Angel’s Apartment.
For two weeks, Cordelia and Angel struggled with their arrangement. Cordelia’s apartment remained strangely bug-infested despite the exterminators.
Doyle’s attempts at finding her suitable accommodations were either overpriced, horrifying or simply turned down as an option by Angel. They were unsuitable, unclean or unsafe in his opinion and Cordelia wasn’t in an argumentative mood considering what Doyle had come up with.
So they kept to their arrangement. Time-sharing the bed. Only they made a serious effort to make certain that there would be no sharing simultaneously. The television and VCR mysteriously appeared in the living room one day and Cordelia wasn’t about to argue the reason for the move.
Sitting on the couch together, they still managed to gravitate toward each other. His arm around her shoulder, and her curled up beside him. There was a conspicuous absence of peanut butter. Cordelia found herself a snacking alternative.
M&Ms seemed safe enough. They came in a form that required no finger-licking of any kind. Cordelia liked tossing them up and catching them in her mouth. Until one missed and dropped straight down her cleavage.
Leaping up, Cordelia bounced up and down trying to dislodge it without sticking her hand down her shirt. When that didn’t seem to knock the little brown candy loose, she stared down her shirt looking for it.
“Trying to find something?” Angel suggested with a smirk, “Maybe I can help.”
“Funny,” drolled Cordelia. “One of the M&Ms fell down my shirt.”
Oh, he’d noticed. “Melting?”
“Umm. No. They melt in your mouth, not in your hands,” Cordelia automatically used the catch-phrase only to immediately shift her thoughts to Angel’s hands and mouth exploring her cleavage for that stray M&M.
She wasn’t the only one thinking it. “Need some help?”
“No,” Cordelia darted off to the bathroom, her heart thumping madly at the thought that Angel was actually flirting with her again. How many times over the last couple of weeks had she imagined that to be true? Or caught herself flirting with him in return before they both seemed to come to their senses and pretend nothing had happened.
In the bathroom, Cordelia extracted the candy, dropping it onto the counter. Staring into the mirror, she gazed at her reflection accusingly.
Omigod! You’re attracted to Angel. That’s bad, so bad. You want him so bad. He’s your friend, your boss. Not just a stray hunk of salty goodness. Oh, God, there’s only one thing to do.
While she was gone, Angel thought about the fact that he’d gotten to know Cordelia over the past couple of weeks. They’d talked to each other more than the sum of all of their conversations back in Sunnydale. Cordelia was as complex and layered as she claimed to be, far more than what appeared on the surface. He ached to know more.
Angel realized that he had told Cordelia more about himself than he ever thought to share with Buffy. Mostly because Cordelia demanded answers to her questions and didn’t bat an eyelash when he told her the truth. She just accepted the facts and seemed to understand why this mission meant so much. Why he felt he had to fight for redemption.
Though it was unspoken between them, he knew she understood why he’d chosen to end it with Buffy and therefore why he was reluctant to do anything that might jeopardize their own growing friendship.
After noticing that Cordelia was gone quite a while, Angel started to wonder if his words had been that upsetting. Finally, she emerged from the bathroom only to pause in the bedroom doorway to stare at him from across the room, nibbling on her lower lip.
Walking over to her, Angel was concerned he had upset her with his inappropriate comments. Quick to try and fix things, he told her, “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize.”
“Cordy, I was out of line,” he took the blame. “I shouldn’t have said anything.”
Releasing the lip she’d been nibbling at, Cordelia suddenly looked puzzled having thought she understood his behavior matched her own, “Are you saying you don’t want to touch me?”
Angel felt the fall of silence between them as her question sank in. Dark fire lit his eyes as he read her expressive face. Needing to ask, “Do you want my touch?”
“I asked first.”
“Yes, you did,” Angel moved forward crowding her against the doorframe and not answering her question. Asking again, “Do you want my touch, Cordelia?”
Feeling the beam of the doorframe at her back, Cordelia lifted her chin a little higher as she held his gaze. “What do you think?”
