Graphic by Isis Blue

Summer Breeze

Author:  August528@aol.com
Rating:  Start out PG-13 will go to NC-17 in a few parts.
Couple:  B/A
Distribution:  Ask me first!
Disclaimer:  I do not own nor profit from these legendary fictional characters!
Summary:  This is set in a Alt.Univ. Buffy has just moved to Sunnydale. She is trying to start her life over after the death of her father and some over skeletons in her closet. She meets Angel and tries to fight from falling in love with him. She knows he is a major player but when he kisses her she fears she will risk everything for one more kiss from this bad man.
Feedback:  As always I would like some. When I do not get any I usually quit writing.
NOTE:  This has been BETA'd by Scoobybabe003! Thanks hon! Your the best!

1

Buffy pulled another box out of the moving truck. She was starting to pant as she walked up the steps to her new house, when she heard someone close to her.

"Can I help you with that?" came a soft, masculine voice.

Buffy turned her head slightly, so she could see around the large box she had in her hands.

"Sure." Buffy sighed. He seemed friendly enough, with a sweet face. She just hoped he wasn't some sort of psycho waiting to knock her down and rape her once they were inside.

Xander Harris had seen the lovely young girl unpacking her own U-Haul truck when he drove up from work. He was quite impressed with her amount of strength, seeing as how tiny she was.

"Wow! This is quite heavy. What is in here? A dead body?" Xander joked.

"I wish that was all I had in these things." Buffy chuckled.

He took the box from her so she could grab a lighter one. She had left the front door open, making it easier to move things in.

"You must not have many friends," Xander stated, as he put the large box down.

"Uh?" Buffy frowned at the strange comment.

"Friends usually help other friends move," Xander explained.

"Oh! Well, I have none here." Buffy gave him a weak smile.

"I wouldn't say you didn't have any. I'm helping you move," Xander replied with a wink.

"True." Buffy smiled back.

"So, how many more trucks should we expect?" Xander looked down the road.

"I only have this one for now. But my asst. is sending the rest to me in about a week," she said while putting the box in the corner where she expected to put the contents in the box.

"An assistant? Are you some popular celebrity?" Xander, once again, joked with her.

"I bet you wish," Buffy chuckled.

"She has a sense of humor. I like it." Xander began to follow her back down to the truck for another load.

"By the way my name is Xander Harris. I'm one of your neighbors." His eyes darted toward the house on her left. It wasn't as big as her own but it did have a sweet dodge pickup in the driveway.

"Buffy Summers. Are all my neighbors as nice as you?" Buffy asked cheerful.

"Nah! Actually, I just moved to this neighborhood about a year ago. I'm so busy that half of the time I'm either working or sleeping," Xander confessed.

"Do you live alone?" Buffy knew her own house had three bedrooms and she needed them all. Even though she was living alone.

"Actually, I have 2 room mates. They should be home soon." Xander checked his watch.

"So, if you don't mind me being noisy, what do you do that requires an assistant?" Xander was rather curious by nature. A fact that usually drove his friends crazy.

"Truthfully, Jenny is my father's assistant. I use her from time to time. I just graduated from college a little over a year ago. I was working for my father, but he passed away about eight months ago. So, I decided to move away from all the sad memories. I'm also starting my own career, without the shadow of Hank Summer's memory." Buffy felt tears mist her eyes as she remembered the day she had made up her mind to move away from her childhood home.

She was a bit surprised at herself for revealing such personal information. She rarely did that. Then again, she had been through hell and back while living in New York. It had been like a three ring circus after her father's funeral service. Everyone wanted to know if she had plans on taking over the business that her father had brought out of the ashes almost twenty years ago. She had no such plans. She refused to let people make her feel guilty for her choice.

She was officially an orphan now. Her mother, Joyce Summers, had passed away when she was ten years old. She had an aneurysm and died instantly in her sleep. Her father had not been so lucky. He had a severe heart attack in his office and wasn't found until the next day. He was rush to the hospital, where he stayed on a machine for two months before Buffy finally agreed with the Doctors. He was not going to come back to her and even if some miracle should happen to bring him back, he would never be the same man. The heart attack had been so severe that they expected him to be practically in a vegetable state of mind. She knew her father was a proud man and that would only have hurt his memory.

Once she gave the Doctors permission to unplug his life support, he had passed away in less than ten minutes. Ten minutes that she would never have with him again.

Tears began to mist her eyes and then, with a deep breath, she force them back.

"I'm sorry to hear about your loss," Xander said with deep compassion in his dark brown eyes.

"Thanks." Buffy bit down on the tip of her tongue to keep herself from sobbing liking a idiot in front of her new neighbor.

"So, what do you do?" Buffy bent down and picked up another box.

Xander did the same and followed her back up to the house.

"I'm a supervisor for a construction company." Xander said with a burst of pride in his voice.

"You sound as if you really like what you do. That must be nice." Buffy remembered tons of people who had the highest paid jobs with all the luxuries and they would sit and complain to her constantly. She hated those types.

"It is. I chose not to go to college right away and took this job as a temporary thing until I could find my thing. But I got hooked. I do take a few classes from our local college to help with my business skills. I want to own my own construction company someday," Xander revealed.

Like Buffy, he too was a bit surprised at how easy it was to talk to a girl he didn't even know.

"Sounds exciting." Buffy smiled at him as she placed her box in the kitchen.

"I didn't see much furniture in that truck. You will go out with that until next week?" He was amazed at this fact.

"Sure. All I needed was my desk and my bed. I'm pretty simple," Buffy replied.

Before he could respond to that statement, he heard one of his roomates pulling up in their driveway. The radio was blaring with some pop music. He knew, without looking, which roomate that was.

"I see one of my fellow comrades has made it home," Xander sighed.

Buffy looked out the window to see a cute little red car pull up. Then, the door open and the driver stepped out. She was a bit thrown to see a red headed girl step out of the car. She had expected his roomates be men.

"It's a girl?" Buffy looked at him with a confused smile on her face.

"Yep, the last time I had her check, she was." Xander knew that most women were a bit thrown by the fact that he shared a house with a girl. Most of them found it hard to believe that he had more friends that were of the female persuasion than males.

"Funny." Buffy rolled her eyes playfully and then headed back outside.

They had just reached the truck when the female approached them.

"HI!" Willow cried out with a joyful sound.

"Hi," Buffy repeated, but without as much enthusiasm.

"Willow, this is our new neighbor, Buffy Summers." Xander made the friendly introduction.

"Nice to meet you." Buffy reached out with her hand. Willow took it in hers and gave it a good shake before releasing it.

"You too. It will be nice to have a female that is our age living so close by. Most of the people in this neighborhood are newly married with kids or elderly with grandkids," Willow said sweetly.

"Well, I can assure you, I am neither of those things," Buffy replied honestly.

"Do you need some more help?" Willow had seen Xander helping their new neighbor moving boxes right before she drove up.

"Sure." Buffy answered with a thankful smile on her face.

The three of them moved everything inside with in the next two hours.

"I say we call in for food." Willow placed her hands over her growling stomach.

"I second it." Xander cried out.

"Then dinner is on me," Buffy demanded as she walk to her phone and asked for the number to their local pizza place. Once she ordered their food, she sat back down on the front porch steps, waiting with the two of them.

The sun was starting to settle for the day when another vehicle pulled up in the driveway next door.

This time she saw a man step out. So, this was an odd sort of neighbors. Two men and a girl living together. She wondered if any of them were lovers?

"I see our hard working Angel is home," Xander commented as he waved at Angel.

"He is working longer and longer each night," Willow complained. She was very protective toward both men.

"Better him than me," Xander replied with a long yawn.

Angel glanced over to the new neighbor's house. He had not expected to see his roomates sitting on their porch so soon. Not to mention, it looked like Willow and Xander had helped them move in.

Then, as he crossed the connecting yards, he saw a young girl sitting next to Willow. He wondered if she was the new neighbor? If she was, he was starting to see why Xander was being so helpful. She was lovely.

Buffy stared at the tall, well dressed man and felt her heart flutter for a few seconds. He had a wonderful body. Not to mention that the closer he got, she could see why his mother named him Angel. He was definitely heavenly in every way that a woman could wish for.

"Hello." Angel's soft brown eyes locked with her light green eyes.

"Hello." Buffy felt a strange lump form in her throat.

"Angel, this is our new neighbor, Buffy Summers." Xander once again made the introduction.

"Nice to meet you." Angel, this time, reach out his hand toward her.

Buffy felt like an idiot. She trembled as she offered him her hand to shake.

"Nice to meet you too," Buffy mumbled the words.

Xander and Willow glanced at each other with an identical twinkle in their eyes. They suspected that this new neighbor was going to be seeing quite of bit of at least one of their roomates.

2

Buffy sat down in the middle of the floor of her new bedroom. Glancing around, she made a mental note which walls she would hang up pictures on. Opening the box in front of her, she began to pull out items. She found her knick knacks. Then, opening the box behind it, she found her picture albums. Although she heard her head telling her it was not wise to look at the pictures, at least not tonight, she found her hand not obeying her mind. Instead, she picked up the top one. Placing it in her lap, she open the purple book.

There, before her eyes, were pictures of her early childhood. She smiled sadly to herself. There were several pictures of her mother. Then, she found the ones that had her and her father together. Tears streamed down her face. She was really alone in this world.

Swallowing back the sobs she knew were struggling to get out, she heard an odd sound coming from her next door neighbors house. Standing up, she turned toward the source of the sound. Across from her bed was an enormous double pane window. She had loved the large sized window and it was one of the perks to buying the place.

She walked up to the frame and then, pulling back the lavender shades, she saw that a window to one of her neighbor's rooms was facing her room. She wonder whose room faced her? Goose bumps ran up and down her arms and back as she remembered the way Angel's touch had made her feel so giddy earlier that evening.

She had found Xander and Willow pleasant and friendly but when the last roomate came home, her had heart began to race with the wind the moment their eyes locked. What was so fascinating about this stranger? Growing up in a big town within an elite social circle, she had met many men in her short life. They all were unique in their own ways but none of them had come close to making her feel so giddy like this one had.

She had forced herself to stay calm when the pizza was delivered a few minutes after their introduction. He had declined her offer, saying he had already dined at a rather expensive French restaurant with a client before he came home. She wondered if he was trying to impress her or if he was serious? When neither of his room mates batted an eye to this news, she assumed that he had been telling the truth.

Instead, he had ended their small first meeting when he got a call on his cell phone. He had stopped talking long enough to tell her it was nice to meet her and then walked back to the house next door. She had then found the strength to continue her conversation with Willow and Xander.

She had been amazed at the closeness these two shared between them. She was even a slight bit jealous of it. She was completely alone. Even her close friends were far away, now.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when she saw a figure walking around the room across from hers. She realized how she might look like a peeping Buffy but she couldn't seem to find the will to walk away. Especially when she saw that it was Angel walking into the room. Angel was in the room across from hers. What were the odds, she asked herself.

It then dawned on her, that his windows had no curtains on them. That was odd? Then she remembered they were on the second floor of the house. Of course he didn't expect anyone could see him. She wondered if the home buyers before her had notice him before?

She was about to turn away when she saw him start to get undressed. Her mouth went dry instantly. She couldn't believe she was going to just stand there and watch him get as naked as a jay bird. With each piece of clothing he dropped carelessly to the floor, Buffy's knees began to slowly buckle from underneath her.

Then he sat on the edge of the bed and pulled down his slacks. When he stood back up, Buffys hand wrapped around her mouth. She feared if she laughed he might hear her somehow. She watched as he stood in front of the wall length mirror and began to flex his muscles. But what really made the giggles start, was the fact that he wore the cutest pair of boxers she had ever seen. She had not expected him to be the boxers sort of man.

She was wondering what he was going to do next, when her phone rang. Turning swiftly, she pick up the cordless phone.

"Hello." Her voice was filled with a husky tone.

"Hey, sorry to bother you, but I just wanted to remind you that we are having a cook out tomorrow night and you are invited," Willow informed her as she stared out of her bottom floor window, looking up at Buffy's room, where she had accidentally caught her staring toward Angel's window. Willow knew Buffy wasn't the first woman to find herself hypnotize by her devilishly handsome roomate.

"Oh! Thanks! What do you need me to buns..I mean bring!" Buffy blushed as she fumbled with her words. She had been staring at Angel's back side as she spoke.

"Anything is fine. Xander will, of course, cook the meat and I'm planning on making the beans and potato salad, and Angel will bring desert." Willow looked up and saw that Buffy was still staring hard toward Angel's room.

"What time?" Buffy turned away from the window so she could pay attention to the conversation.

"How about around six o'clock?" Willow smiled.

"Great! Thanks Willow." Buffy smiled too as she hung up the phone.

She glanced at the window behind her and then forced herself to leave the room. She headed straight to the kitchen, where she had been smart enough to send a few bottles of wine with her. Finding a wine glass, she poured herself a drink. The wine was a sweet flavor. One of her favorites. With one large gulp, she drank the entire glass. Wiping her mouth with the back of her shirt sleeve, she poured herself another glass with her other hand.

"Pull it together girl! You already ran away from one man, don't let your heart get involved with another," Buffy said out loud to herself.

After her fourth glass of wine had found it's way to her stomach, she put the glass in the sink and corked the wine, setting it in her new fridge. Then, with a steady pace, she found herself back in her room but this time she turned off the light and flopped down on her bed. The wine had succeeded in its purpose. She was trying to break her cycle with the sleeping pills. So, she just substituted them with the wine. She was relieved to find her lids closing and the welcoming of darkness engulf her.

3

Buffy looked at the piles of clothes scattered all over her room. She had changed at least five times before she finally went down the stairs to head to her neighbors home for the cook out. She was nervous. Okay, rattled was a better word, she thought to herself.

She had kept herself busy all day so she didn't find a reason to change her mind about this evenings event. She knew they were only trying to be nice to her and perhaps she even felt a bit uncomfortable about this entire evening. These people knew each other. She didn't know any of them. Of course, she reminded herself, that was the whole purpose of going was to get to know them better.

She knocked on the door. A minute later, the door was thrown open and revealed Xander with a large chef hat on his head.

"Welcome to my humble abode." He wiggled his eye brows.

"Okay." Buffy's face light up. He was the one person in this house hold that she felt completely relaxed around.

"Come on in, we are all out back." Xander placed his hand on the lower part of her back as he guided her through the house, to the back yard.

Buffy took a long deep breath, before stepping out onto the massive deck. It was beautiful back here, she thought to herself. The deck seemed to go around the entire house and then went out perhaps a hundred feet before steps went down to a pool. She noted two small portable buildings further back in the yard. She saw on one side was a flower garden of sorts. She suspected it was Willow's part of the yard. On the edge of the garden was a gazebo full of flowers. It was a relaxing scene.

"There you are, I was afraid we had scared you off," Willow called out as she walked toward Buffy. She suspected that Buffy was having second thoughts about going to a party where she knew no one.

"Thanks for inviting me." Buffy forced a weak smile to her face. She then noticed a few other people had been invited as well. She was really starting to feel nervous. She wondered what had happened to her? She was once known as the best party coordinator in New York City. Well, at least in her small circle of friends. Still, here she was in a small town and she was trembling as if she had never been to a party at all. She wasn't sure where it was coming from but all of a sudden she felt a surge of courage flowing through her veins.

"You're welcome. Come, let me introduce you to our humble friends." Willow smiled sweetly toward her.

"Gunn, come here," Willow called out to a man who was preparing a plate full of food.

"Gunn, this is our lucky new neighbor. Buffy, this is Gunn." Willow made the introduction.

"Nice to meet you." Gunn smiled genuinely at her.

"You too." Buffy felt her voice growing more confident with each person she was introduced to. She was starting to feel more like her old self when Angel walked outside.

"Okay guys, I'm here, now the party can really begin," he called out in an arrogant tone.

She was surprised when everyone began to throw something at him. Then the small crowd began to laugh at his speech.

"Hey! If you throw anything at me, it should be money," Angel informed them in a cocky voice.

Willow rolled her eyes back into her head and then let out a loud roar of laughter.

"He is always thinking a party is not a party without him in it," Willow explained.

"I can see why." Buffy watch as two beautiful girls ran up to Angel and placed their arms around his waist. Angel leaned down to kiss them both on the top of the head. The two girls began to chatter nonstop about something stupid she imagined.

"So, what do you do again?" Willow glanced in the direction that was keeping Buffy's attention. She rolled her eyes in disgust when she saw the Parker twins had been invited as well. She knew this had to been one of Xander's ideas. He had been obsessing about those two since third grade when they had first moved to town.

"Huh?" Buffy blinked a few times to try and focus on the conversation at hand, instead of the way Angel was dressed. He had come more relaxed than the fine suit he had been wearing when she first met him. Then, an image flashed of a near naked Angel that she had been peeping on the night before and she felt her cheeks turning red.

"What do you do for a living?" Willow repeated the words slower this time.

"OH!" Buffy gave an apologetic smile as she forced that particular image to the back of her mind so she could get control of herself.

"Actually, I used to work with my father. He was a CEO of a very distinguished company in New York. Now, I'm starting my own small business. You might laugh when I tell you," Buffy said hesitatingly.

"Trust me, I do not laugh at the professions people choose." Willow crossed her heart.

"Well, when I was a teenager, my friends and I use to get a thrill out of trying to get into clubs that we knew we weren't supposed to be in. Even when I became of age, I would find myself always looking for a club that made me feel at ease. You know, one where everyone could have fun. So, now, that I have a small inheritance in my pocket, I thought I would open up my very own club." Buffy watch Willow's face closely.

"Wow! Why here?" Willow had not expected her to be the "club scene" type. In fact, if she had to guess, she would have guessed that she was more of a decorator or even designer type.

"I had a friend, who used to travel around the world, and she once said how sad it was that smaller towns never had any real fun. I had always enjoyed my trips to California with my father and I did a survey and this town was on the top of the list. So, I came here, bought a house, and now I'm going to start looking for the right place for this club of mine or have it built." Buffy explained with a nervous smile on her face.

"I think that is so . . . well, . . . brave of you. I mean that I would not ever have the courage to invest so much. I'm not trying to say you shouldn't either." Willow blushed as she realized how that could come off in a negative way toward Buffy's dreams.

"Haha! It's okay, my friends were a bit skeptical too, when I first told them." Buffy confessed.

"On the bright side if it all fails, I at least own the house that I live in," Buffy joked. "So, what do you do?"

"I work for a computer company. I actually help design and test new products. It's not really that impressive," Willow answered.

"I would think that would be very hard," Buffy replied.

"It is at times, and, then again, there are days where I savor the challenges." Willow smiled proudly.

