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RhondaAnn: Beware unwanted veggies!

Maria knew exactly what he needed.

emadaps: Michael's slowly changing, but it's going to take time for him to be able to deal with his past. But, Maria, as we all know, will be instrumental in that.

chinkyeyes45: We totally agree with you! Maria knew she had to let Michael come to her. Pushing him would've only escalated his mood.

CandyGirl1980: Yeah, they're not gonna make anyone's 'good' list! But he's got Maria and his brothers and sister to help him through it.

Don't hold your breath, lol! They're getting there.

Luluzita: Thanks! We hope you'll like the new fic!

Michael still has a long way to go, but he's finally realized that he needs help to get there.

blxgyrl18: LOL, well, it was the first time he's ever cared enough to worry about that. Yes, things are progressing quite nicely… let's see what happens with that.

valentinebaby: He will… he's just been kicked down so many times that all he sees most of the time is the bad things.

We'll begin posting today!

flora: Yay for the Internet connection!

No worries, he will.

And today you'll get both!

jana1977.roswellheaven: Well, those three little words are right there for both of them, now it's just a matter of getting them out.

Our boy is definitely in love and he's about to realize it.

xmag: Very good question.

buffster67: No worries… while we're sure there's gonna be some disagreement, lol, it's still too soon in light of recent events.

Michael will still struggle with believing that he's worth loving, but he's beginning to think that just maybe it might be true.

Part 64 - New Beginnings

Michael was the first to wake the next morning and the first thing that registered in his fuzzy brain was that he hadn't slept alone. The thing that surprised him even more than that was the fact that he kinda liked waking up with Maria. He had rarely spent the night with one of his 'dates' and on those occasions he had been quick to make an exit before things could get complicated. He didn't feel the need to do that with her though and he shifted around so he could ease his left arm out from under her sleep-heavy body. He had no idea how he had managed to get his arm under her, but the entire limb was numb and the pins and needles rushed to the surface the moment his arm was free and circulation was re-established.

She grumbled in her sleep and burrowed closer to him until he finally gave in, shifting onto his back so she could drape herself over him. He wiggled closer to the back of the couch when he realized that he wasn't far from the edge and she settled more fully against him as his body conformed to the comfortably worn cushions.

He felt around on the floor for the remote and picked it up after several attempts to retrieve it, aiming it at the television and scanning through the channels. The sun was barely showing on the eastern horizon, but the newscasters were already talking about the biggest sale day of the year. The sports channels were going over the big game from the day before and predicting the winners for Sunday's lineup.

He scanned through the rest of the channels several times and wondered if soap operas ever took a day off. The damn things were always on, he thought as he flipped past yet another one. Game shows, news, another soap opera... why did he pay for cable again? He finally just turned the television off and reached behind him to drop the remote on the end table.

"Wha' time is it?" Maria mumbled against his neck.

"I don't know... early. It's probably eight, maybe a little before." He couldn't be bothered to move so that he could see the alarm clock on the nightstand.

"Make breakfast for me, Michael."

"Make breakfast for you?" he repeated.

"Yeah... please?"

"You got somethin' in mind?" he asked, hoping she wouldn't ask for anything that required the use of syrup. He didn't need a reminder of the last time he had made breakfast for her and it had taken them half the day to get around to actually eating it.

Maria propped her elbow on his chest and looked down at him, deciding she liked the way he looked when he was all rumpled and barely awake. "How d'you do with omelets?"

"Depends on my motivation."

"And if I said we'll talk after breakfast?"

"Then I'd say I'm feelin' motivated."

"Perfect." She wrinkled her nose. "I need to brush my teeth. I don't suppose you have an extra toothbrush?" She wasn't sure if she wanted him to say yes to that or not.

Michael bit the inside of his cheek as he considered her question. Should he be that honest? Yeah, he finally decided, if they were ever gonna get anywhere they needed to put all their cards out on the table. "No... I never let anyone stay over so I've never had a reason to keep extra stuff like that around."

Maria nodded. "Good."

"But, I can go confiscate one from Max' stash... I know he's got some spares lyin' around."

"Okay... and then you'll go fix breakfast while I freshen up?"

