Chapter 24
In a flash he was kneeling in front of the bathroom door, holding his breath; his eye aligned with the keyhole.
He repressed a growl when he realised he wasn’t able to see anything.
“Bloody key…” He hissed under his breath, resting his forehead against the door. “What am I doing?” He asked himself, inhaling deeply.
He jumped up, startled when the sound of water running stopped. Instinctively, his eye went to the keyhole. Squinting, he tried to amplify the miniscule amount of light that filtered in, but to no avail. With a sigh, he gave up, stood up and went back to the living room.
He circled the room a couple of times while his hand searched the back pocket of his jeans for the pack of cigarettes. Lighting one up, he sat down on the couch, chain-smocking for the next half an hour and staring blankly at the TV. Completely unaware of what was happening on screen his attention was focused on the small corridor that lead to the bathroom.
Letting out a half-sigh half-growl, he took one last drag before putting out his fifth cigarette. He let his head fall back, staring up at the ceiling.
“What’s wrong with me? I should be home working, instead I’m-“
He stopped in mid sentence when he heard a door opening.
‘Finally!’
He listened carefully, letting his mind piece the sounds together and putting them into context. She was in her room now.
‘Probably changing.’
Ten minutes went by before the sound of a door was heard again, followed by light footsteps.
He remained on the couch, lounging, trying hard to look relaxed, undisturbed and unaware of her presence; his gaze once again fixed on the screen. He swallowed when, out of the corner of his eyes, he saw her come into the room.
“Long bath.” He commented without dispensing her a glance, but still he kept track of her until she crossed the living room and exited his view, entering the kitchenette behind him.
He heard the clattering of glasses and dishes. She was probably getting something to eat.
“Are you planning on waiting for Harmony?” She asked ignoring his remark.
“Yep.” He answered as blasé as he could.
His grip on the remote tightened when she came back into view, a plate with a sandwich in her hand.
“Do you mind?” She asked.
Finally, he looked up at her. She stood near the end of the couch, barefoot, wet hair, dressed in jeans and a light blue sweater which seemed a little too big for her – it came down to mid-thigh and was bunched up at her forearms so it wouldn’t cover her hands.
Though his heartbeat accelerated at the sight, his face remained unaltered.
“Wha’?”
“You’re hogging the couch.” She pointed out, pushing his leg away and taking a seat on the sofa.
“Oh, right.”
They sat in silence for a couple of minutes until Buffy finally asked:
“Are you watching this?”
“Yes.”
“You’re actually interested in watching a documentary on the mating habits of wasps?” She questioned doubtful as she put down her empty plate on the coffee table.
“Yep.”
“You’re joking, right?”
“No.” He continued to stare at the screen.
She rolled her eyes and was about to stand when he spoke:
“Is it making you uncomfortable, pet?”
“What?”
“Watching sex?” His scarred eyebrow lifted as he turned to look at her.
“It’s about wasps!” She replied jadedly.
“It’s about sex.” He corrected with half a smirk.
“It’s wasp-sex!” She insisted.
“Still sex.” He pointed out.
She frowned: “You’re sicker than I thought.”
“I’m not the one that’s getting all hot and bothered and has to leave.”
“I’m *not* hot and bothered!” She stood up, taking her plate to the counter. “I’m *bored*!”
“If you say so.” He sank deeper in the couch, taking it over as he propped his legs up on the other arm of the sofa.
“Give me that!”
He was caught by surprise when she came out from behind the couch, snatched the remote from his hands and changed the channel.
“Wow, didn’t know sex was such a sensitive subject for you.” He said from his sprawled position.
“It’s not.” She said curtly, once again pushing his feet down and taking a seat.
He sat up straight and turned to look at her.
“Oh, yes it is.”
It was Buffy’s turn to look intently at the screen, as she tried to ignore the man sitting next to her staring bluntly at her. The seconds passed by until she finally, snapped her head towards him.
“What?” She demanded.
“Just having fun watching you wiggle and squirm, Summers.” He explained, narrowing his eyes at her.
“I’m *not* wiggling or squirming.”
“Sex makes you squirm.”
“Ever think that it’s not sex but you that makes me squirm?” The rebuttal was out of her mouth before she had time to think about it.
She froze for a fraction of a second, before finding refuge in the TV screen.
His eyes widened a bit at the words. She stared blankly at the screen, trying to look calm, but the tension in her body gave her away.
“I make you squirm, Summers?” He tilted his head.
“No!” She replied quickly.
‘Too quickly for someone who is coolly watching a… Why are we back to watching the wasp-loving?’ She questioned herself when she realised that they were back on the Discovery Channel. She looked down and noticed she was clutching the remote in a death grip. ‘Must have pressed a button.’
In the meantime, he continued to analyze her through a scrutinizing gaze and unconsciously she shifted in her seat.
“Are you squirming?” He asked in a low voice, leaning toward her.
“No.” She replied; the word almost didn’t come out.
She held her breath, waiting for his next move, watching from the corner of her eye as he leaned even closer.
“Summers…?” He breathed her name.
Feeling trapped, she reacted on instinct, suddenly turning to face him. She held her mouth closed tight, her chin high, in defiance and stared back at him; his face inches away from hers.
“Why…” He paused, closing his eyes for a second at the feel of her breath on his lips. “do I make you… squirm?”
“You don’t…” She tried to sound secure, confident, undisturbed. She failed.
She found herself pulling back as he slowly leaned in. Swallowing once again, she wet her growingly dry lips.
