Dawn saw Spike's bike parked on the side of the building and said a quick prayer of thanks for her good luck. She had some advice for him on how to break through Buffy's well-developed practicalness.

The bell jingled, and Spike stood up, surprised at the customer. He couldn't help, but smile, wondering what the younger Summers was doing here.

"Dawn, isn't it?" Spike wiped his hands on a cloth, and waited for Dawn to stop staring at him.

"Yes. You remembered." Too bad you're all into my sister, she sighed.

"What can I help you with?"

"Oh, two things." Dawn said. "I'm looking for something unique for my mom's birthday, and I want to help you split up Buffy and Riley." She strode over to the sculpture section, checking out the African pieces.

"Does Buffy know you're here?" He asked, shocked at her boldness.

"No, she's at work. I thought you might like some insight into Buffy's character before your dinner tonight." Dawn gestured at the black marble figurine. "This is beautiful. Who's the artist?"

"Udele. He's from Ghana. This piece is of a mother and child. At the bottom, she's nursing the child, and at the top, she's lifting the child up into adulthood."

"It's breathtaking. Did your father travel to Ghana to get this?"

"No, Udele is a friend. They met many years ago when Udele was visiting England. He sends dad pieces every now and then. Actually, we just got that one in." Spike pointed to the dismantled boxes littering the store floor.

"Oh, I'm disturbing you. I'm sorry. I can come back."

"Not if you're going to help me by tonight." Spike grinned and Dawn grinned back.

"Then, we'd better get started. Buffy's a complicated woman."

"I'm going to close up at 5, so I should be home no later than 5:30." Buffy took the tongs off the hook, and moved the white sheet around in the developing solution.

"Riley said he was going to stop by before going to work tonight. I'm not meeting Spike until 7:30, so that gives us plenty of time to talk." Buffy's attention was drawn to the developing picture. It was a close-up of Spike. She decided to do some of the photos in black and white. This was one of the black and white ones, and it showed off his eyes beautifully.

"Sorry, Tara. Somebody is at the door. I gotta go. Okay, I'll see you then. Bye."

Buffy wiped her hands on a towel, and hung the photo up to dry. "You can let go of that buzzer at anytime buddy."

Buffy stormed to the back door, peeking out the peephole. Riley was standing outside, looking around. Buffy closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and opened the door.

"Hi, babe." Riley said walking past her.

"Hi, what are you doing here?"

"Thought I might take you out for lunch since I've got to work tonight."

"I wish I could. I've got 3 more rolls to develop, plus 2 shoots before five."

"You're closing early, why?"

"I'm going to dinner with a friend from college. We ran into each other at the book signing yesterday." That wasn't a complete lie. Just an itty bitty one.

"Oh, well, I can help you develop your pictures." He looked so cute, Buffy hated to say 'no'. It would be nice to have some help, and it would keep her mind off the man she was meeting later.

"Okay. Do you remember how we did it last time?"

"I remember." Riley said, watching Buffy's butt sway in her cargo pants.

Buffy moved the photos of Spike to the other side of the room.

Riley stared at the photo. "Is this the guy?"

Buffy looked over her shoulder. "What guy?" She asked suspiciously.

"The guy that wrote the book, silly."

"Yeah, his name is William Giles."

"Hmm, interesting." Riley said, disliking the blond instantly. Why did it seem like he was smirking at him?

"Riley, you said you were going to help me. Because if you aren't sweetie, I'm going to have to ask you to go, nicely, of course. I'm on a deadline."

"Ah, my little Bufffy is busy." Riley pulled Buffy into his chest, hugging her tightly. Buffy scrunched her nose up. Obviously today wasn't wash day. She guessed, holding her breath.

"You are so tense. Let me help you." Riley massaged her shoulders and neck, and Buffy had to admit, it felt good. She thought nothing of it, when he turned her around, kneading the muscles of her back. It was only when he dropped to his knees, and lifted her shirt did she realize his intent.

"Uh, Riley. Not now. I don't want to." She said, attempting to turn around.

"Buff. You need this." Riley said, allowing her to turn around in his arms. "Let me help you unwind." He planted kisses on her bellybutton, and Buffy squirmed, but not from pleasure. Riley was her boyfriend, and he wanted to fool around. This was normal behavior between a man and a woman, then why was she resisting? The blonde-eyed man staring back at her from across the room, might have something to do with it, her mind insisted.

She felt Riley's hands pulling at her pants, and she resigned herself to the sex. It wasn't right to deny him because of Spike. Buffy toed off her shoes, and stepped out of her pants. She winced at the rough manner in which Riley stroked her cleft. Buffy parted her legs, hoping Riley would stop jabbing into her tender flesh.

"God, you are so beautiful." Riley mumbled from between her thighs. Buffy fisted her fingers in his hair, trying to forget the feel of soft, blond curls.

"Uh, huh." She said, willing her body to react appropriately. She gasped as his fingers pushed inside her. She could do this. She cared about Riley. He cared about her. His soft, green eyes could melt anyone's heart.

"Riley, I need you inside me."

"I need to be inside you." He answered.

Buffy heard the distinctive sound of the condom wrapper ripping, and she breathed a sigh of relief. She wouldn't have to clean spunk off the walls. Hallelujah.

When he had the condom in place, he pulled her to his mouth, kissing her passionately. This was the right thing to do. This was her life. She had to keep that mantra up as Riley lifted her up, and she felt his throbbing cock ease into her slick folds. She wasn't as ready as she would have liked, but she wrapped her legs around his waist, and held on tightly as he pleasured her with long, hard strokes, driving incessantly into her warmth. Buffy closed her eyes because she couldn't stand to look at him, lost in the sensation of her muscles milking him. She wasn't anywhere near a climax, but she would give him all she had, and hoped it would be enough.

Riley gripped her hips, holding her close as she rocked on his cock. "I'm gonna cum, Buffy."

"Oh, baby, me too. Harder, harder. I'm almost there." She screamed.

She could just hear Lorne's voice in her ear. "And the Oscar for Best performance in the Fake Orgasm category goes to….drum roll please…. Buffy Summers."

Buffy whimpered and moaned as her nails dug into Riley's shoulder. The pain was enough to send him over the edge, and she winced as the counter pressed painfully into her back. Riley was breathing heavily, kissing her forehead, and mumbling incoherent words of love and praise into her hair.

Buffy rubbed her hands on his back, willing his penis to soften quicker so she could run to the bathroom, and clean up. It struck her as ironic that she made love to Spike all night, and had never thought of washing his scent off her body, but one more minute with Riley's sweat on her skin was going to make her ill.

Her mind taunted her. Please, girl. You know damn well why everything was better with Spike. This isn't brain surgery, Buffy.

"Whew, Buff. I needed that." Riley said when Buffy finally opened her eyes. "I know you needed that. Do you feel better now?" He said seductively, swirling his hips.

"I needed that." She said, kissing him slowly, twisting her tongue around his.

The phone rang, and Riley swore. "Let it ring. Give me a few minutes, and we can go again." Buffy shook her head.

"I can't." She said, adding a pout as she urged him to put her down, which he did, reluctantly.

Buffy tripped over her pants, and staggered bare-ass to the phone on the wall.

"Hello."

"Buffy, this is Spike." Buffy closed her eyes. Why me, lord? Am I a bad person? Do I deserve this?