"Maybe I should hire you, when I start my club. I will need some technical assistance." Buffy offered.

"That would be great!" Willow gave her a large grin.

"So, tell me, do you guys often have these cook outs?" Buffy looked around the group of about twenty people.

"Occasionally. I'm not into the whole party scene myself. Tara and Amy, the two girls huddle in the corner over there by the margarita maker, are the only two I invited. They are coworkers from work," Willow explained.

"Everyone else here is a friend we either went to high school with or one of Angel's old college buddies, who still live close by. We sorta like to hang out and remember the old days." Willow took a sip of her drink.

"That's cool." Buffy was impressed.

"I guess your trying to figure out which one of those girls is Angel's girlfriend?" Willow couldn't resist the temptation. She had caught Buffy looking over each girl that got near Angel as they talked.

"Uh? NO!" Buffy was flustered at being caught staring at Angel.

"Well, just so you know he doesn't usually have girlfriends. I would call them more like, lovers. He isn't into that whole serious scene. It's not that he can't be committed, it's just that he is so busy that he thinks it's unfair to expect a woman to sit and wait on him. I think he is just scared, myself," Willow said.

Buffy was about to say something when she felt a large arm wrap around her shoulder. Glancing to the side of her, she saw it was only Xander. She let her body relax.

"So, which one of you is going to start the skinny dipping contest?" Xander asked them with the most serious expression that both girls thought they would faint at what he was suggesting.

4

Angel had over heard Xander's suggestion to the girls. He shook his head with disbelief at how sleazy the boy could sound at times. He knew that Xander thought he was a cool cat and all, but there was days when he wanted so badly to sit the young pup down and tell him the do's and don'ts when it came to getting women.

The only thing that stopped him from doing it, was the fact that Xander, no matter what, always seemed to come out okay on his own. Sure, he didn't get the really hot babes, but he did get the nice girls. Xander wasn't like Angel at all. Xander wanted to get married and have about six kids someday. Angel just wanted the nicer things in life and perhaps a few million dollars in his account. He already knew his future would never be with one woman, but a dozen of them.

He didn't think it was stupid to want the whole commitment thing, he just knew he wasn't the type. He would only end up pushing a good woman crazy and leaving the kids with their hatred of him. He had lived it. He knew it was possible. Therefore, he was not going to continue the cycle. It stopped here, with him. No more heartaches. No more disappointments. No more cheating, lying, bastard for a father. That would never be him.

He heard Willow saying something rather flippant to Xander before the new neighbor started laughing. He felt goose bumps run up and down his spine as her laughter rang in his ears. Looking past the brown hair girl, who was trying to win his attention, he noticed that she was rather beautiful in her own way. She appeared to have style but without the whole flare. She appeared to like the "natural" look. He was impressed with her. She even had a sparkling smile.

"Are you listening to me?" The brown headed girl pouted.

"Yes," Angel said simply. Yet his eyes never looked away from the woman across the yard.

"How about I get you another drink?" Angel took her empty glass and without waiting for an answer from her, he walked to the table that was just a few feet from Xander, Willow, and Buffy.

"I still think she should try McCarley's real estate office first. They helped Mariah find the perfect location for her magic shop," Willow replied.

"Yeah, we should really rely on that one. I mean, come on, the best place would be in the woods for that sort of things. Who believes in that crap?" Xander shook his head with disgust at the mere ideal of magic.

"I will look into both places, if it will keep you two from killing each other," Buffy offered a truce between the two.

"Okay." Both agreed.

"Hey, Angel, will you fix me another drink?" Xander turned to see Angel at the bar.

"Sure. What do you want?" Angel replied.

Willow glanced down at Buffy's empty hands and knew this would be a great opportunity for the two to talk a bit more.

"Angel, fix Buffy something too," Willow shouted out.

Buffy felt her cheeks start to burn. She glared at Willow for asking such a favor of a man that she barely even knew. Willow just gave her a wicked smile and pulled her to the table.

"Here you go, Xander, one screw driver." Angel handed the large glass to Xander.

"What would you like?" Angel asked.

"What do you have?" Buffy frowned as she looked at the massive table full of different assortments of whiskey, wines, and beer.

"You name it, we have it or I can make it," Angel assured her with a huge smile on his face.

Buffy was surprised at his talent.

"He used to be a bartender in his college days," Willow explained.

"It helped me get chicks!" Angel teased them.

"I don't think it was just your mixing drink talents that helped you get all of those girls," Willow teased him back.

"You got me there. It didn't hurt that I had an A average either. You know all the hot ones go for the brainy types," Angel chuckled.

"So, what will it be, partner?" Angel's eyes locked with Buffy's and, once again, he felt the strange sensation run up his spine.

"I will make it simple. Scotch on the rocks please." Buffy wondered where that had come from. She was more of a wine type of girl or even champagne but Scotch?

"That is easy enough." Angel showed he was impressed with the soft smile on his face.

Buffy felt her stomach do flip-flops when he handed her the crystal glass and their fingers graze against each other.

"Thanks," Buffy muttered before sipping on the drink.

"I would have figured you a wine type, not scotch," Angel admitted to her.

"I just thought I might try something new," Buffy confessed.

"So, I was right?" Angel gave her a cocky grin.

"This time," Buffy flirted back.

"I see." Surprise lifted his eyebrows; then he laughed with genuine amusement.

Her hot cheeks seem to fascinate him.

"Is it okay?" Angel looked at the glass in her hand and then back at her face.

Buffy felt a jolt of lust hit her head on. His eyes seemed to melt her skin. His smile turned her into Jell-O. What was wrong with her?

"What?" Buffy whispered.

"Your drink." Angel wondered if she had been lost in her own thoughts or perhaps even a bit daft for a second there.

"Oh! Great! Something to have after a long hot bath." Buffy knew her cheeks were turning beet red once again. Why did she say that?

"I will have to take you up on that." Angel's eyes teased her.

Buffy prayed to God to keep her steady and to resist the devil himself.

"You call me and let me know about it." Buffy smirked at her witty comment.

"I will," Angel promised her as he saw his little brown hair girl growing restless for him.

"I must go. Hope to see more of you." Angel knew he was putting out an offer that would have been smarter to leave alone. Yet he couldn't resist it. She was just too damn pretty not to want to at least get a taste of.

She seemed to squirm under his stare. He knew he was attractive to most women, but this one seemed to look in him, rather than at him. He liked that. She also appeared to have a head on her lovely shoulders since she bought her own house. What could be wrong with being a bit friendlier to the neighbors? Who was he kidding he knew that this one was better left alone to her own devices. Hell, she would be perfect for Xander. With that image in mind, he felt a strange emotion run through him. He didn't like the image at all.

"I'm sure you will be too busy to see more of me." Buffy broke the deep stare between them and allowed her eyes to glance at the brown hair girl.

"I'm sure I can fit you in my agenda." Angel wanted to slap himself for continuing this game of cat and mouse. He felt like he was losing control with the situation. Something he had never experienced in his entire life.

"I'm afraid my agenda might be too tight to squeeze you in." Buffy challenged him with a cluck of her tongue.

"Let's just see how it all plays out, " Angel offered a truce to this maddening game.

"I think that sounds fitting," Buffy offered him her hand so they could shake on the deal.

Angel stared down at the small hand and slowly he reached out with his own. Sparks seem to fly straight up his arm from the touch of her skin. She was warm and soft. He looked and saw that she too, was affected by this simple gesture. What was wrong with them both? Why would he feel such a strong attraction to a woman that he thought, just moments ago was sweet and homely, and now he was looking at her as if she was his soulmate. Maybe Xander bought cheap liquor he suggested to himself.

"Come on, Buffy, I know you must be hungry for my X burger," Xander interrupted the couple.

"Bye." Buffy was the first to pull away. Angel fought for breath as he tried to come up with something cool to say, but nothing came to mind. He was still soaring from the foreign emotions he had felt while they held hands.

Buffy smiled weakly, before turning away and following Xander to the grill.

5

Buffy had spent half her morning in a conference call with her family attorney. Once she had settled some things with him, she went to the real estate offices that Xander and Willow had suggested to her.

Buffy first met with Christine Cook, who she liked the instant they met. Chrissy, as she had begged Buffy to call her, really knew her stuff. Of course they went back to the office a few hours later to discuss what Buffy's basic needs were and Chrissy agreed to do some more research before they made any decisions. She, then, went to her next appointment with the second real estate agency.

Once she made her away to the grocery store, she was famished. She had only had an orange to eat since breakfast and it was nearly seven o'clock. She walked through the local grocery store with a grumbling stomach. She began to throw everything that looked good in the buggy and then checked out with two hundred dollars worth of groceries.

When she pulled up in her driveway, she realized she would now have to take all the groceries inside.

"I'm definitely eating microwave dinner tonight," She said out loud to herself.

Opening her rental car, she pulled out a few bags and walked up to her door. She finally managed to get the key in the lock and opened the door. She went straight to her kitchen and sat the bags down as gently as possible. She flipped the light switch on and then headed back out for her second load.

"Hey, there." She heard a voice call from behind. She whipped around to see that it was one of her neighbors.

"Hey," Buffy said with a tired voice.

"You look pooped," Xander noted as he jogged up to her car and began to help her unload.

"Wow, are you hiding a few people in that house of yours?" Xander teased as he was shock to see the back seat was totally full of grocery bags.

"I'm guilty, I know." Buffy laughed. "I have not eaten all day," she groaned. Then her stomach rumbled.

"I can hear that." Xander and Buffy both laughed at that.

"Go on inside and start dinner, I will bring the rest in." Xander turned her toward the house with a few bags in her hands and then gave her a gentle nudge as he leaned back into the car and began to unload it.

After his fourth trip inside he was finally finished.

"Mmmm . . . What are you cooking?" Xander sniffed the air.

"I'm afraid I'm going to make something simple and fast. It's called a TV dinner.'" Buffy sighed.

"I love those things." Xander eyes sparkled.

"Want one? I have plenty." Buffy proved it by opening up three bags full of the containers.

"Damn, woman!" Xander jumped up and started pulling them out one by one.

"What did you do all day?" Xander wondered what had kept her so busy that she didn't have time to eat.

"I went to the real estate offices. I found a few good leads from both of them," Buffy replied as she reset the microwave.

"So once you pick the spot, then what?" Xander asked with a pair of curious eyes.

"Well, it really depends. If I find a place that already has a suitable building, then I will just reconstruct and design it, but if not then I will have to get someone to design the place and then contract a builder," Buffy answered.

Xander was amazed at how easy she made it sound. He could tell that she grew up in a business world. Most girls he knew didn't even know how to pump gas.

"Sounds exciting and time consuming." Xander noticed the way she seemed to like the part about consuming her time.

"I have nothing else to do," Buffy admitted with a weak smile.

"Would you like something to do?" Xander noted the hesitance in her answer.

"I guess that would depend," Buffy replied once she found the right words.

"I was wondering, if you would like to go to the movies with me sometime." Xander knew this didn't sound rather exciting to a girl like Buffy, but damn he had to try. She was not only beautiful, but she was smart and independent. Things that even a guy like himself knew, were hard to find in a classy girl.

"Sounds great," Buffy replied with a bright smile on her face.

"Really?" Xander nearly choked on his own tongue.

"Yes. Why do you seem so surprise?" Buffy frowned at him.

"It's just that . . . well . . . girls . . . girls that meet Angel . . . they usually don't say yes to me," Xander stumbled around to find the most tactful words possible.

"Why not?" Buffy reached over to the counter and pulled out her favorite wine, then grabbed two glasses and sat them down on the table, while waiting for his answer.

"Why not? Come on, look at the man, he is a player. He knows how to dress to kill. Then, of course, it doesn't hurt that he drives a cool car and is loaded. Why would any girl want me, after being with a man like him?" Xander knew he was making himself sound rather pathetic but it was the truth he was revealing to her.

"Are you serious?" Buffy began to laugh softly.

"Yes." Xander watched as she sat the glasses down and began to pour wine in each of them. Then the microwave made its announcement that it was done. Buffy opened the microwave and pulled out her dinner and sat it by one of the full glasses.

"Come sit with me." Buffy sat down and patted the seat next to hers.

"First, let me tell you that women are alike, in many ways, but our preferences are not all the same. Just like you guys. Some of you are born jerks, while others are made into jerks, yet, there are a few of you who aren't. Same goes for women. I have plenty of money, I'm independent and I like to be with a man who can be himself. I hate that whole world of charades. It's boring and tedious." Buffy stopped her speech to put a mouth full of steaming vegetables in between her pale pink lips.

"Yeah, well, maybe for you, but not the other 99 percent of the women in this town." Xander sipped on the wine she had poured. He was surprised at the soft taste.

"So, how long have you been single?" Buffy put another mouthful of food in her mouth.

"Let me see . . . I would have to say at least two years." Xander swallowed the entire glass of wine. Buffy reached over and poured his glass full again.

"Geez! No wonder you are so negative." Buffy shook her head

"I'm not negative, I'm being realistic," Xander said firmly.

"Uhhuh." Buffy swallowed the food and then poured herself a second glass of wine.

"How about you?" Xander turned the question to her.

"A year ago. I was engaged to be married." Buffy confided.

"Poor guy." Xander felt bad for the poor guy she had dumped.

"Poor guy! He broke up with me," Buffy cried out with disgust.

"No way! What a stupid ass." Xander shook his head with disbelief that anyone would dump a girl like her.

"Well, I agree with that part." Buffy laughed. She got up and threw away her empty box and then took her glass along with the bottle and nodded for him to follow her.

Once they were sitting in the living room, the conversation continued.

"Why did he dump you? If you don't mind me knowing?" Xander gave her an apologetic smile.

"Nah! I think we are passed being so formal with one another." Buffy chuckled as she poured herself another glass.

"It was hard at the time to believe that a man that I had dated since my junior year of high school was not in love with me anymore. Yep, Riley and I had been together for six long years. Our third year he had proposed to me. I was so excited because it was my freshman year of college and I had all these dreams in my head. Then our fifth year came around and we still had not set a wedding date. That should have been a clue to me, but I was so naive when it came to him. Three days after graduation he came to me and said that he got this amazing job offer in Chicago and he was leaving in a week and that he thought we should break up." Buffy's eyes showed she was reliving that exact moment in her head.

"Then what?" Xander was on his fifth glass of wine at this point.

"I cried, of course, and asked why he didn't want to marry me now that we were both out of college and ready to move on with our adult lives. He said that he felt like we had grown apart and that he had met someone else where he worked, that she was going to transfer to the Chicago location." Buffy gripped the glass hard as she remembered the way he had seemed so uncaring of her feelings.

"Would you have rather he had not told you about her?" Xander suspected he knew what part had hurt the most.

"I use to think so, but then . . . hell, I don't think it matters anyway you look at it. He still dumped me for someone else." Buffy leaned back into the couch with a soft sigh.

"It hurts being dumped I know," Xander confessed.

"Is that what happened to you?" Buffy turned her head to get a better view of him. She noted that he was rather handsome.

"Pretty much. Except I had made the mistake of thinking that I might have had feelings for someone else and she couldn't stand the thought of losing me for someone else, so she just broke up with me first." Xander thought back to the night that Cordelia Chase had shattered his heart to pieces.

"Hello! Did you tell her about these feelings for another girl?" Buffy was dumbfounded.

"Sure I did, especially when she caught me kissing the other girl." Xander gave her a crooked smile.

"Oh!" Buffy push him playfully on the shoulder.

"What happened to the girl you kissed?" Buffy was growing totally relaxed around Xander, as if he had always been one of her close friends.

"She ended up working things out with her boyfriend at the time and they moved on with their relationship. Yet, after high school, they broke up and she began to date other people. It was not meant to be for us. Which I'm relieved, since now she is my room mate." Xander watched Buffy's face as it began to sink into her head who the other girl was.

"OH! Shit! Willow and you?" Buffy covered her mouth with her hand.

"Yep." Xander nodded his head.

"She is so cool! Too bad for you, she is a great girl." Buffy's eyes began to smolder with passion as she wondered if Willow had ever had a chance with Angel as well.

"What about Angel?" Buffy asked out loud.

"What about him?" Xander turned to look at her with a confused expression on his face.

"Did he and . . . you know, him and Willow ever date?" Buffy's cheeks turn red.

"NOOO! Willow would never fall for a guy like him." Xander began to laugh at the image of Willow berating Angel for being late and having no morals when it came to women.

"I guess I see your point." Buffy felt stupid for even suggesting that a nice girl like Willow would even be interested in a guy like Angel. She suspected she was too smart for that type.

"What about you?" Xander's smiling face turned very serious.

"What about me?" Buffy took a long gulp of wine.

"Are you interested in Angel?" Xander watched her face closely.

"What? Why would you ask that?" Buffy nearly choked on her drink.

"You both seem to get along rather well at the cook out yesterday," Xander confessed to noticing the couple talking when he purposely interrupted them.

"I talked to tons of people. Especially guys, but that doesn't mean I want to sleep with them," Buffy said in defensively.

"Who said anything about having sex?" Xander asked.

"You know what I mean." Buffy felt her cheeks burning up. She wasn't sure if was the wine affecting her, or the conversation at hand.

"Do I?" Xander leaned in closer to Buffy and she felt her hands began to shake when she realized what his intentions were. He was going to kiss her. Did she want him to kiss her? Did she like him like that? Was she even ready to get involved again?

Before she could find an answer to any of her questions, she felt his lips touch hers. Then as his tongue began to slide between her lips, a loud sound interrupted them.

"What is that?" Buffy asked.

"What is what?" Xander wanted to ignore the sound and finish what they had started.

His lips made contact again and the sound repeated itself.

"Wait." Buffy's hands pressed up against his chest, when she remembered that it was her door bell making that strange sound.

"Why?" Xander pleaded.

"Because it could be important," Buffy replied as she tried to stand up. Her head was spinning from the amount of wine she had devoured in such a short time. Wobbling, she opened the front door to see Angel standing at her door with a bottle of scotch in his hands.

"Hello." Angel smiled nervously.

"Hello." Buffy copied with a nervous smile of her own.

"Can I come in?" Angel cocked an eye brow at her odd behavior.

"Sure . . . well . . . I mean . . . " Buffy couldn't help but shake the feeling that this was not a good time for him to come inside.

"Hey Angel." Xander walked up behind Buffy.

"Hey Xander." Angel frowned at them both.

"Wow, what did you buy us?" Xander hoped that Angel caught the "us" part.

"I remembered that Buffy like the drink she tried yesterday and thought she might want some for home." Angel obviously was ignoring the signal that they were busy.

"Thanks." Buffy took the heavy bottle and then moved to the side so he could come in.

