***
Wesley was doing this darndest to ignore the two people huddled on the couch. It was well into the evening now and Cordelia and Angel had resorted to visual displays of affection.
Wesley wasn’t stupid enough to think they had any intention of taking this further since he knew there was nothing there. But they were starting to sound a little too authentic for his taste.
For his own sanity and for the sake of one vampire’s precarious soul, Wesley prayed for a call from the PTB and kept his eyes on the two people.
Cordelia was starting to lose her nerve as she settled back comfortably under Angel’s arm stretched across the back of the couch.
“He’s tougher than we thought,” she muttered, glaring at the crown of the watcher’s head as he sat there reading.
“Relax sweetheart.” The vampire nuzzled his seer’s temple softly, his nostrils flaring at her distinct scent. Resisting the insane need to lick her, he instead snuck a glance at Wesley.
“He’s on a knife’s edge. Can’t you tell?”
And that was when her breath hitched as cool breath bathed her ear and sent uncontrollable shivers down her spine.
The butterflies she’d controlled on the short lunch break with happy camaraderie went into a fluttering frenzy and the brunette tried to think of anything but the pleasant presence of her sexy vampire ex-boss beside her.
Creepy demons. Decapitated vampires. Wesley in a tutu. Mrs Peabody in… “Eyow!”
Angel had been caught in counting her escalating heartbeat and wondering how fast he could make it go if he actually wrapped his arm around her. Lifting his head away slightly he looked down at her. “What?”
Pretty pink tainted her copper cheeks and Cordelia giggled. “I just had a recurring vision of Mrs. P.”
The vampire let out a visible shudder and snuck his arm around her shoulders to draw her closer to his side. “Thanks for sharing Chase.”
And the butterflies settled into a sound relaxed heartbeat as she looked up into his chocolate eyes. “I’m just a compassionate kind of gal.”
Angel’s mouth stretched into a beautiful smile that turned Cordelia’s knees to jelly-O and caused her gaze to drop to his mouth. She saw the corner of his mouth lift mischievously. “Shall we just get this over with?”
Surprised hazel eyes snapped up to his. “What?”
“Wesley?”
She just stared at him.
“The strike?”
He frowned as the brunette’s heart missed a beat. He raised an eyebrow before holding up a Wrigley’s. “Gum?”
Jerking out of her train of thought and the yummy slideshow of kissing Angel she’d started into her head, Cordelia cleared her throat and swallowed. “Right. So…what do you suggest?”
Angel wondered for a second what was it that was going through her pretty little mind, but the new plan spinning in his head got the better of him. Tightening his arm around her, he used his free hand to slide over her crossed thighs.
When she instantly tensed to his touch he grinned down at her indulgently. “Wanna really freak him out? Then follow my lead.”
If Angel was on a mission of freak out Wesley he was way off his mark. Because as calloused fingers slid across her thigh towards the inside, Cordelia was the one freaking out.
But she didn’t dare utter a sound lest it come out in the form of a heady moan as he pulled one creamy thigh across his own, her leg swinging loosely between the both of his and his nose brushed the soft skin behind her ear.
“Cordy, try to look like you’re enjoying this; not being lead to an execution.”
She had this insane need to giggle like mad, but swallowing the panic Cordelia bit her lip, silent under the shroud of a lie that hit a little close to home. Pretending to enjoy herself. Sure. That should be easy.
All she’d have to do it give in to the sinking sensation in her loins and kiss the beejeezuz out of the stupidly sexy vampire.
That would really freak Wesley ou…oh hello!
When Angel’s tongue slid out to taste her earlobe Cordelia’s eyes slid shut.
Wesley had just finished the final calculation before he looked up at his two employees – and froze.
Sweet Mary mother of Jesus! His jaw hit the counter top as he watched Angel’s tongue slink into his seer’s ear, eliciting a groan from the beautiful brunette. One of his hands was on her leg perched in his lap, the tips of his fingers skimming the softer skin on her inner thigh.
The arm that had been around the back had slid down to wrap around her trim waist, the fingers splayed languidly against her belly, his thumb nearly skirting the underside of her right breast.
Of course the brunette wasn’t far behind. Her left hand was bent back against the neck of his white vest and the other cupping his hand on her belly; and she did not look short of ecstasy.
This was not the platonic champion-seer relationship Wesley was aware of.
This looked a little to authentic and on the road to future soul-lessness for the idiotic vampire and the possible disembowelment of the blissful seer and everyone else involved in this little picture.
Jumping to his feet Wesley opened his mouth to yell and his world tipped into blackness He stood there in the dark before he realized the implication.
“Bloody hell! They cut our power!”