"Buffy?"

"Yeah, I'm here. You know, this isn't really a good time for me."

"Why? Is your boyfriend there?" Spike scowled when she didn't answer. He had to remind himself Riley was the boyfriend, for now.

"Um.."

"Don't worry. I called to give you the directions to Ipolito's. You can call me at the Magic Box. Do you have the number?"

Buffy jumped as Riley rubbed his erection into her backside. She shooed him away. "I can find it. I'll call you back." She quickly hung the phone up, and turned around to find Riley completely naked, and raring to go.

"Riley, I told you I have to work. We're not doing this again." She said, reaching to pick up her pants.

"It'll be quick, I promise you." Riley reached his hands around her waist, rubbing her taut belly.

"No!" Buffy said, pushing his hands off of her. "No, means no. I have to work. I don't have time for this sweetie."

Riley was immediately contrite, but his penile situation hadn't gotten the message. "Okay, I get you have to work, but.." And he pointed to his crotch.

"Are you asking me to blow you?" Buffy asked incredulous. He couldn't be this thick.

"From your tone, I'm thinking that would be a 'no'." Riley said, picking up his shorts, and sliding them gently over his throbbing member.

"That would be no." Buffy said, hating having to be harsh with him. She rose up and gave him a kiss on the lips, quickly pulling away in case he got the wrong impression.

"Thanks for the diversion, though."

"My…um…pleasure. I'll just be in the bathroom." Riley moved gingerly to the door, turning his back when he saw Dawn standing at the front door, keys in hand.

"Riley." She threw off-handedly at him.

"Dawn." He groaned.

Dawn noticed his state, and the devil took over her. "Riley, can I ask you a question? My friend has this old board his grandfather used to use back in the day. Do you think he can restore it without losing the feel of the board? Riley…are you okay? You sure are sweating a lot."

"Dawn!" Buffy yelled, coming out and seeing the pained look on Riley's face, and the gleeful expression on Dawn's.

Riley gave her a grateful, tight-lipped grin, and scrambled off as best as possible to the bathroom.

Buffy yanked Dawn back into the backroom, letting the darkroom air out.

"Did you just screw him?" Dawn accused her in a harsh whisper.

"Is that really any of your business, Dawn?"

"Yes, it is. I work here too. What if I had had someone with me, and you're in there getting busy with your… your boyfriend?" Dawn wasn't upset with Buffy for having sex, it was having sex with Riley, and she was meeting Spike later.

"Dawn, these things happen between couples." Buffy explained, wishing this day over.

"Especially, when one of them is denying her feelings for someone else." Dawn angrily uttered in Buffy's ear.

"I am not doing that. I was having sex with my boyfriend." The sisters glared at each other, only stopping when they heard the bathroom door open. They stuck their heads through the curtain, and watched a wobbly-kneed Riley peek into the darkroom.

"Don't move. I'll be right back."

"Riley," she said as he hugged her. "Sorry, we didn't have the time to do that properly." She said sensuously for Dawn and Riley's benefits.

"That's okay. That should tide me over till tomorrow. I promise you an all-day marathon. Thank god for Sundays."

"Yah, go Sundays!!" Buffy shouted. "You'd better go. I don't want to be tempted."

Spike stood under the showerhead, letting the hot water scorch his skin. He winced at the temperature, but he needed something to deaden him, make him numb. He should have been happy. He was going to see Buffy again, but that call had him angry. Why had fate brought her back into his life only to have her involved with someone else?

After she'd abruptly ended the call, he'd briefly considered hurling the thing against the wall. He didn't, knowing that wouldn't have solved anything, and would have pissed off his dad. Giles came into the room, took one look at Spike, and headed the other way. He returned with a glass of the house special, and handed it to Spike, urging him to drink. The cool, minty brew had done nothing to calm him, but his father's presence had.

"Spike, do you still want to go to dinner with Buffy? No one would blame you for backing out."

"I'm going. I've never backed down from a challenge in my life. She was with him, and I'm jealous, plain and simple."

Giles sat at his desk, staring at the papers on it, before clearing his throat. Spike closed his eyes, knowing a lecture was coming. He opened them, fully expecting Giles to have his glasses in hand, cleaning them. He did and Spike chuckled at the familiar gesture.

"Spike, this isn't 3 years ago. You must remember that in all that time, life has gone on, for both of you. You can't expect her to transform her life just because you chose this time to reappear in it."

"What if tonight is the end? What if after tonight she walks right back out of my life?"

"That's a risk you're going to have to take. Spike, if it's meant to be with her, it will. Look at Anya and me. Did you ever think I'd marry after all these years?"

Spike shook his head over the lovesick look on Giles' face. "No, but I'm glad you did."

"I am too. I waited 46 years to find the perfect woman for me. You've only waited 3. Learn some patience, my boy." Giles smacked Spike affectionately on the back, and went out front to finish the unloading. "Don't expect too much from tonight. Just let things happen."

Spike turned the water off, and grabbed a towel off the rack. He barely had his foot out the tub, when he heard the doorbell ring. Wrapping the towel around his waist, he ran to the door to see who it was.

He smiled, seeing the brown-headed man shuffling impatiently at the door.

"When did you get back from your trip?" Spike stepped aside, and Cordelia's little brother entered, carrying a paper bag from Ipolitos.

"Late last night. Of course, Cordy had me up early this morning running errands for the club and the restaurant. Sorry, I missed your set last night. Heard it was inspiring." Connor smirked as he walked into the living room.

"I swear I'm gonna start calling your sister 'Chatty Cathy'. The woman can't keep a secret. You want a beer? I need a beer." Spike pulled two Warsteiner's out the fridge and handed one to Connor.

"Don't blame Cordy. It was actually Mama who told me." Connor shrugged at Spike's shocked look. "Hey, they talk constantly. It was the first thing I heard this morning over coffee. Just to warn you, don't be surprised if Mama pulls out all the stops. You know how she gets. She can smell romance from a mile away. She should have been a matchmaker in a former life."

"Great. An Italian grandmother on the prowl. When's she going set her sights on you?" Spike teased, taking a swig of the German brew.

"Thankfully, she's given up on me."

"Nah, she's just waiting you out. As soon as Lindsey pops the question, you're toast." Connor nodded, resigned to that fact.

"Before I forget, here's the tiramisu. It's from Mama's special batch. Cordy said she started making it last night, so it's potent." Connor handed Spike the two boxes. Spike put them in the fridge, wondering if he'd be eating them by himself tonight.

"Give me the 411. Are those two meddlesome females planning something tonight?" Spike jokingly asked.

"No, they want to see how you do on your own, but if they suspect things are going badly, they'll intervene." Connor grinned.

Spike groaned, knowing things could be worse. Dru and Angel could show up at the restaurant too. Oh, can't forget the boyfriend. Connor looked at his watch and swore.

"Dude, I've got to go. Gotta stop by Cordy's before heading back to the restaurant. I'll see you later." Spike walked him to the door, readjusting the towel as he went.

"See ya later, Romeo." Connor said, blowing kisses at him as he walked backwards down the front walk.

"Very funny, whelp. You should be a comedian." This is going to be a disaster. Spike thought. He scratched his chin, and went off to shave.

