A/N: It's past eleven pm here in Wellington and I'm sitting by the fire in the lounge with a honey face mask on. I've been licking it off my lips and around my mouth and what do you know? Inspiration!
I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters in this. I merely own the plot line.
Honey
It was a Friday night. The house was silent, save for the crackling of the logs in the fire. Winter was coming in quickly, with its howling winds and raindrops beating angrily against the window. Part of it was the cold, and how Hermione relished the fireplace in her bedroom. Having grown up with a Muggle fireplace all her life made her blind to the benefits of a magical one, and she was glad that she had been able to sway her husband into agreeing to have it built.
Remus was out of the house, having owled back with a message that Harry wanted to sit at the Leaky Cauldron and mope incessantly about Ginny's pregnant temper tantrums. Ron was conveniently away in Romania with his brother Charlie and fiancée Luna, so the closest person available was his godfather. Goodness knew how much the older man loved Harry like a son, but it was hard to maintain a façade of interest when this pattern repeated itself nearly every week.
This time however, was one of the very few that she didn't mind being alone. Work hadn't been easy that week, plus one of her sources had owled back to say that they wanted to be kept off the record so she had to scramble for a new source on the recent report that Florean Fortescue was sourcing unethically grown products for his banana flavoured gelato. The constant hounding and drafts had made her go slightly insane, so the silence was a blessed moment.
There were lit candles scattered and winking at her through her room, Hole softly playing from her iPod docked into a speaker by the bed. She had the curtains drawn and a cup of tea was cooling on her bedside table. Crookshanks was curled up into a fluffy orange ball, purring contentedly. The storm outside was just picking up, with the wind making the bare oak tree scratch its fingers against the glass.
She was sitting at her dresser, in a cotton tank top and track pants. Her hair was up in a loose ponytail held back with a headband as she smeared honey all over her face. An old family beauty secret, she recalled her own mother standing over the bathroom sink applying the amber liquid on her face. "You'll save yourself grief over wrinkles Hermione, trust me," Mrs Granger had said.
Hermione wiped off her fingers and proceeded to put her things away when she heard footsteps padding in through the door. "Hermione, where are you?" her husband called.
"In here!" she answered without really thinking. And then her bubble popped when she realised how she looked.
Honey had a funny tendency to crystallise one one's face when left on for too long, and already she could feel her cheeks start to feel a little stiff. Plus her hair was an utter mess and she was wearing her rattiest (but extremely comfortable) set of pyjamas. She didn't turn around, just sat stiffly in her chair and waited.
Remus strode into their room mid-rant. The Leaky Cauldron must have worn him out, she thought to herself.
"There you are. Harry should be made a martyr for everything that Ginny's been putting him through. Why she cries over a hot sauce commercial and makes him sleep on the couch is beyond me," Remus said, putting his clothes down and not looking in her direction. "Is that the one with that Latina girl parading around in a red bikini? That would make any girl want to cry," she replied, still not turning around to face him.
Remus had by now noticed the candles and the music. "What's this all about?" he asked her. She still didn't turn around. "Just some me time. I've been having a rough time at work," she said. "Hey, why are you facing there? I'm right here," he said, coming up behind her to spin her chair to him. "Remus no! I'm a mess!" she exclaimed, trying to keep him from turning her.
"What on earth are you on about? What did you do to your face?" he asked, turning her some more and eventually overpowering her. When he saw the solidifying mess on her face he just sat, looking and then asked. "What is that?"
Hermione's face burned through the mask. She must look like a great solid freak. "It's honey," she said in a small voice, looking down. "It's good for your skin," she continued, really not sure what he made of it.
To her surprise, she felt his face come close to hers and then his lips swooped down and bussed her soundly on the cheek. She saw him lick his lips a little and grin mischievously at her. "Delicious," he declared, coming in for more. Hermione felt herself smile and crack the honey slightly but it didn't matter. She offered her cheek for another kiss, but this time she felt him turn her face slightly and he pressed his mouth to hers. He didn't introduce any tongue, but the heat may as well have caramelised the honey on her mouth.
"Absolutely delectable," he whispered, drawing his head back to look lovingly into her eyes. Her lids fluttered and she smiled up at him. He was coming in for yet another kiss when she drew back and said, "Let me wash this off and I'll be right back okay?"
He let himself be pushed back but he gave her a cheeky grin. "Hurry back beautiful."