After he entered the house, Xander expressed a hurt feeling toward Buffy, who in return shrugged her shoulders, while placing a weak smile on her face.

6

Buffy wondered if she was the only one who felt the heavy tension in the air. Once she let Angel inside, she knew she had made a mistake. It was obvious that, although they were roommates, there was some competition between these two young men. She knew she was partly to blame for this particular incident.

"Aren't you usually in your room watching Star Trek at this time?" Angel looked at the expensive watch on his arm and then back toward Xander.

Buffy caught the quicky blush on Xander's cheek before he calmed down.

"I thought this was the time you were usually calling a friend over for the night," Xander retorted with a sarcastic smile.

"I'm usually asleep at this time." Buffy thought she would put her two cents in.

"Oh," both men said with a disappointed look on their faces.

"Angel, this is really nice of you. I'm afraid you might have wasted your money. I don't usually drink hard stuff that often," Buffy said. She was hoping to get some kind of conversation going that was not in a negative tone.

"If memory serves me right, you said it would be nice to drink after a long hot bubble bath. I'm sure you take those often enough." Angel's eyes twinkled with mischief.

Buffy felt her skin burn from the way his eyes seem to tell her he was imagining her in that tub at this very moment.

"I try." Buffy's answered in a husky tone.

Xander wanted to throw up at the scene playing before him. How many times had he been an audience to this bull shit? Too many.

"I guess I will be on my way." Xander stood up and watched as Buffy had to fight her eyes away from Angel to notice that he was leaving.

"Let me walk you out." Buffy gave him an apologetic smile as she walked behind him.

Once they stood at the door, she felt awkward. If she was truly honest with herself, she would have to say she felt guilty. Why? Because she had allowed a moment between her and Xander that should have never happened. He was a great guy and probably an even better friend. She needed friends, not angry lovers.

"I'm sorry." Buffy looked down with guilty eyes.

"It's okay, Buffy. I understand. I told you earlier. I'm used to girls falling for him. Just be careful. I want to keep you as a neighbor." His hand stroked her cheek briefly before he turned and walked out of the door.

Buffy felt like such a ass. Why did she let the good ones go? When would she learn?

"Wow. You have a great cd collection." She heard Angel saying from the other room.

"Yeah, I know." Buffy turned and walked back to where her other male guest was going through her personal things.

"I'm sorry if this is off limits." Angel yanked his hands away like a child getting caught in the cookie jar.

"Nah. So, tell me, why did you really come over?" Buffy walked straight up to him. Lifting her head, she tried to look into his eyes.

"I told you," Angel replied with a pair of innocent eyes.

7

Angel knew he was flirting with her. He was just asking himself what was the point of it? Why was he doing this to himself or to her? This was not the kind of girl one had a casual fling with. No, she was way better than that.

"No, you told me the excuse that you thought of to come over here. I want the truth. Look, I'm new here but your reputation has already burned my ears." Buffy shot him a warning look before continuing.

"I think you are a nice guy. I like nice guys. What I don't need is a nice guy trying to mess with my head. I have half a brain in this cute head of mine. I also have needs, just like any other girl. So, I'm going to ask you one more time, why are you really here?" Buffy's voice was stern and her face was quite still. She was not exposing one emotion to him. She knew that half of this sudden courage came from the amount of wine she had drank but she didn't care. She wanted the truth, before she allowed herself to do something that she might regret later.

"I'm sorry, Buffy, if I offended you somehow. I ....I'm not used to this sort of confrontation," Angel admitted.

"What are you used to, Angel?" Buffy's eyes began to glaze over with a longing he understood all too well.

"I'm used to telling a woman she looks nice, taking her out for dinner or opera, whatever she is in to. Then, I usually take her back to a nice hotel, where I make love to her body for hours. If I still feel a need for her, then I will call her later. If not, then . . . well, then I move onto the next beauty that catches my eye," Angel explained.

He was amazed at how he had just exposed his game plan to a beautiful woman who he wanted to have sex with. What was he thinking?

"So, you look at women as conquests. If one is worthy enough for a second serving to you, than you take it. If not than you move onto the next one. That is rather interesting, Angel." Buffy licked her dry lips.

Buffy turned her feet and began to walk toward the hallway. She knew he was probably kicking himself in the ass about now. She knew this because she figured he thought she was about to ask him to leave. When the truth was, she was about to do something that was completely not like herself at all.

"Buffy, look . . . I do not mean to hurt women. I don't look at it that way either. I make a woman feel good about herself and give her something that perhaps she hasn't had with her other lovers. Complete attention. Even if it's for only one night." Angel began to babble with each step she took closer to the door.

"Just ONE night," she inquired boldly, locking her eyes with his.

"Yeah . . . usually just one," he said in a husky voice.

"Prove this theory to me. Show me what you can do in just ONE night. Then I want you to walk away from me. You can never tell anyone about this night and you can never ask for another." Buffy gave the demands to her proposal.

"Are you sure?" Angel asked in a choked whisper.

"I'm tired of being sure. I have been let down, more times than I would want to admit, when it comes to being sure." Buffy thought back to her six years with Riley.

Angel took a few long strides to reach her side. Looking down at her, he wondered if she had been drinking too much? Did it really matter to him? She licked her lips again. He wasn't a fool when it came to desire. Buffy had passion, that he did not doubt, but could she really let him go after one night, Angel asked himself.

"What are you waiting for?" Buffy asked with a shaky voice.

"Say it. Say you want me to make love to you." Angel prayed she would not change her mind once they got started.

"I want you . . . to make . . . love to me." Buffy was about to say more when his lips crushed her mouth. Sealing the deal.

Both Buffy and Angel told themselves that they would not regret this night.

8

"You taste so sweet," he murmured against her mouth.

She returned his kiss with equal desire, burying her hands in his hair, drawing him closer to her. Her kisses held a surprising innocence, but she followed his lead when he swept his tongue acrossed her mouth, then nibbled at her lower lip.

His entire body burned for her. Scooping her up in his arms, he started up the stairs to her room with their mouths still locked tightly. Then, as he stepped up to the second floor, he realized he didn't know which room was hers.

"The last one." Buffy pulled away briefly to answer his unasked question. Then she returned her lips to his. Still carrying her in his arms, he opened the door to her room and then glanced in to locate the bed. Heading directly to the large canopy bed, he laid her down gently.

Angel broke away from the kisses to look down at the woman he was about to make love to.

His heart began to race as he captured the way she looked at that very moment. She appeared so open, so innocent, and passionate. She looked almost virginal to him.

Angel began to undress himself. He wanted to be completely naked with this woman. Buffy took this cue and began to unbutton her blouse. Angel reached out and stop her hands.

"I will do that," he promised.

"I can do it." Buffy's voice shook nervously.

"Let me have the pleasure in that." Angel's voice was soothing and erotic.

"Okay." Buffy gulped hard as his eyes seem to caress her skin.

When he was completely naked and standing proudly before her, Buffy felt like she would faint. He was magnificent. Her bedroom view sucked compared to seeing the real thing before her very own eyes. He was muscular in all the right places. She licked her lips as she thought of all the places she wanted to touch first.

Angel saw her appreciation of his body in her eyes. He felt a strange emotion run through him. He was actually starting to blush. Where had that feeling come from? Why did he feel awkward?

Stepping closer to the bed, he reached down and began to finish unbuttoning her shirt. Buffy was amazed at how fast he had undressed her but with a suave way of doing it. She felt as if her clothes had magically disappeared. Looking down at her naked body, she too, felt a strange awkwardness.

Leaning over her, he began to kiss her forehead and then planted soft kisses as he traveled down her face, her neck, and landing on her chest. Once there, he proved to be incredibly gifted in that area. Buffy began to moan and squirm as his full attention stayed on her breast. Angel was not her first lover, but he was the first man she had ever known such explicit pleasure with. He didn't seem to be in a hurry. She was starting to understand why he was egotistic about his bed manners.

She heard him moan deep in his chest as he released her nipple and began to slide kisses lower. She thought she would surely die from the intense feeling that was building up in the pit of her stomach.

Electrifying currents pulsed through her body and she reached up to dig her fingers into his hair. She knew where his next target was. Her body grew tense and the muscles of her stomach constricted. She was waiting for that moment of intimate contact, but Angel was in no hurry. Teasingly, he kissed her sensitive inner thighs, his lips traveling close to the juncture of her legs, then retreating. He was driving her wild.

"Please Angel.." she cried out, finally using her hands to guide his head.

Warm. Moist. His tongue darted in and out, coaxing her to full arousal. The distinction between pleasure and pain became a fine line. She wanted him, needed him.

Then the walls around her began to disappear and she heard someone crying out in the distant. Seconds later, she realized it had been her screams. She had went some where she had never gone before. He had given her something that Riley had tried for years to accomplish.

Angel glanced up at her face as she began to relax around his hands once again. He could have swore he heard her purring like a kitten.

Buffy's hands released the hair that she had gripped while orgasming. She took the sides of his face and pulled him up toward her. The bed gave a little as he straddled her, his hands resting on either side of her head, his knees parting her thighs. Angel took a calming, deep breath and forced himself to slow down. For a second he simply stared down at her, absorbing her delicate beauty and marveling at her perfection once again. Her hair was fanned out over the sheet, hallooing her face like a crown. Passion-clouded eyes gazed up into his, and her mouth looked well kissed. Bending his elbows, he leaned closer and touched his lips to hers. The sweet, trusting readiness of her mouth held him captive.

As he kissed her, Buffy moved her hands over his back and sides. His skin was smoother than she'd expected, his muscles firm and taunt. She glided her hands around his ribs. Slowly, she let her fingers move down over his stomach. He sucked in his breath, and she gentle stroked him. Inch by inch, she became intimately familiar with the lines of his manhood.

"That feels good," Angel gasped.

Her own need barely subdued, it didn't take long before the sinuous rubbing of his hips against hers, made Buffy equally ready. And when he pressed against her, anticipation knotted her stomach. Arching her hips, she welcomed his strength. Soft encircled hard, their differences disappearing as their bodies melded together.

Angel clutched her shoulders and paused to revel in his own pleasure. He couldn't imagine a more exquisite feeling. Or a more perfect woman. Slowly, he began to move hips. Steady, rhythmic thrusts adding to his ecstasy, thrust that increased in speed and intensity.

Both of them clung to one another tightly as they felt the sheer intensity of their passion carrying them away from reality. Her fingers clawed into his skin as she began to cry out his name. Then, her world shattered. Even as her body shook with convulsive spasms, she felt Angels final thrust and heard his sound of relief. She clung to him.

Time seemed to stop for them as they both rested quietly next to one another. Nothing was said, but once both of them caught their breath, their hands began to touch and caress the others' body again, again, and again.

9

Three months later . . .

Buffy stared at the pictures for the umpteenth time. Which one would be the best? She was growing exhausted from this nonstop work session she had been throwing herself in for several months now. Hell, who was she fooling, she knew damn well why she was really keeping busy and it had nothing to do with deadlines either.

No, it was about the man next door, who came home extremely late every night. If he came home at all. She was starting to worry that she might be a potential stalker. She couldn't sleep until she saw his car in the drive way. She knew it was stupid and even a bit weird, but it was the truth. She hated seeing different women going in and out those doors. Were they there for him?

Things, at least with Xander, had changed for the better since that night. He had come over and apologized for doing something so abrupt. He also insisted it was the wine. Of course, she knew it was not the complete truth, but she would let him carry some pride away.

Buffy heard the fax machine sending her another new picture from the real estate office.

"Argggh!" She had finally nailed it down to four out of the forty and now they were sending one more.

Reaching behind her, she grabbed the paper and threw it down on her desk. Debating on whether she should look at it, she finally took the chance.

She felt her heart stop dead in its track. It was perfect. It was an old mansion, set around a beautiful erotic looking garden. She checked the address and was relieved to see it was located here in Sunnydale. Grabbing the phone, she dialed up the agents number and let her know that she wanted to see this house first thing in the morning. This was the one. It was perfect for what she had in mind. Now, if she could just get the house for a reasonable price, it would make her life so much easier.

Standing up, she rubbed her lower back, as she walked to the counter to grab another cup of coffee. She had lost count of her caffeine in take hours ago. She really did not care at this point.

She heard female laughter coming from next door. Being noisy, as usual, she walked to the living room and peek out of her window to see a gorgeous brunette step out of Angel's car and walk inside with him. Buffy felt her heart break. Why was he bringing them home now?

She wanted to cry. Why? It wasn't like he wasn't doing exactly like she had ordered. She had been the one who said that they would only share one night together. But how in the world could she have predicted that, that one night would be the best she had ever known? Or even ever would know again?

Angel had been true to his word. He had been everything a woman could want in a lover and more. He had proved himself worthy of being a solid gold player. There was nothing he didn't know or hadn't tried at least once. She felt her stomach clench when she thought of how many times she had cried out in pleasure from just his hands alone on her body.

He was amazing. He made her feel like the most desirable woman in the world. Closing her eyes, she brought the image of the way he had looked into her eyes each time he had penetrated her. He seemed to enjoy watching her orgasm. It was truly glorious. He was the closest thing she could imagine heaven would be like.

Now, some other lucky girl, was getting to experience his touch upon her naked body. Buffy bit down on her tongue to keep from screaming out in frustration. Why had she made such a bargain with a devil like himself?

Rushing to the kitchen, she took out the bottle of scotch he had brought over as an excuse that night, and poured a crystal glass full of the liquid. Then, without hesitation, she downed the drink. Instantly her stomach began to feel the warm sensation. This feeling caused her to remember the way his body had felt so warm lying next to hers. Both had fallen asleep from exhaustion after six hours straight of constant love making.

Unfortunately, she woke up at noon the next day, to find her lover absent from her bed. It had taken her a few minutes to consider if it had all been a dream. Once she went down stairs and saw the bottle of scotch, she knew it had been real.

From that day on, she stayed busy and she stayed away from the house next door. Instead, she invited Willow or Xander over to her home, or went out with her new friends. She had been relieved to know that neither had a clue about what she had done with their third roommate. She had been able to relax and enjoy herself around them.

She knew that they would not think less of her for being weak to Angel's charms but she wasn't ready to take that chance yet. It was sort of bittersweet, to know that only the two of them knew about that surreal night they had shared together.

Still, she knew realistically she would not be able to hide forever from Angel. Going to her room, she tiptoed to her bed and fell upon it, without bothering to turn on a light. She wasn't sure why, but she didn't want anyone to know she was even in her room. Then, a thought occurred to her.

Sitting up, she bounced off the bed and rushed to the window.

"Of course," Buffy whispered out loud.

Angel was in his bedroom, with the lights on, and the blinds up. He was an odd bird, she said to herself.

Then, she saw the brunette sitting on the edge of his bed. Her pulse began to race, when she considered that he was going to make love to another woman and she could sit and watch it all.

"No way, Buffy." She shook her head and let the blind down. She wasn't about to watch another couple getting it on. That was just too . . . sick . . . perverted . . . and heart breaking.

Instead, she grabbed the keys to her car and ran down the stairs and out of her house. Jumping into her new car, she turned on the engine and left the neighborhood. She feared she would not be able to sustain from the temptation of watching Angel making love to another woman. Not that she was into that sort of thing, it was more of the fact that just to see his body again would drive her insane. She knew that everything he would do would remind her of how it felt for her. That was just too much to bear. Instead, she found her way to a local bar, where she hoped to keep herself from thinking of Angel.

10

Angel stood in his bedroom, listening to the gorgeous brunette tell him how she had fantasized about him so many times. Yet, here he was, not one least bit interested in what she had to offer. What was wrong with him?

Brandi was a hot woman. She was also known for giving the best oral sex ever. Yet ,when he looked at her body, he thought of another girl's body. When he watched as she licked her lips provocatively, it was another pair of lips that came to his mind. When they were eating dinner and Brandi twirled her hair on her finger tips, it wasn't brunette locks that he saw but blond.

"Are you okay?" Brandi ask with a worried frown.

"Yeah, I think I'm just tired. I've been working on this deal for the last few months and it finally went through last night and I'm still beat from all the time and sleep it consumed," Angel half lied. He had been having a hard sleeping these days but it wasn't all to blame on work.

"I can understand that," Brandi replied with a weak smile.

"Brandi, do you mind if I just take you home tonight?" Angel knew he was probably going to kick his ass tomorrow for this, but he just didn't have the heart to do anything tonight.

"Not at all." Brandi replied sweetly, but he saw the pain in her eyes.

"It's not you, I swear," Angel explained.

"Why don't I just take a taxi home? You look too tired to drive," Brandi offered.

"Let me call for you." Angel flashed an apologetic smile toward her as he picked up his phone.

*********

Xander and Willow heard the girl leave after just arriving. Both stared at each other, wondering what was going on. This was the fourth girl in the past month that had left shortly after arriving. What was he doing in there? Had he lost his touch and releasing himself really early in the game or what?

Xander stood up and stretched his arms, before walking to Angel's room and tapping on the door, softly.

"Angel?" Xander called out.

"Come in," Angel replied sadly.

"Hey buddy. What's going on?" Xander glanced back at the door.

"I don't know." Angel sighed heavily as he laid back on his bed.

"What do you mean?" Xander frowned at his roommate.

"I was with....this really amazing girl...a few months back and now I can't seem to get her off my mind." Angel had nearly said the name of this mysterious woman and then remembered it was Xander he was talking to. He knew how it important it was for Buffy not to let his roommates know they had been lovers for one night.

"OH NO! Please tell me that your not wup," Xander joked.

"Nah! At least, I don't think so." Angel frowned at that suggestion.

"Then what is wrong with you?" Xander sat down next to him.

"I don't know. I mean, she didn't do anything that different. It was like, when we touched, there was sparks. More than the usual lust sparks." Angel sat back up.

"Wow! Sounds like perhaps you connected in away you had not expected. I mean, sex is away to bond with one another. At least, that is what I read in one of those girlie magazines." Xander's cheeks blushed when he realized that he had just told another guy that he was reading women's magazines. But, hey, he was willing to try anything to get a date these days.

"You are strange." Angel laughed.

"Hey, if it helps me score I'm going to do it." Xander answered in a deep baritone way.

"I know. I mean, hell, how do you think I learn most of the things I know when I was a teenager. I read them damn things too," Angel confessed.

"Thank God! At least now I know I'm normal." Xander covered his heart with his hand.

"I didn't say you were normal." Angel smirked.

"Haha! So, who is this girl? Why aren't you with her?" Xander began to offer his help.

"You don't know her and I'm not with her because she said she would only allow me one night," Angel replied.

"Okay, she told YOU she only wanted one night." Xander gasped.

