Chapter Eight

       "Shhh"  Jake whispered into her hair.  Perhaps the comforting sound wasn't exactly what
was called for in this particular instance, but for the life of him he didn't know what else to
do or say.  When he felt her hands begin to slowly move up his back he stiffened, and
sucked in his breath.  In the next instant she lifted her eyes to look up at him, and
suddenly there was nothing but her eyes in the whole wide world.
	"Jake?" she said,  and his eyes dropped  as if he expected to be able to watch
the sound of her voice float on a breath across her lips.  They stood perfectly still, and
Jake willed himself not to move, but somehow they kept getting closer and closer, until
he found his lips brushing hers. 
	It was just a split second action, but it was enough to set sparks flying, and all
Max could think about was that it had to happen again. As her eyes drooped, losing their
attempt to stay open, she lifted toward him again, an felt the tingle as their lips met once
more.  But this time, it was no fleeting butterfly kiss!  This time his mouth claimed hers
with an intensity that surprised them both, but neither one was willing to break free.  
	Her lips parted, and a whimper escaped her.  The sound spurred him on and his
hand moved upward to slide over her head.   He found the clip that held her hair back
and released it, letting it fall to the floor as his fingers entwined in the loosened mass of
red curls.  Her own fingers grasped tightly to the back of his shirt and pulled him closer. 
Her tongue traced his lips, and his own touched against hers, then explored her mouth.
	A breathless gasp escaped her as they parted for air, and he trailed his lips along
the contour of her cheek, then caressed her earlobe with his tongue. He felt her clinging
to him and somewhere in the back of his mind he heard his conscience warning him to
back away, but he couldn't.  For the better part of a week he'd been imagining moments
like this and now it was happening, and she certainly wasn't doing anything to stop it.  It
was all he could do to think at all, and thinking clearly wasn't an option.  The one weakly
growing reservation that tried to surface in his thoughts was quickly extinguished when
Max tilted her head ever so slightly and, with a whispered moan, touched her lips to his
once again. 
	The kiss deepened and Jake slid his free hand along her back, sliding over her
bottom and pressing her against him.  His desire for her was painfully obvious, and he
let out a  stifled groan.  Immediately he slid his hand upward again, but groaned again
when his fingers touched bare skin.   Tentatively he spread his hand across the heated
flesh and softly caressed her, but she made no objection.  He pressed his hand against
her back and she reached further upward to him, a renewed hunger in her lips. As if with
a mind of its own his hand slid upward under her shirt, enjoying the soft touch of a
woman's skin against his fingers.  
	Like a drowning man desperate for air, he dragged his lips away from hers and
buried his face in her hair, his hand pressing her head gently against his shoulder. 
"Max?" he whispered, a certain desperation evident in his voice. 
	"Don't talk, Jake," she urged, clinging to him, lifting her head so their eyes were
once again locked together.  Max had dated her fair share of men, and kissed a good
number of them, but nothing in her past had prepared her for the flood of emotion that
had gripped her at the first touch of Jake's lips on hers.  She was certain that if he were
to let her go at that particular moment, she would not be able to support herself on her
own two feet.  She clung to him, and felt her heart hammering in her chest, keeping
pace beat for beat with his own that she could feel beating against her. 
	Never in her wildest dreams had she ever thought she would be contemplating
begging Jake Forrester to make love to her, but that was exactly what she was feeling
right now.  And with her throat dry and her voice threatening to fail her, she hoped her
eyes were able to communicate exactly what she wanted. 
	Jake saw the wanton desire pooled in her eyes, and sucked in his breath
sharply.  It was right there, clear as day.  She was his for the taking and he knew it.  But
they had to think clearly!  They had to remember what they meant to each other and not
do anything to jeopardize their relationship.  Lord knew, he wouldn't ever be able to
survive without Max in his life.  She fit so perfectly beside him in every aspect of their
daily lives, could they dare risk their friendship for a night of passion?
	A night of passion that could go nowhere once it was over, he reminded himself. 
