Chapter 2
The car sped through the night, the occupants silent through the drive. Cordelia looked out the window as tree branches, spidery against the moon, passed in a blur. She didn’t even look over when Angel’s hand reached over to briefly stroke at the length of thigh bared by the short skirt.
Angel took an unneeded breath, inhaling the teasing waft of arousal that seemed to float off of Cordelia’s skin. She smelled of fruity shampoo, and expensive conditioner, and a faint musk that was all her. She didn’t look at him as he stroked her leg, but he felt her body tense a bit, and heard the increased beat of her heart.
They pulled into the drive at the mansion, and Angel shut off the engine. They both sat, not touching, silent in the car. Cordy felt as if she stood poised on some….starting line. Some threshold.
Cordelia stared straight ahead, not saying a word. After a moment, she unlocked her seatbelt and opened her door, climbing out. Beside her, Angel let go of the breath he didn’t even know he was holding and climbed out of his side of the car. He walked around and took her arm, gently leading her to the front door.
At the door he paused, looking down at her a bit.
“Before we go in…” She looked up at him, her eyes wide. He smiled a bit before continuing. “Kiss me.” She looked up at him, uncertain. “If you want more, kiss me now.” With a flutter of a sigh Cordelia rose onto her toes and pressed a kiss gently onto his still lips. He grinned through the kiss and she pulled back, her brow furrowed.
“Thank you for the blessing, Sister Mary.” He grinned at the flash of anger in her eyes. “Now do I get my kiss?” Cordelia practically hummed with anger as she rose back up onto her toes and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling his head down to hers.
Her lips slanted over his, sliding with damp heat as she pressed her body into the hard planes of his. Her mouth teased and cajoled, and she traced over his lips with her tongue, licking his flesh softly. Hah. She thought. Bless that, Angel. And that was her last coherent thought.
Angel suddenly parted his lips and stabbed his tongue into her mouth, stroking the heated recesses with a lazy rythym. His hands rose and gripped her hips, pulling her even closer into him. She felt the thick bulge beneath his slacks pressing into her abdomen, and unknowingly ground into it, wanting more. Angel took over, drawing all her heat from her and teasing her with his coolness. He was thinking how easy it would be to lay her down on the hood of her car……
He broke off, and lowered his head while he tried to regain control. The hood of the car…that was for later. After they had conquered the bed. And the dresser. And the shower. And the kitchen table. And all the countertops. And the sofa. And that huge leather chair, oh yeah…..his mind counted up. Whole lotta rooms in the mansion. Sparse furniture, but it was all sturdy.
But right now….just get her in the door. Cordelia looked up at him, her lips swollen and shining in the silvery moonlight. Angel wordlessly stepped back and opened the door, motioning her in. Cordy walked in, her head held high. No need to let him know that her legs were now rubber bands, her heart was racing, and her panties were damp with her want. He didn’t need to know that.
Of course, he did. He could hear her heart thumping beneath her fragile breastbone. Steady and strong, it’s beat was calling him on. He felt it reverb through his body as he walked behind her, shutting the door soundlessly. And he would bet that her panties were damp beyond belief with her musky honey. He could smell it…could practically taste it, the scent was so strong.
Cordelia looked around, her eyes wide. Not what she expected. More…classic…than she would have guessed. No coffins anywhere. No cobwebs. Just kind of quiet. Angel came up behind her and took her purse from her, setting it on a chair. He took her hand and pulled her over to a sideboard table, pouring himself a glass of wine. He looked over at her.
“Want a glass?” She grinned.
“Sure.” He poured a small measure, looking at her from unsmiling eyes.
“A glass, Cordy. No more.” She rolled her eyes and took the glass, holding it to her lips and taking a small sip. Mellow and fruity. She licked a drop off her lips, watching him, and walked to the sofa to sit. “One moment.” She turned to him. “Take off your shoes. I want you to be comfortable.”
Cordelia took in a small breath at the command in his words. He wasn’t asking her. He was telling her. She could quit, she reminded herself. She could walk out, no harm no foul. She took off her shoes and placed them neatly beside the sofa. Angel watched the nonbattle she wagered with herself and smiled softly.
