Hammocks were tricky things to drive, Giles found. The one in Cordelia's yard was made to accomodate two adults and yet, perversely, seemed to have its own ideas about how many people could lie in it. After getting dumped out of it for the second time, Giles lay on the grass underneath it, laughing quietly to himself.
Cordelia looked down at him from the safety of the hammock, not even trying to keep a straight face, and asked, "Are you okay?"
He replied, "Yes, extremely well. Thank you."
She frowned at him. "When you get all polite like that it usually means you're not okay."
He gazed up at her. "Turn that frown upside down."
"Okay. Now you're getting seriously weird."
He struggled to his feet. "Don't worry. I'll be all right as soon as I conquer this...thing." He eyed the hammock. "Once more unto the breech..."
"You're mumbling."
"Sorry. I wonder... Could you hold it steady?"
Cordelia shifted around and held onto the sides. "You mean like this?"
"Perfect." Gingerly, Giles sat in it... and stayed upright. He moved backwards until he was centered in it, also gripping the sides. Cordelia deftly scooted around, ducking under his arm, so that she could lie down next to him.
"Lie back," she told him.
He did so, but gingerly.
"Relax. You won't fall out this time."
Giles turned and rolled toward her, ending up in her embrace.
"I was going to say that this was not the best idea, but I've changed my mind," he said.
Smiling into his eyes, Cordelia asked, "What made you decide otherwise?"
"You. Me lying here in your arms."
"That's sweet. I never realized just how much of a gentleman you are until you came to see me in the hospital. You really do care about people, don't you?"
He lowered his gaze a moment. "I care about my friends, yes."
"Yet another reason why I'm attracted to you."
Giles caressed her shoulders. "Thank you."
"Tell me something," she began. "When we were out in front of your building this morning, you gave me such a funny look when I offered to call 911. What were you thinking right then?"
Giles gazed into her dark eyes wondering yet again at the many levels of Cordelia Chase. His fingers drew patterns on her neck and shoulders while he thought about how to answer her question.
"There were a lot of things going through my mind then. As I recall, you said you wouldn't give me mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. I was rather hoping you would. If the opportunity arose."
"Well, how about we take care of that now to make up for those other times when you might have needed it?"
"That's a sound idea."
She took his face in her hands, fingers spread along his jaw, and gave him an absorbing kiss. They lost themselves in it and many more.
Giles whispered between kisses, "Are you sure the neighbours can't see us?" It was a little late at this point to be worrying about that. Anyone who could see them would have gotten an eyeful during their session in the pool.
"Positive. How do you think I got this all-over tan? Would I sunbathe nude if I thought there was someone watching me? That's skanky."
Giles' mouth traced a path up her neck to her chin.
They hadn't bothered to put their swim suits back on and now lay naked together. The sensation of skin on skin with the California sun warming their bodies was so sensual, Giles thought he might never wear clothes again. He amended that. Only if he could lie in Cordelia's arms.
Giles pushed his knee between her thighs. Cordelia reacted by rubbing herself against his leg. Giles thought he was approaching heaven when he felt her soft hair brushing the sensitive skin of his inner thigh. He shifted his knee to press harder against Cordy's mound. She whimpered quietly.
Giles inched down bit by bit, carefully, kissing his way down to her stomach. He paid especial attention to her scar, feeling her shiver in response. Cordelia's fingers clamped onto the sides of the hammock, steadying it...or herself. His mouth travelled through her pubic hair and then he zeroed in on her hot, moist center. Using his elbows to part her legs, he swirled his tongue around inside her. He found her clitoris and sucked on it, then drew his tongue from back to front. Cordelia's hips rose up to meet him, her knees gripping his sides. He held her down while continuing to lap at the succulence of her response.
