Giles\u2019 Townhouse, Earlier that Night<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cJust leave him alone, Buffy,\u201d counseled Willow in between setting up the magical components necessary for the re-ensoulment spell. \u201cAngelus will stop taunting you if you quit responding to his very mean, nasty comments.\u201d<\/p>\n
Directing her last few words at Angelus, she tightened her mouth into a harsh little circle and nodded her head one time as if to admonish the vampire for mistreatment of her friend. Sneering at her from his chained position, Angelus maliciously told the little redhead that he would enjoy eating the tongue she\u2019d poked out at him when she thought he wasn\u2019t looking. They\u2019d bolted his chains to the brick surface of the fireplace, but with his escalating fury, Angelus kept pulling against his bonds.<\/p>\n
The manacles that held him were mystically enhanced, but not the chains nor their connection to the fireplace. With enough effort, Angelus knew he could break free and then he\u2019d start first with Willow, followed by that gypsy bitch Jenny Calendar, then Giles. The Slayer and her loyal pet Xander would wait until he dealt with the ones who possessed the skill to pull off this re-ensoulment.<\/p>\n
Buffy grabbed the chains, using her slayer strength to give them some slack and yanking hard enough that Angelus\u2019 shoulders pulled back to a painful point. \u201cDon\u2019t try that again,\u201d aggravation had long-since lighted the fuse to her temper and this was getting to her more than she ever wanted to admit.<\/p>\n
He knew it too, the smug bastard. Buffy could read it in Angelus\u2019 eyes. For a month she had hoped and prayed that Jenny Calendar\u2019s research would be successful and that her Angel could be returned. This monster who had taken his place was pure evil and nothing like the man she loved. Not a day went by when he didn\u2019t bring up her relationship with Angel, his words twisting and defiling it until Buffy was not certain that the memory of her love actually existed.<\/p>\n
While Giles wanted to keep her away from Angelus as much as possible, it was still necessary for Buffy to be around him. To control him while they checked the integrity of the manacles and chains as well as during feeding time. It disgusted her having to be there as he sucked down the pig blood provided for him. She wouldn\u2019t touch it, just held him locked in her grip while one of the others used a device that extended the mug and its straw from a safe distance.<\/p>\n
Maybe pig blood was as disgusting to Angelus as it was to her, but he played it to the hilt pretending to enjoy every last drop and then making some comment about being eager to taste hers as he drained her. That didn\u2019t bother Buffy as much as the rest. She\u2019d see to it that he never got his fangs near her neck or that of one of her friends.<\/p>\n
It was what he had to say about Cordelia Chase that really left her with a feeling of gut-wrenching agony. Even now, in the minutes before Jenny Calendar would invoke the Spell of Restoration, Angelus spoke only of Queen C. Ignoring Willow\u2019s counsel, Buffy narrowed her green eyes and forced Angelus onto his knees. Dropping the chains, she stalked around to the front, balled her hand into a fist and threw a right hook that sent him crashing back against the brick.<\/p>\n
Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth. Angelus only sneered at the slayer as he slowly struggled back to his feet. She let him straighten up before shoving him down onto the chair they had provided. \u201cShut up and stay put, Angelus. I\u2019ve heard enough about what you two did together to give a play-by-play account. In a few minutes, it won\u2019t matter anymore. Y\u2019know why?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGo ahead and tell me,\u201d Angelus slid his tongue along the cut in his lip.<\/p>\n
Crossing her arms over her slender torso, Buffy defiantly pointed out, \u201cBecause you\u2019ll be gone. Things will be back to normal when Angel returns.\u201d<\/p>\n
A savage laugh left his chest, deep and full of scorn, \u201cIt will never be the same, Buff. Y\u2019know why?\u201d<\/p>\n
