Title: 3:21

Author: Lusmeitli

Rating: NC-17

Show: DA

Disclaimer: Cameron made them, I borrow them, no money, no cry

Genre: Angst/Romance

Type: Standalone

Pairing: Oh, come on

Summary: Alec alone with his thoughts and a bottle of Scotch. Don’t worry, I stick to my rules. ;-)

 

A/N: Right, as I am the great pretender, humour me and play along: there was no FN, no runes, and some other things.

 

A/N2: I was writing this between two WIPs. And I needed some smut. :-)

 

A/N3: As to the title… I couldn’t sleep and listened to the new R.E.M. album. I was in a weird mood and I noticed a wonderful bit on track 13 “Around the sun”. The bit starts at 3:21 and goes on till the end of the song. This is what it made me feel.

 

And now: enjoy.

 

 

 

Life was a bitch.

 

Alec stared at the glass before him. Right now, he felt the one true friend he had ever had was the bottle of Scotch sitting right next to the glass on the counter. It was half full. *Rather half empty,* Alec pondered. Half empty of that wonderful golden liquor, but full of the promise to numb the pain. To forget. To make himself not care anymore. At least for a couple of hours.

 

He took another sip and his eyes fluttered shut. The strong liquor burnt down his throat, leaving a heavy, malty taste in his mouth. He felt how the fluid reached his stomach and sent warmth through his veins. The only warmth he had felt in months. The only warmth he would feel for he didn’t know how long. He sighed inwardly as he opened his eyes again. He waited for the warmth to reach his heart. But in vain.

 

Alec didn’t hear the talking and cheering crowd at Crash. He had managed to shut himself out the noise. He might be sitting in the middle of a very well attended bar, but in his head, he was alone with his thoughts and that promising bottle. And his mind was reeling. As it always was when he was trying to get drunk. *Emphasis on trying to.* Manticore had taken even that from him. It had made sure that the only ways to forget were those Psy-Ops and reindoctrination parties. And Alec was a little sick of those. They left a rather nasty taste in his mouth. Unlike his favourite poison. He let out a breath.

 

His mind felt overloaded with thoughts, but in one way or another, they all included… Max. She just seemed to be the key to everything that bugged him, to every problem in his life. And it had taken him many a drinking night to see this and then to admit it to himself. It was a painful process. The strange thing was that now this process was over, the pain and hurt didn’t go away. Actually, it seemed as if it deepened day by day. Particularly when seeing a certain someone.

 

Alec emptied his drink and refilled the glass. He knew it was useless to struggle against this. So he allowed himself to sink into that well called mind. Memories washed over him. Max’ face when she first saw him and had thought he was Ben. The horror in her eyes. The pain and something else he had never seen before. The look she gave him when he got her out of that cage. The expression in her eyes when she shoved the money into the scientist’s hand to prevent that little brain bomb party.

 

The memories rushed by his inner eye at a sickening speed. But some pictures stood out. How she had told him about Ben. How she had let him comfort her. The smell of her hair. He had it in his nose even now, as myriads of different smells affronted his sensitive sense. He knew she wasn’t here and that it was merely his mind playing a trick on him. He knew that the only time he ever tasted her sweet lips, touched her soft skin, buried his face in her silky hair was in his dreams. He found the warmth his heart was so desperately seeking in his dreams.

 

They had started a while ago. First, they had startled him. Even though he had never had any brotherly feelings for her, he hadn’t thought about her THAT way. She was a transgenic. An o-niner. An escapee. His assigned breeding partner. Emitting freedom he had never known and full of thoughts he had been drilled not to think. She was so… full of life and dreams. Nothing seemed to be able to bring her down. Neither her past, nor a love-bug. She was a butterfly and he was still the caterpillar, trying to metamorphose into a butterfly as well.

 

When he had heard he had been assigned as 452’s breeding partner, he had been expectant, even excited. He had heard a lot about her and her siblings over the years. After all, he wanted to know whom he had to thank for all those extra treats when he was locked up in Psy-Ops right after their escape. And then he was given the chance to meet her. Of course, on the outside he had very clearly displayed his disgust about the prospect of having to have intercourse with someone from the ‘outside’. But on the inside, he had been looking forward to meeting her. And once he had met her, he couldn’t help but slowly come to admire her. He wanted to see whatever it was that held such great power over her that her only thought was to get out of Manticore and back to Seattle.