Deciding that Cordelia had left her fears behind and was just as eager as himself to explore whatever this was between them, Angel returned smoothly, “I think you’re avoiding my question.”
“You avoided mine first.”
“Forget the questions,” he suggested. “Why don’t we just find out? Let’s look at the evidence.”
Cordelia echoed, “Evidence,” wondering what that might be.
“Your heart’s beating fast,” Angel pointed out as the beat pulsed in his ears. “I think you’re excited, Cordelia.”
Vampire senses, she realized, catching her breath.
“Forgetting to breathe? I don’t want you fainting on me tonight,” he told her.
“Tonight.” Did that mean what she thought it meant? Hoping so, Cordelia felt his magnetism. She’d been trying to compartmentalize their relationship for the past two weeks, forcing it into the category of friendship. The truth was that some part of her had placed Angel in a category all his own.
Angel stood mere inches from her, no longer hiding the desire in his eyes as his deep sensual voice washed over Cordelia’s skin like smooth silk. “Your body is reacting to me even without my touch. Flushed skin, puckered nipples, parted lips, the scent of your arousal driving me wild.”
“Wild.” That sounded a lot like the feelings running rampant inside her. Cordelia had gone into the bathroom to escape, but staring into the mirror at her reflection only made her determined to figure out if she’d been kidding herself or if Angel really did want her.
That tempting male mouth curled at one corner, his amusement showing. “One word answers, sweetheart? That’s evidence enough, I think.”
“How’s this for evidence, Detective Broody?” Cordelia flung her arms around Angel’s neck, kissing him passionately.
Going still in her arms for a fraction of a second, Angel tasted the warmth of her lips on his realizing this moment would change everything between them. He smiled under the touch of her soft kiss, moving his hands along her back to pull Cordelia just a fraction closer before taking the lead.
Angel kissed her with all the love and passion burning inside him, stealing Cordelia’s breath away with its tenderness and power.
Cordelia gripped the taut muscles of his shoulders, then frantically moved her hands up to clutch at the short strands of his hair keeping his mouth on hers as she opened up to him. Their tongues danced and retreated, their lips sliding across each other as their bodies strained to get closer, ever closer.
They stumbled as one, Cordelia’s back hitting the doorframe. A moan sounded only to be swallowed by Angel’s mouth as he used his impressive strength to hitch her body up the surface of the door, pulling her legs around his waist. As the hard bulge in his pants pressed tight against her heat, Cordelia dragged her mouth away from his to stare down into those gold-rimmed dark brown eyes.
“Angel,” she panted for air as her hand found his face. “Are we really doing this?”
He touched his forehead to the flat surface of her sternum, so close to the tempting curves of her luscious breasts, the scent of her skin and the thumping of her heart that he found it difficult to process the question.
“Jesus, yes, Cordy,” his words felt heavy coming from his throat, both confirmation of his intent and a plea that she wasn’t backing out. “I want you so damn much. You’re all I think about.”
Gently, Angel lowered Cordelia into a standing position, still holding on as her legs seemed unsteady. Hazel eyes sparkled as they met his. The confession of his feelings returned her to that state of momentary silence that always left him edgy.
Instantly, a huge grin spread across her face, leaving him in no doubt that she was okay with the admission even before she commented, “Then I guess it’s only fair to say that I feel the same way.”
The words were barely out of her mouth before Angel swooped in to claim her with another heated kiss. Searing need built up again as passion’s promise soared between them. Masculine hands danced across cotton threads and silken skin, sensuously teasing and efficiently undressing Cordelia simultaneously.
Just as busy, her slender rose-tipped fingers slid over hard angles and heavy muscle, fisting handfuls of Angel’s shirt to tug him closer before dragging the annoying barrier up over his head.
Belts and pants and socks and shoes dropped to the floor one by one in rapid succession. Skin to skin, they clasped each other close. Her breasts, pebble-tipped, pressed firm against the cool wall of his chest eliciting a soft groan of relief as the sensation quenched some of her inner heat. The hard proof of his desire felt like a velvet steel shaft against her belly causing a deep-centered ache, her body heating up and melting for him.
