PRIVATE INSTRUCTION
Laura Smith
"Aren't you hot?" Buffy panted as she moved closer to him.
"Very." He licked the perspiration off his upper lip and advanced as well, his eyes traveling over her scantily clad form. "You're getting better."
"Practice, Mr. Giles. You always make me practice." She reached out with a sweat slick arm and grabbed his shoulder. Twisting his arm around his back, she pushed him to his knees. Placing her own knees against his back, she held him there. "Give?"
"Not quite." He reached back and grabbed her around the waist and flipped her over onto her back in front of him. She flinched as she came into contact with the floor, but sprang up quickly. He had gotten to his feet and smiled at her. "Don't get too pleased with yourself. You've got a ways to go before you get the best of me."
"All that rough-housing from your youth does make you a little better at hand to hand." Buffy's grin was feral. She liked knowing a little more about Giles than he liked. "Although, you're still going down."
Giles ignored her taunts and innuendo and tackled her. His arms slid around her waist and they fell back onto the mats on the floor. He pinned her arms under his knees and straddled her chest. "I think, Miss Summers, that you'll find you're wrong."
She raised her legs up and wrapped them around his neck. Pulling down, she flipped him onto his back and assumed the dominant position. Her chest rose and fell with the exertion as she smiled down at him. "I think you're wrong Giles. I win." She got off of his chest and reached for a towel. Glancing at the clock, she sighed. "I've got to go. Dinner with Mom at some restaurant tonight. I'll patrol after."
"Is Angel in your plans somewhere?"
Buffy flinched slightly at the knowledge that Giles still had issues with Angel. And she really wasn't doing much to help alleviate them. "Not officially."
"Well, just be careful. And have a nice time." He still lay on the floor, his eyes closed.
"Are you all right?"
"Exhausted." He took the hand she offered him and let her help him to his feet. "But I'll survive."
Buffy smiled. "Okay. You'd better."
He watched her go. She had become more than Giles had ever hoped for. And much more than the Council had ever expected. He unhooked the padding he wore and tossed it into the cage. He looked down at his shirt, soaked with sweat. Their workout had been a long one and the padding only added to the heat and weight.
Unbuttoning the stained garment, he pulled it off and left in on one of the chairs. His fingers pulled at the damp undershirt, separating it from his skin.
"Giles? I…wow." Willow stopped just inside the doors of the library and looked at him in surprise. She'd always thought he was handsome, but seeing him standing before her in a damp, white tank top was more than she ever expected. "Wow…I…"
He reached for his shirt and slipped it back on quickly. The cooling wetness was decidedly uncomfortable, but something in her stare was rapidly heating the room. "Yes, Willow?" He cleared his throat, trying to get his voice back to normal. "Was there something I could help you with?"
"I…why are you all wet?"
As if sexual innuendo with Buffy weren't enough, now Willow felt the need? "Buffy and I were sparring for about two hours. It's sweat. I'm heading home to take a shower."
"Oh." Disappointment marred her features.
"What's wrong?" He found himself fighting a strong feeling to walk over and hug her.
"I was hoping…never mind."
"Willow…" he trailed her name off and gave in to the need to step forward. "Please tell me?"
"Well, I was just wondering…since we helped with the slaying while Buffy was gone, and I know that you want me to focus on my magic, but I was thinking it would be good for me to learn a little self defense."
"Self defense?" He tilted his head as he gazed at her. "From vampires?"
"From…from anybody." She blushed delicately. "But you're probably tired and you're all sweaty and…"
"I'll make you a deal. I need a shower. We'll go back to my apartment, I'll change and we'll run through some of the basics?"
"A…at your house?" The blush deepened.
"I'm afraid Herr Snyder is having a late night meeting with some of the janitors tonight. I wouldn't bode well for us to be here and risk incurring his wrath." Comprehension filled his eyes. "Unless you're uncomfortable with it."
"Oh, no. I'm not worried or anything. It was just…" she shook her head. "Okay, so your house it is. I'll buy dinner."
*****
Giles stood in the hot spray of the shower, the water washing away the evidence of his earlier workout. He turned the showerhead to pulse and rolled his neck underneath the harsh downpour. He was getting too old for this, if his aches and pains were any indication. Or perhaps he was just out of practice.
He turned the water off and stepped out of the stall. Drying himself off, he slipped on a pair of briefs and his sweats. A small smile creased his face as he thought about Willow's reaction to him earlier. *I wonder what she'll think of this.* He slid a plain, white T-shirt on and headed for his bedroom.
The door was open and her back was to him. He swallowed hard as his eyes traveled down the expanse of creamy, ivory flesh. She pulled her shirt off the bed and slipped it on, not bothering with a bra. His eyes flickered to the mirror in front of her to catch a quick glance at her perfect breasts reflected there.
