Part Forty-six:
Relief fought with shock for dominance as her
primary
emotion, with a slight tinge of anger coming
up on
the inside track. Buffy's jaw sagged at the
same time
her eyes narrowed.
"What?" she yelped, jumping to her feet as
she decided
to let that slight infusion of anger carry
her along for the
moment. "Spike....William
Christopher....you....is that
supposed to be funny?!"
"My proposal?" He looked at the box balancing
on
his palm and smiled at her broadly. "Wasn't
supposed to
be, no. Why, do you feel like laughing?"
It was a dangerous question, since she hardly
looked
amused.
"No! No, I don't!" she announced loudly.
Turning, she
grabbed one of the throw pillows from the
sofa and flung it
directly at his head. "You scared the life
out of me...letting
me think you....you were going to....OH!"
Spike ducked the first cushion, then moved
quickly out
of range when he saw her looking for more
ammunition.
Rather than apologize, he chuckled, which
only infuriated
her more. "Buffy....come on, love....can't
you take a joke?"
Another cushion came flying straight at him,
whomping
him right in the face, but he still managed
to keep grinning
at her.
"I can take a joke." She picked up the TV
guide and lobbed
it at him. "If that had been funny, I'd be
laughing right about
now!"
Lifting one arm, Spike deflected the magazine
and ducked
behind the armchair. "Well...all that aside,
luv...you gonna
marry me?"
Panting, her chest heaving, she glared at
him. "I wouldn't
marry you if....."
"Wait, wait, I know," he cut her off, still
laughing like a
hyena. "If I was the last fellow on earth?"
".....my life depended on it!" she finished,
picking up a
glass candy dish and hefting its weight in
her hand.
His smile finally dropped away. "You throw
THAT at me
and it just might," he warned her.
"I'll take my chances." The undercurrent of
arousal that
was always laced through their encounters was
growing
stronger inside her by the instant.
Although she was
fairly certain at this point that she would
be accepting his
proposal, she surely wasn't about to let him
win this round
easily. "If you think I'm going
to.....wait!.....no, Spike!...."
Her final word ended on a squeal that slid up
the scale as
he lowered his head and dove straight at her.
Before she even
knew it had happened, he had the candy dish
out of her hand
and dropped harmlessly on the sofa. He then
bent over and
scooped her up, dropping her over his
shoulder and heading for
the stairs.
"Say you'll marry me!" he demanded, stomping
upstairs, letting
his feet hit each riser a bit on the hard
side which elicited soft
"oomphs' from her parted lips.
"Don't....don't hold.....your breath," she
managed to say,
keeping the giddy laughter at bay.
"Wrong answer, love." His hand landed on her
bottom, a
gentle spank that ended with a playful pinch.
"I'll give you
another chance."
Buffy's heart pounded with mad excitement.
"Forget it!"
This time the spank was a little harder.
"Hey!"
"I can keep this up all night," he said,
rubbing her
bottom and crossing the threshold into the
bedroom. "Among
other things."
"You're pushing it, Spike," she informed him,
then squealed
once again when he dumped her on the bed.
He just gave her another one of his cocky
smiles and winked
at her. "Come on, love," he said, holding up
the jewelers
box and slowly opening the lid. "Look what
I've got for you. Just
say the magic words and this beautiful two
and one quarter
carat heart shaped diamond ring will be on
your finger where
it belongs...."
Buffy stared at the ring in question, nestled
in it's bed of
black satin box. "Oh, my gosh..." Her voice
was a whisper.
"Oh, Spike..."
He looked immensely pleased with himself.
"You like it,
baby?"
She couldn't come up with a word strong
enough to signify
just how very much she liked this ring. Her
lower lip quivered
and her eyes misted a little.
Spike instantly snapped the box closed. "You
cry and you
can't have it," he warned her.
He was most certainly teasing, which she
knew, but she was
willing to play along. "I won't cry," she
promised, holding
out her left hand and wiggling her fingers.
The bed shifted as he placed one knee on it.
Removing the
ring from it's box, he took her hand. "This
is an official accept-
ance then?"
