Snapshot · (Roswell Fanfiction) · √

52. Afterglow

La Jolla, California
The day after the wedding
(2010) Max is 25, Liz is 24

"Let's make a deal."

Max squinted down at Liz. "What deal do you want to make?"

She snuggled closer into his side, her bikini-clad body melting against his equally dressed-down state. Her lips lingered at the sharp angle of his jaw, adoring his skin with small butterfly kisses. "Let's stay like this forever."

As the comfortable summer breeze stroke through her hair, a smile of pure contentment grazed Max's lips. "Deal."

She smiled back at him and tightened her grip on the beach towel that they were using as a blanket since the sun had started to set, taking the majority of the early summer heat along with it.

His fingers lazily traveled up and down her spine while his ears were deaf to the surrounding sounds of families packing up their beach gear and trying to put clothes back on their playing children.

Liz's eyes drifted closed and she fell into a sleepy half-slumber with his heartbeat sounding in one ear and the waves from the ocean in the other. His sandy toes brushed against hers as he moved his leg and let it fall over hers, trapping her lower tanned body under his. A content sigh slipped from her lips, memories from their wedding drifting slowly behind her closed eyelids as the heat from his body encased her in a protective cocoon.

Brushing her wind-swept hair off her face, he marked the skin of her forehead with a gentle kiss.

"Mrs. Evans?" he asked, smiling through the words.

Her eyes remained shut as she smiled her answer, a thrill of deep joy rushing through her. "Yes?"

His smile widened as he whispered the obvious. "We're married."

She sank deeper into his embrace, nuzzling her nose against his firm chest, sighing happily, "I know..."

The tip of his fingers trailed underneath the string holding her bikini top together at the back. "Can you believe it?"

She slowly shook her head. "Nah-uh." Placing a kiss next to his nipple, she added, "It's like a dream." She draped herself more fully on top of him. "And I hope I'll never wake up."

Looking down at him there was a twinkle in both her smile and eyes as she said, "You belong to me now, Evans."

Putting a finger under her chin and angling her face to make contact with his lips, he kissed her lovingly, slowly and thoroughly. "I've always belonged to you, Parker."

In reply, her body eased up his so that her face was level with his. Their eyes met and two pairs of anticipating lips moved within a breath of each other. Her sandy feet were almost at his knees as she pressed her breasts against his chest and her hands brushed his hair away from his face.

"Can you believe how much we used to fight?" she murmured, almost reflectively.

His laughing eyes met hers. "Let's be honest now; you started it most of the times."

Her mouth fell open in defensive indignation. "Yeah, right!"

His expression turned more amused as she dug her elbows into his chest and rose up to tower more fully over him.

But her act completely failed to intimidate him into some type of silence. "You would walk in with your miniature shorts and sway that pretty ass of yours in front of my face."

Her eyebrows rose in disbelief. "Either you have a very skewed perception of reality or your memory sucks."

"Come on, Parker," Max winked. "You're not trying to tell me that you didn't wear any of those things."