What is Choice?
By Melissa(dettiot@yahoo.com)
Rating: PG-13 mostly, with one NC-17 epilogue.
Spoilers: Through Chosen.
Author's Note: Spike/Buffy, but only kinda. This story is a bit odd. Also posted on my website(http://lostinwonderland.org/buffy/fanfic.html).
This chapter's title is from "Why Can't I" by Liz Phair.
Chapter Three: Get a Load of Me, Get a Load of You
Will stared at the woman who had opened the door. How had Rich described her-gorgeous?
Massive understatement. This girl was a vision. California blonde, curvy little body, and the biggest green eyes he'd ever seen.
He opened his mouth, trying to find something-anything-to say to this woman, when she suddenly said, "You brought dessert?"
As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Buffy cringed. Standing in front of her was a cute-no, scratch that, amazingly gorgeous-man. Only a bit taller than her, he was lean and toned, with wild curly hair the color of honey and eyes the color of the sky. And the best thing she could do was comment on the bakery box in his arms?
Thankfully, he must be used to women making fools of themselves over him, as he opened his mouth, closed it, and then spoke. "Um, yes. I love cheesecake."
Will nearly rolled his eyes at such inanity. Where was that giant hole opening under his feet when he needed it?
Buffy practically sighed when she heard his voice. Sexy voice plus accent equaled a happy Buffy. She broke out of her reverie when she realized he was looking at her as if he needed her to notice something. And she noticed he was still standing on the doorstep.
"Oh! Can I help you carry something in?" she asked as she moved out of the doorway, letting him pass.
"No, I've got everything. Everyone back in the kitchen?" he answered, moving down the hall.
Rich's head popped out of the kitchen and looked down the hall. "Will! You bastard, bringing flowers too? All the women will be swooning at your feet, eager to turn you into their next fixer-upper."
Buffy followed Will into the kitchen, where the good-natured joking was the only thing disturbing the pre-dinner lull. Rich had joined Xander, who was standing by the island watching Rosie toss a salad. Will dropped the bakery box and the flowers on the counter, kissed Rosie on the cheek, and held out his hand to Xander. "Xander, I take it?"
Xander smiled, but Buffy could see he was a bit uneasy. But he grasped Will's hand and said, "Good to meet you finally. I can at last figure out the truth about that story Rich tells, about that time in Vegas?"
Will burst out laughing, as Rich punched Xander in the shoulder. "Hey, not in front of my girl! I've been trying to convince her I've got nothing to hide."
"Oh, I know you've got nothing to hide. Because I know everything," Rosie shot back.
Rich smiled at his girlfriend, then said, "And of course you've met Buffy, Will."
Buffy bit her bottom lip, trying not to be nervous. Will gazed at her for a moment, then smiled. "Yeah, we've met."
"It's funny," Buffy said before she could stop herself, "but I feel like I know you somehow. Weird, isn't it?"
Will cocked his head to one side in thought. "Yeah . . . it's bloody odd, but you seem familiar. In a I-don't-know-a-sodding-thing-about-you way, of course."
Buffy laughed, and Will's smile changed to a grin. The others began moving around, taking dishes to the table, and Rosie pulled Buffy aside for her help. As they arranged some antipasto on a tray, Rosie said in a low voice, "My sister was supposed to come over too, so that no one would feel like they were stuck with someone. I was going to tell you that you didn't have to entertain Will if you didn't want to, but I don't think that's a problem, is it?"
Buffy blushed a little, but shook her head.
"Good," Rosie said with a smile. "Especially since Will is staring at you now."
Buffy's head whipped around, and found Will's eyes locked on her. She raised her eyebrow, but then smiled at him. He shrugged his shoulders, as if to say, 'Well, you know now,' before he winked at her. As Buffy picked up one of the platters, she thought to herself, 'Can't get much more interesting than this . . .'
**
Will was beginning to revise his long-held disbelief in love at first sight. He still didn't believe in it, but he sure understood how someone could think they had fallen in love with just one look.
