Forcing His Hand – Chapter Six

Ten minutes into the movie, he felt her hand on his thigh. Eleven minutes into the movie, her thumb was rubbing small circles against the denim and his fingers began brushing along the bare skin of her upper arm. Twelve minutes into the movie, their eyes met.

Now, fourteen minutes into the movie, his fingers were tangled in her hair as her tongue plundered his mouth. He groaned and changed the angle of his head, fighting for control of the kiss. When her hand moved to his chest, he moved his mouth down the side of her neck, nipping lightly at the skin before gently suckling.

Her fingers ran through his hair, holding him to her neck. “God, Giles…”

He scraped his teeth against her skin, his right hand gripping her outer thigh. She tilted her head to the side, granting him better access to her neck.

“I love you.” She whispered hoarsely.

His hand tightened on her thigh and his head snapped up, his eyes boring into hers. “Buffy?”

She was breathing heavily as she swallowed. “I do, Giles. I love you.”

The movie was completely forgotten, the screams of horror completely ignored. His heart raced as he moved both hands to cradle her face.

“I love you, Buffy.”

They shared a smile as he leaned into her, re-igniting the kiss. As his tongue caressed hers, she gripped his shirt and pushed him back against the cushions of the couch. He gasped into her mouth as she shifted her body, straddling his thighs and sitting on his knees. When he felt her fingers begin working on the buttons of his shirt, he tore his mouth away from hers.

“Buffy…” He panted heavily.

She smiled at him and slid her hand through the hair on his chest. That was when he realized that she had actually been able to unbutton most of his shirt. His hands moved quickly, wrapping his long fingers around her wrists to still her motion.

“Buffy…wait…”

She looked into his eyes and sighed, leaning back slightly. “I’m sorry. I thought…”

When she lowered her eyes and swallowed, he released her wrists and moved his hands to her hips. He pulled her closer to his chest, stifling his groan as he settled her over his erection.

Her eyes snapped back to his, finding his darkened as his hands gripped her hips tightly. “Rest assured, Buffy…I want you.”

“But – ”

He moved his hand up her side, brushing his thumb across the swell of her breast. “I don’t want this to be a quick shag…rushing through it before your mother returns home. And…should we continue this right now, that’s exactly what it will be.”

She shifted on his lap, causing him to groan softly. He shook his head slowly, sliding his hand to the back of her neck.

“Don’t do that. Just…kiss me.”

She smiled and leaned down, covering his mouth with hers as her hand glided over his nipple. He groaned into her mouth and she repeated the action, this time lightly scraping her nail across the hardened flesh. He tore his mouth away from hers and gasped.

“Christ, Buffy…don’t do that either…”

“You don’t like it?” She whispered softly as she draped her arms over his shoulders.

“I like it…far too much.” He acknowledged breathlessly.

“Oh.” She grinned and moved back towards his lips.

He tightened his hold on her hips and sighed. “Maybe…maybe you should sit beside of me.” When she raised an eyebrow in a silent question, he cleared his throat. “It’s just that…this is too much for me right now.”

She gave him a slightly unhappy sigh and carefully moved off his lap. He shifted uncomfortably and began buttoning his shirt.

“Can…can I still kiss you?”

His hands stopped, leaving the top three buttons undone, and he turned his head towards her. “Yes.” He leaned towards her, darting his eyes to her lips as he whispered. “God, yes.”

Her fingers combed through the soft hair above his ear. “I love the way you kiss me.”

He smiled and brushed his lips across hers. “I love kissing you.”

As he started to deepen the kiss, her ears picked up on the sound of a car door closing. She pushed him back and jumped off the couch.

“Buffy?” He asked, confusion showing in his eyes and voice.

“Mom’s home!” She ran her hand through her hair in an attempt to straighten it somewhat.

“Fuck…” He muttered under his breath and pushed himself up from the couch.

“Did you just say ‘fuck’?” Her eyes widened in surprise, a grin forming on her face.

He headed towards the stairs and chuckled softly. “Yes, actually.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Where are you going?”

He turned towards her and sighed heavily. “I can’t very well have your mother see me in this condition.”