 

When he turned up in Seattle, he was trying to figure out for weeks what it was. He couldn’t find out. But slowly, he started to feel this power taking over himself. And suddenly it was all so clear. Even if he couldn’t find the words to explain to himself. It was a feeling in his guts and it felt right. For the first time in his life it just felt right.

 

He took another sip and let his fingers absently caress the glass. It felt cold and dead. But when he rested his palms long enough against the material, it warmed up by his body temperature and radiated it back onto him. He wondered what had gotten him into this emotional mess he was in right now. He wondered when he had allowed himself to slip. Again.

 

After Rachel and some months in Psy-Ops, he had successfully built up many a wall around his heart. They had told him in Psy-Ops that falling in love were a weakness. They punished him for his weakness both mentally and physically. They made quite sure he would think twice to even consider developing romantic feelings ever again.

 

Alec had learnt to control his feelings a long time ago. Manticore’s super soldier didn’t question orders or have feelings. A super soldier was a cold blooded, savvy killer. But the thing with romantic feelings was that they actually were uncontrollable. It wasn’t a matter of the mind. It was the heart making a decision without the head. And without him knowing, his heart had decided to fall in love with Max. It had outwitted his mind.

 

“Max.” It came out without him realising.

 

Alec refilled his glass and set the bottle down. It had taken him long to realise what was happening and when he did, it was way too late. He couldn’t do anything against it anymore. And, quite frankly, he didn’t want to do anything against it. Being in love with Max felt great. Well, not all the time. Sometimes. *Okay, very rarely.* He mostly felt sick and everything she did and said could hurt him like no one before. But occasionally, when she wasn’t calling him a fuck up or abusing him as a punching bag, when she flashed him something other than her usual frown and pouting, then it felt great.

 

He let her punch him, because he figured it was closest he would ever get to feel her hands on his body. *I’m such a wimp,* he scolded himself. It made his day just to not see her scowl at him and get something similar to a friendly punch in his shoulder.

 

He stared at the liquor in the glass and downed it. A quick refill and he repeated his motions. He needed to forget. Now. His mind was about to take a walk down memory lane.

 

Alec’s head spun as her accusations echoed in his head. How she yelled at him, calling him a fuck up, a screw up, a loser. It was amazing how in everything he did or didn’t do, say or didn’t say she found ways of getting upset about just that and had a go at him. He had tried to show her that he had changed. That she had changed him. But it was no use. She had put him in a box right after their first meeting. He could bring world peace and she still would refuse to let him get out of that box. She had no idea just how much she hurt him. Almost on a daily basis. And each time he would think: “Right, I’ve had enough. I’m gonna pack my stuff, I’m off.” But he couldn’t. As the most important thing would still be in Seattle: Max.

 

And then, she was able of making his stomach churn and set free the butterflies in his belly. By really talking to him. *Even if it was about Logan, but hey.* Accepting him for who he was, appreciating what he did, respecting him. Letting him comfort her. Letting him be her refuge she sought when she couldn’t cope with it anymore.

 

But those moments were rare. Ever since a couple of weeks, she was acting all weird. She was very jumpy and one wrong word and she would be up the walls. He felt as if she was glaring at him constantly these days. Even breathing at the wrong time would set her off.

 

Generally, he loved seeing her all angry. Because then her eyes were sparkling, fire was shooting from them, he could hear her accelerated heartbeat and he could almost see her fuming. It was then that he found she was radiating pure life in heavy doses. It was then when he thought she was the most beautiful being in the entire world. However, it was hard for him to understand how someone so passionate could be so cold most of the time. Oh, and she had showed him her cold shoulder several times. The last time had only been about four hours ago.

 

She had flashed him a smile in the morning. *By mistake, clearly.* But it had made his knees feel wobbly. He had moved through the day in a haze, her smile replaying in his mind over and over again. Each time more beautiful and ravishing than the last time and he felt as if he was flying whilst pedalling through the streets. It had made him feel so light inside. It had made his heart beat faster each time he closed his eyes and saw her face.