"Yep!" Angel looked out of his window and noted that Buffy's bedroom light was off. He wondered what she was doing these days? When she was home, her bedroom light stayed out. Was she sleeping all the time? Or was there someone with her? Or was she staying at someone else's house? He didn't like that image.

"So, why not try and persuade her for one more night. Maybe your more infatuated with her because she turned the tables on you for a change," Xander suggested.

"What do you mean?" Angel frowned.

"Well, you're the one who usually tells the girl when you want to see them, if you want to see them again. Instead, this one told you that she was going to use you for one night and then she was through with you. She wanted sex and nothing more from you. Maybe your male ego is really the problem here. I mean, perhaps you just want to be in charge of this situation. If you sleep with her again, then you could be the one who walks away." Xander shrugged his shoulders.

"It's just a thought." He added as he stood up.

"You know, you might be on to something there." Angel jumped up off the bed and began to pace back and forth.

"Well, what are you going to do?" Xander was curious at how a player like Angel, had been burned in his own game? And who this brilliant woman was?

"I'm going to get a stiff drink and play a few games of pool." Angel said rather frustrated as he grabbed the keys to his car and marched out of the house.

Xander returned to the living room, where Willow was waiting for the full report.

Summers Breeze cont...

11

Buffy looked at the bottom of the shot glass and wondered when she had started to drink so much? She remembered a casual drink of wine with dinner, a custom glass of champagne at cocktail parties, and of course, the one drink for a toast at a social gathering.

Yet, here in Sunnydale, she seemed to drink from the moment the sun went down. What was wrong with her? She was starting a new life, new career, new friends, and a new understanding of herself. So why did she feel so depressed? She looked up at the ceiling and wondered if her parents could see her now?

She hoped not, or they would be sadly disappointed at her.

She felt someone sit beside her and exhaled deeply. She knew what was about to happen next.

"Hello love, can you pass me the peanuts." A British accent came from beside her.

Buffy turned her head to the side and saw a rather handsome chap next to her. He wasn't exactly what she would take home to Mom and Dad, but he wasn't sore on the eyes either.

"Here." Buffy pushed the bowl toward him without any enthusiasm.

Buffy waited for the next question or line. When nothing came, she sat her glass down and turned her head slightly to glance at him, without being too obvious.

Spike knew she was checking him out. He had been in too many bars not to know how to play this game right. He would play the "I'm not interested" part and girls would flock to him. He knew that women preferred to be the ones chasing than being chased. He had seen her type a million times before.

He had spotted this lovely pet the minute he walked in the room. He had seen several eyes fall on the back side of the little lady sitting at the bar. Once she looked up at the ceiling, he caught a view of her face and felt his groin tighten.

She was very lovely on the eyes. Although, she did seem a bit on the down side tonight.

"I like the band. Not bad at all," he stated out loud as he popped a few more nuts in his mouth and then wash them down with a swig of beer.

"Yeah, they are." Buffy felt stupid. She knew he was aware of what she was doing.

She turned around to view the band playing.

"Name's, Spike. Yours?" Spike asked without looking directly at her.

"Buffy," she replied with sigh.

"What an odd set of names we have." Spike chuckled.

"I guess your parents were hippies too?" Buffy suggested behind a soft chuckle.

"Actually, I got my nickname while in school. I got into a fight with a bloody bloke and we were next to a train track. I got myself a peachy scar where he hit me with a spike." Spike gave her the story of his childhood trauma.

"Damn, that must have hurt." Buffy squirmed at the image.

"It did, but then he hurt more because I knocked him over the head with the bloody thing. My parents named me William." Spike turned to glance at her and held out his hand.

Buffy stared down at the hand he offered and allowed herself to shake it with her own.

"Care to dance?" He looked at the small crowd on the dance floor and then back at her. Her eyes showed her nervousness.

"I promise I won't bite." Spike smiled softly at her.

"Okay." Buffy couldn't help but agree. His eyes were lovely and his body language made her feel at ease.

Stepping on the dance floor, the music turned from fast, upbeat to a soft slow song. Buffy felt her stomach knot up at the thought of touching this man so intimately. Yet, when she saw him smile, she couldn't help but relax under his touch. It was clear that he wasn't about to force her into anything she wasn't willing to do. With that thought, she scolded herself for being so silly. She needed someone in her life. She wanted a man to rush home too or at the very least fall asleep with at night.

Perhaps this man could help her with this little matter. No matter what her heart wanted, she knew that Angel would not be that man. So she forced the thought of that night out of her mind and tried to focus on the man who was holding her. Think Buffy, don't feel, she told herself as she moved with the music.

12 Angel strode into the Bar, where he headed straight to the bar. Once he had downed two shots, he ordered a beer. He couldn't stand this feeling that seem to spread through his entire body. He felt like he was aching for something. Something he could not describe or label.

"How are you tonight?" Angel turned to see Ben Cooper, his old friend, and old boss.

"Not so well," Angel admitted as he drank his beer.

"What's wrong with a lucky fellow like yourself?" Ben asked with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Lucky. I'm not so sure about that anymore." Angel sighed heavily.

"What's wrong, my friend?" Ben said in a more serious tone. He saw that frightened look in Angel's eyes. It was a look that a bar owner of forty years had seen so often before.

"I met this incredible girl, Ben. She moved next door to us. She is beautiful and classy in all the ways a man would want in a possible relationship. Yet, I did the worse thing possible." Angel finished the beer.

"What?" Ben asked. He suspected he already knew the answer to the question.

"I slept with her," Angel confessed.

"Was it horrible?" Ben asked cautiously.

"NO! In fact, it was....well.....it was...it was nothing I had ever been through before." Angel answered with frustration. He hated when he could not articulate his feelings.

"Sounds like she was one hell of a woman in the sack," Ben whistled.

"It was more than that. I mean, you could tell she had not been with many lovers. She wasn't exactly a slut or anything. Hell, I ought to know, I've been with a few." Angel rolled his eyes.

Ben handed him another beer.

"Go on." Ben pushed him.

"Anyway, once the night was threw I left. She had made me promise that after I spent one night with her, I was to never ask for another. Which, at the time, suited me okay. I mean you know me Ben, I rarely have a second night with any lady I sleep with." Angel began to guzzled the second beer.

"It's been three months now, and I've kept that part of the bargain." Angel looked down at the bar then back up at Ben.

"What's wrong then?" Ben asked curiously.

"I can't get her off of my mind. I have tried to sleep with other women, Ben. Nothing works. I keep thinking of her each time I'm with them. I even compare them." Angel cried out in despair.

"Oh no, my laddy. Sounds like this woman has placed a curse on you." Ben teased the young fellow.

"Why can't I get her off of my mind?" He asked with a pleading tone.

Ben stared at Angel for a few seconds and then debating on whether he should help the poor lad out or not.

"I'm afraid Angel, that perhaps you don't want to hear my answer." Ben shook his head.

"What?" Angel grabbed the mans hands.

"Look, lad, every man loses his heart eventually. I fear, that perhaps, you might have met your match. I mean, lets be honest, did you think you could honestly keep from loving anyone?" Ben knew Angel's history with women all too well from when he had worked for him.

"LOVE? What does love have to do with spectacular sex?" Angel felt his chest tighten at the suggestion that he might be in love. It was not possible. He had vowed never to be a fool to love and he couldn't see how anything had changed since he made that vow. <{> "If it was just about sex, then laddy, you wouldn't be here asking this old man for advice. We both know you're the expert when it comes to tossing women in bed." Ben laughed deeply.

"I think your drinking too much." Angel rolled his eyes and chuckled.

"Maybe so." Ben half agreed with him.

The band began to play a familiar song that Angel liked. Turning to see if it was the same band as usual, his eyes glanced over the dancers. When he found one particular couple dancing closely, he felt his stomach do flip flops. He saw a girl, who looked like Buffy, dancing with a man.

"Whose the blond?" Angel asked Ben.

Ben looked at the dancers to see which one he was asking about. His eyes settled on the girl who had been sitting where Angel was earlier.

"Not sure. A new one. She came in alone, but looks like someone was lucky enough to get her to dance with them." Ben shrugged his shoulders.

"That girl looks familiar." Angel squinted his eyes with the dim room lights and wondered if it was possible.

"Now that you think about it, isn't that lad she is dancing with one of your old buddies?" Ben's eyes were not as good as they once were, but he could almost swear it was the fellow that Angel had hung out with often while in college.

"I'll be damned!" Angel swore as he realized that Ben was right. It was Spike. William Wright. His fraternity brother and roommate. Why was he here? Why he was dancing a woman who could have been Buffy's double?

He decided to wait until the couple finished their slow dance to approach his old friend. Then as the music began to fade and the lights were lifted, he watched as the girl laughed at something that Spike had said. Holding her hand, they turned to walk toward him. Angel saw that the girl was none of other than Buffy herself.

Taking a deep breath and letting it out slow, he forced himself to stay calm. But when Spike lifted her hand and placed a soft kiss on the back of it, Angel felt a sudden urge to get up and knock Spike into the floor.

The couple began to head back for another drink when Buffy looked up toward their seats. She saw someone had stole her seat. Then when her eyes focused on the intruder, she nearly jumped out of her skin. The intruder was Angel. She felt her heart race as she saw the look of anger flash across his face and then swiftly turned back into its usual calm look.

Spike caught the fear that flashed across her face before she could hide it and when he looked to see what had caused such a blush in her cheeks he saw what it was. Or should he say "who" had caused it.

"Angel!" Spike cried out with happiness clearly in his voice.

Buffy felt the room start to spin as she was made aware of the fact that these two knew each other.

"Just my luck," she said under her breath as she let Spike lead her to their seats.

13

"What are the odds?" Spike cried out as he reach around and gave a quick but hearty hug to his old friend.

"One in a million," Angel replied but his eyes were on Buffy when he spoke. Then he glanced back toward Spike.

"I didn't know you came back here. The last time I talked to you, you were in England. What happen? I mean, come on man, this is no place for a millionaire like you." Spike asked with a confused frown on his face.

"England and I just didn't mix half as well as I had hoped," Angel said without going into details of that horrible year and a half.

"That's too bad bloke. But I guess that is great for the rest of us." Spike nudged him with his elbow.

"Yep, guess so." Angel sighed.

Buffy stood two steps away from them. She felt like the odd ball. Here was a guy that she had just met and hoped to perhaps have some kind of relationship with, and here he was an old friend of the one man she could never have.

Then she began to listen to the conversation they were sharing and wondered what Spike meant by "millionaire." Angel lived in a small house with two roommates. Surely, he wasn't a millionaire by her standards.

Spike caught Angel's eyes flipping between him and the girl behind him.

"Oh, sorry, love. Angel, this here is Buffy. We just met." Spike gave him a sly wink.

"Hi Angel." Buffy spoke up first.

"Hi Buffy. Didn't know you came here." Angel sat back on the bar stool.

"You two know each other?" Spike asked.

"Yes," Buffy replied swiftly.

"We are next door neighbors." Angel explained as he peeled his eyes away from Buffy to look at his friend.

"Wow! This is a really small world these days." Spike wondered just what kind of neighbors they were exactly? He knew Angel's reputation all too well from their college days together.

"How long have you two lived next to one another?" Spike asked. He was now suddenly aware of the attraction between the two. They couldn't seem to keep their eyes away from one another.

"About three to four months." Buffy looked at Angel for confirmation.

"I think so." Angel shrugged his shoulders.

"I need to go to the john, I will be right back." Spike felt uncomfortable with the way the two kept staring at each other and then back at him. He hoped this might give the two time to talk about what ever was bothering them while he was gone.

Angel waited until Spike was out of ear shot range before speaking.

"So, you come to bars and pick up guys?" Angel felt his pulse racing at the thought of what might have happened had he not come tonight. She would have left with Spike. Which meant she would have had sex with Spike. This made him feel irritated and angry. He was not use to these emotions. He didn't like feeling this way.

"No, my style usually ranges in one night affairs with the men in my neighborhood," Buffy retorted with a smug smile.

"You must have some lucky neighbors." Angel bit down on his tongue.

"I wouldn't know. They don't seem to be around these days for me to talk to them." Buffy felt stupid for hinting to the fact that she was completely aware of his whereabouts these days.

"I'm sure they were really busy with work," Angel answered with a apologetic smile.

"I can relate to that." Buffy sighed.

"Want another drink?" Angel held up his beer.

"No, I think I will stay sober for once." Buffy smiled weakly.

"That would be a smart idea. I mean, after all you might wake up with a stranger in the morning." Angel looked towards the men's bath room.

"It would be better if I woke up and the stranger was still in BED with me," Buffy replied. She felt her cheeks starting to burn and what she had just said.

"I don't know if that would be better for you or not," Angel replied sadly.

"I guess we will never know." Buffy sighed.

"Know what?" Spike asked as he walked up.

"Rather or not you're a meathead," Angel replied quickly.

"I'm the bestest, best friend you ever had mate, and you know it." Spike picked up his beer and finished it off.

"I need to go, its getting late and I have a busy day tomorrow." Buffy felt the room starting to close in on her.

"I will walk you out." Spike took her hand and began to lead her away.

Buffy turned her head to see what Angel was doing, before she left the room. She was thrilled that she caught him fuming toward Spike. Maybe this could be used to her advantage. She wondered if he knew how furious he had made her each time he brought one of his lovers home? What would he do if he saw Spike constantly with her, over to her house, and who knew what else? She was starting to see a light at the end of this dark tunnel.

"Thanks Spike. Will you be in town long?" Buffy batted her eye lashes.

"I'm staying indefinitely at the moment. I know we just met and all, but seeing on how I only know Angel in this town, would it be too much to ask for your number?" Spike played the shy part well, Buffy noted.

"Sure." Buffy took out a piece of paper from her car and wrote her number and address down.

"Hope to hear from you soon." Buffy leaned over and kissed him swiftly on the cheek and then jumped in her car.

Spike watched as she drove out of sight. His heart was racing. She was one hell of a woman but he wasn't a fool. He knew she was using him for something. Women like that didn't give in so easily to him.

"Spike, what are you doing?" Angel stepped out of the bar after several minutes had passed and Spike had not returned.

"I'm just watching the love of my life drive away." Spike laughed as he threw his hand over his heart.

"You are so dramatic." Angel sighed and rolled his eyes.

"What are you trying to say? Can't a woman like her, want a bloke like me?" Spike challenged him.

"She can want you but after she gets you, I don't think she will know what to do with you," Angel teased him.

"OHHH, trust me, Angel, women know exactly what to do to me." Spikes eyes twinkled with mischief.

"Lets get another drink." Angel didn't have a smile this time. Instead, he kept a rather worried look the rest of the evening. Spike wondered what was bothering him? He had wanted to ask about the relationship between him and Buffy but found himself staying silent on the subject. Why was he afraid to know whether or not Angel had slept with Buffy? It wasn't like he hadn't had Angel's sloppy seconds before?

Spike realized that both of them were a few sheets in the wind.

"Benny, can you call us a cab. I'm going to have to stay with Angel tonight," Spike slurred.

Ben chuckled as he called the local taxi service. He wasn't surprised to see these two young men sharing too many drinks. He was, however, relieved to see they weren't as stupid as they used to be. In the old days, they would insist on walking back to their dorms. Then he reminded himself, they were no longer boys. Nope, they were all grown up now.

14

Buffy searched through her purse for the keys that the Realtor had left her. She was informed that Ms. Cook had a family emergency and wasn't sure when she would be back, so she left the keys for her. Buffy stepped out of the car and looked up at the mansion. It was lovely. The picture didn't do it justice.

Then as she began to walk up the driveway, she noticed another vehicle parked by the garage entrance. She wondered if someone else was interested in the home or if someone actually lived here? She was starting to feel panicky.

Once she stepped up to the door, she debated on whether to use the keys to let herself in or if she should just knock. She decided on knocking first.

She pulled the door knocker a few times. When no one answered, she turned the knob to find it was already unlocked. Opening the door, she stepped inside. The air was a tad musty but other than that, she could see that someone had been keeping the house clean.

"Hello?" Buffy called out. She gulped hard when she glanced around the room and noticed how large it was. Taking a few more steps into the house, she saw an enormous staircase leading up to the second floor. To her left she noticed a long hallway that led to another part of the house. She decided to see if the hallway lead to the living room.

Once she stepped in the entryway, she sucked in her breath. It was magnificent. The house looked like it had been built just a year earlier. Nothing had been changed from its original design.

She noticed a few pieces of random furniture in the room covered with sheets.

"Hello?" She called out again. Still no answer. She was starting to get nervous at this point. Whose car was in the driveway? Why weren't they around?

She walked down the steps to get a closer view of the room. She looked at the walls, the floors, and then leaning her head as far back as she could she stared up at the twenty feet ceiling. It was truly the largest room she had ever been inside.

"Hello." She heard a male voice coming from behind her.

Buffy nearly peed on herself. She had not heard the stranger enter the room.

"Hello." Buffy's hand flew to her chest to slow her racing heart down.

As Buffy turned to see who the scary stranger was, she felt her heart stop racing and instead hit the floor.

"What are the odds?" Angel smiled wickedly, remembering what had occurred the night before between the two of them. How was it possible to have two coincidental meetings in just two days? What were the stars trying to tell them he wondered?

"Oh God!" Buffy sighed heavily.

"You keep calling me that but, I assure you, I'm not as powerful as God," Angel teased her.

Buffy blushed from head to toe. She knew what he was insinuating about the whole "God' calling.

"What are you doing here?" Buffy regained her composure and began to question his appearance at the house she intended to buy.

"I was told to come here and meet the buyer. Or I should say potential buyer." Angel replied honestly.

"Why would you meet with the buyer of this house?" Buffy frowned.

"Because I'm the owner." Angel said with a huge smile plastered on his face.

"I give up!" Buffy threw her hands up in the air and stared up at the ceiling.

"Uh?" Angel cocked an eyebrow at her strange behavior. He wondered who she was talking to exactly.

"Nothing." Buffy shook her head with disgust. "Why do you own a house like this? How can you own a house like this?" she asked curiously.

"Actually, I inherited it from my great uncle. He left it to me after his death. I found it to be a bit too...overwhelming for me. I assure you, I can afford to keep it, if I wish to," Angel answered.

Buffy remembered the statement that Spike made the night before, about Angel being a millionaire.

"What do you do for a living?" Buffy cried out.

Angel saw the confusion in her face and tried not to laugh. He realized that the two of them really didn't know much about one another. At least, not outside of the physical side.

"I own a small investment company. I also invest some of my own money in small business's and stock. So I'm not only the president of the company but a client as well." Angel joked.

"Cute." Buffy rolled her eyes but a smile slipped from her lips.

