She didn't want to see or talk to anyone. She knew what they were thinking even if they didn't say it. She still couldn't believe she'd let Cordelia and sweet-talking Tom convince her into going to that party. As if she didn't know better. Anything that looked good was doomed to turn out badly. At least that was the way it worked in the life that was Buffy's. Was it so wrong for her to want to find a normal guy and spend some time with him?

"That shouldn't be a trick question," she muttered as she made her way through her routine patrol.

"My, my, I can feel it rolling off you in waves."

Her senses hadn't gone on alert. She hadn't sensed anyone else nearby for a while now. One minute she was alone and the next there was, "Spike," she muttered.

"You've got enough energy to set the whole town on fire."

"Thanks for the colorful commentary. Don't you have somewhere to be that's not here?"

"Testy, too."

She threw her arms up in the air. "What do you want, Spike?"

He laughed. "What kind of question is that?"

"If you wanted to kill me, you'd be fighting me not talking to me."

"Well, now, luv, what kind of man would I be if I turned away from a woman in need?"

"Right."

"You know, if Angel's not keeping you happy there are remedies for that."

"Such as?" She froze in place then. He'd hit it dead on. Angel was confusing the hell out of her. One minute they were close, closer than close. The next minute it was like they barely knew one another. She hated it. She hated that she put up with it. She couldn't seem to stay away.

"A vampire that still has bite."

"You volunteering for the job?"

"Well, now, there's an interesting thought." He closed in on her, hands in the pockets of his leather duster. There was nothing threatening about him just now, not in a to the death kind of way anyway.

"I'm not in the mood tonight, Spike."

That seemed to stop him. She watched, intrigued as the swaggering stare turned sincere. He cocked his head just a little to the side. She could get lost in those blue eyes. He didn't have the power to enthrall like the Master did, or maybe she was just immune to it now. They were potent, though, without the added bonus of supernatural powers.

He raised his hand, grazed her cheek with the back of it. She didn't flinch, didn't pull away as he probably expected her to do.

"Well, now, Slayer, you don't know what I'm offering."

Her eyes narrowed. "I'm not interested."

"You say that, but your eyes say different."

She glanced away.

"Too late. How about putting some of that pent up energy to good use."

"Like I would with you."

"Why not? Take me for a test drive, Slayer, you might just like it and decide to trade up."

"Doubtful."

"Mm," he said, closing the distance between them. He had her now. Underneath that tough Slayer exterior she was just a girl looking for someone like him to make her feel. She didn't want to admit it and would deny it if questioned outright. He could see it in her eyes, smell it on her, though. He knew better. He dipped his mouth to hers, tasting her for the first time. She tasted like things he could scarcely remember: sunshine, sunflowers, and goodness.

He'd never stopped to think about the fact that goodness had a scent. Maybe it didn't normally, maybe this girl just embodied goodness so much that in actuality she was what goodness smelled like. There was something poetic about it. About her.

He stroked her neck with his thumb, feeling her pulse dance. Her blood called to him, but he settled for the taste of her lips and tongue instead. He heard her mewl against his mouth, felt her hands clutch the front of his leather duster drawing him closer. Oh yeah, she was gone.

He kissed his way from her mouth, along her jaw to her ear, lower to her neck and the pulse point there that beckoned him. It was tempting to taste her. He wasn't here to kill her. All he wanted, needed, was a taste. It would be a great way to give Angel a fuck you back after all the shit his grandsire had done to him.

His hand cupped her breast through her shirt. She cried out almost violently as he brushed his thumb over her peak obviously sensitive even clothed. He wondered if anyone had done this to her. Surely, she and Angel had at least done some heavy petting? She wasn't reacting like a woman accustomed to seductive touches, though. So it seemed that in addition to no longer feeding on humans and helping the Slayer kill his own kind, Angel had grown a heart over the years. There was a time Angel would have been anxious to get between her legs knowing no one had been there before. It would seem Spike knew nothing about the other vampire any longer.

