Author's Note: I have received an incredible amount of feedback in such a short time on this story! I can not even begin to express to you how much it has all meant to me, so I will just continue writing and try to live up to your expectations in chapters to come! Special thanks to Anyanka0705 who thanked me for always watching my spelling and grammar. It has made me even more conscientious when I proof each chapter (in fact, I caught a few missed typos and fixed them after uploading!). Your reviews have all meant a lot -- Rosemain9, Spuffygrl, Lilmisscookiemonster, Brunettepet, Amandaamanda3, Nebula Authoress, Star 2421, Shippy, Pattyanne, Celestria-17, Slayerfan and Spikelover213. Song lyrics borrowed from "Soul to Soul" by Rick Springfield.

To Hell with the rest of the world, Buffy was his. Spike knew that he could die right now and know that he'd had everything he had ever wanted or needed in his life... her love.

Her head lay against his chest contentedly. She could hear his heart beating out a steady rhythm against her ear. The only question left was why had she waited so long to tell him how she felt? She sighed as he stroked her hair with a gentle hand. His other arm remained wrapped protectively around her form where it curled against him.

"Promise me something, Will," she said, her voice full of trepidation.

"Anything, Kitten." He wondered what could be making her sound so frightened.

"Promise me you'll never leave me," she pleaded. "Because I just... I just can't go through that again. I just can't give you all of my heart and watch you leave."

She tilted her head up to read his eyes. She could see the question in them.

"They all leave, Will.. my Dad... my friends... my Mom... I..." She tried to compose herself, fight off the threatening tears. "I couldn't bear it if you left me, too, Will. That would hurt the most."

"Shh, Love," he soothed her. "Cross my heart. I'll never leave you. You're my world."

She smiled and lifted her lips to meet his. Her kiss was shy and slow. Her eyes rolled closed as his lips yielded to hers. He felt the tip of her tongue as she licked at his bottom lip with a kittenish innocense. She was bloody perfect. She tasted like sunshine and starlight. She was the living, breathing definition of chiaroscuro. She was the light that shone bright in the darkness, guiding him home. And she was the dark mystery, a contradiction of everything she seemed. He deepened the kiss as his hands slid under her shirt to stroke the warm skin at the base of her spine.

She moaned and arched her back, pressing her breasts into his chest in the process.

"Take it off," she whispered as her eyes met his.

His hands were clutching the hem of her tank top and he didn't need to be told twice. He nodded and lifted the soft, grey material over her head. The lacy confection of deep, cherry red she wore beneath it barely concealed her pebbled nipples. His breath hitched as he traced his hand down her cheek, her neck, stopping to run his fingers across her collarbone before gliding them over her lace-covered breast. She mewled out her pleasure when he began to scrape a fingertip across her hardened nipple.

"That what you want, Kitten?" he asked, his voice hoarse with desire. "You want me to touch you here?" He cupped his hand over the soft mound, letting his palm caress its firm pink center. "Like this?"

"Mmm... Oh, God... yes, Will," she whimpered.

He kissed her again, this time more greedily. He needed to taste her. He needed to touch her everywhere. He had never felt this way in his life. Want was an easy thing. So was desire. But Buffy awakened a need in him he hadn't even been aware of until that moment. And he needed her to own him. He needed to be completely hers.

She straddled his lap and gasped when she felt him already hard beneath her. There was no turning back now. And she didn't want to. She needed him in the most carnal way. She needed him to love her completely.

Her hands slipped to the bottom of his t-shirt and she lifted it slowly. She felt his stomach against hers as the smattering of light hair tickled her. She let her hands lightly brush his nipples as she moved the shirt further up his chest. He lifted his arms and helped her remove the remainder of the shirt.

So, Soul to Soul
I know how it feels
Between lover to lover (we're gonna be)
So, Soul to Soul
Like a magnet to steel
Just like lover to lover (we're gonna be)...

She breathlessly moved her hands over the expanse of his bare chest. He smiled as he watched her fascination with his body. He leaned in to kiss her forehead before moving his hands down her back to find the clasp of her bra. He silently asked for permission and she responded with an encouraging smile. His hands fumbled like an inexperienced schoolboy's as he unlatched the hooks. She had reduced him to this... to a puddle of his own desire. Her eyes were wide and trusting as he slid the straps down her arms. She let the bra fall between them before moving it to the side.

She chewed her lip in nervous anticipation to his reaction. She wasn't naive. She knew that he had been with other women. And a part of her worried that she wouldn't measure up. She had no idea how wrong she was. He was enthralled by her innocent beauty. He revered her like a porcelain doll... awed by her beauty, surprised by her strength.

She lay against him needing desperately to feel his skin against hers. His hands traced a line up her spine and tangled into the soft hair at the nape of her neck. She could feel him harden even more beneath her.

"Tell me to stop, Buffy," he told her, searching her eyes for any doubt about what they were about to do.

"Don't stop," she whispered instead.

"Tell me you don't want me," he challaneged.

"I want you," she breathed, slipping her hand down between them to stroke him through his clothes.

He moaned his pleasure into her waiting mouth as her hand sought for the waistband of his sweatpants. She curled her fingers around the elastic as his tongue tickled the roof of her mouth.

"Tell me you're not ready," he tried, one last time.

"I'm so very ready," she swore with a penetrating gaze.

"I need to hear you say it, Buffy. I need..." His thoughts slipped away as her hand slid inside his pants to find that there was no other barrier between it and his cock. "Oh, God, Buffy..."

"I love you, Will," she whispered into his ear. Her hand was deliciously stroking the silky skin of his shaft as she flicked her tongue into his ear. "I want you to make love to me. Now, Will. I need you now."