Part 9<\/b><\/p>\n
Angel felt wonderfully warm. The rhythmic beat of his pillow soothed the eternal conflict within. His eyes fluttered open to take in his surroundings.<\/p>\n
He was once again lying partially atop Cordelia. The soft skin of her torso branded his cheek with her warmth. His feet were practically dangling off the bed. One hand lay to the side and the other\u2026was holding her bare butt. The elastic on her panties was digging into his wrist.<\/p>\n
He cursed himself. She had come to him in friendship and he\u2019d taken advantage of her kindness. Again. She deserved better than to be groped in her sleep. He lifted his head and found a pair of hazel eyes watching him.<\/p>\n
\u201cMorning.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood Morning.\u201d He blinked. \u201cUmm\u2026sleep well?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSurprisingly yes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI guess I had another nightmare.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah. The noises woke me up again.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s alright.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel glanced down, his eyes focusing on the way her night shirt was pushed up.<\/p>\n
She answered his unspoken question. \u201cYou didn\u2019t like the buttons.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAh! Sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy shirt met a kinder fate than the blankets.\u201d<\/p>\n
He turned his head. The sheet and bedspread were on the floor.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re not big on the barriers when you\u2019re asleep.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBody heat provides more warmth than any blanket.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were pretty fidgety last night. You had a hard time getting comfortable. I guess I should be grateful you\u2019re not one of those people who punch their pillow to get it just right.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy hands were apparently too busy doing other things.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah. I guess you thought my hip wasn\u2019t squeezably soft enough. Not that my butt is that soft \u2018cause it so is not.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s very nice.\u201d<\/p>\n
She smiled. \u201cAngel?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou do realize your hand is still on my ass, right?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh god!\u201d He snatched his hand away. \u201cI\u2019m very sorry. I shouldn\u2019t..\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHmmph. I guess vampires don\u2019t blush.\u201d<\/p>\n
He shook his head in confusion. \u201cUhh no. Our blood doesn\u2019t circulate.\u201d His eyes refused to look at her. \u201cI am sorry. I\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf it eases your conscience any, you\u2019re not the only one with wandering hands. You\u2019re pretty squeezably soft too. At least you were asleep. I don\u2019t have that excuse, but it was only for a second. Not even a whole second, more like half..no..a quarter of a second and I only did it once.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel couldn\u2019t resist smiling at her rambling. \u201cHow about we forgive each other?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat works for me.\u201d She couldn\u2019t stop her mind from wondering. *If vampires don’t have circulation, how do they get an erection?*<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
Her cheeks flamed. \u201cOK. That was one of those thoughts you were supposed to pretend you didn\u2019t hear.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought you always said what\u2019s on your mind?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI do but\u2026fine. You\u2019re right so answer the lady\u2019s question.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe demon animates the body.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why not breathe or have a beating heart?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can breathe. We just have no use for it. We don\u2019t have use for most of the organs in the body. The sex organ or organs give pleasure. A beating heart doesn\u2019t. Being animated by the demon has its advantages. There is little to no need for recovery time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her cheeks only got redder. \u201cThat makes more sense than Giles stammering to us that vampires can get erections because they can. I mean we knew they could. Angelus was proof of that. Hell I felt it last night.\u201d Her eyes widened at what slipped out.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot felt felt because there was no feeling of that. Well there was but my hands were no where near that. Then again I guess your butt is technically near that so my hands were too. That\u2019s as close as they got though. I only meant my hip definitely felt it. It\u2019s not my fault you were laying on top of me. I couldn\u2019t exactly avoid feeling it. You know I think I\u2019m going to shut up now and go get ready for school. Yeah that\u2019s what I\u2019m going to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
She jumped out of bed, turned off the alarm long before it was set to go off and rushed out of his room.<\/p>\n
Angel\u2019s emotions were warring inside him. He was afraid of what his unconscious mind may have done while he slept. His soul was ashamed of his actions while his demon was furious at having slept through it. On top of that, if there had been any doubt about his being functional he could easily resolve it. The image of her soft yet strong body completely beneath him had his body on full alert. He was beginning to share his demon\u2019s anger.<\/p>\n
The turn his thoughts took made his worry increase. He needed to know if he\u2019d frightened her. He left his bed in search of answers. He knocked on her door. \u201cCordy? Can I come in?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