"Yeah, I'll do that."

"Perfect." Maria smiled at him and eased off of him to get to her feet.

*****

Michael opened the refrigerator and rested his left forearm on the door as he stared at the contents inside. He had taken a quick shower before turning the bathroom over to Maria and she had rushed him out, reminding him that she was hungry. He was pretty sure that she was trying to keep things as normal as possible and he loved her for it. Somehow she knew that he wasn't ready to talk about what had happened the day before and she was respecting his boundaries.

His previous thought suddenly registered and he straightened up in shock. He loved her? Oh, boy, what was he gonna do now? He had never let this happen before and he didn't know what to do with the knowledge. Who was he kidding? He had never been in this position, had never had such an emotional connection, with any other girl.

It was the first time he had given his feelings for her a name and even though the word was enough to scare him it felt right.

"Michael? What're you doin'?"

Her voice pulled him from his musings and he turned to look at her. "I forgot we haven't really picked any groceries up because Kyle and Max were both gonna be outta town through the weekend, so I don't have the stuff for an omelet."

"Oh, that's okay. You have coffee?"

"Uh-huh, cabinet over the coffee pot." He watched her as she pulled down the canister of coffee and a moment later she noticed the smaller can hidden in the back.

"What's this?"

"That's the fancy crap that Max drinks; some special imported blend that he pays an arm and a leg for." He glanced at his phone when it started ringing and he shrugged when Maria motioned to it. He watched her as she picked it up and glanced at the caller ID before flipping it open and lifting it up to her ear. He filled a glass with crushed ice and poured tea over it, taking a drink and leaning back against the counter at the opposite end of the kitchen.

"Hey, Brooke, what's goin' on?"

He drummed his fingers on the counter idly while she carried on a short conversation with his sister, knowing that Brooke was grilling her for information about him.

"Um-hmm, sure, that does sound good, but let me check with him and see what he thinks, okay?" She nodded. "Okay, we'll call you right back."

"What was that all about?" he asked after she had disconnected the call.

"Your family would like it if we'd come by for breakfast."

"You wanna go," he guessed.

She walked over to stand in front of him, leaving distance between them so he wouldn't feel like he was being pressured. "They need to know that you're okay, Michael; they need to see for themselves that after everything that happened yesterday you're still in one piece."

Michael lifted the glass to his lips, draining the tea and then taking a mouthful of ice that he chewed slowly as he looked away. "I haven't been in one piece for more years than I care to think about. I've been torn apart and put back together too many times; I just hide it better than most," he muttered finally, admitting something aloud that he had never even admitted to his own self.

He looked so shattered that it broke her heart and Maria couldn't stop herself from reaching out to him; for the first time he was revealing a side of himself that he had always kept so carefully hidden. Michael's emotions were always a minefield, but she had a feeling that the slightest misstep would cause him to shut down and she would lose any chance of getting him to open up.

She took the glass from him and set it on the counter behind him, giving him time to back away if he wasn't ready to let her touch him. When he remained in the same place and allowed her to wrap her arms around him she felt a little more confident about things.

"I'm sorry," he said after several minutes. "I just… I said some things the past few days that I didn't mean and I don't know what to do to make it right." His arms came around her in a crushing grip and he felt her arms tighten around him in response.

"You don't get to take all the blame for this mess between us, Michael." She leaned back just enough to meet his gaze and she saw the questions there. "That night at the cabin… when you asked about us havin' sex, I had the feelin' that there was more behind the question, but then I asked you about it and the next thing I knew we were in the middle of an argument." She shook her head and reached up to place a finger against his lips when he started to speak. "I shouldn't have been so quick to get into an argument because I knew there was more to it, but when you got defensive and said it was because you had hadn't done any proper fuckin' in months…" She tried to bite back the pain that came rushing back as the memory resurfaced. "And then you said that you had never expected that we'd make it this long without havin' sex, it hurt, and I got defensive, too."