For a few minutes, he had been worried that Buffy was a bit of a walking stereotype. Sure, she was beautiful, but she seemed to have the brains of a fruit-fly. He was never so thankful to be proven wrong. During dinner, she had seemed more at ease, and he quickly found that Buffy was smart, witty, and knew her way around a quip. At one point, when they had been snarking back and forth, he had caught Rich giving Rosie a look. Making a mental note to talk to him later, Will turned to Xander.
"So, you've known Rich long?"
Xander nodded. "We worked together in construction for a while, back in Sunnydale."
Will wrinkled his brow. "Sunnydale? Didn't some disaster happen there?"
Xander snorted. "Disaster is one way to put it. I call it the whole town getting sucked into a giant hole."
"Jesus," Will said.
"Oh, yeah," Xander said, his voice equal parts bitterness and sadness.
Will searched for something else to say, and finally asked the question he had wanted to ask from the beginning. "So, have you known Buffy long?"
Xander turned his head, to see Will more clearly. Then he smiled. "Ah, yes. The Buffinator strikes again."
Will ducked his head, but kept his tone serious. "Just makin' conversation, mate."
"Sure, mate," Xander said with a grin. "Anyway, I've known Buffy for . . . God, nearly ten years. Hey, Buff," Xander said, drawing Buffy out of her conversation with Rich and Rosie. "Can you believe we've known each other almost ten years?"
Buffy wrinkled her nose. "Gosh, that is amazing. Especially since I can't stand you."
"Ha, ha, very funny." Xander stuck his tongue out at Buffy, which she did in return. She rolled her eyes, then grinned at Will.
Will grinned back, feeling that giddy buzz from earlier strengthen. 'This girl is perfect,' he thought to himself.
**
Buffy rested her elbows on the railings of the patio and leaned forward, staring at the ocean. The evening had been so . . . amazing. She was almost scared because things had gone so well tonight. She was afraid that this feeling couldn't last.
She heard the door slide open, and she looked over her shoulder to see Will step outside. She smiled at him. "Hey."
"Hey, yourself," he said. "Mind if I smoke?"
She shook her head, and he pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. She watched as he cupped his hands around the cigarette, the flame lighting up his face for a moment.
'Beautiful,' she thought to herself.
He inhaled, and released the smoke with a sigh. "Keep telling myself that I'll quit one of these days. Too bloody hard to smoke in California, anyway."
She turned and faced him, her back resting against the railing. "How long have you lived here?"
"Oh, 'bout ten years or so. Came over with my mother right before I started college. As old-fashioned as it sounds, her doctors told her to come to California for her health, and I came with her."
"Did it help?" Buffy asked, thinking of her own mother and her unexpected death.
"Completely. She's a new woman now."
"I'm glad," Buffy said softly.
Will looked at her from underneath his brows. It was an intense look, like he was trying to see inside her head and figure out what made her tick.
No one had ever looked at her that intently. She nearly shivered from the emotion that surged through her.
'Why is this happening?' she wondered silently. Ever since she had been brought back, she had experienced trouble connecting with people, even her nearest and dearest. It had gotten easier once the First had been defeated, and the burden of Slaying had been lifted from her shoulders. But it was still difficult to give into her emotions. Yet this man, who she had met only two hours ago, made her feel like a giddy girl. It was odd, not what she was used to, terrifying, and completely exciting.
Feeling a bit on edge, she tried to push aside the potent silence and return to the safety of small talk. "So what do you do?"
Will shook his head, flicking the butt of his cigarette onto the sand just beyond the patio. "None of that chit-chat, if you don't mind. Why don't we ask questions that really matter? Like what was the last thing you read that really touched you? Who was the last person you said 'I love you' to? What do you want to be able to do at 50?"
She gazed at him, both irritated and intrigued by his argument. "What's wrong with small talk?"
Will frowned. "Everything, if you ask me. 'Where do you work?', 'What's your favorite food?', blah blah blah. If I care enough about a person that I'm going to ask them questions, I want the questions to mean something. Let me see how they think, and what they want."
Buffy folded her arms across her chest. "But with small talk, you're not paying attention to the questions or the answers. I may be saying, 'What do you do?' but I mean, 'What inspires and excites you?' I can ask where you grew up because I'm hoping we have that in common." She smiled, and stepped closer to him. "And there's the questions you ask without saying a word."
Will's smile grew more flirtatious, his voice deeper, when he replied. "Yeah? So if you step closer, and I step even closer?"