Testing the door, he found it unlocked and entered. \u201cCordy, it\u2019s just me.\u201d The sound of running water registered. He sat down on her bed.<\/p>\n
Her discarded pajamas caught his attention. The image of her shedding them had ruined the effects of his worry. He was rock hard again. He slipped under her blankets to cover his teenage response. After waiting several minutes, he rested his head on one of her pillows and let his eyes drift shut.<\/p>\n
Cordelia took one last appraising look. After another night spent in Angel\u2019s arms, she felt like she was suffering from a permanent case of foot-in-mouth disease. Blushing was becoming a problem too. She took a few deep breaths and straightened her blouse and skirt.<\/p>\n
She grabbed a pair of shoes as she walked through her closet. She pushed the pile of blankets out of her way and sat down on the edge of the bed. The blankets went flying a split second before an arm wrapped around her waist and flipped her onto her back causing her to scream at the top of her lungs.<\/p>\n
Angel started awake at the sharp cry. He blinked, shocked to find Cordelia beneath him. \u201cCordy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDammit Angel! You scared the crap out of me. I thought you were still in bed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTechnically I am.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI meant your bed, dork. What the hell are you doing in mine?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted to ask you if I did anything that scared you last night.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot really but you\u2019re making up for it this morning.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSorry. So is this the way it starts?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first night was like this but last night I got into bed under my own power.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou did?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes. I didn\u2019t want to get flipped again.\u201d Cordelia looked up at Angel, whose body still blanketed her, and started giggling.<\/p>\n
Angel stared at the laughing brunette beneath him. As the Scourge of Europe, he\u2019d never elicited this type of response. Even as a vampire with a soul, no woman who\u2019d found herself beneath him ever laughed quite so hard or so long. He couldn\u2019t decide if she was laughing because of him or at him. He should be annoyed, maybe even offended but he wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
Her beautiful eyes sparkled with joy and her face took on a rosy glow. She was so full of life. It was almost infectious. He waited for her to stop or at least take a breath. \u201cWhat is so funny?\u201d<\/p>\n
Her lungs struggled for air. \u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d She took a cleansing breath. \u201cI\u2019m okay now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you ready to share the joke?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI just\u2026I don\u2019t know if you noticed but we seem to spend an awful lot of time in bed together.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s why you were laughing?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSort of. I was laughing because when you came into the library the other day; you would barely even look at me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNow you seem perfectly comfortable having a conversation while lying on top of me. A lot has changed in a short amount of time, don\u2019t ya think?\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel muttered an apology as he moved off her.<\/p>\n
She grabbed him before he could leave. \u201cI didn\u2019t mean it like that. I should have said WE seem comfortable having a conversation like that.\u201d She rolled onto her side to face him. \u201cI\u2019m actually kinda used to sharing a bed with you, which is weird \u2018cuz you\u2019re the first guy I\u2019ve ever shared one with.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou and Xander haven\u2019t\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. I\u2019m not ready for that yet. Sex complicates things. It changes everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHave you ever\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah. Once.\u201d She stared with unseeing eyes at her finger tracing invisible patterns in the space between them.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was Kevin\u2019s first time too. I was falling pretty hard for him. I couldn\u2019t help it. We..we did it in my car. I know how clich\u00e9 but it was nice. There was this field where his grandfather used to take him stargazing. We\u2019d go there to park. It wasn\u2019t planned. It\u2019s just\u2026neither of us wanted to stop. It might not have been the most romantic setting but I wouldn\u2019t change a thing about that night.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe next night he and his friends were supposed to bring some equipment to the Bronze. They never showed. Willow and I went looking for them the next morning. We found them in the school\u2019s rec room. They\u2026they were dead, killed by vampires. Well I didn\u2019t know that at the time. I just knew Kevin was dead.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel clasped her hand. \u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat night I went back to the field, to remember. The next thing I knew, there were these weird looking guys surrounding my car. I drove away but they were everywhere. I spotted Willow and Miss Calender. They hopped in. Willow said we needed to get to the library so I drove us there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember seeing the car in the hallway.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI had a hard time explaining that to Daddy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI had no idea about your loss.