Author's Note: Thank you, thank you, thank you to Houseketeer – for your inspiration, for being my beta, for encouraging me, for just being awesome in general. Much love!
Rubato: a musical style in which the strict tempo of the piece is temporarily abandoned for a more emotional tone. Italian, literally 'stolen time'.
House watched her leave the room, her ponytail swaying across her tensed shoulders. He had pissed her off. Again. But she had no right… no right to know, no right to seek out a solution, no right to come into his office and fill the room, fill his senses, with her new-found arrogance. Wasn't he supposed to be the cocky one? His fingers touched his lips, still warm and damp from her kiss. She had tasted like mint, and desire, and fear. Fear of his reaction, fear of being caught in her game, fear of losing him. He knew that the prospect of his death would kill her, also. But this had to be done, and she was inadvertently ruining everything.
"You kissed back…" God, yes. How could he not? This was Cameron. Kissing him. He could never deny her anything.
He realized his fingers were still touching his mouth, and he dropped his hand to his side; reached for his cane. He had to get out of the hospital, as far away from her as possible.
For over 30 years he had tried to finish the song. He had tried all forms of inspiration, but nothing had ever come. And then the moron with the magic fingers sat down and composed what the brilliant doctor could not. Just like that.
House closed his eyes and let his fingers move fluidly across the keys, relieved to finally be able to play the piece to its rightful stopping place. It was like reaching orgasm after three decades of jerking off - release at last.
When he heard the knock on his front door, he knew it was her. His eyes opened slowly, and he picked up his cane and walked across the living room to open the door. She stood there in her grey peacoat, strands of hair falling out of her ponytail, blue eyes staring up at him. She looked more tired than he had ever seen her before. He wanted to tell her not to worry. Instead, he simply stepped aside and she entered his house silently.
Cameron stood awkwardly by the front door as House made his way back to the piano, lifted the glass of scotch that sat on a coaster on top of the instrument. He raised it towards her in a questioning gesture. She shook her head, and he shrugged his shoulders – 'No? Fine, suit yourself.'- and sipped the amber liquid. He let the burn of the alcohol go down his throat and settle into his stomach before he sat back down at the piano and placed his fingers on the keys. He played a meandering, ethereal melody with no real rhythm, just letting the notes come to him. His leg ached dully as his foot pressed down on the piano pedal. He heard the faint rustling of fabric as she removed her coat.
"House…" It was tentative and questioning. He continued playing, said nothing.
"House." Firmer now. He turned his head to glance at her, but didn't take his hands off the keys. He had to keep his hands busy and his mind occupied.
She dropped her coat and purse on the leather chair in the corner and moved to stand next to the piano, so close to him that her small form filled his peripheral vision. His fingers slowed but did not stop, playing one soft treble note at a time, his eyes once again closed in an attempt to block her from his mind.
Seconds later, he felt her small hand on top of his, her fingers aligning themselves with his, moving with him as he continued his slow dance across the keys. He heard her exhale deeply and felt the warm breath touch his cheek. Her fingers laced through his, stopping his movements. He opened his eyes and looked at their entwined hands before moving his gaze to her face. God, she looked so sad. She bit her bottom lip to hold back a sob, and he wanted so badly to kiss her, to protect her.
He turned his body on the piano bench to face her. Almost involuntarily, he released his hand from her grip and slid his palm up her arm, across her shoulder, and up to her cheek. She closed her eyes and leaned in to his touch. He studied her face then, took notice of the single tear sliding down her cheek. He moved his thumb to collect the drop, then watched as she turned her head slightly and kissed the palm of his hand. Her lips lingered on his skin there, her eyes still closed.
"Cameron." He heard himself say her name in a deep, gravelly voice. She opened her eyes, and they glistened with unshed tears. She had allowed only one drop to spill; no others would fall tonight.
She took one step closer to him so that the insides of his knees brushed the outsides of her thighs. Suddenly, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to him and buried his face into her stomach. She threaded her fingers through his hair and cradled his head against her body, letting a sigh escape from her lips. Previous to this very instant, he'd had no idea that he wanted her so badly—that he wanted her in his arms, her body pressed against his, the sound of her breathing in his ears and the scent of her skin in his nostrils.
