Reaching for The Moon by ThePekingNoodle

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Chapter Ninety-Eight: Curiouser and Curiouser

In which the mystery of Lydecker deepens and there are hints of a new player…

Logan was right, the crepes were delicious. Max delighted the chef by consuming three helpings of them. Logan sat and looked on in amusement as she did.

"What?" Max demanded, looking up to catch him smiling as she finished her final plate.

"I was just wondering how you manage to eat like that and still look like you do." He ran his eyes over her making his meaning clear.

"High metabolism rate. This design isn't exactly energy efficient." She shrugged, but a shadow crossed her face.

"Max?" Logan caught it. "Did what I said bother you? I was only teasing."

"Didn't you ever learn not to tease a girl about her weight?" Max deliberately misunderstood.

"Max, it doesn't matter to me. Where you were…born." Logan refused to let it pass.

She looked straight at him and into his eyes, as if measuring his sincerity. "I wouldn't think less of you if it did. I mean it's not exactly a normal situation."

"And I lead a normal life? I wouldn't think less of you if my family bothered you. They're not exactly easy to take. To say the least." He stared back at her letting her see everything he felt in his eyes.

For a moment they sat there, gazes locked, as unsaid feelings passed between them. A uniformed waiter coming to clear away their plates broke the spell. Logan rose and held out a hand to help Max from her chair, and she let him, enjoying the small attention.

The weather was still miserable outside and it was raining hard making a stroll on the deck unattractive.

"Sure you don't want that sun lamp?" Logan teased Max as they entered their stateroom to wash up.

"You just have your mind fixated on that bikini." Max teased back. "Of course I could make you join me in a pair of trunks."

"I burn." Logan said smugly.

"Nice excuse." Max gave him a mock frown. "I'm gonna pass on the sunlamp. This girl isn't much for just lying around doing nothing."

"Damn." Logan shook his head. In a sudden change he became serious. "There's a full computer setup on board. I'm going to go see if I can track our friend the Colonel and see if he was on the level about leaving. You can come or not."

"Does this thing have any kind of exercise equipment on board?" Max wanted to know.

"Fully equipped mini-gym. I'll show you where it is on my way, if you want."

"Suits me better than watching you play hacker boy." Max smiled.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Several hours later Max stood toweling the sweat off of her brow. The mini-gym was all that Logan had said and more, and Max had taken full advantage of it. After a weight training session she had run through her own routine and she felt pleasantly exhausted by the physical exertion.

She stood and stretched her arms over her head, linking her hands and bringing them backwards as she arched her back, then she relaxed and let them drop. Her eyes were closed as she contemplated a hot soak in the tub located in the stateroom's large bathroom and a smile was on her face.

"Penny for them." Logan's voice broke into her thoughts just before his lips came down on hers, dropping a light kiss there.

Her eyes flew open to look into his as he stood there in front of her, just inches away. "They're worth much more than that," she retorted.

"Oh yeah?" The look in his eyes as they met hers, had her pulse racing.

"Yeah." She licked her lips without realizing she was doing it and his eyes dropped to them.

"Logan…"

"Yeah?" he asked absently not raising his eyes from her mouth.

"Don't do that." Her voice was slightly breathless.

In answer, his arms came around her and he pulled her into a long kiss. He took his time exploring her lips and when he asked for entrance to her mouth she willingly granted it. When he finally raised his head from hers, both of them were short of breath.

Max sighed and relaxed against his chest. "I really need to clean up. I'm a sweaty mess."

Logan made no move to let her go. Instead his arms tightened around her. They stood like that for another moment or two.

Finally Max raised her head and looked at him curiously. "Is everything okay?"

He sighed. "It seems like Lydecker was telling the truth about leaving the country."

"And that's bad how?"

"More like…strange."

"What is?"

"His destination."

"Which is?"

"South Africa."

Max looked at him in puzzlement. "Why would he be going to South Africa?"

"I don't have a clue. And that's not the only thing that's strange."

Max waited for him to continue.

"There seems to be another player in the game. Someone pulling his strings."

"Who?"

"I haven't found a name yet. Just some references to her in some emails."

"So what's our next move? Is she in on the hunt for the X5s?"

"I think she's interested in it but I don't know how in the loop she is. My feeling is that there may be some kind of power struggle going on in Manticore." Logan was thoughtful.

"So she sent the Colonel to South Africa to get rid of him?" Max guessed.

"No she didn't. It appears he went on his own."

"Logan, this is all too strange."

He came out of his abstraction and smiled down at her. "There isn't much more I can find out today and from here. But the good news is that we can probably go home tomorrow."

Max smiled back. "Good, 'cause I don't exactly have a wardrobe here."

Logan grinned, "Now that's a reason not to go home."

Max shot him a look but he refused to back down. Instead he let his eyes run down her body, admiring the fit of the black leotard she had found to wear while working out. A surge of heat jolted Max as he lightly stroked her back.

"I need to wash up."

"Okay." Logan released her and grabbed her hand. He tugged her along with him out of the gym. Instead of turning right to their stateroom he went to the left.

"Logan, our room is the other way." Max pointed out.

"I know." He continued to walk. After a few moments he opened a door and stood back to let Max enter first. She walked into the large room and took a breath at the luxurious decadence she saw in front of her. A large whirlpool was the centerpiece of the room. Steam rose in soft swirls from its surface and several steps led down into it. Cushioned headrests ringed it so that its occupants could lean back in comfort as they enjoyed the water. Several large double chaise lounges with soft terry cushions were scattered around the room and soft fluffy towels were heaped on a cart.

The soft sound of the door closing and the lock being turned caught Max's attention. Logan stood there smiling at her. She smiled back. Wordlessly she slid the leotard down off of her shoulders and then stepped out of it. Logan took a breath at her golden beauty as she stood there in front of him.

He reached out for her but she avoided his hands and darted to the whirlpool. "Come and join me." She said teasingly from its depths.

Logan wasted no time shedding his own clothes and joining her in the swirling water. He pulled her into a hard kiss as he began to show her some of the delights of a whirlpool for two.

End of Chapter Ninety-Eight…TBC…