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William awoke slowly. A satisfied smile crossed his face as he snuggled his armful of warm Buffy closer to him. She lay curled against his side, her head on his shoulder. He dropped a kiss onto her mussed hair.

"Mmm," Buffy purred. She stretched lazily before opening her eyes and looking up at him with a bashful smile. "Good morning."

"Mornin', pet," William replied. He ran his hand down her bare back and watched with delight as she arched into his touch. He pulled her over so she lay on top of him. "Now this is a bit of all right. A fella could get used to waking up next to you."

Buffy wriggled. William moaned and tugged her down to meet his lips. When they were both breathless and excited, he pulled back and began kissing his way down her neck. His hands slid languidly down her sides, reveling in the satiny feel of her heated skin. He paused his exploration long enough to roll the both of them over. He propped himself up on an elbow next to her, one leg tossed possessively over hers. He trailed a finger down her chest, between her breasts, and around her belly button.

Buffy watched him through heavy-lidded eyes as he flattened his hand on her stomach. "You're so damn pretty, Buffy," he said, his voice husky. "Perfect little girl in my bed. 'M a lucky bloke."

She blushed and pushed his hand away. "I'm not perfect." She sat up, curling her arms around her drawn-up knees. "And I'm not a little girl." Her bottom lip jutted out.

William laughed. "Ooh, pouty." He let his hand trace the line of her back from shoulder to hip. "That's the way to prove you're oh-so-mature." He eyed her bare form with undisguised interest.

She was golden all over, not a tan line in sight. The image of Buffy sunbathing in the nude set up camp in his brain. Then he turned his attention back to the real, live, naked girl currently setting up camp in his bed. Several bruises on her otherwise flawless skin caught his eye.

"Did I do that, kitten?" He gestured to her side, just above her left hip, and Buffy ran a hand across the spot.

"Huh. I don't know.” She looked perplexed, but then shrugged. “I guess it's possible..."

William's face darkened with concern. He trailed a gentle hand through her mussed hair. "Din't mean to hurt you, sweetness," he said softly. He leaned forward and placed a tender kiss on her shoulder.

Buffy turned and poured herself into his arms. She embraced him tightly and pressed her lips to his chest. "Will, you didn't hurt me," she assured him.

"But..."

She silenced him with a kiss; she twined her fingers into his hair, all soft curls now, holding his head still for her probing lips. "Did you hear me say 'ouch' last night?" she demanded when she finally let him up for air.

"Well, yeah, when I..."

Buffy immediately flushed bright red. All over. "I mean besides that!" He shook his head. "William, there's not one thing we did last night that I didn't like."

William smiled widely. "That right? Even the..."

Buffy clapped a hand over his mouth. "Yes!" He grinned evilly behind her hand. "So, nothing to worry about, okay?"

He nodded. "Sure." Then something occurred to him and he brightened. "'Sides, could be from gymnastics, right?”

"What?” Buffy said vaguely before catching his eye. "Oh. Yeah, maybe."

William cocked his head to the side, eyes narrowed. "Have you been doing gymnastics long?" he inquired.

Buffy thought for a moment. "Um, since I was five or six. I'm not going to ever win the Olympics or anything. However," she confided, "I am very bendy."

Every last little bit of William was at full attention following this statement. "Really?" he smirked.

Buffy nodded seriously. "Oh, yes. Let me show you."

***

"Who was your arm candy before me?" William asked some time later. They were sprawled across each other, boneless and relaxed.

Buffy turned a questioning gaze on him. "Splainy?"

"Your... well, I seriously hesitate to call her your friend. The girl outside the Bronze."

"Oh. Cordelia. Yeah, I’d hesitate to call her my friend, too. My frenemy, maybe."

William mimicked Buffy's earlier expression.

"Frenemy - a friend who's also an enemy," she explained. "Pretty much sums up Cordy."

William nodded. "I see. So... about your 'arm candy'?" he prompted.

Buffy groaned. "Cordy's a notorious bitch. That is something you should know. But what she meant... See, I had this friend, Jonathan. He was so sweet, incredibly smart, funny..."

A low growl rumbled from William's chest.

"...very short, and probably totally gay," Buffy concluded with a grin. "He asked me out, and I didn’t have the heart to turn him down. Cordelia had a field day with it - head cheerleader going on a date with one of the biggest nerds in school. It was all completely stupid and beyond immature."

Head cheerleader? William thought. That gave him a very pleasant mental image – pom-poms, perky pigtails, short skirt, tight sweater. He shook his head and focused on the other issue that phrase had brought to mind. "Um, how old are you, pet?"

"I'm twenty-one, Will. You saw my ID last night, remember?"

William nodded. She'd been carded when they ordered their first bottle of wine; he'd nabbed it from her before she could put it away and proceeded to mock her predictably-awful picture. "Right. And when was this cheerleader-nerd date? Three years ago? Four?"

Buffy paled at his harsh tone, then spoke so quietly William had to strain to hear her. "Last year."

"And so I ask again, how old are you?"

She pulled her shoulders up around her ears and mumbled something indistinct.

William grabbed Buffy's upper arm and shook her lightly. "What was that?" He tried to keep the anger out of his voice, but he could tell by the way Buffy looked at him with frightened eyes that he wasn't very successful.

"I said, I'm nineteen!" she snapped at him.

William sighed and released his hold on her. “Well, that’s a soddin’ relief,” he said. “You scared me for me a minute there.”

“Does that mean you don’t think I’m too young for you?” Buffy asked, wide eyes fixed anxiously on his face.

