Banner by Noaluvjames

Chapter 11

Little things slowly pierced Buffy’s awareness as she lay there, held tight in William’s arms: the sound of thunder and lightning, in addition to the pounding rain, taking place outside the cave, the crackling of the fire as it heated her bare backside, the hard ground they both were currently sprawled naked upon but were too sated to care, the feel of his fingers trailing up and down her back causing gooseflesh to break out along her arms.  She closed her eyes and snuggled closer to his hard chest, smashing her breasts flush against him.

He sighed and held her even tighter, afraid that if he didn’t do so, she would slip away from him.  Afraid that she’d come to regret what they had done as the heat of the moment faded and reality began to intrude. 

Regret happened to be the furthest thing from his mind as William held her body close to his, nuzzling her hair with his nose.  He couldn’t say when he had ever felt this relaxed.  Even though they had just recently met, it had seemed as if their bodies had always known each other…coming together in a dance lovers had been perfecting for eons.  They were ideally matched in every way and he never wanted to let her go. 

They held each other, too worried to give voice to this sudden change in their relationship, as if to say anything would suddenly break whatever spell that had been spun around them.  For now, they did nothing…just listened to the sound of the rain as it continued to beat against the ground.  The fire kept them warm while they cuddled together, naked in each other’s arms.

~*~*~*~*~

As with all things, the pounding rain finally slacked off before settling on a slight drizzle.  William glanced down at Buffy and noticed that she had drifted off to sleep, curled trustingly in his arms.  Not wanting to wake her, but needing to check on the status of their clothes, he gently eased out from under her.  She moaned softly in her sleep but didn’t awaken.

He retrieved his damp jeans from where he had discarded them earlier and slipped them over his lean legs, grimacing a bit as the cold, wet material covered his groin.  He crossed to where Buffy’s clothes lay, hopefully drying on the rock.  He fingered her undergarments and notice that the heat from the fire had completely dried them; her shirt also happened to be dry.  Her jeans were still slightly damp, but would be alright for her to wear.  Besides, it was still drizzling out, so her clothes were bound to get wet again, anyway.

William grabbed his shirt off of the rock and drew it over his head.  Leaning against the rock for support, he grabbed socks and shoes and put them on as well.  Then he jogged to the cave’s entrance to take a look outside.

Dark clouds loomed on the horizon, but if they hurried, they could make it back up the trail that led to his Land Rover before the storm picked up force again.  They just needed to leave…and soon.  Disappointment churned in his stomach when he realized that he would have to wake Buffy up and rush to get her dressed so that they could beat the rain.  Personally, he would have liked nothing better than to spend more time with her, perhaps exploring her body more leisurely.  But, Mother Nature was not to be reckoned with, and he didn’t fancy spending the night in a damp, dark cave in cold, wet clothes.

He hurried back to Buffy, grabbing her clothes off the rock along the way, and knelt beside her.  William laid her clothes aside so he could pull her up in his arms, brushing off some of the sand that still clung to her bare skin.  She moaned in her sleep and curled trustingly in his embrace. 

“Buffy, luv, ya gotta wake up,” he told her, pushing her hair back from her face as he spoke.  Her hair had started to dry in stringy strands against her face.  She looked like a drowned rat, but rather than looking horrible, she just managed to look adorable.

“Hmmmm….” she moaned, still half-asleep.

“We’ve got to get out of here.  There’s a lull in the storm and if we hurry, we can make it back up the trail to the Land Rover before we’re bombarded again.”

He watched as her eyes opened, a slight frown marring her features as she concentrated on his words.  He knew the moment she realized where she was and that she lay naked in his arm.  Her eyes grew wide as her mouth formed a perfect little “o” as if wanting to say something but couldn’t quite get the words to spring forth from her lips.  Her pliant body that was lying so trustingly nestled against his chest suddenly grew stiff and unyielding.

He tried to dispel her rising panic by leaning down and lightly kissing her parted lips. 

As his lips roamed back and forth over hers, Buffy lay stiff in his arms, unsure how to act in the aftermath of what they had done.  Then, reason deserted her and she succumbed to the pleasure of his mouth on hers. 

William tore his mouth from hers before their kiss got out of hand, leaning his forehead against her own, he breathed deeply to bring his raging desire under control.  He was so close to chucking his good intentions to the wind and staying right there, Buffy held tight in his arms.  It was only the thought of the two of them being back in their cottage and warm that managed to force him to climb reluctantly to his feet.  When he had regained his footing, he released his grip under her legs allowing Buffy to stand up shakily next to him.

She seemed suddenly self-conscious in her nudity, probably because he was already dressed and ready to go. Her arms shifted in front of her in a half-hearted attempt to cover herself.  When he was assured that she could stand on her own, William released her to reach down and grab her clothes from where he had dropped them a moment ago.  He handed Buffy her undergarments and heard her sigh in relief when she realized they were dry.