Buffy pulled out another outfit and threw it on the bed. She glanced at the clock. 5:15. Thanks to Dawn's silent treatment, they were able to get all the rolls developed and the shoots completed early. Buffy came home, drew a hot, bubble bath, and had soaked in the tub, till her skin puckered. Buffy hated fighting with Dawn, especially when there wasn't anything to fight about. Buffy was dating Riley. If they wanted to have sex, they could. Then, why did she feel like she was cheating on Spike? She should be feeling just the opposite. Riley was her boyfriend. Spike was the former lover. Buffy dunked her head in the water, holding her breath till it was necessary to come up for air.

Spike. Riley. Riley. Spike. She really didn't have a choice in the matter. Spike was too late. That girl he dreamed about, the one he wrote about in his book, didn't exist. Not since that night. She didn't take chances anymore. Her life had order and structure, and for some reason, she didn't think it would with Spike. Everything about him was bright and carefree. And Riley offers you stability? Her brain asked. Yes, there was nothing surprising about Riley. He was predictable. Oh, how droll, her mind taunted.

Buffy sighed again, noticing that a good 10 minutes had passed while she was in dreamland. She needed to get her ass in gear. The Troika would be here soon. As if on cue, the doorbell rang. Buffy didn't bother to go to it, knowing either Tara or Willow would use their key.

"Darling, we're here." She heard Lorne yell from the front.

"In the bedroom, guys!"

And like the misfit group they were, in walked the famous Troika of San Diego State University. Buffy had met the threesome in her freshman year at SDSU. They took her under their wings, showing her the sights and sounds of the San Diego area. They'd also encouraged her love for photography. They had taken it upon themselves to screen and run off many potential suitors. She didn't know what she'd do without them.

"Buffy, you look like a wet poodle. Is this the new look for young twentysomethings?" Lorne smiled and hugged her tightly. "Long time, no see, my dear."

Buffy giggled. "Thanks, Lorne. And how's the new girlfriend? Heard she's into retro. Big hair, heavy makeup, too small dresses.

"Yikes, Buffy! That describes half the women in Venice." Tara picked up a blue fitted shirt, giving it the once over before throwing it back on the bed.

"Everyone take a glass." Willow told them, handing out shot glasses of Tequila. "Okay, on 3, slam."

"One." Tara said. "Two." Lorne said. "Three." Buffy finished.

Buffy's mouth twisted and she shook her head to clear the haze the tequila created. "Whew! I'm done. That's all I need is to be drunk when I see Spike."

"Yes, we wouldn't want anything to happen while you were under the influence." Lorne drawled sarcastically, placing his glass on the dresser.

"Are these our choices for tonight, dear?" Lorne asked, disdainfully picking up a white gauzy shirt. He shook his head. "Oh, I don't think so."

"What's wrong with that blouse? Riley likes it."

"Just one more reason it needs to go." Willow said, joining Lorne inside the walk-in closet.

"First things, first. We have a little presentation for you, Buffy." Tara said, running out of the room.

"Buffy have a seat, please." Lorne guided her over to the bed, and sat her down.

Buffy groaned good-naturedly. "What have you three gone and done now?"

Tara came back into the room with a sketchpad, and leaned it against the mirror. Lorne stood to one side, and Willow stood on the other.

"Doll, just so you know this wasn't done to influence you in either direction. We got the impression from our many talks over the years and in the last few days, that you may have questions concerning your feelings for Riley and Spike."

"So, we made up a checklist of important points." Willow said, smiling cheekily.

"Did you stop for drinks before coming here?" Buffy asked them, failing miserably not to laugh.

"Yes, we did, but that's besides the point. We want to help you with this decision." Tara told her.

"There's no decision to make. I already have a boyfriend." Buffy protested.

"Yes, you do, but, and I don't think I'm out of line here, you have some lingering feelings for Spike." Willow argued back.

"Fine. Whatever. Let's just get on with it." Buffy conceded, knowing this was a losing battle.

"Okay, love. We picked the 4 most important qualities in a man." Willow said, grinning. "Well, to you anyway. Tara and I aren't picky."

"Obviously." Lorne quipped. Tara smacked him on the arm.

"What? It's the truth." Lorne rolled his eyes, and stuck his tongue out at her.

"The most important quality is his ability to give you an orgasm. Now, we're not talking those 'ah, I could have had a V8' orgasm. We're talking the 'omigod, I'm crawling out of my skin because my body's vibrating so much it hurts' kind of orgasm."

Buffy was stunned. They were certifiable, but that pretty much described the orgasms Spike gave her.

"So, do we put a mark under Spike's name or Riley's?" Lorne prompted. Buffy gulped. They were staring at her carefully, watching her skin turn a pretty shade of red.

"Um.. um.. this is ridiculous. I'm not going to rank my orgasms by lover. They are two totally different people. They have different techniques, different penises, for goodness sake."

"Methinks the lady doth protest too much." Willow commented. "Put a check under Spike's name. If it was Riley, she would have jumped at the chance to tell us."

"Willow." Buffy shouted, knowing she'd been caught.

"Okay, on to the second quality. Shared interests. We only have what Dawn told us about Spike's father and his store, and what we know about you to set a criteria for this category."

"Spike." Buffy quickly amended the statement. "But I'm not with Riley because of shared interests. Not every person you become involved with likes the same things you do."

"Uh, huh." Lorne said, putting another check under Spike's name.

"Well then, on to number three. Looks slash build. Which one suits you best?" Willow asked her.

"Dawn was more than happy to give us a description of Spike Giles. 5'10" with blond hair and blue eyes with muscles everywhere, but not the bulky kind. She said he reminded her of a swimmer." Buffy wasn't sure if she liked Tara's obvious enjoyment of Spike's attributes.

"Then, we have Riley Finn, typical Southern California surfer dude. Tall, muscular, sandy blonde hair, green eyes, gentle soul." Lorne smiled, and then stuck his finger down his throat.

"So Buffy, which body type do you like?" Tara asked in the same vein of a survey taker in the mall.

"I don't know. I like them both." That's not true. How many times have you complained Riley was too tall? And the whole posture thing? Be honest, girl.

They waited for her to mentally deny the truth before getting impatient. Lorne gestured to Tara to go on to the next question.

"Fine, we move on to the last one. It's important because it gives us a glimpse of where this relationship could go? Ability to drive Buffy wild." Tara wiggled her eyebrows, and Buffy had a sudden urge to wrap her fingers around her throat.

"What's that supposed to mean? Is that in a good sense or a bad sense?" Buffy asked confused.

"Is there a good or bad wild? Wild is wild." Lorne said.

"We're talking about the ability to make you do crazy, unpredictable, loud, uninhibited things like spending the night, all night having mad, passionate, legs too sore to move the next day sex." Buffy felt like a human match. Her traitorous body had an excellent memory, and it was reminding her in a not so unpleasant way just how wild she could get.

"Buffy? Are you okay?" Tara asked, grinning at her. "You look a little flushed. So who makes you wild, Riley or Spike?"

"That's the tequila, nothing else, witch!" Buffy stood up, ignoring the knowing looks from her best friends.

"Put a check under Spike's name, Lorne. I think we have our answer." Willow told him giddly. "It's the classic avoidance technique. I see it all the time at work."

