Thank you again to everyone who has reviewed or commented so far. And my apologies, life has gotten incredibly hectic, so my posting is a little sporadic. I hope this chapter makes up for it. Warning: lemons ahead.

Again, all characters are property of Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy.

Chapter 6 Bad burrito

Buffy scowled at her reflection in the mirror, it was going to be obvious that her going home to turn in early didn't help. She looked more tired then ever. How was she going to be able to explain it and manage to get out of patrolling again? Alright, as tired as she looked she could probably get out of patrolling, but would someone want to come home with her to play nursemaid? She hadn't made up her mind about the window. But if she was going to leave it open she was sure she wasn't going to want anyone else there.

She put on minimal make-up, figuring there was no way she wasn't going to look thrashed, she might as well just embrace it. She also dressed the part in her drabbest clothes. Before leaving her bedroom she looked at the still-open window. She had told herself she was going to leave it open unless she definitely decided to close it. After all, it would be a lot harder opening it again. She left her room without touching it.

Going down to the kitchen for breakfast, she found her stomach was too tied up in knots to really eat anything and then she thought of her excuse. She would say she ate something that made her sick. She fixed herself a piece of toast and drank a little orange juice, not much to make it through the day, but it was what she thought she could handle.

Grabbing her book bag she headed for the front door, there was a slip of paper on the floor right in front of the door. Picking it up she unfolded it:

Slayer,

If you leave your window open, give me at least half an hour after sunset alone in your house. Come home alone. Trust me.

Spike

She refolded the note and slid it into her book bag.

"Buffy you look terrible." Was how Giles greeted her as she entered the library. "I thought you were going to turn in early."

"I tried, but a bad mom's-away-meal-choice did me in." she groaned.

"How's that?" her watcher asked puzzled.

"Mom's out of town so I picked up a convenience store burrito, a mistake of epic proportions." She slumped down in the chair. "I don't think I will ever eat food again."

"Shouldn't you go home?" he said with concern.

"Can't, I'm still jumping through Snyder's hoops to stay in school, so no sick days for Buffy." she said glumly.

"Well take it easy today. If you don't feel like eating lunch when the time rolls around you can come in and lie down on the couch in my office."

"Thanks Giles, I'll probably do that." Good, she might be able to get some sleep.

Willow skipped into the library looking all excited but slowed down when she saw Buffy. "Are you all right?"

"I will be, bad burrito mojo."

"Oh." Willow looked crestfallen.

"What's up Will?"

"I think Scott was going to ask you out today."

"God, I hope he doesn't see me like this. Can you let him know I'm sick and another time might be better?" Did she even want to see Scott? Suddenly it seemed less important, even foolish to date a regular boy. After all, didn't Owen almost get killed on their first, and only, date? And she would have to hide who she was around him. Which was not a sound basis for a relationship. Although that doesn't seem quite fair since both Willow's and Xander's significant others know. No, probably better to stick with vampires.

Oh my god, she thought. Did I just decide to date Spike?

"Buffy, are you okay? You look kinda freaked."

"I...I'm just trying to keep breakfast down and it's fighting back. Gotta go." She jumped up and ran to the restroom, shutting herself in the nearest stall. She leaned against the doors. She had just convinced herself to date Spike. Was she crazy? Is that even a real possibility if it was what she wanted? Sure he had asked if she needed a date but that was not the same as dating. And he hadn't actually invited her on a date, he was just trying to figure out what she wanted.

She heard the first bell and knew she had to get to class. Leaving the stall she splashed water on her face. Her make-up wasn't hiding anything anyway, but thank goodness for waterproof mascara. Going to the library to get her bookbag, she told Giles she'd see him at lunch.

She ended up nodding off in most of her morning classes and was almost asleep before she crashed on the couch.

"Buffy are you alright?" Giles was shaking her shoulder. She jumped.

"Yeah."

"You said 'Spike' in your sleep."

"Really? I must have been dreaming."

Giles sat on the edge of his desk and studied her. "Do you think it was a prophetic dream? Do you think Spike is going to be a threat?"

"No, it didn't seem like a prophecy dream." Too bad, she thought to herself because it was a very nice dream. "They're usually more vivid." She looked at her watch. "I'm going to be late for next period. Thank you for the use of the couch, I feel a little better. But if it's alright with you I think I'll head straight home after my last class. I'll take a nap and then see if I can handle some soup for dinner."

"Seems a sound plan. I'll see you in the morning."

"Bye." She hurried out, both because she was late and because she didn't want Giles asking anymore questions about her, very intimate, dream with Spike.

Managing to both stay awake in the rest of her classes and avoid Scott, she left school immediately after the final bell. She was anxious about tonight. She had almost decided to close the window, but had decided instead to let Spike come over so they could talk, not for anything else, she told herself firmly.

