Part 13
Cordelia woke up with a smile on her face until her eyes rested on what was left of her BRAND NEW nightie. She scowled.
Angel grunted awake. “Did you just elbow me?”
“Yes”
“Well good morning to you too.”
She pointed at the torn red silk. “That was brand new.”
“Taking it off was too complicated.” He buried his nose in her hair. He loved waking up with her in his arms. However, he could do without the elbow jabbing him in the stomach. “What?”
“All you had to do was lift.”
“That takes too long. I’ll buy you a new one.”
“What’s the point? You’ll just tear that one too and I refuse to wear one with snaps.”
“That’s fine by me. I prefer you naked anyway.” His hand slipped under the sheet to emphasize his point.
“Hmmph. You have no appreciation for the trouble I went through to pick that out. I must have tried on at least twenty different styles.”
He lifted his head to see if she really was mad at him. The twinkle in her eye told him she wasn’t. “I think I used amazing restraint last night.”
“Oh really?”
“Yes. I waited until after we ate dinner to ravish you. That’s pretty impressive in my opinion.”
“Uh huh. So how exactly should I reward such restraint?” She turned and crawled on top of him. “Personally, I think you need to be punished.”
“I’d be okay with either…or both.”
Cordy bit his lower lip before sucking it into her mouth. She giggled when he was suddenly above her. “Mmmm vampire reflexes.”
“No” His hand slipped between their bodies. “Inspiration”
She whimpered as he slid a finger into her wetness. She spread her legs in invitation for more. Angel kept his thrusting finger at a slow agonizing pace. He nipped at her neck with blunt teeth.
“Angel, please!”
Ignoring her pleading for more, he slowly began to descend along her writhing body.
She tried to push and pull him, needing him to give her relief. He refused to be hurried. She groaned at the way he lazily swirled his tongue around a pebbled nipple. “Angel”
He continued his torturously slow pace. His tongue dipped into her navel. He chuckled against her skin as her hips arched off the bed in search of friction.
*Now he goes slow. He doesn’t do it when I’m wearing $50 worth of silk. Stupid vampire!* She breathed a sigh of relief when she felt a cooling puff of air on her heated center.
Angel kissed and nibbled the soft flesh of her inner thigh. He enjoyed the sound of Cordelia growling at him almost as much as he enjoyed the scent of her arousal. Her hips bucked in frustration.
Ring!
They both let out simultaneous groans. Cordy reached out and grabbed the phone.
“We’re awake dammit! Now go away!” She slammed the receiver down. “Don’t even think about stopping!”
Angel responded by latching onto the pulsing bundle of nerves. He could feel the blood rushing beneath his massaging tongue. Two fingers slid inside her, stroking and thrusting.
She keened at the sudden assault. “Yes!” Her body was screaming its need for release. It wasn’t long before stars exploded behind her eyes. “Angel!”
He moved in an instant, driving into her deeply. Her vaginal walls were still quivering. He dropped kisses all over her face.
Cordy clutched at his hair, directing his mouth to hers. She could feel him stretching her. She flipped him onto his back. Rising until just the tip was inside her, she slammed her body down hard. Strong hands gripped her hips, steadying her.
“Fuck!”
She bent down to capture his lips. The feel of her nipples sliding across his chest made them both moan. His curls brushed her clit on each slide of their bodies. Her muscles began to spasm as she neared her climax.
Angel knew she was close and wanted to go with her. He rolled her over and began thrusting wildly.
Her hips rose to meet each hard thrust. The tension in her body reached a fevered pitch then shattered. She came with a shriek.
Her walls clamped down of him, squeezing him, pushing him over the edge. She caught his shout with her mouth. He collapsed on top of her, their bodies still joined. He moved to relieve her of his greater weight but she held him to him.
“Don’t go.”
“I don’t want to crush you.”
“What if I like having you crush me?”
He rolled them until she lay on top of him. “Why don’t you crush me this time?” She hit him on the head. “Oww! What was that for?”
“Don’t ‘oww’ me buddy! You just called me fat!”
“What?”
“Don’t play innocent either. You just said I crush you. That’s the same as saying I’m fat.” Maybe it was the residual bitch in her but she enjoyed making her vampire squirm.
“I didn’t..I wasn’t..I was kidding. You’re the one who’s always calling me fat. I’m a big fat hero. I have a big fat mouth or I could stand to lose a few pounds.” His lower lip curled out in a pout.