Cordy groaned and released the hammock to slide her fingers into his hair, keeping him in place. Despite his grasp on her hips, the hammock provided little resistance and she bucked frantically, chasing the orgasm. She caught it and tensed, coming with a stifled gasp. Her legs fell open and Giles rested his head between them for a moment. Then he crawled back up to give her a kiss.
"Are you all right?"
"Uh huh." She smiled languidly, licking her lips at the taste on them.
Giles gave her time to come back down to earth, petting her hair, stroking her arms. After a minute or so he stretched out, settling between her legs again. He ran his hands down her back, pulling her hips towards him. His caresses grew more insistent.
"Oh, you didn't..." She chewed on her fingernail, not realizing she was ruining her manicure.
"It's all right. I'll take my turn now." He lowered his head to meet her mouth.
She stopped him with a tentative hand against his chest.
"Gi- Rupert? I..."
"What is, luv?"
"I've never..."
His eyes snapped up to her face.
She nodded silently. The expression on her face tore at his heart. She was suddenly the girl of her years rather than the woman of her actions.
"Do you want me to do something else? This is as much about your pleasure as it is mine."
She shook her head. "No. I want you to be the one... to be my first. Please?"
This new-found demureness touched him. It was unlike her, leaving herself vulnerable. She was totally open with him.
"I'm on the pill because, well, it's female stuff. I've never gone all the way with anyone before."
"Oh, my darling Cordelia." Giles brushed the back of his hand against her cheek. She turned her face into it like a cat. "This is such a gift you're giving me. You need to be absolutely certain."
"I am. I want you to make love to me. I want us to do everything."
Smiling, Giles kissed her lightly. "Everything covers a lot of ground."
"Then let's get started! We're wasting time here." She squirmed against him.
"Easy. We have time."
"But," she glanced down below his waist, "don't you have to...soon? You know?"
"Soon would be nice," he admitted.
"Well, then," she reached for him suddenly and grabbed his erection.
Startled, Giles shoved her hands away and kept them away.
"Cordelia! If you want us to do this right, you're going to have to show some patience."
She put up a fight, but he sensed right away that she was just being playful. If that was how she preferred to deal with her anxieties, so be it. He went along with it, letting her make believe she was in control. They tussled for a moment, but finally Giles pinned her arms over her head. He kept her there for a bit then released her, lowering his mouth between her breasts. A little to the left and he captured a nipple between his lips, suckling it.
Cordelia's arms wrapped around his back. She sighed, all of the fight going out of her on that breath. She relaxed completely, turning control back over to him.
Recognizing this, Giles hid his grin against her chest then, with a straight face, raised up and brushed his curving cock against her upper leg. Cordelia's hand stole down to grasp him again, only this time she was gentle and respectful. She stroked the velvety shaft until it quivered under her touch and he pulled away.
"Did I do something wrong?"
"Not at all, my dear." Giles struggled to hang on to a wisp of restraint.
Cordelia studied his face, perhaps seeing the tight urgency that he felt. "Oh. I get it. Well, what are you waiting for? Let's get this show on the road!"
Laughing, Giles got up on his knees. There was a shaky moment when the hammock wobbled under him. Then he used his hand to guide himself inside her.
He went in slowly. She was slick but tight. He thrust once and made some headway, then pushed in more deeply. Cordy rose up, lifting her legs to wrap them round his waist. That move opened her further and Giles slid all the way home.
He shifted his hips forward again.
Cordelia gripped him tighter.
Giles did it again.
And again.
Cordy's passion rose in accordance with Giles' movements. Her breathing came faster, the tension building in her. Giles rocked with her, the hammock bouncing jerkily. Their grunts of exertion sounded quietly, carrying up into the canopy of trees overhead. The slap of their bodies heaving together was quietly absorbed by the vastness of the outdoors.
Giles was rapidly reaching his peak, wanting to wait for her, not at all sure he could wait.
Then Cordy gathered herself for one last lunge and squeezed.
"Ohhhh, Giles!" she cried, falling off the edge of the world.
Giles plunged into the abyss with her.
