BountyHunterpart14

A cold beer sounded good to Maria DeLuca. A lot of cold beer sounded even better. She trudged up the steps to her hotel room; exhaustion from the heat and sexual frustration over Michael Guerin were weighing her down. When she stepped into her room she was glad she had left the a/c running while she was gone. The coolness of the room was invigorating.

She pulled her ripped shirt over her head and tossed it to the floor making a mental note to get reimbursed for two ripped shirts during the hunt for Liz Parker.

She took her boots, socks and shorts off and laid down completely nude on the cool polyester blend bedspread and damned herself. Damned herself for slipping up with Liz Parker and double damned herself for the flirtation with her temporary partner.

Now off for cocktails with said partner and his friend. His friend with the great smile and suspicious actions. She dragged herself off the bed and to the bathroom for a shower; she hoped the shower would not only wash away the sweat, but any desire for Michael Guerin as well.

* * *
Michael arrived at Little Green Bar as Max Evans pulled into the parking lot. After a fast conversation with Isabel and an even faster shower, he'd dressed in jeans and a dry white T-shirt. It was too tight for him, but Isabel always said it gave off the illusion of him looking a lot better than he really did. He took that as a compliment. His hair was still damp as the two friends walked side by side into their favorite watering hole.

"So, where's Maria?" Max asked once they had sat in a booth, a change of scenery from their normal bar stools.

Michael narrowed his eyes and noticed Max looked a lot better than he normally did. His hair wasn't flat and flyaway, but gelled or moussed or something. He wasn't dressed like the nerdy scholar Michael had become accustomed to either. He was actually dressed similar to Michael in jeans and a T-shirt.

"I'm sure she'll be here," Michael said slowly and considered the fact that Max might be wanting to make a move on the woman Michael was already falling for. Falling in lust, that is.

"She is here," Maria stood at the end of the table and debated who to sit next to. Michael, who she wanted to jump, or Max, the stranger with the great smile? She sat next to Max.

Maria DeLuca cleaned up nice. A pair of ecru linen shorts and a white button-down short sleeved shirt with sandals. Michael actually tried to see if she was wearing a bra or not. He decided if she wasn't, he was going to physically break the air conditioner in the bar.

"So, you're like him?" Max smiled at her.

"She's not like me," Michael shook his head.

"I'm not like him," Maria pointed across the table.

"Oh God," Max rolled his eyes. "Now there's two of you? I meant, so you're a bounty hunter too, huh? You seem too�What's the word I'm looking for?"

"With ovaries?" Maria supplied and earned one of those great smiles.

"No, more like petite." Max laughed. "I guess I just picture a female bounty hunter as being more�Not like you." He winked as he saved himself from something uncomfortable.

The waitress came and took their orders before Maria responded. "Isn't your sister one?"

"Iz?" Max laughed along with Michael. "Isabel is more of the office type. Right?" He cast his eyes across the table to Michael who looked at him with an unreadable face.

"She can hold her own," Michael defended his partner. "We've gone out and brought people in together before, she'd probably a lot stronger than you give her credit for, Max."

Max shrugged and turned his attention back to Maria. "So, how did you become a bounty hunter?"

"My uncle was one," Maria said before she could stop herself. Sharing with others was too close to playing well with others. "He got me into it."

"DeLuca?" Michael asked, his eyes wide.

"Guerin?" Maria bugged her eyes out at him and waited.

"Chuck DeLuca, he was your uncle." Michael stated rather than asked. "Man, I didn't even put that together."

"You knew Chuck?" Maria asked, the words catching in her throat.

"Not personally, just by reputation." Michael waited for the waitress to set down their drinks before continuing. "He was the best bounty hunter on the West Coast from what I've heard about him."

"You heard correctly, he was the best."

"What happened to him?" Max's dark eyes were full of concern as his hand touched her arm.

"He was killed in a convenience store hold-up," Maria took a sip of her beer. "A few years ago."

"I'm sorry," Max squeezed her arm reassuringly.

Maria smiled at him and nodded. Something was off with Max Evans, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. "Thank you."

"You really did learn from the best didn't you?" Michael raised his eyebrows, a look of awe on his face.

"Yeah, I did."

"I took a class," Michael shook his head. "Well, that and I watched a hell of a lot of re-runs of Renegade."

Maria grinned and bit her bottom lip as she saw something new take over the cocky attitude of Michael Guerin, respect.

"That's pretty cool," Max nodded. "So how do you like Roswell?"

She looked at him confused, then her eyes grew wide. "Roswell, right, you mean one of the circles of hell. I hate it here, actually."

"I told her it was a heat wave," Michael explained. He was beginning to feel slightly uncomfortable sitting across from the other two. Jealousy sprang up out of nowhere towards Max and he didn't like it.

"Yeah, it is hot out there," Max nodded.

"Yeah, I probably lost about eleven pounds of sweat sitting in that truck all day." Maria smiled and thought about the way that Michael's wet T-shirt had hugged his abs. The hunger in his eyes when he stared at her breasts. She looked across the table at him and wondered if he was getting as hot as she was. The ache between her legs was turning into a fire.