"A question and an answer," Buffy said, wondering how far this would go, how far she wanted it to go, and damn it, they shouldn't be overlapping goals! Throwing yourself at nice men who seemed interested in you only makes you look pathetic, she counseled herself.
She was sure she could keep everything together, until he said, "And if I . . ."
And Buffy realized, as she found her eyes staring at his chest, that he had wrapped his arm around her waist.
'God, she feels good,' Will thought as her body came in contact with his. Warm, soft, with a fragrance of flowers and vanilla, she felt really, really good pressed against him lightly. He let his hand move over her lower back, lightly touching her.
She seemed a bit dazed by it all, but he watched her pull herself together. Her tongue darted out and licked her lips, and he barely stifled a small groan.
In a slightly quivery voice, she said, "The fact that I'm not pushing you away could be construed as an answer."
He smiled at her, bringing one hand up to cup her cheek. God, she was adorable. "And such big words, too. Very impressive."
Buffy's head jerked up, and she glared at him. "Are you saying you think I'm stupid?"
Will felt his jaw drop open. "Wha-huh?" he said, too flustered by her accusation, and then by the loss of her body as she pulled out of his arms.
"You know, I'm not a dumb blonde. Well, not a natural blonde, either, but that's beside the point!" she exclaimed, pointing her finger at him. She started pacing back and forth, and he could only watch and listen as his brain tried to catch up.
"I'm not just some silly ditz without a care in the world, you know. I've been raising my sister by myself for three years! The town I lived in was sucked up by a Hell . . . hole, and I lost everything! I'm taking classes at UCLA, and my professors are dazzled by my brilliance!"
Buffy paused, and Will quickly tried to apologize. "Buffy, love, I didn't mean anything by it. I was impressed. I couldn't have come out with 'construed' with the way I was feeling."
She stopped pacing, and turned to look at him. "Impressed?"
He stepped forward, knowing how to grab an opening. "Really, really impressed."
Buffy dropped her eyes, and flushed a bit. When she looked up, her voice was apologetic. "I'm so sorry. You kinda hit one of my buttons there, completely by accident. I shouldn't have dumped that all on you."
Will smiled, and gave in to the urge to run his fingers through her hair. "Apology accepted, Buffy." He let his hand linger in his hair one more time, and she stepped closer, until she was only a breath away.
Then, he couldn't resist. "Although I do admit I'd rather be pushin' some of your other buttons." And before she could say a word, or do more than open her mouth to fire back some quip, he kissed her.
'Oh . . . wait, I'm supposed to be mad at him . . . mmm . . .' Buffy thought before she gave up and focused on his lips. Warm, soft lips that were currently pressing and sliding against hers.
'Sweet and spicy,' was all Will managed to think before he let his emotions take over. His hands moved on autopilot, seeking out all the places that felt good and made her feel good. He drew her tongue into his mouth, and he wondered if this was what heaven tasted like.
Buffy really, really liked kissing him. He was so good at it, and his mouth seemed designed to kiss her. She sighed, and reached up, letting her hands wrap around his neck and play with the curls she found there.
Just as she was mulling the necessary but unhappy concept of pausing for breath, she thought she heard something. When she heard another noise, she managed to pull back a bit from Will, enough that the spell was momentarily broken.
She turned, and glared at Xander, who stood half-in and half-out the door.
"Um, sorry," Xander said. "Um, Rich is going to go to Rosie's place, and I was going to . . . go get some ice cream! Yeah, so if you guys wondered where I was, when, you know, you weren't, um, well, you know." With that, he scurried back inside the house, shutting the door behind him.
Buffy looked at Will. Will looked at Buffy. They both burst out in giggles. "Xander's a very considerate friend," Will managed to say.
Buffy kept laughing, resting her forehead against his chest. "It's temporary insanity, I think. He normally plays the big-brother role to the extreme. He must like you."
Will grinned at her. "Right now, I'm not worrying about if he likes me . . ." he said, trailing off as he moved closer for another kiss.
This kiss was slower, sweeter, but also sultrier. Their tongues moved against each other's languidly, and when they finished the kiss, Will let his forehead rest against hers.