“Decide now, Cordy,” Angel offered her one chance before letting his own instincts guide him. “Before this night is over, you’ll have it all, but what is it you want first? Slow, tender lovemaking with my hands and mouth touching every inch of you? Or do you want to be fucked? Hard. Fast. Now.”
Cordelia felt her body quake in reaction as her hot gaze traveled down the length of his torso to focus on the towering staff of his sex tucked between them. The upward climb seemed more difficult, her eyelids heavy as they made their way back up the chiseled wall of his chest. Standing there, with his eyes dark and glittering, Angel held himself taut as he waited for her decision, his body aroused to the point that in another moment his offer might be forgotten altogether.
“Do it now,” she told him, eagerness overtaking reason. Slow sounded good, but slow could happen later. Cordelia was already stepping into his arms again as she confirmed on a throaty moan, “I don’t want to wait.”
Angel’s large hands moved across her golden skin, his thumbs grazing the curves of her breasts for just a moment before he swept her into his arms and carried Cordelia the short distance to the bed. Bouncing down upon the mattress, they were a tangle of arms and legs from the moment they hit the surface. His mouth pressed a heated path along her throat as his expert fingers trailed down between them to wet, silky heat of her core.
“Now,” Cordelia pleaded, bucking her hips toward him as his thumb circled the highly sensitive peak of her swollen clit. Then two of Angel’s fingers parted her slick folds to slip inside her tight center feeling her clutch around him as he plumbed her depths. “Geez, that feels so good. Inside me, Angel. I need you inside me.”
Her words brought a fervent sound to his lips. Now sounded damn good to him as well. Angel teased her for just a moment more, his fingers moving along her inner flesh feeling her rippling response. Then his fingers butted up against a barrier he hadn’t expected to be there. A flash of surprise lit his features as Angel lifted his head to stare down into her eyes, his incredulity at the discovery of Cordelia’s virginity apparent even through the haze of her own lust.
“What are you waiting for?” groused Cordelia anxiously, her body still tingly and wanting him without further delays.
Seeing that something seemed to be a problem, she glanced down between them to confirm the continued presence of the rigid length of his erection. Nope, still there. Boy howdy, was it ever. Then with a dawning light, Cordelia realized, no matter how much they both wanted this, Angel shouldn’t be doing anything that involved getting happy.
“Oh no, Angel,” Cordelia’s eyes widened at the thought of being in bed with Angelus should this lead to a blissful moment. Considering that it was certainly headed in that direction, she let out her frustration on a groan as Angel slowly slipped his fingers from inside her. “We forgot about your curse. Happiness clause. We can’t do this, can we?”
The clear disappointment in her voice made Angel’s mouth twist up into a smirk as he silently thanked Willow for the manipulation of the spell that had returned his soul to him. Not that it was public knowledge. The fact that Willow kept it a secret even from her friends told him she was concerned about what would happen between him and Buffy if the slayer ever found out the truth. Angel had been determined to take it slowly, and in the process discovered that trialing that clause was the last thing on his agenda.
Now it was not just something Angel could take or leave. He wanted Cordelia make no mistake. Now. Being with her was as necessary to him as breathing was to her. “There is no curse, Cordelia. There hasn’t been since I returned from hell. My soul is my own.”
Instant relief and joy danced in her eyes as Cordelia clutched him close. Arms looped around Angel’s neck; she buried her forehead against his shoulder and he felt the hot rush of her breath wash across his skin as she reacted to the news. After pressing a kiss on the hard muscle of his shoulder, Cordelia asked tentatively, “So what’s the problem? Is it me?”
This might be new to her, but she was pretty damn certain that Angel had been just as eager as she was a minute ago. There was no doubt in her mind that he wanted her. So, it wasn’t her at all. It had to be him.
“You’re a virgin,” Angel spoke bluntly. Despite that deep down the idea made his demon exult at the idea that Cordelia was going to be his, only his, there was still the slightest measure of guilt barring the way.