Swallowing down the fact that Angelus was making her eat her own words, she held her ground refusing to show how deeply every syllable cut into her heart. \u201cGo ahead and tell me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause having a soul doesn\u2019t make me stupid,\u201d Angelus stated smoothly, that dark glint appearing in his eyes. He knew his barbs hit home. What made it all the better was the fact that she knew he meant it. \u201cCordelia is twice the woman you are or ever will be, slayer. It\u2019s just not in you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Buffy felt the hot sting of tears welling in her eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere, there, Buffy, no tears,\u201d Angelus mocked her as he stood shirtless and garbed only in that same pair of black sweatpants. \u201cEveryone has their gift. Yours just does not seem to involve the ability to do anything except lay there and take it.\u201d<\/p>\n
This wouldn\u2019t be the first time that Buffy had reminded him that she\u2019d been a virgin when Angel made love to her. Nor even one of a dozen times she\u2019d reminded him that Angel experienced bliss because of her and the love they shared. But Buffy was not about to put herself up to the same caustic responses that he\u2019d given her before.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe I don\u2019t care how much of a slut Cordelia is,\u201d Buffy snapped back. \u201cI know he loved me. I know it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Staring deep into her eyes, Angelus asked so softly that his words whispered across her skin, \u201cDo you really believe that?\u201d<\/p>\n
Soft words were followed by that trademark smirk causing Buffy to let out a low growl of frustration. Holding out her hand, she showed Angelus the Claddagh ring on her finger. \u201cThis makes me believe it,\u201d she answered obstinately.<\/p>\n
Then just to prove her point in believing that the demon before her was nothing in her eyes in comparison to the one she loved, Buffy curled her fist again and hit him. Doubling over, Angelus let out a grunt of pain, but came up wearing that mocking grin.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just want things to be normal again,\u201d Buffy swiped at the tears on her cheeks.<\/p>\n
Angelus raised an eyebrow, \u201cYou\u2019ll never have normal, slayer. If that\u2019s what you\u2019re looking for, it\u2019s no wonder it took me so long to get into your pants.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her eyes snapped open. \u201cYOU have never<\/i> been anywhere near my pants.\u201d<\/p>\n
The soft sound of Giles clearing his throat behind them interrupted Angelus\u2019 raucous comeback. \u201cMust we have this argument again?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Angelus answered. \u201cBuff and I are having it. You can mind your own business, Rup.\u201d<\/p>\n
Suppressing his urge to take the bait and jump right into the argument, Giles instead informed them, \u201cWe are ready to begin. Buffy, if you\u2019ll take hold of Angelus\u2019 chains again, just in case. Xander and I will step over to the other side of the room and let Jenny and Willow take over from here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angelus stopped playing verbal games with the slayer and turned his attention to Jenny Calendar. He tried to distract her with his threats and taunts, but the woman was focused on her Romani majicks. These were the ways of her ancestors and not those of a modern educator, but she was versed enough to recognize the details in the ancient curse, the amria, that would restore the vampire\u2019s soul and bind it to him forever.<\/p>\n
Holding out the Orb of Thesulah, Jenny invoked the spell just as Cordelia Chase burst into the room dripping wet and trailing water behind her. Before she could even call out his name, Angelus\u2019 gaze transfixed her. Holding to the spot at the door, Cordelia felt the hot sweep of his eyes along her body only to meet them again and watch the dark light altered by the force of the spell.<\/p>\n
The look of possessive lust glazed over to be replaced by confusion and something else Cordelia could not identify convincing her before anyone else that the Spell of Restoration worked. Angelus soul had returned and with it the emotional baggage that he constantly carried. Pressing her lips together, Cordelia acknowledged her own mixed and contrary feelings.<\/p>\n
This needed to happen, but Cordelia could already tell by the way Angel looked at her that nothing would ever be quite so uncomplicated between them as the night they spent in her bed. No inhibitions. No regrets. Not after the initial shock had worn off anyway. Especially considering the little reminder Angelus had left behind.<\/p>\n