With her bra and panties securely in place, Buffy felt a little less… exposed now.  She quickly donned the rest of her clothes and moved to get her camera from the rock where she had placed it earlier. 

“Why don’t you go up towards the opening so that I can put out the fire?  It’s going to get fairly dark in here.”

“Ok,” she said softly before turning towards the mouth of the cave.

Behind her, William set about extinguishing the fire he had made, making sure there was no chance it could flare back up after they left.  When the fire was out, plunging the cave in darkness, he reached into his pocket and extracted his lighter.  He flicked it on, allowing the small flame to light his way back towards the exit.

When he caught up with Buffy, he closed the top of his lighter and slipped it into his pocket then snagged Buffy’s hand.  Eyeing the clouds in the distance, William led the way towards the path that would return them to their vehicle.  The two half-walked, half-jogged up the path that took them back to King Arthur’s Castle ruins.

As he had figured, there was no sign of anybody left at the site.  They quickly crossed the ruins before descending the path on the other side of the cliff that led back towards the waterfall and his car. 

~*~*~*~*~

He started the engine and immediately turned the heater on full blast.  The parking lot was deserted, all of the tourists and employees having long since gone home.  The silence was deafening and William could practically feel Buffy drawing in on herself.  It was the last thing he wanted to happen.

Throwing caution to the wind, he turned in his seat to face her.  She sat, staring straight ahead, practically refusing to look at him.

“Buffy?” he called softly.  He watched as she flinched at her name being called.  ‘Not good, mate.’

“Luv?”  He reached out to cup her face, determined to get her to look at him.  He’d sit here all night if he had to, but he refused to let her regret what they had done.  He had plans to finish what they started back at either her cottage or his – it didn’t matter to him, as long as they both ended up in the same bed together.

He managed to get her face pointed in his direction, but she still wasn’t looking at him.  Her eyes were downcast, refusing to make eye contact with him.

“Look at me, pet,” he softly cajoled.

Reluctantly, her eyelids lifted, revealing the tears shimmering in her eyes.

“I…” she began, but could get no further.

“Shhh…” he whispered as he halted her words by placing his thumb over her parted lips.  “It’s ok, luv.  No regrets, alright?”

Buffy didn’t say anything…couldn’t say anything around the lump in her throat…just nodded as she gazed into the fathomless blue orbs that silently willed her to agree with him.

She watched as his serious expression gave way to boyish delight at her capitulation.  The smile gracing his face made him appear years younger than he probably was.

‘With a face and smile like that, he should be on TV,’ she thought silently.

“What say we get home and get some dinner, yes?” he asked, his expression hopeful.

Buffy stared at him a moment, before throwing caution to the wind and nodding once more, unwilling for their time together to end.  She watched his grin grow – if possible – even wider.  And, was that relief she saw in his eyes? 

He released her face and turned back in his seat so that he could put the car in gear.  Back on the road towards their cottages, he slipped his hand in hers.  He brought their joined hand to his lips so that he could kiss her knuckles before lowering it to rest on his thigh.  Buffy snuggled back in her seat, letting the heat from the vents warm her.

‘Are you crazy?’ her inner voice demanded.

‘Maybe…probably.  But, for once, I’m just going to enjoy myself,’ she argued back.

‘You’re going to get hurt.’

‘So, I’ll get hurt.  I’m tired of living my life cut off from every one I meet.  It’s time I spread my wings…and if they get singed…hey, at least I’m trying.’

‘I’m just trying to protect you…’

‘Yeah, but at what cost?  Believe me, I have no illusions that this thing with William is going to go anywhere.  It’s just a vacation romance for both of us…and it’s been so long.  I just need some…affection…I guess you could say.’

‘Keep telling yourself that, kid-o. Your heart is already involved.  Do you think you would have slept with him if it weren’t?’

Buffy had no answer to that.  And, unfortunately, she feared her inner voice was right.  Her heart was already involved.  Ignoring the sudden pain that realization caused, she pushed it to the back of her mind refusing to dwell on it.  She’d take the remainder of this week with William and stockpile the memories to pull out later, once she was back in the states and in school.  She had no delusions anything would come of this…thing she had with William.  All she could do was guard her heart as best she could and enjoy the time she did have with him.

~*~*~*~*~

The storm caught up with them just as William pulled back into Crackington Haven.  Glancing at his watch and noting the time he asked Buffy if she’d rather that they grabbed a quick bite at the pub instead of cooking something in the cottage.

“Huh?” she asked, pulled from her silent musings.

“I asked if you’d rather just grab a bite to eat at the pub.”