She got home by 3:30, the sun wouldn't be setting for at least another 3 hours. That meant she could grab a couple of hours of beauty sleep and have time to shower, dress and get out of the house before Spike would show up. She reset her alarm for 5:30 and crawled into bed. She had more dreams of Spike, but managed to wake up on time and keep to her schedule, including applying some fresh make-up and dressing up, just a little, in a denim skirt and wraparound silk blouse. Looking in the mirror she was happy with the face that looked back.

She left the house with about 10 minutes to spare before the sun went down and pondered where she should go. It had to be someplace where she wouldn't run into her friends, and if she did encounter someone, could make up a reasonable explanation why she was there. So she headed to the grocery store. It was about a 10 minute walk, so she wouldn't have to kill too much time at the store. Once there she walked up and down the aisles to look like she was trying to find something. Time seemed to drag on, there really wasn't that much time you can waste in a store when you aren't really shopping. She did pick up a can of chicken soup and some yogurt, both seemed like things that a sick person might venture. She also picked up a bottle of pepto, just to complete the ruse. It turned out she didn't need to bother since she didn't run into anyone she knew. Leaving the store she realized it was a little early and tried to walk slow, but she kept picking up her pace when she didn't concentrate on it. She walked around one block 3 times just to lengthen the journey.

Finally she got home. All of the blinds were closed, which was definitely not how she left it so she knew he was there. Taking a deep breath and repeating to herself for about the hundredth time 'we're only going to talk'. She walked up the porch stairs and slowly opened the door.

"Spike?" she called softly. Closing and locking the door behind her, but not going farther into the house.

"In here pet." he opened the french doors that separated the living room from the foyer and she stood there with her mouth hanging open. Spike was holding the door, clad in jeans with a red, long-sleeved shirt on, it was loose and soft. On the coffee table was a bowl of popcorn and some movie cases. On the floor past the coffee table there was a blanket spread out with a picnic of fruit, cheese and bread. Her eyes kept moving from him to the two different tableaus, she had no idea what to say.

"Gobsmacked huh? I take it I surprised you?" his eyes were twinkling as he walked up to her.

"I'll say, Spike, what is all this?"

He shrugged, turning to look at the room. "You seemed uncomfortable with the idea of no preamble to our activities so I thought we could start with an in-the-house date. So you have your choice, a picnic or a movie, or both. Unless you do want to go straight to the main attraction."

"Wow, um, let's start with the picnic, I've barely eaten today and I wanted to talk."

He surprised her yet again by lightly taking her hand and leading her to the blanket. Once she was kneeling, he reached into his back pocket. "I almost forgot, here." he held out a stake for her.

Reaching for it slowly she looked at him puzzled. "What's this for?"

"Trust." He lowered himself to the ground and reached into the picnic basket. "Wine?" he offered.

"I'm still underage." she reminded him, tucking the stake into the back of her waistband.

"And I still don't care." He started pouring two glasses of white wine. "You're also wound up as tight as a watch spring. You need to relax."

"I really don't like wine." she said as she took the glass.

"You didn't like whiskey either, but that didn't stop you." he smirked. "Try it." he urged, taking a sip from his own glass.

Tentatively she brought the glass to her lips and took a sip, then took a second. "That's nice." she said surprised.

He smiled, "Pinot grigio, not a very sophisticated wine, but it isn't bad."

"It's sweet." she took another sip, she could almost drink this like kool-aid she thought and reminded herself to go slow with it.

"I wasn't really sure what you liked." he handed her a small plate.

She began filling it with bread and samples of the cheese and fruit. "No, this is lovely, I really like cheese." she began to relax a little.

"So this wasn't what you expected was it?" he was smiling at his own cleverness.

"No, really no." she said as she picked up a strawberry by the stem.

"What did you expect? If you don't mind my asking."

"I'm not sure, more like you waiting for me in the bedroom, ready to..." She left the sentence hang there and wrapped her lips around the strawberry, then biting it. She got a little self-conscious when she realized Spike's eyes were on her mouth.

"Wouldn't have worked luv. You wouldn't have been in the right mood, very important for a woman." He took a sip of wine. "So you wanted to talk?" he prompted. One of his legs was on the floor bent at the knee, his other leg had the foot on the floor and the knee in the air. He rested his arm that had his wineglass on it while his other propped him up, he was posing.

"Yeah." She took a big gulp of the wine. "Spike, do you consider this a date?" she asked looking at her plate of food.

"Do you want it to be a date?" he countered.

She shook her head, "I asked you first."

"Truth or dare?" he offered with a smile.

"Since I am neither chained up nor drunk, no."

"More wine?"

"Spike, answer the question."

"Alright, how about this? Nothing either of us says leaves this house."