"I didn't mean that, Maria… I swear to God, I never fuckin' meant to say those things an' hurt you like that." He shook his head when he saw the tears shimmering in her green eyes. "When I asked about us havin' sex I expected resistance because we've got that stupid-ass agreement between us, but what I wasn't expectin' was the way you looked at me… like you were lookin' so far into my soul that you were gonna see that I'm not worth takin' that kinda risk." He shrugged self-consciously. "And, yeah, I got defensive because it's a helluva lot easier to be the one who leaves instead of the one who gets left, right? I may not put it out there for the entire world to see, but I'm not so stupid that I don't know where this thing between us is headin', and I know if it doesn't work out it's gonna hurt like nothin' I've ever felt… I'm sure you've got the same reservations and I just… I'm sorry for everything I said, Maria."

She stared up at him, shocked beyond words at the way he was putting himself out there. He was more open in that moment than he had been the entire time they had been together and she desperately wanted him to stay that way. "I'm sorry, too, Michael… you're not the only one that said things that were mean and designed to hurt, things that never should've been said." She couldn't move her gaze from his and she reached up to stroke his stubborn jaw. "Things that I wish I could take back because no matter how much I was hurtin' at the time, you didn't deserve to have those things thrown in your face."

"Hell, we both said things we didn't mean, baby," he whispered as he leaned down to press a soft kiss to her lips.

"I saw what your parents did to you yesterday, Michael," she cried, unable to hold her tears back any longer. "I hurt you the same way."

"No, Maria, listen to me…" He lifted her chin and used the pads of his thumbs to brush her tears away. "It wasn't the same thing, baby. Let's just let all that go, okay? I've hurt you, you've hurt me… we're both intense, passionate people; chances are good that we'll hurt each other again because neither of us are perfect and when emotions like that get involved the feelings are gonna be more powerful, whether they're good or bad. So, from this point on, let's just take things as they come, okay?"

"We can't just forget what we said to each other," she said, unsure of where he was going with his thoughts.

"No, we can't, and I don't think we should. It's important for us to know that we have the ability to hurt each other that badly, and maybe it'll help us to keep from takin' that road again. And, for God's sake, Maria, let's take that damned agreement off the table."

Maria could feel her heart teetering on the precipice and she knew just how close she was to falling completely in love with him. "You're serious?"

"I'm serious." He glanced up when his phone rang again. "We should've known better than to ever think that we could do what we've been doin' and not get involved. So, we start fresh, today, and we let whatever's gonna happen just… happen."

"And if that happens to include sex?"

His right eyebrow quirked in question and he shook his head. "If?"

"When," she corrected herself.

"When it happens," he smirked as he reached past her for the phone, "we're gonna hope that we don't kill each other after the time we've spent denyin' what we really want." He handed the phone to her. "You can talk to Brooke while I finish getting dressed."

"We'll need to run by my place so I can change; I'm still wearin' yesterday's clothes."

"Did I tell you how hot you look in that dress?"

"No." She took a step back and looked down at herself before looking at him again. "Maybe yesterday; now I'm all wrinkled."

"Well, you could take it off and it wouldn't be an issue anymore," he suggested, leaning in for another kiss before he turned to go back to his bedroom. "Of course, we'd never make it to breakfast and you'd have to explain that to my family…"

"Not happenin', Guerin!" she yelled after him. She flipped his phone open and hit the button to call Brooke back, shaking her head at him when he paused in the hallway and started to slowly unzip his jeans.

"You sure about that?"

"When it happens, it's not gonna be somethin' that we have to squeeze in before breakfast with your family, so put a leash on Mike Jr. and go get ready." She rolled her eyes and smiled while she waited for the call to be answered; they had made a lot of progress and it was so much more than she had expected. Now, they just had to keep working at it to make sure they didn't fall into their old patterns.

*****

Liz came awake by degrees, squeezing her eyes shut against the invasive light streaming in through the windows. She tried to burrow closer to the warmth surrounding her and she froze when she heard a masculine chuckle and she felt the sound rumble beneath her cheek.

"Not a mornin' person?" Max rasped.

"Only if there's class," she mumbled.

"Well, then you stay here an' get some more sleep while I go brush my teeth," he said as he pressed a kiss against her head. "Because when you wake up I intend to kiss you properly." He rolled out of bed and went into his bathroom, not surprised when she hurried to leave his room. He grinned at his reflection as he grabbed his toothbrush; the question now was if she would come back.

