Acting The Part
Parts 13-15


Written by: Pattyanne
Author's Website

---

Summary: AU. William St. James is an actor in a hit television show. While appearing at a fan convention, he meets Buffy and her six year old daughter, Melanie.
Disclaimer: The show Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel (The Series) and all of it's characters belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, & Fox Prod.
Feedback: Feedback is always appreciated. snapkik@yahoo.com

---

Part Thirteen...


"Drink your milk, Melanie."

"I did."

"All of it, please."

Fighting back a smile, William picked up the glass of milk that Melanie had poured for him. Her slightly off aim pouring method had left a white ring beneath the glass which he quickly wiped away with the sleeve of his shirt.

"Drink it all down, pixie," he said. "Want to grow big and strong, don't you?"

The child instantly picked up her glass and emptied it, making it obvious to anyone who cared to look that she did so because HE had requested it.

Buffy just shrugged it off. She was now accustomed to the way William's opinions and actions governed her daughter's be- havior, and she wasn't about to interfere. As long as someone got the milk down the little girl's throat, she didn't really care who it was.

Melanie pushed her plate away, a signal that she had no intention of eating one more bite. She climbed down out of her chair and ran around to the other side of the table where William was sitting.

He immediately pushed his own chair away from the table and lifted her into his lap. "You don't have to eat all of it," she informed him, a phrase picked up from her mother, he was sure. "Just do your best."

"Thank you," he replied, "but I still have plenty of room left for the rest of this very nice dinner."

Buffy watched their interaction with great interest. It seemed so natural to them both, and they looked so 'right' together that she had to wonder if Melanie's dream hadn't been as completely far fetched as she'd thought, more of a premonition than a dream.

She pushed that thought away, labeling it unlikely. There was no way that Melanie could have known that her mother and her prospective 'Daddy' would be so attracted to each other. Not at the time she'd had that dream, anyway.

Still, she couldn't help imagining how things might have played out had William been Melanie's biological father in place of Angel.

For one thing, she'd probably still be married, because if Angel had been one half the father she suspected William would be, she would never have left him.

As she mused over that possibility, she suddenly remembered something that William had said earlier; "Worst thing in the world is to be involved with someone else when the right person comes along."

Was Angel the right person? Had he ever been, or had she just wanted him to be so badly that she'd been willing to compromise, especially after their child's birth?

In other words, had it all been a huge mistake on her part, one that Melanie had to pay for by being saddled with a father who didn't possess the emotional wherewithal needed for the job?

Angel had failed as a husband. He'd failed as a father. But maybe...in the long run...it was better that way.

Because now...there was William.

On the day her divorce had been final, Buffy had put Melanie to bed, then sat beside her and watched her sleep, making a silent promise that somehow...somewhere...she would find a man who would love her child as much as she did herself, a man willing to take on an immediate family.

Of course, she'd quickly learned that it wasn't as simple as all that. The few men she'd casually dated had pretty much been cut from the same cloth; uninterested in her child, but willing to put up with her in the belief that as a divorced woman, Buffy was desperate for sex.

She hadn't been, although she was beginning to feel more and more that way over the last few days because now...there was William.

Buffy didn't realize that she'd drifted into a bit of a daze until William snapped his fingers in front of her.

"What?" She shook her head. "Did I miss something?"

Melanie giggled as William whispered something in her ear. "We asked...for chocolate cake..." She stopped and looked at him. "I don't think we have any," she whispered back.

Before he could reply, Buffy jumped up and went into the pantry, returning with two small packages in her hand. "I've got something almost as good," she announced, showing them what she'd brought. "Hostess Cup Cakes."

She handed one package to William. Opening the other one, she slid one of the little cakes out, then gave the package to Melanie.

William chuckled. "God, I haven't had one of these since I was your age," he told Melanie, watching as she licked chocolate bits from the cardboard. "I think this calls for more milk."

"Okay." She put down her cupcake and jumped off his lap. "I'll go and get some."

To Buffy's everlasting amazement, not only did she pour more milk for William, but for herself as well!


******************************


After the table was cleared and the kitchen put to rights, Buffy marched Melanie upstairs for her bath. Although normally the child was quite playful in the tub, it was Wednesday night, and she was all business. She was bathed, dried off, dressed in clean pajamas and back downstairs in less than fifteen minutes.

As the theme music began for 'Outpost:Space', she plopped down on the floor in front of the television, her arms wrapped around her stuffed lamb.

Buffy was crossing in front of the couch to sit in the armchair when William's hand darted out and grabbed hers, pulling her down beside him.

"This feels strange," he murmured in her ear. "I never watch myself on television."

She was surprised. "Never?"

"Nope." He shook his head shrugged. "It seems...I don't know, conceited or something? You know...'Hey, look at me, I'm on tele- vision! Aren't I wonderful!' "

"Oh, that's just silly," she said. "You're definitely not conceited."