"I'm not avoiding anything. I'm trying to get dressed for dinner." Came the snarky reply from the bathroom.

"Buffy, dear, we're just trying to help." Lorne told her. "We meant no harm."

"Oh, I know full well what you demons were about, but it doesn't matter." She said, coming out of the bathroom with dots of foundation all over her face. "Dating Riley. Not dating Spike."

"Buffy's right." Tara piped in. "She's with Riley. Why else would she have sex with him, if she didn't care about him?"

"Doll face, what were you thinking?"

"Lorne, Riley is my boyfriend. We are in a relationship. Please tell me, Dawn didn't ring you up with that information?"

"Well," Willow hedged. She looked over at Tara who nodded, and got up to get the bottle of Tequila. "Riley told Xander. He was bragging about it."

"Are you just saying that so I don't kill Dawn or is that the truth?"

Lorne blanched. "We do not lie to each other. We may trick and manipulate each other for the greater good, but we do not lie."

"You know you just fucked up all chances of having sex with Spike tonight?" Tara poured another round of Tequila. She handed one to Buffy, who threw back the shot, choking on the hot liquid.

"Is that why you did it?" Willow accused her.

"No, he wanted to so we did. He missed me last night."

"He missed you." Tara stated. "What about you? Did you miss him?"

"That's not the point and you know it. And this was no lame ass attempt on my part to stop myself from sleeping with Spike. This was all about Riley, his pleasure." Buffy shook her head, and went back into the bathroom.

Lorne looked at Willow. Willow looked at Tara. They stood in the doorway, watching as Buffy made up her face. Buffy could feel their eyes boring into her skin. "You guys act as if this doesn't happen in relationships. Are you telling me you've never been in the mood, but went ahead and had sex anyway?" Buffy looked over her shoulder at them. They all nodded reluctantly. Finally, an argument was going her way.

"Look, I appreciate everything you're trying to do, but this thing with Spike is in the past. It has to be."

Buffy felt like a teenager going on her first date. Mom and dad were sitting in the living room with a camera at the ready. Yeah, it was just like that. Oh, except for the fact, it was actually two mother hens and a self-proclaimed stud muffin.

"So, how do I look?" She asked, twirling around to give them the full view of her attire. They'd decided on a black skirt with a paisley design in turquoise on the hip. The top was turquoise with a black cut-out paisley design. She wore a pair of strappy, black sandals. Lorne curled her hair, and it fell in thick waves down her back.

"Beautiful. Absolutely marvelous." Lorne said and dabbed at his eye for effect.

"Look, Tara. Our little girl is all-grown up." Willow and Tara were on the sofa, holding hands, and a little tipsy by Buffy's guess.

"I feel a Kodak moment coming on." Tara grabbed one of Buffy's cameras and snapped a few pictures.

"Make sure you have an emergency quarter. We'll come and get you." This seemed the funniest statement to them. They fell on each other, laughing hysterically.

"Promise me, you guys will stay here tonight. Or at least until you sober up." She said seriously.

"Yes, Miss Buffy, we'll stay here. We want to hear all about the dinner." Lorne grabbed Buffy's purse, and escorted her to the door. "Go, you don't want to keep him waiting."

"Just remember, I do have neighbors. No wild pool parties, and please no orgies." She said, grinning at them. They stood in the doorway, waving idiotically at her. Buffy waved them back inside, and pulled out of the drive.

As soon as she cleared the driveway, they straightened up, all semblances of drunkenness gone. "Do you think she's going to sleep with him?" Tara said, watching Buffy's taillights in the distance.

"Yep. I'd bet on it. If not tonight, soon." Willow said.

"I haven't had a woman bathed me in years."

"Bet this is a little different from that experience." Buffy said, nibbling on Spike's ear.

"A little. Grandmamma's legs never looked this good." Spike felt her breasts jiggling as she laughed.

"Can I ask you a rather personal question?

"If it's about shrinkage and water temp, I'm going to have to respectfully decline." Buffy glanced at the semi-hard length of muscle lying against his thigh, and sighed huskily.

"Um, no, still doing quite well with that one." She said. "Very well." Spike grinned with pride.

"What happened to your ex?" Spike's smile vanished. He stared at her feet, gliding through the water on his legs. Buffy laid her head against his, waiting for him to speak, understanding if he didn't.

"She's marrying the guy she had the affair with."

"It's only been 6 months. She didn't waste anytime, did she?" Spike chuckled at the anger in Buffy's voice.

Buffy slid her hands over his shoulders till her fingertips grazed ever so softly over his pecs. Spike reached for her fingers, lacing his through hers.

"No, she didn't. I expected it. She wanted him. She got him. Almost feel sorry for him, except for the small fact he was my friend."

"Want me to kick their asses? I can, you know. Just because my legs are short, doesn't mean I can't kick booty." Spike pulled her legs around his waist, rubbing them idly.

Spike craned his neck, capturing her mouth in a kiss. Buffy cradled his head in the crook of her arm. "No, thanks for the offer, though. I think I like your legs doing this instead."

"Me, too." They kissed lazily, his hands running up and down her legs. The main thought going through Buffy's mind was 'thank god, I shaved my legs'.

"How old were you when you got together?" Buffy reached for the wash cloth trapped between their bodies.

"I was 21." His eyes closed as Buffy wrung the rag out, sending a small shower of warm water cascading over his chest.

"You were young. Does it hurt to talk about her?"

"Not anymore." Kinda hard to feel bad when your I've got your legs wrapped around me, your body pressed against mine.

"You obviously saw something good in her."

Spike shrugged. "I thought I was protecting her, sheltering her. All I did was give her give her all the power. I was her doormat. I'm surprised you don't see her footprints on my back." He laughed, self-deprecating.

Buffy leaned back, checking out his back. "Nope, no footprints. Love will make you do some wacky things. What do you regret the most?" Soaping the cloth, she rubbed it across his chest, enjoying the sight of his abs rippling as she passed over them.

"I allowed her to turn me into some weakling, some poofter. I cringe when I think of all the times I acquiesced, when I knew I was right. I wanted us to live abroad for a year. She wouldn't hear of it. She told me she couldn't be away from her family for that long."

I would have gone with you if you'd asked me. Buffy raised her arms, concentrating on the other side of his chest.

"What do I regret? Being weak."

"You saw yourself as her knight-in-shining-armor. Classic male misassumption." Buffy said bluntly.

Spike laughed. "Ouch! Play nice. We're only trying to help you poor, defenseless females."

"Defenseless. Riigght. There are women who play that card to get a man, and there are those who don't need to play games to get a man."

Spike kissed her chin. "I don't think you'd would like my ex very much."

"I think you're right."

Spike tapped her legs, and Buffy reluctantly released him so he could let out the cool water. He glanced back at her, and she shuddered. What color were they? Blue seemed mundane. Cerulean? Maybe. Aqua? No, there definitely wasn't any hint of green to them. She'd only seen that color once before. When she was 16, her parents had taken her to Aruba. The water had been so clear, so blue, she could see the fish swimming beneath the surface.

"Penny for your thoughts." He said, huskily, kneeling between her legs.

"I was trying to figure out if your ex is blind or crazy for leaving a terrific guy like you." She said, pulling her knees to her chest.

"She was always looking for bigger, better things. I thought that meant a bigger house, better furniture. Didn't realize she was looking for my replacement." Buffy raised up on her knees, till they were nearly eye to eye.

