A month later, Buffy's mom was out of town and her and Angel were lying on the sofa, fifteen minutes into a make-out session. Angel pulled away slightly to look down at her and traced one soft cheek with a fingertip. "You're so beautiful."
She flushed slightly and lifted her head to capture his lips in a quick, soft kiss. "You're not too bad yourself."
He pressed a line of kisses from her forehead, down her nose before he reached her lips, gently teasing them with his own. Buffy relaxed into the sofa, holding him closer. "I can't believe we waited so long to do this. We could have been doing it for years." He broke off the kisses to answer. "I know."
He buried his head in the smooth curve of her neck and kissed the lightly fragranced flesh. He inhaled the scent then moved away to look in her eyes, grinning. "Nice perfume."
Buffy gently ran her fingers through his hair. "You should know. You bought it me" He nuzzled into her hand. "I've got good taste"
She rolled her eyes at him and kissed him again. She thought back to what she'd said earlier, as she felt his lips move down her neck once again. They'd spent so many years fighting when they could have been doing this, a much preferable past time. He licked a slow line across her collar bone and Buffy shuddered slightly, tangling one hand in his hair and tracing patterns on his back with the other.
Angel looked up at her, winked, then took a mouthful of flesh on her neck, gently sucking and nipping at it. She closed her eyes and moaned softly, before long though her eyes opened wide and she pulled Angel's head away from her neck. "What's up?"
She gave him a 'duh' look. "What the hell are you doing! That's gonna leave a mark!"
He leered at her good-naturedly, his eye brows raising suggestively and a fingertip circling the area of already bruising skin. "I know."
"Jerk." She pushed him off her, slid out from under him, then shoved him back to lie on the sofa, straddling his stomach.
"Your turn." She lowered her head to his neck and bit into it, delighting in the shiver that ran through his body. She drew the skin into her mouth, licking and sucking it before teasing it with her teeth. She moved her head so her nose was resting on his and smiled. "Now we'll match."
He smirked at her and pulled her down for a long kiss.
The next day Buffy wrapped a silk scarf around the large love-bite on her neck, praying her friends wouldn't notice it and thanking God that she didn't have PE for the rest of the week. At least her mom wasn't coming back from the art trip for a few days, it should have faded by then. She grinned as she wondered how Angel was going to cover his up; he definitely couldn't wear a scarf. Served him right for giving her one.
Buffy walked out of her house and saw Cordelia and Angel walking out of theirs. She smiled as she heard Cordelia's voice. "Come on Angel! I'm your twin sister! You're supposed to tell me these things!" Angel sounded amused as he answered her. "So I'm not allowed to have any secrets?"
Cordelia was getting more and more irate. "Not when your secret involves some girl nibbling on your neck! Who is it!" Angel nudged her with his elbow. "That's for me to know, and you never to find out."
Buffy walked over to them and winked at Angel when Cordelia's back was turned.
Cordelia stepped up to Buffy. "Hey Buffy" Angel grinned at her. "Hey Buff. Nice scarf" Cordelia looked at it, interested. "Is it new?"
Buffy raised her eyebrows slightly at Angel before turning back to Cordelia. "Yeah, you like?" Cordelia eyed it enviously. "A lot."
As they walked off to meet Xander, Willow and Oz, Buffy shot Angel a seductive smile over her shoulder and swayed her hips. Angel groaned slightly and climbed into his car. She was too gorgeous.
Buffy was proud of herself. It was fifth period and none of her friends had discovered the love bite yet. She opened her locker and got out her books, turning to chat to Willow who's locker was next to hers when she saw her eyes widen in shock and latch on to her neck. "What?"
Willow looked pointedly at her neck and Buffy turned to the small mirror in her locker. Crap! Her scarf had slipped down and the love-bite was visible underneath it. She started to tighten it when she heard Willow tell Cordelia what she'd seen. "Buffy, who gave it you!" Buffy looked away. "No one"
Willow decided to pitch in. "Come on Buffy, you have to tell us." Cordelia nodded emphatically "Yeah, I'm dying for some gossip. Angel wouldn't tell me who gave him one so you have to tell me who gave you yours." Buffy shook her head firmly. "No I really don't"
Cordelia glared and Willow looked slightly hurt. "But friends tell!" Buffy had to get out of there. "Look, I don't really wanna say right now. We're kinda keeping it low key at the minute." Cordelia looked at her in disbelief. "Low key? You turn up with a huge love-bite on your neck and call it low key!"
Buffy looked uncomfortable. "Yeah, well…" Angel walked by then and stopped to smirk at her. "Nice love-bite Buff. Wondered why you wore that scarf." She glared angrily at him. "You can't talk" He chuckled and walked off, leaving the other two girls to interrogate Buffy.