"Thank you." He peered at the screen closely. "Do I look fat to you?"

"Fat? Are you..." Turning to look at him, she saw that he was teasing her and gave him a small shove. "Very funny."


******************************


"Watch this," Buffy whispered, gesturing at Melanie.

At the show's halfway mark, she had climbed up on the couch and settled herself between her mother and William. Her attention had never drifted, right up until the credits began to roll. Then, as though someone had flipped a switch, she fell instantly asleep.

William watched this, grinning hugely.

"She does this every week," Buffy explained as she stood up without jostling the child. "She's wide awake until exactly that same point and then out she goes."

Starting to bend over and pick the sleeping girl up, she was stopped by William. "I've got her," he murmured, rising to his feet with Melanie in his arms.

Buffy went ahead of him up the stairs, flicking on the night light in Melanie's room, and turning the covers down.

William held the little girl for just a moment more, then lowered her into bed. Buffy purposely held back, letting him pull the blankets back up. Watching him lean down and kiss Melanie's cheek as he whispered, "Sweet dreams, pixie," made her heart turn over in her chest.

When she joined him in the hallway, he was leaning against the wall. "I liked that," he said simply. "Putting her to bed."

"Me, too," she nodded. "It's a special time of day. Very peaceful."

He reached for her hand and took her back downstairs.


******************************


She made coffee and brought it into the living room. Instead of finding William on the sofa, she saw him sitting on the chair in front of her desk. His head was slightly tilted, and Buffy knew exactly what he was looking at.

The stack of papers next to her computer, the 'Outpost: Space' stories she'd been printing for Melanie.

Her entire body became one heated blush. It swept from her hairline to her toes, making her hand jerk and spill a few drops of coffee.

William glanced up at her, then did a double take when he noticed her agitation. "What?"

Forcing herself to concentrate on the task at hand, she set both mugs down on the coffee table. "Nothing," she replied, trying to sound convincing.

He didn't look at all convinced, but he didn't pursue it. "Got these off the Internet, right?" Picking up the stack of papers, he flipped through them.

She wiped her suddenly clammy hands on her skirt. "Well, yes, but they're...I mean they're not...for me...I just...I thought, you know...for Melanie. That's...that's who they're for," she finally choked out, seemingly unable to stop babbling nervously. "Not me."

"Oh," he said casually, then, "Did you read them?"

Moving towards in baby steps, she attempted to make a response that was the truth, but not the whole truth.

"I've...I've skimmed over them." She swallowed hard, then lobbed the ball back into his court. "Have YOU ever read them?"

"No." He shook his head. "I keep meaning to. I know there's a lot of it out there, but I wouldn't even know where to begin." Looking as though a light bulb had just popped on over his head, he said, "Maybe you could..."

**Don't ask me what I KNOW you're about to ask me!** she yelped frantically in her head.

"...help me out by..."

**Don't say it! Do NOT say it!**

"...showing me where I can find..."

**I don't WANT to!**

"...some of them."

Trapped, she could hardly refuse. "I can do that."

He smiled at her, the smile that always made her blood course rapidly through her body. They traded places, and he leaned against the desk...watching as she found the fan fiction archive she'd been visiting recently.

Scanning the opening page, he looked impressed and leaned over, one hand on the back of her chair and the other one on the desk.

Buffy clicked on 'fan fiction' and waited.

"Whoa," he murmured, looking over the long list of titles. "There must be five hundred stories here."

She scrolled quickly down the page, barely letting him see what the titles were and searching for the 'G' rated ones.

William leaned even closer. "Wait a second," he said, stopping her. "Go back a little."

Resigning herself to the inevitability of it, she scrolled back up to the 'adult' section. "Where?"

"Right there." He pointed at the screen.

The titles by themselves were enough to make her blush!

She hesitated. "I...I don't think this is a very good idea."

"I do." He smiled his wicked smile again, but she had her head turned and didn't see it.


******************************


William didn't have to see her face to know what was going through her mind. The heat she was giving off was enough to melt the polar ice caps.

Although he felt sorry for her obvious embarrassment, it was too good an opportunity to miss. Placing his hand over hers on the mouse, he chose a title at random and clicked on it:

'Above And Beyond The Call'
Written by: Starlover, who doesn't own a speck of 'Outpost: Space', though she'd be willing to settle for owning Captain Amara.
Rating: Adults only! Keep an eye on your kids.
Summary: PWP (Do you really need to know more?)

As he read the story, Buffy sat rigidly still, not allowing herself to squirm in discomfort, and feeling rather foolish for wanting to.

**You're being ridiculous," she scolded herself. **You're a grown woman, with a child., and you've been around the block before...so, stop it!**

Her common sense told her off, but she still wasn't about to sit there and read along with him. Turning her face up, she observed his reaction and was charmed to see him just barely moving his lips as he read.