	But she coaxed him closer against her body and whispered his name, and all
coherent thought threatened to flee in an instant.  Gasping for breath, he made one last,
feeble attempt at resistance.
	"Max," he breathed against her hair. "You know I want you." It was a statement,
but they both knew it wasn't ending there.  Even as Max nodded with a muffled sound of
acknowledgement, she knew there was more he wanted to say.  More he needed to
say. "If we go through with this — are you sure it's a good idea?"
	"Shhh."  This time it was her turn to utter the sound, as she gently pressed a
finger against his lips.  She slowly trailed that finger away and replaced it with her lips,
letting her hand come to rest against his chest, feeling his heartbeat.  "Just kiss me,
Jake," she whispered against his lips, and in the split second it took him to claim her lips
completely again, he let out a muffled groan, then all thought was lost.
	Some time later, which was likely only seconds but felt like decades, they found
themselves in Max's bedroom only half dressed.  How they got there, she couldn't
clearly remember, although there was a feeling of having floated on a sequence of
kisses, and of having discarded both their shirts somewhere along the way.  The
sensation of his bare skin against her own made her blood boil, and more than anything,
she wanted to feel his body pressed completely against hers.  When he released her,
she felt a momentary fear that he was considering leaving, but instead, his fingers slid
shakily around her back to release the clasp of her bra, then gently slip the straps off her
shoulders.  She stood perfectly still as the garment fell away and his eyes fell on her
naked breasts.  She heard his intake of breath, followed by a softly spoken curse, then
his hands slowly caressed their way forward, his thumbs circling their way over her
breasts to each tightened bud. 
	"So beautiful!" he breathed, and Max's mind flooded back to his comment about
her looking like a Goddess when she'd been dressed for her date with Michael.  She's
doubted him then, thinking he was merely cheering her with a friendly compliment, but
this time the emotion in his words was so deep she didn't dare to question it.  He
lowered his head, brushing his lips along her shoulders, the nape of her neck, her
collarbone, then lower, until one eager nipple was drawn between them.
	"I want you so much," he said in a husky whisper, and she responded by gripping
him more firmly around the waist. He pressed against her now completely bare chest.  "I
want you more than breath itself right now, Max, but I swear I won't make another move
if you don't want this too.  Tonight won't change things between us, you have to
understand that.  It can't," he spoke softly against her hair.  "There may be an
overpowering physical need, but this isn't going to turn into some long-lasting romance.  
You do know that, Max.  Don't start building dreams around tonight.  Don't go through
with it if you can't accept that."
	"Make love to me, Jake," she said softly, urging him to forget all doubts.  She
knew she couldn't expect more from him than this one night, but at the moment, her
need was bigger than her, bigger than the both of them, and she whispered her plea
once again. "I want you to make love to me."
	All hesitation left him, and he slid his hand beneath her shorts and pushed them
to the floor, gently resting her onto the bed.  Leaning over her, he kissed her waiting
body until she felt certain she could take it no longer.  Then he straightened and without
taking his eyes off her,  made quick work of his jeans until all his remaining clothing was
heaped on the floor beside her own.  As he climbed onto the bed above her she
instinctively spread her legs to accommodate him, and he slid one hand slowly along her
thigh.  He rested over her, and she felt him throbbing between them as his lips claimed
hers once again.  
	Jake had never wanted any woman like he wanted the one he was kissing now,
and that revelation hit him like a jolt of electricity.  Of all the women he'd ever slept with,
none of them had consumed him with such an overwhelming need as he was feeling
right now.  He'd always been able to control himself, to ease into the lovemaking slowly
and tenderly, and make it good for his partner.  But right at this very moment all he could
think about was quelling the demanding hunger he felt for her, and doing it with as little
delay as possible. 
	Luckily, Max seemed to be thinking the same thing, for as he struggled to
maintain his composure she gripped at his hips and murmured into his kisses. 
	"Are you really sure?" he asked one last time against her lips.