It was more the outburst rather than the blackout that brought Angel out of his haze. With his tongue tingling from her taste and his fingers gliding across the heat between her thigh, Angel finally realized what he was doing.
He’d been about to fondle Cordelia Chase. In public. Without regard for their plan. Pretending gone to hell. If Gunn hadn’t stepped in as he’d been bribed to…
“Cordy?”
“Hmmm?”
The evident scent of her response flaring his nostrils and the steady strum of her heartbeat, Angel couldn’t hold his smile and his fingers intentionally glided up under the weight of her breasts before the brunette let out a startled shriek.
Gathering her against his chest he gratified in the painful yelp and crash from across the lobby and the insistent tug of Cordelia’s scent as she stared up at him blindly.
“Angel what are you…”
She would have told the pervert exactly what she thought of his taking advantage of her blindness when his fingers dug into her ribs and began to tickle.
“ANGEL!”
Wesley rubbing his throbbing toe staring blindly into the darkness as the brunette let out a muffled shriek, a giggle and then heard the vampire’s wicked chuckle.
“ANGEL! Are you bloody mad! What about the curse! Cordelia! Cease this instant! You are playing with all our lives here.”
By the time she could reply and realized Angel’s game she’d caught his thick wrists in her hands and lay sprawled on top of him. Even in the darkness she couldn’t miss the grin he was throwing her way or the telltale bulge against her tummy, which said enough for the vampire’s taste in women.
Feeling elated and hopeful in his granting her control she laughed huskily. “No Wesley. Just playing with Angel.”
The vampire nearly had time to open his mouth before her thighs had strategically clamped down against his torso and her nose dove against the hard muscle in his chest and found where he was ticklish the most.
“CORDELIA!”
The watcher fumbled with the matchbox at the throaty growl and the sound of tumbling. They wouldn’t! They couldn’t! “STOP! STOP RIGHT NOW! THERE WILL BE NO SNOGGING IN THIS HOTEL!”
Cordelia rewarded him with a whimper as Angel twisted and pinned her against the back of the couch, his fingers threaded through her hair, his demon purring at the physical cat and mouse game and his own un-beating heart lighter than it had been in years.
It was then. The shadows over his soul were gone. Maybe there wasn’t forgetting in Cordelia’s honeyed eyes, but there was forgiveness and acceptance.
With Cordelia’s panting breath branding his mouth he only grinned ferally before jumping to his feet and throwing the giggling brunette over his shoulder. “Whatever you say Boss.”
Wesley struck a match as hurriedly held it up – only to find the lobby vacant.
“Cordelia? Angel?” His eyes widened. “Oh dear lord, what have I done!”
***
“Damn, I wish I could have seen his face.” Angel snickered as he leaned against the railing lining the roof as Cordelia stood next to him, the rising moon casting a silvery glow across her skin.
Lifting a wagging finger she feigned Wesley’s wide-eyed expression. “There will be no snogging in this hotel!”
Laughing at her perfect impersonation, Angel caught her finger gently, before clasping her hand. “Stop it; you look like a fish!”
“So does he.”
With his eyes fixed on the horizon and his hand warming in hers, he watched the horizon. “So how long do you think?”
“I did leave my bra on the stairs, he should come charging up here soon enough.”
Chuckling softly, he raised her hand to kiss her knuckles before looking at her with adoring brown eyes. “You made a good partner Cordelia Chase.”
She couldn’t help smile back. “It’s a pleasure working with a man who can be conniving like a woman.”
“Thanks. I think.”
“I didn’t think you were capable of so much mischief Angel.” Cordelia winked as the looming vampire leaned back against the wrought iron railing, her hand still clutched tenderly in his.
“Well there were days before the soul.”
Laughing at the morbid stoicism she squeezed his hand gently. “Without the blood bath?”
Tugging her close he wrapped one arm around her waist as he grinned down at her. “Vampires are frisky by nature.”
Reining the crazy-happy smile she raised an eyebrow. “So what happened to you?”
A lamenting sigh tinged the mischief in his brown eyes. “I got a soul.”
“And that means you forget what unadulterated fun is like?”
He shrugged; his head bent down, her breath tickling his forehead and he bathed in the comfortable warmth of the woman he was but-crazy in love with. “Well there’s the remorse.”
Cordelia rolled her eyes. “Oh yeah. The angsting, woe-is-me constant self-flagellation is so all the rage these days Broody.”
He peeked up at her with a wounded puppy-dog frown. “I do not….flagellate.”
She stuck the back of her hand dramatically across her forehead. “Hello, I’m Angel, incredibly boring vamp with a highly deficient sex life and an emotionally inept social life. I have two modes with people.” His shoulder shook with barely concealed laughter as she stuck up two fingers in his face. “Bite and avoid.”