"Hmm." He straightened up and folded his arms across his chest.

Buffy had to ask. "How does it make you feel to read that? To have people write about you..." She couldn't make the words 'having sex' come out of her mouth. "...that way?"

He shrugged. "Honestly? Suddenly inadequate."

"What?" She was truthfully perplexed by his con- fession. "Why inadequate? In what way?"

Unlike Buffy, William had no problem making certain words come out of HIS mouth. "Well, it's damn flattering, but I should probably warn you before we get involved that I can't possibly ejaculate five times in fifteen minutes."

It was such an amusing, unexpected comment that she forgot to be embarrassed and just laughed. "Not even for me?"

"As beautiful and sexy as you are...no can do, honey. I'm good, but I'm not THAT good." Nudging her over a bit, he sat next to her on the chair.

"What a disappointment," she sighed.

"You're telling ME!" He pulled her onto his lap, wrapping both arms around her waist. "And," he added, "when I DO ejaculate, I don't produce puddles."

Another spurt of laughter burst out of her. Delighted by her reaction, he continued provoking it by comparing himself to the author's version. He informed her that he didn't walk around with a 24 hour a day erection; that he wasn't possessed of an 'endowment' that had its own zip code; and that he had most definitely never...and he stressed 'never'..even ATTENDED an orgy, much less STARTED one.

When her giggling was finally under control, Buffy tilted her head back to look at him. He returned her silent gaze for a moment, then glanced back at the computer screen.

"Do you know how much I want you," he read out loud from the text. "That I've always wanted you?"

He paused, gesturing for her to take up her part.

Buffy looked at the screen. "Those words trip easily off your tongue, Amara. You must have spoken them many times."

"Don't think to distract me, princess. I want you...and I WILL have you." He whispered the words in her ear, his breath warm on her skin.

Flustered by his actions, she lost her place for a moment.

"Where's...oh, here. Um...why are you so set upon me, when there are women at every station who would give you anything you asked of them?"

"But everyone knows that the daughter of Selkira is the most beautiful and exiting woman in the farthest reaches of occupied space."

"You have a quick and...and facile tongue, Earth-man."

"Let me show you what I can do with it." More words delivered right into her receptive ear, making her feel soft and pliable in his arms.

William turned her on his lap and captured her mouth beneath his. Their lips parted and their tongues caressed, playing and probing.

His arms tightened around her as the kiss deepened. There was passion and hunger, barely restrained, and neither had the will...or the desire...to stop.

Buffy was the first to break away. She stared into his dark eyes, a little dazed. "Would you...like to come upstairs?" she asked, shocking herself right out of her shoes. "To my...bedroom?"

He nodded slowly. "Very much."

---

Part Fourteen...


She slipped off his lap, standing on shaky knees. Taking both his hands in her own, she pulled him to his feet and across the room to the stairs.

As she placed her foot on the first riser, he made her stop and turned her to face. Then, he picked her up, but not in the usual 'carrying over the threshold' way. Instead, he plastered his body against hers. Urging her to wrap her legs around his waist, he carried her upstairs.

He paused for a moment so she could close Melanie's bedroom door. She saw an uneasy _expression cross his face, and she quickly reassured him. "She won't wake up. When she was a baby, I could vacuum right beneath her crib and she wouldn't move a muscle. It kind of worried me at first," she added as William proceeded down the hall to the bedroom she was pointing at. "But when I told her pedia- trician about it, he looked at me like I was crazy."

"Why's that?" William asked, pushing her bedroom door open with one foot, then closing it behind him.

"Because most parents complain when their babies don't sleep ENOUGH." she explained. "And there I was complain- ing that mine was sleeping too much."

He smiled, setting her on her feet. "I see what you mean."

They stood for a moment in silence, both of them displaying a little of the awkwardness caused by the enormity of what they were about to do.

But, when Buffy finally kicked herself into drive and reached to unbutton his shirt, he stopped her. "I need you to know something," he said seriously.

She could sense a warning coming, but wasn't sure of exactly which side of the fence it would land on. Torn between breathing hard and hardly breathing, she nodded.

"It's just...this isn't a one night stand. I've had my share of those and I know the difference. I want...I want more from this...from you."

A bolt of excitement raced up and down her spine at his words. "What do you want?"

"I want...everything," he said firmly. "Everything you're willing to give me."

When he spoke that way, there was nothing that she wouldn't give him.

"You'd better be sure of that," she said, lifting one hand to caress the side of his face. "Cause I've got an awful lot to give."

William turned his head. Closing his eyes, he placed a lingering kiss in the palm of her hand. "Give it to me, Buffy."


******************************


His lips were on hers before she could say a word, and then everything else in her mind slipped away. All she could think about was how good it felt to have this man's arms around her, strong and secure. She'd been sailing her emotional ship through storm tossed seas for too long; now she'd finally found a safe harbor...and she never planned to leave it again.