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah well Kevin being killed didn\u2019t exactly rank up there with Buffy dying for a few minutes.\u201d She looked up when he squeezed her hand. \u201cI\u2019m sorry. That was unfair. I may complain about trivial stuff but the big things stay with me. What about you? Your first time wasn\u2019t with a hooker, was it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. Umm\u2026I\u2026she\u2026she was a married woman.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOoo-kay.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I was 15, my father decided I needed to learn what a hard day\u2019s work was like. He said it would help me better appreciate what we had. I spent a few weeks with a childhood friend of his.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you slept with the guy\u2019s wife?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes. They weren\u2019t in love. It was an arranged marriage. Her family was from a neighboring town. She didn\u2019t have any friends.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you fall in love?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. One night after her husband left to go meet his mistress, she came into my room. The next morning she acted as if nothing happened. I went home a few days later.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo good things ever happen after sex?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo good things ever happen after sex? It just seems like badness always follows.\u201d She looked down at their joined hands. \u201cXander wants to. He has for a while. I don\u2019t know. I thought..I mean I think I might love him. I wasn\u2019t sure with Kevin and I don\u2019t regret that. If I\u2019d waited, I wouldn\u2019t have gotten another chance.\u201d<\/p>\n
She shrugged. \u201cLife can be short when you live on a hellmouth.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCordy..\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHave you and Buffy\u2026you know\u2026since you came back?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d He sighed. \u201cWhen I first came back, I was barely sane and she\u2019d moved on. I got healthier and she ended her relationship with that guy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh right. I almost forgot about Scott. She totally got dumped.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought she broke up with him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNope. I think he got tired of her whole hot and cold vibe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh. Anyway we decided to take things slow. We haven\u2019t had a lot of time to deal with everything that happened. First Faith accidentally killed that guy and Buffy wanted me to help her; which blew up in our faces. Soon after that, Buffy and Giles suspected Faith of joining forces with the Mayor. That\u2019s when they came up with the plan to trick Faith.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then you contracted the plague.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell you\u2019ll be cured soon. Giles will figure it out.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI suppose.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen you guys can talk until you\u2019re blue in the face. I guess that saying doesn\u2019t apply to you, though. Actually no one really turns blue in the face from talking so it applies to vampires as much as it does to humans.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel smiled at her rambling but it quickly faded. \u201cWe\u2019re not very good at the talking thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVampires? I guess they are less talk more action types.\u201d<\/p>\n
His smile returned. \u201cNo. I meant Buffy and I aren\u2019t very good at talking.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t get that. You\u2019re supposed to be so in love, friends and lovers, the Buffy and Angel story. You should be able to talk about anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about you and Xander? Can you talk about anything and everything?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s totally different. I\u2019m not even sure if I\u2019m in love. I might be able to figure it out if he\u2019d stop talking about Buffy and Willow for like five whole minutes. I\u2019m not even sure if I can call Xander a friend. We tend to bicker which is usually followed by kissing. How can we truly be right for each other if we\u2019re not even friends?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m the last one you should ask about that. Buffy once asked me if I knew what it was like to have a friend. I didn\u2019t have an answer. She showed me what it\u2019s like to love someone more than yourself but Willow, Xander and Giles, those are her friends.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have me.\u201d She swallowed hard at the intense look in his eyes. \u201cI\u2019m your friend,\u201d came out in almost a whisper.<\/p>\n
He brought her hand to his lips, his eyes never leaving hers. \u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was your name, Angel?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFriends should know each other.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLiam Michael Sullivan.\u201d<\/p>\n
She smiled. \u201cLiam Michael Sullivan. I like it. Were you an only child?\u201d He released her hand and started to turn away. She cupped his cheek. \u201cI\u2019m sorry. You don\u2019t have to talk about it.\u201d She stroked his cheek with her thumb.<\/p>\n
Angel closed his eyes as painful memories flooded his mind. \u201cI had a younger sister, Kathy, my sweet Kathy. After I was turned, I\u2026I..\u201d<\/p>\n
She hushed him with her fingers. \u201cWas she like you?\u201d She caressed his face with the back of her fingers.<\/p>\n