Liz crept across the hall and slipped into her own room, stepping into the bathroom and closing the door so she could lean back against it. What should she do? she wondered, glancing at her reflection. "Oh, my God," she muttered as she saw her mussed hair.

She brushed her hair back into submission and then hurried through her morning routine as she tried to calm the butterflies in her stomach. She chewed on her thumbnail as she tried to figure out what she should do next. She met her gaze in the mirror and her expression changed to one of resolve; she was tired of hiding from what she wanted… even if she wasn't exactly sure what that was.

Max wrapped his hands around the bar that his father had installed over the closet door, and his muscles stood out as he pulled himself up level with the bar before lowering himself again. He held his breath when he heard the door open and shut behind him and a moment later the sheets rustled as she slid back into his bed.

Keep it under control, Evans, he reminded himself.

Liz watched him as he dropped back to the floor and turned to face her.

"You came back," he said, sounding pleased.

"Well, you did promise to kiss me properly."

Despite the confidence in her words he could hear the nervous tone underlying them. "I did promise that," he agreed as he moved to the end of the bed and climbed up on the mattress.

Liz's gaze was locked on his as he crawled up over her, his strong lithe body reminding her once again of a sleek black panther.

Max braced his hands flat on the mattress on either side of her head as he looked at her. "Think we could get rid of the blankets?" he asked.

She swallowed hard and nodded, pushing and kicking them out of the way. She felt herself tense when he used a knee to nudge her knees apart.

"We're not gonna do anything you're not comfortable with," he promised, sighing when her knees parted and he settled between her thighs.

"I'm sorry," Liz started, "I've never - "

"Huh-uh, darlin'," he interrupted, kissing her gently to stop the flow of words. "Don't ever apologize for that." He pressed gentle kisses all over her face before zeroing in on her mouth, taking it in a forceful kiss that she responded to in kind.

Liz ran her fingers through his hair, her nails raking against his scalp. His kiss was deep and alternated between gentle and rough, but she was with him the whole way. She was so involved in the hot, wet tangle of their tongues that she barely registered his hand sliding her shirt up until she felt a hint of coolness brush against her breasts.

Max shifted back when he felt her hesitation; he looked into her eyes as he tried to gauge her level of comfort. "Too much?" he asked as he tried to control his breathing.

Liz shook her head but she felt self-conscious; she knew she wasn't exactly well-endowed and her skin was pale… what if she wasn't attractive enough?

"You're beautiful, Liz."

"No, I'm not," she denied.

"I think you are." His tone was sincere as he met her gaze evenly. "And one of these days, when you're ready, I'm gonna worship every inch of your body with my hands and mouth."

Liz shivered at the husky promise in his voice. "You're sure you're not gonna be disappointed?" Her eyes shot wide open when he shifted and she felt his… Oh, my! She had never felt that part of any guy's body and his was pressed right against her… She flushed hotly as she realized that every nerve ending felt like it was on fire.

Max eased her tank top off while she was trying to recover from her first introduction to an erection and the moment he palmed her rosy-tipped breasts she shuddered.

Her eyes rolled back in her head when his lips closed over one nipple while rolling the other one between his fingertips. His teeth raked across the taught peak at the same moment that he rolled his hips, rubbing that intriguing part of his body up against her wet center.

"Oh, God, Max," she panted, her hips shifting in search of more contact. No wonder the girls always talked about this, she thought.

Max shifted his mouth to her other nipple to give it the same attention and he smiled against her flesh when she moaned and bucked up against him. He knew she was reacting purely on instinct when her legs locked around his lower back so she could grind herself against his erection.

Her hands were running over every inch of bare flesh that she could reach, learning his body by touch. Her fingernails dug into his back as she started to pant his name and he added more pressure as he pushed his flannel-clad erection against her throbbing center.

He ran his tongue over her nipples before surging up to kiss her roughly as her body shuddered and she continued to grind against him. He buried his face in the spot between her neck and shoulder as his own body stiffened and his toes dug into the mattress. "Holy hell," he mumbled as his body slumped heavily against her. After a couple of minutes he rolled over, taking her with him so that she ended up draped over his body. He brushed her hair back as he kissed her gently and stared into her eyes. "Good mornin'."

