Spike shook his head. Brilliant, Spike. Girl walks here through a storm, is drenched and freezing, and all you can do is stand there and stare at her tits like the wanker you are. “Come in, luv. Are you all right? Has something happened? Did someone hurt you? Did—”
“Spike! No, no one hurt me…I just…can’t sleep…” Buffy looked sheepishly at the floor.
“Oh?” Spike raised an eyebrow. “So…you walked through a thunderstorm…in the middle of the night…wearing a tank top…because you couldn’t sleep?”
She crossed her arms defensively, “Well, it sounds really dumb when you say it like that.” Taking a deep breath, she continued, “You’re right. I don’t know what I was thinking. This was stupid.” She started to turn back towards the door, but Spike grabbed her arm.
“You’re freezing, luv!” He began rubbing his hands up and down her arms. She held her breath. “Look, pet, I didn’t say that it was stupid or dumb. I was just surprised that you would come here.”
He’s touching me, he’s touching me, he’s touching me…
“Luv? Still in there?” He halted the movements of his hands.
Buffy blinked. “Huh? What? Oh yeah…still here!”
“Pet, why don’t you go to the bathroom and get dried off, and I’ll find you something to wear.”
“Spike…” she sighed. “I really feel silly about being here now. I should probably just go…”
No! “You obviously came here for a reason. Go to the bathroom. I’ll grab you some dry clothes, then we can get this figured out. ‘Kay, sweetheart?” He gave her a warm smile.
He called me sweetheart. “All right…thanks…I feel like I’m always thanking you for something.”
He gave her a playful grin, “Yeah, when you’re not dumping beer on me and calling me names.”
Buffy made a face and stuck out her tongue. Spike felt himself getting hard.
“Okay! Let’s get you to that bathroom!”
Ten minutes later and Buffy was much drier and dressed in one of Spike’s black t-shirts and a black pair of draw-string pajama pants rolled up several inches at the bottom. He was ashamed to say that when he was selecting Buffy’s wardrobe, his hand hovered for more than a minute over an old, worn-thin, white t-shirt before he ended up choosing the more conservative black tee. She didn’t come over, so you could stare at her tits all night, mate. He found her to be incredibly sexy in his clothing regardless.
The tempest was still raging outside. Buffy tried to convince herself that it was the thunder and lightning that had her heart racing and not the beautiful man in the room. At any rate, being in Spike’s luxurious flat during a huge storm was turning into quite the aphrodisiac. What is it about this place? Every time I come here, I get all hussy-fied.
“You want to watch the storm, luv? It’s great out on the balcony. I love going out there on nights like this.”
“Sure, that sounds great…but it’s a little chilly tonight.”
“That I can fix.” Spike jogged down the hallway and returned a moment later holding a couple of old quilts. “Problem solved.”
Buffy followed him out onto the balcony. There was a large overhang shielding them from the deluge. Spike motioned for her to take a seat in one of the two patio chairs to the left of the door. After she settled into the chair with her legs folded underneath her, she was surprised when Spike began covering her with one of the quilts, carefully tucking it in around her legs. I love his hands on me.
Spike hoped Buffy wouldn’t see through his plan to run his hands over her soft, feminine body. The small touches she had allowed him Friday night, first at the convenience store, then when he was taking care of her knee at his flat, simply weren’t enough. They had triggered a growing desire for her that had plagued him throughout the weekend.
Realizing that he had been adjusting the blanket around her for an extended period of time, Spike forced himself to remove his hands and take a seat in the other chair. “There you are, luv, snug as a bug.”
Buffy was still reeling from the sensation of Spike’s large hands on her calves and thighs. Even through the blanket, the warmth of his hands made her skin tingle. Does he know the effect he has on me? She glanced over at his smiling face. Don’t be an idiot, Buffy. He’s just a nice guy…the kind of guy that comforts you after a robbery…even when you’ve been a bitch to him…the kind of guy that takes his nieces to the zoo…the kind of guy that brings you cookies………the cookies! “Oh my god! I completely forgot to thank you for the cookies! You really didn’t have to do that!”
Spike ducked his head. “No big deal, luv. Just cookies.”
Buffy gave him a knowing look. “It was more than that, Spike. Believe me, I remember how much you wanted them.” She giggled, “I thought we were going to end up rolling around on the floor together.”