“Very good, Cordelia.” She stared at him a moment before sitting on the sofa, tucking her legs beneath her as she sipped at the wine. Angel sat on the coffee table, facing her, watching her face as she savored the rich wine. He smiled a bit to himself as he watched her. She was probably born 18. She wore self assurance as casually as most women wore blue jeans. He wondered why he hadn’t noticed her in the past as strongly as he noticed her now. Not for lack of trying for attention on her part; early on she had seemed to have the tenacity of a bloodhound on the hunt. But somehow, his attention had been trapped by Buffy and Cordelia’s by Xander.
Cordy stiffened as a guilty thought raced through her mind. Xander. He of the beagle eyes and the endless supply of jokage. Some people might even consider him a boyfriend. She sighed. Emphasis on the word boy. And never had that been so apparent as now, when sipping wine with the hottie planted across from her. Angel and Xander….same planet…different worlds. She bit her lip and looked down at her hands, a shard of angry conscience poking at her.
Angel sensed the shift in her body and mind…the subtle tells that noted her sudden distraction. “What is it?” His voice was low. Cordelia looked up at him, her eyes searching his.
“I’m here. And that’s….” she took a breath. “That’s so….so good. But…” her voice trailed off. Angel watched her a moment, thinking.
“You’ve changed your mind.”
“NO. No. It’s not….well….it’s just…..” She raised troubled eyes to him. “Xander.”
“Xander.”
“Well, yeah.”
Angel looked at her a moment, surprised at the flash of irrational anger that shot through his body. Xander Harris, boy nonwonder. She wanted Angel, he knew that. Ten minutes, tops, and she’d be begging for it. And here she was, allowing Xander goddamn Harris to enter the evening. His hand flexed around the wineglass stem.
“I mean….it wouldn’t be honest…..”
Angel regarded her for a moment. “You feel guilty?”
“Yeah. I do.” She sighed. I want….I want this. I reallllyyyy want this…” Angel grinned and leaned in, taking her mouth gently with his. He felt her shiver a bit and he pulled back, slowly feeling the reins of control settle in his hands once again. “I want this very much….but, this is wrong…..” Angel looked at her impatiently. “It’s wrong until I settle things with Xander. I can’t do that, Angel. I don’t do the whole sneak around very well. It’s….it’s not right.”
Angel looked down at his hands for a moment. “I get that, Cordelia.” And he was surprised that he really did. He just hadn’t viewed Cordelia in this light before. He hadn’t really viewed her at all, her previous attempts to get his attention notwithstanding. But he saw her clearly now, and the more he saw, the more Buffy paled in comparison.
Cordelia set her wineglass down. She took a deep breath and tried to think of how to talk so it looked like she knew what she was doing. “So. Here we are. On the brink of major mackage…I kinda pull the emergency break. I need to….kinda take care of Xander business before moving on. Are you mad?”
She looked at Angel, her gaze clear and steady. He felt a jolt at her directness; there wouldn’t be any games here. Nor, tonight, would there be any “mackage.” He wondered if that was a new slang for intercourse. He grinned to himself. There were generation gaps, and this was more of a generation chasm.
He rose and pulled her to her feet in one fluid movement, yanking her to his chest as his mouth lowered and he gently pressed a kiss to her, quickly and firmly, before setting her back on her feet.
“Go. Do what you need to do. Take care of things with the boy.” He nearly spat the word out. “I understand, Cordelia. You have a good heart.”
Cordy felt something shift in her; something big had just happened, but she couldn’t put her finger on what it was. It was as if some decision had been made between them, but she wasn’t sure what that decision was. She nodded and leaned down to get her shoes, slipping them on without a word. Angel watched with hooded eyes, giving no hint to his thoughts.
He took her arm and walked her out to the car. She paused and looked up at him, her face pale in the silver of the bright moonlight. “Mackage will have to wait.”
“I can be patient.”
She smiled at him and climbed in her car and roared off, the squeal of her tires bringing a slight smile to Angel’s lips. That was Cordelia. Over the last several months, he had been spending time with a girl, and now he was going to take a woman. And she’d never doubt who was in control ever again.
Cordelia took in a deep breath as her car sped down the tree-lined street. God, she’d been mooning over a little boy when right there all along was Angel. Goodbye, Xander Harris. Hello, Salty Goodness. She had a feeling Angel wouldn’t be as controllable as Xander had been.
But one thing in this world Cordelia Chase was sure of, and that was her ability to rule over any male who even thought to look her way. A few hot and heavy moments with her, and Angel would never doubt who was in control in that little twosome.