A LA CARTE ~ AFTER DINNER MINT
Laura Smith
Willow woke slowly, blinking in the darkness. She reached up to rub her eyes, unnerved by a strange pressure on her arm. Looking down, she squinted then yelped quietly in surprise. Turning her head, she caught a glimpse of Giles' face, relaxed in sleep.
The afternoon came rushing back to her, filling her with a wave of warmth. She'd done…things with Giles. They'd admitted, in word and deed, that they were attracted to each other. More than attracted to each other. She turned over to face him, making sure to maintain the warm weight of his arm on her.
His face was flushed slightly and his lashes fluttered against his cheek. A soft sigh escaped his mouth and she couldn't help but lean forward and press her lips lightly to his. He made a sound in his sleep and snuggled closer to her.
Her hand rubbed the rough hair on his chest and she moved closer as well. She couldn't believe this was Giles. He'd given her her first orgasm, he'd been her first lover, he'd told her something about himself that only one other person knew.
And that one other person was in the room with them. The less pleasant memories of the afternoon returned in full force. Not that she'd minded Ethan joining them. His presence seemed to make Giles less inhibited.
But Ethan had used a spell on her. A spell that she assumed was triggered by her sexual release, leading to a nice, deep sleep followed by a vaguely remembered afternoon of pleasure.
Bastard.
She slipped out of Giles' arms and off the bed. Surveying the room, her eyes widened. What had happened while she was out? A chair was tipped over, the rugs were in different places, a blanket lay on the floor and Ethan was curled up to Giles just as he had been to her. She looked at them and felt an unaccustomed surge of jealousy.
Well, she was used to jealousy. Xander had, after all, taught her well. But she wasn't used to feeling it for Giles, except where Buffy was concerned. Buffy shared something with him that she could never truly understand on any level other than an intellectual one.
But now she shared something with him that none of the others ever had or, she hoped, ever would. That thought brought on another jealous twinge. Ethan said he'd tormented Giles with her. But he'd never said she was the only one.
Ethan. Something told her that he hadn't planned on her waking up and doing…whatever it was she'd done. She couldn't remember the afternoon very well. She remembered Giles. She remembered Ethan. But other than that, everything was a hazy mist.
She walked into the bathroom and stared at herself as she had done hours ago. The mirror offered her no answers. It also seemed to reflect the same girl the mirror at the diner had reflected what seemed like a lifetime ago. She searched for some sign that she had changed. She was no longer a virgin. It seemed that something should be different now that she'd taken a lover. A girlish giggle filled the small bathroom.
"Rosenberg, you sound like a romance novel. You had sex with Giles." Her own green eyes stared back at her, unchanged. A heavy sigh escaped her. "You had sex with Giles." She sat on the toilet and fought the urge to cry. She'd never wanted to have sex with him. In all of her Giles fantasies, it had been a beautiful, romanticized act of love, lust and passion. It was all soft music, candlelight, scented oils and a wonderful morning after.
Instead it was wet clothes, a threesome and a magic spell.
"Willow? Are you all right?" Giles stood in the doorway. The concern in his eyes broke her resolve. "What is it, love?"
"Giles?" she sobbed, flinging herself into his arms. "I didn't want this."
His heart seemed to shrink and tighten in his chest. He couldn't see anything, couldn't hear anything. It was as though he'd been submerged in a sensory deprivation tank. All of his external capabilities had stopped functioning and all he could feel was the faltering pounding of his heart. "I'm so sorry. I thought…"
"I wanted it to be so different…Not that I didn't enjoy myself, but I wanted it to be special. I wanted it to be me and you," she sniffed back the tears that kept falling. "and…and…and…"
He tilted her chin and stared, shocked, into her eyes. "You're not upset at what happened? Just at *how* it happened?"
She nodded. "I wanted our first time to be special."
"It was, even if it wasn't special in the way you deserved. We both shared something with each other that we'd held to ourselves for so long, and in doing so, we gave each other freedom. I'd never told anyone about that night, Willow. I'd never wanted anyone to know what a horrid prig I was, because I was so frightened that knowing would drive them away. With you," he rubbed her bottom lip with his thumb. "With you, I knew I had to tell you, because keeping something from you was far worse than whatever the truth might be."
She struggled to smile, the whole room sparkling through the tears in her eyes. "Really?"
"And you. You gave me such a precious thing tonight. I was so overwhelmed when I entered you, Willow. I couldn't believe you would…give yourself to me like that. I'd wanted you for so long and you were giving me my heart's desire. Completely unsoiled."
"I…" She couldn't go on, her words trapped behind the teasing pressure of his lips. She surrendered to his kiss, hoping to lose herself in the oblivion of it. When he kissed her, all of her reasoning stopped. Everything stopped except the beating of her heart and the blood rushing through her veins. Her hands tangled in his hair and pulled him closer to her.
