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Chapter Nineteen

Buffy adored Lorne. Adored him in the way that she felt she could tell him anything. She often didn't trust people right away, but there was just something about Lorne that made her feel as if she could bare her soul and he'd keep all her secrets. Probably because he was so flaming gay, he would never try to have sex with her and ruin their relationship. Course . . .Spike never tried either.

"If I'm going to be hanging out with the boys tonight Buffy, I want to meet that beefcake of yours first," Lorne told her as he covered her dress in protective plastic.

"Why?" she asked curiously.

He grinned, "Because I want to lay eyes on that beekfcake!"

She giggled. "Does anyone say beefcake anymore?"

"I'm bringing it back. Let's go see him."

"Now?" she asked incredulously. "Don't you have to help Harmful get
ready?"

They looked over at Harmony preening in front of the mirror and Andrew
bowing to her every whim. Along with everyone else, though, Joyce was
beginning to rub her temples. Sure sign she was annoyed.

"Looks like she's got enough admirers."

Harmony rolled her head to his and leveled him with her gaze. "She could
NEVER have enough admirers."

"So let's make her spit nails. Let's make like a tree and leave this joint,"
Lorne grinned conspiratorially and leaned forward grinning at her.

"Let's go," she agreed, smiling.

He came around the counter and stuck out his arm for her to take. Giggling,
Buffy took it and yelling a ‘we'll be back', they were off. They skipped –
Yes, skipped—across the street. Lorne insisted and who was Buffy to tell
her new friend no? She couldn't remember the last time she did something
like that.

Laughing on their way into the dark tux shop, they found Angel fixing his
tux, Jonathan looking at himself in the mirror and frowning. Hank was
nowhere to be found and Spike . . . Buffy stopped and stared as Spike
adjusted the sleeves on the suit he was trying on. It was such a dark suit
with a blue shirt. He looked so breathtakingly handsome that she gripped
Lorne tightly.

"There he is," she breathed and pointed.

Lorne gazed at him and broke out in a wide smile. "Go get him muffin. I'm
going to help the groom. I can see by the look in your eye you want to
maybe make some time behind that dressing room curtain."

"Lorne!" she squealed and playfully hit him, turning crimson.

Spike looked up at the sound of her voice and smiled. It slightly wavered
when he noticed Lorne and her entwined with his. He frowned and
straightened, watching her expectantly.

"Go," Lorne whispered and pushed her.

She stumbled forward a bit, her legs not seeming to want to work and
finally, she glided over to Spike, smiling at him. "Hi."

"Who's that? Another ex?" he nodded toward Lorne who was now fussing
over Jonathan.

"That's Lorne. He owns the shop across the street. Turns out he's
Harmony's wedding planner and the DJ. . . which now strikes me as odd
now that I've said it out loud."

"Oh," Spike said uncertainly. "Didn't really answer my question there pet.
Doesn't explain why you came in here on his arm."

She grinned at him teasingly, "Jealous?"

"Yes," he said point blank.

She froze. She hadn't expected that. And he was most definitely telling the
truth. She could see it in his eyes. That stark honesty she loved so much.

She gulped and ignored the nervous flutter in her stomach. Instead she
reached out adjusted his collar, trying to give her hands something to do so
they wouldn't shake with nerves or grab him and kiss him – on the lips
NOT on the damn cheek.

"He's gay, Spike," she told him and then stepped back to take him in. His
eyes bore into her, daring her to meet his them. She finally did. His hair all
wild with curls, his eyes even bluer due to the intensity of his gaze, and the
suit that fitted him so perfectly; he was an Adonis. "My God, you look so
handsome," she said breathlessly before she could stop herself.

His expression turned from glittering intensity to one of surprise and hope.
A smile bloomed on his chiseled features and Buffy felt her heart shatter.
She felt as if she'd just been hit by a mack truck. With his name on it.

Oh God. It couldn't be—she wasn't. Surely she wasn't . . . was she? No. If
she didn't give voice to it or even think of the word, then it wouldn't be
true. Couldn't be true.

"Buffy? You in there? Did I lose you again?"

"Huh?" she snapped her attention to him again, having lost focus.

"I asked you if I should get it."

"Darling if you don't, it'd be a crime. Turn around let me see how you fill
that out," Lorne said, approaching them.

Spike turned around awkwardly, looking over his shoulder at Buffy
begging with his eyes for her to help him. Unable to stop herself though, her
eyes dropped to his ass. Well, maybe she'd reconsider kissing his cheek . . .
especially if it was part of those cheeks.

"What do you think Mistress Buffonia. We got a winner here?" Lorne
nudged her.