	"I'm sure, Jake," she said, as she drew her legs up to curl around his.  It was all
the reply he needed, and he answered her plea by lifting, then lowering until he felt
himself sliding into place.  He held her, revelling in the feel of just being inside her
warmth, listening to her breathing mixed with his own, and letting time stand still.  Then
he began to move, slow and steady at first, then picking up speed.  He devoured her
with his kisses, as her hands roamed his back and thighs, urging him on.  Breathlessly
they fed their hunger, until at last Max cried out, begging him not to stop, and he followed
her over the edge.  
	Afterwards they lay still wrapped in each others bodies on the bed and drifted off
to sleep with only a thin sheet tangled around them.  Neither of them had the slightest
desire to move, and neither dared think of what the morning would bring.  
	Sometime in the dark hours of the night, Max awoke cradled in the warmth of
Jake’s arms.  She snuggled closer and sighed, and as she settled into place, she felt his
hand softly brushing her hair.
	“You awake?” she asked in a whisper, without opening her eyes. 
	“Mhmm,” he murmured in reply.  She raised her head then, and looked at him,
their faces only inches apart in the darkness.  “Max,” Jake’s voice was tentative, yet soft,
and he continued to stroke her hair.  “We have to talk.”
	“Shhh,” she shook her head slightly.  Not now, not yet, she told herself.  Sooner
or later, she knew they were going to have to talk about what had happened between
them.  For now, she just wanted to live in the dream a little longer.  No other man had
ever made her feel the way Jake had made her feel, and that was what she wanted to
concentrate on, not the fact that there was no future for a romantic relationship between
them.  And not the fact that what they had done might potentially have changed their
friendship forever.
	But if they hadn’t done anything?  What then?  Had they not given in to their
overwhelming desires, would the tensions created  have been so strong that their
friendship would have suffered anyway?  Had they reached a turning point where a
change was inevitable, no matter which path they had taken?
	Jake’s worried expression could be seen in the dim light of the streetlight shining
through her bedroom window.  “Max, listen,” he insisted.  “It’s not about what happened
here tonight.  We’ll have to talk about that eventually, but —“  he rested a hand against
her face and studied her.   Never had he been so consumed with need for a woman as
he had been with her.  He’d lost complete control of his better judgement.  He’d never
once done anything without taking the proper precautions, and the fact that he had now
was making his stomach churn.  
	“Max, I — we didn’t use any protection.”
	She smiled down at him.  “It’s Okay.  I’m a modern woman, I’m on the pill.”
	The concern seemed to melt away from his face, and she heard him sigh as he
closed his eyes for a second.  Then he looked at her again, questioningly.  “I didn’t know
you had that many serious boyfriends, Max?” he said jokingly, although deep down
inside he felt a strange twinge of something; a desperate need to know the answer to his
question while at the same time not wanting to know.
	She chuckled, and raised herself up on one elbow to look down at him.  His hand
slid from her hair to rest on her arm where it lay between them.
 “I don’t.  I’m actually on it for medical reasons, but I figured it might come in
handy for situations like this, should one ever come up.“  She said, then winked at him.
	“Oh,” he said, as he digested the information.  There was silence for a long time
while he stared up at the ceiling and she drew circles on his bare chest, then he  turned
his head to look at her again.  “So what you’re saying is, we don’t have to worry about
anything.  My oversight won’t cause us any irreversible consequences.”
	She shook her head and smiled. “No,” she agreed. 
	He took a deep breath and smiled back.  “Whew.  I was really worried about that,
Max.  I mean, I love kids, and I’m pretty sure you do to, the way you are with Maddy, but
— it’s just not right bringing a child into the world without a stable, loving family.  I would
never want that to happen to you, Max.”
	“I know,” she said, changing the direction of her finger.  His concern warmed her
heart.  Where some men might be worried about their own responsibilities if they got a
woman pregnant, Jake wasn’t thinking abut himself.  It was her he was worried about.
	“So,” he said, letting out a deep breath. “Now that that’s dealt with — umm —
what do you want to do next?”
	They looked at each other, and their eyes locked in the near darkness.  Max
broke the spell only long enough for her gaze to fall to his lips, then brought it back to his
eyes again.  “I don’t know,” she said, huskily, lowering her head back onto the pillow
beside him and resting her hand on his bare chest.  “Do you have any suggestions?”
