Banner by Noaluvjames

Chapter 8

Buffy checked the setting on the camera and then waited for the sun to dip a little lower. She took a few shots of the surrounding cliffs in all their majestic glory. Tomorrow, she’d have to take some pictures from the tops of the cliffs. She was sure that the view from there would be spectacular. Buffy watched through her viewfinder as William wandered down towards where the waves were lapping at the beach, careful not to get too close and get his shoes all wet. He walked for a bit with his head down, hands in his pockets, apparently lost in thought. ‘He seems so sad,’ she thought to herself. After a few minutes he appeared to shake off whatever he was feeling and reached down to pick up some stones, randomly chucked them out into the surf. She couldn’t resist the appealing sight he made and decided to snap a few shots. He was far enough away that you couldn’t make out his features, just the picture he made as he cocked his arm back before letting the stone go to sail in the air. The sun was starting to dip low over the horizon, so she rushed down close to the waterfront to get eye-level with the surf just as the sun appeared to sink behind it.

She plopped down on her butt sitting Indian-style so she could balance the arm holding the camera on her knee. Looking back through her viewfinder once more, she took a few more pictures as the sun appeared to be swallowed whole by the ocean, casting an orange glow along the water. After a few more shots, she looped the camera back around her neck and glanced around for William. He threw another rock into the water before turning and heading back towards where she sat.

“All done?” he asked as he walked up.

“Yep. All finished,” she replied, smiling. “Let’s head back. I’ve got some salmon to cook.” William reached down to her and offered her a hand up. She took the proffered hand without hesitation - as if he were just one of her girlfriends giving her a hand up. She wasn’t prepared for the jolt of awareness that snaked up her arm at the innocent contact, causing her mouth to open slightly as she attempted to catch her breath. She prayed that he didn’t notice her reaction to him, quickly closing her mouth and pasting an overly bright smile on her face as she looked up at him. And was caught in the intensity of his gaze.

~*~

William wandered around the shoreline while Buffy took her “tourist-y pictures.” He found himself feeling jealous of the fact that she could do stuff like that and not have to worry about being “spotted.” True, they were in this remote area of North Cornwall where people didn’t even know him here. But, she could go anywhere, do anything, and not have to worry about being hounded by fans, paparazzi, or the occasional stalker. She could take a vacation and actually enjoy it, bask in her “touristy-ness.”

He picked up a rock and threw it into the crashing waves of the ocean as he contemplated how much his life had changed over the last few years. On the one hand, he enjoyed the recent fame his acting had generated. He eagerly took the obscene amounts of money the studios threw his way, knowing that when his stint in the limelight was over, he could live comfortably for the rest of his life on what he had made in a few short years - especially since he wasn’t out flaunting all his newfound wealth. He’d dated a few fellow actresses. But, that was mainly business and further self-promotion. His heart hadn’t been involved. He’d played the Hollywood game for these last few years, but he was getting tired.

He just wasn’t cut out to be center-stage, gawked at and preened over by the masses. He wanted to do his job and go home. He hadn’t asked for all this. He had been content to work on Indie films, they seemed to be centered more on the craft than how much money the studio would make. There, he didn’t have to compromise his work ethics. After two back-to-back blockbusters, he had actually gotten excited when he was handed the script for Staying Power. Finally, something that would actually test his skills as an actor, and provide a little substance. These were the kinds of movies that he wanted to make.

He also wanted to be in a real relationship, but doubted the possibility. Someone who wanted him for him, not because he was considered a “celebrity.” Unfortunately, he played his roles so well, that women thought he was the character. But, he was just a man. Had feelings like everyone else. His recent fame was to blame. The silver screen had turned him into the latest heartthrob and he couldn’t go anywhere without being recognized.

It’s the reason he had come here - a place where no one knew his name, recognized his face. A small little village in the middle of nowhere, where he could just be himself - to rest, relax, and regroup. He must remember to thank his mum for recommending this place. The last time he had talked to her was after a particularly trying day on the set, followed by a dinner engagement that had turned into a debacle. It was that moment that he had sworn off of dating fellow actors.

Maybe that’s why he was so drawn to Buffy. To her, he was just a man. A nobody she happened to meet because they were staying in adjacent cottages. And even that wouldn’t have been a guarantee if Jake hadn’t coerced her into meeting him. She could have easily spent this entire week without knowing of his existence.

