Title: The First Time (6/9)
Author: Liz

(notes and disclaimer with part one)

Another wineglass almost became the second casualty of the evening when Buffy saw her date come back down the stairs twenty minutes later. Divested of his usual tweed armour, Giles wore a simple pair of faded Levi's jeans and a midnight-blue silk shirt. Buffy's eyes were drawn to the diamond stud in his ear, and she entertained visions of taking that earlobe between her teeth and peeling his shirt back to run her hands over his chest. Hence, nearly dropping the glass. Not because of the image – she'd actually done pretty much the exact same thing several times in previous weeks. The surprise was realizing that this time, the urge had nothing to do with pent-up frustration and everything to do with the man standing across from her.

"Giles, you look… wow."

He ducked his head shyly and grinned, an expression Buffy instantly knew she would never tire of seeing. "I hope I haven't underdressed for the evening," he said, gesturing to the dress she wore. "But you did request a less layered look."

"Well, I gotta say it suits you. You look great, Giles. Really." She returned his shy grin and allowed herself a moment to readjust to this new image of him. This man she'd known for years had suddenly become someone very new. <No, that's not exactly it>, she corrected herself. Protector, partner, confidant, nurturer and friend… she'd known him as these for years now. Today, however, she finally acknowledged parts of him long hidden - whether by his own careful efforts or her personal brand of willful blindness, she wasn't sure - but now that her eyes were open, she could see the whole of him. And what she saw took her breath away.

They stood there smiling at each other for what seemed like an eternity… in actuality, all of eight seconds… before Buffy finally spoke. "Well, I did slave for minutes on end to prepare this feast. Would you care to join me for dinner?" He chuckled and stepped towards the chair nearer to him, but she hurried to intervene. Buffy set the replacement glass on the desk-become-table and pulled out the chair for him. She gestured for him to sit but then added, "Okay, here's the part where I get confused. Are you supposed to sit down first, or do I push the chair in under you? Somehow I always manage to get taken out at the knees when somebody does this for me."

After a minimum of effort, Giles was soon seated, and Buffy disappeared briefly into the kitchen. She returned with the first course on a tray he hadn't seen since Willow cleaned up after the infamous Thanksgiving siege. "Ah," he said, "I wondered where that had gotten to. Where did you find it?"

"Yes," Buffy responded, "it sure does look good, and thanks for noticing, handsome."

Giles paled. Not thirty seconds into their date, and he'd already managed to upset her. "Buffy, I'm sorry. Of course it looks wonderful, and I… wait… handsome, did you say?"

"You Watcher-types never miss a thing, do you?" Buffy gave him a wink as she set out the soup and handed him a bottle of wine before she sat. He accepted it with a genuine, broad smile, casually remarking that he didn't recall having any chardonnay in the house.

"Well, twenty-year-old me bought a bottle of wine," she said. "Does that bug you?"

Giles had to let out a laugh at that and teased, "Considering what I've done recently with twenty-year-old you, I would have to say that the idea of sharing a glass of wine doesn't sound particularly inappropriate."

"That's pretty much what the guy at the liquor store said." Buffy's eyes shot wide open at the shocked, jealous look on Giles' face, and she hurried to amend her statement. "Oh, no! Crap, that came out totally wrong. What I meant was, I kinda helped him out with a problem of the demony variety a while ago. You remember the Booty demon, right?"

"I'll assume you're referring to the B'oudin."

"Right, that guy. Well, the store owner said he figured a that gal who could rid his stock room of something that looked entirely too much like a rhinoceros to be human was probably a gal who could manage the occasional bottle of wine." Smiling again, Giles recalled the incident and asked if Buffy had any similar arrangements with other local merchants.

"Not really, just the adult bookstore over on Elm. Have you seen their toy selection? It's incredible!" Giles could swear he'd just bruised his chin where it dropped on the floor, but her peals of laughter at his stunned expression gave the game away. It had been a long time since she'd so openly teased him, and Giles decided quite emphatically that he liked it.