Care and caution could go to hell and never
come back
as far she was concerned. If his absence had
taught
her one thing, it was the plain fact that ANY
life with him,
no matter the limits, was better than a
perfect life without
him. "Yes," she nodded.
"You can't take it back you know. Once the
ring goes
on, you're stuck with me."
"I know."
The gold band hovered at the tip of her left
ring finger, its
gem winking in the lamplight.
"Last chance to back out," he said quietly.
The serious turn of his voice caught her
attention, and she
turned her gaze from the mesmerizing ring to
look up at
him. "Why would I want to do that?"
He shrugged. "We haven't known each other
very long."
This was new. Normally she was the hesitant
half of their
whole, and Spike the one who jumped head
first
without looking to see if there was water in
the pool.
Her heart thudded in her chest. "That doesn't
matter," she
heard herself say. "I love you...and I know
what I want."
Taking a deep breath and releasing it, he
lowered himself
to the mattress beside her. "I'll be gone for
a long time."
It was the last thing in the world she wanted
a reminder of,
but she pushed the gloomy thought to one
side. "I know. I'll
be all right."
Their normal dichotomy seemed to have
shifted, as though
their contradictory qualities and
personalities had swapped
places.
Now, HE was warning HER to be sure and look
before she
leapt.
It was too late, though. She was already
teetering on the
edge and ready to jump.
"Look," she said briskly. "if you're trying
to wriggle out of
this on a technicality then you're wasting
your time. You
already asked and I accepted, so quit trying
to talk me out
of it."
"I wasn't trying to....."
She placed her right hand over his mouth.
"Does the phrase
'breach of promise' mean anything to you?"
He nodded, his eyes crinkling at the corners
as she felt
him smile beneath her hand.
"Good," she added, smiling back at him. "Can
I have my ring
now?"
Spike took her right hand away from his mouth
and raised
her left, finally securing the ring in its
proper place. "Well,
Miss Buffy......looks like we're engaged."
Hypnotized by the sparkle and brilliance of
the stone, Buffy
tilted her hand to catch the light in it. "So
it would seem."
Suddenly tumbling her backwards onto the bed,
he pinned
her with his own body and caught her wrists.
"Now...let's talk
about where you were earlier this evening."
She made a face. "Oh, do we have to?"
Hot gentian eyes glittered in the low light.
"Tell me."
Since there was no way out of it...and since
she wanted
to move on to a proper reunion...Buffy sighed
and
capitulated. "What do you want to know?"
"I want to know why my girlfriend appeared to
be
out on a date with another man."
"It wasn't a date," she protested.
One eyebrow arched. "You were out with
him...in a
public place....having a meal....."
"No," she put in quickly, "having coffee."
Lying beside her, he propped his head on one
hand. "Let's
not shuffle semantics. You were out with
him."
"Well....I was. Yes. But I had a good reason
for it."
Spike's lower lip curved in a smile. "I'm
waiting to hear it."
As quickly and concisely as she could, Buffy
presented her
explanation. Spike listened, inserting an
occasional ques-
tion or remark.
Upon the conclusion of her story, she shut
her mouth and
waited for his response.
He gave the appearance of man thinking
something over
with grave care, but as he was shifting on
the bed in order
to move on top of her, she was content to
wait it out.
"So...it's done with him?" he asked, leaning
down to kiss
her throat.
"Mm-hmm....all done." Buffy's head tilted
back, offering him
more access.
"Good." He took a taste of her skin.
"Now...it's time for
some payback."
She could hardly wait!
***************************************
Spike kissed her mouth, muffling the soft
moan that
rose inside of her when she felt one of his
hands caress
her breast through her blouse.
Coaxing her tongue into his mouth, he sucked
on it
gently, tugging at her nipple with the same
rhythmic
pull.
Her pleasure level was rising fast, making
her arch her
back.
Spike drew back, then kissed his way down her
neck,
nuzzling the soft skin over her collar bone.
"Buffy...I've
missed you so much," he murmured.
"S-Spike....."
"Shhh." His hand came up and worked open the
buttons
of her blouse. "Mmm.....nice," he added upon
spying the
frilly little nothings of her underwear.