He opened his arms and she crawled into his embrace. “That’s exactly what that means,” he reassured her. “Although if you think I’m going to be supplying you with liquor from now on, you’re sadly mistaken.”

Buffy nodded. “Oh, that’s okay, Will. I have a fake ID, you know. I can buy my own booze.”

"You," William said with tolerance, "are a brat."

Buffy folded her arms across her chest and held her head up as haughtily as she knew how. "And what, Mr. Pratt, do you intend to do about it?"

At that provocation, William lunged.

***

It was almost noon before William stirred again. He watched Buffy sleep for a moment, her hair spread across the pillow and her hands flung up beside her face. The temptation was soon too much to resist; he nudged up against her, nuzzled into her neck, gave her earlobe a playful bite. She came awake with a start.

"Oh, hi," she said. "Can I help you with something?"

William shook his head. "Like you when you're awake. You get all wiggly. It’s just… neat." He waggled his eyebrows at her suggestively.

Buffy groaned. "Again? I think you broke me, Will. I’m sore in places I didn’t know I had places.”

William gave her puppy-dog eyes and slithered one hand between her thighs. "I'll be gentle, promise."

Buffy gasped as his barely-there touch caressed her. “William! I’m serious.”

William heaved a hugely exaggerated sigh but removed his hand without protest. “Have I told you how nice it is to have you in my bed?”

“Maybe once or twice,” she smiled. “And look, you didn’t even have to tie me up to keep me here.” William’s eyes crossed and Buffy laughed. She stroked one little hand down his chest and gently traced the lines of his abs. “Do you want to know a secret?” she asked.

William swallowed and nodded.

Buffy crawled up his body, wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. She gently licked the outer shell of his ear. “It’s very, very nice to be in your bed,” she whispered finally. She positioned her face directly over his and they stared into each other’s eyes for a long, melting minute. As one they moved towards each other in a soft discovery of one another’s mouths.

“I’d like to keep you in my bed for days,” William murmured against her mouth when they stopped for breath.

“Sounds good to me,” Buffy agreed. “Might wreak havoc on the job, though. Not that I’d miss mine…” She rubbed her nose against his.

“It’s a plan, pet,” William laughed. “You quit your job and we can spend, oh, the next month in bed.”

Buffy pouted. “Only a month? What happens after that?”

“I have to go to work, of course.” William reached up and sucked her full bottom lip into his mouth.

Buffy broke the kiss with a regretful whimper and placed both hands flat on the bed, one on either side of William’s head. “What is it you do, William?” she asked.

“I’m a teacher.” He reached up and smoothed her increasingly-wild hair behind her ear. “Starting a new job at the end of August.”

Buffy turned her head into his touch. “Now, let me think… what would you possibly teach? History of Punk Rock? British Insults for Beginners? French-kissing 101?” She gasped with laughter as William began tickling her.

“So sassy, little Buffy,” William scolded. “Whatever am I going to do with you?” He paused for a moment to let her catch her breath.

Buffy’s stomach responded to his question with a long, loud rumble. She bit her lip and looked up at him. “Um, you could start by feeding me,” she suggested.

William disentangled himself from Buffy’s twining limbs. “Your wish is my command, sunshine.” He got out of bed, pulled on his jeans, and tossed a t-shirt Buffy’s way. “C’mon, you can make sure I don’t set the kitchen on fire.”

***

William and Buffy sat cross-legged on the floor on opposite sides of the coffee table. The remnants of their meal littered the surface of the table. Buffy reached for another orange segment and ate it slowly, a replete sigh escaping her as she did so. "Wow, I was really hungry," she commented as she surveyed the mostly-empty dishes.

"Worked up an appetite," William stated. He pushed himself up onto his knees and leaned across the table to capture Buffy's lips. She tasted of oranges and maple syrup and coffee. Her mouth was sticky. "God, you're delicious," he murmured as he pulled away from her. He drank in the sight of her, mouth swollen from his kisses and hair a tangled mess, clad in his favorite Ramones t-shirt. "You're a bloody dream come true," he said admiringly.

"You're not too bad yourself," Buffy replied. She snaked her hand around the back of William's neck and tugged him down for another long kiss. They were both panting when they parted. Buffy leaned her forehead on William's and gripped his face in her hands. "Mmm... I hate to say it, but I should really get going."

William shook his head. "Nope. You're my prisoner, and I say you aren't going anywhere. 'Cept maybe back to bed with me."

"Would if I could," Buffy said regretfully. "Can I use your shower before I go?" William smiled at the thought of wet, naked, soapy Buffy. The direction of his thoughts must have been plainly evident on his face, because Buffy quickly added, "Alone." At his pout, she gave him a light kiss. "I'll make it up to you, I promise." With one more kiss and a coquettish smile she stood up and made her way to the bathroom.

***

William had just finished cleaning the kitchen when she appeared, freshly scrubbed and shiny, and smelling of his soap. He dried his hands on a towel and pulled her into his arms. “Can I give you a ride home?”

Buffy hesitated briefly. “No, but thank you.” She ran her hands up and down his bare back, finally settling her fingers into the waistband of his jeans. They stood together silently for a moment.

“When can I see you again?” William asked. He couldn’t bring himself to care about the note of mild desperation in his question.

Buffy smiled up at him. “I’m closing the diner on Tuesday. I could come over when I’m done,” she suggested.

William nodded his agreement and pulled her closer for a last, lingering kiss.


Chapter End Notes:
Thanks so much for the reviews. I had a lot of fun with this chapter and I'd love to hear what you think of it.
I'm also curious if the rating I gave the story is appropriate for the material. Thoughts?



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