She sighed his name then. "House." He pulled back slightly and looked up at her, searching her eyes, wondering what she was thinking. She silently told him. Her fingers moved from his scalp to his face, cupping his cheeks exactly the way they had earlier that day in his office. She leaned down then, brought her face closer to his, let her lips hover above his mouth, so close they were sharing each other's breaths. This time, he didn't hesitate. He closed the imperceptible gap between them, placed his lips on hers, tightened his grip on her waist.
The kiss was slow and gentle at first. He took the time to savor the feel of her soft lips and the flavor of her minty lip gloss. Her fingertips lightly brushed against the stubble on his cheek. 'I could kiss her forever.' He parted her lips with his tongue and kissed her more deeply, pleased by the soft moan that she released. His fingers slipped underneath her shirt and across the smooth skin at the small of her back, then around to her abdomen, toying with the button at the bottom of the blouse.
She broke the kiss, looked at him for a moment. She seemed to be trying to convince herself that this was real and not just one of his games. He hated himself for making her doubt him - he wanted to prove to her that he was very real, very much alive. His eyes never left hers as he began undoing the buttons of her blouse, one by one, stopping after each one to draw little circles on the newly exposed skin. The back of his hand brushed against her right breast as he reached for the last button. After feeling her body tense at this brief contact, he quickly undid the button and used both hands to open her shirt, revealing her small breasts encased in a seamless black bra. His hands slid up between her breasts and across her clavicles to push the shirt's sleeves off her shoulders. The article fluttered to the floor and she stood before him, glorious and vulnerable, yet also confident. He reached behind her and undid the bra's clasp, slid the straps down her arms, and let it drop from her body. Only then did he drop his gaze.
He inhaled sharply and held his breath, momentarily lightheaded by the expanse of flawless skin spread out before him. He leaned forward, took one hard pink nipple in his mouth and flicked his tongue against it. Her fingers threaded through his hair, pulling his head harder against her chest. He began sucking on her then, as one hand rested on the small of her back and the other cupped her other breast, kneading gently. She tilted her head back, exposing her slender neck, and moaned ever so slightly. The sound went straight to his already warm, aching groin. He released her nipple from his mouth and stood quickly, now towering over her, and leaned in to kiss her neck. His lips lightly brushed the skin just under her earlobe, whispered her name. "Cameron." Asking for her permission, even though he knew he'd always had it. She answered by grabbing the hem of his t-shirt and pulling it over his head, tossing it to the floor. She slid her hands up his abdomen, across his chest, and around his neck, and pulled his head down to kiss him deeply. Her tongue forced its way into his mouth, and he lost control. He could barely breathe. Her breasts were pressing into his chest, and he had to feel more of her.
Not wanting to bother with the cane, he leaned into her for balance and began walking her backwards into the hall, towards his bedroom. Her hands were roaming across his back, his sides, his chest, making his head spin. He reached for the waistband of her pants, began fumbling with the button and zipper. They clumsily made their way to the door of his bedroom, entering the room at the same time he finally freed her of her pants. She stepped out of them and dragged him towards the bed, stopping only when the backs of her knees touched the mattress. She gave him a look then that said 'You have far too many clothes on. I want to devour you.' Her fingers nimbly unfastened his jeans and shoved them off his hips along with his boxer briefs. He was grateful that she didn't look at his thigh. He knew she was curious, but there would be plenty of time for that later. Right now all he could think about was removing her panties. Her black string bikini panties. God.
He stepped closer to her, used his body weight to push her back and onto the bed. She reached for him, taking him with her as she scooted to the middle of the bed, resting her head on the pillows. He was stretched out over her now, oh god he was on top of her, on top of Cameron, this is Cameron. He moved off of her, kneeled between her legs, hooked his thumbs in the string waistband of her panties and moved the material over her hips and down her legs. His eyes immediately fell on the neatly trimmed patch of hair at the apex of her thighs, taking note of how wet she was already. He moved his gaze to her eyes, understood the expression there. 'See what you do to me? I've waited for you forever.' Gingerly, he stretched out on the bed, ignoring the dull ache in his thigh, and settled his body between her legs. His lips roamed across her thighs, kissing and licking and biting his way to her center. He placed one hand on each thigh and gently spread her legs apart even farther, exposing her to him in the most intimate way possible. He looked up at her, saw her watching him, and then lowered his head to place a kiss directly on her clit. She sucked in a sharp breath and arched her hips into him, encouraging him.