Buffy let out a small sigh, and Will mimicked her. He then squeezed her waist, and said, "Love, I know you're leaving tomorrow, but I really want to see you again. No rushing, you know what I mean?"
Buffy pulled back, and looked at him. She dropped a kiss on his lips. "You're something else. Can't think of many guys who wouldn't want to rush."
Will pulled her back against him. "I'm not one to hurry for the finish line, since I like all the stopping points along the way. I'm about endurance," he said. Then, he smirked at her, a knee-shaking, heart-pounding smirk. "In more ways than one."
She grinned at him. "A bad boy, you are," placing another quick kiss on his mouth before pulling away somewhat. She knew if she didn't get a little distance, right now, they'd both be naked, right now.
He shook his head with a laugh. "Hardly, love," he said, before he took her hand in his and pulled her inside the house.
Inside, they found that they were alone, but not wanting to tempt the fates, they merely smiled at each other. Will went to a desk, located in a corner of the room, and dug out a pad of paper and a pen. He wrote something, and then gave it to Buffy, who had joined him at his side.
"Cell, home phone, and email," he said, pointing to each set of numbers or letters.
She smiled at him, and scribbled down her own info. Their fingers lingered when she handed him the slip of paper, and it seemed so natural to walk to the front door, holding hands.
"I'll call you tomorrow, when Xander and I get back," she said, leaning against the door. "I had a wonderful time tonight."
Will leaned forward, bracing himself with one hand against the door. "So did I, love. So glad I took Rich up on his invitation."
He bent down, and kissed her once, sweetly. Then he smiled and slipped out the door.
Buffy headed back into the living room, and sat down on the couch. She brought her fingers up to her mouth. Her lips felt a bit swollen, a sure sign of being well-kissed.
"Well-kissed indeed," Buffy said to herself with a happy sigh.
Outside the condo, Will leaned against his car for a minute, staring at the window in Rich's living room. He could see Buffy, and he saw her bring her hand to her mouth. He grinned, before he touched his own fingers to his lips and blew her a kiss.
"Just the beginning, love," he said aloud, before he got into his car and dreamily drove home.
End, Chapter Three
By Melissa(dettiot@yahoo.com)
Rating: PG-13 mostly, with one NC-17 epilogue.
Spoilers: Through Chosen.
Author's Note: Spike/Buffy, but only kinda. This story is a bit odd. Also posted on my website(http://lostinwonderland.org/buffy/fanfic.html).
This chapter's title is from "Why Can't I" by Liz Phair.
Chapter Three: Get a Load of Me, Get a Load of You
Will stared at the woman who had opened the door. How had Rich described her-gorgeous?
Massive understatement. This girl was a vision. California blonde, curvy little body, and the biggest green eyes he'd ever seen.
He opened his mouth, trying to find something-anything-to say to this woman, when she suddenly said, "You brought dessert?"
As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Buffy cringed. Standing in front of her was a cute-no, scratch that, amazingly gorgeous-man. Only a bit taller than her, he was lean and toned, with wild curly hair the color of honey and eyes the color of the sky. And the best thing she could do was comment on the bakery box in his arms?
Thankfully, he must be used to women making fools of themselves over him, as he opened his mouth, closed it, and then spoke. "Um, yes. I love cheesecake."
Will nearly rolled his eyes at such inanity. Where was that giant hole opening under his feet when he needed it?
Buffy practically sighed when she heard his voice. Sexy voice plus accent equaled a happy Buffy. She broke out of her reverie when she realized he was looking at her as if he needed her to notice something. And she noticed he was still standing on the doorstep.
"Oh! Can I help you carry something in?" she asked as she moved out of the doorway, letting him pass.
"No, I've got everything. Everyone back in the kitchen?" he answered, moving down the hall.
Rich's head popped out of the kitchen and looked down the hall. "Will! You bastard, bringing flowers too? All the women will be swooning at your feet, eager to turn you into their next fixer-upper."
Buffy followed Will into the kitchen, where the good-natured joking was the only thing disturbing the pre-dinner lull. Rich had joined Xander, who was standing by the island watching Rosie toss a salad. Will dropped the bakery box and the flowers on the counter, kissed Rosie on the cheek, and held out his hand to Xander. "Xander, I take it?"