That thought caused Cordelia to smile, an unconsciously brilliant grin that brought color to her cheeks and a sparkle to her eyes. Angel stared in rapt wonder at the sight and through the initial haze of confusion felt drawn to that beautiful smile and the woman who bestowed it upon him. Through clouded memories, Angel recalled flashing images of holding her in his arms, exploring silky golden skin, palming her breasts while holding her from behind and his hard cock pressing against her firm, rounded ass.<\/p>\n
Assaulted by a wave of lust, Angel suddenly realized that this was Cordelia Chase he was remembering and that they\u2019d found ecstasy together more than once during one hot night of passion. A night that should never have happened. They\u2019d been drunk. He\u2019d been without a soul and Cordelia without her natural instinct for survival. She was lucky to be alive.<\/p>\n
Yet there she was, standing there smiling at him.<\/p>\n
Angel was on his feet and moving forward before it even registered that he was still in chains. A sharp tug sent him tumbling toward the chair followed by Buffy\u2019s voice, \u201cWhere do you think you\u2019re going, Angelus?\u201d<\/p>\n
He could tell from Cordelia\u2019s expression that Buffy was staring at her. So were the others. The sight of a dripping wet Cordelia made for a fascinating sight. Not that the others, with one or two possible exceptions, were thinking anything close to the same sexually-charged thoughts as him.<\/p>\n
Her long hair was plastered to her head, raindrops clinging to her dewy golden skin, that luscious mouth moist and plump and kissable. The blouse she wore appeared sheer in its wet state topping a colored bra that hugged her breasts and highlighted her cleavage. Her pants clung to her like a second skin.<\/p>\n
Damn, but she looked good enough to eat.<\/p>\n
Angel knew that he shouldn\u2019t be thinking those things. Knew that in this early stage of ensoulment that his demon side warred with the emotional influx brought by the soul. Only something was different this time. Those demonic impulses didn\u2019t seem to be fading into the background. He had to consciously make an effort to subdue what he was feeling.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo is it Angel or Angelus?\u201d asked Xander while still staring back and forth between the vampire and Cordelia.<\/p>\n
Buffy jerked on the chains again even though Angel hadn\u2019t moved. \u201cIt\u2019s obviously still Angelus.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe spell was flawless,\u201d Jenny cut in setting the Orb of Thesulah aside.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s right. You\u2019re yanking Angel\u2019s chains,\u201d Cordelia told Buffy and then muttered under her breath, \u201cno doubt in more ways than one.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you doing here?\u201d The question she\u2019d been expecting finally emerged from Buffy\u2019s mouth though it wasn\u2019t quite as angry as Cordelia imagined it would be, just seemingly resolved that she was in the picture even if she didn\u2019t want her here.<\/p>\n
Cordelia didn\u2019t bother with the details. In fact, she skipped answering the question altogether. \u201cHello, chained vampire. Aren\u2019t you going to release him?\u201d<\/p>\n
Whether there was something in Cordelia\u2019s eyes or simply that Buffy wanted to believe her, she moved around to the front, staring down at Angel with tearful eyes and tremulous lips. Then lunging forward, Buffy threw her arms around his broad shoulders and plastered a kiss across his mouth. In his shocked state, Angel merely sat there. Slowly, noting the lack of response, Buffy pulled away. \u201cWhat is it, Angel?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s quite a difference from the punishment you\u2019ve been doling out for the past few weeks,\u201d he commented uneasily. Face to face with her everyday, he recalled their angry bouts with complete clarity.<\/p>\n