 

But in the evening, she had glared at him. He had hardly reached his locker, when she already punched him. And hard, this time. He didn’t know what he had done now and he was too tired of this to find out. He decided to ignore her. But that very moment, as he opened the locker and his face was hidden from her view, he stared into the locker feeling as if his heart had been ripped out. The happiness from the day was gone, had vanished into nothing but another painful memory to keep him from sleeping that night.

 

A feeling had crept up on him. It had gripped his heart with its cold hand and squeezed hard. He almost stumbled into his locker as the pain claimed him. And there was only one way of getting rid of it for at least a couple of hours. All he wanted was for it to disappear. Whilst he took out his bag, he tried to envisage a bottle. *Yeah, it’s slender throat, the full body. Wonderful.* The colour of the liquor when it was in the bottle. The smell and the soft sound of it as it was poured into the glass.

 

He never saw the person in the shadow to his left, who had tears in her eyes upon seeing the pain displayed on his face.

 

When he slammed his locker shut, he realised Max was still standing beside him and lividly talking to him. He just shrugged and walked out on her. He needed that bottle right now. So he headed straight to Crash.

 

And here he was. He would have laughed at himself if it weren’t so pathetic. He downed another drink. Somehow, his poison didn’t seem to work tonight. Instead of numbing his pain, the alcohol made it sharper than ever before. Alec didn’t feel lonely. After all, he was surrounded by people. He felt alone. And it was a terrible feeling. It dragged him down into a spiral and he was spinning faster and faster, falling into a black hole, without seeing the ground, not knowing when he would crash onto the ground. It was a spiral he couldn’t escape from, pulling him down to a place he didn’t want to be, making him feel things he didn’t want to feel, causing thoughts he had thought long since banned from his memory.

 

He would end up the same, every time. Thinking about how much he yearned for completion. How much he yearned for a simple lover’s touch. He couldn’t remember when he had last been with a woman, but this was not the kind of touch he was seeking. He wanted a soft touch to the hand, feel fingertips on his cheek. Feather light touches. Sweet and promising. He had once shared them with Rachel. And he missed that nearness, as it made him feel… shallow. Rachel. It seemed like a lifetime ago.

 

All this time, something had been missing, but he didn’t know what it was until he met Rachel. He had caught a glimpse of what life and love could be like then. It was the first time he had felt that longing and ever since then, it was imprinted into his heart and soul.

 

Each morning he would wake up to an empty side in his bed. Each morning he would eat his breakfast with Joshua, staring at the empty chair opposite to him. Each morning he would go to the bathroom, staring at his lonely tooth brush. Each morning he would leave his the house in complete silence. Each night he would get home to a house echoing of Joshua’s snoring and go to bed alone. Not that he didn’t have a good time with Joshua. Living with the dog man was nice, he was a very congenial coeval.

 

But Alec wanted someone to fill that space in his bed. He wanted to have someone to smile at over his cup of coffee. He wanted another tooth brush lie next to his on the sink. He wanted someone to kiss goodbye before he left for work. He wanted to open the door after a hard day and feel her arms around him, comforting him with her nearness, brightening up his day. He wanted to say “sleep well” to someone. He wanted to turn around in bed at night and spoon up against her back. But he didn‘t want it to be just somebody. He wanted that someone to be Max. But all odds were against him. Alec sighed in frustration.

 

As the poison didn’t work but only made things worse, he decided to go home. He put some green on the counter and left. He was greeted by a cold wind. But he didn’t mind. He couldn’t feel any colder than he did in his heart. He started walking. He heard a motorbike in the distance. That was when the rain set in.

 

Some time later, Alec reached Joshua’s house. He had taken the long way home, even though it was pouring down. He made his way up the steps. As he searched his pockets for his keys, he thought about a wonderful hot shower. He was dripping wet and freezing. He nearly tripped over something lying on the stairs. On second look, that something moved. It was a leg and belonged to…

 

“Max.” It came out in complete surprise. Seeing her was the last thing he had expected. The cold hand that had gripped his heart the entire evening squeezed hard.

