My first SS/HG fanfic. Characters belong to JK, story to me. Nearly finished, expect at least a posting a day until the end.
That lip was what did it. Oh he knew she didn't do it on purpose but it was bewitching anyway. When she was working, concentrating it was always between her teeth. She couldn't help but nibble it. And when she turned to him, her eyes glowing with happiness from her success, her mouth shaped into a beatific smile, he completely ignored everything she said, so focused was he on her bottom lip, now so closely resembling some sort of plump, overripe fruit. Forbidden fruit he would remind himself and pull his rational mind back to what the girl was saying.
Obliged to behave rudely toward her just as he always had, in an effort to hide his…lustful thoughts, he groaned inwardly when he saw the happiness in her eyes dim. Momentarily beaten she would quietly leave the workroom. More often than not whatever object was nearest him ended up smashed against the wall in his frustration.
She couldn't understand why his attitude bothered her so much now. She knew what sort of man he was and it was wrong to expect any sort of change. However, there were, at times, moments in the workroom, when they were both working toward a common goal, that she thought there was something else there. She would've loved his friendship, but would take his acceptance of her as a colleague. She couldn't ignore the fact that she had a crush on him, blame Byron and the Brontes, and so with a heavy heart and even heavier sigh she accepted that his opinion meant more to her because he meant more to her.