plan already forming in his head.

"I think I'm gonna have to do this!" he said all too casually, his lips trailing down to one of her breasts and making Liz gasp in anticipation, but when the tip of his tongue touched her taut nipple, she found herself bursting into laughter instead of moaning like she had been sure she would.

When she expected pleasure, all she could do was writhe under him as his hands attacked her sides and tickled her mercilessly.

"Max… M-Max… stop!" she cried out between fits of laughter, while she tried to pry his hands away.

"Not until you surrender to me completely and tell me that I'm the best!" Max negated playfully and continued with his torture, knowing that it wouldn't take Liz long to give.

It had been pure coincidence if he had discovered just how ticklish she could be, but he had definitely put that knowledge to use and more than once since then.

"M-Max… okay… god… s-stop… I'm sorry… you… you're the b-best…" Liz tried to catch her breath and nearly crawled out of the bed in a futile attempt to escape Max.

He prevented her from going far however, and though he stopped at last, his weight still pinned her onto the bed as she gasped for air.

And all Max could do meanwhile was to look at her like it was the first time he was seeing her.

"Wh-What?" Liz breathed out when she managed to calm herself down and she noticed the way he was looking at her all of a sudden, all traces of mirth gone from his face now.

There was just something in his eyes, some seriousness that hadn't been there before and she couldn't help but swallow audibly when Max tucked her hair behind her ears once more, his gaze trailing over her features like he was trying to memorize them or something.

"Nothing… sometimes… sometimes, you know… I just look at you and I can't help but wonder how I got so lucky…" he voiced emotionally, gulping past the sudden lump in his throat himself.

There was just so much he wanted to tell her, so much he wished he could put into words, and as she lay there under him, half naked, flushed and disheveled, yet more beautiful than he had even ever seen her, he knew that this was as good a time as ever to try. He just hoped he wouldn't sound too lame or cheesy to her.

"Max?" Liz croaked out but couldn't say more, Max's lips on hers stopping her from speaking further.

"You're beautiful… You're pure... you're... you're true... and... you're real… you're just… you're my dream come true, Liz… and I just can't pretend anymore… I-I just can't do like I don't have all these… feelings inside… because they're there and they won't just go away… I know that… and I feel… I feel like if I don't let it all out, I might just explode…" his words confused her at first, but there was no way she could miss how much it was costing Max to talk right at that moment, and she knew that whatever revelation he was about to make would probably change her life for ever.

"What, Max? What d-do you feel?" she queried softly, showing him that whatever it was she was ready to hear it, and that despite the fact that her insides were quivering at the thought that it could possibly be what she wanted it so much to be.

"I don't know what you feel for me… if-if you feel anything… I-I mean, I know you c-care for me… but… and I-I don' know if it's too soon… m-maybe it is… and if it is… I'm sorry…" he knew he was babbling but for the life of him he didn't seem to know how to line up sentences anymore.

"Max, just say it… whatever it is… I know it'll be okay…" how she hadn't lost her own ability to speak she didn't know, but Liz didn't think she could take the wait any longer.

Max was just about killing her and she was sure that with the way her heart was hammering against her ribcage, it would just burst out of her chest if Max didn't spit out whatever he wanted to tell her already.