He replayed the past part of what he had heard. Knowing that the answer would still be the same, "Riley."
He wanted to kill Riley, wanted to cause him bodily harm. But he knew that if he let go of the girl in his arms, he would never get this chance to prove to her that he wanted her here and that she could trust him, "Riley? He did this to you? He's made you this way?"
Buffy nodded against his chest. He felt the tears soaking through his shirt, knowing that this shirt would never be washed, he wanted to keep her scent on him forever. He tightened his grip on her.
"Luv, why can't you leave him? Why can't you just get away or call the police?"
Buffy leaned out of his grasp, but still held onto his shirt, "Do you not know what Riley is? He's a cop. There's no way I could call the police and they would believe me. They would just joke about it with him and he would tell them to write it off as a prank that I was playing.
Then he would come and find me, then beat it into my head that I would never be anything without him. And I never will be, I know that. There's no denying it. I know the facts and the fact of the matter is, I'm stuck, no matter what."
He cupped her face in his hands, making sure that she didn't look away from him as he spoke, "You are not nothing. You are the most extraordinary woman that I have ever met. The fact that you are telling me this now tells me that you are the strongest woman that I have ever met.
You don't ever believe him again. Do you hear me? Never believe him. He has to hit you to make himself feel better. No man should ever do that. You deserve better than that. You deserve to be treated better."
She shook her head, even though it was hard with him holding her head, "No, you're wrong. No man will ever want me. Riley and I have been together for years. Ever since high school we've been together. There's no one else that will ever want me. It won't take a scientist to tell me that."
Spike sighed heavily, "Oh yeah? Then what does this tell you?"
She was about to respond when Spike crashed his lips to hers. He pulled her close as he felt her stiffen under his lips. Soon, she was kissing him back, matching the fervor that he had.
He nipped at her bottom lip, begging her for entrance. She gladly allowed him the entrance that he wanted. She opened her mouth, moaning as she felt his tongue battle hers for dominance. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him as close as she possibly could.
Spike thought he was going to explode. He needed her, wanted her, craved her. He felt her pulling him extremely close, not caring if things were going too fast for them or not. He lifted her into his lap until she was straddling him.
He wanted her to know that she had all of the control, so she would feel safe. He wanted her to feel safe with him. Spike gripped her hips, hoping to get closer than he already was.
They pulled apart, resting their foreheads together, when breathing became an issue for both of them. They didn't want to release each other, but knew they had to to be able to breathe.
Once their breathing became normal again, they hesitantly looked into each other's eyes. Buffy didn't feel embarrassed, shy, or anything else that would possibly be able to hide her true feelings.
Spike chuckled, looking into her eyes. She eyed him suspiciously, "What's so funny?"
He wrapped his arm leisurely around her waist, "You never answered my question."
Now she was shy. She didn't know what to answer, or how. How did she explain that he had kissed her with such intensity that she had never felt that way before in her life? She was speechless, almost, "Well, I don't think I can."
Spike pouted, "Why not?"
It was her turn to laugh now, "Because I don't think anyone ever invented words for what that just told me. You feel it, too, don't you? You feel that thing that's there?"
He did. He felt the way that she was. They couldn't explain it. They felt like they belonged together. As if they had known each other for their whole lives. He knew that he never wanted to let her go again. And it warmed his heart to know that she felt the same way, too.
He pulled her to him, smiling as she nestled her head in the crook of his neck, "Yeah, sweets, I feel it, too." Adding in his mind, 'and it feels bloody great.'