 

He came to his senses. “Joshua’s out, meeting some artists.”

 

Max stood up, looking as if she had been asleep on the stairs. She stared at a point on his chest. “I… we… need to talk,” she finally said. Her voice sounded strange.

 

Alec watched her carefully for a moment. She looked quite not like herself. Something must have happened. It was weird that she hadn’t been waiting for him inside. Josh always loved having his little fella around. Probably it was Logan. Some months ago the hacker had told Max that it was over, that he couldn’t take this any longer. That he had realised it was his purpose to help the needy and so he had joined Asha and her S1W in Canada. Max seemed to have taken that in surprisingly well, but she still had nights to go through. That usually was when she turned to him. Then he felt slightly… special.

 

He assumed that it was another Logan-crisis then, but he just didn’t have the power to do that tonight. He couldn’t sit there beside her and listen to her analysing the failed relationship over and over again, he couldn’t let her cry on his shoulder and tell her that everything was going to be all right. He just didn’t have the strength. Not now.

 

“Max, I’m tired. Can’t we talk tomorrow?” he asked.

 

“No,” she instantly burst out. “It can’t wait.”

 

Alec saw the desperation in her eyes. He ran a hand through his wet hair and cursed himself for saying the next thing. “All right, but I shower first.”

 

He let her in and headed to the bathroom. He honestly didn’t care telling her to sit down. All he had in mind was a hot shower. When he felt the hot water run down his body, he finally relaxed and warmed up. Somehow he hoped that she had enough of waiting for him and had disappeared. But when he emerged from the shower and glimpsed into the living room, she sat on the couch, intensely studying her hands.

 

He changed into dry jeans and a sweater. Realising that he couldn’t possibly let her sit out there all by herself for the rest of the night, he joined her.

 

“Drink?” he asked.

 

She shook her head no, still studying her hands.

 

He sat down on the other end of the couch, observing Max. “Okay, what is it that was so urgent you wanted to talk about?” he said, his tone unnerving.

 

Max seemed to notice and looked up. His heart contracted painfully at what he saw in her eyes, though he wasn’t really sure what it was. She held his gaze for a moment, then broke away.

 

“I wanted to explain.” It came out as a whisper.

 

Alec frowned, not really getting where this was going. He was ready for the usual Logan-talk; he even had his pep talk ready. But this was really not what he had expected.

 

Carefully, he asked: “Explain what?”

 

She avoided his gaze as she spoke. “My behaviour over the last couple of weeks.” She paused. “No, over the past few months.”

 

Alec was waiting for her to continue and eventually she did. “See, I was not really fair to you. I was all bitchy. I mean,” she quickly added with a side glance to him, “more than usual. And I wanted to apologise for that.”

 

She paused and looked him straight in the eye. “But I feel an apology is too meagre. So I want to explain why. I only found out tonight, so it’s still all a bit… blurry.”

 

He waited for her to go on, trying to digest the fact that Max had used the words ‘I’ and ‘apologise’ in the same sentence.

 

“There is someone.”

 

It was a blow that would have knocked him off his feet if he were standing.

 

She quickly continued. “There has been for a long time and I didn’t fully realise until tonight. I was so stupid, all this time… Right before my eyes…” She looked at him and smiled weakly. “I’m not making myself clear, am I?”

 

He raised an eyebrow and felt his right temple starting to ache. “Not exactly.”

 

She took a deep breath. “See, all this time there was someone there, right in front of my eyes and I was just too blind to see. I refused to see. But I believed… you know… Logan and I… were… an item. But then he split up. He had seen before me, and, gosh, this is so simple!” She laughed.

 

Alec watched her, not knowing what ghost possessed her body at the moment. Maybe she had ‘gone Ben‘.

 

“It is so simple!” Max repeated and she now seemed all excited. “It is so easy, because he was there for me when I needed him most; he was the only one to understand, the only one who really cared, the only one who sees me for who I am and accepts me without ever questioning me.” She paused, looking at Alec again and smiling at his clueless face. “And OC had to tell me to my face who it was. Gosh, I was so blind.”