"Fine."

"In that case, I wouldn't mind it being a date." He locked eyes with her and somehow kept her from looking away.

"I wouldn't mind it either." she murmured.

"Really?" he seemed both surprised and relieved, like he expected her to laugh at him.

Nodding she said "Really, I was thinking about it today, and other than the fact that you can be pretty evil, it makes a lot of sense to date you." She ate a piece of bread with cheese.

"Sense? You base your dating choices on what makes sense?" he chuckled like it was the stupidest thing he had heard in a long time.

"Well not only that. I mean we already established that I think you're cute." She wouldn't look him in the face.

He shifted and she looked up at the movement, he was kneeling, leaning forward and reached behind her head pulling her into a kiss. It was a hungry kiss, his lips demanding a response and getting one. It stoked the fire that had been smoldering in her since last night and she was breathless almost immediately, but she would have kept kissing him if he hadn't pulled back. "That, Slayer, is why you date someone. That chemistry, the fire between you, not because it makes sense, or it's socially appropriate or any of that other rot people come up with to justify their own miserable relationships. Maybe a relationship based on passion won't last forever, but that's how long you'll remember it"

He sat back as she tried to still her heart rate. The passion was definitely there. She finished the wine in her glass and held it up for him to refill. He picked up the bottle but didn't pour. Instead he looked at her, "Before I pour you anymore, I want to know if you agree to what we discussed on the phone last night. If you tell me 'no' now, we'll spend a pleasant evening together, maybe kiss a little if it comes to it, but that's it, no matter if you change your mind later. But if you say 'yes' now, you can always say 'no' later and I'll honor it, but I want to hear it from you before you have anymore to drink."

"Really?"

"While I have done much worse in my time, and no, I'm not going to tell you about it, I'm not here to hurt you and even if I didn't care about that, I am pretty sure that date-raping the slayer is a good way to wind up a pile of dust."

The night was full of surprises. She had suspected that the wine was to lower her inhibitions and get her to agree to anything, but here he was drawing the line in the sand before she was drunk. Was she really agreeing to this? She thought, on some level it still seemed a slutty thing to do, but she was so close to something good last night and she had to go through with it. He was watching her as if he could read her mind. She thought about how good his kiss felt, his fingers on her ears, his mouth at her neck, but was she willing to go further? Her body screamed yes. "So what you're saying is if I say 'yes' and then chicken out, you'll stop whatever you're doing?"

"That's right, but if you say 'no' now it stays no."

"And you'll keep your clothes on, you won't actually..."

He smiled at her shyness. "It'll stay in my pants, even if it kills me, which it just might."

"Alright, yes." she tried to put some conviction behind it. "So what happens now?" she asked nervously.

He poured her another glass of wine. "Now, Slayer, we have our date."

"Oh, okay."

"You need to relax pet. That's what the wine is for. You're acting like you're about to have a root canal, not the most pleasurable experience a person can have." He sipped his own wine, slipping back into the pose he was in before.

"I'm a little nervous, I'm just not sure how you plan the evening to progress."

"However it does, luv. I don't have some schedule to your seduction laid out. The time has to be right for you, you have to be ready. You want to sit here and talk for a few hours? We can do that. Watch a movie? That works too. We could even scamper up to your bedroom right now and have at it, but I don't think that would work as well."

"Last night you made it sound like you'd just come over, work some magic and that would be that."

"I wasn't exactly thinking with my brain last night." he grinned. "Now if instead of just chatting, you want me to start talking, that would probably hurry things along. But I am enjoying this right now." he indicated the whole picnic milieu.

"Me too." she agreed and popped a grape into her mouth. "A getting to know you phase. So where are you from?"

He looked at her like she was stupid. "England."

"Yeah, but where in England? Give me some details."

"London, Victorian London to be a tad more specific. The time of Dickens and Arthur Conan Doyle."

"What was it like?"

"Stodgy, dirty, dangerous, very classist. You were the class you were and there was very little social mobility. You could be upper class but if you weren't born to the aristocracy they wouldn't give you the time of day. Unless they were looking to marry someone rich to restore their family fortunes."

For what was probably the next hour, during which time she had drank and refilled her wine, she continued to ask him questions about his travels and his life. She could tell he was glossing over large sections of it, probably the more unsavory bits. She didn't mind, what he did tell her was fascinating. At some point he shifted to sitting cross-legged and it seemed more natural, more relaxed, more him.

He put down his glass and ate some bread and cheese.

"You eat." She said plainly.

"Yeah?"

"Angel never did, he'd occasionally have something to drink if others were, but I don't recall ever seeing him eat anything."