 	His hand resting on her arm began a slow ascent upwards until it reached her
shoulder.  His eyes fell to admire her nakedness, illuminated by the light from the
window, then slowly, one finger began to draw an imaginary line along the crest of her
collarbone.  His eyes returned to her lips, and his face inched ever so slightly closer to
hers.  
	“Well, I do have one idea,” he said, as the tips of his fingers slid off her collarbone
and his hand curved around the softness of her breast.  “We could always — “
	“Yes!” she breathed, not waiting for him to finish.
	“Yes?” he whispered, now so near she could feel his breath on her lips.  “You’re
absolutely sure?”
	“Absolutely,” she murmured, just before his lips met hers. 	 

	Max had pulled on a baggy T-shirt and was busying herself toasting bagels when
Jake appeared in the bedroom doorway early the next morning.  He’d known the instant
she left the bed, though she had moved carefully in an attempt not to wake him.  But his
arm had been casually draped across her chest, and she’d had to slither out from under
it in order to get up.  He’d watched her through the lashes of one half-open eye as she
had covered herself, glanced back at him, then left the room.  Kitchen sounds had soon
filtered into the bedroom, as he’d lain there deep in his thoughts.  Now those thoughts
were still with him as he watched her in silence.
	Thoughts like where do we go from here?  and has anything changed? Has
everything changed?
	Last night when they had made love, it had seemed like the most natural thing
for them to do together.  Their bodies fitted together in a way that had never felt so
perfect.  After Laura, he had spent a few years sewing his wild oats, and he wasn’t
unaccustomed to taking a woman to bed.  But even though it had been a long time
since he’d played the playboy scene, he still could not remember a woman that had
affected him like Max had.  So much so, that his first thought when he’d awakened in the
early hours of the morning, had been to hold her, draw her to him, and make love to her
again. 
	But she had been sleeping, and he had contented himself with just watching her
— and thinking about their future.  Did they have one?  They couldn’t, he was almost
certain of that.  Their friendship was the most important thing to him, they couldn’t risk
that by taking their relationship in a romantic direction.  He wasn’t marriage material.  A
romance between the two of them would go no where, he knew that, and Max didn’t
deserve to be stuck in a dead end relationship.  They had to preserve their friendship
and forget about anything more complex.  It was the only way.
	But damn, he still wanted to walk over to her, scoop her into his arms and take
her back to her bed with him!  His arms were itching to wrap themselves around her, his
lips aching to taste her kisses again. They were good together, that he knew!  And he
wanted to do it again.
	“Hi,” she said, with a smile, when she turned and noticed him standing there.
“Coffee?”
	Her voice was as sweet as the morning sunshine, and as she tucked a loose
strand of red curls behind her ear he noticed his breath catch.  He smiled at her, and
she lowered her eyes, just slightly, without looking away.  He walked toward her and
took the mug she offered. When their fingers brushed against each other, he felt
electricity flow through his veins. Had she felt it too, he wondered.
	“Good morning.”  He wanted to kiss her.  Merely saying the words just wasn’t
enough. He longed to accent them with a kiss.  But he drew  back, mug in hand, and
watched as she picked up her own and took a sip of the steaming liquid.
	“I’ve toasted bagels,” she went on.  “Or would you like something more
substantial for breakfast?”  Then she wrinkled up her nose slightly and smiled.  “I’m not
used to entertaining at breakfast time.”
	She was uncomfortable with the situation, he decided.  Humour was something
they often shared together, as friends, and it was only natural for her to use it to break
the ice on this most un-natural morning between them.  But it wasn’t working.  At least
not for him!  All it did was make him want her even more!  How on earth had he let this
happen!
	“I’m not hard to entertain,” he said, with a grin.  “I don’t ask for much in the
morning.”
	She blushed just a little, but her voice didn’t waver when she met his wit with
some of her own. “No? You save all your asking for the middle of the night?”