"You are so damn
sexy."
His voice was husky, unbearably arousing.
She smiled up
into his eyes. "You, too."
Spike made quick work of unhooking her bra,
then bent
his head again, licking each hard nipple.
"You feel how
hard I am?" he whispered, grinding his pelvis
against
her. "You do that to me."
He kissed and licked his way down her body,
tugging
her skirt off. His tongue darted into her
navel, tickling her
until she was twisting to get away from the
teasing torture.
"Hold still, Miss Buffy," he breathed hotly
against her
skin while he pulled her panties down and
off. His hand
slipped up between her thighs and he slipped
one finger
up inside of her.
She was shocked to realize that the mere
touch of that
one finger had her close to climax. Her
internal muscles
tightened around it without her control, the
rest of her
body remaining rigidly still.
"That's my girl." Giving her navel one last
kiss, he pro-
ceeded on down, nuzzling the warm skin over
her flat
abdomen.
Something about that particular touch set off
bells inside
of her. Her fingers playing with his silky
hair, she sighed
and closed her eyes. "Spike...?"
"Hmm?" he replied, the sound muffled against
her flesh.
"I want children, you know?"
That made him raise his head and look at her.
"Good, cuz
I plan on giving you several."
Buffy opened her eyes and met his intent
gaze. "Really?"
He grinned. "Yeah, really. Lots of beautiful
babies."
Lots of them? "How many is lots of them?"
Spike shrugged. "How about three...with an
option on a
fourth?"
That sounded reasonable to her. "Perfect."
He nodded and went back to his task. Kissing
and nibbling
her hipbones, he seemed to want to taste her
everywhere
as his finger began to slide smoothly in and
out.
A small orgasm hit her with no warning,
making her gasp
loudly and lift her hips. Her head thrashed
on the pillow
as he helped her through it by rubbing her
clit with his thumb.
The moment she relaxed, he shoved himself up
and off
the bed, undressing quickly.
Buffy lay on the bed, watching him, panting
for air and
holding out her arms. He fell into her
embrace and buried
his face against the side of her neck.
"I want inside you," he rasped in her ear,
wedging her
thighs further apart with his knee.
She wanted that just as badly.
"Yes....Spike..." Reaching
down, she touched him. When her fingers
wrapped around
his erection, he sucked in air.
Grasping both her wrists, he pinned them to
the bed over
her head, settled himself more fully on top
of her, and began
pushing in, stretching her, using their
combined moisture to
ease his way in.
Buffy looked up at him, seeing his features
taut with
fierce concentration, his eyes almost black
with heat and
lust.
His mouth came down on hers, his tongue
thrusting
deeply, as he buried himself completely.
She knew almost immediately that this wasn't
going to
be a slow, lingering experience. They'd been
apart
just long enough to insure that their first
time back
together would be a hard, fast, and wildly
exciting
ride.
Once he began to thrust steadily, there was
no stopping
him. His pace never slowed, his rhythm never
faltered. It
was a steady pounding, designed to bring them
both the
maximum amount of pleasure as quickly as
possible.
His hips grinding against hers with each
impaling thrust,
he made sure that she felt the friction on
her clit, giving
her what she needed to take her over the
edge.
No sooner was she through one climax than he
had her
heading for another one. This time, he
rolled them both
over until she was on top. "Get up on your
knees," he
ordered.
She did as he asked, placing her hands on his
chest. "This
way?"
"Yeah." He held his shaft in one hand,
repositioning himself
at her entrance. "Now take it in."
Her smile teased him. "Kind of bossy, aren't
you?"
He grabbed her hips. "Sit on it, Buffy."
She laughed, letting him pull her down until
he was
back inside of her, tightly clasped by her
body.
"More," he grunted, his jaw clenched.
Grabbing her
backside, he pushed up when she came down.
It was
a tight fit.
Her nails dug into his chest, leaving marks
on his skin.
Steadily pumping in and out, he raised his
head from the
pillow and latched on to one tightly peaked
nipple,
sucking it until she felt a stinging ache
that he soothed
with his tongue.