"Giles?"
"Yes?"
"Can we do it again?"
Stifling a groan, he replied, "After awhile. I need to recharge."
"Okay." She sounded so disappointed.
He chuckled. "So you enjoyed it?"
Cordy's inquisitive fingers ruffled the hair behind his ear.
"Yeah. I did." She was quiet for a moment. "Was I... good?"
Making an effort to get into the conversation, he replied, "You were magnificent. You _are_ magnificent."
"Well, yeah."
Giles snorted. By now he recognized that she was only half- serious when she made such remarks. She had a healthy opinion of herself, quick to present herself as the brightest and the best, but deep down she was as insecure as anyone.
"Was I?" she asked hesitantly, proving his thoughts to be accurate.
Giles lifted up and arranged himself beside her, then took her into his arms. She settled her face against his shoulder, both hands gripping his left arm.
"You were wonderful."
"Well, okay then." Idly, still too caught up in the afterglow to really notice what she was doing, she traced his Eyghon tattoo with her forefinger. "Just making sure you know it."
They lay quietly. A light breeze stirred and played over their exposed skin.
Giles was grateful for the overhang of branches that shielded them from the sun. As it was, he was going to have a hell of a sunburn soon. And in places on his body that normally never saw the sun.
"Gi-- Rupert? Was this a one time thing? Are you going to turn back into Stuffy Librarian at sundown? Because I like you the way you were with me today. Even before we made love. It was like you were someone that only I know. Not even Buffy can have you -- the you that you are. Does that make any sense?"
Answering her last question first, he said, "It makes a great deal of sense. This me, as you put it, is a part of myself that I don't often let out. There are very few people in the world who can bring out this side of me. I'm pleased that you joined that very short list. You are very special to me, Cordelia."
She pushed her head against his chin. He swore she was purring.
"That makes me happy," she said softly.
Giles soothed the wild strands of hair that billowed up around his face, content just to lie with her.
"So, can we do it again?" she asked eagerly. One bold hand caressed his penis, making it twitch, her long fingers going unerringly to stroke his balls. Giles was surprised and delighted that he was revving back to life already.
"It must be you," he murmured, and pulled her on top of him. She straddled him, knees on either side of his hips. His palms eased across her torso to cup her breasts. He drew his fingertips across her nipples then tweaked them and watched as they hardened to points. "Most definitely you."
Cordelia leaned down to kiss him into silence, her tongue dancing the twist with his. She wriggled her ass against his pelvis, sighing as his cock erected some more underneath her. Giles slipped a finger inside her and caught his breath. She was very wet and he went in easily. Cordy pressed down, forcing his finger in as far as it would go. Giles put a second finger there and wiggled them both. Cordelia moaned, sliding up and down, trapping his hand between them on the downthrusts.
"Good... oh, that's good, but I want you inside me. Now, Rupert!" She squirmed from side to side as her need grew.
"Give me another minute, baby."
Between Cordelia's contortions on top of him, and the places where his mind was taking him, Giles found he didn't need all of a minute. He was fully erect almost immediately.
Cordy traced his shoulders and arms. The flat of her hands dragged downward as she memorized the feel of him -- the lean, scarred muscles in his shoulders and biceps (she was curious about those scars, but now was not the time to ask), the width of his chest, the coarse mat of hair in the center, and the slight paunch of his belly. Even though she found the latter endearing, she decided he needed to swim more to work it off. Or maybe exercise of another kind -- something with which she could help him.
When he removed his fingers, Cordy shimmied to give him an extra treat, placed her hands on his shoulders and lifted herself up. He grasped his cock and positioned it. Looking down into his eyes, her expression intense, Cordelia slid onto him and eased down.
They each made small sounds of contentment at the joining.
Using her hands and knees to push up, Cordelia contracted her inner muscles on the way up and then sat back down. She repeated the motion. Giles held her hips, dug his heels into the woven material of the hammock, and thrust up to meet her. They quickly found their rhythm.