Spike let out a small groan as he felt his groin tighten at the imagery. “Really, luv, s’nothing. So, are you gonna tell me what brought you over here on this stormy night,” Spike said changing the subject.
Buffy’s cheeks reddened, “Oh, well…I just…couldn’t sleep…and you said to call whenever…and I know this isn’t calling per se, but I thought I just might…sleep better if I came over here?” She could feel her cheeks burning.
Spike’s eyes widened in surprise, “You want to spend the night?”
“Yes. I mean no!” Buffy paused to gather herself. “I mean yes, but not like in the…sexy sense.”
“Sexy sense, pet?” Spike said with a raised eyebrow.
“Yeah…not like the bed-squeaking, bouncy bouncy, boot knockin’, makin’ whoopee kinda spending the night, and I can’t believe I just said all that. What I mean is I didn’t come here for any funny business.” Liar.
“Got it, luv,” Spike said, lips twitching, “Absolutely no funny business.”
“Hey!” Buffy slapped his arm. “Are you making fun of me?”
“Maybe just a little.” He gave her a reassuring look. “I don’t mind if you stay, luv. Really, you’re welcome anytime. You can take my bed. I’ll sleep on the couch.”
“No! No, I couldn’t take your bed. I’ll sleep on the couch. Trust me, it’s waaay better than my bed anyway.”
“You are not taking the couch, pet. It’s my home. This discussion is closed.” I want to see you in my bed.
“Fine. Bossy.”
“That’s right! What I say goes, and I say tell me a little about Miss Buffy Summers.”
“Oh, uh, not much to tell. I grew up in Sunnydale, California. My dad’s a lawyer, mom runs an art gallery. I graduated college a year ago with a degree in political science. I moved to the city around that same time. I’m 23, and as you know, I work at a bar. That’s my life story in 5 minutes or less.” Buffy shrugged.
“I’m sure there’s a lot more to it than that.”
“I guess, but I’d rather talk about you. How long have you lived in the city?”
There was so much more that Spike wanted to know, but he figured he would let it go for now. “Well, let’s see, my family moved here from London when I was thirteen, so I’ve been here for almost 20 years.”
“Wow, so does your family still live in the area?”
“My sister Cecily and her family still live here, you met Lisa and Sara at the zoo. My father moved back to London about eight years ago, after my mum passed…drunk driver,” Spike murmured.
Buffy’s eyes widened, “Oh my god! I’m so sorry!”
He gave her a rueful smile, “S’all right, luv. We’ve had time to come to terms with it. My father actually got remarried last year. Lovely woman.”
“Still…” Buffy suddenly felt awkward.
“Really, it’s fine, luv. Anything else you want to know?”
Everything. “I have so many quest—” she let loose with a huge yawn, “Oh, sorry, I guess I’m more tired than I thought.”
“It’s pretty late, pet. We should probably continue this conversation another time. You want to turn in?”
“Mmmm…I think I’d like to watch the storm a little longer. You were right. It really is incredible out here.”
They both sank into their chairs and stared out into the night, relaxed by the rhythm of the pouring rain. Half an hour passed with the only sounds aside from the storm being the little murmurings coming from Buffy every time there was an especially bright bolt of lightning.
The sky let loose with a brilliant display of light streaking through the atmosphere accompanied by booming thunder. Spike was surprised when he heard no sounds coming from the girl next to him. He glanced over at her and his heart warmed at what he saw. She was curled up in the chair with her head tilted to the side, fast asleep with an adorable little smile on her face. God, she’s incredible.
He tossed aside the quilt covering his own body and stood. Stepping over to Buffy’s sleeping form, he leaned down and pushed a lock of hair out of her face. The motion was reminiscent of that night when things began changing between them. Was that only a few short nights ago? How could everything shift so fast? He gingerly slipped one arm under her back and the other under her knees and lifted her, quilt and all, from the chair. He checked her face for any signs of wakefulness, and when he saw none, gently cradled her against his chest for a few moments. How could I have been without this for so long? He let out a quiet, humorless chuckle. Not like you have it now, mate.
With a sigh, he carried Buffy into the flat and down the short hallway to his bedroom. Once there, he took one more moment to savor the feeling of holding her securely in his arms. Then, he carefully placed her on top of the comforter in the middle of his king-size bed. Again, he tucked the quilt around her body. He began to pull away, but was stopped by a small hand wrapped around his wrist. Buffy turned her head and regarded him sleepily, “Stay.”