Cordelia blinked at him feeling his body taut, straining, obviously aroused and in need. A little embarrassed that Angel was making a big deal out of it, she snarked, “So were you fifty million years ago.”
A smirk lifted the corners of his mouth. “Are you saying I’m fossilized?”
“Something’s certainly hard,” Cordelia’s hand snaked down between them, wrapping around his solid shaft. Just because she hadn’t gone all the way didn’t mean she was clueless. “You’re not going to let this go to waste, are you?”
Laughing at her bravado, even as his eyes closed and he arched into her touch, Angel leaned close to press his lips against her ear. “No worries, Cor. I’m all yours. This just calls for a change of plans.”
He felt huge and hard in her fisted hand. Cordelia’s heart thumped against her chest at the thought that Angel would join his body to hers. That he would put this, all of this inside her. Something deep inside clenched tight at the sheer notion, wet heat blooming within her. As for changing plans, “No way. Want you now.”
Reeling in the instincts that told Angel just to go for it, to spread her legs wide and plunge into her tight depths over and over and over, he called upon every ounce of restraint left within him. Hard and fast could come later. Anywhere and often, his lust-charged brain promised that might be the reward for chaining his demonic urge to take what Cordelia offered.
“Is this what you want?” he moved his hips so that his cock slid across her grasping palm teasing himself unmercifully, darting pleasure shooting across his flesh.
“Yes, yes, now,” Cordelia tried to move her legs, to wrap them around him and bring the hard tip of his erection toward the aching center of her need. But Angel obviously had other ideas as his mouth closed over the soft curve of her earlobe, sending a hot wave of sensation along her throat shooting straight down to her loins.
When Angel’s hands extracted hers to thread their fingers together and hold them up above her head, Cordelia knew that he’d exchanged hard, fast and now for option number one. Slow, tender kisses that left her body tingling with each touch of his mouth; caresses that burned across her skin leaving her aching, wet and wanting.
Finally, he released her hands and Cordelia snatched the opportunity to touch him everywhere she could reach as she writhed beneath him. Palming her breasts, he caressed their outer curves, swept his thumbs along the edge of the dark circle of her areolas and blew cool air across the peaking nipples that begged for his mouth.
“You’re so beautiful, Cordelia,” the truth reverberated in his voice as Angel’s eyes lifted to hers. His fingers stroked softly and her hands moved up and down the length of his sinewy forearms as Angel caressed her there.
Every inch of him exuded strength and power, yet Angel touched her with the utmost care. Cordelia moaned as his mouth closed over her, his wet tongue circling one hard nub before tugging gently with his teeth and then sucking her into his mouth.
Those knowing hands caressed every inch as his mouth continued to explore her body making his way across the slope of her belly, the dip of her navel and the soft nest of curls that guarded her sex from his view. Up on her elbows, Cordelia’s eyes were fixed on Angel’s every move as he parted her thighs and settled himself between them, pushing her legs open wide with gentle hands.
Angel simply stared at her for what seemed like ages though in reality only seconds passed. His tongue tip peeked out running across his bottom lip. Biting her own lip, Cordelia couldn’t take the delay even if it hadn’t been a long one. “Are you gonna do it or do you just like looking?”
The amber-rimmed eyes that stared back at her suggested that Angel liked doing a helluva lot. Trailing the back of his fingers in a random pattern across the soft skin of her inner thighs, Angel moved closer to the plump mound now glistening wet along its petaled folds. Her scent perfused his body with her arousal and Angel pressed his cock down into the firm surface of the bed in reaction.
No verbal answer came her way, just the touch of his fingers sliding around the slick surface of her most intimate flesh, the descent of his dark head between her open thighs and the wild reaction of her body as Angel’s tongue swept across her skin.
After that, Cordelia found herself focused on one thought and one thought alone. Now, now, now, now, now. Pleasure streaked through her body, tingling waves traveling across her nerve endings spreading sensation from her heated core to her fingertips. Her toes curled as her legs closed in to clasp his back and hold Angel even closer.