Giles couldn't seem to get enough of her. This moment was different from any other they'd shared. Different from the teasing friendship of the library. Different from the heated passion Ethan had guided them to. This was sweet and tender. This was the first time, the first moment she'd wanted. The one she deserved.
His arms wrapped around her and pulled her higher, settling her against his hips. Their nakedness was of no issue; it was as innocent and sexy a kiss as either had ever experienced.
Giles felt his body start to respond and put her tenderly away from him. She protested softly, her eyes begging him for more than just the taste of him. "Willow…" He took a deep breath. "No love. The next time we'll do it proper. No Ethan. No magic. Just you and me. No pretense."
"You mean, there will be a next time?" Her voice was small, as if she expected a reprimand. "I was afraid…"
He shook his head. "None of that." He sat down on the toilet and pulled her onto his lap. "I won't have you doubting yourself or me. I…I…" he met her eyes with his own. "I love you, Willow. As odd and strange as that may sound coming from an old man, I do."
Her hand stroked his cheek lovingly. "You're not old. You're wonderful." She kissed his lips gently. "I love you too."
He lifted her in his arms and carried her to the bedroom. He wasn't sure what he was going to do about Ethan. As much as he appreciated the help he'd given them today, he wanted him gone now. He wanted to give Willow the moment she so richly deserved.
He set Willow down outside the doorway and kissed her forehead. "Wait here a moment?"
"What are you going to do?"
"Talk nicely to Ethan and see if I can have a little privacy with a certain little witch I've taken a fancy to." He grinned impishly at her, embarrassed at the outpouring of emotion. With a quick kiss on her nose, he swung open the bedroom door.
Ethan was gone.
*****
Willow followed Giles into the room hesitantly. She thought she heard the faint sound of a door closing, but pushed it out of her mind. He held her hand tightly, not sure what he expected to find. The bed was still slightly mussed, but the rest of the room had been somewhat straightened.
"Where's Ethan?"
Giles shrugged and went to the window. "Car's gone."
"Giles?"
He turned. She sat on the bed; a large leather bound book in her hands. "I think it's for you."
He took it from her hands. The book he and Willow had both looked at this afternoon. "Well, he's full of surprises, isn't he?" A small slip of paper fluttered onto the bed.
Willow picked it up and smiled. "Dearest Ripper, here's to you and your little witch. Thought you might like a little privacy. But don't worry, you haven't gotten rid of me yet. We still have to tie her down, don't we?" She giggled. "He's not so bad, once you get to know him, is he?"
"No. Although sometimes, I think then he's worse." He took the letter from her hand and placed it inside the book then set them both on the nightstand. "You realize, don't you that we're now very much alone."
"I'm hungry."
"Hungry." He raised an eyebrow then remembered she'd spent much of the afternoon under a spell. "I think there may be some lunch left. Wait here and I'll get it."
Willow waited until he was gone before climbing off the bed. She pulled the covers down and climbed under the sheet, pulling the cool material up to her chin. In a few moments he returned, a plate balanced on one hand, the bottle of wine in the other. She giggled again, nervousness giving way to silliness. "You look so cute. I think you need an apron or something."
"You don't think this is flattering?"
"Oh, I definitely like you like that. Just don't think you should cook in the nude."
He sat next to her, allowing her to lift the sheet to let him in. He handed her the wine then set the plate between them.
"What's for dinner?"
"More like a snack, love. We've got, er, profiteroles. They're French."
"They're chocolate!" She took one of the small cream filled pastries and dipped it in the warm bowl of chocolate sitting on the plate. "Want one?"
He took it between his lips, licking the excess chocolate off her fingers. Taking one of the confections off the plate he covered it in chocolate and lifted it to her mouth. She opened her mouth for him and he placed it gently on her tongue.
A few drops of chocolate fell from his fingers landing on the upturned swell of her breast. She sucked his fingers clean before she allowed him to lower his head to the drops. His tongue was rough against her skin, the pastry leaving it slightly scratchy. He licked up the last two drops with just the tip and pulled away.
Willow pouted. "You're no fun."
"I thought you were hungry."
She nodded. She held the wine bottle out to him. "Did you want some?"
He took a small sip then set the bottle aside. Bringing her lips to his, he shared the tart taste of the wine with her. It was a sharp contrast to the sweetness of the dessert, but still very good. He pulled back and grabbed another pastry.
They finished the plate in that fashion, feeding each other then sharing a sip of the wine. When Giles popped the last of the pasties into her mouth, she sighed contently. "Mmmm, I'm all warm inside."
"The chocolate?"
"And the company." She dipped a finger in the leftover chocolate and placed a drop on each nipple. Willow's eyes sought his as she continued a trail of drops down her stomach. He grabbed her hand and sucked her finger into his mouth. They stared at each other as he licked the chocolate away. "Giles?"