Xander smiled, but Buffy could see he was a bit uneasy. But he grasped Will's hand and said, "Good to meet you finally. I can at last figure out the truth about that story Rich tells, about that time in Vegas?"
Will burst out laughing, as Rich punched Xander in the shoulder. "Hey, not in front of my girl! I've been trying to convince her I've got nothing to hide."
"Oh, I know you've got nothing to hide. Because I know everything," Rosie shot back.
Rich smiled at his girlfriend, then said, "And of course you've met Buffy, Will."
Buffy bit her bottom lip, trying not to be nervous. Will gazed at her for a moment, then smiled. "Yeah, we've met."
"It's funny," Buffy said before she could stop herself, "but I feel like I know you somehow. Weird, isn't it?"
Will cocked his head to one side in thought. "Yeah . . . it's bloody odd, but you seem familiar. In a I-don't-know-a-sodding-thing-about-you way, of course."
Buffy laughed, and Will's smile changed to a grin. The others began moving around, taking dishes to the table, and Rosie pulled Buffy aside for her help. As they arranged some antipasto on a tray, Rosie said in a low voice, "My sister was supposed to come over too, so that no one would feel like they were stuck with someone. I was going to tell you that you didn't have to entertain Will if you didn't want to, but I don't think that's a problem, is it?"
Buffy blushed a little, but shook her head.
"Good," Rosie said with a smile. "Especially since Will is staring at you now."
Buffy's head whipped around, and found Will's eyes locked on her. She raised her eyebrow, but then smiled at him. He shrugged his shoulders, as if to say, 'Well, you know now,' before he winked at her. As Buffy picked up one of the platters, she thought to herself, 'Can't get much more interesting than this . . .'
**
Will was beginning to revise his long-held disbelief in love at first sight. He still didn't believe in it, but he sure understood how someone could think they had fallen in love with just one look.
For a few minutes, he had been worried that Buffy was a bit of a walking stereotype. Sure, she was beautiful, but she seemed to have the brains of a fruit-fly. He was never so thankful to be proven wrong. During dinner, she had seemed more at ease, and he quickly found that Buffy was smart, witty, and knew her way around a quip. At one point, when they had been snarking back and forth, he had caught Rich giving Rosie a look. Making a mental note to talk to him later, Will turned to Xander.
"So, you've known Rich long?"
Xander nodded. "We worked together in construction for a while, back in Sunnydale."
Will wrinkled his brow. "Sunnydale? Didn't some disaster happen there?"
Xander snorted. "Disaster is one way to put it. I call it the whole town getting sucked into a giant hole."
"Jesus," Will said.
"Oh, yeah," Xander said, his voice equal parts bitterness and sadness.
Will searched for something else to say, and finally asked the question he had wanted to ask from the beginning. "So, have you known Buffy long?"
Xander turned his head, to see Will more clearly. Then he smiled. "Ah, yes. The Buffinator strikes again."
Will ducked his head, but kept his tone serious. "Just makin' conversation, mate."
"Sure, mate," Xander said with a grin. "Anyway, I've known Buffy for . . . God, nearly ten years. Hey, Buff," Xander said, drawing Buffy out of her conversation with Rich and Rosie. "Can you believe we've known each other almost ten years?"
Buffy wrinkled her nose. "Gosh, that is amazing. Especially since I can't stand you."
"Ha, ha, very funny." Xander stuck his tongue out at Buffy, which she did in return. She rolled her eyes, then grinned at Will.
Will grinned back, feeling that giddy buzz from earlier strengthen. 'This girl is perfect,' he thought to himself.
**
Buffy rested her elbows on the railings of the patio and leaned forward, staring at the ocean. The evening had been so . . . amazing. She was almost scared because things had gone so well tonight. She was afraid that this feeling couldn't last.
She heard the door slide open, and she looked over her shoulder to see Will step outside. She smiled at him. "Hey."
"Hey, yourself," he said. "Mind if I smoke?"
She shook her head, and he pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. She watched as he cupped his hands around the cigarette, the flame lighting up his face for a moment.
'Beautiful,' she thought to herself.
He inhaled, and released the smoke with a sigh. "Keep telling myself that I'll quit one of these days. Too bloody hard to smoke in California, anyway."