House tentatively licked at her, flicked his tongue against her clit, taking note of how her body responded. He slid his tongue down and into her entrance to collect her wetness, then back up to her clit to move in small circles. She grasped the sheets in her fists and tossed her head back on the pillow. When he slid two fingers inside her, she cried out and squeezed her eyes shut. He continued his languorous movements across her clit and curled his fingers into her softness. She tasted sweet and tangy, just like he'd imagined she would. His tongue moved faster now, and he began sucking on her clit while his fingers slid in and out, and she started moaning almost continuously. She said his name softly, over and over, like a mantra. "House…House…House…" He felt her inner muscles begin to flutter around his fingers, and then clench down suddenly just as her hips bucked against his mouth. He used his free hand to steady her while he continued licking and sucking on her, feeling her wetness drip down his hand and onto his wrist. She tugged at his hair with her fingers and gasped for air. Her breaths were erratic and he grew concerned when she didn't breathe at all for what seemed like long stretches of time. But each time, she sucked in air when he curled his fingers inside her. He had to remind her to breathe.
Slowly, her breathing slowed and evened. He placed one last lingering kiss on her clit, enjoying the way this action made her entire body spasm. She opened her eyes and watched as he withdrew his fingers from her, brought them to his mouth, and licked each one. Her lips parted in a silent gasp. She reached for him then, pulled him on top of her and kissed him deeply, savoring the taste of herself on his mouth. Without breaking the kiss, she slid her hand between their bodies and wrapped her fingers around his erection. He was impossibly hard and he moaned at the contact. Her thumb rubbed circles around just the head, then she spread her legs and guided him to her, began rubbing her clit with the head of his cock. He was barely able to think clearly, but he stopped her movements briefly and stared into her eyes. They were a deep cobalt blue now, any trace of tears long gone. He wanted to say so many things to her in this moment. This is not about pity. This is not about you or me - this is us. It was always just us, since the beginning. I just didn't know it until now. But no words were right for this moment. So he grasped one of her hands in his, entwined their fingers together and then pushed into her. Slowly, letting her get accustomed to the fullness. They both closed their eyes and exhaled softly. It was almost too much for him. He couldn't move at first, or it would all be over too soon. He wanted to make this last.
Finally, he began moving inside her. Long, slow strokes, pulling out so that just the head of his cock was inside her, then plunging back in all the way. Her eyes flew open and she wrapped her legs around him, crossing her ankles at his back. This new angle offered deeper access and he buried himself into her softness. She was so smooth and warm and perfect, and his hips started moving faster. She dragged her nails down his back, leaving a trail of faint red marks. He was thrusting into her now, and they kissed passionately. He brushed his stubbled chin across her neck, nibbled the delicate skin there; moaned into her. He could feel her tightening around him, clenching down, and he realized she was coming again. Her head tilted back and she closed her eyes and moaned his name, and then he was gone too, the fire in his belly finally spilling into her. He heard himself groan her name. "Cameron." She spasmed around him, pulling him deeper inside, and he felt his release come in like a tidal wave – drowning both of them in its intensity. They rode it out together, enjoying the heat and wetness of it, letting it take them under.
His hips stopped moving, and he remained inside her, perfectly still. He let his head drop to her chest and listened to her heart beat return to normal. Not wanting to crush her with his weight, he rolled them over so that she lay on top of him, their bodies still joined. He could still feel her muscles fluttering around him, massaging him. He placed one large hand on her head, cradling her against his chest. He felt her body relax against his completely. She had been exhausted when she arrived at his place earlier, and now she began to drift off to sleep. He rolled them onto their sides, withdrawing from inside her, but keeping his body pressed against hers.
"Cameron." He whispered her name, checking to see if she was still awake.
"Mmmm."
House reached for the down comforter at the foot of the bed and drew it over their entwined bodies. He placed a soft, lingering kiss on her temple, and closed his eyes. No words were needed for this moment. Just the sounds of their steady breathing.