Liz felt her embarrassment begin to fade in the face of his teasing tone. "Does it always feel like that?"

"Darlin', believe it or not, it gets better than that."

It got better than that? "So, it was… it was good for you, too?"

"You made me come in my pants." He grinned at her when she blushed and started to apologize. "That just means you got me so hot I couldn't hold back."

Liz started to sit up but suddenly realized that she was naked from the waist up and she hurriedly grabbed her tank top. "Um, can you close your eyes?"

"Only if you close yours."

"What?"

"Well, you may have noticed that I don't have a shirt on…"

Liz shoved his shoulder when she realized what he was doing. "It's not the same thing," she said with a laugh.

"No? You like lookin' at me an' I like lookin' at you… don't see a difference there. You're a beautiful woman and while I have no problem with you coverin' up before goin' out to be around other people, I do have a problem with you thinkin' you need to hide your body from me."

Liz studied his expression as he waited for her response; it bothered him that she didn't want him to see her naked after what they had shared. "It's gonna take some time for me to get used to this, Max."

She's never done this before, he reminded himself as he nodded. "You're gonna have to be patient with me, too, Liz; this's new territory for both of us."

"Okay." She leaned in to kiss him, surprised when he rolled them over and took control of the kiss.

"I'm gonna go take a shower before we get distracted and I'd suggest you do the same… because if you're still in this bed when I come outta the shower, I'm gonna pounce." He pressed a kiss to the tip of her nose and pushed himself off of the bed. "I hope Mom's makin' a big breakfast because I'm starvin'."

Liz watched him as he walked into the bathroom and she pulled her tank top on before hurrying over to her own room. She ran into the bathroom and stared at herself in the mirror as she tried to decide if she looked any different.

*****

Brooke was so excited that Michael had agreed to come over for breakfast; she hadn't expected him to agree when Alex had told her call and to invite them over. She placed the coffee mugs on the table when she heard the front door being opened. "They're comin'," she hissed at Brendan, who was already sitting in his chair, ready to eat.

Alex and Isabel walked into the dining room and brought the coffee with them. "Relax, Brooke," Alex said when he noticed that his sister was nervous.

"Michael!" she shrieked when she saw him and Maria in the doorway.

"Hey, brat," he greeted, pulling her into a bear hug. "You make breakfast?" he asked as he released her.

"We all did," she answered. "Well, not Brendan." She glared at her youngest brother.

"What?" he mumbled around a mouthful of food. "I helped." He had put some stuff on the table and taken the trash out… that was helping.

"Okay, you two," Alex intervened, "why don't we all take our seats and enjoy breakfast without an argument of any kind."

"You guys have been busy," Maria said as she took a seat next to Michael. "Everything looks so wonderful."

"Yeah, we hope you're hungry," Isabel said and sat down as well.

"Starvin'," Michael muttered as he reached for a platter piled high with pancakes.

"Good," she smiled. He seemed to be okay right now. Obviously Brendan had been right about Maria taking care of him, and more importantly, about Michael letting her.

"So..." Michael poured syrup over his pancakes until they were nearly swimming and then he set the bottle aside. "How'd you get rid of them yesterday?"

The entire table looked up at him in surprise because nobody had expected him to mention the day before.

"Kicked them out," Alex said.

Maria pressed her leg against Michael's under the table, providing a comforting pressure and she smiled when he glanced at her with just the slightest nod.

"Good riddance," he muttered. "You think they're gonna cause any problems?"

"I'm not sure, but I've already called my lawyer just to be safe."

Michael nodded in approval and glanced around, making sure that Brooke noticed that he was looking for something.

Brendan looked down at his food, wishing he knew how to start a conversation with Michael. He really wanted to tell his brother that he was sorry for being so blind for so many years. But maybe he should wait until they had some time alone.

"What're you lookin' for?" Brooke asked.

"Orange juice..." He waited, knowing she'd offer to go and get him a glass.

"I'll get you one," she said, getting up to go to the kitchen.

As soon as she was out of the room he leaned across the table. "They're not gonna take her back, right?"