"I guess we really never did talk about ourselves the other night." Angel once again reminded her of their night of passion. He wanted to kick himself once he saw the strange look pass across her face. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to keep throwing that night in your face." Angel placed his hands in his pockets and walked across the room away from her.

"It's okay. I'm a big girl. I knew what I was doing." Buffy stared at his back side.

"Can't argue with that," Angel mumbled under his breath.

"What?" Buffy knew he spoke but didn't hear his exact words.

"I said I can relate to that," Angel lied.

"Oh," Buffy said with disappointment clearly in her voice.

Angel turned to see her face. He caught the sad look that passed fleetly across her face before she replaced it with a weak smile.

"Why do you want this place?" Angel changed the subject.

"I want to make this a hot, new club. A place where people can find fun, music, and action." Buffy was relieved he changed the subject.

Angel saw she was excited about this project of hers.

"I always found this place a bit morbid to me. Do you think you can make it appear warmer?" Angel asked.

"I think its possible. With a little paint and music anything is possible." Buffy chuckled.

"True." Angel chuckled.

"So, lets talk business. How much is this place going to cost me?" Buffy stood up taller as she waited for his proposal.

Angel stood staring at the floor for a few seconds, before the perfect plan came to his mind. He wanted to test Xander's theory about Buffy. He wanted to see if he spent one more night with her if he would still feel this way about her? It couldn't hurt matters. It wasn't like such a proposal would be offensive to her. After all, she had made it to him.

But, then, he reminded himself, would she even be willing to do it again? He knew in his heart that she had enjoyed every minute they had spent together. It wasn't his ego telling him that either. He knew her cries of passion and the shouting of his name was the genuine thing.

"Today is your lucky day," Angel said with a mischievous look in his eyes.

Buffy swallowed hard. She sensed that this deal would involve more than money. Money she had plenty of, but whatever else he had planned might cost her more than she could afford to lose. Like her sanity. This man was driving her completely insane.

15

Buffy stood quietly with her arms behind her back. She had a gut feeling that this was not going to be a easy negotiation between them.

"Let me get this first, your going to buy this place, then redecorate it, then have a live band, I assume. You plan on making this the HOT spot of Sunnydale. Am I correct?" He put on a professional face for her.

"Yes," Buffy replied with a short nod of her head.

"How many rooms are you going to use?" Angel began to calculate numbers in his head.

"How many are there?" Buffy chewed on the inside of her cheek. She began to see where he was going with his train of thought.

"The first floor has eight rooms, the second floor has sixteen and the third floor has four rooms. They are more like apartment size. In fact, one even has a stove in it. My great grandfather set it up for his daughter and her new husband. He didn't like for his children to move out on their own. So he set up the top floor with a miniature version of an apartment so they could have privacy but still keep his children close to him. He was a very possessive man," Angel explained.

"Wow! I didn't realize it was that BIG!" Buffy gasped. She could get lost in this place.

"Each family member added his or her own room to the house over the years. My grandmother actually added two rooms that were for her own entertainment. There is a room on the east wing that has glass windows for walls. She called that her sunshine room. Even though she seem to spend more time in it when it rained that shined," Angel revealed.

"That sounds rather sad. Was she depressed?" Buffy couldn't imagine why anyone would stay in a room just to watch it rain without being melancholy.

"No, she just liked watching mother nature at its worst." Angel chuckled.

"Sounds like this house matched your families personality." Buffy walked toward the opposite side of the room. She stopped in front of the window and stared out. She wasn't surprised to see a beautiful garden for a view.

"What do you mean?" Angel frowned at that statement.

"Morbid." Buffy replied. She turned to show she was teasing.

"Touche. So how many rooms do you imagine you will use?" Angel brought them back to the original question.

"I had intended on having one large room for the dance floor and band area. Then, of course, there would be a second room where people could sit and talk and, of course, eat food. Nothing fancy." Buffy licked her lips.

"What would you do with the rest of the house?" Angel stared hard at her lips.

"I didn't get that far, I must confess." Buffy frowned.

"Then again, I didn't imagine I would buy a house as big as this when I started this project," Buffy replied.

"You could always live here," Angel suggested.

Buffy wasn't sure why, but that suggestion stung her. Did he want her to move away from him? Was this a plan to get rid of her?

"I think I would be a bit scared living here all alone." Buffy shivered at the thought.

"Who says you would be alone?" Angels eyes twinkled.

Buffy felt her heart flutter as he walked closer to her. What he was proposing? Was he suggesting she rent out the rooms? That would be hard to do with a live band and hundreds of people gathering five nights a week below apartments. No one would want to live in a club. She had never heard of such a thing.

"Who would rent a room in a club?" Buffy asked.

"I know a few single people who might jump at the chance. You would have to close the majority of the house off from the side you put the club on." Angels mind was considering all the possibilities and the profit she could make on this deal.

"Hmmm....it is something to consider," Buffy admitted.

She looked up to see he was standing right in front of her. She could feel the heat spilling out of his body. What was he doing? What was he considering? Her gut instincts was to just walk away from this house and build her own club. Yet, when he tilted her head up to look into her eyes, she knew she was going to buy this house. She would do anything to have some form of contact with this man, even if it was temporary.

"I have something else for you to consider," Angel replied with a husky tone.

Buffy gulped hard. Licking her dry lips, she prayed he would do something to stop this burning sensation that was flowing through her veins just from being close to him.

"I'm waiting," Buffy responded. Her eyes grew darker as her knees grew weaker. Nothing in this world could make her change her mind about buying this house. Absolutely nothing. Not even the devil himself.

16

"Buffy, I'm going to be quite frank with you. This house has been in my family for many generations. It holds a value that you can't put a price on. But I like you. I can also relate to your independence and dreams. So I have to really consider this transaction with my heart, as well as my wallet," Angel paused.

"I have to ask myself, by selling this house what do I really gain, and how much do I loose? I didn't put this house up for sell. Your real estate agent has been trying to get me to sell this house for years now. She knew that I didn't live here. She also knows she would get one hell of a commission check on this place. I allow her to show the picture to potential buyers, but normally once they hear the price they run away. With good reason too. This house is a historical spot. It has been here almost as long as Sunnydale itself. If I told you how much it cost, I believe even you could not afford it." Angel sighed.

"How much are we talking about? Look, Angel I sold my fathers stock in his company, I also received an enormous inheritance, as well as life insurance policy money from the death of both of my parents. I'm not walking into this poor." Buffy lifted her head up proudly.

"This house would have to be sold at four million dollars," Angel replied without blinking an eye.

"WHAT!" Buffy felt her chest tightening up. She wondered if this was what a panic attack was supposed to feel like.

"Remember, I told you of all the rooms and the house is ninety percent the same as it was made. It is a rare jewel. It's also a historical marker. Also, the land it sits on is more than twenty-five acres. Add all of that together and that is the going price for this particular property. That is why I said I do not think you could afford it." Angel leaned back against the sheet covered couch.

"Well, to be completely honest, I could afford it but then I would be practically broke once I bought everything to start the place," Buffy replied with a sad look in her eyes.

"I'm sorry." Angel knew she had her heart set on this house. She wasn't the first person and probably wouldn't be the last.

"Hey, I don't blame you for getting what its worth." Buffy began to pace back and forth as her head began to consider what to do next.

"BUT....," Angel began.

Buffy stopped in her tracks and turned to give him her full attention. She knew that "but" meant there was another option.

"Yes," Buffy looked at him with hopeful eyes.

"As I said earlier, if you perhaps rented a few of the rooms out and find a silent partner then you might be able to afford the place." Angel began to set his plan into action.

He wasn't a fool. He knew that she could make a wonderful profit off of this place once she got it up and started. He sensed that she had a strong business head on those lovely shoulders.

"A partner?" Buffy wrinkled her nose in disappointment at that thought.

"Sure. Someone who invests in the club, but other than gaining a small check each month from the profits, they have nothing to say about how you run the place," Angel explained.

"I don't know if that is possible. I mean, who do you know that would be willing to invest in a club, in which the owner has no prior experience in running a club? Also, who would keep their opinions out of the way it was designed and ran? I can't fathom such a person," she replied.

Buffy knew that was impossible. No decent business person she had ever worked with would put up that sort of money in a business that wasn't ran by someone with expertise in the area.

"What if I were to tell you I know someone." Angel felt his stomach clenching. He was about to do something that he knew could bite him in the ass later. But he just couldn't resist this idea. He knew this business deal was not only about making money. It was about a hell of lot more than that. He couldn't fight the temptation that she had so easily placed on a platter to him.

"Who?" Buffy frowned at him.

"Me," Angel replied with a silly grin plastered on his face.

"YOU!" Buffy cried out.

"Sure, why not. I would, of course, only be selling out half of the house. I would move in my half and if you were willing we might rent out a few rooms and even keep a few as spares in case someone was too drunk to drive home or for employees who are too tired to drive home," Angel said anxiously.

Buffy could hear the enthusiasm in his voice. He was really getting into this idea of his. Why wasn't she surprised that he would want to invest? Why did she feel a surge of excitement at the thought of him being her a partner? Could it be, because it would be another reason to have him close to her?

"I'm not so sure about the whole rental part of the deal, but I must admit that having to buy only half of the house would be a wiser choice for me than trying to buy the entire thing. Of course, I would want a room of my own." Buffy's mind began to race at the options that laid ahead of her if she agreed to this proposal.

"Of course. You could sell your house or rent it out and just move in here. I assure, you once you see the rooms upstairs you would agreed with me that it's plenty big enough to live in," Angel replied following a delightful smile.

"I will have to consider it." Buffy forced herself to think more rationally. To keep her head focus on her dreams and not the thought of living extremely close to the man who had spoiled her for any other man.

"Sleep on it. If you like we can meet tomorrow evening for a early dinner," Angel suggested.

Buffy wondered if this was his subtle way of asking her out for a date.

"It's a deal." Buffy reached her hand out to shake his hand.

"I hope so." Angel reached out and grabbed her hand. Both felt the hot sparks that flew between them with the simple touch.

"I need to go." Buffy knew her cheeks were turning red.

"Me too," Angel said but his hand didn't release hers right away.

"Sorry," Angel mumbled as he realized what he was doing. Releasing her hand, he took a few steps back.

"I will call you tomorrow," Buffy told him as she picked up her purse and keys and proceeded to leave.

"Okay." Angel chewed on his lip nervously.

"Bye." Buffy swallowed hard.

"Bye," Angel replied softly.

Buffy nearly ran out of the house. Her head was spinning from all of the possibilities that could come from this business deal. Having Angel live with her was just a bonus.

17

Buffy finished her day with a small dinner, which she shared with Willow. She had called her and asked her to dinner after her run in with Angel. She wanted to see what Willow's input would be about making an Angel a partner in her club.

"So, you ran into William, a.k.a., Spike." Willow laughed hard as she pictured Angel seeing Buffy with his old college roommate.

"Yep! He was a great dancer but things went south once we saw Angel at the bar." Buffy slipped a fork filled with salad into her mouth.

"Why?" Willow frowned at her.

"I couldn't date a guy that was a close friend of Angel's. Come on, you know as well as I do that most men hang out with replicas of themselves." Buffy covered her mouth as she talked.

"I can see your point but that is not always the case. But I will admit that in this case you are right about Spike. I've only met him perhaps a few times, but I have sat around the table and heard the horror stories about him and Angel in school." Willow pushed her plate away from her. She was full. "You make a mean lasagna." Willow complimented her dinner.

"I know. It was so much hard work throwing it in the oven." Buffy dramatized by throwing her hand over her forehead and pretending to wipe the sweat off of it.

"Ho!" Willow threw her paper towel across the table at her.

"It's true. I cheated on tonight's dinner. But once I'm settled in and have more time, I will have to cook you a dinner. I learned quite a few things from our chef. My Mom liked to try new and exotic things. I, of course, was more like my father and enjoyed the simpler things. But I did find it fascinating to watch the chef cook. She was an artist in the kitchen." Buffy sipped on the bottle water as she remembered the good old days.

"You had a chef?" Willow was shocked.

"Nina usually only came to cook the big dinners for my fathers social gatherings. Mom loved to cook our family meals herself. Father insisted she get a professional chef when it came to the big dinners." Buffy grinned remembering the way her mother had nearly fainted at the suggestion. Then after a week of experiencing all the gourmet meals, Joyce Summers had agreed that Hank Summers had been right to hire the woman. She was an expert at what she did.

"You must have had an interesting life in New York." Willow envied her closeness to her parents. She had rarely seen her parents and then once she went to college they had completely moved over seas. Willow had, of course, been invited to join them once she finished school but she refused. She always felt like a guest in their home, rather than a family member.

"I had fun. It wasn't always fun but it had some incredible moments." Buffy's eyes began to glisten with unshed tears.

"I'm sorry Buffy. I didn't mean to bring sad memories up." Willow apologized.

"It's okay." Buffy stood up and took both of their plates to the sink to try and give herself time to push the tears away.

"So how is your hunting for real estate going?" Willow knew talking about her club made her happy.

"I'm glad you brought that up." Buffy turned and walked back to the table and sat down.

"I went to see this gorgeous old house today. I get there and guess who is the seller?" Buffy folded her arms around her waist.

"Who?" Willow frowned.

"Angel. Yep! My dream house, in which I would sell my soul to have a club in, is owned by one of your roomies." Buffy clucked her tongue.

"Holy shit! I forgot all about his family home," Willow replied.

"Yes, ma'am. It seems in order to get the house I can only afford half of it. In which Angel is willing to do if I let him be a silent partner." Buffy waited for Willows response to this bit of news.

"Not a bad idea. I mean, Angel is extremely good at investments. He must think that your club will make quite a bit of profit if he's willing to go in halves with you." Willow took a sip of her water.

"Seriously?" Buffy had not expected that answer.

"Look, I might have made Angel sound like a play boy, which he is, but that is only half of him. He is very serious when it comes to making money. If Angel is giving you advice, I would take it. You would be shocked to know how much he charges for just advice," Willow advised her.

"I'll give it some serious consideration. He wants to meet for dinner," Buffy revealed.

"Be ready to be fed some very expensive food." Willow sighed with a dreamy look on her face.

"He likes gourmet food?" Buffy questioned.

"NO! I mean, sure, but, it's not the pricey food he strives for but rather the quality of food. He is an expert on finding the best places to eat." Willow yawned.

"You sure do think highly of him." Buffy sat back in her chair.

"What's going on Buffy?" Willow stared at her with a concern look on her face.

"What do you mean?" Buffy pretended to be ignorant to the question.

"Come on, I have known you for a few months now and I sense that there is something you *really* want to ask me but you're afraid to." Willow sat back up and placed her hands on the table in front of her.

"Okay, you have me. Can Angel be professional . . . while working . . . with a woman?" Buffy wanted to say, "With a woman he has slept with?" but couldn't ask.

"Sure! Angel never sleeps with clients. It's his golden rule," Willow said diligently.

"Good." Buffy sighed heavily.

"Why? I mean, are you attracted to him?" Willow asked with a curious twinkle in her eyes.

"No, I mean, sure he is very handsome, smart, and even . . . the truth is, I don't want to screw up this plan of mine. I want a great club. Then, if I have time for anything else, then wonderful. But not until I have achieved my goals first," Buffy said firmly.

"I get it," Willow agreed with her theory.

"Good," Buffy replied with a weak smile.

Buffy wished that she could follow her own advice.

18

Buffy ran down the stairs when she heard the door bell ring. She had occupied so much of her time trying to find the right kind of outfit for tonight's dinner with Angel that she was running behind. She had just put her mascara one when she heard the door bell. She prayed she looked okay.

"Hello." Buffy threw the door open without hesitation.

"HELLO!" Spike replied with a wolfish whistle following.

"Spike. Hi." Buffy frowned up at him. She had not expected to see him, well at least not uninvited anyway.

"Look, sorry if I came at a bad time. I was in the neighborhood and thought I would stop by to see you. Hope you don't mind." Spike's eyebrow shot up as if challenging her to say she did.

"Not at all. Come in. I was just getting ready for a business dinner." Buffy stepped back so he could come inside. She then walked to the mirror that she had on the living room wall. She checked her hair and then her makeup before turning her attention back to her unexpected guest.

"Sorry." Buffy blushed at her rudeness.

"It's okay. Some lucky bloke will appreciate your work." Spike's eyes began to undress her from head to toe. Buffy felt herself gulped hard.

"Thanks . . . I think." Buffy once again frowned.

"So, what is this business about?" Spike asked, with no concern of sounding rude or noisy. It was just his nature to be blunt and straight forward.

"Actually, it's about my club. I'm meeting with a investor who actually owns the property that I want to purchase, he is also interested in investing some of his own money in the place." Buffy wondered why she just didn't tell him she was meeting with Angel? Why did she feel as if she should be secretive with this dinner date?

**Come on girl, who do you think your fooling. You are so wanting more than dinner from this man. You don't even need his money for your project. You just want him in your life.**

"I wished I had known you were looking for an investor. I know a few blokes who wouldn't do you wrong. You can't just trust anyone to go in business with." Spike began to warn her.

Before he could go into it further, the door bell rang again. Buffy's hands began to shake nervously as she walked toward the door. Just then a thought occurred to her. What would happen if Spike answered the door instead of her? Would it make Angel jealous? Did she want Angel to be jealous where there was nothing to be jealous about? Why was she even considering this at all?

"Spike I need to run up and . . . grab my purse could you get the door for me." Buffy's face flushed.

"Sure." Spike wondered what was wrong the little chit. She had went pale when the door bell rang. She looked like she was about to run for cover. Who was this investor and why did she even need one? From what she had told him, she was loaded.

He waited until she was completely upstairs before opening the door. As he did, his face fell as he saw who this investor really was.

**Bloody investor, my ass! He is after one thing, and its not your money or profits dear.***

"Spike!" Angel's wide spread smile dropped like a brick to the ground when he found himself staring at Spike instead of Buffy.

"Angel. How are you doing peaches?" Spike took a step back to let his old friend inside.

"Fine. Where is Buffy?" Angel frowned at him.

It then occurred to Spike why she panicked when the door bell rang. He was also smart enough to know she purposely let Spike open the door to stir up a bit of old jealousy. He had to admit she was one hell of a smart lady.

"She had to run upstairs and straighten herself up." Spike knew that his words could be interpreted in a sexual way. He knew that it sounded as if he was implying they had been doing something earlier that made it necessary for her to refresh herself.

"Oh." Angel stared down at his shoes for a brief second before looking straight into Spikes eyes.

"So why are you here?" Angel tried to keep his voice calm, while his insides screamed to reach over and pulled Spike's head off of his body.

"I stopped by since I was in the neighborhood. She told me she had a meeting with an investor but she didn't tell me it was you. What are you two really doing?" Spike challenged him with a steady glare.