 

Alec sat in silence for a moment, seriously doubting her sanity. Because her babbling made no sense to him. “Max,” he started tentatively. “Are you sure you’re okay? I mean, did you hit your head or something?”

 

Max smiled. “No, I didn’t hit my head. Actually, I think I’ve never seen things so clearly as now.”

 

“What’s it got to do with OC anyway?” Alec quietly inquired. He watched her study him. He started to feel slightly uncomfortable. Just what was it with her tonight?

 

“OC opened my eyes today. She tried for a couple of weeks, but today, she really managed. And then I saw for myself just an hour ago. And she was right, all this time she was right.” Despite the hurt her words caused, Alec had to smile at her excitement. He knew he had lost her to another guy. The question was just to whom. From her statements, it must have been someone she knew. Sketchy? Normal? He nearly chuckled at that thought. Biggs? A pang of jealousy throbbed through him, leaving his entire body aching. She had been together with Biggs a lot recently.

 

“Well, don’t you want to know his name?” she asked, her eyes sparkling.

 

Alec sighed inwardly. Love must be wonderful - before the sucking part began. “Will you kick my ass if I say no?”

 

She slightly tilted her head. “Thoroughly.”

 

“Okay, what’s his name?”

 

“Alec.”

 

He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, I’m listening. Avidly. So what’s his name?”

 

“Alec,” she said again, adding softly: “It is you, Alec.”

 

He sat there thunderstruck and then suddenly got up. This could not be happening. This could so not be real. Gosh, the booze seemed to have worked after all. He really had just had a hilarious hallucination.

 

“Come again, I think something’s wrong with my hearing or they have one hell of a Scotch at Crash. I just thought I heard you say it’s me.” Alec forced a laugh.

 

Max stood, watching him with eyes he had never seen before. She stepped closer. Alec gulped at her sight. She didn’t exactly look as if she wanted to kick his balls for that comment. But then, this was Max. You never knew with her. But if this was what that Scotch was doing, he sure would enjoy that hallucination for as long as it lasted.

 

“You heard me right,” Max said, closing the distance between them. “It is you. OC saw you with me at the lockers and she saw your face. And then later this evening, I was at Crash and saw you drinking and… I heard you call out my name.”

 

Alec blinked dumbfounded. His head was spinning. “Could you please pinch--”

 

He was cut off as two hands pulled his head down and hungry lips met his. The world exploded around him at the touch of her lips. Suddenly, he seemed to break free from the spiral that was dragging him down. He felt light-headed and dizzy. The cold hand that had clutched his heart suddenly let loose and disappeared. Warmth was filling him, floating through every fibre of his heart. His world was shifting back in place. Her arms felt like home.

 

Alec realised that his arms were still hanging to his sides. They went around her waist to her back, pulling her closer to him. If he had thought his mind was reeling earlier on then this was one hell of a roller coaster ride. Suddenly, he pulled away, searching her eyes. He needed to know.

 

“Is this real? Are you real?” he asked out of breath.

 

“I thought I had convinced you it wasn’t a dream,” Max smiled. “I guess I’ll have to find other ways of proving it to you.”

 

Her hand sneaked down his back to his butt, pressing herself hard against him.

 

His body reacted immediately. “Yeah, please do.”

 

She tugged at his sweater and he flipped it up and over his head. It landed somewhere on the floor, quickly joined by her jacket and her pullover. He stared at her, not really daring to touch her. He was afraid she might disappear, run from him.

 

She seemed to understand and took his right hand. She placed it right above her heart, placing her hand on top of his. He felt her accelerated heartbeat, smelt her arousal, saw her determination.

 

“Don’t you want me?” she whispered, suddenly uncertain of his feelings.

 

He almost burst out laughing, but he opted for smiling tenderly at her. “Do I want you?” With his free hand he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Heck, yes, I do!”

 

Before she could say something, his lips claimed hers again. His tongue softly asking for entrance and she gladly opened her lips for him. A jolt of electricity went through them when their tongues touched for the first time. They probed, explored, tasted, danced and sensed.