His eyes opened. \u201cNo. Kathy was sweet. She had such a pure heart and I\u2026I..\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI always wanted to have a sibling. Brother, sister, it didn\u2019t matter. Being an only child had its advantages but it would have been nice to have someone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe adored me. She thought\u2026I was an angel. Kathy invited me in. She was the second person I killed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia let a tear fall unchecked. She pulled him into her arms.<\/p>\n
He rested his cheek on her shoulder and held her tight. \u201cShe was so innocent, so trusting.\u201d<\/p>\n
She gently rubbed his back. \u201cTell me about her. What was her favorite thing to do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo dance. She loved to dance around the room. She was always asking me to dance with her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes. Mainly I\u2019d watch her. She\u2019d close her eyes and dance by herself. I used to tell her she better not be imagining a boy because there was no one good enough for my Kathy. She\u2019d giggle and tell me I was a foolish boy. She never got the chance to dance with any boys.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid she like to laugh?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes. Kathy had the sweetest laugh. She was extremely ticklish. When she was five, she announced she had decided she wasn\u2019t going to be ticklish anymore so I needn\u2019t try to tickle her. I responded by tickling her mercilessly. When I finally relented, she tried to tickle me. I held her off and explained younger sisters weren\u2019t permitted such liberties, only older brothers.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd she believed you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe always believed me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia rubbed his back. She wanted to ease the ache she heard in his voice. \u201cAre you ticklish?\u201d She felt him tense in her arms.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNope. Not at all.\u201d He eased out of their tight embrace. \u201cDefinitely not.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUh huh\u201d She detected a hint of fear in his brown eyes and smiled. \u201cI think you\u2019re lying.\u201d<\/p>\n
He edged away from her. \u201cAre you calling me a liar?\u201d<\/p>\n
She rose to a seated position. \u201cThat would be awfully unfair of me, wouldn\u2019t it? We\u2019re friends. You wouldn\u2019t lie to a friend, would you?\u201d<\/p>\n
He gulped at the evil glint in her eyes. He rolled onto his back. \u201cFriends shouldn\u2019t lie to each other.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. They shouldn\u2019t.\u201d She loomed over him. \u201cSince you\u2019re definitely not ticklish, you won\u2019t mind if I do this.\u201d She pounced on him; her fingers immediately began their torture.<\/p>\n
For once his vampire reflexes weren\u2019t up for the challenge. He was too distracted by the fact that the beautiful brunette was straddling him, her hands touching the bare skin of his sides and stomach.<\/p>\n
She loved listening to his uncontrollable laughter. She spoke in a sing-song voice. \u201cI think somebody is a liar.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStop! Stop! No more!\u201d He grabbed her knees as he bucked his hips.<\/p>\n
\u201cLiar, liar pants on fire.\u201d Her fingers refused to stop. \u201cApologize and I\u2019ll stop.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry. Sorry! Very, very sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
She stopped her tickling torture but her hands didn\u2019t want to stop touching him. She gently stroked his chest, easing the tremors.<\/p>\n
He took a few deep breaths to get his stomach muscles to unclench. Her soft fingers were so soothing yet igniting sparks that shot straight to his groin. A part of him was grateful that she was straddling him low on his stomach. The rest begged his hands to slide her a few inches down his body.<\/p>\n
Her skirt had flared out in the tussle. Her heat teased him through the thin material of her panties. He could feel her arousal as much as he could scent it in the air. His eyes refused to remain open. Everything felt so good.<\/p>\n
To their mutual shock, the silence was disturbed by the sound of purring.<\/p>\n
Angel\u2019s eyes popped open.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re purring. That\u2019s so cute.\u201d Her fingers continued their light touches. \u201cYou\u2019re like a big kitty. I didn\u2019t know vampires purr. You\u2019re just a big ole softy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVampires don\u2019t do it very often.\u201d<\/p>\n
She increased the pressure slightly and the sound grew louder. \u201cIs it only when someone does this?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. I made Darla purr once. It was completely accidental. I was\u2026doing something else. She spent the next few hours trying to make me purr. When she failed, she switched to inflicting pain.\u201d His voice became soft. \u201cNo one has ever made me purr before.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her smile got wider. \u201cReally?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes\u201d<\/p>\n
She increased the pressure some more and allowed her nails to gently scratch his smooth skin.<\/p>\n
His purring grew even louder. The intensity of the pleasure she was creating rose to dizzying heights. His body began to tremble. Before he realized what was happening, his features shifted.<\/p>\n
Cordelia looked into his now yellow eyes. She was surprised by the change. \u201cDid I hurt you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d He closed his eyes and tried to shake it off. Her continued stroking was making it difficult. He considered stopping her but couldn\u2019t bring himself to actually do it. He opened his eyes once he regained control and saw she had turned her head away.<\/p>\n
