"Oh, Niles, you don't have to pay me," Miss Babcock said in a funny voice, reaching out to touch his brow.
Her touch cut through the addiction induced fog in Niles's brain, and he finally realized what she was saying. He replayed their conversation and had to admit that his words could have meant what she'd mistaken them to mean.
Screwing up his face, he prepared to push her away with a scathing insult. The words caught in his throat as she leaned towards him and gently touched her lips to his jaw. Chanel #5 and the wholesome green apple scent of her shampoo surrounded him. Her soft hair tickled his cheek, and he was frozen.
"Why so quiet, Niles? It's so unlike you," she said, her tone low and sultry. Her breath caressed his ear, and any lingering thoughts of his missing wallet disappeared.
"Miss Babcock," he managed to choke out, "have you been drinking?"
"Do I smell as if I've been drinking to you?" The kiss was firmer this time, right under his ear.
There were no traces of alcohol in the air around them, just the lingering clean smell of soap and the intoxicating scent of Miss Babcock.
He should have told her she was mistaken, he should have made an insult so sharp she would recoil in horror, but he couldn't do either of those things. Not when her hand came up to tenderly caress his face.
Her wet kisses moved slowly lower, burning the skin on his neck. Niles clenched his hands, trying to remind himself that he was supposed to hate this woman. Most of the time, he was good at keeping up the facade, but his mind was quickly losing its ability to function.
She stopped abruptly. "Am I doing something wrong?"
Her voice sounded fragile and insecure, and normally he would have jumped in with a terrible jab to protect himself.
"I thought you wanted...Didn't you...?" She started to pull away. Almost against his will, Niles's hands shot out and grabbed her waist, holding her against him.
Babcock sighed and buried her face in his shoulder. She took a deep breath, and they were so close that he could feel it in his own body.
"You smell good," she mumbled, making him glad he had stopped for a quick shower after his nap.
"Miss Babcock," Niles finally managed to get out as his head swam with her nearness.
Over the many years he'd known her, he'd taken every chance he could to tell her how ugly and undesirable she was. The truth was, even now that worry had caused her to gain a few extra pounds, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. And she was sexy as hell.
"Why now, Niles?" she asked quietly. "Is it because you knew, tonight, I wouldn't have the willpower to say no?"
The warmth and shape of her pressed against him made it hard to reel in his scattered thoughts.
"Do...do you want me to leave?" He hated the way his voice sounded, shaky and thin.
"I don't want to be alone," she whispered this so quietly he could barely hear her, though her breath was a gentle brush against his neck. "I'm always alone. I need..."
The stark loneliness in her tone squeezed his heart. Niles turned his face slightly so his nose brushed her cheek.
"What do you need?" he breathed against her skin. "Tell me."
"I need this not to be a joke."
He could fight rich, aristocratic Babcock. He could fight snobby, angry Babcock. He could even fight PMSing, irritable, crazy Babcock. Niles found he was defenseless against vulnerable Babcock.
"Are you sure?"
"Niles, five minutes ago, you burst in here and said that you wanted me. Do you still want me?"
"Yes," he said simply.
"You won't tell me how ugly I am? You won't tease me about the extra weight?"
"It will be hard, but..."
Not the right answer. Miss Babcock pulled away and looked at him sadly. "I don't think I can give you what you want."
Niles could have kicked himself. He wanted to apologize, but he was afraid it would just make things worse. When she turned away, he knew he should go. The moment was over. He had ruined it.
But he couldn't go. The memory of her lips was imprinted on his skin. His body missed the intimate touch of hers.
Hesitantly, he took a step forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. Miss Babcock stiffened but didn't shrug away. Encouraged, Niles soothingly ran the hand down her back and up again in a firm caress. The cool silk of her pajama top shifted smoothly with the motion of his fingertips, and his hand tingled from the warmth of her skin beneath.
He felt her breath; it was uneven and shaky. Unable to stop himself, Niles put his arms around her waist and pulled her against him. There was nothing aggressive in the move, and he went slowly to give her time to protest.
"Miss Babcock, you're not the only one who gets lonely."
She relaxed slightly at his words, so he boldly placed a kiss on her neck, near her collarbone. When she leaned back against him, he smiled and kissed her again. This time, he flicked out his tongue to taste her.
"Niles!" she gasped.
"No good?"
She reached down and squeezed his arm in answer.
"Would you like me to do it again?"
"You're asking me?"
"I wouldn't want to do anything you don't like."
She chuckled and elbowed him gently, pulling away. He reluctantly released her. When she faced him, there was a twinkle in her eye and a smirk on her lips. This was a Babcock he could deal with. She looked him up and down, her eyes traveling over him slowly.
"Looking for something?" he asked in amusement.
"I'm just wondering if that old equipment is still in working order."
"Hey, I thought insults weren't allowed."
"For you. I didn't say anything about me."
He glared at her with fake anger before it gave way to a devious smile. She matched it, and Niles felt a warmth in his chest that had nothing to do with desire.
"I should have known you'd change the rules on me."
"You know you like it." She grabbed him by his jacket lapels and hauled him forward until their faces were close enough to almost touch. Her breath caressed his face as she added, "Well, Butler Boy, I guess it's time to make a choice."
"Are you going to torture me until I agree to let you have your wicked way with me?"
Miss Babcock didn't answer. She just closed the gap between them and pressed their lips together. Niles groaned and grabbed her, pulling her closer. Needing to feel her skin, he slipped his hands under the back of her shirt. She let out a hungry sound of encouragement and deepened the kiss, forcing her tongue into his mouth.
Time seemed to stop as they stood there tasting each other. Her arm wound around his neck, holding him in place.
He had dreamed of kissing her like this. Late at night, alone in his room, whispers of the kiss they'd shared so long ago haunted him.
When she abruptly pulled away, he fought to catch his breath and stared into eyes turned almost indigo with desire.
"Miss Babcock..." he managed.
"I think at a time like this, it's okay to call me CC."
"CC." He caressed her name with his mouth, loving the way it felt to say it.
Letting the last of his inhibitions go, he trailed a line of kisses across her jaw, accentuating each one with another whisper of her name.
"Niles?" she hummed.
"Hmn?" He moved his kisses to her earlobe. Gently, he took it into his mouth.
"Will this change anything?"
He stopped. "Do you want it to change anything?"
"I don't know...I don't think I'm ready for..."
"It's all right, Miss...CC. I'll still loathe you in the morning."
"Promise?"
"I promise."
CC sighed and pulled away from him, causing Niles to wonder if she'd wanted him to say something else. His fears were laid to rest when he saw the look on her face. Almost shyly, she held out her hand.
"Let's go into the other room, shall we?"
Niles took her fingers in his and squeezed gently. He was afraid speaking would break the spell. Despite his words, he knew this would change everything, but he'd make the effort to keep all the changes inside of himself because he'd promised. He would have promised a lot more for the chance to have a night with her. Something had been slowly and steadily growing between them in the years since they'd met. Niles had never wanted to examine it too closely, and he refused to do so now when a fulfillment of his deepest fantasy was about to be played out. He'd deal with the aftermath in the morning.
For now, he was going to spend the night loving his Miss Babcock.