 

Somehow, they made it to Alec’s room and closed the door. He laid Max on the bed, joining her, his lips never leaving hers. His hands eagerly explored her skin. It felt like satin, silk, so wonderfully soft. His fingertips caused goose bumps to rise and he smiled. His lips wandered down the curve of her neck, leaving a trail of kisses. She tasted so good. He wanted this to never end. He wanted to make her his. Mark her as his mate.

 

His mouth was travelling down to her breasts. His hands went around to her back to unhook the bra and seconds later it momentarily connected with the door, before hitting the ground. Alec’s lips closed around a nipple, softly licking and sucking, causing Max to moan in sweet agony. His one hand gently caressed her other breast, whilst his other hand unbuttoned her jeans.

 

She pushed her hands against his chest and back so that they were both sitting. Quickly, she slipped out of her jeans and Alec got rid of his. They stared at each other for a moment, then their eyes locked.

 

They met halfway as Alec’s lips crashed down on hers. It was passionate, all teeth and tongues, expressing the desire they felt for one another. He gently pushed her back down again and positioned himself above her, working his way down from her mouth. He halted at her breasts again, kissing and sucking the soft flesh. Then his hot lips trailed the path further down, to her stomach. Max was making little sounds that turned him on even more. When he reached the waistband of her panties, she gasped. He looked up and met her eyes. They were dark with passion.

 

With one fluid motion, he pulled down the lingerie. Before the clothing hit the floor, his mouth was on her inner thighs, kissing, licking.

 

Max’s hands fisted in his hair, trying to bring him to the part she was most aching to be touched. But he took his time. Drawing small circles on her soft skin with his tongue, then softly blowing over the spot he had just licked, causing her to shiver and moan.

 

Finally, he turned his attention to her aching centre. He could see the moisture glistening in her soft curls. Gently and very carefully he licked at her clit. Her head snapped back, her hands in his hair gripped him almost painfully, her back arched.

 

Alec softly but firmly took her hands and pinned her arms to her side. He repeated his action on her clit and then stilled to let his breath run over the still wet spot. Max quivered. A loud moan escaped her throat when Alec started to lick and suck at her swollen flesh. He released her hands and they stayed in place. Alec smiled. As he continued licking and sucking, one hand caressed the soft skin of her inner thigh, wandering down to the hollow of her knee. Further down, light as a feather’s touch, savouring the silky feel of her skin, stopping at her ankle and slowly working its way up again.

 

Max now was now throbbing and shivering violently, her breathing ragged. As Alec slipped a finger into her hot depth, he heard her purr down in her throat. He added another finger, moving in and out, promises of what was to come. The soft caress of his fingers on her leg, his fingers moving faster and faster in and out of her, his mouth licking and sucking at her pulsing clit drove her crazy, lifting her higher and higher. Alec noticed she was close. He hummed against her clit and propelled her into blissful oblivion.

 

The world exploded around her and she didn’t even hear herself calling out his name. To Alec, it was the sweetest sound he had ever heard, the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He kissed his way back up her body, lying between her legs, stilling every now and then to pay special attention to a particularly soft spot on her skin. He looked down on her face. Her cheeks were flushed, her lips slightly open. When she opened her eyes, his heart constricted. He was overwhelmed by what he saw. He bent his head and kissed her feverishly.

 

He needed to taste her, imprint her on his mind so he would never forget. Her hands came up, caressing his back and it drove him crazy. He felt her kiss his chest, slightly nibble on his neck, moving up, finding his ear. She slowly traced the form of his ear with her tongue. Alec closed his eyes and buried his head in the hollow of her neck. He positioned himself at her opening.

 

“Alec,” Max breathed into his ear.

 

The sensation nearly undid him and with a long, hard push, he was buried inside her. They both gasped at the feel and Alec stilled to let her adjust to him. His head came up from her neck, finding her eyes and locking with them. He started to move out of her. Slowly, until he was almost out of her to push into her again with a long, strong, hard stroke. His movements were slow, careful, savouring and yet powerful.

 

It had never felt this way before. Usually, he would rush things and seek for release as fast as possible. But not with Max. He wanted to take it slow, enjoy every second of it. He wanted to feel every inch of her, every muscle wrapping around him, her legs wrapped around his hips, her hands on his butt, trying to take him in deeper. He wanted to make love to her.