"Well, you looked great." Max smiled pulling Maria out of her daydreams.

"Thanks, so Max. What were doing at the Parker's?" Maria felt herself slip right back into work mode knowing it work make Chuck proud. She thought she'd heard a flopping sound a few seconds ago and realized it was Chuck turning over in his grave at her behavior. She was a bounty hunter and she had a job to do.

"Just what I said earlier, I was just checking on Nancy." Max nodded and took a drink from his bottle, lowering his head as he did.

"Max, cut the bullshit and tell me what the fuck's going on." Michael's words were cool.

"No bullshit, Michael." Max shook his head.

"So you haven't heard from Liz, at all?"

"I haven't heard from or seen Liz since her and her dad left Roswell," Max answered a little vehemently that was needed. "Get off it, okay?"

"It's my job," Michael glanced at Maria, "It's our job."

"I don't know anything, okay?" Max finished his beer with one more long swallow. "But from what you remember of Liz, do you really think she's the type to steal money?"

Michael shrugged. "People change, Maxwell. People change."

"Yeah, they do." Max responded then touched Maria's arm. "I can't stay, not that the company wasn't delightful, but I have some homework to do tonight, still. Will you excuse me?"

Maria stood up and let Max out of the booth. "Nice to meet you Max."

He took her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing her knuckle. "Likewise, maybe you would care to accompany me to dinner tomorrow night? I could show you that Roswell is not actually one of the circles of hell."

Maria smiled and nodded. "Sure, Max, that'd be great." She reached into her backpack and got out a business card. "Here's my cell number."

Max smiled as he tucked the card into his back pocket. "Tomorrow," he smiled at her then turned to Michael. "Michael."

Michael watched in shock as Max walked away. "What are you doing?" He accused when Maria sat back down. "What the hell was that about?"

"Your friend is hiding something," Maria shrugged.

"So you're going to go on a date with him?" he asked incredulously.

"It's called working, Guerin," she rolled her eyes and was filled with the satisfaction of hearing jealousy in his voice.

"Whatever," Michael looked around for their waitress and motioned for another beer.

"You sound a little jealous there, Guerin."

Michael didn't answer; he only looked at her. He licked his lips and smiled.

Maria felt the heat rise through her. She wanted him so bad she could almost taste him. She felt her bare breasts press against the cool cotton of the button-down shirt and wondered if she should have worn a bra. It was just so hot�

"I'm not jealous," he said as the waitress delivered two fresh beers and picked up the empty bottles. "Why would I be jealous?"

Maria shrugged and wondered if she had been reading him wrong. All of the lascivious behavior she thought she had picked up on him before could have been nothing at all. The staring at her breasts? What sane man wouldn't stare at almost bare breasts?

"Okay," she pushed the bottle away. "I think I'm just going to go back to my hotel, I'm tired and pissed off and I think I need a good nights sleep."

"For your date?" He downed the rest of the bottle while pulling money out of his wallet. "What time shall I meet you in the morning?"

"I can come to the office around seven? Eight?" Maria noticed a change in his demeanor that told her he was jealous. Knowing that, it sent a different kind of spark through her.

"Eight is good," he tossed the money on the table. "I'm going home." He stood and waited to see if Maria was going to leave with him. He smiled when he saw her rise. He followed her out of the bar and saw her jeep backed in next to his truck.

"So," she leaned against the metal of the truck's driver's side door.

"So what?" He shrugged and licked his suddenly very dry lips.

"We cool?"

"Yeah DeLuca, we're cool." He smiled and shook his head. "You sure you're going out with Max for work reasons?"

"Yeah Guerin, I'm sure," she stepped closer to him, their bodies inches apart. She looked up at him. "Just work. Are you sure you're not jealous?"

Michael looked down into her eyes and then leaned forward. He pushed her body against his truck, his groin grinding into hers. His hands reaching under the cotton shirt to touch what he had been thinking about since they were in the Crashdown. His mouth fell onto hers, his tongue prying inside.

Maria reached around him and ran one hand through his hair, the other down his back. She felt his hands underneath her shirt, cupping her breasts, then rolling her nipples between his forefinger and thumb. She could feel his erection crushing into her, making her pelvis buck against him. Wanting him.

She felt one of his hands slide down the front of her, his fingers edging their way down underneath the waist of her shorts. She sucked in her stomach to allow him to enter her shorts.

With a gasp, she felt his fingers touch her wetness. She pushed down on his hand while devouring his mouth with hers.

He pulled his hand out of her shorts and pushed her shirt up over her breasts exposing them to himself and anyone else who happened by. He lowered his head away from hers and attached his lips to one rosy pert nipple. She clasped his head with her hands and moaned.

Michael stopped almost as fast as he had started. He faced her, excited to see her flushed and smirked. "No DeLuca, I'm not jealous."

Maria caught her breath, pulled down her shirt and smiled before walking past him and getting into her jeep.

TBC