CHAPTER ELEVEN
 
Several drinks later, Buffy was leaning across the table and wagging her finger in Spike’s face.
 
“I think you’re better at this flirting thing than I am. You must be cheating!”
 
He laughed and touched the tip of her nose. “Been practicing it longer, love.  And I’m not as drunk as you are.”
 
“I’m not drunk!” She frowned and assessed her condition. “Am I? Oh God, I am. I’m drunk. This isn’t good.”
 
Spike continued to grin as she got more distressed.
 
“It’s not funny! I can’t go back to the house like this. I’ll be setting a bad example for the girls.”
 
Growing serious, he leaned in and cupped her cheek. “Maybe you shouldn’t go back there tonight, then.” He stroked her cheek with his thumb, smiling when she leaned into his hand.
 
“Well where would I—” She sat up and blinked at him. “Oh ho, I see what you’re doing. You got me drunk and now you’re trying to seduce me, you... you... seducer guy!”
 
“Is it working?”
 
“It might be. The drunk part is definitely working....” She stared at him with slightly glassy eyes.
 
“Bloody hell. Should have switched you to plain Coke at least one drink ago.” He shook his head in disgust and stood up, dropping some bills on the table.  “Come on, love. Let’s find you somewhere to sleep it off.” He held out his hand to help her up.
 
“I thought you wanted to seduce me?” she complained as she stumbled into him.
 
“Did. Still do. But I seem to be a bit rusty on judging when alcohol has lowered inhibitions and when it’s goin’ to interfere with the activity.”
 
When she stumbled again as they left the building, he growled and picked her up, striding down the street and flashing his fangs at any of the few remaining pedestrians who looked like they might protest his carrying off a seemingly unconscious woman.
 
“Where’re we going?” she mumbled into his chest, breathing in the familiar scent and resting her head against him with a happy sigh.
 
“Where you can sleep it off without embarrassing yourself as a role model,” he replied.  There was no reply, and he continued toward his apartment. As he reached the building in which he lived, he glanced up to see that all the lights were out in the main part of the house. Using his private entrance, he walked down the steps to his door and nudged it open.
 
He dumped Buffy onto an old over-stuffed chair, and went into the bedroom to frown at his unmade bed. Deciding she was probably too drunk to notice, he kicked his dirty clothes into a corner and fluffed the pillow before returning to the other room. He stood, arms folded, watching her sleep and marveling at how this deadly fighter could appear so soft and vulnerable when she was relaxed.  The fact that she felt so relaxed and safe in his home made him shake his head.
 
‘We’re a pair, aren’t we, love,” he whispered as he picked her up and carried her into the bedroom. He put her down gently and removed her shoes and socks.  After a moment’s indecision, he pulled her leather jacket off and loosened the snap on her pants. He bit his lip, remembering how much she hated being confined when she slept, and slipped a hand behind her back to unsnap her bra.  Deciding he’d done all he could without earning an accusation of taking advantage of her condition, he pulled the covers up to her shoulders. He dropped a kiss on her forehead before leaving the room and settling on the lumpy couch that had come with the apartment.
 
 
 
There was no sunlight in the basement apartment to alert anyone that morning had arrived, but when Buffy’s bladder insisted that she get up and do something about it, she glanced at the glow of the clock and groaned. She stared around the very spare room – bed, dresser, nightstand and lamp – and had to think for a few seconds before she figured out where she was.  She got up and waited for the room to stop spinning before trying to guess which door might be the closet and which one the bathroom.
 
“It’s the one near the bureau, Slayer.” Spike’s voice drifted in from the living room.
 
Without answering him, she made her way to the correct door and opened it, turning on the light and sighing with relief when she noticed the toilet paper roll. Torn between wondering why he would have toilet paper unless he was accustomed to having human (female human?) visitors, and just being grateful that he did, she quickly took care of her complaining bladder. 
 
She washed her hands and splashed cold water on her face until she felt almost like herself again. Until she peered at herself in the mirror.
 
“Bloodshot eyes, messy hair, and morning breath. Awesome,” she muttered. She spotted Spike’s toothbrush and toothpaste and grabbed them. She hesitated for only a second, wondering if there was dried blood on the brush, then shrugged, deciding she didn’t care.  When she had finished brushing her teeth and had raked her fingers through her hair, she went to the door and opened it to find Spike standing on the other side. He’d apparently turned on the lamp while he waited for her, and was silhouetted against the light.
 
“Mornin’, sunshine,” he said, brushing a hand over her head. “How do you feel?”
 
“About as bad as I look,” she said, leaning into him and resting her head on his bare chest. She felt it shake under her cheek as he chuckled at her.
 
“You look pretty good to me,” he said, resting his chin on her head and sliding his arms around her.  She snorted and straightened up, tilting her head back to meet his amused eyes.
 
“Do me a favor?  Find some other way to seduce me, please? I don’t think I like the after effects of this one.”
 
“Yeah. Didn’t work out quite like I wanted anyway,” he agreed. “Kinda planned to wake up next to you... preferably naked.”
 