"I think that was all part of his self-imposed suffering to atone for all the evil he did before he got his soul back. Like resisting the munchies will make up for torturing Dru starkers." he scoffed. "He eats when he's evil." He picked up a little cluster of grapes. "We can survive without normal food and drink, but we can't survive on it without blood. It helps us to fit in and hide among humans. Plus eating is a sensual pleasure."

"So you've been all over the world right?"

"I've travelled a bit." he conceded.

"What's the best thing you've ever tasted?"

Without pause he said, "Your blood."

She rolled her eyes. "Flattery will get you no where. So tell me the truth." she pressed.

"I am, absolutely."

"Oh." she blushed and looked down modestly. When she looked back up, he was smiling at her indulgently. She gathered her hair back and turned her neck to him. "If you want some."

It was his turn to be gobsmacked and he stared at her neck, hunger growing in his eyes. He shifted to his knees and raised his hand, lightly stroking her neck. That light touch and the anticipation of his mouth on her throat was enough to send her heart racing. He licked his lips, then closed his eyes, letting out a shuddering breath, but pulled back his hand and sat down.

"What's wrong? It's all right." she asked with confusion.

He opened his eyes and saw that she was still exposing her neck to him. He turned away, "I promised a certain amount of restraint tonight. I don't think I could keep that promise if I drank from you."

"But before..."

"You don't know how close it was the last time." he said sharply. She dropped her hair and shrank back at his tone. "God, it was all I could do to not drain you dry or throw you on the bed and fuck you hard, or both." He stood up and began pacing. "If it weren't for you completely surprising me with the cold shower dare, the night wouldn't have ended well for you."

"I could tell it made you hungry, I just didn't realize how much." She said in a small voice. "So you can't drink from me again?" She sounded a little disappointed.

"If I think it will be safe to try I will, but I'm not looking to hurt you in a blood-fueled frenzy."

"Not high on my list." she agreed. "Toothy hickies out for now." she added with a definitive shake of her head. Then she sighed, "Probably no hickies then."

"Oh?"

"Well they would be pretty hard to explain since I'm supposedly not seeing anyone right now."

"With your fast healing they'd probably be gone by morning."

"Maybe, better not chance it though."

"We could test it, after all there are other places to leave hickies than the neck." he looked at her suggestively.

"Oh." she was surprised she hadn't thought of that. She really was naive when it came to all of this. Taking a long sip of her wine first she glanced at him with what she hoped was a sexy look. "Any place in particular you were thinking of?"

Passion blazed in his eye and he sank to his knees in front of her. "I do have a couple of favorites." he purred as his eyes roamed over her.

Putting down her wine glass, she rose to her knees facing him. "Such as?" she asked coyly.

He ran the back of his finger down the side of her neck. "Other than here." His tongue curled up behind his teeth as he watched her face. His finger drifted down until he was brushing the swell of her breast, her pulse began to race. "Any sensitive spot will do, the more sensitive the better." She swayed towards him a little. She raised her hand to the back of his head and applied only the slightest pressure, he obligingly lowered his head. Pulling back her blouse slightly, but not exposing her, he lightly kissed along the side then sucked on her soft flesh.

"Oh god." she sighed. The hand on the back of his head holding him in place as her other moved to his back.

His mouth released her, kissing a short distance before sucking in again. Her fingers clutched his back. He kissed up her neck and he nuzzled her ear before whispering, "Although I do prefer the feel of a pulse beneath my lips. Which is what makes this," his fingers stroked up her inner thigh, "my favorite spot."

She gasped and jumped slightly, but did not pull away. He bit her earlobe lightly, which sent goosebumps across her skin. She turned her head to meet his lips, devouring them in a hungry kiss. He moved his hands to her waist, after several minutes he broke off the kiss and said, his voice husky, "Stand up Slayer." He pulled her up gently.

She was confused, but stood unsteadily, becoming more confused when he did not stand as well. She looked down at him kneeling before her, she ran her fingers through his hair. A smile played at the corners of his mouth. He shifted one hand to the small of her back and again brushed her inner thigh with his fingertips. Her breath caught, and her eyes fluttered closed. Her fingers tightened in his hair and she clutched his shoulder. On some level she knew it must hurt him, but she couldn't let go. His hand slid down behind her knee and coaxed her leg up until her thigh was parallel with the ground. She shifted her hands to balance herself. Supporting her leg, he began to kiss along the inside of it, starting at her knee. The muscles in her leg were trembling and he could feel the blood racing through her vessels, the smell of her arousal just inches away was more intoxicating than the wine. He nipped with his blunt teeth along her femoral artery, knowing that the smallest true bite would send her sweet blood cascading into his mouth.

He had to fight his demon back as he lightly kissed along her. She was making little noises of pleasure that fed his own arousal. Getting the demon back under control, he moved further up her leg until his cheek was was actually in contact with her lace panties. He wanted to rip them off and taste her, but knew it was too soon. Instead he kissed her thigh again, then sucked hard on the bronzed skin.