The hammock was swinging freely now, the trees to which it was tied, dancing and swishing noisily with the force of their lovemaking.
"I'm close! I'm coming! Oh god, Rupert, harder!" Cordelia was a lot louder and more vocal the second time around. Giles rose to meet her thrusts, hoping that the neighbours couldn't hear them, but too caught up to stop. An audience was not wanted right now.
Then suddenly something large and heavy was trying to get between them, coming from the side.
Startled beyond coherent thought, Giles had the confused idea the trees had collapsed on top of them. Then the impression of soft and warm and hairy assailed him right before the overloaded hammock tipped to the side and they tumbled to the ground.
He impacted with a grunt, landing on his side. Cordy was thrown clear. As Giles gathered his wits, he sat up and reached for her. She was sprawled inelegantly a foot away, her bare bum in the air and one arm trapped under her body. She rolled over, cursing.
Then that same soft, warm and hairy thing was all over Giles' face. He threw an arm up to ward it off, but it ducked under and got him anyway. As a long wet tongue took a happy swipe at his chin, he more or less identified his assailant.
"Rufus!" Cordelia was furious.
The Irish Setter bounded back and forth between them, licking and woofing, his tail wagging joyously.
"What is that?" Giles sputtered. Even though he knew better, he decided this was a demon sent courtesy of the Hellmouth.
"The neighbour's dog," she explained glumly, having given up trying to avoid an impromptu face wash from the Setter, and simply held him by the collar. "He must have dug a hole under the fence again. Stupid dog."
Then she smiled.
As her eyes met Giles' over the dog's russet back, the smile became audible. Her giggles were infectious.
Giles laughed out loud.
"Cut it out," she ripped a handful of grass out of the ground and threw it at him, but she was still smiling. "Stop it, I'm mad at you and the dog, and I'm still horny."
Crawling to her, he nudged the dog out of the way and draped himself over Cordelia.
"So am I," he whispered seductively in her ear. "Horny, that is. And I always finish what I start."
Cordy wrapped her legs around his waist, then reached for his face and drew him into a long, searching kiss.
When they surfaced she looked into his eyes and said, "Hurry up, then."
"Always in a rush."
"Always muttering."
Giles entered her without further discussion.
Rocking together, spurred on by the adrenaline rush from the interruption, they quickly reached their previous high. Cordelia came first, screaming her delight. Giles soared up right after her. They sagged in each other's arms, completely spent and wonderfully sated.
Rufus watched from a couple of feet away, his head on his paws and his entire back end wagging.
Giles rolled over, taking Cordy with him as he flopped onto his back. He just knew he was going to sleep well tonight.
Monday morning between classes, Cordelia spied Buffy, Willow and Xander talking near their lockers. Then looking beyond them, she saw Giles approaching from the other side. She was hesitant about speaking to any of them -- torn between the urge to throw insults at Xander and the desire to be near Rupert, and the uncertainty of both situations. Giles had said that he wanted to continue their relationship, and he was always true to his word, but he was also male and Cordy harboured a vague distrust of the entire species.
Then Giles looked past the Slayer and her friends and saw her. His expression became warm and tender. He didn't smile, not quite, but his gaze softened. Cordelia's back straightened a notch and she fought not to beam outright at him.
As they each drew closer from opposite sides, the conversation of the trio became distinct.
"...might be able to get a pet," Willow was saying. "They haven't said yes, but they haven't said no either. If I can, I want to get a dog. I'm thinking an Irish Setter would be fun."
Cordelia froze. Her eyes shot up to seek out Giles'. He, too, had stopped in his tracks. By his expression she knew he had heard what Willow had said.
Cordy felt a giggle bubbling up and clapped a hand over her mouth to stop it from getting out.
A big grin lit Giles' face.
As one, they turned and quickly retraced their paths away from each other.