"She's a fool. You can do better."

"You think so?" Spike's fingers brushed across her waist, settling on her hips.

"Yeah, I think so." Buffy stroked her fingers along his cheeks as she kissed him fully on the lips, his tongue sliding between her parted lips.

Buffy jumped as the horn blared. She looked in her rearview mirror at the man pointing past her to the light. She mouthed sorry, and pulled off. She shook her head, banishing the memory to the Spike corner of her brain. Ten more minutes and she'd be at the restaurant. What was she going to say to him? Sorry I can't be with you, but can we be friends. That statement would make sense if she wasn't constantly thinking about him, if she could honestly say to herself she didn't want him again.

"William, are you in love with this woman?" Maria Chase asked, bluntly.

Spike suppressed a grin watching the tiny Italian woman tap her foot impatiently.

"I like her a lot." Cordelia rolled her eyes at him, but he ignored her.

"You like her a lot. What does that mean, exactly?" Maria sat down at the table, and studied her surrogate son. Spike tried to lie to Maria once, and the consequences had not been pleasant. This time he wasn't lying. He really didn't think he was in love with Buffy. He just thought about her every second of every day. He could still feel her wrapping around him like a warm glove, taking him places he didn't know existed before or after her.

"Like is like, Maria." Spike squirmed under the unflinching scrutiny. "Maria, she has a boyfriend."

"Amore is not governed by such simple bonds. If you are in love with her, you will be together. Nothing will get in the way of Cupid's work." Maria pinched his cheeks, till he was sure she'd drawn blood. "You have a look of love about you. It looks good." Maria pushed off the table and waddled off to the kitchen.

Cordy took her mother's seat. "Don't start." Spike said.

"I wasn't going to say anything. You know your feelings. You know how you feel about Buffy. I'm just here for emotional support."

"Yeah, right, and how long have we known each other?"

"10 years."

"You're all giddy with the possibilities of what this could mean." Spike swirled the wine in the glass, watching the liquid splash off the sides.

"The only possibilities I'm interested in are those involve your happiness. It would be nice to have another couple to do things with, but don't consider me at all in your decision." Cordy turned slightly, drinking in the sight of Lindsey arguing affectionately with Maria.

"Don't worry. I won't. I will say this. I think you'll like her." Spike reached for the glass, but Cordy moved it out of his reach.

"I'd like anything, including a slug, that wasn't Dru. And you don't need to drink. You need to be sober and alert for the next few hours."

"You know you're starting to sound like your mother." Cordy's eyes bulged.

"Take that back." She said, laughing. She leaned down and kissed him on the temple. "Good luck."

They say timing is everything. Timing your swing for a hit. Timing a pass for the winning touchdown.

Timing a shot to maximize the lighting and setting. Timing was indeed everything. So, it only fit that Buffy would appear in the restaurant at the exact moment to see Cordelia kissing Spike affectionately on the temple. She stopped so suddenly, she almost stumbled over her own feet. The brunette ran her fingers through his hair, and smiled sweetly at him as she moved to the kitchen. Buffy wanted to rip their hair out. How dare he! She spun on her heels, and headed back to her car. Spike reached her before she got in.

"Let me go."

"Why are you always running away?" She stiffened. Spike would have laughed, but the look in her eyes told him that would be unhealthy.

"I'm not running away. Obviously, you've got someone waiting in the wings, so I'm going to go."

Cordy, Maria, Conner, and Lindsey crammed into the doorway, watching the scene outside with interest.

"She's a little feisty one." Maria commented.

"She's something. Did you see how fast he ran after her? He's already whipped, and they haven't scre… OUCH! Mama, that hurt." Conner shouted, rubbing his arm.

"Connor Antonio Chase, watch your language or I'll wash your mouth out with soap."

"What did I say?"

"Shush, you're missing the show." Cordy told them.

"You're jealous."

"I am not. I'm... I'm just not going to get in the middle of love triangle." Buffy sucked her lip, wanting to hit the nearest ice cream shop for a triple fudge sundae.

"Too late, Pet. Or did you happen to forget you have a boyfriend."

"We are so not talking about me. We're talking about that ... that girl in there. You were kissing her."

"You're mistaken. She was kissing me. She happens to be my best friend. This is her family's restaurant." Spike said smugly, knowing there was no way out of this predicament for her.

"Oh." Buffy wondered if she'd start baying like a donkey, because she sure was feeling like an ass. He probably thinks I'm neurotic.

"I'm jealous of your boyfriend, Pet. So we're even." Spike told her. Buffy wet her lips, feeling the need to throw him on a car and rip his clothes off.

That's a blatant demand to be kissed Ms. Summers. Spike lifted his thumb to her mouth, letting it slide languidly over her lip. Buffy was prepared to do a Scarlett O'Hara swoon at the gesture.

"Did you see that?" Lindsey whispered into Cordy's ear, making her jump.

"Uh huh. We really shouldn't be watching this. We should give them some privacy."

"You're absolutely right, sis. They need privacy." Conner agreed, but none of them moved. In fact, the entire restaurant was straining to see what exactly had their rapt attention.

"This is so romantic. William has finally found his love. I see a wedding in the future." Cordy and Conner groaned. Lindsey frowned, wondering if Maria knew about his secret. His eyes widened, as Spike and Buffy began to walk back towards the restaurant.

"Move!" Lindsey screamed. The scene inside the restaurant was tailor made for vaudeville. People swung around in their seats, glasses were knocked over. Conner and Maria slammed into each other. Cordy dove for the hostess stand, while Lindsey hightailed it to the kitchen. Spike opened the door, and all noise ceased.

Spike took a deep breath, prayed to the lord to deliver him from his friends, and escorted Buffy inside.

"Cordelia Chase, Buffy Summers." The women shook hands with Buffy feeling immediately contrite for her earlier assumption.

"Spike tells me you're a photographer. What kind of photos do you take?" Spike reached under the table, pushing at Cordy's leg. She kneed him in the arm and continued playing the hostess slash best friend slash nosy body.

"I do some freelance work for the local papers, model portfolios, the occasional wedding. My main interest lies in city views." Both Cordelia and Spike looked at her, confused by the lingo. "Pictures of people at work, at play, city life, stuff like that. I hope to publish a book of them, someday." Buffy blushed. Spike was listening intently to her, which meant she had his undivided attention. That was nice.

"You should talk to Spike's publisher, maybe he can help you find someone."

"Thank you, Cord. I don't know about Buffy, but I'd like something to drink." Cordy rolled her eyes at him. Buffy ducked behind her menu to keep from laughing at the silent argument going on between them.

"Please, Cordy." Spike finally begged. That seemed to satisfy Cordy, and she bounced off to get them their drinks.

"She seems very nice."

"She is when she's not being a busy body."

They stared at each other, and Buffy waited patiently for the violins to start playing. "What's the next move, Spike? Do we sit here and look at each other? I hope you know because I haven't gotten that far yet."

"Me neither. Getting here was the chore. It's the rest that scares me."

Buffy looked surprised at that. He seemed so sure of what he was doing, while she thought she might jump on top of the table screaming like a banshee.

"What scares you?"