"We are having a business meeting. She wants to buy my great uncle's old place. From what she has told me, I think it would be a great investment. Not to mention, something worth while to do with the house." Angel knew that Spike remembered the stories about the enormous family home he had inherited.

"I see. So you've no interest in her. I mean, when you bring her back from this meeting, you won't mind if I come over and try to fuck her?" Spike knew he was being vulgar about this but he wanted to know straight up if he even had a chance with this girl. After all, he had already suffered from dealing with Angel's lefts over.

"Yeah, I would be concerned. Not because I have any claims on her nor will I ever, but I like her and I don't think that you are seeking her company out for nothing more than sex. She isn't the kind of girl for that sort of fun. She is very serious. She is the type of girl you take home to meet your Mom, hell to be the mother of your children. She is not a tramp!" Angel's voice began to raise as he clenched his teeth together.

Spike watched Angel's face, listen to his tone, and most of all his body language. This was not how Angel usually acted about a conquest of his. No, the boy was falling for this girl.

"I'm sorry for taking so long." Buffy came around the corner at that second.

She felt the tension the moment she walked into the room. She wasn't sure if she was thrilled by it or scared. Both men seemed to be looking hard at one another.

"It's okay." Angel relaxed as he turn to look at her.

His stomach did flip flops. She was breath taking. He noted that she tried not to look as if this was formal date but she was still sexy as hell.

"Are you ready?" Angel glanced back at Spike, before returning his eyes toward Buffy.

"Spike, I'm sorry. I wish we had more time. Maybe we can get together some other time." Buffy apologized for having to leave so soon after he had come over.

"Not a problem. You take care of her peaches. Remember there will be someone out there once you drop her. You always drop them," Spike said just loud enough for Angel to hear as Buffy went to the hallway to grab her house keys.

"I would worry about yourself if you have any plans of hurting her." Angel's face showed his raw protectiveness of this neighbor of his.

"I hope you two have a good time together," Spike said, as he walked past them and left the house.

Buffy felt bad for leaving Spike to deal with Angel. She sensed that they had a few cross words while she was upstairs.

"Everything okay?" Buffy asked with worried eyes.

"Sure. Let's go." Angel smiled weakly at her as he walked to the car and opened her door for her.

19

It had not taken them long to get to the business part of their evening. Both were throwing ideas and reasons it could work and might not. It was refreshing for them both to speak with someone who was as creative and intelligent as the other.

"I still think my theory of having rental rooms would work out." Angel brought up his earlier plans.

"I'm sure you're right but I want to focus my attention fully on the club and opening night. Then, once that is completed, we could hatch out those possibilities," Buffy offered.

"True. Take things one step at a time." Angel nodded his head as he picked up his wine glass and drank the dry wine.

"Exactly. Trust me. The club alone will exhaust my time and energy." Buffy growled at the thought of all the hours that would be consumed with this job to come.

"Perhaps when I'm not working I can help you," Angel offered.

"I thought you said you would be a "silent" partner?" Buffy's eyes twinkled as she spoke the words.

"I will. I'm just saying that if you needed some help, I am offering my services when I'm not busy with my own business." Angel chuckled at her reminder of what his place would be in this partnership.

"So, do you agree you should move into the house, along with me?" Angel wondered why he had brought that topic up so soon? He knew that the thought of living with him would be a difficult decision for her. Not that he wasn't a good roommate but the fact that they both had been intimate with one another might make it a bit uneasy to live so close.

"I'm still having a hard time with that one," Buffy admitted. She felt the butterflies swirling in her tummy with that thought in mind.

"How can I prove to you that I'm strictly in this for the money?" Angel asked her with a serious expression.

"I do not believe that would be possible no matter how hard you tried." Buffy answered honestly.

Angel sat his glass down and stared at his empty plate for a few minutes before a thought flew to his mind. It was a brilliant idea, he told himself.

"What if I were to get Willow and Xander to move in as well?" Angel sat back with a half smirk, half smile on his face.

"Why would they want to move?" Buffy frowned.

"Hello! A big mansion, with a hot club added to it. Sounds reasonable to me." Angel smiled.

Buffy choked as she noticed that he had a piece of broccoli stuck between his lower teeth. She debated on whether to tell him or not. Then, without anymore thought of the matter, she began to lick her lower teeth.

Angel frowned as he watched her licking her teeth like a starved dog.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Angel cried out.

"Your teeth. There's something green in them." Buffy grabbed her napkin and placed it over her mouth, hoping the material would contain her laughter.

It failed.

"OH!" Angel blushed from head to toe. "I'm going to go to the men's room." He flew out of his seat and raced to the bathroom.

Buffy held her stomach tightly. The laughter bubbled out of her mouth. She knew it was wrong to laugh at him, but she couldn't stop. Then it dawned on her that she had not laughed so hard in such a long time. It was exhilarating to feel so alive once again. It was refreshing to say the least.

Angel returned and sat down across from her. "Thanks for telling me." He was still a bit embarrassed with his predicament.

"So you feel that Willow and Xander would be willing to move in as well." Buffy decided the best course would be to change the subject.

"Oh definitely," Angel agreed.

"Then we have a deal." Buffy extended her hand over the table for a hand shake.

"Deal." Angel shook her hand professionally. But once their hands released, he felt an incredible impulse to jump over the table and kiss her.

"I'm looking forward to doing business with you." Buffy replied. Her eyes revealed that their night together was not lost to her, but instead was forced to the back of her mind.

Angel wondered if he had made a good deal or not? How was he going to persuade Xander to give up his house and Willow to move farther away from her work without revealing his true reasons for making this deal? He would have to find something or some way to convince them that this move was good for all three of them.

20

Angel stood in the living room where his roommates were waiting to hear what was so important that he had to wake them up from a dead sleep at one in the morning.

"What is so important?" Willow yawned heavily.

"Look, I'm not sure how much you two know about Buffy and me?" Angel began. "We are agreeing on a business partnership. She will be using my mansion to open up her new club." Angel continued.

"Great! Good night." Xander rolled his eyes as he began to get up to go back to bed.

"NO! Wait! Here is where you two come into the plan." Angel pushed Xander back onto the couch.

"WE?" Willow looked at Xander and then back at Angel with a confused expression.

"Yeah, in our agreement we felt that it would be best that she live in the house. She would, of course, be spending so much time there. Well, she didn't want to live alone in the house. It's big and creepy. So I agreed to move in with her." Angel hesitated before going any further.

Willow's eyes shot open with shock at this announcement.

"You're moving in with her?" Willow gasped.

"Yes, but she wouldn't agree to it unless others move in as well. I think she feared that it would look odd with just the two of us living together. You know Buffy, she is a bit old fashion. So I offered to see if you two would be willing to move in as well. The house is enormous and you would have much more room than we have here." Angel pointed out the positive side of the move.

"I like my house," Xander replied defensively.

"I do too. There is nothing wrong with this house but think about it. Once the club opens up, there will be tons of single babes there. You will have first access to all the hot women and men for you, Willow." Angel hoped that he was selling them this plan.

"Plus, Xander you could always rent the house out. Make more money on the side and if you do not like living in the mansion then you can always move back here. Same for you Willow. I would not expect a dime in rent." Angel knew that he was presenting them the best offer possible.

"Well...." Willow ran her fingers through her hair as she tried to process everything he had offered. She knew what he said made sense and they would all profit from the move. She was still surprised that Buffy had agreed to any of this.

"Xander?" Angel turn his attention toward his friend. He knew that he would be the hardest one to convince. He understood that Xander had worked hard to own his own home. But he also knew that Xander had a weakness. Women. The club would offer him away to meet women at his own leisure.

"I hate to say it but you do have some good points. What will Buffy do about her house?" Xander thought about his neighbors newly bought home.

"She is going to rent it out as well," Angel replied.

"So, are you two in or not?" Angel asked with a hopeful gleam in his eyes.

"I'm in," they both said in union.

"Thanks you guys. I want you to know that I owe you both big time." Angel bent down and gave Willow a tight hug and then patted Xander on the shoulder.

"So, when do we move in?" Xander yawned.

"As soon as possible," Angel said excitedly.

Both Willow and Xander gave each other a puzzled look.

"Why the hurry?" Willow question.

"Because I'm ready to help Buffy jump into this project." Angel told half of the truth. The other half was so he might find a moment and opportunity to sleep with her again. But he would never tell them that.

"Tomorrow I will call the rental agency about putting the house up for rent. Meanwhile, I guess we can start packing. I have a few employees who can help us move in for some extra cash," Xander replied.

"Great!" Angel rubbed his hands together anxiously.

"Can we go back to bed now?" Willow whined.

"Sure." Angel chuckled.

Xander and Willow stumbled back to their rooms and to their beds. Angel was too thrilled to sleep. He sat on the couch and thought of all the things they could do to the house to make it a cool club as well as the time he would spend with Buffy. He knew he was playing with fire but he didn't care anymore. Having a simple business dinner with Buffy had stirred up a foreign feeling deep inside of him. He wanted to discover what it was about this girl that made him feel so alive and excited.

Summers Breeze cont...

21

It was a somewhat cloudy day when she moved into the mansion. Buffy was a bit nervous with her decision. She feared that lust was leading her through this rather than her head. She just prayed that the club was a success, if nothing else.

"You made it." Angel called out to her as he walked down the staircase toward her.

"Yep! I just brought my basic stuff because I...well, I couldn't find movers at such short notice." Buffy admitted.

"No problem. As I said earlier, most of the rooms are fully furnished. Want to pick your room first before the others move in?" Angel reminded her that the rest of their roomies would be moving in the next day. Unlike Angel and Buffy they were usually busy everyday except weekends.

"Sure." Buffy had not even been aware of Angel reaching out his hand, though she gladly accepted it and allowed him to show her the upstairs portion of the house. There was so much potential in this house that she found herself drooling from room to room.

"Well, which will it be?" Angel chuckled. He knew after seeing over sixteen rooms it would be hard to choose from.

"I would have to say this room." Buffy ran down the hall and halted at the end opposite Angel. Opening the double doors, she stepped into the room that would soon be her very own. It was breath taking, still having a hint of Victorian style to it. Most of the room had been redone to keep up with fire codes, so the coal stove that used to be in the corner was replaced with a real fireplace.

Angel smiled happily as he walked to the room she chose. He had picked the room right next door to it. What she didn't know was that both rooms had doors to the adjoining master bathroom. This was the master suite. The room he would use was where the husband often slept when the wife was either under the weather or furious.

"Which room did you pick?" Buffy asked excitedly.

"Actually, this room here was my room when I visited." Angel pointed to the room next to hers.

"You're lying." Buffy's smile faded slowly.

"Honestly I'm not. You see I used to get lost so easily in this house as a youth that my Uncle and Aunt wanted me to stay in the room next to theirs. That way if I got scared or sick they would only be a room away." Angel assured he was being completely honest with her.

"Where will the others stay?" Buffy frowned up at him.

"I'm not absolutely sure, but I would bet that Willow takes the room on the opposite end and that Xander will take a upstairs apartment. He likes to sleep in and wakes easily. Willow likes her privacy." Angel gave her his theory.

"So we will be the only ones at this end." Buffy stated.

"Yes." Angel replied while staring at his shoes.

"Angel... are you sure this is such a good idea?" Buffy asked.

Angel looked up surprised at the fear he heard in her voice. Staring into a pair of soft green eyes, he felt half guilty. He saw that she wanted him but didn't want to lose a piece of herself. If he were a betting man, he would bet that she lost herself in someone before and when he was done with her she had been left to discover herself all over again. He hated this feeling. Guilt.

"It is.... I promise you that I have no intention of doing anything more than being your silent partner. Well, that's not completely true." Angel stopped himself from lying to her.

"It's not?" Buffy's eyes shot open.

"Buffy, I want to be partners with you. That is true enough. I think you have a brilliant brain. I also want more from you. I want...I'm not sure how to tell you this without sounding like an idiot." Angel started to turn away from her.

"Tell me please." Buffy's hand shot out and landed on his back of his shoulder. She didn't want him to leave until he told her everything. She needed to know his true motives. She needed to hear him say the words that she had longed for.

"I well.... I want more than a business relationship..." Angel gulped hard.

Before he could go any further the doorbell began to ring loudly throughout the house. Each stared into the eyes of the other for a few more seconds before Angel broke away and headed down the stairs to see who or what had just saved him from making a big mistake with Buffy.

22

Angel opened the door and stood face to face with the last person he wanted to see at Buffy's door.

"What are you doing here?" Angel demanded.

"I came to see Buffy; aren't you rude." Spike rolled his eyes at Angel's crankiness.

"Well, usually people come when invited. I don't remember her saying she invited you." Angel pointed out Spike's lack of manners.

"Trust me, bloke; she wants to see me." Spike licked his lips.

"You have to be kidding me. She has much better taste than you." Angel rolled his eyes with disgust.

"Oh really. Who would that be? You?" Spike challenged him.

"Get over it Spike. I'm her business partner. But I'm also her friend and, trust me, I WILL warn her about your unfavorable habits." Angel returned the challenge.

"Go ahead. I can fill her in on all your conquests, as well." Spike snarled.

"Whatever." Angel answered with a disgusted sound.

"Who is there?" Buffy asked as she began to walk up to the door.

"One of those pesky salesman." Angel called out to her.

"Oh." Buffy stopped a few feet from the door waiting for Angel to return to her and finish their earlier conversation.

"I fear he is joking with you, honey." Spike pushed his way past Angel and walked into the house.

"Spike." Buffy looked up at the two men, disappointment clearly in her eyes.

Spike sensed he had interrupted her at a bad time. Oh, how he wanted to slap the silly smile off of Angel's face.

"I'm sorry, I was just in the middle of something," Buffy explained her rudeness.

"It is okay, love. I understand you're busy. Just wanted to remind you of our date tomorrow night." Spike reminded her.

He saw the smile starting to slip off of Angel's cocky face.

"Oh. I will have to check my planner and get back with you. I'm afraid I might have a meeting in LA tomorrow; it might take too long." Buffy explained with an apologetic smile.

"Just give me a call; no matter how late." Spike gave her a sweet understanding smile before heading back toward the door.

"I will." Buffy promised as she watched Angel follow him to the door.

Buffy felt rather guilty for letting down the poor man. She never intended to let things go so far with him. She had only intended to use him to make Angel jealous. Now she knew she had made a big mistake. She had seen Spike as a player and not considered that he might actually like her.

She heard the two speak for a few seconds. She couldn't make out the words just mumbling before Angel, at last, returned to her.

"So, what were you about to tell me?" Buffy reminded him of their earlier conversation.

Angel gulped hard. He had hoped she would have forgotten. He was torn between revealing his heart's desire and waiting to see if she reciprocated that desire. Knowing that she had agreed to another date with Spike gave him reason to doubt her feelings toward him.

"I'm not sure what I was going to say." Angel replied with a frown on his face.

Buffy stared at him with confusion. She was sure he was about to confess his feelings toward her. Now she wasn't sure what he had intended to tell her. She wondered if it had something to do with Spike's appearance? She hoped that she had not screwed up any chance they might have had by acting so foolishly.

"I understand." Buffy decided not to force him into saying something she might regret hearing.

"You do?" Angel cried out with relief.

"Yes, I do." Buffy said firmly.

"I need to get some things done. I will check with you later." Buffy announced stiffly and, then turning on her heels, headed toward the wing that would house the club.

Angel watched her walk away and feared he had just missed the perfect opportunity to tell her his true feelings. His feelings were confusing, and he could not truly label what it was he felt. He just knew that after spending one night with Buffy, his life had changed. He hated changes that he couldn't control. Then he thought of his relationship with Buffy and realized she had been the one controlling everything. Perhaps that was the reason he felt so disoriented. Someone else was leading him rather than vice versa.

Either that was the problem or he was falling in love for the first time ever. Was he ready for such a thing? Could he be loyal to one woman? Would he only end up hurting her or himself, if he were open and honest with her? He knew all the answers and that was why he decided not to follow her and explain everything. Instead he went upstairs to begin unpacking his things.

23

Buffy stood in the kitchen with her head in the fridge. It was nearly three in the morning and she was still wide awake. She had been in the middle of a project when her stomach reminded her it needed nourishment. It had been over a month since they all moved in the mansion and she still found it odd to walk into the kitchen and see three other faces.

She feared in the beginning that she would not like sharing a home with so many people but it had been rather refreshing. They each took turns cooking dinner at least one night a week. So the other three days a week they were on their own. She was hoping that she would find some leftovers from the wonderful chicken that Xander had barbecued the night before.

"Why are you up so late?" Angel asked as he stretched his arms up in the air.

Buffy's feet came up off the floor at the sound of his voice. She had not expected anyone, other than herself, to be up this late.

"Shit! Do you enjoy sneaking up on people?" Buffy cried out. Her hand covered her chest as she tried to calm down her speeding heart.

"Sorry." Angel laughed as he did not plan on scaring her. "Well?" He reminded her of his earlier question.

"I was working on the band selections versus the DJ. I've been listening to several bands. I was debating on having DJ's through the week except weekends. Then I would hire the big bands to play. Not as many people come during the week and those who do go out on the weekends want more for their money," Buffy explained as she pulled out the milk.

She went to the cabinet and grabbing a bowl, then walked to the pantry and took her cereal out. She figured breakfast food would be better at this time.

"I have to agree with that." Angel sat down at the table and watched as she ate.

"Thank you," Buffy replied, before putting a spoon full of Lucky Charms in her mouth.

"How is everything else coming along?" Angel asked. He knew she had kept herself on the go from the minute she woke up each morning, until she fell asleep, late at night.

"Fine. I finally arranged the vendor for our alcohol. The manager was really generous. I offered him a free pass to the club for the entire weekend opening." Buffy smiled weakly as she stretched her neck from side to side. She was starting to feel the pressure of nonstop work.

"Is your neck sore?" Angel saw her wince as she moved her neck.

"Yeah." Buffy answered.

Angel pulled her chair closer to his and turned it to the side so his hands could reach her neck.

"What are you doing?" Buffy yelled as he began to touch her.

"I'm rubbing your neck," Angel stated the obvious.

"Oh. OHHH!" Buffy began to moan as his hands worked the tense muscles.

"Did you hire that decorator?" Angel remembered running into the little man who claimed he was there to interview for the decorating position.

"Yeah, he was so creative. Both of us were on the same page. Although I find him to be rather creepy, his work was exceptional," Buffy said between moans.

"That is all that matters in business," Angel replied as his hands began to rub down her neck and onto her shoulders.

"Oh . . . that feels so good. Thank you." Buffy thought she might fall asleep from the relaxing state he was putting her in with his hands.