She turned and faced him, her back resting against the railing. "How long have you lived here?"
"Oh, 'bout ten years or so. Came over with my mother right before I started college. As old-fashioned as it sounds, her doctors told her to come to California for her health, and I came with her."
"Did it help?" Buffy asked, thinking of her own mother and her unexpected death.
"Completely. She's a new woman now."
"I'm glad," Buffy said softly.
Will looked at her from underneath his brows. It was an intense look, like he was trying to see inside her head and figure out what made her tick.
No one had ever looked at her that intently. She nearly shivered from the emotion that surged through her.
'Why is this happening?' she wondered silently. Ever since she had been brought back, she had experienced trouble connecting with people, even her nearest and dearest. It had gotten easier once the First had been defeated, and the burden of Slaying had been lifted from her shoulders. But it was still difficult to give into her emotions. Yet this man, who she had met only two hours ago, made her feel like a giddy girl. It was odd, not what she was used to, terrifying, and completely exciting.
Feeling a bit on edge, she tried to push aside the potent silence and return to the safety of small talk. "So what do you do?"
Will shook his head, flicking the butt of his cigarette onto the sand just beyond the patio. "None of that chit-chat, if you don't mind. Why don't we ask questions that really matter? Like what was the last thing you read that really touched you? Who was the last person you said 'I love you' to? What do you want to be able to do at 50?"
She gazed at him, both irritated and intrigued by his argument. "What's wrong with small talk?"
Will frowned. "Everything, if you ask me. 'Where do you work?', 'What's your favorite food?', blah blah blah. If I care enough about a person that I'm going to ask them questions, I want the questions to mean something. Let me see how they think, and what they want."
Buffy folded her arms across her chest. "But with small talk, you're not paying attention to the questions or the answers. I may be saying, 'What do you do?' but I mean, 'What inspires and excites you?' I can ask where you grew up because I'm hoping we have that in common." She smiled, and stepped closer to him. "And there's the questions you ask without saying a word."
Will's smile grew more flirtatious, his voice deeper, when he replied. "Yeah? So if you step closer, and I step even closer?"
"A question and an answer," Buffy said, wondering how far this would go, how far she wanted it to go, and damn it, they shouldn't be overlapping goals! Throwing yourself at nice men who seemed interested in you only makes you look pathetic, she counseled herself.
She was sure she could keep everything together, until he said, "And if I . . ."
And Buffy realized, as she found her eyes staring at his chest, that he had wrapped his arm around her waist.
'God, she feels good,' Will thought as her body came in contact with his. Warm, soft, with a fragrance of flowers and vanilla, she felt really, really good pressed against him lightly. He let his hand move over her lower back, lightly touching her.
She seemed a bit dazed by it all, but he watched her pull herself together. Her tongue darted out and licked her lips, and he barely stifled a small groan.
In a slightly quivery voice, she said, "The fact that I'm not pushing you away could be construed as an answer."
He smiled at her, bringing one hand up to cup her cheek. God, she was adorable. "And such big words, too. Very impressive."
Buffy's head jerked up, and she glared at him. "Are you saying you think I'm stupid?"
Will felt his jaw drop open. "Wha-huh?" he said, too flustered by her accusation, and then by the loss of her body as she pulled out of his arms.
"You know, I'm not a dumb blonde. Well, not a natural blonde, either, but that's beside the point!" she exclaimed, pointing her finger at him. She started pacing back and forth, and he could only watch and listen as his brain tried to catch up.
"I'm not just some silly ditz without a care in the world, you know. I've been raising my sister by myself for three years! The town I lived in was sucked up by a Hell . . . hole, and I lost everything! I'm taking classes at UCLA, and my professors are dazzled by my brilliance!"
Buffy paused, and Will quickly tried to apologize. "Buffy, love, I didn't mean anything by it. I was impressed. I couldn't have come out with 'construed' with the way I was feeling."
She stopped pacing, and turned to look at him. "Impressed?"
He stepped forward, knowing how to grab an opening. "Really, really impressed."
Buffy dropped her eyes, and flushed a bit. When she looked up, her voice was apologetic. "I'm so sorry. You kinda hit one of my buttons there, completely by accident. I shouldn't have dumped that all on you."