“Sure.  That’s fine.  Do you think Jake could make it to go?  I don’t see myself sitting in a booth in wet jeans.” 

“Good idea, pet.  You want to wait here while I order?”  Her pleased sigh was his answer.

~*~*~*~*~

The pub was fairly quiet – probably due to the nasty weather – when William stepped inside.  His eyes landed on Jake and he thought he saw a moment of relief in his eyes before it was quickly hidden.

“Will!  Come in, come in!”

“Hey, Jake,” he replied as he walked up to the bar.  “Think I can get a couple of orders of fish and chips to go?”

“Certainly, certainly.  I’ll be right back.”  Jake walked from behind the counter to place Will’s order with the kitchen.  He was back in a flash and setting a pint of Will’s usual on the bar as he waited for his meal to cook.

William didn’t object to the beer, and took a long swallow from the glass.  Outside, the rain had picked up again and the two listened as it pounded down on the roof of the pub.

“It’s raining cats and dogs out there.  Hope your sightseeing wasn’t ruined.”

“Nah…although, we did get caught in a cave for a while.  My fault…wasn’t paying attention to the skies when we started exploring.”

“Ahhhh…Buffy ok?”

“Yeah.  She’s waiting out in the car.”  William indicated his slightly damp clothes.  “We got a little wet on the return trip back to the car.  She didn’t want to have to sit in here in wet clothes while we ate dinner.”

“I can understand that.  Lemme see if your dinner is ready.  You go ahead and finish up there.  Can’t keep the lady waiting, now can we?”  Jake gave him a wink then sauntered off towards the kitchen.

A few minutes later, Jake came back with a brown paper bag holding their dinner.  Mumbling his thanks, William took it and moved towards the door.

“Put it on my tab, and I’ll be in tomorrow to settle up again.”

“Ok.  Have a good night, Will,” he replied as he waved the younger man away.  “Tell Buffy hello for me.”

“I will. Goodnight, Jake!” 

He paused in the open doorway and shook his head at the downpour.  Realizing that he was bound to get drenched again, he sighed and darted out into the rain.  His hair was plastered against his head by the time he got the door open.  He passed their dinner to Buffy to let her hold while he navigated the short distance to their cottages.

William parked in the designated parking area and shut off the engine.  Taking the bag from Buffy he asked, “Your place or mine?”

“Mine,” she replied without thinking.  Besides, it was closer.

“Ok, ready?”  She nodded, grabbing her key out of her pocket. Simultaneously, they opened their doors and made a mad dash in the rain to her front door.  It didn’t matter how fast they ran, both were thoroughly drenched by the time they reached her doorstep.  Buffy had left her camera in his car, keeping it safe from the rain.

She slipped the key in the lock and turned it, allowing the door to swing inward.  Both stepped inside and Buffy turned to shut the door.  William walked into the living area and set the bag down in one of the chairs.

“I’ll get a fire going.  Why don’t you get out of those wet clothes?”  Buffy didn’t need to be told twice. 

“I’ll just be a moment,” she called as she rushed upstairs.

William removed his sopping shirt and allowed it to drape over the fireplace tools.  Before long, his damp chest was drying from the blazing heat of the flame.  A few minutes later, Buffy joined him.  She had changed into a pair of green sweats and a matching sweatshirt.  Her wet hair was pulled back in a ponytail; fuzzy slippers adorned her feet.

He reached out his hand to her and she took it, allowing herself to be led in front of the fire so that they could sit before it and eat.  William had laid out their meals in front of the fireplace, figuring it would probably aid them in getting rid of the chill that had seeped into their bones.

Neither spoke as they ate, both too hungry to interrupt their meal for small talk.  Buffy did get up halfway through her dinner to grab something for them to drink and to put on a pot of coffee.

When she was finished, Buffy leaned back against the brick hearth allowing the heat from the fire to warm her back.  William had finished a few moments before her.  She was suddenly feeling quite shy…as if she wasn’t sure what was going to happen.  Oh, she knew they were going to end up back in bed, of that there was no doubt.  It was just the process of getting there that had her confused.

Should she invite him upstairs?  Should she wait for him to make the first move?  It had been so long, and she wasn’t quite sure how this was done.  Mentally kicking herself at her ineptness, she lifted her head to look at William.

He was staring at her like he was a starved man and she was his meal.  She swallowed hard and attempted to speak.

Her eyes glazed over as she watched him crawl towards her, his movements reminding her of a tiger that slowly stalked its prey.  She was helpless to move and waited for him to pounce on her.

Suddenly, he was before her, banding his arm around her back and pulling her body flush against his hard, bare chest; his lips swooped down and claimed hers.  Her mouth parted on a gasp, and his tongue boldly thrust its way inside, leaving no doubt in her mind how much he wanted her.

next

REVIEW ME!!