Meeting Spike's eyes, she nodded. "Definitely."





"So tell me Mistress Buffonia, what is the deal with you and stopping this
wedding," Spike asked as he handed her her waffle cone. Everyone else
had left to go home, but Spike and Buffy had begged off to get their ice
cream. Angel and Cordy had hitched a ride with Jonathan and Harmony.

It was going to be a busy night as Lorne had insisted Jonathan come to the
bar; ‘Jaded' that night for an impromptu bachelor party after finding out no
one had thrown him one. Spike, Hank and Angel were accompanying them,
and Lorne had promised to get to the bottom of why Jonathan was going
through with something that was increasingly making him more uneasy. By
the time he'd left that afternoon with his tux in hand, he'd looked green.
Buffy was now enlisting Spike's help for that evening.

"I told you. She's using him for his money. She doesn't love him, she loves
the fact that she can push him around and he just takes it. She can do
whatever the hell she wants, the way she's done all her life and he'll let her.
"

His eyebrows rose, "So there's not vested interest in the groom then?"

"No, not like that," she told him and sat down on the bench on the sidewalk
that overlooked the strip of shops. She turned into him as she licked at her
ice cream. "Like I told you before, when we were in high school, he got
pushed around and he felt like he was nothing. Like he could have
disappeared and no one would have cared. Aside from the fact that they
weren't getting their homework done, and an easy A due to him doing it for
them. His parents didn't want him and they made that clear. They never
praised him for his grades or his hard work. Though they did see in him a
means to their end in running the family business.

Changing his name like he did and disassociating himself from his family
that way took guts. And I can only imagine that it made him feel that much
more of an outsider. He disowned his family, he started a new life and he's
pursued his dreams But he has no one to share it with. No family, no
friends, no girlfriend. Do you think Harmony really cares about the work
he's doing? About the brilliant mind he has? Do you think she encourages
him? I can wager she doesn't. All she's done around him is fix his clothes
and put on a show. She treats me much the same way she's treated him.
Fake sugary sweetness. The only difference between me and Jonathan? I
could care less how she feels about me, but Jonathan is tying himself to her
for the rest of his life and she's just using him. He's successful and he's
smart and he has the potential to be really happy. The idea that he could
just fall prey to yet another person that would use and abuse him makes
me sick. There is someone out there for him; I know it. And its not her. For
crying out loud, all she's done is make googly eyes at you the whole time!"

"Jealous?" Spike smirked at her.

"Yes," she blurted out. Then stopped. She averted her gaze, feeling his eyes
on hers.

"Pet," he said softly. "Don't tease me please," he pleaded.

Her eyes flew to his. That got her attention.

"I-I—I'm not," she stuttered.

He looked at her hopefully. "D'you really mean it?"

She nodded, tucking her lips between her teeth and biting down.

He tossed his ice cream in the trash barrel behind him. "What does that
mean Buffy?" he asked, scooting closer to her.

"I- I-I d-don't—I don't know." Apparently her tongue was on vacation.
Along with all coherent thought. He grabbed her cone swiftly, all the while
keeping his eyes trained on her. She stared at him, wide eyed, unable to
break eye contact. Her hand was still in the position of holding her cone, so
frozen was she. Her body was tense and she could barely breathe.

"Tell me again. Tell me you're jealous," he said softly, huskily.

"I- I'm je-" he was leaning in closer to her and with a burst of what little
confidence she had, her lips met his.

The world was spinning, it had to be. She'd never felt dizzy kissing
someone before. Her body gave way, losing its tension as he brought her
closer to him, his teeth nipping at her bottom lip, his tongue grazing across,
begging entrance. She opened and became even more pliable in his arms
and her breasts were squashed against his hard chest. He tasted like mint,
vanilla and something uniquely Spike. His scent was of some soap, shampoo and male. And as she put her hands on his chest, she felt his hard maleness under hands and her mind drifted to what else felt hard with maleness. Then his lips left hers and trailed across her jaw. He nuzzled her cheek and then dipped to nuzzle her neck. Her eyes were closed; afraid to open them for fear that it was all in her head that this was really happening. Never had she ever felt so alive; her body was humming with desire; with love.

She slammed back into reality and pushed him away. He looked at her stunned.

"We're playing a part," she said finally, now aware that passerby's were
staring at them. Her cheeks flamed with embarrassment.

"When? Just now?"

She stood. "The whole weekend. It's been a part. It's not real."

He stood and followed her as she weaved through the crowd.

"How can you say that?" he demanded angrily.

She winced at his tone and ducked her head. "Spike, let's not do this now."

He grabbed her arm and spun her to face him. "Oh we're doing this now,"
he growled.










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