She attempted to glare. “I can’t believe you. First you insult me and now you’re fishing for compliments.”
“I am not. I’m just stating the facts. I didn’t call you fat. Fat comments are your department.”
She bit back a smile. “Fine. I’m the meanie and you’re the innocent lamb.” She tried to get up but the steel bands he called arms refused to budge.
Angel nuzzled her neck, his joking tone gone. “I’m sorry. Don’t be mad at me.”
*He is so easy.* “I’m not mad. You’re too cuddly to get mad at.” His nuzzle turned to kisses and nips. “C’mon. We need to get up.” She arched her back so she could look at him. “We have group in a little over an hour. I also want to check the computer. Maybe Wes and Fred found something. I asked them to…opps.” Her stature went from teasing to apologetic. She snuggled back into his arms, draping her body over his. “I love you.”
“Uh huh”
She kissed him under his chin. “You’re perfect just the way you are.” Her hands slid down his chest. “Absolutely perfect.” She gently nibbled on his collarbone. “You’re so beautiful.” Brushing her lips to his, she whispered. “Not fat at all”
Angel refused to smile. “Thanks. Now you were unintentionally saying something about a secret you were still keeping.”
“It wasn’t a secret. I swear. I just forgot to tell you. There was too much to keep track of.”
“You forgot what?”
“I asked them to try and find a reason why Bob would want his office in the basement. It made me suspicious ’cause it was strange, but I have no idea what it means.” She cupped his cheek. “It wasn’t a secret. I wasn’t keeping it from you. Don’t be mad.” She buried her face in his neck. “I didn’t break my promise.”
He patted her butt. “I believe you. Now let’s go check.”
Cordy slipped on Angel’s discarded shirt as she rose. She smiled. It was missing about half of its buttons. He was smirking at her when she finally looked up.
“I didn’t elbow you for ruining MY shirt.”
“Is it my fault your shirt has defective buttons? It was probably made in some third world sweat shop. Besides I’m not the one who ruined a perfectly good moment of afterglow with insults.”
He slipped his boxers on. “I did NOT call you fat! I would never call you fat because you are NOT fat. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen!” He yanked her off the couch, sat down then pulled her onto his lap.
“Do you mean it?”
“Yes” He saw a message pop up requesting a password. “You are also the most infuriating.”
“It’s a gift.” He growled at her. “I wanted to be the one to tell you. I couldn’t risk you intercepting a message before we got a minute alone. So I asked that any message sent before today require a password.” She turned and typed her password.
Dear Cordelia,
I want to remind you this will be the very last time I send anything password protected. I trust you have already informed Angel of your suspicions as well as what we found. I know you won’t allow his tendency to overreact cloud your judgment.
He cannot effectively keep you from harm if he is unaware of the danger. The retreat is almost over. Whoever is behind the disappearances will hopefully make his or her move soon. If it is Dr. Altman, then Angel must know about it.
Lecture over. The other team has already gone over the blue prints. Fred and I double-checked their work. We didn’t find anything suspicious. Fred did a search for any geologic surveys of the surrounding area and came up empty. She did however stumble across an old news article about a cave not far from your location.
Apparently the only recorded entrance collapsed during an earthquake in the mid-1900’s. The whole area was deemed unsafe so they chose not to clear it. The article didn’t specify how extensive the cave was or in what direction the tunnel traveled. There is a distinct possibility that it runs under the center. Unfortunately we have no way of entering the cave to find out.
There are a great many rituals that need to be performed in such a structure. A few involve sacrifices but I cannot find any that require a couple. We will keep looking.
Be careful and talk to Angel.
Love,
Wesley
P.S. Don’t worry. I won’t mention our relationship in any future messages. I wouldn’t want to make the same mistake twice.
*Dammit Wes! You have to chose now to finally get a sense of humor!* “Angel..”
“I’m gonna hop in the shower.” He pushed her off his lap.
“Angel..”
“We need to get ready for group.”
Cordy buried her face in her hands. “Wes is so gonna get his ass kicked.” She waited a few minutes before following Angel. He was already in the shower. She shed his shirt and slipped in behind him.
“I thought you were never going to join me.”
“You’re not mad?”
He pulled her close and whispered in her ear. “Do I think for a single second that you would be here in this shower with me if you were in a relationship with Wes? Absolutely not.”
“Have I told you how wonderful you are?”