‘Right,’ his inner-voice scoffed. ‘Not once you saw her streak across the field. Because you didn’t have to stick around the pub talking to Jake waiting for her to come back with his bike, now did you?’

‘Oh, sod off,’ he grumbled back and reached down to pick up another rock and hurl it out towards the ocean. His conscience continued to nag at him while he threw more rocks into the water.

‘Look, she’s just a girl. My new neighbor for the week. She’ll leave, and I’ll never see her again. In another week, I’ll go back to Los Angeles and begin preparations for my new movie,’ he argued with himself. He glanced up and noticed that the sun had continued to set while he argued with himself. Giving the last rock in his hand a final throw, he turned and walked back towards Buffy.

~*~*~*~*~

William innocently reached down to offer Buffy a hand up from her seated position on the sand. He felt a shock of awareness run through him as his hand enveloped her smaller one and pulled her to her feet. He was all set to ignore the sensation and release her hand, but then she looked up at him. Confusion and arousal gleamed from her eyes as she gazed up at him. He stared at her intently; his hand holding hers forgotten. William was set to throw caution to the wind when his inner voice pulled him out of his trance.

‘Just a girl, huh?’ it muttered sarcastically. Shocked, he pulled back from her, releasing her hand from his grasp.

“How ‘bout that salmon, pet?”

“Salmon…salmon…oh, right! Salmon. Yes. Let’s go,” Buffy stuttered, nodding vigorously as she slowly came out of her daze. Turning, she walked towards the open field that led to her cottage.

~*~*~*~*~

Neither spoke as they walked across the field towards their cottages. They parted ways at their respective doors with William mumbling something about grabbing a bottle of wine from his place and that he would be over shortly. Buffy replied that she would start getting the salmon prepared. Both front doors opened, then closed, after each party walked inside.

The door clicked closed behind Buffy and she sagged back against it. ‘What the hell am I doing?’ she muttered to herself. Then, she pushed herself up away from the door, frantic. He said he’d be over shortly and here she was daydreaming. She needed to take a quick shower so that she could get rid of all the sand that had accumulated, and that mad dash back to retrieve their shoes earlier was probably going a long way towards making her smell nice and fresh. That thought sent her hightailing it up the stairs pulling clothes off as she went. She didn’t have time to wash her hair, but a quick body scrub would go a long way towards making her feel somewhat cleaner.

After a five-minute shower - a new record for her - Buffy emerged to towel off and get dressed. She pulled out a clean pair of jeans and a red, scooped-neck, long sleeve top. She opened the drawer that held her underwear and her hand hovered in indecision above a plain pair of matching white cotton bra and panties. Not that she was expecting anything to happen, far from it; but god forbid if he were to see them. They would hardly inspire any kind of passion. Her hand moved away from the white set to grab the matching red ensemble. ‘Hey. I like sexy underwear. I’m wearing them for me, not on the off chance that he may see them,’ she firmly told her inner-voice, who seemingly didn’t bother to dignify that comment with a response.

A total of ten minutes had passed since she had closed the front door before she was back downstairs and pulling the salmon out of the fridge. Grabbing some foil that she had found earlier, she made quick work of getting the salmon prepared and then started on chopping lettuce for the salad. She was just about to start on the tomatoes and cucumbers when there was a soft knock at the door. Leaving the salad fixings on the island, she padded barefoot towards the front door to let William in.

The sight that greeted her at the door had her drooling on the spot. William stood before her, clad in a pair of - in her opinion, scrumptiously tight - jeans with a blue t-shirt the exact same shade as his eyes. He’d obviously taken a shower because his hair showed signs of curl since it was still a bit damp, giving him an almost boyishly endearing quality. She pulled herself from her ogle-fest when he held up a bottle of wine, swinging it gently before her face to get her attention. She blushed at being caught staring, but moved aside to let him in. She shut the door then led the way to the kitchen where she was preparing dinner.

~*~*~*~*~

With her back to him as she preceded him to the kitchen, William felt safe in letting his eyes rove over her backside. ‘God, those jeans should be illegal,’ he thought to himself.  The long sleeve, scooped neck shirt she wore wasn’t any better.  Although it covered her entire upper body, it molded her curves and abs before stopping just above the top of her jeans. It was one of those stretchy numbers too, so it covered her toned arms like a second skin; she obviously was very conscious of her health.  He knew a lot of stars that would kill to have a body like hers. ‘Keep your mind on the dinner and off of her body, mate.’ 