She glanced at his groin and then at the door, hearing her mother’s footsteps on the porch steps. “Shit…”

He grinned and took off up the stairs. She ran back to the couch, falling onto the cushions and staring at the television just as the front door opened. She took a deep breath and forced a smile on her face as Joyce walked into the living room.

“Hey Mom. You’re earlier than I thought you’d be.”

Joyce smirked and glanced at the television, her smirk quickly morphing into a grimace. “What are you watching?”

“Re-Animator. One of Giles’ favourite movies.”

Joyce scoffed and shook her head. “Yeah, I can see why. Why are you watching a movie with Rupert?” She looked around the room and narrowed her eyes. “And…where is Rupert?”

“Oh, we went on patrol together tonight. Pretty busy night so I talked him into a movie to wind down. And…right now he’s in the bathroom.”

Hearing footsteps on the stairs, Buffy smiled and shrugged a shoulder. “Or…he’s on his way back down.”

Giles stepped into the living room and offered Joyce a warm smile. “Good evening, Joyce.”

“Hello, Rupert.” She gestured towards the television. “Enjoying the movie?”

Confusion shone in Giles’ eyes for a brief moment. Though it was long enough for Joyce to notice. His eyes darted towards the television and he shook his head.

“Dreadful film. I highly recommend avoiding it at all costs.” He met Buffy’s eyes and took a deep breath. “Ah, Buffy…I really should be leaving now.”

“Oh, uh…okay. I’ll see you tomorrow? For training?” She asked, desperately trying to hide the disappointment in her voice.

Giles gave her a short nod, a smile playing at his lips. “Tomorrow, it is.”

She stood and walked towards the stairs, stopping to kiss her mother’s cheek before she gestured upstairs. “I’m just gonna go take a shower and then you can tell me about the showing.”

Joyce smiled brightly. “Okay, sweetheart.”

Buffy glanced at Giles and smiled. “Night, Giles.”

“Goodnight, Buffy.” He responded softly, forcing himself to tear his gaze away from her as she climbed the stairs.

He cleared his throat and picked up his car keys from the lamp table. “Well, then…I’ll, uh…”

His sentence trailed off when Joyce placed her hand on his arm. Joyce exhaled slowly and looked into his eyes.

“Don’t hurt her, Rupert.”

Giles’ eyes widened. “I, uh…I…I’m sorry?”

A smile formed on her face. “It wasn’t intentional, but…I overheard the two of you talking a couple of weeks ago. I was going to bed and…you were on the front porch, saying goodnight.”

His face reddened deeply. “Oh, I…”

“And…” She lifted her hand and gently touched the collar of his shirt. “I believe that’s Buffy’s favourite shade of lipstick.”

“Oh dear Lord.” He mumbled softly, averting his eyes from Joyce’s.

She chuckled softly, shaking her head. “I’m not exactly surprised by this, you know. The two of you have always been very close. Just…please don’t hurt her.”

“I…we…well, I…”

Joyce’s smile broadened as he stammered nervously. He took a deep breath and met her eyes.

“We…we were going to discuss this with you, um…soon.”

She gave his arm a gentle squeeze and then dropped her hand to her side. “Well, now you don’t have to have that horribly awkward conversation. I’ll talk to Buffy about it in the morning. But…I’m okay with this, funnily enough.”

Giles’ mind was reeling and he took a step towards the door, giving in to his instinct to leave an uncomfortable situation. “I, uh…Goodnight, Joyce.”

“Goodnight, Rupert.”

He opened the door and stepped onto the porch. Just as she was closing the door, he turned around and spoke her name. She smiled warmly at him as he shoved his hands in his pockets and swallowed.

“Thank you.”

She gave him a nod and glanced back inside when she heard the shower cut off. “You’re welcome. Now, go…before she comes back downstairs and starts questioning why you’re still here.”

His eyes darted to Buffy’s bedroom window and he nodded in agreement. “Yes, um…goodnight. Again.”

Joyce grinned as she watched him hurry to his car. She closed the door and made her way into the kitchen.

She had a sudden craving for hot chocolate.