“Not recently”
Her hands slid up his chest and wrapped around his neck. “You are wonderful and you’re all mine.”
“So true” He rested his forehead on hers. “I still plan to kick Wes’s ass.”
She tilted her head back for a kiss. “I’ll hold him for you.”
***
Cordelia felt like her smile had been permanently plastered on her face. Her body was still tingling from the make-up sex they had in the shower. She couldn’t remember what they had to make-up about. Her mind had turned to mush somewhere between her third and his second orgasm. She glanced at Angel. His eyes were still slightly glazed.
“Cordelia?”
“Huh?”
“Why don’t you share with the group next?”
Her panicked eyes focused on Jake. “What?”
“You know. What we’ve been discussing for the last twenty minutes. Love at first sight?”
“Oh..umm..no. I definitely experienced a momentary feeling of lust though.”
“Momentary?”
“When I saw Angel for the first time, I was at a dance club with my friends. He appeared in all his salty goodness. There may have been some drool.”
“But the lust didn’t last?”
“Nope. It died the moment I found out he was a…a taken man. He was dating a girl I went to school with.”
“I see. What about you, Angel?”
“Pfft. I could’ve danced in front of him naked and he wouldn’t have even noticed me.”
“I find that hard to believe.”
“I second that.”
Cordy flashed Jake and George a smile. Angel glared at both men ’til they looked away.
“I take it you were seriously involved with this other girl?”
“I was but I did notice Cordy.”
“Yeah right”
“Did you have similar lustful feelings?”
“No. It wasn’t like that. Cordy made me laugh. My people skills weren’t very good.” He ignored Cordelia’s snort. “I avoided people whenever possible, but I never minded her. I actually found her company..enjoyable. It drove Buffy crazy. Like Cordy said though, her attraction to me passed and she stopped talking to me.”
Cordy stroked his leg. She’d always thought Angel never noticed her. If anything, she figured he had been relieved when she stopped bothering him. After the Halloween costume nightmare was over, Xander confirmed Buffy’s claim that Angel was a vampire. That cured her of her crush faster than his inattention ever could. She suddenly felt guilty. *Oooh more make-up sex!*
“Jessie?”
Angel was lost in thought. He remembered listening to Cordelia incredulously reassure an enchanted Buffy that Angel was a good vampire. It had actually bothered him when she stopped speaking to him. He never sought her affections but he had enjoyed her company. Buffy had felt threatened every time she saw Cordelia clinging to him.
He always reassured her but he never actually pushed the enthusiastic cheerleader away. She made him laugh. He knew he made Willow and Giles nervous. Xander was always hostile. He had felt somewhat comfortable around Cordelia.
He smiled. Things had changed but remained the same. He still made Willow and Giles nervous. Xander was still hostile. He still felt somewhat comfortable around Cordelia. She kept him on his toes. It was as if she could make his undead heart race with fear, love, lust, confusion and sheer terror. Things were different too. Buffy was now a bittersweet memory and Cordelia was the center of his universe.
The girl; who ignored him when she found out he was a vampire, was now his best friend. The girl, who had rejected him because he was a vampire, was now the most accepting person in his life. The girl, whom he assured Buffy was no threat, was now the woman he was head over heels in love with.
Cordelia was mentally going over every conversation she’d had with Angel while they were in Sunnydale. She mainly remembered the whole star-crossed lover saga and her own painful love story. As she remembered the night she kept Angel company while he waited for Buffy, something occurred to her.
Buffy had definitely been upset when she found them together. She had left because of it. Instead of following Buffy, he spent most of the night talking to her. He in no way flirted with her but he did seem like he enjoyed her company. She had been deluded enough to think she stood a chance with him until Xander set her straight.
He had explained the whole vampire with a soul story while they walked the kids back to the school. She pretty much stopped talking to Angel after that. If she’d been more observant, she would have noticed that the only time she’d seen him semi-relaxed was when it’d been just the two of them. He definitely had his relaxing moments with Buffy but she hadn’t actually witnessed them.
He’d always been skittish when the whole group was together. She’d been snarky with Angel for not appreciating her beauty back then only to realize that he would have appreciated her friendship. *God I was such a bitch* Her smile disappeared. She was mourning the years of friendship they missed out on because of her stupidity. She clasped his hand in hers. The important thing was they did become friends and that friendship had blossomed into love. She’d take that over love at first sight any day. Her thumb stroked his palm.
She leaned in to whisper. “I love you, Angel.”