Alex sighed. "Oh, he made the threat, but we're not gonna let that happen, Michael."

"You told him that?"

"Of course."

"Does she know he made the threat?" he asked, nodding in Brooke's direction.

"No, she was in her room by the time we got around to the threats."

"Good." He settled back in his seat and glanced at his younger brother. "And you're not goin' sailin' with him tomorrow, right?"

"Hell, no!" Brendan shook his head in denial.

Brooke came back into the room and hurried around the table to place a glass of orange juice in front of Michael and she took the opportunity to give him a quick hug before going back to her seat. "So, are we gonna do somethin' today since things didn't go the way they were supposed to yesterday?" she asked.

"Have you got somethin' in mind?" Isabel asked. She thought that it would be a good idea to hang out together after the day before, too.

"Well, maybe we could go down to the beach? We could take a picnic lunch and just hang out?" Brooke glanced around the table, trying to read her brothers' expressions. "You wouldn't have to go in the water or anything, Bren," she said when she noticed his hesitation.

"Michael can't go in the water either," Maria said, motioning to his side where the stitches were hidden under his shirt.

"I can go in the water if I want to," Michael said, shaking his head defiantly. Okay, he wasn't really gonna go in the water because it would just be stupid, but he wasn't gonna be told what to do and just give in agreeably either. He smirked as he waited to see if Maria was gonna give him hell over his comment.

Maria noticed the smirk on his face. So he was testing her, huh? "Okay, big boy, but don't come cryin' to me when the salty water starts burnin' that injury," she tossed right back with a wink.

"Like I'm gonna let a little saltwater keep me outta the water." He rolled his eyes and carefully leaned forward to spear a couple more pancakes that he put on his plate. "I might stay outta the water if you've got somethin' better to offer," he teased.

"Okay, you two can end that conversation right there," Alex said, glancing at his brother.

"Oh, I'll be right back," Brooke said when she heard her cell phone ringing in the living room.

Michael shot a grin at his brother across the table and tried to pull his expression into something at least resembling innocent. "What?"

Alex waited until Brooke had left the room before he spoke again. "Don't pretend that you're clueless, little brother, and keep your sexual comments to yourself."

Maria let her right hand rest on his thigh when he slouched down in his seat and focused on his food. Her boy was pouting and trying to hide it, she thought, unable to hide a smile. She leaned in closer to him and whispered, "I've definitely got somethin' better to offer."

Alex cleared his throat and glanced at Maria warningly.

"Who was on the phone?" Brendan asked when Brooke came back. Maybe that would distract Alex from his twin and his hmmm... girlfriend?

"That was Luke, and he wanted to know if I wanted to go hang out and do somethin' with him."

Maria had to bite back a laugh when all three brothers looked up, alarmed.

"Who is Luke?" Brendan asked carefully.

Brooke sat down, her expression superior; she sooo had the upper hand right now! She was just about to speak up when Michael answered for her.

"He's the little horn-dog that's been sniffin' around her." Michael grinned at his sister when she kicked him under the table.

"He could come with us to the beach," Maria offered.

Alex wasn't sure he appreciated Maria's helpful intentions and he glanced at his girlfriend for guidance.

Isabel nodded. There was no way the guys would let her go out with him alone, but it was important for her to hang out with people her own age. "I think it'd be a good idea, Alex."

"Well, alright," he agreed finally, trusting Isabel's feelings on the subject. "But, you guys don't go off alone or anything."

Brooke rolled her eyes. "I'm not even sure if he'd go once I tell him that ALL of my brothers will be there too."

"Well, if he's too scared to go just because we're gonna be there..." Michael teased, knowing that would get his sister's attention.

"Keep it up, Michael," she warned, "and next time I won't call you to come over." She leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest.

"We just wanna know who you're hangin' out with," Brendan said.

"You won't call me to come over?" Michael snorted at that and set the syrup bottle down before pouring it over his pancakes so he could tear a piece of the pancake off and throw it at her. "You'll call me," he said confidently.

"Stop throwin' food in the house," Alex said, rolling his eyes. It just never got boring with them around. "Brooke, ask him if he wants to come, and Michael, be nice to him."

