Licking her lips slowly and allowing him to watch every movement, she kissed him again. But these were teasing little kisses, feather-light touches on his lips that ended as soon as they began. Max was starting to have trouble breathing and Liz enjoyed the feel of each hot gasp against her lips. She leant in again, her lips a hairbreadth from his and let her tongue drift over his mouth, tracing the contours. Max made a strangled sound and brought his hands up to cup her face, pulling her to him and plunging his tongue into her. The kiss was hot and frantic and told her that Max had been keeping a hold of himself for quite awhile now. She gloried in his closeness, running her hands through his hair and shifting on his lap in an effort to get closer.

Max felt like his heart was going to explode with all the emotions and needs crashing around in it. This wisp of a girl in his arms could do more damage to him with one touch than any alien war could with weapons. He wondered if she knew how much power she really had over him. Did she know that he would kill to be with her like this? That he would go to the ends of the earth to just hear her voice?

Liz was in her own little Max world. That place that he created each time he was near. It was a place where everything was perfect and she felt safe and loved. It was a place their connection made even more special, because right now she could feel how much Max wanted to be with her. It made her giddy with happiness.

When Max was satisfied that she wasn’t going to torture him with those half-kisses again, he removed one hand from her face and cupped the knee that was peeking out from the slit of her skirt. This caused Liz to squirm on his lap even more and he dragged his mouth away from hers with every intention of chastising her for trying to drive him insane. But as soon as his lips left hers, Liz started to kiss a path down his jaw to his neck. She slid one hand over his bare chest, running her fingers over the hills and valleys of his body. Max could only close his eyes and ride the storm. As she moved lower, her hair brushed over the skin of his stomach, creating such a riot of lust in his body that he feared he was going to faint.

He allowed her to caress him until he couldn’t take it anymore. He stood up with her in his arms and fused his lips to hers again. He was getting drunk on her taste and her smell. He lifted her into his body with one arm, letting her feet dangle off the floor. His other hand cupped her head, arching her neck to allow him deeper access to her mouth.

Liz was floating. Being plastered to every inch of Max was exciting her beyond belief. The heat was coming off him in waves and his skin burned her fingers wherever she touched. She pushed his shirt off his shoulders and Max managed to shrug out of it by shifting her from one arm to other. Neither of them wanted to let go of each other for too long. Liz ran her hands over his shoulders and his back, enjoying how his muscles contracted at her touch. He truly was the most beautiful man she had ever seen. A groan against her mouth told her that Max was privy to her feelings through their connection.

Lifting her higher against him, Max flattened one hand between her shoulder blades and pressed his mouth into the hot skin of her throat. She was making those small helpless sounds again and he felt the vibrations of each one under his lips.

Liz threw her head back, causing her long hair to stream down her back like a dark waterfall. She needed to be even closer to Max and she unconsciously wrapped her legs around his waist. The feeling of having the insides of her naked thighs in contact with his skin was electrical.

Max didn’t know how much longer he would be able to stay upright. One of the thin straps of her top had slid down her shoulder and left him with a tantalizing amount of skin to caress. And he didn’t need an engraved invitation. Her warm legs wrapped around his body were exquisite torture and he couldn’t stop himself from cupping her rear with one hand. She was amazingly small and fitted into his one hand. Like she was made to fit him.

"Max." The hunger in her voice was his undoing and he walked blindly to the bed. Any bed. The nearest bed. When he finally lay her down gently, he didn’t join her immediately, but stood staring down at her. She looked absolutely ravishing… and ravished. Her hair was streaming over the pillow, her lips were swollen from his kisses and her top was peeling of her one shoulder. Her skirt had ridden up and showed her calves and an arousing portion of her one smooth thigh. She was Max’s fantasy come true.

He was just as breathtaking to Liz. His skin was bronze in the candlelight and his eyes told her that he was the one man that could and would eventually fulfill every dream she ever had. She held out her hand to him, inviting him closer. He took it slowly and reverently, and joined her on the bed.

Propping himself on his elbows, Max lowered himself carefully until his body covered hers. Their bare stomachs pressed together and heightened the flames in their eyes. He watched her face in fascination while she ran her hands down his spine, her fingers finding the indentation and following it to the top of his jeans. He saw her eyes grow larger when her slight pressure on his lower back brought her into closer contact with his arousal.

He gently brushed his forefinger over her lower lip and looked at her seriously. "Liz, honey, don’t be scared. You know I would never… I mean, I really love you and I really want to… uhm, make love with you, but not now. Not under these circumstances. So… don’t’ worry, okay?" Liz had watched him earnestly throughout his speech and by the end he could see a small smile start in her eyes.

"Max, I trust you with my life and my heart, why would I not trust you with my body? I know you. I love you. This will happen when it should. Don’t think I’m worrying about you losing control or something every time we’re together. I’m not. I’m just… yeah, I guess I’m just still surprised sometimes that you feel this way about me."

Max had closed his eyes in reaction while she was talking, but his eyes snapped open at the last statement. "Okay, have you NOT noticed that I can barely keep my eyes or my hands of you?" he joked. "Liz, sometimes I want you so much I can’t see straight, but I need for us to be sure of where we’re going before we take that step. And I also need you to know that its really hard for me to stop sometimes, so you’ll have to help me. Making love is something precious and I don’t want us to just get into it hastily. Besides, I think we have proven that there are some really fun ways of being together without actually BEING together." The corners of his mouth were curled in a sexy grin by now.

"I love you even more now, if that’s even possible." Liz was starting to smile widely. She pulled his face down to hers and purred: "Soooo, show me some of those fun things, Max." He happily complied.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Max was woken sometime during the night by a whimper coming from Liz. He had never made it to his own bed, instead his body was wrapped around Liz’s, her skirt tangled around their legs. Liz made another distressed sound and Max jerked upright. "Liz! Wake up, love!"

For a frightening moment there was no reaction and then her eyes flew open. "Max!" she cried, her voice filled with fear.

Max hauled her against his chest, rubbing his hands over her back, trying to comfort her. "Shh, its okay. I’m here." He waited until she lay in his arms quietly before he moved away so he could see her face. She avoided his eyes and he grabbed her chin, lifting her face to his. "You have to tell me sometime. I can’t help you if you don’t tell me, love."

Liz just nodded mutely, but said nothing.

He sighed and hugged her close again. "Let’s get you into some pj’s. We can’t sleep in these fine clothes all night!"

He found her pajamas on her suitcase and pulled her up from the bed. She just stood there obediently as Max slid her skirt off her and held the drawstring pants for her to step into. He gently fastened them around her middle before grabbing the hem of her top and pulling it over her head. His jaw clenched and he had to take deep breaths to keep his hands from shaking as he helped her pull on her nightshirt, covering her nakedness from his thirsty eyes. The task completed, he picked her up and slid her into the bed between the sheets that were still warm from their earlier occupation.

He quickly stripped of his jeans and pulled on sweatpants. Turning back to her, he didn’t know if he should join her again or not, but she looked so lost lying in the middle of the bed, that he couldn’t get himself to stay away.

Liz snuggled closer to his warm chest as soon as he was in bed with her. She rubbed her cheek over his skin, taking deep breaths and willing the demons that chased her in her dreams to stay away.

Max hugged her close. "I’m going to stay right here." He kissed the top of her head. "And when you feel ready, you tell me what is bothering you." He kept up the rhythmic caresses on her back and soon Liz drifted into sleep again. Max couldn’t sleep. He watched over her and wondered what she saw when she slept that scared her so much.