Hermione's skin was burning underneath the mask. It didn't matter that she had been married to her husband nearly four years now; he could still ignite in her a blaze that had never tamed into a meek fire. One look was usually all it took for her to melt into a puddle at his feet. He had done it just then. Goodness knew what else he'd try.
She splashed some warm water on her face to get rid of the sticky mess and gave it a final look in the mirror. She was already starting to have a slight glow, although she attributed the flush in her cheeks to Remus.
She padded back into their bedroom to find that Remus had already stripped off his shirt and lay down on an elbow, her bottle of honey cradled in his hands. "Come here sweetheart," he said, patting the space in front of him. Hermione demurely complied, seating herself neatly on the edge, both hands on her lap. He raised himself up so that his face was level with her shoulder.
"I think I've found a better use for this," he said, kissing the bare skin there. Her breath hitched. "Oh?" she managed, feigning questioning.
"I have to admit, I've always imagined spreading warmed chocolate on your body and licking every succulent inch of it off. But something tells me that honey is going to be much better," he grinned. She turned her head and let him capture her lips in a teasing kiss. The kind that promised wicked wonders if she complied and dire retribution if she refused.
She smiled down at him, just as playfully. "How so?" she asked, looking into his grey eyes. Remus put a hand on her shoulder and pushed her down on the bed so she lay down beside him. He snaked a hand under her tank and caressed the skin on her stomach with two fingers. "I leave that entirely for you to conclude. I'll handle the experimentation part okay?" he answered, moving his hand up to cup her breast. Her eyes fluttered close when she felt his warm hand and her lips curved up in a "Mmm."
He pressed his mouth to the thin cotton above her nipple, breathing hotly on the raised skin. Her back arched into his mouth and a gasp escaped her lips. His tongue came out to flick the raised point once, twice and then he took it between his teeth.
"Remus, what are you doing?" she cried out.
He didn't answer her, but he slipped her tank off entirely. The bottle of honey lay right next to her and he reached out for it. "Just relax okay? Let me take care of this."
She didn't see his hand reach around but she felt it on her shoulder push her down into the mattress. He stretched out across her and laid on his side, honey firmly in his hand. She looked at him with wide eyes, not sure what was going next. His pupils had dilated nearly completely and she could see the feral animal clawing to be let out and ravish her senseless.
Remus lowered his face slowly to nuzzle the side of her neck. Hermione mmmed in response and when he ran his lips up and down the tender pulse point she cried out as her whole body erupted in goosebumps. He knew exactly where to stroke her and how and he used every single piece of knowledge to subdue her into a puddle on their bed.
"I can smell you," he roughly said into her neck, cupping her sex as he said. His fingers moulded the cotton firmly to her mound and she felt her temperature jump several hundred degrees. She needed to be rid of the suffocating clothes; she tried to communicate, with a wiggle of her hips against his hand. He took no heed, biting her neck instead and stroking the little wound with his tongue. "You're absolutely delicious love, have you any idea what you smell like?" he asked her.
She couldn't stand it anymore: her hands went to the elastic of her track pants and she slipped them off. As the cool air graced her skin Remus' eyes drifted down to the little mint green triangle between her legs. He abandoned her neck and hovered over the little nylon patch. He was still for a moment, like an animal that had just detected a favourable scent in the air. His eyes fluttered close as he inhaled the scent of her arousal. His teeth went to the upper elastic around her hips, snapping them once against the skin.
At this point Hermione was a quivering mess. She had no idea what was going to happen next and to see Remus so thoroughly enjoying her body was more than enough to undo her. Her fingers clutched the sheets, her only grip in this tailspin of a ride.
Remus reared up over her again, his fiery eyes locked onto hers. He flicked open the lid from the bottle and watched a stream of the amber liquid drizzle onto her chest. The sticky liquid was warmed from his hands and Hermione's eyes shut when she felt his mouth on her skin as he licked off the sweet treat.
The rasp of his tongue on her skin grated against her hypersensitive nerves. She arched into his mouth with a cry. He growled, actually growled, and pressed her back down into the mattress where his tongue took longer sweeps across her skin. She was squirming beneath him, wanting his touch everywhere.
"Hush love, just lay back and enjoy this," he said, pushing her back down. "I need to touch you Remus," she protested, trying to rise to a sitting position. She managed, but barely. She was looking into his eyes now, his pupils nearly fully dilated into black. If she looked hard enough she could see the animal in him clawing to devour her.