Buffy walked back to the island and started on the tomatoes, while William put the wine in the freezer for a quick cool.  Turning from the fridge, he straddled the barstool on the opposite side of the kitchen island. 

“Do you need help with anything?” he asked.

She stopped what she was doing to look at him, surprise crossing her face briefly.  Angel had never offered to cook, and Will’s question took her completely by surprise.  Not that she had a lot of experience in the dating department, actually she had just the one experience, and she just assumed that guys would let the women handle things in the kitchen.  Pretty presumptuous on her part, but Will didn’t strike her as the kind of guy that would want to help in the cooking department.  Shoot.  He probably had women just like her, eager to cook for him.  Probably lined up for the chance, too.

“Uh.  The salmon is ready to be grilled.  I’ve got everything else in here pretty much covered.  Nothing fancy.  Just a salad and I was going to steam some broccoli.  Oh, and I have a loaf of French bread that I can slice and heat up in the oven too.”  The cottage provided a barbeque that the guests of the cottages were able to share.  She had noticed it that morning when she was out stretching by the picnic table. 

“Ok.  I’ll be right back.”

William got up off the barstool and grabbed the plate holding the two foil packets of salmon and a pair of tongs and headed for the front door.  Once outside, he walked hurriedly towards the barbecue.  Since the sun had set, it had gotten steadily colder, and his t-shirt wasn’t doing much to keep him warm.  Which was why he rushed through getting the salmon on the grill so he could return to the house.

He noticed a slight bite in the air inside the cottage, so he set about starting a fire in the living area.  The cottage caretaker had filled the small log holder with wood and kindling, so William didn’t have to make another trip outside.  A few minutes later, a nice fire was going, and he walked back in to the kitchen to check on Buffy.  Plates and silverware were stacked on the table, so William set them out having them sitting next to one another rather than across from one another.  He found some matches in one of the drawers and lit the two candles sitting in the middle of the table, then dimmed the lights in the dining area.  He walked back into the kitchen proper to see that Buffy had things well underway, so he braved the cold once more to retrieve their dinner.

~*~*~*~*~

For two practical strangers, they worked rather well together and soon both of their plates were filled with food - which William took to the table. Buffy grabbed a few salad dressing out of the refrigerator and joined him.  William was standing at the table, waiting for her to join him.  Since he was standing behind one chair, she moved to the other vacant seat.

She was about to sit down, when she felt his presence at her back.  What the hell?  She turned around with a “what the hell are you doing” look on her face and promptly felt like an idiot.  He just stood behind her politely, hands on her chair to assist her while she sat down.  She gave him an apologetic smile and turned around and sat down.  Silently, he slipped into the chair next to her. ‘Ok, now I feel dumb,’ she berated herself silently.  But, to give herself credit, she’d never had anyone assist her into her seat before.  Not that she really went anywhere before to require the gesture.  But, damn, they were only in a house having dinner; it wasn’t like they were at some fancy schmancy restaurant or something!  She sat there for a minute, face flaming at her mistake.  Maybe a little bit of liquid courage would get her past this.  Then she looked at the table.  She had forgotten to grab the wine.

William remembered the wine at the same time.  Both started to stand up to retrieve it.

“Sit.  I’ll get it,” he said, placing his hand over hers.  Before she even had time to react to the sparks his touch generated, he’d moved his hand away and was walking back to the kitchen. 

“Do you know if they have a wine opener?” he asked.

“Um, I’m not sure.  I haven’t really bothered to look through all the drawers.”

“That’s ok.  I’ll see if I can find it.  You go ahead and start.”  Williams rummaged through a few drawers until he found one that had a bunch of kitchen utensils in it.  He moved a few items around until he found the wine opener.  He walked back to the table with both the bottle and opener and sat down.  He noticed that Buffy hadn’t eaten anything yet so he cocked an eyebrow at her inquiringly.  She just gave him a slight shrug as if to say she was waiting for him to get back before she started eating.

William filled the two glasses with wine, then raised his in toast.

“To a nice week of vacation.”