 

As he continued to move in and out of her, he was drowning in her eyes. They needed no words. Their actions physically expressed their feelings and for what they didn’t find words, they found in each other’s eyes. Alec accelerated his movements, his hand caressing her flushing cheek, then moving down to her breast, softly rubbing the nibble against the palm of his hand. Then it wandered down over the soft skin of her belly to her hip, drawing circles, continuing down her thigh to come to a rest at the back of her knee. Gently, he pushed up her leg, until the back of her knee rested on his shoulder. They both moaned at the deeper penetration angle. Alec could feel his tip hit her cervix. It drove him mad, but he wanted to prolong this as long as possible.

 

His hand travelled down her leg and found her swollen clit. His thumb rubbed it, circling it, stroking it, hard, soft, then hard again. He could see in her eyes that she was building. Alec accelerated his movements and his hips pumped in and out of her at a maddening speed. Her hips lifted off the bed to meet him and together they sped each other towards orgasm. Alec felt it hit her when her muscles clamped down hard around him. Here pupils dilated and she seemed to lose focus.

 

Alec pumped in and out of her faster, harder. She was so tight, her muscles clamping around him, trying to milk him for all he was worth. He bent his head into the hollow of her neck, kissing, sucking her sensitive spot there. Suddenly, orgasm propelled him over the edge and he sunk his teeth into her skin. The slight pain set Max off again and she shouted his name out loud. The faint coppery taste of blood on his lips made his body jerk into hers again and again, finally releasing his hot seamen into her. Giving her body what it had been waiting for. Having finally found completion.

 

After a couple of moments, Alec propped up on his elbows, carefully removing Max’ knee from his shoulder and helping her bring it back down. He slid out of her, feeling all her muscles tremble. He felt shaky too. But when he saw her face, he had to taste her again. It was a tender kiss and she made it linger by holding his head close to hers.

 

He rolled them over, to their sides, resting his forehead to hers, pecking her lips every now and then. It was amazing. She was amazing. Sex had never been so good. It had never been so… intense. She completed him. As she gazed up into his eyes with heavy eyelids, he gently caressed her cheek. He kissed her one last time, before sleep claimed him as well.

 

* * * *

 

Alec woke to the smell of fresh coffee. He turned around in bed and sleepily opened his eyes. The side in his bed was empty. Alec sighed heavily. The cold hand started coming back, torturing his heart. She probably had already left. He shook his head at himself and got up. Her clothes were gone. He gathered some clothes and went to take a shower. He was looking for his shaving foam, when he suddenly realised something was different. He thought hard and then stilled in awe.

 

There on the sink, sat a perfectly new, blue toothbrush just beside his.

 

He picked it up. It was still wet from use. It smelt of toothpaste and something else. Then he heard someone talking in the kitchen. Joshua and Max. Alec started to smile.

 

“Alec get your ass out of the bathroom, breakfast’s ready!” Max shouted.

 

He quickly shaved and got dressed and casually wandered into the kitchen. He sat down at the table, seeing nothing but Max sitting opposite of him.

 

Josh grinned up at him. “Morning! Medium and little fella getting busy. Several times. Joshua heard.”

 

Alec would have blushed, had he not completely ignored Joshua.

 

“Josh! We’ve already talked about that, haven’t we?” she shot the dog man a killer look.

 

Joshua quickly ducked away, but kept on grinning.

 

Alec, who was completely oblivious to this as he still was staring at Max in utter amazement, said: “Could you please pinch me? Again?”

 

“I’ll tell you what I’ll do, I’m gonna kick your ass!” she glared.

 

Her hand flew out to smack him. He squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the blow. Nothing came. Instead, he suddenly felt Max’ lips on his. Surprised, he opened his eyes and pulled away. The smile on her face took his breath away.

 

“Good morning,” she said, happy her trick had worked.

 

“Morning,” he smiled and felt her lips on his again. She smelt of coffee, cereals and faintly of toothpaste. Alec felt the cold hand disappear and his heart was nearly bursting with happiness. Life was good.