"You're welcome. Did you talk to Willow today?" Angel thought about his earlier conversation with his other female roommate.

"No. I was in the middle of a call when she came in," Buffy answered as she pushed the bowl away and dropped her head to the side.

"She was curious if you would be okay about having a simple dinner party this weekend. She thought it might fun to have a formal dinner. Something to do with the house. I can't remember all the details. She would be inviting a small number of people." Angel tried to focus on what he was saying, rather than the silky skin under his hands.

"Are we supposed to have a date?" Buffy frowned at that thought. She didn't want to be an odd ball.

"Not that I'm aware of." Angel also frowned behind her. He knew that she would no doubt invite Spike. She had not had much time to meet anyone else since she moved here.

"Good. Sounds fine with me," Buffy said softly.

Angel's hands moved down from the top of her shoulders to her arms. She felt goose bumps popping up on her arms from his warm touch.

"You really should rest more," Angel scolded her. He knew how late she had been staying up because their rooms were next to each other. He could not sleep until he heard her enter her room each night. He knew she was in the house and in no danger.

"I will sleep well enough once this club is up and going and I know I'm making us both some money," Buffy said firmly.

"Trust me, once the club gets started you will be even busier handling problems," Angel warned her.

"I guess it's a good thing I'm not married," Buffy said. She regretted the words the moment they slipped out of her mouth.

"I think your husband would be understanding," Angel teased her.

"You think." Buffy couldn't resist smiling.

"I'm sure of it," Angel replied as his hands slid up from her arms and back to her neck. He pushed her hair aside and looked down at the exposed back of her neck. He wanted to press a kiss on it, but he knew that would be over stepping his boundaries.

"So how are things with you? I noticed that since we moved in you haven't exactly been going out." Buffy couldn't help but ask why he had not been dating. She wondered if he was too busy too?

"I haven't met anyone who I'm attracted to," Angel half lied. It was true that no one seemed to interest him these days. At least no one like Buffy.

"I find that hard to believe." Buffy chuckled.

"Buffy, you might be shocked to know that I'm not half as bad as I've been made out to be." Angel turned her to face him.

Buffy saw the hurt in his eyes as he defended his reputation.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to insult you." Buffy frowned at him.

"You didn't insult me at all. I just know that Spike likes to run his mouth," Angel replied with a hint of anger in his voice.

"Actually, Spike has not said anything about you. I just remembered the nights you would bring home a different girl." Buffy slipped out her little secret. She had once watched him come home each night from her window.

"You were watching me?" Angel asked with curious eyes.

"NO! Of course not. Okay, some nights I would be up and hear voices, so I would look out the window and I saw you a few times." Buffy blushed.

"Did you happen to notice how long they stayed?" Angel looked straight into her eyes.

"I . . . well . . . I do not remember exactly," Buffy mumbled as her pulse began to race at the way his eyes seem to burn into her skin.

"Trust me darling, after that night with you, I did not . . . " Angel stopped himself from revealing that he had not slept with anyone since their night together. He feared she might suspect that he had feelings for her.

"Did not what?" Buffy pushed him for an answer.

"I did not find it as enjoyable to be with anyone else." Angel decided to admit at least half of the truth to her.

"I see." Buffy's eyes soften as she felt so deeply drawn to this man in front of her.

"Do you?" Angel asked with earnest.

"I'm sorry if I wasn't everything you wanted that night." Buffy knew she was opening up a can of worms that probably did not need to be open. They had never talked about their one night together which was due to her. She had told him that they were to never speak of that night or have a repeat.

"Oh darling, you were so much more than I had expected." Angel's voice went husky as images of the two of them popped into his head.

"Really?" Buffy smiled weakly as she felt the pit of her stomach starting to ache from her own memories of that night.

"Really. I fear I have thought of that night several times. I have often wondered if it was possible to have another night as good as that one." Angel could not believe what he was saying to her but he could not stop himself.

Buffy swallowed the large lump that had formed in her throat. She now knew that he might not be in love with her but he was still very attracted to her. She felt warm all over. She began to breathe heavy as she felt their heads being drawn closer together. She stared at his mouth and wondered if it was wise to kiss him? She knew she should just go to bed and leave it alone. Yet she found herself leaning closer to him.

Angel saw the way her eyes seem to glisten over with passion. He also felt the invisible magnetic force pulling them closer to one another. He licked his lips a second before they made contact with hers.

Both felt the room fade away as they kissed.

24

Buffy knew the effect she was having on him and welcomed his kiss. Her pulse started racing, her world spinning. Clinging to his shoulders, she felt the velocity of his kiss carry her away. His lips became the center of her universe.

Around and around she whirled, fading into oblivion as she reacted to each subtle change in the shape and pressure of his lips. When gentleness turned to insistence, she responded with equal fervor. And when his tongue tentatively probed, she drew it slowly, seductively into her mouth.

Angel gasped and shuddered as he forced himself to withdraw and lift his head. Wrapping his arms around Buffy, he clung to her, his cheek pressed against her silky hair, his eyes squeezed shut. His breathing was ragged, his degree of control nearing zero.

"I think we better find something else to do," he moaned.

"Something in my bedroom?"

A groan escaped from deep within him. He wasn't sure if he could handle any teasing about this situation. His need for her growing unbearable with each day that passed by.

"Angel," Buffy whispered and pushed herself back slightly. "Come with me."

He opened his eyes and stared at her flushed face, not really believing Buffy was suggesting what it sounded like she was suggesting.

She moved out of the circle of his arms and stood up in front of him. Without saying another word, she began to walk in the direction of the stairs that lead to her room. Angel bolted out of his seat and followed her.

A part of him was screaming to halt things. How many times had he wondered if things might be different if they had gotten to know one another better before they had sex? Were they really ready for this again? Was he ready?

They had reached her bedroom door. Quickly, he reached out and caught her hand stopping her.

"Maybe we should stop and think about this. I mean, Buffy I want you so bad right now that . . . hell, I can't even begin to describe the intense feelings that I experience whenever you are near me. I just know that once I make love to you again, I can't promise to never ask for another night. I found something out about myself that night we made love. I want more than a casual one night stand. I want something to hold on to." Angel paused to catch his breath for a second. He was rushing the words out before he changed his mind. "I remember your rule. You told me I could only have one night with you and I would never be allowed another." He reminded her how he had respected her rules to the game they had shared.

"A woman has a right to change her mind." She moved to face him and reached up to caress his face. "I have come to realize that there is more to you than just sex. I know you're an incredible lover, friend, partner and I'm sure there is much more I could say but I want you. We can plan out the details tomorrow. Tonight, I just want you to make love to me." Buffy remained calm as she spoke the truth to him.

For a moment Angel didn't move. Then he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her with a fervor that was barely controlled. And when she thought she would faint from the lack of oxygen, he lifted her into his arms and carried her into the bedroom.

With one hand he pulled back the quilt and covers. Laying her down on the sheet, he sat beside her and reached for the bottom of her shirt. She helped him draw it over her head. A toss, and the dark blue silk landed on the upholstered chair by her dresser. Next went her bra. Then he stopped.

"Beautiful," he murmured. "Absolutely beautiful."

25

Angel's hands followed the path of his gaze. Like an artist stroking a fine piece of sculpture, his fingers moved over her body, admiring the smoothness of her skin and the full ripeness of her breasts. And with each pass, her breasts grew even fuller and her nipples more rigid.

Leaning over, he took one taunt nipple into his mouth and began to suck.

"Oh, Angel," Buffy moaned, as he kissed first one breast and then the other. Electrifying currents pulsed through her body and she reached up to dig her fingers into his hair. His tongue flicked over her skin and she shuddered, her breath coming in short little gasps.

Soon his lips moved lower, abandoning her breasts for the hollow of her navel. Each kiss had her wiggling. Each flick of his tongue elicited a quivering longing. His fingers reached the waistband of her slacks and she sucked in a breath. The button was released, the zipper lowered, and she arched her back. Lifting her hips from the mattress, he slid her pants and her silky underwear down to her knees and his lips continued their downward path.

Her body grew tense and the muscles of her stomach constricted. She was waiting for that moment of intimate contact, but Angel was in no hurry. Teasingly, he kissed her sensitive inner thighs, then retreated. He was driving her wild.

"Damn you, Angel," She swore, finally using her hands to guide his head.

Warm. Moist. Musky. His tongue darted in an out, coaxing her to full arousal. The distinction between torture and pleasure was a fine line. She wanted him, needed him. And when he stopped and stood up, she stared at him, glassy eyed, confused and shaken.

"Me, now," he explained and pulled his shirt over his head.

With trembling hands, he fumbled with the buckle of his belt. The clasp of his pants was no easier task and his zipper stuck twice before sliding down. He pulled off his socks, then his pants and underwear. Completely naked, he turned to finish undressing her, but he was in too much of a hurry and had trouble with her boots. Buffy watched him, her frustration easing. The wait would be worth it.

He was magnificent without any clothes on. Well defined muscles blended with perfect proportions. Trim as an athlete in training, he possessed a strength and vitality that fired her arousal. And she could see his own level of stimulation was unhampered by his frustration and problems in undressing her. At last the second boot fell to the floor and he stripped the remaining garments from her legs and tossed them aside.

Buffy noted how nervous and unsure of himself he seemed this time. The first time he had been so smooth and relaxed. She wondered for a brief second, what had caused him to act like a bumbling sixteen-year-old?

The bed gave a little as he straddled her, his hands reaching on either side of her head, his knees parting her thighs. Angel took a deep, calming breath and forced himself to slow down. For a moment he simply stared down at her, absorbing her delicate beauty and marveling at her perfection.

Her hair was fanned out over the sheet, hallooing her face like a golden crown. Passion-clouded eyes gazed up into his, and her mouth looked well kissed. Bending his elbows, he leaned closer and touched his lips to hers. The sweet trusting readiness of her mouth held him captive.

As he kissed her, Buffy moved her hands over his back and sides. His skin was smooth as she remembered. His muscles taunt and firm. She glided her hands around his ribs and felt the hairless chest. His nipples were as rigid as hers. Slowly, she felt her fingers move down over his stomach. He sucked in his breath, and she gently stroked him. Inch by inch, she became intimately familiar with the lines of his manhood.

"0hh . . . that feels so good," Angel gasped.

Her own need barely subdued, it didn't take long before the rubbing of his hips against hers made Buffy equally ready. And when he pressed against her, anticipation knotted her stomach. Arching her hips, she welcomed his strength. Soft encircled hard, their differences disappearing as their bodies became one.

26 Even as her body shook with convulsive spasms, she felt Angel's final thrust and heard his sigh of total relief. She clung to him. Seconds ticked by, then minutes. Slowly, she became aware of her surroundings. She was in no hurry to break the bond between them. Every moment of their union was to be treasured.

"You all right?" he finally asked, sliding down over to her side.

Dazed, she merely nodded. It took a little longer before she could talk.

"Yes, thanks. How about you?" Buffy replied.

"Couldn't be better." He smiled at her and leaned close. Gently, his lips touched hers. When he pulled back, his eyes held a dreamy expression.

"I think I found heaven," Angel stated.

"Me too." Her body still damp with perspiration, she shivered and snuggled close to his warmth.

Angel pulled the sheet up over them but didn't leave her side. He was content to stay beside her forever.

"I never expected this you know," he confessed.

"Neither did I," Buffy admitted.

"Well, I'm glad you changed your mind." Angel kissed her ear lobe.

For a moment Buffy said nothing. She wasn't sorry they'd made love, but she still felt in the dark where his feelings were concerned for her. Did he expect them to be lovers only or did he want a real relationship? Questions began to boggle up the space in her head.

Buffy rolled to her side so they were face to face. "Angel . . . what are we doing?" Her lower lip quivered.

"I think you know what we just did," he teased her.

"No . . . I'm serious." Buffy punched him lightly and laughed.

"Buffy, I don't know what to say except that I have strong feelings for you. I was not sure if they were just physical or deeper than that. I still do not know for sure. I just know that I want a chance to get to know you and you to know the real me." His eyes pleaded with her to considered his deal.

Buffy felt the heaviness weighing on her eyes. After all, she had been up since six a.m. the day before and it was already passed four in the morning of the next day.

"I think we can give it a try," Buffy answered as she yawned.

"Thank you." Angel pulled her closer so that her head rested on his chest.

Seconds ticked by as the two of them fell into a deep and well-rested sleep. Both had one last thought before they gave into the darkness.

Can this really last?

27

Two months later . . .

Willow walked into the club. She was amazed at how much had changed and yet stayed the same since the construction had begun. She could hear Buffy's voice coming from her office. She had been rather impressed that Buffy set up an office although she lived in the same building. She knew that she wanted to make this club as professional as possible to her employees as well as the customers.

She was also relieved when Angel had ordered a door that would be locked to the other part of the house where they lived. She had some doubts about feeling safe with drunken men and women having access to the other side of the house where they resided.

As she got to the closed door, she realized there was another voice coming from behind the door.

"I do not have time for this . . . " Buffy giggled.

"Come on darling, just one more time." Angel pulled at the shirt she was struggling to tuck back into her skirt.

"Angel, darling . . . I have work," she pleaded as he kissed and licked her neck. He stood behind her holding her tightly to his chest.

"All right . . . but you have to make it up to me tonight," he teased her as he rubbed his erect manhood up against her backside.

"I promise." Buffy groaned she pulled herself out of his hold. She knew that as long as he was touching her, she would caved into his demands. Not that she did not find much pleasure in it, she just had a time-line to go by and the club opening was quickly coming up on them.

Buffy gave him a swift peck before stepping around the desk to put some distance between them.

Willow, meanwhile, felt her cheeks grow warm. She had accidentally over heard something that perhaps neither wanted her to know about. She debated on whether to knock or come back later.

As she went to step back, away from the door, with the decision to come back later, she hit something hard.

"Ow." She threw her hand over mouth to keep from crying out in alarm.

Turning around to see what she had hit, she saw that it was not an object but a person that had come up behind her. Looking up, she saw it was Spike who had snuck up on her.

She blushed from head to toe. She wondered if he knew that she had been ease dropping.

"What are you doing?" she whispered harshly at him.

"Me? What are you doing?" Spike frowned down at the flustered face of the red head.

"I was about to go see Buffy, but I believe she and Angel are having a meeting," she half lied.

"Oh. I was coming to see Buffy," Spike explained with the frown still on his face.

"Oh," Willow mumbled.

"How long do you think they will be there?" Spike asked.

"I.. . . well, I can't say exactly." Willow wanted to run away as fast as she could. She knew that Spike had been dropping by to see Buffy from time to time and they had even once went out but she did not sense that Buffy had strong feelings for this man. In fact, she wondered what exactly was going on between Angel and Buffy? Had these two been lovers all this time? If so, why had they not told any of them?

The door open behind her and she heard the soft gasp from Buffy even before she turned around.

"Hello." Spike grinned.

Willow felt awkward. She knew from that smile Spike obviously had feelings for Buffy that she did not return for the handsome Brit.

"Hello." Buffy force a smile to her face when she was really frowning inside.

"I thought I would drop by and let you know my great news." Spike began to talk. He was completely unaware of what Willow had overheard.

"What great news?" Angel stepped out of the office letting his presence be known.

"Hello Angel. I came to see Buffy and let her know that I got the job I had been trying for," Spike explained.

"Which one would that be?" Angel asked with a frown on his face.

"I will be working for Cummington, Hart, and Burke law firm starting next week." Spike smiled proudly.

Buffy reacted naturally by throwing her arms around him giving him a congratulating hug. She knew that he had been working so hard toward his goal and now, at last, he had succeeded.

"That is so great!" Buffy cried out.

"Thanks." Spike beamed.

"Congratulations," Angel said but without as much happiness that Buffy had expressed.

"Congratulations," Willow replied.

Willow feared that this was not going to be a good day when she saw the look that was exchanged between the two men, while Buffy's back was still toward them both.

"So where will you be staying?" Willow asked. She knew that his gaining this high position meant he would be living in Sunnydale now. He had been staying at a hotel while he was here on his visit. Yet, now it would no longer be just a visit.

"I was considering that option on my way here. I was wondering if you knew any good locations?" Spike asked.

Buffy released him and took a few steps back. She glanced over at Angel and understood what Spikes real purpose had been to come to tell them. He was wanting a place to live here. She knew that would not sit right with Angel. She had been debating on how to tell Spike that she was not interested him without exposing her relationship with Angel.

They had agreed to take things slow and private. Both felt it would keep the pressure off of them as a couple. Yet, now she was starting to think that had been a big mistake.

"Xander was considering renting out his house," Willow jumped in the awkward conversation.

"Oh." Spike fought back the disappointment from showing on his face.

"Yeah, he did mention that to me too," Angel confirmed her suggestion.

"I guess I will have to get with him then," Spike answered as he gave Buffy a hurt look before glancing back at Willow.

"Where is the bloke?" Spike asked Willow.

"He should be in his room," Willow answered with a weak smile.

"Thanks. Perhaps after I talk to Xander, you and I can go out for a celebration night on the town," he suggested to Buffy.

"I will see what I can do," Buffy replied. She felt a knot in her stomach as he smiled at her then Angel before walking in the direction of Xander's room with Willow by his side.

Buffy knew before she even looked at Angel that he was pissed off at her. She just did not know how she was going to fix this between them or with Spike, without exposing their relationship?

"Well, I'm waiting for you to explain it to me?" Angel said coldly.

"I'm trying to figure it out." Buffy sighed heavily before turning to stare into his angry eyes.

28

"Buffy, you are not going out with him," Angel ordered.

"Then tell me what am I supposed to tell him? Look, I know you think he is a jerk but trust me when I say even they have feelings. I have led him to believe he has a shot with me," Buffy groaned as she ran her hands threw her messy hair.

"You just tell him you are not interested. Leave it at that," Angel replied.

Buffy's hands went to her hips as she shook her head in disappointment.

"NO! I will not leave it at that," Buffy snapped.

Angel was not psychic but he knew they were about to have their first fight.

"You're not going out with him, tonight or any other night. I don't give a rat's ass what excuse you give him. Just as long as you paint the picture clear to him." Angel looked at her sharply.

"I don't know about this." Buffy threw her hands up in a sign of defeat.

"What is there not to know? Buffy, I thought we both agreed no dating anyone else while we are seeing each another," he reminded her of the terms they had both set for each other.

"I remember the deal, Angel. I just . . . well . . . honestly I think I should just tell him that I'm seeing you," Buffy finally said the words out loud that had been running through her head earlier.

"I would not do that if I were you. Trust me darling when I tell you that would only set him off. He has lost a few girls to me in the past. I fear that would only break his heart more." Angel hoped she understood why he did not want Spike, of all people to know about them.