How was he supposed to teach her self-defense when suddenly all he could think about doing was attacking her? He raised an eyebrow. Well, actually, that worked quite nicely. He knocked on the door. "Ready?"
Her eyes appraised him much the way his had her. "You don't look like Giles. You look…"
"Wow?" he asked with a wry grin.
"Wow." She agreed with a nod. "So, what do we do?"
"First, we go downstairs. I don't actually relish the thought of fighting in my bedroom."
"But what if I have to fight off someone's…advances?"
He reached out, against his better judgement, and ruffled her hair. "Willow, love, I'd much rather you tried to stop them before they got you this far."
*****
Willow lay panting on the floor, rubbing her bruised arm. "Okay, ow."
He knelt down beside her. "Are you all right?"
"Shouldn't you be on the floor? You're the bad guy. The way I see it, if I'm on the floor, they're winning." She grinned and held out her hand. "Aren't you going to be a gentlemanly bad guy and help me up?"
He chuckled and took her hand. "Up you go."
Willow pulled as he did, bringing him crashing down on top of her. She "oofed" as he landed on her.
"Willow…"
She smiled up at him impishly, while her green eyes danced with mischief. "Now you're on the floor, Mr. Bad Guy."
"No, technically, I'm on you. Which is exactly where you *don't* want the bad guy."
"But it's where I want you."
Her voice was barely a whisper, and Giles wasn't sure he actually heard the words. At least, not until he looked down into her eyes. Mischief was still there, but it was accompanied by the spark of desire. He felt his body begin to respond to her soft breathing and the feel of her pressed against him. He braced his arms on either side of her and lifted himself away.
"Willow, I think it's time for you to leave. We'll continue these lessons another day. Perhaps when Buffy is around. She could train you and I could supervise and…" he trailed off as her hands roamed over his chest. He was still above her, his arms at her sides and her hands were wreaking havoc on his nervous system.
She trailed the fingernail of her index finger over his nipple, laughing in delight as it hardened. The soft, trilling sound was as intoxicating as her touch.
Using what little strength and willpower he had, he pushed away from her completely and got to his feet. Pacing the room, he refused to look at her as she stood. "You should be going. Before it gets dark."
"All right." Her voice was sad and he knew if he looked at her, her head would be hung down in embarrassment and shame.
"Willow, what just happened…"
"Don't worry. I won't tell anybody. I don't need Buffy and the rest to laugh at me. How pathetic am I when I can't even interest a man who's been alone for so long?" The sob sounded like it came from the depths of her soul.
Giles turned in time to see her running out the front door. Sighing deeply, he crossed to the bar and poured himself a drink.
*****
Willow stood behind one of the bookcases in the library, listening to Buffy and Giles fight. She doubted either of them knew she was there. She'd taken great pains to make sure nobody had seen her come in.
"You're getting old, Giles. A baby could beat your response time."
"But could a baby do this?" He swept her legs out from under her and pounced forward, effectively trapping her beneath him. "I win."
"Where'd you learn that move?"
"From another sparring partner."
"An old flame, maybe?" Buffy taunted. "I got the impression from Ethan you used to like it a little rough."
"Not an old flame. Perhaps a new one." He pulled away from her and offered her his hand.
"How come you're not wearing the padding today?" She grabbed a towel and wet it with some of her bottled water. "Getting all manly?"
"Trying to remember what it's like to be a victim. I'm thinking of helping someone learn self-defense." He laughed softly. "Although, as many times as I've been knocked out, I'm not sure I'm the best of instructors."
"Well, whoever it is, go easy on them. You've got some strength." She offered the damp towel to him but he refused. "I mean you're no Slayer, but then, what man is?"
He looked at his watch. "Have you seen Willow today? Normally she would have come in by now."
"Nope. She's been avoiding everybody all day. We're in worry mode." She sank into a chair and rotated her neck. "Although Xander said she had a bruise the size of a baseball on her arm. He saw it before she could cover it up." Blue eyes met his green ones. "You don't think Oz…"
"No. I don't." He sat across from her. "I'm afraid I'm probably the culprit. I was teaching her some self defense last night and I must have hurt her."
"So you're teaching Will self-defense? That's great." The other part of the conversation came back to her. "Giles…you're not thinking of Willow as a new flame are you?"
"Certainly not! For heaven's sake, Buffy, she's half my age. She's a student. She's…well, she's Willow."
Willow didn't hear the rest of the conversation. Her heart was like a pile of ashes in her chest. She slipped through the stacks to a small alcove hidden in the recesses of the stacks. Curling up on the window seat, oblivious to the sunny day, Willow closed her eyes and tried in vain not to cry.