She grabbed one of her pillows with one hand and turned back. \u201cHey! What did you do that for?\u201d She dropped her pillow next to her and went back to using two hands.<\/p>\n
Angel tried to resist but it was no use. There was no stopping the change without stopping her insistent hands. He closed his eyes as soon as he felt his features shift. He didn\u2019t want to see her disgust.<\/p>\n
Once his ridges reappeared, she placed her pillow on his chest.<\/p>\n
His eyes opened when her weight shifted and her touches ceased. She was leaning forward with her elbows resting on the pillow. A tentative hand reached for his face.<\/p>\n
Cordelia felt his ridges with her fingertips. \u201cThey\u2019re hard, like bone. Remind me never to head butt a vampire.\u201d She touched his raised cheek bones. Their eyes locked. \u201cYour eyes are so different.\u201d<\/p>\n
He turned his head away. \u201cThey\u2019re usually brown.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not what I meant, smartass.\u201d She cupped his chin and turned him back. She stared into his eyes. \u201cThat night in the cemetery, you\u2019d think it\u2019d be your teeth I remember most, aside from the fear and the terror of course. But it\u2019s your eyes I remember most. They were so empty, so cold.\u201d She rested her palm on his cheek.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow there is so much depth, so much emotion. They\u2019re kinda sparkly too. You have beautiful eyes, Angel. YOU are beautiful.\u201d Her thumb traced his lower lip. Her eyes dropped to her wandering thumb.<\/p>\n
*Such a nice mouth. Such soft kissable lips. So kissable*<\/i> She shook off her train of thought. \u201cYou\u2019re still purring.\u201d<\/p>\n
His voice was almost too soft to hear. \u201cYou\u2019re still touching me.\u201d His eyes dropped to her mouth. He licked his lips, desperately wanting to close the gap between their bodies. Before he could take action, she straightened.<\/p>\n
Her breathing grew deep. She could no longer ignore the dangerous path they were traveling. The \u201cwe aren\u2019t doing anything wrong\u201d defense was rapidly turning into a lie, if it hadn\u2019t already. \u201cI should go.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel clutched her hips and cut off her escape. \u201cDon\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI should have left for school ten minutes ago. I got up an hour early and I\u2019m still going to be late.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStay home today.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can call in sick.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel didn\u2019t want to think. He just wanted to act. His grip on her hips tightened as he slid her heated body where he wanted her.<\/p>\n
When she came in contact with the undeniable evidence of his desire, she gasped. She instinctively ground against him eliciting a moan from both of them. This was all happening so fast. She needed to think. \u201cI\u2026I don\u2019t want anyone to worry.\u201d She forced her hips to stop moving. \u201cI have to go.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis isn\u2019t something we can take back. It\u2019ll change everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t want to acknowledge the truth in her words. He craved her touch more than he\u2019d ever craved anything or anyone.<\/p>\n
She placed her hands on top of his and peeled them off. Instead of releasing them, she laced her fingers with his, palm to palm.<\/p>\n
\u201cCordy, please..\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease stop.\u201d Her eyes slid shut. \u201cPlease don\u2019t ask me again. I\u2019ll say yes.\u201d<\/p>\n
He could feel the unspoken words on the tip of his tongue. They tasted sweet to say but too bitter to swallow. His body ached to release the question, to beg her if necessary.<\/p>\n
Cordelia took his silence as acceptance. She rose to her knees and released his hands, forcing her body to climb off him.<\/p>\n
He watched her slow movements. Her heart was still racing and the scent of her arousal made his acquiescence nearly impossible. He clenched his hands into fists to stop them from reaching out and dragging her body to his where he felt it belonged.<\/p>\n
She tossed her pillow to the other side of the bed before covering his body with her blanket. She bit her lip when her eyes rested on the distinctive bulge trying to escape its silk prison. She lovingly tucked Angel into her bed. \u201cBe a good boy while I\u2019m gone.\u201d Her lips were trembling as she placed a kiss on his forehead. \u201cThank you for not asking,\u201d came out in a whisper. She grabbed her purse and managed a small smile. \u201cI\u2019ll see you later.\u201d<\/p>\n
His nails were biting into the palm of his hands, his knuckles white. He didn\u2019t trust himself to speak so he nodded his response. After she rushed out the door, he willed his body to relax. It refused to comply. Her wonderful scent embraced him, teased him. Her arousal saturated the air and he could still feel where her warmth had heated his cold body.<\/p>\n
He closed his eyes and concentrated. Cordelia had tried to remind their overheated minds that they belonged to other people without actually saying any names. He tried to conjure an image of Buffy. The resulting guilt would act as a bucket of ice water. His mind refused to comply.<\/p>\n
The guilt wouldn\u2019t come. Wanting Cordelia wasn\u2019t something he regretted. Her friendship, her concern for his well being, and her acceptance should be cherished. How could he feel guilty about finding something he barely dreamed was possible? He was luckier than he deserved.<\/p>\n
Instead of conjuring an image of Buffy, his mind began imagining what the night might bring. Another night with the beautiful, amazing brunette in his bed and in his arms was filled with so many delicious possibilities.<\/p>\n
*Fantasy #1\u2026*<\/p>\n