There’d be no escape for him. He just needed to keep doing that forever and it might just be enough.
Clenching her eyes closed, Cordelia saw bright flashes of light like brilliant start filling the void of her vision as her body erupted with uncontrollable pleasure. Her arms flew up above her head as it turned side to side whipping damp strands of chestnut hair across her flesh and the cotton sheets beneath them. Angel’s hands restrained her bucking hips, his mouth open and tongue tirelessly gathering every drop of her honeyed response.
Before the last wave of her orgasm wracked her body with pleasure, Angel moved up to position himself at her slick entrance. A deep moan left his throat as he thrust into her tight body just so she stretched around the tip of his cock. Slowly, he reminded himself. Slow. Take it slow. All he wanted to do was plunge right in. To bury himself inside her hot channel.
Cordelia’s eyes flashed open as he entered her, the sensation a combination of pain and pleasure. A moment of self-preservation hit as she pushed at his shoulders, but Angel didn’t budge. Not to leave her, but not thrusting any further. Reaching up, he palmed her cheek, soothing her with his words and promising that at the end of the night this moment would be a precious memory.
“Tell that to someone who hasn’t been impaled by rebar,” Cordelia panted against the slow forward thrust that felt like a hot poker driving into her body. She said the words even as she wrapped her arms around him again, holding him close as Angel worked his cock back and forth in shallow thrusts letting her get used to the feeling that he was inside her.
Trust Cordelia to say something like that now when he was trying to concentrate on not hurting her too much. Angel smiled as he leaned down to kiss her, distracting her with the taste of him and her on his mouth. Soon, their heated kisses and the feeling of being stretched to the limit had her moaning into him. Angel thrust deep on his next move garnering a surprised gasp from the woman in his arms.
He stilled for a moment, taking in the shock in her hazel eyes before claiming the open circle of her mouth with his own again. Angel’s hand swept down her body, cupping her hip, his fingers pressing along the lush curve of her bottom. Buried to the hilt with Cordelia’s hot sheath clenched tight around him, Angel felt the strongest wave of possessiveness streak through his body.
Finally, Cordelia Chase belonged to him. All the other ways his demon wanted to claim her would wait. This night he resolved to make love to her, man to woman. To let his demon churn in need as a build-up for the future because he knew Cordelia would be there, would be his, just as he was going to prove tonight that he was hers in every way that counted.
And so he made love to her, all through the night until they lay together in a puddled heap of damp flesh and tangled limbs.
Kate Lockley’s Apartment
Angel & Cordelia shared a secret smile, their fingers threaded through each other’s as they remembered their first night together. There would be no telling Kate and Doyle the details of that any time this century— or even the next one considering the millennium was right around the corner.
“So what do you say, Katie girl?” Doyle tore his attention away from his friends. “Are you interested in joining our team?”
Kate struggled to focus, her blue eyes continually straying back across the table. She figured that Angel couldn’t be all that bad. Anyone who could love someone that much had to have something good in him. “This is all still strange, vampires and demons. There are enough everyday criminals to fight much less the supernatural.”
“We’re not asking you to give up your life,” Angel turned his gaze her way, “but having a resource on the police force who understands what we’re fighting and can help when needed… that’ll go a long way.”
Making his case, Doyle reminded her, “You’ve seen darkness of the human kind every day. We’re fighting the same fight, Kate. Only ours occasionally saves the world as well as Los Angeles.”
After a long silent pause, Kate nodded. “You were right, Doyle. You can be very persuasive. I think I’ll accept the offer.”
Doyle dimpled, “Just understand that they’ll be no flirting with me during office hours. My heart still belongs to Cordelia. I pine away for her. I lust aft—”
Giving his friend a stern look, Angel said, “You don’t if you know what’s good for you,” then laughed.
With a long, exaggerated sigh, Doyle leaned toward their new teammate, “In that case, Katie girl. I’m all yours.”
The End
Lysa ~&/Or~ Challenges