It had been almost a week since the incident between her and Spike in her room. She hadn't seen or heard much from him since then and things with her and her friends had gone back to normal, for the most part anyway.
Buffy was sitting on her front porch having some iced tea with her mother and doing homework when suddenly a shirtless and sweaty Spike appeared before them with a sexy little smile on his face.
"Hello, William," Joyce beamed.
"Hello, Joyce," he said with a polite nod. "Buffy..." he acknowledged her with a wink.
Buffy tried her hardest to glare at him and remind him that she was taken and there was nothing he could do or say to change that, but she couldn't hide the flirty half-smile that formed on her lips. "Hey."
He got a satisfied smirk on his lips as he turned back to Joyce. "Mrs. Summers I was just wondering if you could point me toward your shed so I can get to work on the lawn for you..."
Buffy went wide-eyed and her head snapped toward her mother.
"Right around behind the garage. It shoud be all set and ready to go but if it's low on gas let me know before I leave," she said with a nod and a grateful smile.
He smiled back and headed around the side of the house.
"Mom!" Buffy scolded her mother once the bleach blonde was out of sight. "What are you doing? Why's he mowing the lawn?"
"He offered. And you never do it for me so I'm paying him to do it."
Buffy stuck her bottom lip out. "I would do it if you paid me!"
"Too late," she chuckled. "Now I gotta get going. Make sure William has something cold to drink while he's working. It's hot out here."
"Okay," she said in a pouty tone as her mother kissed her on the forehead and went inside the house.
Why! Why is it that when I think I can finally go back to my normal, hassle-free existance he has to stroll over here with his sexy body and sexy smirks and be all manly and do our yard work for us? Can't he just be ugly and fat and stay over in his own yard?
Like clockwork Spike came around the side of the house and roared up the lawnmower. It was as if he was trying to drive her nuts. Walking back and forth across her front lawn, the sun beaming down on him making beads of sweat shimmer as they traveled down his sculptured pecs and abs.
Buffy subconciously licked her lips as she sat there drinking him in like a tall, cool glass of yummy Spike-ness.
I wish I was that sweat rolling down his body...
She watched as he lifted one arm up to wipe the sweat off of his forehead and Buffy suddenly remembered her mother telling her to offer him something cool to drink. She threw her notebooks on the floor of the porch and ran into the house. In the kitchen she took a big glass and stuffed it with ice and poured some nice cool iced tea over top of it.
Just as she came back out he was finishing up and when he saw her standing there waiting for him he let it go and shut down.
She's doing it. She's catering to me. I may actually be able to pull this off...
"Here, you look all... hot," she said handing him the glass with a seductive smile on her lips.
You are such a tramp, Buffy. Think about your actual boyfriend!
"Why thank you m'lady," he said as he took the glass from her with a wink.
She fell into a trance as she watched him chug the cool liquid. She watched as his adams apple bobbed with every swallow, the way it did when he would talk in his deep sexy voice.
Holy shit... could he get any sexier? I just wanna step up to him and nibble on his ears and lick his skin off...
"Are you doing anything later?" she asked without even realizing it.
Spike smirked once again with a somewhat triumphant glee as he finished off his drink and set the glass down on the ledge beside them.
"You don't already have plans with the great poof tonight?"
Buffy blinked a couple times rapidly. "He's not a poof. He's just... he is great," she said with a pointed look. "But no, no plans. I just..." she trailed off staring at his chest again. "Don't wanna be alone tonight. I'm tired of being alone."
"You wanna order some take-out? Red and Xander are coming over to watch a movie if you want to join."
Buffy thought about it. She did want to, but to have Willow and Xander there? It was a little risky. Someone could find out or one of them might accidentally blab on her. Not that anyone would believe them, though..."
"Um..." she couldn't decide. It might actually be good to have other people around. That way he couldn't seduce her into kissing him again. It could be purely hang-out time. "Okay. Yeah I could do that."
Spike smiled in response. "Good. It'll be fun. Plus you could maybe get to know them a little. They don't exactly have a lot of friends."
Buffy forced a fake smile.
Yeah, and most of that is because of me and Cordy...
"C'mon Summers, they're not that bad."
"I've spent four years ignoring them and laughing along when Cordelia would rip them apart in front of the whole school. Don't you think they might hold a grudge?"
"They-"
"Oh my god! That's Riley's truck! You gotta go!" Buffy said in a panic as Rileys truck got closer and closer.
Spike scoffed. "Bullocks. I was 'ere, doin' work for your mum. If he's got a problem with it he can take it up with her," he said turning to face the driveway and greet the great poof himself.
As Riley pulled in and turned off the engine he eyed up the shirtless man standing outside of his girlfriends house. He recognized him as the same guy Buffy had been walking with that day in school.
"Am I gonna need to physically convince you to stop stalking my girl?" he said angrily as he slammed his door shut.
"Riley, he's not-"
"Not stalking, mate. Just talking. Something you might wanna try sometime, as opposed to just mauling and groping."
"Spike..." Buffy scolded.
"Buffy, what the fuck is he doing here?"
"He's-"
"Her mum asked me if I could help mow the lawn. Something I'm sure you never offered to do for her."