“Well there’s another.”
She blinked up at him, still caught up with pretending to be Angel. “Huh?”
He smirked, his hands testing the flesh of her waist before sliding to the curve of her ass and her eyebrow shot up as if daring him to go lower. “There is the man Cordy.” She shrieked with laughter as his hand grabbed the firm globe of her ass and dragged her against him, her body fitting his perfectly from knees to the top of her dress pressing the breast of his vest.
Or was it her breasts and his top? Angel didn’t give a damn, because her mouth was hovering above his and it occurred to him; they were going to share the first willing, mutual kiss without the threat of collapsing buildings, secret closets and their lives on the line.
The giddy anticipation building in his veins, the insane need to eat her alive and the insatiable love Angel felt for this woman must have shone in his eyes because, her hands that were braced against his chest slid up the lines of his shoulders and around the column of his neck.
The vampire shivered, his eyes slipping shut and he could almost hear the smile in the soft breath against his mouth. “Last warning brighteyes, you kiss me now and I’m never stopping.” His voice shook and was deeper than he cared to admit.
Her palms cupped his jaw, the soft pads of her thumbs pressed into the corners of his mouth. Cordelia was always the one to dive in feet first but she wanted to make sure he was right there with her. “Not unless you open your eyes and look at me do this Angel.”
He lifted his lids to see the sinfully rich toffee in her eyes darken with a mixture of blatant desire and naughty love. Only she could pull it off and Angel watched her, his eyes trained on hers as her breath hitched in her throat, the spine under his palms trembling in sync with his.
But she didn’t pull her eyes away. Not this time. And he realized he’d never let her look away.
There was one soft brush of lips on lips. Breath held, and there was another loving caress, a promise, words unspoken and then her hand snaked into his hair, her lips sliding into the contours of his mouth, and both sets of eyes slid shut, reassured and drugged with the heady sensation of finally being together.
And they were kissing. Of course, you’d think two people who lead their high-powered lives and were in love would be overcome with lust and hunger. Angel couldn’t deny it.
There was a helpless hunger in her mouth as it molded itself to his, the simple press of supple lower lip and the tease of her thinner upper lip seemed to meld into his and the contact was electric, hot and just so damned delicious, neither of them moved.
Drinking in the warmth and the raspberry of her lip-gloss, Angel just held her against him, reassuring every dead cell in his body that she was back and there was no need to pretend to be cocky, beige-y, self-assured and strong when he was bursting with unadorned bliss. Cordelia Chase was his.
With a muffled half groan, half growl he slid one hand up her still shaky spine and held her head captive, marveling at the expanse of his hand around her fragile cranium. She was fragile in the wickedest and naughtiest ways and the combination was like wine on his already buzzing nerves.
Holding her captive, Angel kissed her back, his lips catching hers with soft, but searching bites to suckle her lower lip for an instant. He must have done something right because she dragged in a sharp puff of breath, and her arms wrapped snuggly around his neck, her jaw opening against Angel’s, her hips rolling into his and one moonlit sandal left the ground as she leaned into him.
And Angel knew. She loved him to death. The leg said it all.
When she finally pulled her mouth away to draw a ragged breath, her lips smiled against his. Their eyes closed, but seeing, Angel noticed the press of both legs against his, as she stood there on tiptoes. “Your foot left the ground, didn’t it?”
And still she didn’t open her eyes, her fingers at his nape skirting through soft hair adoringly. “Nope.”
Opening his eyes Angel grinned. “You’re such a lousy liar.”
“Yup!” Her shoulders shook with mirth.
Giving her another squeeze into his arms he nuzzled her nose. “You love me.”
Her lashes fell coyly against the rise of her cheeks and she shook her head. “Nope.”
“Liar. Liar. Panties on fire!”
And the shy, sweet woman looked up with wicked mischief. “What panties?”
Angel growled then groaned out a laugh before ducking down for another kiss, but the door to the roof slapped open and Wesley came hurtling out.
“Angel! Cordelia!” The two didn’t have time to spring apart before he was on his knees and hugging them both around the waist.
“Oh thank god! You’re both fully clothed, albeit slightly attached at the lips. PLEASE! Come back to work! I’ll do ANYTHING!”
Hazel eyes met brown before Angel looked down. “Anything?”
“YES!”
***
Mrs. Peabody walked across her living room and accidentally dropped her cane. “Oh bother…”
Wesley looked up from where he sat on the couch and blinked. “Let me help you madam.” Putting his book aside he walked over and bent over to pick it up.
The only sound in the night was that of a very male squeal.
End.