As his tongue parted her lips, he held her face in his hands to keep her still. Dipping into her mouth, he teased and explored.

Buffy's hands were clutching his upper arms, her fingers caressing the hard muscle of his biceps. When his hands moved around, sliding down to her waist and pulling her lower body more firmly against his, she moaned softly into his mouth.

Pulling away to allow them both to breathe, he turned her in his arms and sat down on the end of the bed. He parted his legs and pulled her closer until she was standing between them.

Buffy took a deep breath and stared down into blue eyes that were dark with desire. William stared right back, reaching for the buttons of her blouse.

There were only five buttons for him to deal with, and once he had the last one undone, he parted the sides of her shirt, gazing with undisguised lust at her bare skin and lacy, pink bra.

The zipper on the back of her skirt slid down before she even knew his hands were there. The cotton garment pooled around her feet, leaving her clad in just her underwear.

She felt a brief moment of embarrassment. It had been a very long time since anyone had seen her undressed. Her body was in pretty good shape...taking care of a six year old, a home, and a business kept her on her toes, plus she had a relatively fast metabolism that kept her from gaining weight...but having a child caused permanent changes that she couldn't control.

Her tummy, for instance. It was flat once again, but not as hard and toned as it had been before. There was a definite softness in her lower belly where the muscles and skin had stretched to accommodate a growing baby.

William's hands moved around her back and unfastened her bra with amazing finesse. He dropped the pink lace on the floor and licked his lips. "God, you're beautiful."

Buffy blushed. "Well, I'm not the fresh, young thing I once was," she said, hoping to amuse him. She knew perfectly well that her breasts were no longer the perky handfuls they'd been before she'd given birth. Motherhood had made them fuller and heavier, and had darkened the light pink of her nipples to a deeper shade of rose.

But William didn't seem put off in the slightest. Actually, he seemed just the opposite as he leaned forward and nuzzled the warm flesh of her stomach. "You're perfect," he said softly, looking back up at her. "Buffy...you've nurtured life inside of you here." He placed his hand over her abdomen, his thumb brushing caressingly back and forth. "And you've nursed a child," he added, laying an airy kiss on the soft skin between her breasts. "I think you're lovely. Every inch of you."

He was completely sincere. To him, she was the embodiment of 'woman', far more so than the dangerously thin females that moved through his normal social circle; the ones who rarely ate nourishing meals, and who had memberships at every gym, spa, and health resort on the West Coast.

Buffy was slender, but softly rounded in all the right places. She had no harsh angles or sharp curves. You couldn't see her ribs defined beneath her skin, or her hip bones jutting out. She was all smooth skin and warm, tender mounds of flesh.

Slipping his fingers into the elastic band of her panties, he tugged them down until they fell down to the floor and she stepped out of them. Then he sat back and let his eyes travel up and down her petite frame.

The crotch of his jeans was uncomfortably tight, a situation that had to dealt with before damage was done.

He turned her as he pulled her down on the bed, then kicked his shoes off and unbuttoned his shirt.

Buffy watched, so engrossed in what she was seeing that she forgot to be conscious of her own nudity.

Talk about beautiful bodies. She'd had no idea he was hiding such nicely defined muscles beneath his clothes. An inch or so over average height, he was on the lean side. There was no extra flesh hanging around his waist. His upper biceps were well cut and strong looking, and his abdomen was a work of art.

He was beautifully muscled, without looking overblown and heavy.

His chest was smooth, his skin unblemished, and only a light scattering of gold hair grew on his lower belly, descending below his belt.

Her silent admiration was interrupted by the sound of his pants being unzipped, and when she looked up, she found him kneeling on the bed. Grinning like a teenage boy about to lose his virginity, he dropped onto his hands and crawled up and over her, his belt and the fly of his jeans hanging open.

"Hi there," he said, dipping his head down to kiss the side of her neck. He gave her no opportunity to answer, but immediately captured her lips beneath his and kissed her deeply, no longer coy with his tongue.

She could have gone on kissing him for hours, he was so adept at it, but when he left her mouth to trail his lips down her throat and find the curve of her breast, she didn't try to hold him back.

His wet mouth closed over one nipple, and she felt an electric current zap her brain waves as he sucked at her.

"Oh...I like that," she murmured, just in case he was thinking of stopping.

"Mm-hmm?" he hummed, sucking harder. The vibration his voice made was an interesting sensation, and she groaned.

As he moved his attention to her other breast, he lowered himself down until his hips were wedged between her thighs, nudging them apart. "Buffy," he whispered against her skin. "Touch me."

She didn't hesitate to comply. Placing her hands on his shoulders, she trailed them down his back until she came to the waistband of his trousers. Her fingers played there, inching just slightly beneath the heavy denim.

