The sun began its slow descent over the mountains and a chill spread through the night. Charlie started a fire with a swish of his wand and when she perched on a log, savouring it's warmth, he plopped down on the soft earth next to her.
"How's work?" Charlie asked, a bite of his sandwich rolling around in his mouth.
"I can't tell you about work," Hermione replied tersely.
"Well, you could just be polite and say it's going well," he snorted.
Hermione frowned before taking a dainty bite of her own meal. "Fine. It's going don't you come home more often?" Hermione challenged with a severe raise of her brow.
Charlie didn't answer; he just stared at the fire as it licked the air in front of them. She could feel the heat from his shoulder against her shin but she didn't shy away from it.
"Everyone misses you like crazy. Molly's always grumbling about not seeing you enough—"
"Let me guess, that's where your list ends," he said, still staring out in front of them as he gnawed on his dinner.
Hermione knew too well the feeling of being left behind when everyone else had moved on. Loneliness was a constant companion these days, combined with exasperations that came with being the newest Unspeakable. Not to mention the endlessly plaguing nostalgia; it had all led her to this campsite tucked into the foothills of the Romanian Mountainside.
With a thick swallow, she responded, "Of course not, everyone misses you."
He scoffed. "They barely notice I'm gone. Billy didn't even tell me he'd had the baby for almost a week." Charlie spoke with a tight jaw, tension rippling across his shoulders.
"Things are just different now. Everyone still loves you." She nudged her leg playfully against his shoulder, and it could have been her imagination, but it seemed some of the heaviness disappeared, swept up in the fire and carried away by the wind.
"Well, who wouldn't?" His unmistakable arrogant tone had returned and he turned to smirk up at her. "After all, captain of the quidditch team, dragon tamer, passionate lover—"
Hermione supplied an over exaggerated gag. "Why are you perpetually irritating me?"
"Because you're my duckie."
"I stand by my previous sentiments when I reiterate that that particular term of endearment is really quite rude."
Charlie choked on the final bite of sandwich, eyeing her suspiciously. "In what world could 'duckie' be perceived as rude?"
"Telling someone they used to be ugly but have since turned attractive isn't exactly the most romantic way of getting into my knickers."
His brows tugged together and he turned to face her. "That's not what Duckie mea—"
Charlie was cut off by a shrill shriek piercing the night. A vibrant flame erupted from a peak just to the north and a shadowed beast took off into the sky. Hermione clung to Charlie's back, flattening against him as he seemed to take an instinctive protective stance, his arm wrapping and pulling her to him.
"What was that?" she panted, pressing deeper into him as they studied the cliffs.
"That was our dragon." Charlie released her, and with a sense of purpose, rushed to the maps and summoned a self-inking quill.
Hermione followed, knocking into him as she came up next to him and watched him mark an X near the range on the map where the flame had come from.
"It's a little higher up than I would have imagined, so it's good she came out to eat."
"She?" Hermione arched a brow and peeked over at him. He didn't answer immediately, seemingly lost in the papers laid out before him, and when he popped the quill between his teeth, Hermione couldn't suppress the flutter in her ribs.
"They're all a she until proven otherwise," he muttered, sliding his fingers along the base of the mountains on the map. "I think it's safe to assume there's a trail, but we'll be blind most of the day tomorrow. We should get some sleep for now, if we can."
"How do we know she won't come and eat us in our sleep?" Hermione's eyes swept the starry sky, searching for a set of wings that might fall down upon them and char them beyond recognition before daylight.
Charlie's strong hands wrapped around the tops of her arms, drawing her attention back to him. "Will it help you to know that if she does decide to eat us, there's nothing we can really do about it?"
Hermione's jaw went slack, a soft pop sounding as her lips parted. "Of course not—
who on earth would find that reassuring?"
"I do." He chuckled. "It's not so scary to die if you have absolutely no say in it. I know I can fight my way out of most situations by hand or wand, but if I can't, then there was never really any hope anyways."
She studied him, something shifting and stirring inside her. Maybe it was the adrenaline or the feeling of impending doom… Maybe it was the way his fingers curled on her arms and his thumbs ran lazy tracks on her skin… But she found herself leaning into him, her breasts brushed his thinly veiled chest while her hands moved to rest on the flat expanse of his pecks.
She breathed him in, finding he smelled like freshly cut grass and summer air, mixed with a trace of mint and spice.
When she was able to tear her eyes from thick muscle spanning under his cotton shirt, she studied the lines of his jaw, the curve of his parted lips... And when they finally settled on his artic blue eyes, she was lost.