	And then, as he stood there trying to decide how to answer that one, he could
have sworn she winked at him!  Then her face broke into a teasing grin, and he finally
felt himself breathe.  What hat he been thinking?  Why had he been worried? This was
Max!  Max, who was his best friend, and who wouldn’t dream of reading more into the
situation than what it was.  He smiled back at her then.  Everything was going to be just
fine, he knew that now.
	“At least I asked,” he countered, one side of his mouth curled in a playful grin.
	She looked just a little coy when she lowered her head.  “You can ask any time,”
she said in a husky voice that was nearly a whisper. 
	He stared at her over his raised mug, and for a few seconds neither of them said
a thing. Then, even though he knew he could trust her not to make too much of things,
he decided they had to talk.  They had to bring it all out in the open, to make sure that
not only did they both know where they stood with each other, but that it was spoken out
loud.  As if saying it would make it more real. 
	“You know this can’t go anywhere, Max,” he said.  “You know there’s no romance
brewing between us.”
	She nodded.  “I know that, Jake.”
	“There’s no happily ever after like Reese and Mikki,” he went on. “Last night was
the most amazing experience I’ve ever had with any woman in all my life, but we can’t
fool ourselves.  We’re not in love, were not planning a future because of one night of
amazing sex.  If you’re dreams are to marry and have little Maddys crawling around on
the floor, I’m not the guy to live those dreams with you.”   He held her gaze, and studied
her.  She still continued to smile at him sweetly, which drove him crazy!  It wasn’t the
reaction he had expected, although he couldn’t for the life of him decide what he had
expected from her. 
	Had he thought she would break down and cry? Beg him to change his mind? Or
throw herself down in tears and order him out?  None of that was Max’s style, and he
hoped they had a stronger friendship than that anyway.  A friendship that would produce
exactly the kind of reaction she was giving him, in fact.  So why was it disturbing him? 
Why did it feel all wrong?
	“I’m not holding on to any hopes here, Jake, except to hope that what happened
won’t change how we’ve always felt about each other?”
	He smiled.  “Of course not!  That’s exactly what I meant.  We’re good friends,
Max, and both intelligent adults.  We know better than to let a little thing like sex change
that.”
	“You’re absolutely right,” she nodded, and he felt a twist in his gut.  Absolutely. 
The last time she’d used that words was just before they ... 
	“Right,” he said, a little shakily.  And then before he gave much thought to what
he was about to say, he blurted out, “So, then if we ever get the idea to do it again, we’ll
know that  — that — we’re — “
	“Adults,” she provided, her eyes locked with his.
	“Adults,” he repeated, nodding.
	“Consenting adults,” she continued.
	“Yes, yes, exactly what I meant,” he nodded, setting his mug on the counter. 
“And perfectly able to separate reality from dreams. We’ll know exactly where we stand
with each other.”
	“Exactly,” she agreed, setting her own mug down as well. 
	“Right,” he said again. “I’m glad that’s settled.”
	“Me too,” she nodded, but neither of them moved. 
	“So — “  Max said, breaking the silence at last.  “Now that that’s dealt with, what
do you want to do next?”
	It was all Jake could do to stifle a groan as the memory of those exact words
being spoken in the dark of night came back to him.  He looked at her, eyes narrowing
just slightly as he caught the curl of her lip in the beginning of a grin.  He knew exactly
what he wanted to do next!  But damn, could their friendship survive if they kept doing it?
	“I don’t know,” he said, he voice deep and husky.  “Do you have any
suggestions?”
	Her lip curled higher.  “I do have one,” she said, and he saw her eyes flicker
towards the doorway behind him. 
	“Do you think we should?” he asked, and held his breath hoping for the answer
he wanted to hear. 
	She shrugged. “Well, we are both consenting adults, who know exactly where we
stand with each other.  What can it hurt?”
	“What indeed,” he said, and for the first time since they’d begun their strange
conversation, he moved, turning in the doorway.  When he reached the bedroom she
was right behind him, and within seconds he was slipping her T-shirt over her head and
dropping it carelessly on the floor as his hands explored in the daylight what they had
touched in the dark the night before.