Rolling his head between her breasts, he gasped. "Such soft little hands. I love your touch." His tongue darted out and swirled around the peaks, licking them with rough strokes.

Buffy arched her back, clutching the sides of his jeans where they rested low on his hips.

"Push them down," he directed her, sucking languidly on one erect nipple.

She shoved them down as far as she could with her hands, then used her feet to push them all the way off. There was no underwear to bother with.

With her eyes closed, she heard him exhale, "Better." He then propped his weight up on one arm, freeing his right hand. It slipped down between the mounds of her breasts, over her abdomen, then into the 'V' of her thighs.

Before she consciously knew what he was doing, he was moving down on the bed. Laying between her wide spread legs, he dipped his head and licked her.

"Well, look what I've found," he said, looking up at her and smirking, then going back down.

He didn't waste any time, but went straight for the good parts with another long, slow lick up her labia. His hands slipped beneath her bottom, lifting her to his mouth and sliding his tongue all the way inside her.

He took a firmer grip on the cheeks of her ass and jerked her against his mouth with short back and forth movements.

Buffy stared up at the ceiling with glazed eyes, wallowing in the erotic intimacy they were engaging in. Her fingers groped blindly, sinking into the silk of his hair and holding him harder as she strained towards orgasm.

Forcing his tongue in even deeper, he held still, allowing her to grind herself against his face.

Buffy's neck arched into a rigid arc as her natural juices flowed into his open mouth. When he tasted that, he knew she was very close and he withdrew his tongue and latched on to her clitoris, sucking voraciously.

Her lower body jerked hard with her pleasure, and she bit her lower lip almost to the point of bleeding to hold back a scream of satisfaction.

Much to her surprise, he didn't stop; he just kept on licking her gently, bringing her down from off the ceiling.


******************************


William moved back and looked up at her.

Buffy caught the look and blushed, wondering how long he'd been watching her.

"You still with me, honey?"

Although his tone was light, his need was not. Sitting up for a moment, he gave Buffy her first long look at his erection.

The only other penis she'd seen close up belonged to her ex-husband. Comparatively speaking, Angel once again came up short; weighed, measured, and found wanting.

William's shaft was long and hard as tempered steel. It extended straight out from his body, brazenly flaunting his absolute masculinity.

She wanted to touch it.

When he felt her fingers on him, he moaned, his eyes slowly drifting closed. She squeezed and fondled him until semen began to leak from the slit, lubricating her caress. Her hand pumped up and down, making wet sucking sounds.

He suddenly pulled away with a loud grunt. With his jaw clenched tight, he reached for his pants and pulled a small packet out of the front pocket.

A condom.

She'd never had sex with a rubber barrier involved. Angel had been her one and only lover, and they'd never bothered with them.

She watched as he rolled the condom on. He tossed the wrapper aside, and she picked it up to look at it.

"Hey!" she said brightly. "Ribbed for my pleasure."

He laughed. "Only for you, baby."

With the shield in place, he returned to his previous place between her legs. Kneeling, he sat back on his heels and pulled her forward until her legs were straddling his thighs. He positioned himself for penetration, then told her to look down...to watch...as he slowly buried himself.

There was some initial discomfort, but it faded quickly in the face of the gentle thrusting he was doing.

Buffy felt wonderfully filled by him, lifting her hips to meet his thrusts.

"Oh, yeah," William whispered hoarsely. "That's it. Keep doing that."

His words increased her arousal, making her even hotter and wetter.

Her head thrashed on the pillow, and then he lunged forward suddenly. Stretching out on top of her, he began thrusting harder and faster, spurred on by her soft cries.

He was almost delirious with the slick and hot friction, the tightening of her internal muscles around his penis sending a jolt of pleasure up and down its length.

"Buffy...yes...fuck, yes..uh..." He grunted with each thrust. "So good...tight...mine....you...mine...ah..."

She heard a roaring in her ears, a flood, a tidal wave, getting closer, heading for her. Bringing up one hand, she curved it around the back of William's neck, pressing his hot face more firmly against her damp skin. The other hand moved down and took a hold of his rear, digging her nails in lightly.

Any control he'd managed to hang on to was now slipping away from him. All he could do was abandon it and hope for the best.

His hips began churning more powerfully, slamming into her with a force that would probably leave a bruise. But she wasn't complaining, wasn't trying to get away, wasn't telling him to stop or even to slow down.

Her words, panted into his ear, were whispered pleas for him to go faster...harder...deeper. Never to stop.

"Buffy," he groaned. "I'm gonna come...oh, god...baby...do it...do it with me...please, baby...please..."

Planting her feet flat on the bed, Buffy rose to meet his downward thrust. They both stopped, grinding and pushing their loins together, caught in the grip of an explosive mutual orgasm.

When it was over, they collapsed, his body falling heavily onto hers as they both tried to catch their breath.