Will smiled, and gave in to the urge to run his fingers through her hair. "Apology accepted, Buffy." He let his hand linger in his hair one more time, and she stepped closer, until she was only a breath away.
Then, he couldn't resist. "Although I do admit I'd rather be pushin' some of your other buttons." And before she could say a word, or do more than open her mouth to fire back some quip, he kissed her.
'Oh . . . wait, I'm supposed to be mad at him . . . mmm . . .' Buffy thought before she gave up and focused on his lips. Warm, soft lips that were currently pressing and sliding against hers.
'Sweet and spicy,' was all Will managed to think before he let his emotions take over. His hands moved on autopilot, seeking out all the places that felt good and made her feel good. He drew her tongue into his mouth, and he wondered if this was what heaven tasted like.
Buffy really, really liked kissing him. He was so good at it, and his mouth seemed designed to kiss her. She sighed, and reached up, letting her hands wrap around his neck and play with the curls she found there.
Just as she was mulling the necessary but unhappy concept of pausing for breath, she thought she heard something. When she heard another noise, she managed to pull back a bit from Will, enough that the spell was momentarily broken.
She turned, and glared at Xander, who stood half-in and half-out the door.
"Um, sorry," Xander said. "Um, Rich is going to go to Rosie's place, and I was going to . . . go get some ice cream! Yeah, so if you guys wondered where I was, when, you know, you weren't, um, well, you know." With that, he scurried back inside the house, shutting the door behind him.
Buffy looked at Will. Will looked at Buffy. They both burst out in giggles. "Xander's a very considerate friend," Will managed to say.
Buffy kept laughing, resting her forehead against his chest. "It's temporary insanity, I think. He normally plays the big-brother role to the extreme. He must like you."
Will grinned at her. "Right now, I'm not worrying about if he likes me . . ." he said, trailing off as he moved closer for another kiss.
This kiss was slower, sweeter, but also sultrier. Their tongues moved against each other's languidly, and when they finished the kiss, Will let his forehead rest against hers.
Buffy let out a small sigh, and Will mimicked her. He then squeezed her waist, and said, "Love, I know you're leaving tomorrow, but I really want to see you again. No rushing, you know what I mean?"
Buffy pulled back, and looked at him. She dropped a kiss on his lips. "You're something else. Can't think of many guys who wouldn't want to rush."
Will pulled her back against him. "I'm not one to hurry for the finish line, since I like all the stopping points along the way. I'm about endurance," he said. Then, he smirked at her, a knee-shaking, heart-pounding smirk. "In more ways than one."
She grinned at him. "A bad boy, you are," placing another quick kiss on his mouth before pulling away somewhat. She knew if she didn't get a little distance, right now, they'd both be naked, right now.
He shook his head with a laugh. "Hardly, love," he said, before he took her hand in his and pulled her inside the house.
Inside, they found that they were alone, but not wanting to tempt the fates, they merely smiled at each other. Will went to a desk, located in a corner of the room, and dug out a pad of paper and a pen. He wrote something, and then gave it to Buffy, who had joined him at his side.
"Cell, home phone, and email," he said, pointing to each set of numbers or letters.
She smiled at him, and scribbled down her own info. Their fingers lingered when she handed him the slip of paper, and it seemed so natural to walk to the front door, holding hands.
"I'll call you tomorrow, when Xander and I get back," she said, leaning against the door. "I had a wonderful time tonight."
Will leaned forward, bracing himself with one hand against the door. "So did I, love. So glad I took Rich up on his invitation."
He bent down, and kissed her once, sweetly. Then he smiled and slipped out the door.
Buffy headed back into the living room, and sat down on the couch. She brought her fingers up to her mouth. Her lips felt a bit swollen, a sure sign of being well-kissed.
"Well-kissed indeed," Buffy said to herself with a happy sigh.
Outside the condo, Will leaned against his car for a minute, staring at the window in Rich's living room. He could see Buffy, and he saw her bring her hand to her mouth. He grinned, before he touched his own fingers to his lips and blew her a kiss.
"Just the beginning, love," he said aloud, before he got into his car and dreamily drove home.
End, Chapter Three