“A nice vacation.”  Briefly, she touched glasses with his and took a sip.

Both enjoyed their meal and Buffy opened up a little to tell him some of the things she wanted to do while she was here. 

“I got on the Internet before I came over and did a little research about North Cornwall.  I didn’t know that King Arthur’s kingdom was located near here.  And, there’s all kinds of coves to explore, beaches to wander, cycling.  I don’t know how I’m possibly going to get to everything I want to do in only a week’s time.”  Before they knew it, their meal was done.  Standing, they picked up their plates and brought them back to the kitchen.

“Why don’t you take the wine and go wait in the living room.  I’ll have this cleaned up in no time and join you,” Buffy said.

“Cooking dinner was the bet, luv.  I’ll help with the cleanup.  Besides, there’s really not that much here.  Together, we’ll have it done in no time,” he said with a boyish smile. 

Buffy put the leftover salad and bread away then began stacking the used pots and dishes by the sink.  She didn’t bother with the dishwasher since there were so few dishes; instead, she opted just to wash them by hand.  She pulled out a sponge and dabbed some dish detergent on it, and began washing.  William grabbed a towel and started drying and putting the dishes away.  There was a brief scare when their hands accidentally touched and they almost dropped a plate.  But, other than that, the cleanup ran quickly and smoothly.  Before long, they were lounging in front of the fireplace.

Neither bothered to sit in the chairs situated before the fire.  Instead, William sat in front of one chair with his back to it, his legs stretched out in front of him towards the fireplace.  Buffy sat with her back leaning against the elevated brick pedestal in front of the fireplace facing William.   Neither spoke, instead choosing to sip idly at their wine, listening to the soft strains coming from the stereo that had been turned on earlier; the only light provided by the blazing fire in the hearth.

‘Why am I just letting a strange man sit in my cottage? I should have kicked him out right after dinner,’ Buffy thought. ‘Shoot, I should have never even invited him to dinner!’ It seemed that her defenses had picked a fine time to go on vacation, no pun intended. ‘What is it about him that has me relaxing so effortlessly? Why is he able to break through all my barriers I erected so long ago?’ No answers were forthcoming, so she just continued to sip at her wine and gaze off.

After a time, the heat of the fire started to get to her. She finished off her wine and crawled over to put the empty glass on the little table between the two chairs. This move brought her fairly close to where William was sitting. ‘No problem. I can handle this. I’ll just put my glass down and move away to the opposite chair.’

~*~

William watched Buffy as she sat before him drinking her wine. She looked gorgeous sitting there, the flames bouncing off her blond hair illuminating the lighter strands. She was a vision in her form-fitting shirt, snug jeans, and bare toes. And it surprised him that she seemed to have no idea the picture she made. His thoughts were wandering into dangerous territory and he could feel himself getting hard. When she swallowed the last of her wine and moved towards him, he mentally shook himself to clear his head.

As she got closer, he lifted the bottle of wine, thinking that she wanted a refill. The question died on his lips as his gaze locked with hers. Lust slammed through him as he gazed at her, the same emotion was mirrored in her own eyes. He set the bottle back down haphazardly, not wanting to break eye contact. Slowly, he sat up away from the chair and reached for her empty glass. Taking it from her hands, he placed it behind him, again without turning away from her. He was afraid if he looked away, the spell would be broken. And, if he didn’t kiss her soon, he would just die. He needed to see for himself what she tasted like.

Carefully, so as not to spook her, William slowly reached for her, using both hands to cup either side of her face. He brought her face slowly towards his, holding her just loosely enough that if she wanted to pull away, she could. When they were just a hairs breath apart, he gave her one last chance to stop him. Seeing no signs of resistance, he closed the distance between their mouths.

At the first touch of his mouth on hers, Buffy’s eyes shut and she laid her hands lightly on his chest to keep her balance. William, for his part, was trying to take things slow. He started by just brushing his lips lightly back and forth across hers. When that wasn’t enough, he used his tongue to slowly trace the contours of her lips. Her bottom lip was just begging for attention, so he sucked it into his mouth to nibble on it lightly. A soft moan sprung from her now-parted lips, and William used the opportunity to slip his tongue inside.