He was right... he hadn't.
"Who the hell do you think you are?" Riley snarled as he took another step forward.
"Okay that is enough," Buffy finally yelled, stepping between the two of them. "You!" she yelled at Spike. "I will get the money from my mother and pay you later. Now go!"
Spike looked at her, a bit surprised at the way she was stepping in, but gave Riley one last nasty look before he stalked back across the street.
"And you!" she yelled turning her attention to Riley. "You need to stop! You need to stop trying to beat up every person I talk to!"
"He's stalking you, Buffy..."
"No! He's not! He talked to me in school ONCE, and he was here today because my mom asked him to be here. So CHILL!"
Riley stood there looking a little like a kicked puppy. "You are MY girlfriend. You are MY property."
"Riley, I am not property. I am a person. And maybe I wouldn't mind you calling me that, but you're constantly running off to be with other people, other GIRLS."
He started to shift uncomfortably. "N-no I don't."
"Yeah. You do, Riley. And it needs to stop."
"Buffy, I'm not gonna stop caring about who you talk to."
"I'm not asking you to stop caring. I'm just asking you to find a different way to show that you care."
She didn't quite know why she was flat out defending Spike. Surely Riley would notice something going on between the two of them if arguments like this kept occurring. He already noticed that she hadn't just brushed him off as a nobody like she would with anyone else. It is possible that he might actually figure this little fling out?
"You know what? Let's just drop it, okay?" Riley said raising his hands. He was clearly frustrated at this point and didn't care to be bothered by it anymore.
"Fine," Buffy said with a sigh. Maybe he wouldn't figure it out. "Let's go inside."
Riley nodded and followed her up the porch steps and into the house, looking back over his shoulder at the man storming into his own house across the street.
A red flag went up in Rileys mind. He already decided... this guy was going down.
x X x X x X x
Buffy had never been more happy for Riley to be leaving. He'd been stubborn and an ass ever since the incident in the front yard. She felt bad about the way she'd sent Spike away, but at the same time she felt like she was saving him from a possible ass-kicking. She was trying to protect him... and herself. That was surely how he'd seen it. As an attempt for her to save her own ass, no matter what it took, and right now that was the furthest from the truth.
She wasn't sure her invite was even open anymore, but she had to let him know she was sorry anyway.
Seeing that it was going to be a movie night she decided to dress more comfortably. With a pair of her yummy sushi pajama pants on and a little pink tank top and her hair up in a messy bun she grabbed herself a little sweater to wear and a box of something and bounded down the stairs.
"Hey mom..." she said peering into the dining room. "Mom I'm going across the street to hang and watch a movie. Do you wanna give me the money to pay Spike?"
"Oh, of course," she said getting up from her seat in front of the laptop and searching through her purse. "I can't believe you let him go home without paying him."
"Mom I was saving him from Rileys temper. I didn't want him to get hurt."
"You know," Joyce said as she shuffled through her wallet. "Riley needs to learn how to share, and interact with other people civilly. He's becoming awful pushy."
"I know mom. Look, can I just go? I'm already late..."
Joyce smiled as she handed Buffy a ten dollar bill. "I'm glad you're hanging out with some other people. Those kids you're with in school are really snobby."
Buffy blushed a little. "If any of them call tell them I'm in the shower or grounded or something," she said as she grabbed a few things and headed out the door.
Joyce just shook her head and smiled, glad her daughter was finally opening up to some nicer people.
Meanwhile Buffy scurried across the street as quickly as possible. She was nervous. More nervous about being in close quarters with Spike than with being Xander and Willow. Everytime she was around Spike flashes of their more intimate moments together would flash through her mind. The night they got to know each other in the pool, the night at the Bronze, their first kiss, those looks he gave her that made her knees go weak...
Buffy hadn't even realized she was standing by his front door already. She cleared her throat and pushed the little doorbell button.
Good goin', Buf. You made yourself even more nervous. Why are you even here? Didn't you tell him you weren't gonna leave your boyfriend? Yeah, so what are you doing? You know what he's trying to get you to do so why would you make it easier for him?
Just then he answered the door and gave her a smile that would melt... some... un-melty thing.
Oh yeah, that's why. 'Cause he's the fucking sexiest thing you've ever seen. And he wants you.
"Hello, cutie," he said in that wonderfully deep and rumbly voice of his.
Buffy just stared at him, still partially in her trance. "Hum-noo?"
He chuckled. "What was that, luv?"
"Um," she shook herself to wake herself up. "I brought you a peace offering, for earlier," she said holding up the box which was now visibly a box of hot chocolate packets.
"You steal my heart, Summers," he chuckled again as he welcomed her into the house. "Xander's on his way but Wil's here. Go on up, I'm gonna grab a few things."
"Okay. Oh! Um, here. This is for earlier," she said holding out the ten dollars.
Spike looked at it and smiled. "Give it back to your mum. I can't take money from the Summers women."
"Spike... take it!" she said trying to force it on him.
"No," he said backing away from her. "Sides, I didn't even do all that she asked me. I still have to do the back."
Buffy let her arm slump down to her side as she smiled in defeat.