"Spike, oh fu..." she bit the exclamation off but almost collapsed on him. He would have bruises on his shoulder from the vice-like grip she had on him. If he were human she might have broken bones by now, he thought. Maybe she was right, maybe she could only date vampires, another sad irony in her life.

He was repositioning his mouth to draw her in again and the phone rang. She half spun in surprise, almost taking his head off, but he managed to stay intact and keep them both from toppling over.

"Let go." she whispered as if the person on the other end of that unanswered phone could hear them.

"Leave it." he urged and sucked on her leg again.

"God that feels so good." The phone rang again, she shook her head, "No, they might come check on me if I don't answer."

He sighed and carefully released her leg so she wouldn't fall. She stumbled toward the phone, answering it bit breathlessly. "Hello?"

"Oh hi Mom." Spike smiled and mouthed 'say hi for me' and she glared at him. "No, I was just in the bathroom and had to run to get the phone...No I'm not patrolling tonight...I ate a bad burrito and had a rough night last night so I'm taking a night off."

Spike started putting the dishes and the leftover food back in the picnic basket, leaving out the glasses and the wine. He moved the basket aside, but left the blanket, then held up her wine glass to see if she wanted more. She nodded.

"No, you don't have to come home early, I'm feeling better...I had a light dinner tonight...Oh, yeah that's fine." Spike walked up and handed her the wineglass then wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and nuzzled her neck. She tried to elbow him in the ribs to get him to stop. "No, Mom, I'm sure. I'll still be here when you get back, promise...Yeah, I'll talk to you tomorrow night. Love you." She hung up the phone.

"Spike, are you trying to get staked? Or just let my Mom find out about us?" She said in exasperation.

"Testing your willpower, pet. Or just being evil. Take your pick." he sucked on her earlobe.

"Go sit down, I'm going to call Giles."

"If you want to make this a threesome luv, I'd prefer your ginger friend."

"Oh, gross Spike. No, I'm going to call him so we won't be interrupted by him checking up on me too. He's harder to bluff than my Mom, so cool it."

He kissed the curve of her ear before whispering, "Make it quick." and releasing her to plop down on the couch. She saw he was opening a second bottle of wine.

She cleared her throat before she dialed. "Hi Giles." She said trying to sound tired. "No, I'm okay, not back up to full, but doing better... I took a nap and bought some soup... Yeah, I'm planning on going to bed early." Spike waggled his eyebrows at her. She made a shushing gesture at him and he chuckled silently. "No, I think I should be fine tomorrow...See you in the morning... Yes, I'll call if I need anything. Bye." She hung up the phone with a sigh. He pulled the cork from the wine, pouring himself another glass.

"Anyone else you need to call?"

"No, that should do it. Everyone thinks I'm sick."

"Yes, the bad burrito ruse." he said sarcastically. "You just can't get a night off?"

"I did, last night, because I was feeling tired, but if you recall, I didn't get much sleep last night and this morning I looked worse not better. So I had to explain that and have a good reason to get tonight off too." She shrugged as she sat next to him on the couch.

"So you lied to your Watcher."

"Not the first time, and I think his head would have exploded if I had said 'I was up half the night having phone sex with Spike, and by the way, I need tonight off too so Spike can come over and give me an orgasm'." her eyes widened and the color drained from her face. It was the first time she actually said aloud why Spike was here.

"Buffy, are you alright?"

"It just sounded so... skanky when I said it." she looked down in her lap, her hands fidgeting with her wineglass.

"Then don't say it." he said simply.

"Not saying it doesn't change anything."

"Yeah it does, for one thing, what goes on, or doesn't, here tonight is just between you and me. Everyone else can just mind their own bloody business. There's no chance you're going to get pregnant, or catch something so you're not being irresponsible." He reached out and covered her hands with one of his, using the other to hold her chin lightly, turning her head so he could look her in the eye. "And if you ask me, I don't think you're a skank, or a slut or a trollop, or whatever the word of the day is to shame women out of expressing their sensuality. You're a woman with needs as fierce as any man and it's foolish to deny them. Or be ashamed of them. Hell, the species would have died out ages ago if women actually followed all the stupid moralistic rules that only seem to apply to them and not the men who are with them."

There was still doubt in her eyes. "But..."

"Like I said you can call this off at anytime, but let me make one final argument."

"Oka.." she started to say, but didn't get to finish because his mouth covered hers. That didn't surprise her, what did was the tenderness of the kiss. Every kiss they had shared before this was filled with a fierce hunger. But this kiss was tender, coaxing. Showing her that sex with him might not just be a primal ravishing, but that he could be a gentle lover as well. His hand was still covering both of hers, but when she pulled one away he didn't stop it. She brought it up to his cheek, her fingers lightly tracing his cheekbone before she slid it behind his head, her thumb brushing his ear.