Dual groans sounded as their tongues touched, and William moved his hands from framing her face to slide one around her back and one up behind her neck, slowly beckoning her body closer to his. She tasted like wine and innocence and he needed her closer so that he could have more. He deepened the kiss and pulled her against his body, her breasts flattened against his chest as he leaned back onto the rug. He could feel the twin stabs of her hardened nipples boring into him and was pleased that she was as aroused as he.

Buffy’s hands slid from their position on his chest, up his neck, to tangle in the curls on his head. At the feel of her hands in his hair, he rolled slightly so that Buffy was on her back and his upper body was draped over hers. As he continued to kiss her, one of his hands trailed down her side to cup her ass, lifting her into his straining erection. Buffy was lost in the sensation of him rocking up and down over her mound; and his tongue was doing wondrous things to her mouth. Tentatively, she pushed back with her own to learn the contours of his mouth, lightly running her tongue around his teeth, the roof of his mouth. A groan reverberated from his body as she tried to become the aggressor. His hand left her ass and made its way back up her body, sliding under her shirt to feel the warm heat of her skin.

Warning bells sounded in Buffy’s brain, but she was too befuddled to heed them just yet. She was too intent on William’s taste to notice where his hand had wandered. When his hand enveloped her breast, she broke away from his mouth with a shocked gasp, her eyes opening wide. William felt her stiffen in his arms and he immediately stilled, opening his eyes to look at her.

At her horrified expression, he tried to soothe her. Carefully, so as not to startle her, he removed his hand from under her shirt and brought it up to caress her face.

“Shhhhh. It’s ok, luv.”

She turned her head to the side away from his touch as tears filled her eyes. She closed her eyes, hoping he wouldn’t see and trying to keep the tears from falling. William just kept trying to soothe her.

“Look at me, pet. It’s ok. I’m not gonna hurt you.” All the while, he just ran his hand through her hair.

A shudder racked her body, before quieting once more. Slowly, her breathing leveled off. Turning to face him, she opened her eyes. His heart nearly broke at the pain and confusion mixed with tears he saw in her eyes.

“It’s ok, kitten. I’ve got you.”

“I’m sorry,” she finally whispered. “I don’t… I just…I’m…”

“Shhhhh…” he soothed. “‘S my fault. I got carried away. But, I’m not gonna hurt you, ok? You’re safe with me.” As if to prove that, he untangled himself from her and sat up. She watched him from her position on the floor until he was once more leaning back against the chair. Feeling more comfortable, yet oddly bereft of his touch, she pushed herself up to a sitting position as well. The last of her fear faded as she watched him just sitting there, watching her, a look of concern on his face. She just didn’t know what to think or how to feel.

“C’mere, pet,” he murmured seeing the confusion on her face. Buffy wasted no time scrambling over to sit beside him. He draped an arm casually behind her shoulders, pulling her gently to his side. He lightly ran his fingers up and down her arm in a soothing manner. Buffy sighed and leaned into him.

“It’s been a long time for me,” she whispered out into the silence. His fingers hesitated for a moment before resuming their comforting touch up and down her arm. “I’m not like this. I don’t just fall all over the first gorgeous guy I see.”

‘She thinks I’m gorgeous,’ William thought.

“Who am I kidding? I don’t fall over any guy I see.”

‘Huh?’

“That saying ‘Once bitten, twice shy’? Well, that was coined just for me. What is it about you that makes me forget that?” she asked him, confused.

William didn’t know what to say. He did know that he didn’t want to walk away and risk never seeing her again. He had a week. A week in which he could learn everything there was to possibly know about one Buffy Summers from Sunnydale, California.

“I’m not sure, pet. Why don’t we spend the day in Tintagel tomorrow exploring King Arthur’s home and see if we can find out? We can grab some lunch at the pub before we leave, say around 11:00 o’clock?”

Buffy lifted her head off William’s shoulders and swiveled around to look at him. After a few moments of internal debate, in which William waited anxiously, Buffy slowly nodded and said, “Ok. Eleven sounds good.”

“Right then! I’ll get out of your hair and I’ll see you tomorrow.” They both stood up and walked to the door. Once outside, William turned back to look at Buffy. Before he could think better of it, he reached out to pull her forward for a quick kiss. Releasing her, he gave her a boyish smile and trotted off towards his cottage. Buffy gazed at him until he’d disappeared from sight before retreating back inside and slipping the lock home.

next

REVIEW ME!!