“I thought they’d never leave,” Michael said, between kisses. His hands were relishing the re-exploration of territory he had already mapped and branded the night before.

“Mmmm . . . if we go on like this, we’d never leave,” Maria answered. “We now have less than an hour to meet the others and I have to go home and change.” Home, for Maria, was right across town.

“Why?”

“Why?” Maria pulled back from his embrace, and stared at him. “Some of us take showers, you know, buddy,” she said, poking him in the chest. She looked at him like he was the craziest nut on earth. Sometimes, he was the cutest. Right now, he was just the craziest.

“I meant, take it here, you stupid cheesehead.” Michael shot back, capturing the errant finger that was jabbing at him, and caressed its length with his thumb. She could be so infuriating -- and delectable.

“Oh!” Realization dawned on her. “Sounds tempting,” she actually considered it for a moment, but decided against it. One of them had to exert some self-control. “But sorry, I gotta go get my uniform anyway.”

“You’re going to pass this up for those stupid silver things you wear on your head?” One of his hands had slipped a spaghetti strap down her shoulder and replaced it with his lips. The moist trail he laid from her neck down her shoulder burned with the heat from his breath, his hand finding her breast easily. As he kneaded it softly, his thumb worked its magic on the taut peak, and Maria threw her head back, her slightly-parted lips sighing in rapture. Self-control was fast retreating. Spiky-haired spaceboy, how did he have this effect on her?

“Mmmm, you do have a point there.” She purred contentedly, running her fingers through his hair. Hair that was wild and untamed, much like Michael himself. Through the thin fabric of his boxers, Maria could feel his hardness growing, and she shifted in his lap to accommodate him. Crazy pixie girl, how did she have this effect on him? Her slight movement only made Michael increase his ministrations, tracing his fingers round her knee, up her thigh and beyond. He noticed her wearing his boxers for the first time, and muttered approvingly, “This looks much better on you.”

“I wouldn’t count on it, buddy,” Maria moved her hips against him appreciatively. “As I recall, you looked pretty darn delicious last night.” She smiled at the memory.

“So, are you?” Michael interrupted her thoughts, his hand was teasing her inner thigh.

“Am I what?” Her mind was too busy concentrating on where the hand was headed.

“Are you taking that shower with me? Yeesh, how many times do I have to repeat myself?” Her body was close to screaming a resounding yes! But her head snapped upright suddenly, and her mouth said “I’d love to -- but Isabel will kill us.” He knew she was right, they were in enough trouble with Her Highness already. But inwardly he was irrationally berating Max Evans, his lunch suggestion and that stupid obsession with Liz Parker.