Knowing he won the argument by her response, he raised his hand up to her throat, his fingertips, dancing lightly up the column of her neck. His other hand reached out to her shoulder, turning her to face him.

With a muffled exclamation she broke off the kiss. He pulled back to look at her, thinking he had been wrong.

"Wine." she said by way of an explanation, picking up the delicate glass from between her legs and taking a long sip before moving it to the coffee table. Shifting on the couch, she turned to him, clasped her hands lightly behind his head. "A very persuasive argument. You should have been a lawyer."

"I don't think this would fly in court, luv." He pulled her closer and began kissing up and down her neck, scraping his teeth lightly along it.

"Then the justice system is seriously broken." she murmured, running her hands down his back. His lips on her neck were setting her on fire and she wished he would bite her again. His hands covered her back, clutching her to him. She gasped as he sucked on her earlobe, her fingers digging into his back. She turned her head to kiss him, one hand coming up behind his head to guide his mouth to hers.

His hand covered her breast and she pressed against it. He swallowed her moan as his finger traced her nipple through the fabric of her top. With a slight tug she felt him untie her blouse, then his hands were at her breasts, driving the nipples into even harder peaks. She turned her head away so she could try to catch her breath, and he took the opportunity to lower his head, his mouth finding her breast. Her fingertips dug into his back at the intensity of the pleasure and he groaned against her skin. His mouth expertly teased her, licking, nipping and sucking on the hard bud. His hands moved down to her waist and he picked her up slightly, pulling her to him so she straddled his lap. He kissed his way to her other breast as his hands slid down to cover her rear. His strong hands kneading the muscles there.

She slid her hands between them and started unbuttoning his shirt, she wanted to feel his cool skin pressed against hers, wanted to run her fingers across his sculpted chest. When she finally had it open and untucked she ran her hands over his skin, feeling the ripples of muscles. Her fingers found his nipples and she traced them as he had hers. He growled lightly and she took that to mean he liked it, so she pinched the nipple and was rewarded by a sharp nip on her own.

Curling his fingers, so his fingertips pressed into her flesh, he dragged his hands down her thighs, moving from the back to the front as he went. His fingers began creeping up her inner thighs, moving forward an inch or two then pulling back. As he got closer to her body she whined as he withdrew and she thrust her hips forward trying to increase contact. She brought her arms around his back trying to pull him closer.

But he kept her back, holding her in place and waiting until she stilled before his hands resumed their tantalizing path. When his fingers did finally lightly brush the fabric of her panties she gasped "Oh god. Yes."

He chuckled against her breast, the vibrations traveling straight to her core. He rubbed her through the lacy fabric, and she writhed against his hand, trying to increase contact, but his other hand on her hip held her back. She was making little inarticulate noises, trying to say something but not knowing what. He lifted his head, his mouth leaving her breast and she kissed him. A wild frantic kiss, urging him on with actions instead of words. She pressed her breasts against his chest, his cool skin feeling wonderful on her overheated flesh. The hand on her hip slipped around to the back, encountering the stake. He pulled it out and tossed it on the couch behind her. Then he unzipped and unbuttoned her skirt.

She took advantage of his hand being busy and slid her hips towards him, trapping his hand between them and she ground down on him. He broke off the kiss with a gutteral "Bloody hell!" his teeth clenched and the tendons in his neck standing out.

She jumped back, "Did I hurt you?" she asked in surprise.

He pushed her hips back a little and let out a sigh. "Hurt's not the word I'd use pet." he said with a rueful smile before kissing her again. After a moment he slid both his hands under her thighs.

"Please don't stop." she gasped.

"Not." he assured her, against her lips, but he shifted them, moving her to the couch as he slid to his knees on the floor in front of her.

She immediately wrapped her legs around him keeping him close. He held the waistband of her skirt and started to ease it down. When she realized what he was doing she lowered her legs to the floor and raised up her butt enough for him to remove it. All this was done while they continued kissing, but now he pulled back. The final unwrapping was something to savor and something he wanted to be sure she agreed to.

He hooked his thumbs into the top of her skimpy underwear and looked at her intently, asking her without words if she wanted him to continue. She swallowed hard and slowly nodded. Not breaking eye contact, she leaned back and raised her hips as he slowly laid her bare to him, but only as she was stepping out of them did he lower his eyes to take in what he had uncovered. His eyes traveled slowly down her body which was flushed with her desire. The fading marks from his earlier love bites the only thing marring her perfect skin. She shifted under his gaze and he looked back up to her face. He could see her shyness making her uncomfortable.