They both glanced at their oldest brother for a second. "I'm always nice." Michael ducked when Brooke threw the piece of pancake at him and he shot a quick glance at Alex when it landed on the floor. Tiny nails clicked on the hardwood floor as the dogs spotted the rare treat and proceeded to fight over it. "What? The dogs picked it up."

"Okay." Brooke gave in and went back to the living room to call Luke. But she didn't pass up the opportunity to give Michael a little smack on the back of his head.

He ducked down when Brooke smacked the back of his head, but he wasn't fast enough to avoid direct contact. He was reaching for something else to throw in her direction, but a warning glare from Alex had him changing his mind.

"So, which beach should we go to?" Maria asked.

"We can hit the private beach that belongs to those friends of Kyle's parents - they're only here during the summer, so they won't care," Michael said and then glanced at Maria. "You remember that beach... where we went cliff diving?"

She smiled. Oh yeah, how could she forget about that night? Kyle and Tess had left them on the beach without their clothes and things between her and Michael had started to heat up from that night on. "I do."

Michael nodded, satisfied that he didn't need to say anything else. "Might be some other things I can show you..."

Alex let his fork drop onto his plate. "Maybe the two of you should go somewhere else... so you can be alone." He shook his head, but he was fighting hard to keep himself from smiling. It was obvious that his brother had fallen for a girl for the first time and it was good to see him like that. Especially after everything that had happened the day before.

"We could go alone," Michael said agreeably.

"You could, but you're not," Brooke said when she came back. "Okay, Luke's coming too." She left out the tiny detail about having to work so hard to convince him.

Brendan glanced at her when she rounded the table and took her seat again. "So, how long have you been seein' this guy?"

"I haven't really been seein' him at all, Brendan. We just hang out in school… that's it."

"But, you like him," he persisted.

She rolled her eyes. "Well, of course I like him."

"How old is this kid?" he asked.

"He's my age."

"Uh-huh, and you guys are just friends?"

"God, I'm not gonna survive today," she murmured.

"Okay," Isabel interrupted the inquisition, "you guys all need to stop badgering her about this boy."

And he'll probably run away, she thought. "Thank you, Iz," Brooke said and raised her arms in the air.

"We're not badgering her, honey," Alex denied. "We're just concerned."

"There's nothing to worry about," Brooke complained.

The guys all exchanged looks before shaking their heads. "Nothin' to worry about," Alex muttered. "If he's old enough that he's noticed you're a girl, there's plenty to worry about."

"Don't worry, Brooke. Isabel and I will do our best to distract your brothers later, so you can actually hang out with Luke for a few peaceful minutes." Maria grinned at Michael, curious about his reaction to that.

Michael wasn't sure how to respond to that. On the one hand, he was looking forward to seeing what kind of distraction Maria had in mind, but on the other... well, he didn't really want that walking hormone alone with his sister.

"Depends on the distraction," he said, knowing Alex wouldn't be able to resist speaking up again.

"Unbelievable," Alex muttered, but relaxed when Isabel rested a hand on his shoulder and smiled at him.

"Well, I guess when you're all finished with breakfast we should clean up and then make some sandwiches for lunch and get our things together to leave for the beach soon," Isabel said.

"We can bring chips and drinks," Maria said, nudging Michael with her knee.

"Guess we'll have to go by your place again, huh?"

"Well, I will need my bathing suit."

His eyebrows lifted at that. "Yeah? Which one?"

"Hmmm... I don't know, but I might go with the green one... or the white one, I haven't decided yet."

Michael's eyes turned darker as he thought of all the ways he could help her decide. "I can give you a hand with that."

Maria stood up and grabbed their plates to carry them to the kitchen. She stopped behind his chair and leaned forward to whisper into his ear. "Better not, if we wanna make it to the beach today."

"Hey, I'm completely flexible on that."

She laughed while heading for the kitchen. "Yeah, I bet you are."

He smirked and shrugged one shoulder when Alex just shook his head.

Maria glanced at him through the door. She couldn't wait to be alone with him either.

Michael looked up in time to catch Maria's covert glance and he decided he couldn't wait to get her alone. Now that they had agreed to take that stupid no-sex rule off the table, things didn't feel so regimented and they were much more relaxed around each other.