Fiddling with a strand of her hair, Buffy explained, \u201cI was just controlling the demon. It wasn\u2019t you I was hitting, Angel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFelt like it,\u201d Angel flexed his jaw noting that it still hurt from that last upper-cut. \u201cBuffy, you seem to think I wasn\u2019t your captive this past month; that I wasn\u2019t here at all. No matter how much the both of us would like to forget I\u2019m a demon, that is what I am. That\u2019s simply the way it is, Buffy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, you\u2019re nothing like him<\/i>,\u201d Buffy shook her head so that her blond hair flew out around her shoulders. \u201cNothing. You\u2019d never do the things he\u2019s done.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cActually,\u201d Giles held up a finger to make a point, \u201cHe\u2019s is telling you the truth, Buffy. I would have argued it before, but with Angelus\u2019 manners being so rude I figured that it would be better coming from him at a time when he could behave himself.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel sent the watcher a pointed stare, \u201cThanks, Rup,\u201d he spoke with purposeful irreverence.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, you\u2019re quite welcome,\u201d Giles returned with nary a blink. \u201cWhen you\u2019re feeling up to it\u2026or even sooner than that\u2026we\u2019ll be having a little chat about one or two things.\u201d<\/p>\n
If those one or two things had names that were Buffy and Cordelia, Angel wondered if there was any way to get out of that lecture. He already felt guilty enough for his own actions without Rupert Giles adding his two cents.<\/p>\n
\u201cAny chance someone will let Angel out of those manacles?\u201d Cordelia tried again. She was getting impatient and felt anxious to find out if he was as okay as he looked.<\/p>\n
A few recent bruises aside, Angel appeared to be intact. Not that she\u2019d expected Giles or the others to mistreat him. It was just that she hadn\u2019t seen him in so long, Cordelia needed to convince herself that her concern wasn\u2019t just an excuse to let her gaze wander all over him.<\/p>\n
Willow stepped up rather cautiously, sending Cordelia a questioning look since she seemed to be convinced that this was Angel. Maybe it didn\u2019t help that Cordelia got a little impatient promising, \u201cHe won\u2019t bite\u2026much.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hopping back away from the vampire, Willow noticed that Cordelia\u2019s words brought a little smile to his lips. Angel smiling? \u201cI-I don\u2019t think the spell worked.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou saw the effects,\u201d Jenny countered. \u201cI\u2019m certain that we succeeded. Angel\u2019s soul is back and this time it\u2019s permanent.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo no more Angelus?\u201d Hope suffused Buffy\u2019s voice.<\/p>\n
Jenny could tell it would take a Mack truck to get through to the slayer on this subject, but she tried again. \u201cAngelus is always with us, Buffy. The soul guides him, gives him a conscience that does not exist in his pure vampiric state. It allows him to access feelings his demon half normally suppresses.\u201d<\/p>\n
The slayer was almost breathless as she suggested, \u201cLike love?\u201d<\/p>\n
From across the room, Angel felt Cordelia\u2019s gaze on him and heard the steady beat of her heart skip and move at a faster rhythm. Surely she couldn\u2019t feel anything akin to love. Not for him. Not after he\u2019d done everything in his power to seduce her.<\/p>\n
\u201cPerhaps Angel would be the one to tell you that,\u201d Jenny suggested feeling rather uncomfortable talking to Buffy about love when she\u2019d just spent the past few weeks as Cordelia\u2019s confidant. Their friendship had grown at a rate equal to the demise of her relationship to the Scooby Gang.<\/p>\n
Even Rupert had remained remote and aloof trying to save Cordelia from any further association with the evil of the Hellmouth. As if he could. Jenny had tried to twist his arm into letting her visit hoping that it would calm the vampire down and give them a few moment\u2019s peace, but he\u2019d continued to refuse until finally she gave up on the idea.<\/p>\n
Feeling the tension in the air, Jenny wondered if their problems hadn\u2019t just taken on a whole new twist. Meeting Angel\u2019s contemplative gaze, she listened with a sense of horror as he admitted to her, \u201cIt was lucky that I did not discover your link to Enyos. Knowing you were Kalderash Romani, I would have killed you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gulping, Jenny nodded, \u201cI know. That\u2019s why I\u2019m glad there won\u2019t be any more\u2026 accidents if you get happy now and then.\u201d<\/p>\n
The deleted clause in the spell was much more intricate than that, but it suited her to explain it that way. Simplicity was sometimes a blessing.<\/p>\n