It'd been too long and he was far too close and gods, she just bloody wanted to. Her dainty hands slid to the too-long hair at the nape of his neck and twisted in his waves as she tugged his face down to meet hers. She swore he stole a final smirk before their lips met in a tentative first meeting; his hands sliding down from her elbows to her waist, tugging her closer until her back arched into him.
Charlie's finger tips dug into her hips and she let out a soft moan as one of his hands traced down to grab a palmful of her arse, squeezing her flesh and swallowing the breathy little noise she made when their lips parted.
He wasted no time in dipping his tongue into her mouth and a surge of heat coursed through her body as his hands continued to roam about her almost reverently. His rough hands against her body felt like he was memorising her— worshipping her. His burly hands squeezed her bum as he lifted her effortlessly and hitched her knees over his hips before dropping her unceremoniously onto the wooden table covered with their maps and field notes.
Her palms flew out behind her, ready to steady herself as he tugged her hips towards the end of the table to meet his. She could feel his arousal press against the seam of her denim shorts and cursed under her breath at the delightful pressure.
Thought and reason needed to return to her, and very soon, or she was going to shagged on this table in a matter of moments. Charlie's lips left hers and trailed down the taut lines of her throat, while he tugged at the sleeve of her shirt to expose her freckled shoulder to the night air. His hands slid to her thighs, gripping the creamy flesh there, while he pressed his hips into her again. Just as she felt heat radiate from her core and wet her knickers, her eyes flew open and she coughed loudly, stilling under his expert touch.
Charlie responded immediately, his hands pulling away from her tingling skin, and Hermione might have let out the softest of whimpers as he complied.
He dropped his forehead to her bare shoulder, breathing heavily from the exertion of pausing his advances.
Hermione gulped, her chest bumping into him as she panted. "We should sleep. Tomorrow is a busy day, right?"
Part of her wanted him to disagree, to tell her that nothing else in this world was more important that pressing inside her... But he drew back, his eyes dancing with want, and she didn't stop him.
"Right. Sleep." His husky voice reverberated through her as he stepped back from where he'd nestled himself between her thighs.
Hermione did an ungraceful hop off the table and shifted on her feet for a few moments while standing under the weight of his stare.
"Goodnight then."
Charlie smirked, taking a step closer and tucking a curl behind her ear. "My offer to share my tent stands, Duckie. In case it gets cold over there."
She gulped, turning on her heel and disappearing in her tent. Her thighs pressed together as she laid on her cot, fully dressed and desperately trying to avoid thinking of what might be waiting in the tent across the way.
Hermione hid in her tent long after the sun had come up. The thought of seeing him after she had snogged him silly was enough to swallow every drop of her courage.
"Duckie!" Charlie called brightly from a log near the fire, when she'd finally emerged, chin held high. "Good morning, sleepy head."
She glowered, walking stiffly towards him. "So," she began with a clipped, professional tone. "We're heading up to the mountains today." Hermione snagged a muffin from the table where the maps had been laid out the night before and picked at the edges, popping the pieces between her lips.
"Aye. We'll save some time by going on broomstick, so eat up and we'll head out." Hermione coughed violently, chunks of blueberry muffin sputtering in the air, while Charlie watched on in obvious amusement. "Ronnie did mention you weren't a fan of flying, but you'll have to suck it up today."
"I think you're underestimating how truly awful I am at flying." Hermione gaped at him, imploring him to understand that they would be running a very real risk of her crashing into the side of the mountain before even reaching their destination.
Charlie shrugged, extinguishing the fire and flourishing his wand through the air. "Luckily you don't have to fly. I only have one broom." He winked and an angry blush crept across her face as the camp disassembled around them. The tents folded in on themselves, the table legs collapsing and lanterns, maps and field notes stacked on top of each other and sorted themselves into a small rucksack, which he then shrunk and slid into his pocket.
Hermione's eyes narrowed at the broad shouldered wizard in front of her. "Did you bring one broom on purpose?"
His lips curved slowly into a mischievous smirk. "Duckie, I'm affronted that you would accuse me of purposefully only bringing one broom." Charlie closed the distance between them until their chests were barely brushing against each other. "You think that I would want you nestled between my thighs, arms wrapped around your waist and pulling you into me until your arse is pressing against my—"
"Charlie!" Hermione admonished, a trace of laughter in her voice as she shoved him away.
He chuckled and summoned his broom wordlessly, tucking it between his legs and gesturing for her to take her seat between him.
She gave him a withering sneer and moved to sit behind him instead. "I'll ride from the back."
Charlie laughed and slid forward marginally, just enough for her to swing her leg over. "Have it your way, Duckie." With a peek over her shoulder he said, "Hold on tight."