There were several answers to that question. Premature balding, Passions being canceled, Conner living with him, but the one that would scare her the most is the one thing that scared him the most: Her walking out of his life. He promised Buffy and Cordy he wouldn't push and he wasn't going to. There was more than one way to skin a cat. And I probably shouldn't have thought that before eating.

"Bollocksing this whole thing up." He answered finally.

The corners of Buffy's mouth twitched. "Well, I don't want to bollocks this up either." She reached out to touch his hand, lingering too long.

"I want us to be friends. I read your book. Thank you for what you compliments."

"I should be thanking you. I never would have written it if I hadn't met you."

"This is a bad idea on so many levels. She is going to kill us." Lorne complained from the backseat.

"Only if she catches us." Dawn turned around to tell him. "Look, we all know Buffy is more than capable of screwing this up. We're just there in case things go to hell."

"This is true to a point." Tara laughed. "Buffy is too uptight about the whole Riley thing. She might resist Spike just out of a sense of propriety, which is entirely overrated."

"Okay, so we're all agreed the Riley sex is going to make things different for slap and tickle with Spike later." Everyone nodded in agreement to Willow's statement.

"I wanted to smack her when I walked in, but the fact Riley was walking around with blue balls, more than made up for it." Dawn smirked. "You should have seen him, trying to hide it, hobbling to the bathroom. He reminded me of a penguin." She snickered.

"Can we say how much we're enjoying the fact you're 18, my dear." Lorne said with pride.

"Really, I have the three of you to thank for giving me my wings." Dawn giggled. "So what's the plan for when we get there?"

"Stay out of sight." Willow told her. "We'll need a scout to scope out the place, so we don't walk right into Buffy."

"I'll go." Lorne piped in. "I'm good at sneaking around."

"I bet you are." Tara quipped sarcastically, looking at him in the rearview mirror.

"Okay, there's the restaurant and Buffy's Liberty."

Tara parked in the rear of the building. The foursome hugged the wall, inching their way to the door. Lorne peered around the corner. Keeping his head down searched the restaurant for Buffy. He motioned for the girls to come closer.

"Umph! Hey, watch it." Lorne said as three bodies slammed into him. "I don't see her on this side. She might be on the other side. I'm gonna take a quick look." Dawn, Tara, and Willow formed a totem pole from shortest to tallest, peering into the restaurant window. They looked up as Lorne came hightailing it from the other side, his hand on his heart.

"I saw them. They're back at a corner table. If we can get the hostess to seat us on Buffy's blind side we can watch unobserved."

"Are we sure we want to do this?" Willow asked, nibbling her nail. "We don't want to push Buffy too far. She has a wicked temper when she gets really pissed."

"Yeah, but she won't embarrass herself in front of Spike, so we'll at least be safe until she gets home." Dawn wasn't the least bit concerned about Buffy's temper. She'd lived with Buffy for 18 years. She never stayed mad for long, it wasn't practical.

"Baby, Dawn's right. What's she going to say? You can't have dinner here. It'll be alright, and besides I feel all sophomoric doing this. We haven't had this much fun since we raided the ADPi house with those frat boys."

"That will always be one of my fondest memories of college." Lorne said wistfully.

Dawn grinned with glee at the possibility of college pranks and frat boys. "I can't wait to start SDSU in the fall."

"I know you lived abroad, but I don't know where." Buffy asked, spearing a baby tomato.

"I lived in Italy for 6 months, stopped to see my Grandmamma in Bath, before heading to Japan for a year."

"Wow, you were gone for nearly 2 years." I guess we wouldn't have run into each other with you on the other side of the world. I stayed here. I'm not the one who disappeared.

"What did you do?" Buffy asked, taking her anger out on the lettuce.

"I was an librarian at the American School in Japan." Spike studied her under his lashes. He couldn't believe she was sitting here, calmly eating her salad, as if the last 3 years hadn't happened. "What did you do while I was gone?" Spike asked, wondering what had her frowning.

Thought about you. "Um, I changed my major to Art. I had to stay for extra semester, but it was worth it. I opened the studio, and was able to use it to complete my senior projects, and make money at the same time. Double bonus. " Buffy smiled at the look of awe on his face.

"What?" She said, her voice light.

"Impressive. It took a lot of guts to do all that." Spike poured them another glass of wine, raising it in toast to her.

"I took your advice. I talked to my parents, told them what I wanted. Surprisingly, their heads didn't explode. They were actually very supportive of my decision." Buffy wiped her mouth, and pushed her bowl away. Her eyes narrowed as she saw a girl with long, brown hair out of the corner of her eye.

"Amazing they haven't burned the restaurant down." Spike shook his head at the oh-so-obvious spying going on from the kitchen.

"I don't believe this." Buffy said, twisting her napkin.

"What?" Spike asked. Buffy motioned him closer. He leaned forward, and Buffy sniffed his cologne on the sly. Concentrate on the question, not on the man. Okay, you can do both. Just don't embarrass yourself.

"My sister and my friends are here." She pointed with her finger, and Spike stretched, looking over his shoulder surreptitiously. Sure enough, there was the little hellion. His opinion of her was steadily improving. She had cajones, for sure.

"Just ignore them, like I'm doing." Cordy and Maria were comparing notes, he could tell. Only Lindsey seemed to be ignoring them, and that was only because he had to prepare the food.

"I'll try, but the urge to dump tomato sauce on them is really picking up steam." Spike reached out on instinct and caressed her face. The act seemed so natural neither thought anything of it.

"She allowed him to touch her, cara mia. She obviously has feelings for him." Maria said, clapping her hands together. "Ah, amore is so beautiful. You and Lindsey, William and Elizabeth, it is all so lovely. I wish your father was here to see this."

"Mama, you're not getting ready to cry are you?" Cordy said, hugging Maria tightly.

"Yes, I remember how awful that little tramp was to William, and then I see him with Elizabeth. It warms my heart to see them together. I'm what you kids call, a hopeless romantic."

"Yeah you are, but we love you."

"How about this? I'll have them package up our dinner, and we can go back to my place." Buffy laughed and shook her head at the implications of them alone at his house, with his bed.

"I know you're worried. You, me, bed, but we're adults. I think I can resist your many charms and not jump you the moment we arrive." Can't promise I won't try, but I won't be obvious about it.

"We can go to the beach. Whatever you want. I just don't want you to be uncomfortable." He seemed truly sincere, and Buffy found her resolve wavering. This dinner was going well, and she wasn't ready to end it.

"You're making me sound like some fragile wall flower. I know we can control ourselves. I know I can control myself." She said. "Okay, you do what you have to do, I'm going to confront my people. If you hear screams, don't worry. It's just me pulling Dawn's hair out strand by strand."

Spike stood as she got up. Riley never does that. Riley also wouldn't have come to a place like this. He was more of a spaghettos kind of person. Stop doing that! She admonished her mind. Stop comparing them. They are two totally different people. Different tastes. Different mindsets.

Lorne kicked Willow under the table and jerked his head to the side. Dawn was batting her lashes at the waiter, who seemed to be just as intent on staring her into the ground. The Troika was so engrossed in watching the teenage hormone fest, they never saw Buffy approach. She stood to the side, waiting till Conner finished taking their order before she cleared her throat. The expressions on their faces were priceless. Buffy wished she'd had her camera.