Riley would have been all over my mother until he got that ten dollars, even if he hadn't done the work yet.
"You're sweet."
"Oi! Take that back!"
Buffy laughed. "Why?"
"Because. I'm a bad, rude man," he said with a smirk. "Now go upstairs while I get you your drink and snacks."
She smiled and shook her head as she bounded up the stairs and into his bedroom where she found Willow sitting at the computer.
"Hi!" Buffy said with a bit of pep.
Willow was startled, obviously not realizing Buffy was there. "Oh, uh, hi!" she said looking at her with wide eyes and a wary smile.
Buffy looked at the computer screen, noticing she had been looking at formal dresses and gowns. "Ooh, dressies."
Willow looked confused as Buffy came over next to her and sat down. A feeling of fear washed over her for a second as she half expected Buffy to start mocking her but that feeling quickly faded when Buffy striked up a civilized conversation by asking if she was going to the Spring Formal.
"Uh, well, I want to go. And Xander said we could go together but I can't afford to buy a dress for the formal and save up for a dress for prom."
Buffy felt sad for Willow. She had always gotten money from her dad to buy whatever she needed for these things. It hadn't even crossed her mind about what it would feel like to only have one or the other.
"So you're not going?" Buffy asked.
"Um, why are you, I mean, not that I mind... but," Willow sighed. "Why are you being so nice to me?"
Buffy was embarassed. She'd never thought she would be but she was embarassed to have someone be so shocked that she would talk to them. She never wanted to be that person.
"Willow, I'm sorry. For anything I may have said or not said to you in the past. I know I haven't been a very nice person to, well, anybody for that matter, but I'm trying to be better. It's an adjustment, but I'm trying."
Willow seemed to relax a bit and after a moment or two she gave Buffy a warm smile.
Just then Spike and Xander walked into the room with arms full of snacks and movies. Buffy and Willow shared one more warm smile to one another before getting up to grab things out of the guys' hands.
As Buffy and Spikes fingers brushed against each other a shiver went through her. It was like electricity. When she looked up at him and their eyes met she shivered again.
"Are you cold, luv?" he asked quietly with a smirk.
"No," she said meekly. "I'm just fine."
"You keep tellin' yourself that, kitten," he said with a wink.
Buffy took a bag of chips from him and walked over and took a seat next to Willow on the bed.
Once Xander put everything down on the table he picked up the phone and looked around the room. "Okay so what does everyone want to eat?"
x X x X x X x
The room was quiet except for Xander making comments about the movie every other minute. Little white cartons half full of take-out were scattered around the room. Willow seemed to be entranced in the movie but Buffy was bored. The movie wasn't bad, but the sexy man sitting in the computer chair across the room was very distracting.
Every time Buffy looked up at him he was staring back. She would quickly look away, pretending like she didn't notice, but would smile and look at him again. They were flirting with their eyes and Buffy loved it.
It took all of Spikes might not to jump up and run across the room and take her right then and there on the bed. He didn't know why he didn't. He was willing to do anything and everything to get her to leave that cheating son-of-a-bitch boyfriend she had. She'd said she wasn't ready to leave him but maybe if she knew what he was really doing behind her back, then she'd leave him. But Spike couldn't tell her. He couldn't bear to be the one to cause the breaking of her heart.
Willow looked up from the movie and noticed the way Spike and Buffy were looking at each other. If you could have sex with someone just by looking at them, that's definately what they would have been doing.
"God, will you two just do it already!" Xander suddenly exclaimed.
Spike and Buffy both jumped and blushed, realizing thereafter that he was yelling at the characters in the movie, and not them.
Stop looking at him! You're supposed to be rooting for your boyfriend, not the sexy neighbor!
When Spike looked away Willow smiled and nudged Buffy with her elbow. When Buffy looked at her she silently laughed and buried her face in her pillow.
Xander finally looked up to see what all the commotion was about. "What? What's so funny?"
x X x X x X x
"We'll see you tomorrow, Spike," Willow said as she and Xander walked down the front steps. "Bye, Buffy..." she said with a smile and a small wave.
"Bye, Wils," she said smiling back.
Spike and Buffy watched as the duo walked down the street. When they were out of sight Buffy turned to Spike and tried to hide her blushing, something that was becoming a habit today.
"Well, um, thanks!" she said with a sheepish smile.
Spike knew she was going to try and escape any minute now and he knew he couldn't let her leave without getting her worked up one more time. Afterall it was still his mission to sweep her off her cute little feet.
He smirked and quickly bent down and kissed her and was very surprised to find her kissing back already, as if she had wanted it. When they broke apart Buffy had a dazed look on her face and in her eyes.
Spike smirked again, happy with himself. "Tell Captain Cardboard I said hi," he said in a whisper.
Buffy snapped out of her daze. "He- you! You need to stop doing that! I don't belong to you. You can't just go around kissing other peoples girlfriends!" she scolded him.
He chuckled. "You're adorable when you're angry."
Her eyes went wide. "I am leaving now!"
"Sweet dreams, goldilocks!"
Spike smiled to himself. This was becoming easier than he thought.
TBC