Just One Little Kiss

:: CHAPTER SEVEN ::

"Morning Marie." Buffy grinned, sleepily, as she sat up to find Marie with a breakfast tray sitting at the end of her bed. Marie showed a saccharine smile and nodded back, waiting for a reaction. "What's wrong?"

"No, nothing--" Marie lifted her lips in a smile, "hey listen, who's Craig Dawkins?" Buffy's smile dropped.

"I'm sorry, what?" She asked in disbelief.

"Craig Dawkins, who is he? And why haven't you told me about him?" Her voice and face became whiney as she slumped forwards. "I'm supposed to be your friend and you never told me about Craig or Spike! That's not fair. I tell you everything!"

"Yes, well, I think it's good to keep some things to ourselves."

"How long have you fancied Spike?" Marie furrowed her brow, waiting for the response. She crossed her arms and assumed a serious expression on her face.

"I don't fancy Spike! Of all people, not him. Just because he's been there in the past to bail me out and…" She trailed off and fixed her gaze on the taupe wall. "Anyway, it was just sex, and it was just once…well, not just once, but--" But Marie had lost interest in the conversation.

"Why do they paint everything taupe? It's a really naff colour, reminds me of humus, and…"

"Spiiiiiiiiiike!" Pete called into Spike's ear, waking him up. Spike jumped up, looking around frantically until he saw him.

"Fuck man, why the bloody hell did you do that?" He clasped a hand to his head. He had fallen asleep at his desk and his clothes were rumpled. There was a post-it on one cheek. He pulled it off.

"We need to go upstairs and continue shooting. You're late, Spike." He skimmed the top of Spike's head with his hand. Spike pulled away and stood up, blinking, trying to clear his mind and find his shoes. "So, you didn't have sex with her last night? Aw, too bad." Spike glared at him before pulling one shoe on. "Still, it's not like I should pry…" He growled.

"What? What is it, Pete?" He finished getting dressed and ran his fingers through his hair a couple of times.

"Why didn't you tell me about the bar? Buffy tells Marie everything and you tell me NOTHING!" He ended up shouting.

Spike frowned at him. "Calm down, mate. I tell you stuff." He put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "What are you talking about? The bar?"

"I don't know. Why don't you tell me?" He said, threateningly.

"I don't know," Spike answered, irritably, "why don't you tell me?"

"Alright then. Let me refresh your memory. You two had sex in a bar! Did that slip your mind?"

Spike eyed him confused. "No we didn't."

"Yes, you did."

"No – we didn't. I'm pretty sure I'd remember something like that."

Pete laughed sarcastically. "Yeah, right. You didn't. You were just friends. And not even that. You people make me sick!"

"I'm telling you, Pete. We didn't have sex in a bar." He scratched his head and moved to the door, now fully dressed. "Something's wrong with you. Really." He shook his head.

"No, it's not, coz Marie said that you and--" something dawned across his face, "that Buffy had a dream about you having sex in a bar!" He slumped and tilted his head looking up. "Of course!" He turned to Spike and smiled. "Ah, well. These things happen!"

He joined him at the door. "Buffy had a dream about me and her? Really? A hot dream?" Pete looked at him. "Buffy had a really hot dream about me and her?" Pete whacked him on the back of his head.

"I wasn't meant to say. Marie'll kill me if she finds out. Shut up, Johnson." He warned, hitting him again to add impact. "Upstairs, now!"

Buffy sat on the sofa with Leah crawling all over her when Spike walked in. He grinned and walked over to join her.

"Hey," he said, sitting down. Her relaxed facial expressions tensed.

"Hello, William." She looked straight ahead.

He had been grinning all the way down in the lift. His grin spread wider when he looked across at her. She was wearing a button-up pale sundress that split open where she crossed her legs.

"Spikey!" Shouted Leah, pouncing off Buffy and onto him. He picked her up and began to tickle her until she squealed and ran away from him, leaving the two of them on their own.

"Sleep well?" He asked her, trying to hide the emotion in his voice.

"Um, yes, thank you. Quite well."

"Good dream?"

"What?!" She flipped to see his reaction, her eyes having bulged and her mouth having fallen open.

"Very good dream." He responded with a smirk.

She cleared her throat at his gaze and brushed her hair behind her ears, returning to her original position. "I-um. It was alright." He didn't know anything.

"Did it heat you up?" He asked, enjoying the reaction on her face to his words. "From what I hear it did."

"L-Look," she said, putting her foot down once and for all, "I have never been to Africa on safari, and I don't intend to go, so whatever may have happened in my dream will never happen in real life."

Her words didn't have the right effect. "I only heard about the bar. Safari? Must have been a wild time!" He grinned and sat closer to her, placing a hand behind her. "Tell me about it." He purred into her ear. Her eyes fluttered shut as he traced his fingers along the back of her neck.

"I-I, um…" She whispered huskily.

"Yes?" He leaned forwards

"We shouldn't do this…" Her voice was weak and breathy.

"Tell me why not."

"B-Because we work together."

"That's only temporary." He leaned in a nuzzled at her neck, breathing in the scent around her hair. "Why else?"

"B-Because I don't know you that well."

He chuckled softly into her ear before running his tongue over the rim. "All of school. Yeah, not well at all. Maybe I want to get to know you better. Why else?"

"B-Because you think I'm funny."

"That's a good thing." He grinned, his hot breath sizzling her skin. "Anything else?"

"B-Because we don't like each other."

He pulled back a little and looked at her eyes. "I like you. Your body seems to like me." He added, his hand still resting on her quivering thigh. "Where's the problem?"

She opened her eyes, sleepily, and looked at him. She couldn't bring herself to look anywhere else. There was something compulsive in his gaze; an assurance that was revealed to be something else, now, that needed affirming.

"I--" she stuttered, her heart racing.

And then he knew.

He leant forwards, touching her lips with a new kind of passion. It was evident from the start. And, as he pressed deeper, she met him with equal emotion. His hands moved to cup her face to his, and hers brought him closer still.

She whimpered slightly, and he let out a low growl that curled in his throat. It was soft, but sensuous, as they remained connected, completely oblivious of what was going on around them.

"Let me take you for dinner." He breathed, breaking for air. His eyes watched hers as they flashed open. She didn't seem ashamed or afraid of what was happening.

"Yes." She choked back, her lips swollen and her cheeks flushed.