"You guys are so dead. No, don't speak. Just listen." Buffy put her fists on the table, leaning down so they could hear her. "We're leaving. Don't follow. I will see all of you bright and early at the Coffee Bean at 9:30. You'd better be there on time, because if I have to wait, I promise you it won't be pretty. I know too much on all of you, so I suggest you be there. Enjoy your dinner. Bye."

Buffy took the bag, while Spike opened the door. "Welcome to casa Giles. Have a seat. I'll fix our plates."

Buffy's curiosity was peaked. Mom always told her a woman could tell a man by the furniture in his house. She shouldn't have been surprised by what she found.

There were 2 huge, overstuffed sofas at angles in the room. In the center was a large table, surrounded on all sides by huge throw pillows. The entire room was done in burgundy and burnt gold. Wood flat blinds hung in front of a bay window, which looked out onto the ocean. Buffy wandered over to the bookshelf, her hand guiding over the eclectic collection of books. He had everything from Nitzche to Shakespeare, from autobiographies to Fitzgerald. Impressive.

"See any you like?"

"Too many things." He couldn't tell if she was talking about the books or him. Me. Me. Me. He wanted to scream.

That was a loaded question if ever there was one. Buffy thought, taking the plate from him. She pulled the placemats off his arm, and laid them out on the table.

"Got to get the wine and silverware." He took off again, and Buffy was left alone, thinking she could really get used to this place. The pillows were lush and decadent. Buffy wondered how it would feel to.

"Do you mind if I get rid of the shoes? I promise my feet don't stink."

Buffy grinned. "Thank you. This place is too comfy to have shoes on." She slipped her sandals off, and pulled her feet under her butt.

"I love the decorating. Who did it?"

Spike gasped loudly. "I'm offended. I did my own decorating. Thank you very much."

"Nicely done."

Buffy couldn't remember a more enjoyable evening. Spike was dogmatic, but he also took the time to listen to her opinions. They argued good-naturedly about politics. They discussed Kahlil Gibran and the meaning behind Citizen Kane. Spike was amazed at how easily she was able to switch from different topics, and have an opinion, a valid, intelligent opinion on all of them. She was his match at every turn. He couldn't get the upper hand. They were no winner in their arguments.

"I hope you're not stuffed because there is dessert."

Buffy grabbed her stomach and puffed out her cheeks. "Give a girl a minute to digest. You must tell Cordelia's mother that Eggplant Parmesan was the best I've ever had."

"You can tell her yourself. I'm sure she'd love to have you come back." Spike stood up to clear the dishes. Buffy started to help him, but he wouldn't allow it.

"You look much too pretty to be doing dishes. I'll just put these in the dishwasher. We can have dessert later. I'll put some coffee on."

"That sounds, perfect." Buffy glanced outside, and saw the sun setting. "Do you mind if I go out on the porch."

"Go anywhere you want."

Buffy pushed the door open and stepped outside. Someone obviously likes to watch the sun set. She mused, taking in the positions of the chairs. The night had become cool, and Buffy wrapped her arms around her body.

"Here you go. This should help to take the chill off."

Buffy sipped the brew, taking a whiff of the aroma. "This is good. Is that nutmeg?"

"Good guess. Most people can't place it. My grandmother got me hooked on it. Now I ask for wherever I go."

"It's delicious." Spike set his cup down, and walked inside, returning with a throw.

"Here, don't want you to catch a cold on your first visit." Might be your last, but I won't dwell on that.

"Thanks." Buffy leaned her head back, watching as the sun slowly disappeared on the horizon.

"Another night waiting to end." Spike turned to look at her.

"Seems like that's all we do. Count down the time till one of us has to leave."

Buffy put her cup down, and stared at Spike. "If I hadn't left, what would have happened?"

"Don't know. It wasn't all about the sex. That was great, but it was you. You made me laugh."

"I didn't think it was all about sex, Spike. I don't know what it is about you that makes me want to open up, say things I would never say, do things I would never do."

"Seems we have ourselves quite the predicament." Spike sat up. "You know how I feel Buffy. I want you. I don't care about the boyfriend, and it that makes me a bad person, so be it."

"I want you too, but I can't do that to Riley. He's a good man. And.. and I owe him my loyalty." Buffy lowered her head, afraid he would see how much she wanted him.

"Can we be friends?" Spike had moved till he was kneeling in front of Buffy's chair. "Can we? Can you forget what we felt, how we felt? Cause I'd like to know how you do it? I haven't been able to in 3 years and numerous relationships."

Numerous relationships? "I think I should go." Buffy stood up, her legs getting tangled in the comforter. Spike grabbed her arms to steady her.

It was the touch that did it. If he hadn't touched her, she would have been able to walk out of his house, run to her car, speed all the way home, jump in the shower, but he had to go and touch her.

Spike shoved his lips against hers, roughly, almost bruising in its impact. Buffy's hands shot out and gripped his arms, her nails digging into the skin. The possessiveness of the kiss was in sharp contrast to the gentleness of his hands on her face. He grasped her head with both hands, showing her just what he wanted from her, needed to give to her. Buffy threw her head back, gasping for air, struggling to regain control. That thought lasted about as long as it took for Spike to pull her mouth back to his, plunging his tongue into her mouth. Using it to explore and tease, excite and subdue. She was putty in his arms and he knew it. Her hands fell to his hips, sliding around to cup his butt. Spike smiled into her mouth, allowing Buffy to pull him closer till his erection was pressed into her stomach. Buffy looked at him in anticipation of his next move. Do we stop here, forget this happened, walk away like nothing happened? Or do we go to the bedroom, remove our clothes, stroke, touch, kiss each other till until we're sated?

"Tell me what you want?"

"You."

Spike scooped Buffy up in his arms, his lips never leaving hers. Buffy fisted her fingers in his hair, holding him tightly. She felt her stomach drop as Spike laid her down gently on the bed. He leaned over her, his hand splayed over her belly.

"You are so beautiful." He said in awe.

Buffy lifted her hand, laying it against his chest, feeling his heart beating steadily beneath it. She rose up on her elbows, dipping her head to capture his lips in another kiss. Spike traced circles on her stomach, each swipe causing her shirt to rise till she felt his hand on bare skin. Spike pulled away from her mouth, and Buffy groaned in frustration. She nearly flew off the bed, when she felt his mouth on her breast, sucking her nipple through the lace. Spike shook his head, against the heady feeling suffusing his body. Buffy arched off the bed, her fingers in his hair, pressing him into harder against her flesh.

"Oh, god. Don't stop."

Stop? I couldn't stop if I wanted to.

Spike swirled his tongue against her hardened nipple, his eyes dancing at the sight of the bud straining against the flimsy material. Buffy's breathing was erratic. She thought she might burn if Spike didn't stop torturing her nipple. God, she'd forgotten how much he liked them. Spike sat up, watching Buffy rubbing her legs together, trying to relieve the ache between her legs.

Buffy watched mesmerized as he hooked his fingers in the waistband of her skirt, and pulled it, along with her thong, off her legs. He seemed mesmerized by the hair between her legs. He looked up, pining her with his gaze.

"I've thought about this moment for 3 years. 3 years of wanting to touch you." He slid his fingers between her lips, smiling with male pride when Buffy's eyes bugged out. She gasped as he continued forward, sliding down slowly.