Upon finishing with one breast, he moved his
face to the other,
licking her with long strokes of his tongue,
then flicking the
nipple rapidly.
Buffy moaned, pushing herself more fully
forward, urging
him to open his mouth, then pushing her
breast inside to be
sucked. She felt every pull of his mouth all
the way down to
her core.
He released her from his mouth, panting for
oxygen. "Come
on, baby," he grunted harshly. "Come for me.
I want to feel you
come...I want to watch it...do it for
me....that's it....good girl..make
it
tighter...unh....yeah....tighter....harder....."
Those softly muttered words did the trick.
She let herself go
completely, barely noticing that he was once
again turning
her over. Her climax was still fluttering
through her when he
got up on his knees and hauled her down.
Draping her legs over his shoulders, he
pounded into her hard
and fast, seeking his own release, straining
for that powerful
rush of sensation.
To her own everlasting shock, Buffy climaxed
again with
intoxicating speed. This time, he came along
with her,
ejaculating thick spurts of semen inside her,
roaring with
his own pleasure which was magnified by hers.
*************************************
"Oh...my....god...."
Lying next to her, he chuckled. "You're
welcome."
"Three times!"
"You're a wonder to behold, baby. An
absolute wonder."
He sounded sleepy, so she reached over and
turned off
the bedside lamp, then snuggled down next to
him. His arm
curved around her, keeping her close.
"Still gonna marry me?" he asked softly.
"Mm-hmm. Still....."
"Good. Sleep now."
Unwilling to sleep their precious time away,
in the end, she
couldn't control it and gave in.
TBC...
Feedback makes me tingle!
Part Forty-seven:
Kissing him goodbye at the airport wasn't
getting
any easier, but that particular ache was
dulled
somewhat by the overshadowing dread at the
ordeal
facing her.
The time had come to tell her mother that she
was
getting married....to a musician....a man she
hadn't
known for very long and that her mother
didn't even
know existed.
It wasn't going to be easy, and all during
her long drive
to Pasadena Buffy had felt more and more like
a teenage
girl again...regressing back to a time when
arguments over
boys and how short the hems of her skirts
should be had gone
on day after day after day.
Due to the disappointments she herself had
suffered, Joyce
Summers had a jaundiced view of any male who
entered
her daughter's orbit. She had treated
Buffy's boyfriends
cordially enough, but never completely thawed
towards
any of them.
Pulling her car into the driveway of her
mother's neat
little red brick house, Buffy switched off
the ignition and
paused to observe it.
Everything about it was immaculate. The lawn
was a
deep, rich green...freshly mowed...and the
garden was
nothing short of amazing. Her mom had a green
thumb
that was unbelievable. Everything she
planted...the morning
glories that grew over the lattice work arch
by the front door,
the rose bushes that lined the driveway, the
long beds of
marigolds and pansies that lay beneath the
bay window
in the living room....was all growing in a
lush and riotous
display of glorious color in the late
afternoon sun.
The front yard sprinkler was gently swishing
back and
forth, and the porch wind chime tinkled in
the slight
breeze. All in all, the place closely
resembled paradise.
Hopefully, it would still look that way to
her when it was
time to leave.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Joyce Summers, a tall and well built woman
with
ash blond hair framing her attractive
features, set a cup
of tea and a slice of coffee cake in front of
Buffy, then
took the seat opposite her at the kitchen
table.
"This is a nice surprise." She smiled and
picked up
her fork. "It's so good to see you, sweetie."
Buffy cut off a bite of cake, chewed it
slowly and
swallowed, chasing it down with a sip of her
tea. "You,
too, Mom. It's been a while."
'I know...so, tell me how you've been. And
the children?
How are they doing?"
Grateful for the small distraction, Buffy
went into
detail about her class, regaling her mother
with amusing
stories about their progress and development,
finishing
up with a tale about the class hamster
escaping from her
hand and disappearing up the sleeve of her
blouse.
After the laughter died and down and the
table
was cleared, they went down the back porch
steps
and sat at the patio table to watch the
sunset.