*****
Giles sat on his couch staring down at the mat on the floor. He didn't know why he'd put it back out. She wasn't coming back. She thought he didn't want her. She thought he pitied her. He placed his bare feet on the coffee table. She couldn't be more wrong.
He reached beside him and lifted the sweater she'd worn to his house the day before to his face. When she'd run off, she'd forgotten her school clothes and the scent of her now seemed to permeate the apartment. Or perhaps it was just ingrained in his senses. He inhaled deeply, thinking about her beneath him, her body arching slightly toward his. He thought about her half-naked body in his bedroom. He thought about leaning over her shoulder at the library, in theory to see what she'd discovered on the computer, but in truth just to be close to her.
He thought he heard a knock at the door. Shaking himself out of his reverie, he padded to the door and swung it open. She stood there, arms crossed in front of her chest. Her eyes were defiant. "I'm here for my lesson. If you're still willing to teach me."
"Of course. Come on in." He stepped back and motioned for her to enter. The fading sunlight caught her hair and highlighted it to a burnished copper glow. "I wasn't sure you'd come."
"I want to learn. I just wasn't sure if you wanted to teach me still. I stopped by the library earlier, since you'd mentioned Buffy, but you guys weren't there. Just Wesley."
"I am sorry."
"That's okay." She giggled slightly. "He still looks at me like he's afraid of me. I think he thinks I'm going to vamp out on him and sink my teeth into his neck."
"Well, he does have some ludicrous ideas."
"Especially since he's not who I would…" she blushed. "Never mind." She slipped her shoes off her feet and set her backpack down. "So, do you think you could actually teach me to make you end up on the floor this time?"
*****
Giles sat in his chair, exhausted. "I'm far too old for this, I think. Two workouts in a day is more than I'm up to."
"I think it's good that you're tired. I have a better chance of winning." Willow walked back from the front door where she'd been paying for dinner.
"I should be paying…"
"No. This is your payment for the lessons. I hope you like Thai."
"I love Thai." He sank to the floor and pulled the coffee table over. Moving several books to the floor, he cleared a space for them to eat. He sat at the head of the small table and she sank down right next to him. "What did you order?"
She listed the menu and he grinned.
"You certainly know what I like, Willow."
Her eyes lit up and she laughed. Pulling cartons out of the bag, she lay out the banquet. "Uh-oh. They only gave us one set of chopsticks. Guess I'll have to feed you."
The mental image that gave him sent his blood rushing directly to his groin. "That's…that's really not necessary."
She pulled another set out of the bag. "Oh no, guess I was mistaken." Her mischievous smile let him know she'd done it on purpose simply to see his response. His eyes promised her retribution
"Well then, shall we eat?"
Willow was amazed once again at how easily they talked. They had so much in common, so much they shared. It was nice to be able to talk to someone about all the horror and fears she faced daily. It was nice to have someone understand.
He pointed at her. "You have sauce. On your chin."
She reached up to touch where his finger was pointing, getting it backwards as everyone so often did. "Where?"
He weighed his thoughts. He considered his options. Then he threw caution to the wind. "I'll get it." He leaned forward and darted his tongue out to lick the sauce from her skin.
It was like a trail of fire burning her flesh. Willow lifted her hands to the sides of his face and turned him so that his lips met hers. Their tongues entwined and dinner was long forgotten as they explored each other's mouths.
Giles pushed the table away with his foot and lowered her to the floor. He used his hand to stretch her out, smoothing it along her until she was comfortable. He couldn't seem to stop kissing her now that he'd started. Her lips were soft and smooth and the taste of her was like nectar.
Willow pulled back and rained kisses along his jaw and neck. Her hands slid down until they rested lightly on his bottom. Pulling him toward her, she thrust her body up to meet his.
He trembled at her ardor and whispered her name against her throat. His teeth nipped the skin as he licked and sucked his way down to the v-neck of her shirt. His tongue darted into the valley between her breasts, licking away the saltiness left from their earlier workout.
She shivered and pressed closer to him. He was licking her breasts, his tongue lavishing her skin along her collar as well as moistening the thin cotton of her T-shirt. Suddenly, his tongue found the hard bud of her nipple under the fabric and he began suckling it. "Oh, Giles…"
"Call me Rupert," he breathed, heating the wet material.
"Oh, Rupert," she gasped. His hands slid underneath the shirt and lifted it, sliding it awkwardly over her head. Her body arched forward so that he could slip it off her and offered him something else.
His lips closed over the hard flesh eagerly. She was intoxicating. Her creamy skin tasted like marshmallows, strawberries, and any other sweet thing he could imagine. He raised his hand to play with her other nipple, rolling it between his fingers, pinching ever so slightly so her body would jerk forward in surprise.