Her hand came out to touch his cheek and she brought her face to his in a tentative kiss. The animal took a backseat when the man came out to kiss her back. His tongue was sweet and responsive when it stroked hers, a reassurance that she was absolutely safe in his arms.
He pulled her close to him, the honey squelching between them as they kissed. Her mouth pulled at his lower lip, nibbling lightly before letting it go. "You're such a sweetheart Hermione," he said, putting his forehead against hers.
He had his eyes closed so he didn't see her reach between them and pop his fly so his straining erection spilled from his trousers. He gasped at the graze of her fingers against his sensitised flesh. "Gods woman, what are you doing?" he asked roughly.
It was her turn to push him onto his back, which he did not object very much to. She slung a leg over each of his hips so that she was straddling him, his erection right before her hips. "I want this to be about you darling," he protested, trying to flip them but she pushed him right back down. "How is this not about me Remus? You're on your back and I get to do whatever I want to you," she grinned mischievously. He closed his eyes and smiled. "I think I just died and went to heaven," he said.
She poured a thick stream of honey down his body in intricate designs and did not waste any time licking it off. Her tongue teased his skin, swirling around his nipples and nibbling along his ribcage. The motions had him arching against her smile and fisting the sheets beneath him.
This is what she loved most about making love to Remus. They might have been married for some time now, but she could still incite him to stretch out and hum with pleasure like a guitar string submits to the skilful touch of its maestro. He did the same to her, perhaps with even more ardour and devotion.
Once she had her lips around his midsection, Hermione looped her fingers around the waistband of his trousers and dragged them down and off. His erection stood proudly in front of her face, and her hand went straight to wrap around it.
"If you are going to do what I think you are going to do..."he began, lifting his head to gaze at her.
She looked straight into his eyes as she took a long lick from the shaft to the tip. His hips jabbed upwards, a strangled cry caught in his throat.
"Was that it?" she coyly asked.
"Please, no more," he said, trying to inch away from her. Self-control was always one of his strong points, but it waned considerably when she had been teasing him as mercilessly as she had been.
"Or else?" she teased, mischief sparkling in her eyes.
She found herself flipped onto her back and looking at the ceiling. "Or else you will be begging me for mercy and I will not be listening at all to you," he grinned at her. Not for a moment did she believe that he was going to hurt her, but it couldn't hurt to struggle now, would it?
"And if I scream? I didn't put any Silencing Charms up," she said, mock-struggling against his grip.
"Then I'm going to make sure you'll be screaming my name out,"
It was the last thing any of them said for a while. Remus positioned himself at her entrance and after making sure she was ready, thrust himself into her slowly. Hermione arched her back as she accepted him, pulling at his arms to take him in more deeply.
Once he was fully seated in her, Remus flexed himself within her and grazed that oh so sensitive spot. In a moment, she was groaning against him, arching her back to try and get even closer. He smiled down at her, knowing exactly what she wanted but content to dangle it out of her reach.
He thrust once, burying himself to the hilt and then just holding himself there. Hermione wrapped her legs around his hips, drew him closer and whispered into his ear, "Please Remus. I'm begging you. Make love to me."
How could he refuse a request so gentle? He raised himself slightly and took her hands, pressing them flat above her head. "You know I can never refuse you anything, my darling," he said, kissing her once. His hips began rocking back and forth, filling her and leaving, thrusting and parrying.
Primal instinct took over, and they were beyond words, just animal sounds and sensation. Until finally, on a moment that seemed forever out of reach, they crashed and roared like a wave on the beach on climax. It brought them under, taking them along the undertow until the fiery current eddied down to a gentle simmer.
As they stood under the shower spray, rinsing the last of the sticky honey off, Remus nuzzled into the back of Hermione's neck. "Is that why you keep honey in the bathroom cupboard?" he asked, teasing.
"Mum says it's good for your skin," she mumbled, putting her face under the water. Remus bit her gently. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's what she told your dad too," he grinned, teasing. "Is that a complaint? Because it sure as hell doesn't sound like one," Hermione said, turning around to dunk his head under the water.
He pulled her in with him. "It is. And get used to it, you'll be hearing it all night," he said, kissing her soundly, with the sound of nothing but water around them both.