Turning his gaze to Willow, Angel asked to be released. \u201cI won\u2019t hurt you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe not, but you still owe me some fish,\u201d she snapped back showing a little bite of her own. Walking over to Buffy\u2019s side, Willow held her hands out above the manacles that shackled Angel. After speaking a phrase of majick, the lock binding his arms in place clicked open and the chains fell to the carpet with a heavy chinking of metal.<\/p>\n
\u201cI guess I do,\u201d Angel nodded his understanding. Although he wasn\u2019t foolish enough to think that buying a few fish would be all that it would take to win back her trust. Willow\u2019s loyalty depended upon the emotional state of her two best friends and Angel knew he had a rocky road ahead of him where Buffy was concerned. Xander, as usual, was a lost cause, a battle he\u2019d never bothered to fight.<\/p>\n
Stretching so that his muscles bunched and lengthened releasing the tension in his bare shoulders, Angel was conscious of Buffy hovering at his side. If it wasn\u2019t for the fact that he felt guilty about all of the things he\u2019d said, or at least the way that he\u2019d said them, Angel would have told her she was acting like a leech clinging to him so closely.<\/p>\n
\u201cThanks for your \u2018hospitality\u2019, Rupert,\u201d Angel gave the words a little sardonic twist that he might not normally have done, \u201cbut I think I\u2019ll be leaving.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGoing where?\u201d Cordelia questioned sharply. If it wasn\u2019t for the accompanying look of concern on her face, Angel might have thought she was hinting at something. Then she clarified, \u201cYour evil self wasn\u2019t the only one living at that Nightmare on Crawford Street.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel realized she was right. Damn. All his good stuff was there. \u201cGuess it\u2019ll have to be my old apartment tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re welcome to borrow the couch again,\u201d Giles motioned to it as if he\u2019d been a guest rather than a prisoner for the past month. \u201cConsidering the weather tonight, it may be best for you to stay.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe I will,\u201d Angel nodded his thanks even as he moved in the other direction, the one that took him toward Cordelia.<\/p>\n
Xander suddenly stepped between them looking a little ornery at the fact that Angel was approaching his former girlfriend. Forget the fact that he\u2019d joined in the Buffy Brigade when it came to cutting Cordelia out of their lives. He\u2019d spent the first week trailing after her and begging for reconciliation and then turned away with his tail between his legs.<\/p>\n
Now Xander had the gall to make a move that screamed of possession, as if he had any right to stop Angel from approaching Cordelia Chase. \u201cStep away, boy,\u201d Angel sounded out the words with a tight jaw.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not moving,\u201d Xander returned with a defiant stare standing as tall and firmly in place as he could. \u201cStay away from Cordelia.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTake your own advice. Back off,\u201d Angel said with such a cool demeanor that no one even suspected that in the next moment he would grab Xander by the arm moving him to one side.<\/p>\n
By the time Xander got over his shock, Angel was already standing next to Cordelia whose attention was focused entirely on the vampire. With a pout of discontent, he walked over to the nearest chair and sat down to watch Buffy\u2019s reactions to this little reunion.<\/p>\n
The slayer looked tense and ready to pounce. She stood wide-eyed and watching so closely that any other movement in the room went ignored.<\/p>\n
Sadness filled Angel\u2019s handsome face as he looked into Cordelia\u2019s waiting gaze. She was so beautiful; he cursed the longing that swirled heat around his chest and loins. Self-loathing crept up to fight the desire flaming inside him at her closeness. Swiping at his lips with the tip of his tongue, Angel struggled to say something to her that would equal the intensity of his feelings.<\/p>\n
\u201cCordelia,\u201d her name sounded as little more than a whisper.<\/p>\n
Jumping in before he could say anything else, Cordelia commented, \u201cIt didn\u2019t take long for that guilt trip to set in. Get over it.\u201d<\/p>\n