Willow's head was spinning. His head was bent to her breast and she cradled it, running her fingers through his hair, whispering words of love and encouragement. He moved easily from one side to the other, sometimes just sucking or licking the nipple, others enveloping her whole breast in his warm mouth. He moaned against her and she released him quickly, fearing she'd done something wrong.
Giles moved lower, his lips and tongue branding her as they slid over her ribs and stomach. He darted his tongue out, into her belly button, enjoying the sound of her giggle. He trailed his hands down her sides, careful not to tickle. Hooking his fingers in the waistband of her sweats, he looked up to meet her eyes. "Are you sure, love?"
She braced her feet and shoulders on the floor and lifted herself up so that he could easily slip them off. He did so, caressing her legs as he followed the clothes down to her feet. He tossed them aside and stared in awe at her naked body.
Willow was surprised. She had assumed whenever this moment came, no matter who she was with, she'd be embarrassed or ashamed. But something in the way he treated her, like she was something precious, made it all okay. She stretched a little, showing off her body for him. "You…you like it? What you see?"
His eyes burned with passion. "Love, I want to lick every inch of you."
"Oh. Oh my." She sighed as he lowered his head back to her stomach and continued his downward progression. She hissed in air as he placed a soft kiss against the mound of curls between her legs. "Oh, oh Gi…Rupert."
He grinned to himself. How long had it been since he'd simply lost himself in a moment? How long had it been since he'd felt nothing but pleasure? How long…okay, no more thinking. He met her eyes, deliberately staring at her, as he tasted her.
She inhaled sharply and ground her sex against his tongue. He wrapped his arms under her legs and raised them so that he had better access to her. He used his thumbs to open the wet lips of her vagina and lowered his mouth to her throbbing clitoris.
Her body arched off the floor as her orgasm shook her. He lapped up the juices, thinking all the while that nectar was exactly the word to describe her taste. Food of the Gods indeed. Giles ran a casual finger along her sex, enjoying each shiver and tremble of desire and anticipation.
Willow reached down and stroked his hair. She was smiling widely when he looked up at her, satisfaction shining from her eyes. "Come and kiss me?" He shook his head. Her confidence faded as he pulled away from her. "Did I…?"
He took off his shirt and sweats before stretching his own nude body out next to hers. "Did you what?"
"Wow."
"You've said that before." He leaned forward to fulfill her request. Her lips parted for him, her hands pulling him closer. He moved between her legs, pressing his erection to her opening. "Do you think perhaps we could find a new word?"
She felt the hard tip of his cock as it entered her. Her breath came in short pants as he slowly pushed further inside her. "Gi…Rupert, I should warn…"
He was easing himself into her tight passage, half expecting resistance. He encountered it as she spoke. He looked down into her green eyes with his own. "Point of no return, Willow, love. I'll honor whatever you say, but say it quickly?" He was struggling to hang onto his control. "Stop?"
Her throat was dry and she had to swallow several times before sound would come out. "Never stop." His sigh of relief and happiness carried his thrust forward and he buried himself in her. He held her through the brief rush of pain, whispering soft words of comfort. She nibbled his earlobe. "I'm ready."
He thrust slowly, allowing her to become accustomed to the new experience as well as his size. Soon, her body was responding, taking as well as giving. His rational mind was trying to process the event, but his libido was refusing to let it do so. She was warm and tight, enveloping his body as though they were made for each other.
Willow had never experienced anything so intense. He filled her so completely, and not just sexually. She wrapped her legs and arms around him, trying to bring him closer. She felt the warmth he'd cause earlier start to build again. She moved her hands up to his neck to lower his face to hers. The kiss was passionate and deep; years of bottled feelings breaking free in loving abandon. His hands buried themselves in her hair and he rested on his elbows, still thrusting deeply inside her.
Her muscles clenched and he felt her tighten around him. Lowering his head until it was beside hers, he whispered the truth he hadn't even known he knew.
"I love you, Willow."
Willow had thought nothing could make the moment more perfect. She'd been wrong. She turned her head, facing him as their worlds collided on the most primitive level possible. "And I love you."
*****
They lay still, their bodies still joined. She quirked a wry smile. "Well, you know, when I came over, this really wasn't the workout I had in mind."
"I thought it would be nice to show you alternate forms of getting sweaty."
"I don't see how this equates to self-defense though." Her eyes glittered with humor. "I think, if anything, I was pretty helpless against you."
He brushed her lips with his. "And the way I see it, you've got quite a bit of power over me now."
Willow considered his statement for a moment before grinning. "Am I still going to get my private instruction?"
He laughed in delight, loving the mixture of innocence and innuendo that she was. "Love, you're going to have quite a few private lessons…" he paused to kiss her. "And I intend on there being quite a bit of homework."
"I've always loved school."