“What are you doing?” She almost gasped.
His eyes followed the contour of her lips before locking with hers.
“Don’t know…” He muttered moving closer and closing the gape between their mouths.
She inhaled sharply just before their lips touched – a thousand thoughts swarming her mind, making it impossible to focus on a single one. While her brain struggled to make sense of what was going on, her senses seemed to be overwhelmed. The sound of their combined breathing echoed loudly in the silent room while he pressed closer to her and his mouth pulled her lower lip between his. As the kiss intensified, she felt her heart accelerate and her breathing became shallow. She moaned when he greedily pushed against her and she suddenly found herself lying back on the couch, his body covering hers. The feel of his heartbeat frantically pounding against her chest made her stomach spasm and she gasped. She hadn’t felt that in ages!
He placed his elbow right over her shoulder, supporting his weight so as to not smother her, while hooking his free hand under her earlobe and pulling her face closer to his. He let out a muffled groan when she finally opened her mouth allowing him to slip inside. God, she tasted so good! And her scent… The scent he had been longing for all this time, but refused to acknowledge beyond the few minutes in which he indulged his craving by secretly raiding her wardrobe.
‘Why does she have to smell like this? Taste like this?’ He asked himself over and over again as their tongues continued to struggle against one another.
‘What am I doing?’ Was the recurring question on Buffy’s mind as her fingers desperately clung to the lapels of his duster, pulling his body against hers.
For some harebrained reason, it seemed to crave his – the feel of his weight, burying her in the soft couch only seemed to fuel this insane behaviour.
With his leg trapped between hers, his pelvis slowly began to press against hers and she couldn’t help moaning when she felt something hard push against her stomach.
She anxiously gasped for air when he broke the kiss, letting his lips hungrily trail down her cheek to bury itself in her neck.
“Oh, God!” Her eyes snapped open when his thigh pressed up, between hers, eliciting a jolt of pleasure from her centre. Her body’s instinctive response was to push back against him to receive the same reward as before.
She moaned louder when she felt his teeth lightly sink into the side of her neck while his fingers threaded between the wet strand of her hair. One of her hands abandoned the lapel of his duster to grasp the nape of his neck, forcing his head down and he continued to nibble down on her tender skin.
She swallowed hard, blinking wildly and erratically trying to focus her blind gaze on the ceiling as he rhythmically pushed his thigh against her jean-covered core. With one hand on her hips, he controlled her greedy movements and they fell into an undulating pace.
His tongue swept up the column of her neck finding her earlobe and pulling it between his teeth and he heard her gasp once again. He had just found his new favourite sound.
He continued to push his hips, every time causing her to either moan or breathe out an: ‘”Oh, God!”
Feeling she was closer, he abandoned her ear and his mouth returned to hers. This time the kiss was ravenous from the beginning, much like their first ever. Fisting his hand into her hair, he lightly jerked her head back and she automatically opened her mouth – her tongue instantly finding his for another heated battle for dominance.
The movement of their pelvises grew fast and erratic until one last hard thrust, when he felt her entire body freeze – her legs trapping his thigh in a tight grip. He broke the kiss and watched in awe as her neck strained back; her spine arched causing her chest to come up against his. Her eyes were closed, her eyebrows furrowed, her facial muscles contorted in an overwhelming fusion of pain and pleasure while she let out a gasping “Ah!” just before her body went limp.
~+~
She continued to move against him, even though his hand at her hip limited her movements.
Her mind continued to shout, asking her just what the hell she was doing, but no matter how many reasons it gave her to stop this right now her body wouldn’t yield. She couldn’t stop. Not when it felt like this. She could feel the pressure between her thighs build, growing until she felt she was about to burst.
Her tongue continued to fight his until the very last moment, when he thrust his thigh hard against her core and everything around her exploded. It was like a large wave of burning liquid washing over her entire body, making it impossible to think, to speak, to move or even breathe until the wave finally relented and everything went deliciously numb.
Every inch of her body tingled. It trembled and pulsated at the same time.
She revelled in the numbness for a while, until slowly reality flashed back and her eyes focused on the male face hovering over her.
~+~
He watched as she rode the last wave and slowly regained complete control. He could pinpoint the exact moment when she came back. It was the moment her eyes met his. The moment the doorbell rang.
~+~
The first emotion was panic. Definitely panic.
‘What have I done? What did-‘ Before her mind could assault her with a myriad of questions the doorbell rang.
They remained silently watching one another while the ringing continued. She watched as his expression changed. Was that regret?
‘Why did he just furrow his brow?’
Before she could say or do anything he pushed away, sitting up and giving her room so she could sit up herself and she did. Her gaze bounced erratically off the walls, as she tried to assimilate and process all that had just happened, but the ringing of the doorbell became more urgent and she was forced to push everything back. She stood up, her legs still wobbly from the recent orgasm, her shaking hands coming up to push away the dishevelled, wet hair from her flushed face.
She awkwardly walked toward the door, while he remained seated on the couch. Rising on the tip of her toes she looked through the peephole.
“Willow?” She muttered.
What was she doing here? Well, at least it wasn’t Harmony.
‘Oh God! Harmony!’
What was she going to do? This was all a mess.
Buffy shook her head, pushing those thoughts away. She couldn’t deal with them now. Opening the door she greeted her best-friend.
“Willow, what are-“
Before she could finish her sentence, Willow had her arms wrapped around her, her face buried in Buffy’s neck. She was crying.
“Willow? What happened?” Panic hit Buffy. “Is everything alright?”