Buffy squirmed a little, noticing for the first time that her bra wasn’t fastened. “Did you start to get me naked and then chicken out?” she asked, more with curiosity than anger.
 
“What? No. I just was trying to make you comfortable without—”
 
“It’s okay. I was just kidding. Insecure much?”  She turned around, asking, “Hook it back up for me?”
 
He slipped his hands under her shirt and felt around for the ends with the hooks, which had slid around almost all the way to the front. When his fingers touched the skin over her ribs, Buffy gasped, bringing an answering sigh from Spike.  He stopped fumbling for the bra and just rested his palms against her sides, while they both began to breathe more heavily.
 
When he shifted his hands and began to rub the bottom of her breasts with his thumbs, she allowed a small whimper to escape her throat. Encouraged by the familiar sound, he moved his hands up to cup her breasts and begin to play with her nipples.
 
“On the other hand,” she said, her voice shaky, “maybe you should just take it the rest of the way off.”
 
“Your wish is my command,” he said, dropping a kiss on the side of her neck before pulling both her shirt and bra up and over her head. She turned in his arms, putting her hands behind his back and pulling him into a fierce hug, which he returned with no hesitation.  “I love you, Buffy,” he murmured into her hair. “Need you to know that.”
 
She nodded, her cheek rubbing against his bare chest as she did so. “I believe you. Are you going to believe me?”
 
She lifted her head again, meeting his gaze with a mixture of trepidation and determination. He sighed and brushed his lips across hers. “I do. Although, if I’m being truthful, I’d have to admit to being a bit gobsmacked that you were willing to work this hard to make me believe it.” 
 
Buffy gave him a small smile, then nipped gently on the skin of his neck. “'K, then. If that’s settled, I think there was some discussion about being naked? And in bed?”
 
Spike’s laugh was sheer joy as he picked her up and walked backwards the short distance to the bed. He dropped onto it, lying still with Buffy on top of him for a few seconds.  Then he sat up and deposited her on the floor between his knees and began to kiss his way around her belly while he opened her pants and pushed them down her legs. She obligingly stepped out of them, lifting first one foot, then the other, grabbing his hair when his mouth trailed down and he began to remind her of one of the things she’d missed most when she’d thought he was dead.
 
When her legs tried to give out, he fell back again, bringing her with him to kneel, her knees on either side of his head as she let him bring her to a quick, whimpering release.
 
“You have no idea how I’ve missed those little sounds you make,” he said, grinning up at her flushed face. He eased her off to the side, smiling at her happy expression.
 
“You have no idea how much I’ve missed making them for you,” she countered, blushing but meeting his eyes with as much honesty as she could put into her gaze. She reached for his zipper, pulling it down and taking his cock in her hand. He groaned and pushed into her hand, trying to kick his jeans off without losing contact. 
 
“And there’s that sound you make when I touch you. I missed that too.” Buffy lowered herself until she was lying beside him, her hand stroking him in ways she hadn’t realized she remembered so well. 
 
“You’re killing me here, love,” he groaned again, pushing his hips up trying to match the rhythm she had set up.
 
“You’re already dead.”
 
“Then I’m goin’ to spontaneously combust if you don’t—ah!” Buffy replaced her hand with her mouth, smiling around him when he almost screamed.  “Oh, Jesus, Buffy. Sweetheart... love of my love... missed you so much. Missed this... Got to stop, love. I can’t—”
 
Buffy shook her head, adding a new sensation to the ones she was already creating and sending him arching off the bed, swearing in several languages.  Buffy took a grip on the bottom of his cock and squeezed it just enough to keep him from coming.  She smiled around his cock as he begged and pleaded with her, giving a little yelp of surprise when he suddenly pushed her away, threw himself over and pinned her to the bed. Her legs had automatically opened and wrapped around his back, allowing him to slide into her in one smooth movement. He forced himself to remain still as he took deep, soothing breaths, trying to regain his composure while Buffy sucked on his neck and hummed her happiness.
 
“Knew someday I’d regret teaching you that little trick,” he gasped when he could speak again. “Bloody hell, Buffy. It’s like we never stopped...” He began moving his hips, murmuring into her ear as he moved. “Wouldn’t have interrupted your fun, love, but I really want to be in you when I come the first time.  Never expected to feel you around me again. Want to wallow in it a bit.” 
 
“That’s okay. This position makes me very happy,” she whispered, her arms and legs wrapped around him almost too tightly. “I love feeling you inside me, filling me up and pressing me into the bed.”  She blushed, having just said more to him in the way of appreciation than she had during their entire four-month physical affair. 
 
His response sounded suspiciously like a smothered sob as his hips began to churn harder, bringing them both to the brink in a very short period of time.  As Buffy arched up into him and clenched her muscles, he shouted her name and continued to piston his hips long past the point where he had anything left to spend. Eventually, Buffy allowed her legs to fall apart and her grip on his back turned to gentle stroking.
 