*****

"I'm hungry," Kyle complained as he let himself fall onto one of the leather couches in the… well, it felt like the hundredth boutique they were entering this morning. He was exhausted from carrying all the bags from one store to the next. And the number of bags was growing and growing with every new store they stopped in. Why the hell had he agreed to go with Tess and his mom? He should have stayed home with his dad. The old man was so lucky right now.

"It's almost noon. Can't we stop for lunch somewhere? I'm starvin'."

Tess turned away from the mirror where she was posing in a stunning dress and looked at her boyfriend. "How can you be so hungry? We just had breakfast…" she glanced at her watch, "three and a half hours ago."

"Yeah, and then we started a marathon through the city."

"And we're still far from finished," his mom said smiling as she disappeared into one of the changing room with another load of clothes.

Kyle let his head fall back on the headrest and sighed. "Great!"

"So, what ya think?" She swayed her hips in front of him and turned around herself to show him her newest acquirement.

"Well, it's a dress, babe."

She placed her hands on her hips and stared at him. "It's not just a dress, Kyle. It's a blue dress with a totally different neckline then the others I've bought."

He smirked at this. "It's beautiful, okay? You're beautiful, no matter what you're wearin', babe. I'm just … exhausted."

Tess smiled and walked behind the couch, starting to massage his shoulders. She leaned down and placed a soft kiss on his cheek. "I really appreciate that you came with us, babe. I know it has to be boring for you, but ya know… There might be a Christmas present in one of those bags for you…"

"Huh?" He turned his upper body to look at her. "We've only been in stores that sell women's clothes. What could you have bought me…" He fell silent when she waggled her eyebrows in response. "Uh-huh." He had stayed outside at a few stores to call Max and Michael to hear what was going on with them, but he hadn't reached either of them.

"Tess, sweetie, can you help me with the zipper of the dress," Kyle's mom called.

"Of course," she gave him another kiss on his lips this time. "She is so great, Kyle, I'm sooo glad I came with you to New York." And then she hurried back to the changing rooms.

Kyle looked after her and shook his head. He had known that his girlfriend would be accepted just fine by his family and that her worries had been totally unnecessary.

*****

Michael followed Maria into the apartment, his eyes locked on her as she tossed her bag on the couch and then moved to the hallway that led to her bedroom. For a split-second he wasn't sure if he should follow her, but then she pulled her shirt off and tossed a saucy grin over her shoulder.

While she moved to rummage through her closet he stretched out on her bed and laced his fingers behind his head. "Hey, Maria?"

"Um-hmm?"

"How d'you feel about condoms?"

She stepped out of the closet, a bikini top held in each hand and bare from the waist up. "What did you just ask me?"

"I was just wonderin' if there was a certain brand or kind that you prefer." He waggled his eyebrows wickedly as his heated gaze slid over her. "Y'know, 'cause I figured I should go ahead an' stock up." He grinned as he met her gaze. "We're gonna need a good supply."

"Oh, that's what you're askin'." She shook her head and held the tops up as she debated between the two. "Whatcha think? Green or white?"

"I think you're gonna look hot no matter what you wear."

She smiled at his answer because she knew he wasn't just saying it. She turned to go back into the closet and paused at the last second to look at him. "About your question…"

"Uh-huh?"

"You don't need to worry about condoms." She bit back a grin when his expression shifted from confused to disappointed. He thought she had changed her mind. "I've got the protection thing under control."

"Oh." He should've known she'd already have condoms; they were both highly sexual people after all. "You've already got 'em."

"I don't have a surplus supply of condoms, if that's what you're thinkin'," she said, smirking at him. She crossed the room and leaned down over him, her hands braced flat on the mattress on either side of his body. "When we have sex there won't be anything between us…" She brushed her lips against his in a teasing kiss. "Nothing, Michael… not even a condom."

---

Author's Note: Just remember this is a totally fictional world and we're not recommending that anyone take the risk and not use a condom!


Author's Note 2: Just a little shameless self-promoting here: We're starting to post out new fic today: In The Course Of a Lifetime. Posted on this board, and of course, same category!