That sounded a little harsh. Angel stared at her watching the way the light played on the droplets of water clinging to her skin. He wanted to lick them off one by one. \u201cIs it so easy to forget?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Cordelia answered honestly. Her lips quirking up at the corners, \u201cBesides, you did leave me a little reminder.\u201d<\/p>\n
He wasn\u2019t smiling this time despite the hint of amusement flirting along the corners of her lush mouth. Angel\u2019s memories were still hazy and whether that was the cause of the spell or simply that the Irish Whiskey he\u2019d been drowning himself in that night had washed away the details, he could not immediately recall the circumstances leading to his marking her skin.<\/p>\n
Especially there.<\/p>\n
Biting Cordelia on the ass was not the best way to stay on her good side. Denial was futile, so why bother, \u201cGuess I did. I\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t apologize,\u201d Cordelia hurried to add before he could say anything specific. No one knew about that bite. Not even Jenny. \u201cI told you we\u2019re even.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel visibly relaxed. \u201cGood. We\u2019ll start over from here.\u201d The smile that broke out across her face made him realize he\u2019d never need sunshine with Cordelia around. He was so tempted to touch her, to kiss those lips. He knew their taste, the feel of them under his.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a deal,\u201d Cordelia held out her hand to shake his in true deal-making fashion and when he closed his hand over hers she leaned in close to whisper, \u201cJust no biting this time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dammit, Chase, you\u2019re flirting with him.<\/i> Cordelia realized she didn\u2019t want to let go of his hand. To hell with it. I\u2019m not going to pretend I don\u2019t want him. I\u2019m sure he can tell.<\/i><\/p>\n
Reaching up with his free hand, Angel touched the back of his fingers to the line of her throat, pausing and then turning his hand to circle his thumb over her steadily thrumming pulse point. Murmuring the question, \u201cDid we ever have a deal about that?\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel imagined his mouth there. More than that, he could picture himself sinking his fangs into that silken skin. Marking her. Making her his.<\/p>\n
Snapping out of his thoughts, Angel dropped his hands away as if her skin scalded him. Angel stepped back and facing Giles again who appeared a little stunned by the sudden attention, asked if he could use the shower and if there were any clothes he could borrow. That set of sniggering from the direction of the couch where Xander shared his thought with the rest of them, \u201cAngel in tweed.\u201d<\/p>\n
The only ones not laughing after that were Giles and Angel.<\/p>\n
\u201cI could use a change of clothes myself,\u201d Cordelia finally commented rubbing her arms as she started to feel a chill.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou could do with a hot shower too,\u201d Angel pointed out completely innocently until his more lascivious thoughts suddenly put her in that shower right next to him.<\/p>\n
Buffy overheard the comment and gritted her teeth saying, \u201cWe wouldn\u2019t want you to get sick, Cor. Why don\u2019t you go home.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI should,\u201d Cordelia nodded in agreement without bothering to let the slayer\u2019s tone get to her. \u201cGiles, can I borrow an umbrella?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCertainly,\u201d the Englishman answered as he popped out to the small foyer where he kept an umbrella stand. Not that he used them much, but Giles was prepared for any inclement weather. Handing one over to the drenched brunette, he went back to open up the door. \u201cGoodnight, Cordelia.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGuess that\u2019s my cue,\u201d Cordelia laughed. Looking over her shoulder at Angel one last time and left him staring after her as she said, \u201cEnjoy your shower. Maybe I\u2019ll see you around.\u201d<\/p>\n
Almost the moment the door closed behind her the gang immediately started talking about Cordelia showing up. When Jenny Calendar admitted to calling her and stated that she thought Cordelia should be here too, they all stared at her in shock. Even Giles appeared surprised that she would do such a thing without consulting him. Then again, Jenny was a rather independent modern woman and the thought only left him wondering if he\u2019d done the right thing in trying to shelter Cordelia by keeping her out of the picture.<\/p>\n