He shook his head and withdrew her fingers. "Now, I thought you weren't going to call me that."
She blushed. "Sorry. Force of habit, I guess."
Giles grabbed the sheet that still covered him and tossed it toward the end of the bed. He set the bowl aside and moved down to kneel between her legs. "Shall I see if I can find a way to break you of that habit?" His smile was filled with promises. "I wonder if there's anything I can do that will make you forget I'm the same librarian you see every day."
She lay still, her eyes sparkling. "I'll bet there is. Something I just can't imagine old Mr. Giles doing." She laughed softly. "Although, I think we've covered most of those things already tonight."
He braced his arms on either side of her stomach and lowered his head to her breast. Taking the nipple between his lips, he began playing with it. His teeth nibbled lightly before he wrapped his tongue around the candy-coated, hard tip.
Willow whimpered softly, arching up to meet his teasing lips. "R…Rupert," she managed to breathe.
"Better," he mumbled against her skin as he kissed his way to her other breast. He feasted on her skin, sweeter than any pastry. His tongue danced over her skin, following the path of drops she'd made for him. He reached the last drop, right above the silken curls at the top of her thighs. He tousled them with a soft breath.
"Ooh." She raised her pelvis to him, aching for his touch. Slowly events of the afternoon were breaking through the haze of her mind. He'd touched her. He'd tasted her. But even those clearer memories were not enough. "Please, Rupert?"
He blew softly on the curls again before lying on the bed between her thighs. He licked the curve of her inner thighs, enjoying the faint taste of their earlier activities. The moans of excitement he was receiving were gratifying and far more erotic than the spell induced ones. She wanted him. Free and clear of any artificial tampering.
Willow was pretty sure she was going crazy. He was touching her everywhere but her burning center. His hands, lips and tongue were all over her skin as though he wanted to touch and taste every inch of her. All she wanted was him to touch her… "Oh!"
Giles slid one long finger into her wetness. Rubbing the walls of her vagina all over, he continued to elicit excited exclamations. He blew a puff of warm air onto her clitoris, pleased as she wriggled her body closer to his. His finger explored her thoroughly before he slipped two more inside.
Willow moaned as he filled her, pumping his fingers inside her with tenderness and skill. But still he avoided touching her clit. She lowered her hand from where it was clutching the side of the bed and pressed lightly on the hard nub, but before she could do more, she felt Giles' tongue darting around the edges of her fingers.
She moved them quickly, allowing him access to the flushed, red flesh. He took it into his mouth, sucking on it, his fingers still working, building the momentum. He felt her body tauten just seconds before the wave of her orgasm rocked her. He removed his fingers and lowered his tongue to the wet heat. He continued to taste her until her body shuddered, overwhelmed.
"Rupert?" she whispered breathlessly.
"Yes Love?"
"That was…unspeakably nice."
He moved up and kissed her softly. "So, don't speak." He leaned back slightly and grabbed her hips, easing her onto his hard shaft. She bit her lower lip as he filled her, stretching the tight muscles, despite their earlier use. "You feel like heaven around me."
"I could get used to heaven." She wrapped her legs around his and pulled herself toward him, sliding him even deeper inside her.
Giles nodded and smiled, "I'd like very much to get used to heaven."
Using the leverage she gained by locking her legs around him, Willow began thrusting. "That could be arranged."
"Willow…" He moved forward, placing his hands on either side of her head. He lay still for just a moment, staring down at her. "I've waited for this moment for far too long." He met her lips in a deeply passionate kiss, filled with longing and frustration.
Willow wrapped her arms around him, their entire bodies now touching. Her hips pressed tightly to his, begging for his thrust. He inhaled the scent of her and closed his eyes. He began thrusting, slowly at first, barely moving. Her soft whimpers spurred him on, increasing the speed and intensity of his movement.
His breath came hard and fast, matching the movement of his hips. Her heels dug into the back of his thighs as she climaxed. He continued his frantic thrusting until he collapsed, the pulsing throb of his orgasm spilling inside her.
Neither moved for the longest time, both struggling for air and equilibrium. He was the first to recover, pulling back slightly to brush the damp strands of hair back off her forehead. Her eyes were still closed, but she had a very satisfied smile on her face.
"Rupert?"
"Yes?" He whispered.
"I did mention that I love you, right?"
"Yes. In words tonight, although how I could have missed it all this time, I'm not sure."
She opened her eyes to stare into his green ones. "You won't forget? Or let it slip away in the light of day?"
"No, Love. I'm afraid I'm keeping you."
Snuggling against him, she sighed happily. "Goody. I guess that means I'm not going to have to tie you down to get you to agree to my demands."
He raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Now, I wouldn't say that…"
Next: Midnight Snack