They continued to talk over their soup, a new ease settling over them. Both had expected to feel rather nervous about the line they seemed to have crossed tonight, but after where that line had been for the past couple of months, sharing a dinner date wasn't nearly as unsettling as they had expected. Quite the opposite, each mused separately. Once the initial, awkward jolt finally passed, it was as if the scattered pieces of their relationship finally slipped back into place, just rearranged a little to accommodate a few new ones. Like the way Buffy's insides fluttered at the sight of Giles' tongue darting out to capture an errant drop of soup. For his part, Giles was all too accustomed to noticing Buffy's charms, but he'd never expected to feel the thrill of knowing that he was the cause of the flushed glow currently gracing her cheeks.

He could hardly believe it; Buffy was here for no other reason than she wished to be with him. She was actually, openly flirting with him. And that look in her eyes? Just for him. As they finished their soup, Giles could finally feel the last vestiges of his apprehension slip away. There were no ulterior motives at play, and Buffy wasn't going to suddenly disappear. If the evening were to end now, it would still be the very best he'd spent in a long, long while. But the evening wasn't over.

When Buffy stood to get the second course, Giles rose with her. She assured him she could manage by herself, but his mind wasn't on food. He'd been issued an invitation earlier, and he meant to take her up on it before he lost his nerve. He stepped around the desk towards Buffy, and she found it impossible to move. Despite hoping this moment would come, now that she was faced with it, Buffy found herself afraid. What if all that heat she'd felt between them was only because of her frustration? What if it turned out she wasn't any good at this part? What if he didn't like the way she…

Buffy's fears were interrupted when she felt his fingertips graze her cheek. Giles gently cupped her face in his hand, and she luxuriated in the feeling. His strong fingers curled around her jaw in a gesture at once delicate and possessive, and she leaned into it, instantly craving more.

Giles gazed down at Buffy's face in open awe. This single gesture was more intimate, more personal than anything they had shared in the previous months, and she welcomed it, welcomed him. He leaned his face toward hers and heard her shallow breath anticipating, wanting. Slowly, so as not to break this fragile spell, he swallowed against the dry lump in his throat and reclaimed his fondest wish.

His lips brushed against hers, whisper soft, and she gasped at the feeling of such tender, perfect longing. Her small hand covered his as it caressed her cheek, and she slipped the other behind his neck to draw him closer. Standing on tiptoe, she lifted her face up to him again, and Giles eagerly accepted. He slid his other arm around her waist and held her to him as once again, he kissed her. Slowly, tenderly, he showered her with feathered kisses that left her head reeling. Drinking in the taste of her, he gasped as her mouth opened to him, and the feeling of her tongue tracing his bottom lip sent a shock of pure desire straight through him. His lips parted, his tongue met hers, and she melted into his arms, meeting the rising urgency of his kisses until lack of oxygen finally forced them to pause.

Buffy reached up to slip his glasses off and set them gently on the desk. Taking his hand, she guided him to her seat, then climbed onto his lap. She leaned over to kiss the lines of his brow, wanting to soothe away every worry, every ache she had ever caused him. What she'd felt in his kisses was clear. This man loved her, had loved her for a very long time. His strong arms slipped back around her waist, and as her lips found his again, she poured her heart into a kiss that touched his very soul.

Stunned by her passion, Giles held tightly to the vision in his arms, and Buffy gave in to her previous urge. She took his earlobe in her mouth, teeth pulling lightly at the diamond stud. With a throaty whisper, she informed him that she liked this earring very, very much before her lips found their way to his neck. She covered his pulse with hot, languid kisses, and he arched into her, baring his throat. It was a trusting, intimate gesture that neither of them took lightly, and she obligingly grazed him gently with her teeth. Sitting as she was, she felt him respond instantly to her almost-bite, and she thrilled at the knowledge that he truly hungered for her.

Buffy captured his lips again as her hands trailed across the silk of his shirt. She unfastened several buttons and slipped a hand underneath the soft fabric to trace circles in the crisp curls that peppered his chest. Her nails raked lightly over his nipple, and he groaned, clutching her tighter than before. He ached to feel her, to touch her. Sliding his hands up her waist, he dusted kisses of his own across her throat, and she groaned her approval. But before his hands moved any further, Buffy rested her forehead against his own, and whispered, "Um, Giles? Would you something for me?"

Should he stop? Go slower? Bite off his own arm? "God, Buffy," he rasped. "Anything." It would cause him no small amount of physical discomfort at this point if she wanted him to stop, but as in all things, she had but to ask. He tried to steady himself, ready to accede to her wishes, clearly not expecting her to say…

"Take me to bed."