Chapter Text
Alex judged the distance between the semi and the car in front of it with precision and neatly slid between them with inches to spare, her Ducati roaring beneath her as she opened it up to swerve around the car, trying to gain on Maggie. Even though Alex had the faster bike, Maggie was ahead of her and nearly to the abandoned pier. She’d had a head start, challenging Alex by throwing the words “Race ya” over her shoulder as she had left the police lot. Alex had followed, more carefully, more slowly, while Maggie had swerved into and out of traffic with reckless abandon. She’d slowed several times to let Alex catch up before speeding off again, her taunting goading Alex into trying to match Maggie’s speed and insanity, with only limited success.
Finally, they roared into the parking lot, sand kicking beneath their tires, Maggie’s bike just yards ahead of Alex’s as they slowed to a stop. Heart pounding, Alex pulled her helmet off and Maggie did the same, her dark eyes sparkling. “Not too shabby, Danvers. Next time, you may even make it a race.”
“That… you…” Alex wasn’t sure if she was more angry or turned on at the moment as she barrelled off her motorcycle to tower over the smaller woman, still astride her bike, her hair blowing in the wind off the ocean. “You could have been killed.” Alex could still hear the truck horn blaring out a warning as Maggie’s bike cleared the bumper, the horn startling them both and nearly causing an accident when the car ahead had unexpected hit the brakes.
“But I wasn’t, was I?” The smirk on Maggie’s face was infuriating. She set her helmet down on the tank and swung off her bike. “Come on, Danvers, don’t tell me you didn’t get a rush from that.” Alex’s teeth clicked together to bite back a retort as Maggie continued, “You can’t do what you do without being an adrenaline junky.” Maggie was in Alex’s face now, her chin canted up so she could meet Alex’s eyes. “I know you, Danvers, and I know you just had fun.”
“Yes, fun, nearly dying for no reason on the bumper of an 18-wheeler.” She glared at the shorter woman, her hands clenching into fists to keep herself from grabbing Maggie. “On the job, I take calculated risks to protect–”
“Bullshit.” Maggie’s smile was smug and taunting. “That’s a nice rationalization–”
“–It’s not–”
“–deep down, you enjoy it. Being the toughest, baddest agent, gotta give you a thrill.”
“You know nothing about me.”
“Wanna bet?” She indicated the end of the pier, several hundred yards away down a long stretch of beach, with her chin. “Race ya,” she laughed as she sprinted away.
Alex shook her head for second, trying to refuse to be baited, to be goaded, because she didn’t want to prove Maggie right, before she took off after the other woman. Her longer legs helped make up the distance and her sniper boots had better traction on the wet, slippery sand, and she soon overtook the detective. She ran past Maggie, smirking at the glare Maggie shot her, and skidded to a stop at the very edge of the pier, her heart pounding.
Black waves were tipped with moonlight, the wood creaked beneath their feet as the water crashed in, and Maggie was saying something that Alex couldn’t hear over the rolling surf. And it didn’t matter as she turned toward the other woman and drew her close. Maggie’s skin was chilled from the wind as Alex caught her chin, raising it so she could capture those soft lips with her own. One arm snaked around Maggie’s waist, pulling her closer, the heat between them undeniable, keeping the cold wind at bay.
Maggie’s hands rested on Alex’s shoulders, not pushing her away but not pulling her in either. When Alex raised her head, Maggie’s eyes were deep and unreadable, searching Alex’s face. But she didn’t resist when Alex dipped her head again and tangled her hand in Maggie’s hair, melding their bodies together as their mouths met. Alex’s tongue parted Maggie’s lips, the banked hunger roaring to life as she deepened the kiss. Maggie clung to her, nails digging into the leather of Alex’s jacket. Maggie tasted of coffee and chocolate, and the low moan from the back of her throat summoned a dark heat deep in the pit of Alex’s stomach.
Breathless, their lips parted, and they held onto each other for a timeless moment. Maggie broke the mood with a quiet chuckle. “I was going to say we were tied, but I think you just came out ahead.”
The reflection of the moon on the waves flickered in Maggie’s eyes, and Alex wanted to lose herself there and never find her way out. Maggie seemed to see it, her expression changing from teasing to serious as Alex drew her in for another kiss.
This time, a firm hand on her shoulder pushed her until Alex stepped back, chilled air taking the space between their bodies and dissipating the heat. Maggie dropped her hand, breaking the last connection between them, and her eyes were fixed at a spot somewhere over Alex’s shoulder. “I think... that’s enough for one night.”
“Maggie…”
But Maggie was already walking away, her boots rattling the boards as she made her way back to the beach. “See ya around, Danvers.”
Alex stood at the end of the pier, letting the cold and darkness flow into her, chilling her to the bone, as she stared out at the waves, refusing to watch Maggie walk away. The rumble of a motorcycle engine revved to a roar as Maggie peeled out of the parking lot. Alex didn’t move until the sound of Maggie’s bike on the highway was a distant memory.