He leaned forward and kissed her tenderly. "Sorry pet, didn't mean to stare, But you're magnificent."

"Magnificent?"

"Hm mmm" he kissed her lightly, "you're gorgeous" kiss "soft" kiss "strong" kiss "fierce" "caring" "sexy" "shy" between each word the kiss got longer, deeper and his hands began to caress her again. Finally she grabbed his head to hold his mouth to hers. One of his hands drifted down to between her legs and stroked the light hair there. Buffy gasped at the contact, but didn't break off the kiss, only doing so when his fingers parted her and circled her nub. Then she yelled out, "Spike!" as her whole body jerked in response.

He kissed his way back to her ear, sucking on the lobe before whispering, "I like hearing you shout my name in passion. Scream it for me when you come."

In response she turned her head and sought out his mouth with her own while her hands explored his back. As he brought her closer her nails dug into his back with each small wave of pleasure, probably drawing blood he knew, but didn't care. She broke off the kiss trying to catch her breath, which was just random gasps. He bent his head and again took her breast into his mouth, sucking on the still hard peak and scraping his teeth on the sensitive flesh. Her hands moved to his head, trying to grab his hair, but it was too short to find purchase.

He moved his other hand down and slid two fingers into her. A yelp escaped her and she thrust against his hand, but he was expecting it and was able to keep up the rhythm on her nub, which was quivering under his fingers. He thrust his fingers in and out. God she was hot and tight, he thought. His cock, already straining in his jeans, throbbed. For not the first time that night he regretted his promise, but he knew he had to build up some trust with her, which could lead to other enjoyable activities down the road.

He looked up at her and could tell she was close, would be there if she weren't a little afraid of it. He began to shift his fingers until he found just the right spot inside her. Her mouth shaping an "O" just before she swallowed convulsively. He moved his mouth so he could mark her breast with another lovebite and she sucked in air, just before hitting her peak and shouting his name.

He continued to stroke her to prolong her ecstasy until it started to retreat, then he withdrew his fingers and brought them to his mouth where he sucked her essence off them. The taste was a close second to her blood and he hoped she had the stamina to continue.

He leaned forward and brushed the hair off her face, her eyes fluttered open as he watched her. He smiled at her. She smiled shyly back. She was trying to think of something to say. "That was...It was...You..."

He kissed her tenderly, "So was it good for you?" he asked with a smirk.

"More than good." she raised her hand to his cheek. "Thank you for convincing me to do this."

"Anytime." he leaned in and kissed her more deeply and she reciprocated.

Pulling away, she asked in a small voice, as if she were asking for a big favor. "Even right now?"

"I was hoping you'd say that." he said with a smile as he captured her mouth again. Her arms wrapped around him, her hands running across his back. Then she froze and pulled away.

"Spike you're bleeding." She said as she looked at her blood-smeared hands, "Oh my god, I am so sorry."

He shrugged it off. "It's fine, it just let me know how much you liked it. Besides it's healed already."

"But..." she looked guiltily at him.

"But nothing. I don't mind a little pain mixed with my pleasure." When she still looked guilty he added. "Do you know what else has healed already?"

"Did I hurt you someplace else?

"No, look." He cradled her breast in his hand, the hickies already almost faded from sight. "Which means I can do this." He moved a hand to the back of her head, as he traced the vessel on her neck with the other before lowering his head and sucking her skin between his teeth. She moaned and dug her nails into his back again. His guard down, the combination of his mouth at her throat, his pent up sexual energy and the pain, brought out his demon. He pulled back as soon as he felt the shift, but not before his fangs nicked her flesh.

He turned his head, "Bollocks!" He could taste her blood and fought against its effects.

"Is it something I did?" she asked.

"No, just trying to keep too many things in check. Give me a mo." He was taking deep breaths and she wondered, since he didn't need to breath, if that really helped.

Setting her jaw, she leaned forward and started undoing his belt. He grabbed her hands roughly. "What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?"

"Giving you one less thing to keep in check."

"I told you I'd keep it in my pants and I meant it. I'm not going to go back on that because things get a little rough."

"But it's okay I want to...I want us to..."

"And you've also had the better part of a bottle of wine and are still in the afterglow. Invite me back tomorrow and we'll shag til the sun comes up. But tonight..." he took a deep breath and shook his head, and the demon faded. "...I can keep it together. If I can't this isn't safe."

She pulled her hands back and he released them. Then she grabbed the stake off the cushion and held it to his chest. "Now, I'm ordering you to."

He smiled lustfully at her. "Pet, this is a game I would love to play. Just not tonight."

"Maybe it's not a game, maybe I really will do it." she looked disappointed that he wasn't taking her seriously.

"I know you've got the stones to do it Slayer. I just don't think you're going to right now."

"Yeah? Why not?"