"So," Buffy said, stroking his shoulders and his back. "One down and four to go?"

He chuckled. "Give me a minute," he panted, "and I'll take a shot at it."

---

Part Fifteen...



"Do you feel like talking?"

Buffy turned on her side and smiled into William's eyes. "Sure. What about?"

He shrugged, looking almost boyishly shy for a moment. "How about what just happened?"

She considered the question, fairly sure he wasn't requesting a rating between 1 and 10 on his performance. It was definitely a solid 10, there was no doubt about it, but William didn't seem like the kind of man to need that sort of reassurance, which had to mean that he was ready to discuss the emotional implications of the act.

Problem was, she didn't know quite what they were just yet.

Oh, she knew enough to satisfy herself that what had occurred between them was in no way a mistake. Perhaps it had happened a little sooner than it should have, but they'd both been willing participants and were both well over the age of consent.

And she knew that he cared for her in some way. He'd made that more than clear when he'd told her that she wasn't a one night stand for him. He hadn't needed to say that. She'd been ready, willing and able to go to bed with him before he'd made that statement, and had he NOT made it, she wouldn't have done any differently

Unsure of how to say everything she felt, she worked at collecting her thoughts.

"How do you feel about me?" he asked, moving close enough to drape his arm across her waist.

"I think you're wonderful." The words tumbled out of her mouth before she could stop them, making her cheeks flush.

William didn't seem to notice. "Why?" he asked, with perfect sincerity.

She could see by the look on his face that he really wanted an answer, and could sense an inner desperation, as though he'd been lied to in the past, or not cared about for the right reasons; not wanted for WHO he was, but for WHAT he was.

"Because," she said, touching his cheek and smiling when he instantly turned his head to kiss her palm, "you're gentle, and you're funny, and you make me feel things that I haven't felt in so long I'd forgotten how. You genuinely care about total strangers. I mean...I watched you at the convention, and you were...were really THERE. You were giving all your attention to the people who came there to see you. When they asked you questions, you looked right at them, and you listened to what they had to say. People you'll likely never see again...you made them feel like friends. Signing all those autographs...you didn't seem to mind how long it took. God, I get grouchy if I have to sign too many Christmas cards. But you were so patient, so friendly with every- one."

It seemed to be what he needed to hear. Moving a little closer in the bed, he kissed her with amazing tenderness.

"So....you like me, then?" he asked, kissing the tip of her nose.

"Yes. Very much."

"That's good to know. Because I sort of...well, I....."

Once again, he seemed surprisingly shy about articulating his thoughts, a trait she found endearing considering the profession he was in.

He shook his head, laughing a little at his own clumsiness. "You know what you said about feeling things you haven't felt in years? It's the same for me."

Rolling onto his back, he stared at the ceiling with one hand behind his head.

"I'm not going to lie to you, Buffy. I've had a lot of women interested in me for one reason or another. Some of it was real and some of it wasn't. Believe me, I'm not trying to sound like a conceited jerk here, but a lot of it was because of the show. There were some women who couldn't have cared less about me...as long as the show was in the top 10 every week. Some of them were more interested in what I could do for them career wise."

Buffy suspected this was all very true, and she was a little surprised that he wasn't a more cynical person because of it.

Somehow, he'd retained an inner sweetness that couldn't have been easy for him to hold on to in the world he lived in.

"Well," she said, propping her head on her hand, "that's their loss, isn't it?"

William turned his head and smiled at her. "You know, I think you're wonderful, too."

"You do, huh?" She struggled to sound as though her heartbeat hadn't just quadrupled.

"Yeah," he nodded, pushing a lock of her hair off her cheek. "When I first saw you at the convention, I was so attracted to you. I felt this...this pull towards you...and, now..."

Breathless, she waited out the pause.

"I think about you all the time," he said softly. "I miss you when we're apart. That's never happened to me before with anyone else."

"William..."

"Please don't tell me it's too soon." He hushed her with one finger touching her upper lip. "Because there's nothing I can do about it."

Gently, she pushed his hand away, but held on to it. "That's not what I was going to say," she informed him, guiding his hand to her breast.

He drew an unsteady breath. "What, then?"

Now, it was Buffy's turn to be shy. "I was going to ask you to make love to me again," she forced out. "But now..."

His warm fingers closed around her breast, squeezing it tenderly. "Now...?"

"I think...I want to make love to you instead."

Actually, she'd never been more certain of anything. Not just because she found him desirable or had feelings for him, but also because she needed to give him a physical demonstration of those feelings and show him that they were very real, that all she wanted from him was him- self.

Her words had quite an effect on him. He breathed in deeply as his eyes darkened to sapphire gems, kindling with heat.

The sight both aroused and worried her. Now that she'd made the overture, she wasn't quite sure where to start, never having been the aggressor in sexual matters.