"So you want me to make up some lie and then when we do announce our relationship, then what? He will know it was all about you." Buffy sighed heavily.

"Who cares at that point? I'm sure he will have moved onto the next warm blooded woman," Angel explained.

"What are you saying that I'm not special? That I'm just a conquest of his because I know you?" Buffy growled.

Angel saw the sparks flying in her eyes. He had not meant to insult her but rather get his point that Spike was only after one thing in a woman and it was not her charm.

"It is not about you knowing me. Well, it is but it is not. Oh! Buffy, he is not looking for a woman to settle down with. He is the kind of guy who looks for a challenge and once he has conquered it he moves onto the next," Angel cried out.

"People told me you were the same kind of guy," Buffy replied coldly.

Angel felt as if he had been slapped across the face.

"I thought you knew me. Maybe I was wrong." Angel frowned with a pair of angry eyes.

"What am I suppose to think Angel. We are hiding our relationship from the world. How do I know for sure that once you're through with me you won't dump me? Think about it, by hiding our relationship no one would have to know what you did," Buffy replied with a shaking voice.

Angel was stunned to hear that she doubted his intentions with her. Did she really feel that unsure about him? Did she truly fear he would dump her and walk away from what they had?

"Buffy . . . do whatever you want." Angel bit down on his tongue hard. Turning on his heel, he walked out of the room before he said something that he might later regret. His feelings were hurt. He now knew how little she thought of him.

On one hand he understood why she would have doubts about him. Yet he had been completely faithful and attentive to her every need in the past few months. He had tried to show her in different ways just how he felt.

He grabbed his car keys and left the house. He needed time to figure how to make her see how much he loved her. He felt as if a semi truck had hit him.

"I love her," Angel said out loud to himself. "Now, how do I tell her this and convince her at the same time?"

Turning the car on, he drove out of the driveway hoping to find a way to not only tell her he loved her, but to prove how much he loved her as well.

29

Buffy was still fuming from her argument with Angel when Spike walk up. He sensed that she was upset about something and that it was not club related.

"There you are. Well, Xander will consider my deal while I look around at a few other places. Do you want me to pick you up in about a hour or are you ready to go now?" Spike asked with eagerness.

"Spike, I think we need to talk." Buffy frowned.

"About?" Spike felt every muscle in his body tense up. He knew this was about their relationship. Actually, there was no relationship. He hated to say it but they had become rather good friends and nothing more. He had not even shared a simple good night kiss with her since they had become acquainted. He knew her heart was not in it. He had often wondered if there was someone she secretly was interested in or if she was just too busy to work at a relationship period?

"Look, I ... I'm not sure how you feel about me." Buffy began to pace back and forth as she struggled to find the right words to say to him with out breaking his heart.

"Buffy, I..."Spike began.

"Stop! Let me finish first." Buffy interrupted.

Once she saw that he would wait and let her finish, she continued.

"I like you. I did start out wanting to get to know you in a deeper level but as time passed I came to realize that I cherish your friendship far more than anything else we might have had. I hope that you understand that I would be willing to go out and celebrate your success tonight as long as you know that there is nothing else between us. I do not want to hurt you." Buffy fought back the tears. She hated hurting anyone, even a man who had a shady past such as Spike. She knew that everyone deserved to be treated fairly.

"Can I go now?" Spike asked with a gentle smile on his face.

"Yes." Buffy gulped hard. She prepared herself to listen to what ever he had to say and take it.

"I agree with everything you just said. I feel that we did not connect the way that I had hoped. I won't lie to you, Buffy. I wanted you so bad at the start. Perhaps my main reasons in the beginning were because I saw the sparks between you and peaches. I hated the way he always got the good girls. I wanted to beat him to you. I know that sounds sleazy, I'm sorry. I know you expect the truth so I'm going to tell you." Spike paused for a second.

"Then once you moved here and started working on the club we sort of lost our chance. I was too busy pursuing my own dream and you with yours. I began to like the friendly chats and support that we both gave each other. I won't lie and say that I'm not attracted to you but I sense there is something going on between you and peaches. I hope that if this is true that he treats you right. I know the others are unaware of the attraction. Both of you have been good at keeping it quiet but I know Angel better than anyone when it comes to women. He is totally crazy about you." Spike licked his dry lips. Taking a few steps closer to her he saw that she was trembling.

"I'm not mad. I'm not going to tell anyone else about you and Angel. But I'm right aren't I." Spike watch her face closely.

"Yes." Buffy sighed with relief. She was relieved she had at least one person she did not have to lie to or pretend with, when it came to her private relationship with Angel.

"It is okay. Were you afraid that I would be pissed off?" Spike chuckled.

"Yes, I was. I feared that I might have led you on and I did not want to hurt you." Buffy let a tear slip out.

Spike wished at that moment she were his girl. Spike saw how truly compassionate she was. How had Angel been blessed with the love of such a wonderful woman?

"Hey, you're talking to a man who would deserve it. I have done some horrible things in my time." Spike reach out and held her tightly in his embrace. He patted her back gently to let her know it was okay.

"Are you sure you still want to be my friend?" Buffy ask with a strained voice.

"I'm positive." Spike assured her as he kissed the top of her golden head.

"Angel feared you would be outraged if you knew I was in love with him." Buffy informed him.

"So you love him." Spike gasped.

"Yes...I...do." Buffy looked at him with her own shock at the words that had easily slipped out of her lips.

"Does he love you?" Spike asked.

"I honestly do not know. I mean I feel that he does." Buffy pulled away to look up at his face.

"He has not said the words." Spike stated.

"Yeah." Buffy felt more tears build up in her eyes as the reality of it hit her hard.

"I'm sure he will." Spike saw the hurt in her eyes.

Buffy felt her heart tremble with fear. Did he love her? Could he ever truly love her? If he did love her, then what? Where were they heading with this relationship? She began to sob as she discovered that the thought of Angel not in her life made her feel scared and empty inside.

30

Angel drove for several hours before he parked his car. Staring up at the shop in front of him, he felt a wave of excitement mix with fear flow through his veins. Was he really ready to do something this life changing? Was Buffy ready for this?

He thought back to the last two months that they had spent as friends and lovers, the late nights in her room where they would sit and talk shop before falling into one another's arms. Each night he spent with her, he grew closer to her. It was nice, for a change, to actually sit and talk before and after having sex.

Hell, some nights they didn't even do more than kiss each other good night. He enjoyed those nights as well. Then there were the days at the park or the beach where they would sneak off for a few hours of relaxation and privacy.

He remembered the way she glowed as the sun shined on her body as she laid on the blanket wearing nothing but a two-piece bikini. He drooled like a mad dog that day. Then there was that day when a guy actually had the nerve to hit on her while he went to fetch them some sodas. He wanted to crack the man's head open. Luckily, for the stranger, Buffy reminded him that the stranger had not seen Angel around her. He had thought she was alone, she kept saying.

Angel struggled for the first time with the well-known emotion called jealousy. He had never experienced it until that day. From that point on he felt like the luckiest man alive whenever they went out and men stared at her. He knew she would not stray from him. NO, he was not egotistic; he just knew she was not that sort of woman. Loyalty should have been her middle name. He knew that she took people's feelings quite seriously.

Which reminded him of how poorly he had acted toward her being concern about Spike's feelings. She had been right and he knew it. He had experienced the power of jealousy for the second time since their relationship had started. He hated it. It made him do and say things he would normally have had the control to prevent.

Stepping out of his car he walked up to the shop door. Taking a deep breath and wearing a brilliant smile he walked in with his heart openly on his sleeve. He knew what he was doing was risky.

Yet with her smile clearly in his mind, he knew that he wanted to do this with all of his heart. He wanted to prove to her that she was the only woman in this world who had made him feel this strongly about life and love. He wanted to keep her by his side forever.

"Hello, sir; how may I help you?" The salesman asked with a smile on his face.

Edward was not only the best salesman, he was also the owner of "Treasure Chest" jewelry shop. He knew the moment he saw Angel walk in that this was a young man who was smitten with a lucky young lady. The way his eyes shook and his hands were twitching. He was sure that he was here to buy an engagement ring. He knew the look of bachelors who were ready to give up their single life for that of something even better.

"I found the perfect woman and now I need the perfect engagement ring." Angel beamed as he looked at all the stones and sparkles shining around him. He felt his stomach clench as he realized how important it was to find the right ring for her. He knew that the ring would be his ticket to proving how well he knew her.

"I think we have a large selection and hopefully we can find the ring that matches your sweetheart." Edward beamed back. He knew that this man was not going to go for anything but the best.

"Let's start over here. There are several things to consider, first gold or silver or both, second we have to figure out the stone. Not everyone goes for the norm. Once you choose a stone, you must then choose the cut of the stone. I tell you what, if I do not have the exact ring you want, my wife actually creates these rings. She can make whatever style you wish." Edward explained.

"I knew I came to the right spot." Angel sighed. This was not going to be as easy as he hoped, but he did not mind. After all Buffy was worth more than all the diamonds in the world.

Together, Angel and Edward, and two hours later, they found the perfect ring. With his purchase in his hand, he walked out of the store and headed to the house where his future awaited him.

31

Buffy and Spike had agreed to go out some other time to celebrate after they had shared a nice long conversation about her relationship with Angel. She had been deeply impressed with Spike's view on love. She had not expected a man who never committed himself before to feel so strong about honesty and openness in a relationship.

Spike had advised her to just confront Angel about how she felt. It would be better to know now before she invested anymore time or love in their relationship. She knew, of course, he was right but was still a bit gun shy.

Buffy headed to her room when she came across Willow in the hallway.

"Hey Willow." Buffy said gloomy.

"Hey Buffy. Do you have a minute to spare?" Willow chewed on her lip nervously.

"Sure." Buffy walked up closer to her.

"Look, I need to make a confession before I burst." Willow confessed.

"I'm listening." Buffy frowned.

"I was heading to your office to offer you some help when I accidentally overheard you and Angel." Willow paused to see Buffy's reaction before she went further.

"Yeah." Buffy turned pale.

"I did not hear exactly what you two were doing, just Angel trying to persuade you to do something and I know this is none of my business but, are you two seeing one another?" Willow stood still. She knew that Buffy had a right to tell her to stay out of her personal life and she would accept this.

"Yes, we are. I know this is a shock, but we were not sure what we were feeling and we hoped to work it out but without any pressure from anyone. I know how you all see him as a womanizer, but he has changed since we have been going out. We have both agreed not to see anyone else." Buffy began to explain rather quickly.

"I think it is great that you two are dating. I had noticed something different about him but I couldn't figure out what exactly. It makes so much sense now." Willow exclaimed.

"Really?" Buffy could not believe that Willow was so understandable about this.

"Yeah, I mean he is always in a good mood. Plus, he was coming home earlier with each day. I think it is great that he has finally fallen in love." Willow smiled.

"What makes you think that he is in LOVE with me?" Buffy asked with a nervous glance.

"Are you blind? I mean I've known Angel for some time now and never has he made such a commitment to any woman. Plus his professional life always came first, but now he rushes home to see you. He smiles non-stop. I know that Angel is in love with you." Willow answered.

"Do you love him?" Willows gut told her that Buffy did but she had to ask.

"YES! I mean, I did not intend to. I started this thing with him out of loneliness and lust but then I got to know him and was amazed at the man he is and will be. We sit up at night and talk about things that most men would run away screaming from. We have some things in common and in areas that I'm weak he is strong and where I'm strong he is weak. It's like we click together." Buffy eyes had a dreamy glaze.

"Sounds like love to me." A male voice came from behind Buffy.

Both girls jumped at the sound of the intruder.

"XANDER!" Both girls screamed out.

"How long have you been there?" Buffy cried out.

"I'm sorry I was coming up to my room and heard voices when I heard you say that you were involved with Angel I almost went back down the stairs but then as I listened to what you two were saying I realized that I too had noticed something odd about him lately. It made sense at last. He has changed since we moved in here. I thought I was crazy." Xander began to confess why he had lingered instead of leaving.

"Your not mad that we hid it from you guys?" Buffy looked at them with concern.

"No." Xander replied with a genuine smile.

"I will be upset if he hurts you." Xander warned her.

"I do not think that will happen." Willow answered happily.

"Where is he?" Xander looked around wondering why he had not run seen him this evening.

"Actually we had our first fight. Spike had invited me out for a celebration dinner and I wasn't sure what to say and Angel was hurt. Or I should say jealous. I think he feared that I had feelings for Spike because I could not just blow him off. I had led Spike to believe there was something possible for us in the beginning before Angel and I found each another. Spike knew all along that Angel had feelings for me. He was very nice about it." Buffy explained with a sad face.

"So where is he?" Willow asked.

"He left." Buffy looked down at the floor.

"He will be back. I'm sure he just needed time to cool off." Xander patted her arm.

"Yeah, that is what I thought too." Buffy admitted.

"Well, I'm going to be late for a dinner date." Xander had almost forgot why he came upstairs in the first place.

"I have a date as well." Willow frowned.

"Well, go on. I will be fine." Buffy knew they were unsure if they should leave her alone.

"Are you sure?" Willow asked.

"I'm sure." Buffy gave them a weak smile as she headed to her room.

Xander and Willow smiled at one another as they walked to their rooms. Both knew that these two would be okay. They knew Angel well enough to know he would come home and make up to Buffy for leaving so upset. They just hoped that these two were truly soul mates. If not, life there would be hell with these two at each other's throats.

*****************

Buffy had fallen asleep after the others had left for their dates. She had been woken up by a strange sound. Forcing her eyes open she sat up in the bed and listen closer. What was that sound? Music? Slipping off the bed she went to her bedroom door and open it up. Sticking her head out of the door she listen closer.

It was music, music blaring from the club. Who was in her club at this hour? Who would have known how to use the high tech equipment? Without considering that it might be an intruder she marched down the stairs and headed to the club. Unlocking the door that block the house from the club she walked in. Then her feet felt as if they had concrete pour on them.

"What in the world?" She said out loud as she stared at the scene before her.

There were no lights in the room. The only thing causing light was the zillion of candles that were placed all around the room. The music playing was soft and sensual. Then she noticed the odd smell; there were flower petals all over the floor, red, pink, and white rose petals. Her heart began to race.

This was definitely not the work of an intruder she laughed to herself.

"Angel?" She called out. Praying that her guess was right.

"I see you heard the music." Came Angels voice from in the corner.

Buffy's head swung to the area where she had heard his voice. After a few seconds, he walked toward her. Buffy thought she would faint. He was wearing a tuxedo carrying a single rose toward her.

"What is going on?" Buffy frowned up at him with a nervous smile.

"I want, first, to apologize for my lack of feelings earlier today. You were right about letting Spike down gently. I should have known that you would treat even him with a gentle touch. I'm sorry for acting like a stubborn mule." Angel explained as he stepped closer to her.

"I accept your apology." Buffy replied hesitantly.

"Buffy, I want to tell you something that you might be surprised to know." Angel started his rehearsed speech.

"Wait, before you say anymore I feel I need to tell you something." Buffy placed a hand over his mouth to prevent him from going any further.

"I have a confession to make." Buffy sighed.

Angel felt a jolt in his heart. He prayed that she was not about to confess that she did not feel as strongly about him or that she was threw with him.

"I have been lying to myself. I thought that hiding our relationship would make it easier for us both. I was wrong. I want you to know that I have changed my mind about the rules that we agreed on." Buffy paused.

Angel felt the room starting to spin. Was it possible that she did not love him back? Could be trying to tell him that she has come to realize that he was not worthy of her?

"I know that you care about me. But I do not just care about you." Buffy confessed. Her eyes glisten over with tears as she began to open her heart. She knew that she was taking a big chance but seeing what he had done to just apologize to her was overwhelming. She was deeply impressed with him.

Angel wanted to run. He did not want to hear that she no longer cared about him. Not when he just spent three thousand dollars on the perfect ring to ask her to be his wife. He knew deep down he would deserve the heartache she was about to give him. He had hurt plenty of women over the years. Sure, his intentions had been straight up but he knew that most of the women had hoped that one night with them would change his mind or his heart. It did not of course.

"Angel, I want more than this. I do not want a relationship that I have to hide in order to make work. I want to tell the whole world how much...I love you." Buffy trembled as she watch his face closely for a clue to how he felt about her. She thought she would cry when his face went blank.

"Did you hear me? I love you, Angel. I have fallen so madly and deeply in love with you that I fear what my life would be without you in it." Buffy's hands shook as she made her heart felt confession.

"Are you sure?" Angel finally found his voice.

"Yes." Buffy shook her head in agreement.

"Thank God!" Angel cried out as he looked up at the ceiling and then back to her.

Buffy stood staring at him with a stun expression.

"I was so scared that you were about to break up with me. I came home tonight thinking how miserable I would be if you were not in my life. In fact I thank God everyday that you came to me. You have changed me in so many ways. I feel as if I was only half a man until you arrived in my heart. I now feel as if there is nothing I cannot do without you by my side. Buffy Summers..." Angel knelt down on one knee and taking her hand in his.

"Will you marry me?" Angel used his free hand to pull out the black velvet box and pop it open to show her the ring he thought would be perfect for her.

Her heart in her throat, her stomach a queasy jumble of nerves, she reached out to touch the ring. Yep, it was real she thought to herself. Slowly she lifted a diamond ring to the light.

"Well?" He swallowed hard, his eyes locked on her face.

She said nothing. Turning the engagement ring slightly to the right, she watched the way the diamond caught and reflected the light from the candles. She'd seen some big rings with elaborate settings but never had a ring looked so beautiful. She almost slipped it onto her left hand to see if it fit.... then she changed her mind.

"Well?" Angel repeated, concerned by her long silence.

"Well, what?" Still holding the ring, Buffy adopted an innocent look. She'd be his wife all right, but she was going to make him ask again to make sure he meant it.

"Will you marry me?"

"Yes, I would love to be your wife." Buffy felt the happy tears stream down her face as she accepted his proposal.

"I love you, Buffy." Angel took the ring from her hand and placed it snugly on her finger. He was thrilled to see it was the right size. Then standing up. He reached out and held her tightly to his chest.

They held each other for several minutes before he released her.

Staring into one another's eyes with tears staining both of their faces.

"I love you Angel. I'm so lucky to be loved by you." Buffy sobbed.

"NO, darling I'm the lucky one. I hope to be half the man you want me to be." Angel confessed, crying as well.

"You already are." Buffy cried out as their lips met and the world began to fade around them.

Taking her hand he lead her to the gardens where there was more candles lit. They began to dance under the stars and moons. As they kissed and swore to love one another for the rest of their lives, Buffy felt a soft summer breeze sweep across them both

THE END!

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