“That settles it then,” he mumbled into her neck. “It’s back to the bagged stuff for me.”
 
“I haven’t asked you to do that....” In spite of her words, Buffy couldn’t control the relief in her voice.
 
“Don’t need to ask me, love.” He raised his head to look into her eyes.  “Got no intention of ever doin’ anything that might make you want to send me away.”
 
“Right now I’m having a hard time thinking of anything you could possibly do that would make me give this up,” she said, blushing, but holding his heated gaze.  “You’re... okay, I was going to say ‘amazing’, but then you’ll get all full of yourself and—”
 
“We’re amazing, Buffy. You and me, together. It’s us, love.”
 
“Well, yay us, then.” Buffy smiled up at him. Her smile grew wider as she felt him growing hard again, and she wriggled her hips under him. “Are we about to be amazing again?”
 
“Think we might just stay here being amazing for the rest of the week,” he replied. “I can’t think of anyplace I need to be.” He rolled over onto his back, bringing Buffy with him so that she was lying on top. “Your turn to drive, Slayer.”
 
“So it is,” she said, sitting up and squeezing him until his eyes rolled back in his head. “Better fasten your seatbelt.”
 
Two hours later, they were lying side-by-side, and Buffy was panting heavily.  Spike turned his head and dropped a kiss on her shoulder. “Don’t know about you, pet, but I think I might be all amazed out for a while.”
 
Without looking at him, Buffy nodded her agreement. “Yeah, I’m not feeling all that amazing right now.”  She rolled her head over to smile at him. “On the plus side, I think my hangover is completely gone.  Now I’m hungry.”
 
“Soon’s I can move, I’ll get dressed and take you out for an all-you-can-eat breakfast. Got to keep your strength up.”
 
“You’re getting old. What ever happened to ‘five hours straight’?”
 
“You know as well as I do that was just a question of both of us being too stubborn to say when.” He smirked at her. “Like to think I’m more mature than that now.”
 
“Like I said... old.” Buffy giggled at his growl and sat up. “But I am hungry, and I should probably get back and let Vi know that I’m not dead.”
 
“Was she expecting you back?” He raised an eyebrow at her, his eyes questioning what she’d told the other slayers.
 
“Probably not,” she admitted. “I did tell her I was going out to find you. I think I said not to wait up. But still....” She rolled her eyes to the clock. “It’s almost noon.”
 
“Fuck! Forgot about that. Guess I’m going to owe you that big breakfast, love. I can’t get around in the daylight here quite like I could in Sunnyhell.”  He ran a hand up her arm. “Or, you could just stay here with me for the rest of the day....”
 
Buffy’s stomach gurgled just then and they both laughed. She brushed her lips across his and stood up.
 
“I think that’s my cue to get dressed and get out of here.”  She paused in the act of putting on her jeans.  “Am I going to see you tonight?”
 
“Wild horses couldn’t keep me away,” he said, sitting up and resting his arms on his knees. He watched her dress, shaking his head as she pulled her tee shirt back on and picked up her jacket.  “Seems a shame to cover up all that lovely skin.”
 
Buffy smiled at him as she shrugged the jacket on.  She ran her eyes over his naked body, deliberately lingering at his semi-erect cock and licked her lips.  “Speaking of skin....” When he looked like he was about to leap off the bed and grab her, she backed up, shaking her finger at him.  “Uh, uh, old man. You just stay here and build your strength back up. I’ll see you later.”
 
He growled and sprawled back on the bed, grinning when he heard her heartrate go up. “Off you go then, love.  I’ll pick you up this evening and make up for not buying you breakfast by taking you someplace really nice for dinner.”
 
She blew a kiss, then stopped on her way out of the bedroom. “How do I get home from here?”
 
He got up and walked toward her, perfectly comfortable in his nudity. “When you go out the door and up the steps, take a right to the corner. You’ll be on the street that runs past the park. Just go left and you’ll be on your way back to the slayer part of town.”  He put his arms around her, pulling her against his body and nuzzling her ear.  “Could just stay here, though,” he coaxed. “I could order take out.”
 
Buffy gave his cock a little squeeze, then pushed him away. “You promised me a nice dinner,” she said. “I’m going to go back to the house, take a shower, a nap and get all dressed up.” She frowned. “Or maybe not all dressed up. I didn’t bring much besides my slaying clothes with me.”
 
“You’ll be beautiful no matter what you wear, love.” He ran a hand over her face. “We can get a good meal without dressing like a couple of toffs.”
 
“I’m not sure that sounds like something I want to dress as...” she said with a puzzled line between her eyebrows.  “Is that British for jerks?”
 
 He laughed and kissed her nose. “All those years living in Merrie Olde, and you still don’t know the language? Go on with you, Slayer. Get some food and rest. I’ll see you later.”
 
“Later,” she echoed, opening the door just far enough to make sure the sunlight wasn’t going to come in and turn her date for the evening to ashes. “I’ll see you later.”
 
“Count on it, Buffy.”  He closed the door behind her, and she went up the stairs to the street.