Angel was already tired of the bickering. He escaped upstairs to the bathroom and turned the hot water on until it was steaming. After a month of captivity, he felt like he needed to scour his skin to get clean again.<\/p>\n
He was still a little hazy in the memory department. The most recent memories were the clearest, those dealing with Buffy in her slayer mode on a daily basis. Being restrained and shackled had given him time to relive the more pleasant memories of the night he\u2019d spent with Cordelia. He\u2019d replayed that night through his head so many times, Angel wondered if it was possible Cordelia had been as responsive as he remembered her to be.<\/p>\n
A twinge of guilt hit him at comparing Buffy and Cordelia, but he just couldn\u2019t stop himself from doing so. Buffy had been untouchable despite their kisses, a golden girl whose bravery and determination were matched only by her innocence. He\u2019d claimed that. Taken it from her. Lost himself inside her and forgot for just a single moment of time that he was a vampire.<\/p>\n
Unlike his night with Cordelia when there was no pretending on either part that he wasn\u2019t a vampire. Except for the no biting rule, which he had ignored for the most part, Angelus hadn\u2019t bothered with too much gentility. Cordelia might not have been a virgin, but her inexperience was accompanied by a fiery enthusiasm that fed his lust.<\/p>\n
They were both so different. Cordelia felt so good in his arms, like she fit there, like she belonged there. Maybe it was just a result of being there more recently than the Slayer. Unless you counted Buffy\u2019s awkward kiss back in the living room or the fact that he\u2019d slept with Buffy only a week before encountering Cordelia outside the Bronze.<\/p>\n
Hmm. So much for that theory.<\/p>\n
She tasted different, tantalizing and addictive. Spicy and sweet like cinnamon and sugar wrapped up in warm golden skin. The way her mouth tasted under his made Angel close his eyes at the memory of it, silently cursing at the missed opportunity to kiss her downstairs. Then just as quickly, he admonished himself for that thought. He had no business imagining himself kissing Cordelia Chase.<\/p>\n
Hell, he couldn\u2019t get the thought out of his head if he tried. That night, they\u2019d kissed all the way up to her bedroom pausing every other step to lock lips in a way that made his head spin. Angel felt certain that had been her and not the effects of the whiskey since it was all he could do to match her kiss for kiss.<\/p>\n
Taking advantage of the fact that he didn\u2019t have to breathe, he\u2019d left her breathless and panting for air while his mouth moved on to other fun locations. His hands were wandering all over Cordelia\u2019s curvaceous frame, one tangled in her hair and the other dipping under her skirt to palm the cheek of her ass left bare by her thong.<\/p>\n
Finally, he\u2019d got tired of teasing them both. He wanted her hands on his skin instead of these irritating clothes. Now. Giving her one last heart-stopping kiss, Angelus lifted his mouth just inches away as he held her gaze, \u201cUndress me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia\u2019s eyes held a wicked glint and a naughty grin appeared as her hands closed over the leather duster they\u2019d been roving beneath. Pushing it off of his shoulders, she pulled it off the rest of the way and tossed it onto a nearby chair. She stood with the tip of her finger in her mouth, nibbling thoughtfully. Then just decided to start with his shirt and work her way down.<\/p>\n
While her fingers fumbled with the buttons on his shirt, Angelus kept touching her, his hands moving across her back and shoulders in circles. After several buttons were opened, Cordelia ran a hand from his throat down to his navel following her path with a trail of warm kisses that brought a rumble to his chest. The sound caught her attention.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo that again,\u201d she pressed her ear to his chest, momentarily distracted from her task.<\/p>\n