"Well, well," he murmured against her neck when she arched into his hand. He let his vampire visage appear, grazing her pulse point with a sharp fang tip. He was really pushing his self-control. It was a good thing he wasn't out for her blood tonight or he'd be hard pressed to let her go.

He was stopped from drawing away by her. She cradled the back of his head with her hands and pulled him to her neck. What was a vampire to do? Her whispered "Spike" just about threw him over the edge. He'd never heard a combination of innocence and desire before. God, what a turn on.

"Slayer." His voice was a low growl, he doubted she questioned who was in charge just now. His demon was close to the surface and it wanted blood. Fresh slayer blood. Offered not taken violently. What a power trip that would be.

"What are you doing to me?"

"Nothing, Luv," he murmured, drawing away as far as she allowed. He forced his human disguise back into place. It took all of his concentration to do that, to quell the urge to go for her jugular.

"Oh God," she whispered. He took advantage of her seeming confusion and took a step back.

"Now, if lover boy doesn't make you feel that way, maybe you're with the wrong guy."

She blinked, crossing her arms in front of her. It did little to hide the fact she was aroused. He could smell her scent anyway. It would forever be in his mind now. He wondered if it was possible to crave a human.

"Just go. You're not helping. I thought you were going to help."

He laughed then. "Sweetheart, why on earth would I encourage you to live with the doormat Angelus has become? You deserve better. Desire and passion."

"Not everything's about sex, Spike."

"Unless we experienced two different things, we didn't have sex, Luv. But you enjoyed yourself anyway."

"The age difference."

"Isn't going to go away. And it hasn't stopped him from falling for you. Why should it stop him from spending time with you?"

"I don't know. God, it's so confusing. One minute he's happy to see me. And it's obvious. The next I just can't tell. I'm not a mind reader. As if my life isn't messed up enough. And it's not like our paths don't cross. They do all the time. Even when he was avoiding me last year, he was still there in the background, helping Giles."

"Have you asked him what's going on?"

"Yes, I have. He got mad I met a date at a frat party the other night. Granted, it turned out the frat guy wanted to sacrifice me, Cordelia and another girl. But, he hasn't told me I can't date."

"Do you want to?"

"Yes. No. I want him."

"Your kiss said otherwise."

"You're a good kisser, and I'm sure you know that. I think even the most frigid of women would respond to you."

"Thank you, Luv. You're far from frigid. You are hot. You are hot personified."

"Shut up."

"I'm not kidding."

"Okay okay. Let's say I believe you."

"All right."

"What do I do?"

"Quit playing games with other blokes for one. If you want him, let him see that you're serious."

"All right."

"And just let nature take its course. Not everything goes at the pace we want it to. I know that's a hard thing to accept, but the sooner you do the better off you'll be. He loves you, Slayer. Any fool can see that. He'll come around."

"It's not going to be easy."

"Nothing ever is. It's a good thing I didn't bite you."

"What?"

"You think he was jealous about you going on a date. My marking you would have been ten times worse."

"Like I would have let you."

"Right, Slayer, you begging for it."

"I was not."

"Were, too."

She threw her hands up in the air. "I was vulnerable and you felt good."

"There's more where that came from, Luv. Just say the word." He clutched his crotch with the palm of his hand. "Ol' Spike's ready to roll any ol' time."

"Don't be crude."

"I had my hand on your tit, Slayer. I think that allows me some liberties."

"Still crude." Hands on her hips she glared at him. He didn't need his enhanced vision to know that she was shooting daggers with her eyes just then. "So, you're saying you're not like Angel?"

"Not anymore."

"Well, good." She spun around on her heels and stormed off. He thought about giving her chase, but Spike didn't chase women.

"Enjoyed chatting with you, Slayer," he called after her. He flipped up the collar on the leather duster and made his way out of the cemetery. He balled his hand into a fist, wondering if he'd forget the way she felt in his hand any time soon.

~The End~

Story ©Susan Matthews/APCKRFAN/PhantomRoses.com