"Cause if you do, I can't do this." His fingers parted her again, unerringly finding her pleasure center.

"Oh god." She moaned, yet while the stake wavered, she didn't lower it. "But...You're not...you should be enjoying this too." her breathing was speeding up, becoming shallow.

With his free hand he took the hand that wasn't holding the stake and brought it to the bulge in his jeans. "I am enjoying myself, luv. Wouldn't be a problem if I weren't." She stroked him through the denim. He clenched his teeth and a muscle flexed in his jaw. He gently pulled her hand away and kissed the palm before releasing it.

Leaning forward until the back of the stake was pressed against her chest. He looked hungrily at her mouth as he said, "Now are you going to kiss me or stake me?" He slid two fingers into her as his thumb continued to stroke her nub.

"Gunh." escaped her lips before she tossed the stake aside and pulled his head down to hers. She kissed him wildly, filled with the rising passion he was stoking in her again. Her hands moved down to grab his butt, clutching the tight muscles. He moaned at the contact, it felt too good for his already sketchy self-control. He broke off the kiss and lowered his head to her breast, sinking low on his knees. She let him sink out of her grasp, her hands moving up to run through his short hair.

But his mouth kept moving down her torso, trailing kisses as it went. As he passed her navel, he pulled his fingers away from her.

"No!" she protested, "Don't stop."

He rolled his tongue up behind his teeth as his hands parted her. He kept eye contact as he lowered his head between her legs and his tongue flicked over her pleasure center.

"Fu...mmh...guh..." she groaned as her hips bucked against his mouth. She could see his eyes twinkling at her as hers fluttered closed.

His eyes closed too as he savored her, driving her closer to release. He could tell she was close; the muscles in her thighs were quaking, small nonsense syllables were slipping out between erratic breaths and her nub was dancing against his tongue. He was almost disappointed, he would have happily stayed right there all night, pleasuring her as he drank in her essence. He knew he could slow it down, build her ecstasy more slowly, but she was writhing under him, and looking up at her he could see her hands roaming her own body. It was still too new to her to drag it out, to stretch out the build-up until the anticipation itself was a delectable torture.

His fingers slid into her and she pushed down against them. He built up a fast rhythm with both his hand and his tongue and she went over the edge.

She lie there for a few minutes, her eyes closed, her breathing returning to normal, and Spike thought she might have fallen asleep. He stood and gently picked her up.

"What are you doing?" she asked dazedly, her arms going around his neck to steady herself.

"Taking you up to your bedroom. Didn't think you would want to sleep naked on the couch all night."

"I can walk." she protested half-heartedly.

"You sure about that pet?" he asked, his eyebrow arched.

"You might have a point." She conceded and leaned her head against his chest.

He carefully carried her up the stairs, heading unerringly to her bedroom. He placed her on the bed and stepped back.

"Can you stay?" she asked. "Lie here with me?"

"All night?"

She nodded.

"Sure, pet. I just have to leave a bit before dawn. 'Salright if I take a quick shower? I don't want to mess up your sheets." He indicated his back.

"Sure."

He went into the bathroom and locked the door, not entirely sure she wouldn't try to surprise him. He started up the water and stripped off his shirt, there were spots of blood on it. He tossed it aside, damn, he liked that shirt. He sighed as he opened his pants, he was still hard and that was the real reason he wanted the solitude of the shower. Letting the water wash over his back he opened the different bottles until he found the one that he recognized by smell as her body wash. Using that and picturing her writhing under him he found his own release quickly. He smiled as he heard her try the doorknob, the girl was stubborn, he turned off the water and the rattling stopped. He dried off quickly and put his jeans back on.

She was waiting in the hall in a short robe holding a little bundle of pajamas. At his surprise she said, "I wanted to brush my teeth and stuff."

"Alright, I'll run down and tidy-up just in case your pals pop-in in the morning."

"Oh, good idea."

It only took him a few minutes to hide any evidence of their activities. He stashed her knickers in the picnic basket as a souvenir, before picking up her skirt and bringing it upstairs.

She was lying in bed when he came back, the covers pulled down on the other side waiting for him. He wondered if these were the same nightclothes she wore last night, they matched the description. She smiled shyly at him and he gave her his warmest smile back. He rounded her bed and slid between the sheets, turning on his side to face her. She turned off the light and scooted towards him, he wrapped his arms around her. "A bloke could get used to this." he murmured. "You said your mum's not back until the day after tomorrow?"

"Day after that." she said looking up at him. "She asked on the phone if I minded her staying an extra day." She yawned deeply. He glanced at the clock over her shoulder, it was early yet, not even half past 10, but she was worn out. At least she had been truthful that she would be in bed early.

"Sounds promising. Good night Slayer." he said stroking her hair.

"Good night Spike."