Angelus wrapped an arm around her shoulders holding Cordelia close as he repeated the deep purr that vibrated against her ear. Her hand wandered over the surface of his chest delving beneath the shirt, her thumb brushing against his nipple. Looking up at him, she gave him another cheeky grin, \u201cMmm, I like that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a lot more of me to like,\u201d Angelus chuckled without a shred of modesty. Just to speed things along, he yanked his shirt off uncaring that it fell to the floor rather than hitting the chair behind him.<\/p>\n
\u201cHey, no fair,\u201d Cordelia complained with a little frown even though it allowed her hands to roam free across the muscled angles of his chest. \u201cI was doing that. Since you\u2019re the do-it-yourself vamp, you can take of your boots next\u2026and the socks. Just leave me the pants.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cordelia crossed her arms over her chest and waited for him to comply. The vampire was so amused by her little routine that he simply did as ordered. Let her have her way here, but later she\u2019d learn who was in charge. His black boots hit the floor with two clunks followed quickly by the socks leaving him clad only in those tight leather pants that molded his body leaving very little to the imagination.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, Cordelia was doing her best to fill in the blanks, deciding that some hands-on exploration might be necessary to make sure she was seeing what she thought she was seeing. Eagerly divesting him of his belt, Cordelia was about to let her hand wander downward when Angelus\u2019 hand closed over hers to move it directly to the bulge in the leather.<\/p>\n
He forced her to tighten her grip, holding him hard. \u201cThat\u2019s for you, baby.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAll mine?\u201d<\/p>\n
As long as he wanted her, Angelus thought, for longer than she might imagine that to be. He had every intention of keeping her for a while. Maybe even forever. Right now he just wanted to fuck her until dawn.<\/p>\n
After unbuttoning his pants, the soft rasp of the zipper followed and Cordelia worked his tight pants down around his hips and over that bulging groin. Angelus didn\u2019t help, instead letting her struggle her way to undressing him. Her pink tongue curled along her upper lip she concentrated on maneuvering his pants to the floor.<\/p>\n
Angelus had his hand low on his abdomen, ready to grasp his cock as it bounded out of his pants erect and demanding attention. Letting the pants drop to the floor now that the hard work was done, Angelus kicked them off standing nude and fully aroused in front of Cordelia. His fingers curled along the thick shaft as Cordelia took a moment to stare.<\/p>\n
Clutching his wrist, Cordelia moved his hand out of the way, cheekily reminding him, \u201cUh-uh-uh. Mine, remember?\u201d<\/p>\n
Tilting her face upward again, Angelus ravaged her mouth with his own as Cordelia pumped his cock. His tongue teased at her lips, dipping inside, thrusting deeper as her mouth opened under the force of his kiss. Hands caressed her from the gentle massage of her scalp to the tight squeeze of her ass as the kiss went on, as Angelus slowly bucked against her hand.<\/p>\n
Then he moved his mouth to her ear, \u201cGo down on me, Cordy. I want your mouth on me.\u201d<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t his demand that surprised her. No, that wasn\u2019t a shock at all. In fact, she wanted that too. To taste him. All of him. The soft sound of her name on Angelus\u2019 lips came out as a diminutive endearment. No one had ever said it quite that way before and Cordelia felt stunned by its impact.<\/p>\n
There she stood in her spiked high heels and her crimson red dress, Angelus naked in her arms. He said her name like she was his most precious possession demanding something purely sexual in the same breath. When he led her to the bed, tossing back the covers, Cordelia followed without hesitation.<\/p>\n
Cordelia mumbled something about her designer dress, but forgot about it as soon as Angelus started kissing her again. They tumbled on the bed until he stopped with her astride him. Giving him a grin that promised him everything he wanted, Cordelia began to kiss her way down the length of his torso.<\/p>\n
Just thinking back at having Cordelia\u2019s hands and mouth on him was enough to push Angel beyond reason. Standing in the shower with the full force of the water at his back sluicing over his skin, he gave into his need. He\u2019d had a month of thinking about her with no way to ease his arousal and right now he didn\u2019t care who was downstairs within hearing distance.<\/p>\n