In the beginning, with Angel, her youth and her rather sheltered upbringing had made her too reserved to initiate intimacy. By the time she was over it, he had already started sleeping around and the love she'd once felt had turned to suspicion and then to revulsion, poison- ing everything between them, seeping into her like icy lake water and making her cold to him...frigid, as he'd never hesitated to point out.

In fact, in the midst of their divorce, he'd tried to make it seem like his unfaithfulness was more HER fault than HIS, claiming that after Melanie's birth, Buffy had been so wrapped up in her baby that she'd neglected her husband, forcing him to find comfort in other women's beds.

Knowing that it took two people to either make a marriage work or tear it apart, she'd been willing to take a share of the blame. But, even as far back as their college days courtship, Angel had been a philanderer at heart, and she'd been stupid to think that marriage and fatherhood would change him.

Now, of course, she knew that she was far from frigid. Light years away, in fact. Her encounter with William had been the proof of it.

Whatever ice may have been formed inside of her during her failing marriage was melting in the heat he caused so effortlessly, a warmth that started in her center and radiated throughout her body.

Buffy was certain that there wasn't a woman alive who could be frigid with him around.



*********************************



"What do you feel when I touch you?" she whispered.

He smiled expectantly. "Touch me," he whispered back, "and I'll describe it for you."

Starting at the top, her hand caressed his face, stroking the fine bone structure with her thumb. It glided down his throat and explored his pectorals before continuing its journey south.

She smiled when he moved invitingly closer, bending her head to kiss the hard layer of muscle below his rib cage.

"Tell me."

"Well," he said hoarsely, "the first word that comes to mind is.." One hand began to stroke her hair as she teased him with more soft kisses, moving down lower. "Torture."

"Really?" She was delighted. "Want me to stop?" she asked, dipping her tongue into the cup of his navel.

"Christ, no!" he said, coming down hard on the 'no'.

Her hand reached down and took a firm hold on his fully erect organ, giving it a gentle squeeze that made him groan out loud.

"Harder," he begged. "Slide your hand up and down like....yeah, like that...just like that." His hips lifted a little, thrusting him into her closed fist. "Jesus, Buffy. I don't think my cock's ever been so hard."

His comment increased her own building arousal.

This was something very new for her...erotic talking as foreplay. Angel's pillow talk had mostly consisted of directions; 'Move up a little...raise your legs...hold still...'

Buffy liked William's approach better. She wanted to play, too.

"Tell me what you want," she said, rubbing her cheek against his upper thigh.

"I want you to...to keep doing that...keep touching me like that."

She shook her head. That wasn't what she wanted to hear. "No, say it the right way."

His eyes had been closed. Now, he opened them, looking down and meeting her intent gaze.

It wasn't difficult to see what she meant. Still...

"Are you sure, babe?"

Her silence and one arched eyebrow convinced him.

"All right then," he said, his voice deepening. "I want you to play with my cock. Squeeze it and rub it."

Now, THESE were directions she could get used to!

Her hand continued pumping slowly, alternating her strokes with squeezes. "Is that what you want?"

"Yeah," he nodded, swallowing hard at the deliciously wanton sight of her crouching between his spread legs.

"Anything else?"

His erection was almost touching her lips. Hoping he wasn't being overly graphic for her, he said, "I'd love to feel your mouth on it."

She brought the head of his shaft to her lips, placing an airy kiss on it. "And?"

Sensing that she wanted it more plainly said, he dis- carded gentility. "Take my cock in your mouth. Suck on it," he demanded, pushing himself more firmly against her lips.

At this point, she was too aroused to resist or tease. Holding his hips, she allowed his length to slide smoothly into her mouth. She tasted moisture and salt on her tongue, an intoxicating flavor.

His moans of pleasure told her that she must be doing something right. Gaining confidence, she bathed him in tenderly sucking caresses, swirl and fluttering her tongue around the head of his penis.

He threw his head back, arching his hips higher to get deeper inside. Buffy felt a thrill of feminine power at the sight and sound of him lying before her, needing her so desperately. Cupping his testicles in her hand, she held them gently as her mouth moved up and down.

When he let out a harsh grunt and pushed her away, she was dazed and surprised. Still holding him in her hand, she could feel the pulsing throb of the orgasm he'd been getting close to having.

Looking up at him, she shook her hair out of her eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he said, striving for control. "I don't want to come yet." Looking into her eyes, he tangled his fingers in her hair and urged her back up to him. "I want to fuck you first," he whispered hotly in her ear.

The power and dominance she'd felt before changed hands instantly. Now, she was the one made helpless by his words and deeds, letting them sweep her along on hot waves of sexual energy.

With his hands on her shoulders, William turned her over until she was lying on her stomach. He straddled her hips, one knee pressing down into the mattress on either side of her. Moving down a little, he lowered his head and kissed the small of her back, then tongued the length of her spine.