Buffy cleared her throat and looked directly
at her
mother. "I have some news for you," she said.
Leaning
back in her chair, she slipped her hands into
the pockets
of her jacket, squeezing her ring and rubbing
her thumb
over the diamond. "I've met someone..."
Joyce's brow quirked, but her mouth curved in
a
small smile. "By 'someone' I take it you mean
a man?"
"Yes."
"So, you're dating?"
It was as good a place as any to start.
"Um...yes." Buffy
took a deep breath. "We met a few weeks ago,
and....."
"And?" Joyce prompted.
"We've been seeing each other ever since."
"I see." Folding her hands together, Joyce
studied
her nails. "Well, I think that's wonderful,
darling."
A lazy breeze ruffled the awning over their
heads,
drawing Buffy's eyes to it for a brief
moment. So far,
so good. A little of the nervous tension
drained out
of her....
"May I ask where the two of you met?"
.....then came rushing right back! She had
known
she'd have to field this question, but hadn't
been
looking forward to it one bit. Briefly
considering a
white lie, she shook off the urge to speak
it. Sooner
or later the truth would come out anyway,
there was
no point in trying to dodge it. It was
something her
mother was just going to have to accept
graciously.
"We met in a club...a nightclub. A place in
Sunnydale
called 'Union Jack's'. Willow and I went
there to hear
this band she likes...."
"And this man...what's his name, dear?"
Buffy opened her mouth to say 'Spike', then
changed
her mind at the last second. "William
Devlin."
"He was there, too? To hear the band?"
"N...not exactly. He...he was there
to...to..."
Joyce sat back, folding her arms across her
chest and
giving her daughter a look of exasperation.
"He was there
to what? Buffy, why do you look so nervous?
What's going
on?"
Meeting her mother's probing gaze, Buffy
opened her
mouth and let the words pour out. "He wasn't
there to
hear the band...he was performing there."
Joyce's mouth visibly tightened. "Performing
in a
nightclub," she stated flatly. "You mean he's
WITH the
band."
"Yes...actually, it's his band. He started
it." Once the
words began to flow, Buffy couldn't stop.
"And you
might as well know now, it's a rock band, and
they've
just signed a contract with a recording
company...their
first single went platinum just a few days
after it was
released. They're on tour right now,
but...."
"On tour?" Joyce interrupted. "You mean he's
not in
Sunnydale?"
Buffy sighed and shook her head. "Not at the
moment. But
he calls me every night, and he's already
been back to see
me once."
Joyce obviously found that bit of information
suspect. "Oh?
When was that, if he's gone again already?"
"He flew in on Friday night...and I took him
back to the
airport this morning."
The question Joyce wanted to ask was plainly
written on
her face, but she kept it inside. "I
see....well, I hope you
know what you're doing, Buffy."
Her tone made it clear that she didn't think
Buffy had the
slightest idea in the world what she was
doing and would
live to regret it, a sentiment that irked her
daughter to no
end.
"Musicians aren't exactly known for being
dependable,
you know. They travel all over the place and
there's
usually a girl in every city...sometimes more
than one.
USUALLY, more than one," Joyce added grimly.
"This is different," Buffy began, spots of
color appearing
on her cheeks.
"Oh, they always say THAT," her mother
interjected. "They
tell you that you're the only one...that no
one else means
anything to them...whatever they think you
want to hear.
Whatever will get you to let them....."
"Mom!"
"All right! I'm sorry. I just....I hate to
think you're being led
on by this man, Buffy. Off on tour, doing God
knows what
with God knows who, filling your head with
moonlight and
roses!"
"No!" Buffy said loudly. "You don't
understand..."
"I understand men, Buffy...and musicians."
Joyce nearly
spat the last word.
"Not this one, you don't," Buffy insisted.
"Spike isn't like
that. He's....."
Joyce's chin jerked up. "Spike? Who's
Spike?"
Staring with wide eyes at her mother's rigid
face, Buffy
felt suddenly calm. Like it or lump it,
Joyce was simply
going to have to accept this. "Spike is
William. It's the name
he goes by....Spike Devlin. He...."