"Umm… umm." Buffy opened her legs further, and her body started to shake as Spike's arm settled between her thighs. He kept the pressure steady watching her eyes lose focus, her skin wet with a sheen of sweat. Spike teased her clit, almost penetrating her, making her moan, taking her breath away. Buffy grabbed his wrist, squeezing it tightly as Spike leaned down to kiss her cheek, nuzzling his head in her neck. He planted soft kisses along her collarbone. Buffy's hips rose as she tried to guide his finger inside her warmth. She heard Spike in the distance saying 'not yet'. She thought she might cry if he did put something, his finger, his tongue, his cock inside her,

"Please, Spike. Please." She sobbed.

"Ssh, I promise it'll be worth the wait."

"Wait!" She squawked. Spike grimaced when she pinched him.

"Bossy little chit, aren't you?"

"Oh, of all the ahhh…." Buffy gulped for air, her body shuddering as Spike pushed two fingers inside her. He bent to kiss her, his tongue copy the rhythm his fingers were making. Buffy gripped his shoulders, trying to not cry out, failing miserably.

"Oh, Jesus… Oh, god. Ahh. Uhh. Ahh………." Buffy screamed loudly.

Buffy's head lolled to the side, her breaths coming in short gasps. Spike pulled away, his cock throbbing painfully in his pants. Buffy curled into a ball, her crotch still twitching.

Buffy watched in a daze as Spike stripped his shirt off, revealing those abs she loved to run her tongue over.

"We can still stop, Buffy." For some reason, he felt the need to give her an out. He'd probably die, his cock was so hard, but he wouldn't push her to do anything she wasn't prepared to do. Buffy silently regarded him, then realized how ridiculous his statement sounded. She was sitting in his bedroom with just her shirt and bra on. He'd just given her the finger fucking of her life, and he was giving her a chance to walk away, while he was unfulfilled. Buffy pulled her shirt off, unclasping her bra. Spike still hadn't moved. He stood at the foot of the bed, watching her. She scooted till she sat in front of him, her legs on either side of his. His stomach flinched as her fingers touched him, jerking his belt open. She pulled it off with her teeth, earning a grin and a chuckle from Spike.

"New trick, luv?" Buffy shrugged.

"You didn't have a belt on last time."

"Oh. Ohhhh." Spike hissed this time as he felt her hot tongue in his bellybutton. His hands ached to grab hold of her head, and guide her a little lower. Buffy pulled the zipper down, careful of his erection pressed against her chin. She looked up at him, her tongue still teasing the soft fold of skin. He had the weirdest bellybutton. Buffy had been fascinated with it from the very beginning. It was a definite innie, but it had a lip, something she could suck, which she did with vigor.

She could see his hands fisting, knowing he wanted her to take his cock in her mouth now. She smiled against his belly. Well, that's just too damn bad. You made me wait, I'm going to make you see stars, honey.

Buffy pushed his pants over his hips, his cock jutting out like a fifth appendage.

"Hold my hair." She commanded, and he weaved his fingers into her hair, holding it off her neck.

Buffy licked her lips, and lowered her mouth to place a kiss on the tip. Spike jumped as if electrocuted. Buffy stuck her tongue out, swirling it around the hole. She looked up and Spike was staring at her. His blue eyes fixed on the sight of her mouth lowering onto his cock. Buffy wrapped her hand around the lower portion of his shaft, guiding the head between her lips. Buffy opened her mouth to take it in, loving the feel of it as it slid down her throat. Spike's fingers tighten in her hair, and Buffy briefly wondered if she'd have any hair left after this. Spike couldn't believe how hot her mouth felt. It was a volcano engulfing his cock. Buffy was taking him in as far as she could, her hand completing the enclosure. She pulled back, her hand stroking him continuously. The memory and feel of her muscles clenched tightly around his fingers coupled with the feel of her mouth and hand wrapped completely around his cock caused his hips to jerk. He could still see her rolling around on the bed, her body flushed, and straining toward her release. Buffy placed her hand on his hip, controlling his thrusts.

"Buffy.. um, I'm gonna cum. I can't hold it in." Buffy sucked harder, feeling his cock go deeper. He felt his balls boiling. His eyes crossed, his toes curled. It just felt so good. He had to let go. Had to…..

"Ah. Ah. Ah. Ah….." Buffy barely held on as he thrust in time with his grunts, shooting his seed down her throat. Buffy sighed as his cock slipped out of her mouth. Her head rested on his stomach, as he held onto her. She was just as affected by his release as he was. She pulled him down on the bed with her. He crawled up her body and found her mouth with his own.

"You never answered my question."

Buffy blinked at him, confused. "What question?"

Spike nibbled her ear. "Did you want to stop?"

"You have got to be kidding me?" Buffy gasped and rolled her eyes. Spike chuckled at her reaction, rolling them over, pining her to the bed.

"Oh, I was. I was." He said, grinding his hips into hers. Buffy's brow arched as she felt the answer to that question pressed against her stomach.

Buffy squinted at the sun shining in through the open window. She snuggled deeper into the warmth at her back. Her eyes widened as she realized what she had done. She'd cheated on Riley. She didn't love him. She knew that, but he had been a good boyfriend, and she'd gone out and slept with Spike. She hadn't given Riley a second thought. He never crossed her mind. All she could think, feel was Spike. In fact, she felt him now. Gotta love those morning stiffies. No, her conscience shouted. No loving the morning stiffies. Bad Buffy. How could you cheat on sweet, lovable, dumb as a brick Riley? Worse than that thought, was the realization it was now 10:15, and she was supposed to meet the Troika and Dawn 45 minutes ago. Spike's arm was wrapped securely around her waist, his head pillowed behind hers. This is what she'd missed the most, waking up in his arms, feeling so secure in the knowledge he was there. She had to go. She didn't mind the Troika knowing what she'd done. Hell, they'd probably predicted it. She didn't even care that Dawn knew. She was her sister. It was the fact, Riley would be coming in soon from his morning surf to have their Sunday marathon. The thought of him touching her turned her stomach, and not in a good way. Buffy lifted Spike arm, trying not to wake him. She searched the room for her clothes, slipping them on quietly. He never stirred. Somewhere in her guilty conscience was the knowledge she'd worn him out last night. She should just leave. Walk out the door and call him later. That was the coward's way, and she was no coward. She tiptoed over to the bed, kneeling next to it. She took the opportunity to study his face. His lashes laid softly against his face, hiding those beautiful eyes. His lift were as soft as a baby's. She leaned in, kissing him softly.

"Hmm."

"Spike, I have to go." Buffy stroked his curls. Spike captured her hand, bringing it to his lips.

"Why? I can do breakfast."

"I'm late. I was supposed to be somewhere a hour ago. And I need to talk to Riley, about us, about this."

That woke him up. "Did you just say us?" He smiled. "Is there an us?"

"That's what I've got to decide. We're good with the sex. What about the rest of it? Just give me some time to straighten all this out."

Spike pulled her down on the bed, cradling her in his arms. "I've waited 3 years. I think I can wait a few more days." Buffy kissed him hard, then pushed off the bed.

"I've gotta go."

Spike watched her walk out of the room, his mind reminding him what happened the last time she did that. He knew she'd be back. He would give her time and space, then he was coming after her.

Continued...