"Like this," he murmured against her damp skin. "I want to take you from behind."

Although he didn't ask, she could tell he was waiting for her to accept or deny the whole idea. Pressing her scarlet cheek against the pillow, she nodded.

He said something she couldn't understand through the drum of her heart beat pounding in her ears, and took a firm hold on her hips, pulling her back until she was on her knees.

"Grab on to the headboard," he said, his voice a fierce whisper.

Buffy wrapped her fingers around the cold brass, waiting.

Pressing himself against her thighs, his fingers slid around her hips into the wet heat of her sex, seeking her clit and coaxing pleasure out of her with gentle persistence.

Her mouth felt dry from all the panting she was doing. Lick- ing her lips, she concentrated on his touch.

"God....you're so responsive," he marveled. "So wet for me."

Tiny orgasmic shivers rippled through her every time he pinched her clitoris, whetting her appetite for the one that would rock the foundations of the house.

William sucked in a deep breath. Taking himself in hand, he rolled on another condom and then eased into her a little at a time, drawing out the pleasure of penetration. When he was completely buried in her heat, he grabbed her hips again and ground against her, gasping when he felt her tightening around his cock.

He looked down at the place where their bodies were joined, nearly undone by the sight of his shaft sliding in and out of her, wet and shiny when it emerged from the slick, tight recess of her body.

The bedsprings rocked as they moved together. She was so wet and soft that he could finally abandon control and fuck her deep and hard without fear of hurting her.

With her eyes closed and her head tilted back, she seemed to him like the perfect picture of sensual woman, all soft rounded curves and smooth, scented skin. Her back dipped so fetchingly that he had to take one hand and slide it down the surface of her flesh to see how it felt.

"Buffy," he groaned out. "Push back against me...harder...ah, that's it...that's good...you like this?"

All she could do was nod and make some incomprehensible sound to signal him that she was highly pleased.

Suddenly, he needed her closer. Sliding one arm around her waist, he pulled her back on her knees until their bodies were pressed firmly together. With nothing to hold on to, she slipped one arm behind his neck when he leaned down to nuzzle her throat.

Locking his arms tightly around her, he began thrusting harder and faster, breathing in the floral fragrance of her hair, mixed with the more earthy scent of raw sex.

"Come on, sweetheart," he urged. "Come for me...I want to feel you come...all over me...so wet and hot...I need it...I need YOU ...baby...yes...feels so good...so sweet."

He drove into her over and over again. Buffy gasped for breath, nearly screaming when she felt him use one finger to play with her clitoris.

That was all she needed to send her over the top. Her internal muscles clamped down hard, trapping him inside her as she orgasmed.

The feel of her spasming around him brought on his own climax. Biting his lip to hold back a shout of pleasure, he pushed her down on the mattress and delivered three more thrusts before he erupted.

When he began ejaculating, he pulled out and stripped off the condom, then burrowed his cock between the tight sheath of her inner thighs, grinding his pelvis as the hot fluid spewed out of him.

After it was over, they lay tangled together on the mussed bedsheets, waiting for their breathing to regulate and their bodies to calm down.

"See?" he murmured in her ear, stroking and fondling and petting her all over. "Wonderful."

Being held so close that their hearts pounded in unison, Buffy nodded. "Yes. You are."

"WE are," he insisted. "You..and me...together."

"Together."



****************************************



A short time later, William rolled over in bed and checked the clock.

"I hate to say this, but I guess I should go. If I fall asleep here, you'll never wake me up."

Buffy sat up in bed and wrapped the sheet around her upper body, watching him get dressed. She knew he was doing the right thing, and she knew he was doing it because he didn't want confuse or upset Melanie should she awaken and come looking for her mother.

A tiny smile formed on her lips. If he only knew.

"What are you smiling at?" he asked, sitting down next to her.

She shook her head. "It's nothing."

"Oh, come on. That's mean. You can't do that to me."

Looking up at him, she made a snap decision, hoping it was the right one and wouldn't send him running for the hills.

"It's about Melanie. Something she said."

"Well, I want to know," he insisted. "Tell me."

Buffy sighed. If he was going to run, she'd just as soon find out now. "Okay. Remember I told you about 'share time' in school? When she talked about you?"

"Yeah. And the kids didn't believe her."

"Right."

"But I fixed that...didn't I?"

"Yes," she assured him. "But she said something else about you...something bigger."

"Tell me," he prompted again.

Well...he was asking for it. "She said that you were going to be her...her new...daddy."

Sitting back against the headboard, she watched as a slow smile appeared on his face.

"Really? She said that?"

So far, he wasn't running. He actually looked almost...proud.

"Yeah, she did."

"You think she wants me to be?"

Buffy just shrugged and nodded.

There was a short silence, then William reached for her hand. "Tell me about her father."




CONTINUED...



Back to Fiction: By Alpha ~ Back to Fiction: By Season