"From...from 'Blue Eyed Devil'?" Joyce asked
suddenly.
The surprise Buffy had felt upon being
informed that
Riley Finn knew all about Spike and the band
was nothing
at all compared to the revelation she was NOW
faced
with....that her mother also knew just who
they were.
She couldn't be any more shocked had Joyce
just
informed her that she was running away to
join the
circus!
"You...you know about 'Blue Eyed Devil'?
You've
heard of them?"
Joyce let out a little "huh" sound and
nodded. "It's all
the younger girls at the gallery talk about
these days...how
great the band is and how...handsome
and...and sexy Spike
Devlin is." Rather than reassuring her, this
new knowledge
only seemed to be making matters worse. "Oh,
Buffy...this
man is...well, he must have girls crawling
all over him! Honey,
I just don't think this is a good idea AT
ALL!"
"Mother...."
"No, I'm serious, Buffy. I mean...a man like
him...away so
much of the time. How in the world could you
ever be sure
of him? The temptation that would
be...THROWN at him con-
stantly. How could you trust him?"
Buffy refused to let those seeds of thought
take any root in
her mind. "I can trust him because he loves
me," she said
firmly.
Joyce's jaw dropped. She apparently
considered THAT to
be the biggest line of them all. "Is THAT
what he TOLD you?"
she scoffed. "Oh, Buffy....honey, don't you
see? That's how
it works. He must say that to dozens of
girls...then after he's
had what he wants..." Her voice trailed off.
"You're wrong." Buffy shook her head. "Wrong
about musicians
and wrong about Spike."
"Buffy...."
"Mom.....Spike isn't Simon."
Joyce's face flushed as her eyes opened wide
and her
fists clenched. "He could be just like
Simon," she said, "and
you wouldn't have the first clue. You're not
accustomed
to men like him, men who tell you one thing
and mean
something entirely different...men who lie to
you with a
straight face."
"Not Spike. He doesn't lie to me...about
anything."
Joyce just shook her head. "Because he LOVES
you?"
she asked, a little bitterly.
"Yes," Buffy replied simply. "He loves me."
"And you just believe him? You just take his
words at
face value? This man you've only known for a
short
time?"
"That's right."
Their voices were rising in volume.
"How can you be so sure?" Joyce demanded.
"For all
you know he could be saying the same thing to
a dozen
different girls. Telling them he loves them,
that they're
the only ones, that he'll.....be back."
"He's not doing that! He loves ME and I am
the
only one he's coming back to!"
"How do you KNOW?"
"Because he gave me this!" Buffy withdrew
her hand
from her pocket and opened it, displaying her
engage-
ment ring before Joyce's astonished eyes.
"NOW do
you believe me?!"
There was a long and uncomfortable silence
before
Joyce spoke. "Buffy...is that what it appears
to be?"
"It's my engagement ring," Buffy confirmed,
sliding
the gold band onto her left ring finger.
"Spike asked me
to marry him...and I accepted."
Her mother took in and released a shaky
sounding
breath. "You're going to marry a man you
barely know?
A man you've never even introduced to me...or
told me
about?"
Squirming just a little, Buffy nodded. "I'm
going to marry
him, Mom." She was alarmed to see tears mist
Joyce's
eyes. Taking her hand, she squeezed it. "Oh,
Mom...every-
thing's going to be all right. You don't need
to worry, I
promise. Spike won't hurt me. I...I know it
happened
fast...maybe a little too fast....but it
doesn't matter. It's
good, and it's right, and we're going to be
just fine."
"Oh, Buffy..." Joyce blinked back her
tears. "I wish...I
wish I could believe that. I really do."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All during her drive home, their final
exchange echoed
in Buffy's mind.....
"I still think you're being foolish,
Buffy."
"You're entitled to your opinion, Mom."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"So, how badly does she hate me? Should I
hire
someone to taste my food for me?"
"Let's just say I wouldn't walk down any dark
alleys
in Pasadena right now if I were you."
Spike laughed. "Seriously, though...still
want to marry
me? Mum didn't manage to change your mind?"
Buffy smiled into the phone. "Not a chance."
TBC.....