Hermione immediately realised her mistake as her hands slid around the hard planes of his torso, and her breasts rested pressed against his back. It was very possible that Charlie Weasley was far more intelligent than she ever gave him credit for. She could feel the vibration of his broom underneath her, and she steeled herself against the anxiety swelling inside her.
He leaned forward, gripping the length of the broom in both hands and pushed off with far greater force than Hermione would deem necessary, launching them into the sky. Hermione yelped, the air rushing in ears, as she clung tighter to the wizard between her legs.
"CHARLIE!" She shouted over the wind mixed with his riotous laughter.
"Where's your sense of adventure?" he called over his shoulder, and Hermione found herself scooting even closer, her fingers digging into his sides as she buried her face in his back and closed her eyes.
"I am on a treasure hunt looking for magical artifacts guarded by a dragon. Is that not adventure enough?"
The broom slowed and Hermione felt the knot of dread in her chest loosen. They rode for some time, and Hermione took in the expansive mountain range in quiet. It was breathtaking: rows and rows of trees set against an ominous sky, and the cloud cover was ominous, dark and thick with unshed rain. She could feel the weight of a thunderstorm not far off.
"Eyes up, Duckie. The flames came from this ridge, so we need to see if we can spot the entrance to the cave. The dragon we saw last night was no baby, so the mouth of the cave will be visible from the air." Hermione didn't answer as he veered the broomstick to the left and she hugged him tighter."I thought you were an Unspeakable. You seem rather skittish for having such a dangerous job."
"I think you gravely misunderstand what Unspeakables do. I know I sure did," she grumbled.
Hermione felt a wave of courage as the broom began to make slow lazy circles above the treeline and she finally felt comfortable enough to loosen her hold on Charlie.
"See there?" He sat tall and pointed towards a path of scorched earth curling through the dirt lined with a path of singed trees. "She's been hunting here."
"So the cave must be close then?" Hermione studied the mark with a curious expression and Charlie tipped the broom down near the mark.
"Not necessarily. Her wingspan is massive, she could be anywhere in a fifty mile radius – easily."
When they landed he let her dismount first and then he moved to kneel next to the scorch mark, studying clues that Hermione didn't pretend to understand.
"This," he pointed the hard edge of the dip in the earth. "It's not been blown away yet by the wind. See how sharp the lines of the scorch are? They lessen over time. She's been here recently."
A deep rumble of thunder rolled and Hermione felt a shiver run up her spine as she peeked over her shoulder. "How often do dragons eat?"
"Depends on the dragon… and on the meal." He shrugged and pushed up to standing, letting the broom lay on where he kneeled. "A bear is a much bigger meal than a fox."
"Bears?" Hermione blanched, tapping her wand in it's holster just for the reassurance.
"What did you think dragons were eating? Shepherd's pie?" Hermione narrowed her glare at him, but Charlie blissfully ignored her ire and returned to studying the patterns in the dirt. "Alright, Duckling. Back aboard, we might find something just a bit higher up."
A few moments later, they were back above the top of the trees, and suddenly the forest broke open into a sprawling valley. She'd never seen anything like it. Rolling green hills kissed the edges of steep mountains, peppered with pine trees and rocky edges. They traveled in quiet for near half an hour, and Hermione allowed her cheek to rest against his spine while she studied the landscape for clues.
"We're getting close," Charlie murmured, he glanced back over his shoulder, eyes narrowing into slants as he examined the cliffside. There was more fire damage than there had been before and the cliffs were marked with deep tracks in sets of three – like a dragon had climbed them.
A deafening screech filled the air and Hermione faltered on the broom when her hands abruptly left her guide and clawed at her ears. The balance of the broom was lost and she slipped hard to the left as she clawed at Charlie's arm and he cursed through a tight jaw, catching and righting her as the shriek faded. The air whooshed loudly and Hermione could hear the flapping of what sounded like massive wings in the space around them, followed by another shriek.
"What in the hell is that?" Hermione asked, gripping Charlie's hips and whipping her face back and forth, her curls bouncing frantically.
"That's her." She could hear the grin on his face; pure joy radiating from his voice and he pulled the broom hard towards the sound. There was something to be said about dragon tamers, Hermione decided. Not many people in their right mind would chase the beast that could move the air and burn the earth with such unadulterated happiness.
"Charlie!" Hermione shouted, stabbing a finger over his shoulder as she noticed the wide entrance of a cave tucked into the ledge.
"Keen eye, Duckie."
Hermione scowled and attempted to pinch his ribs but found he was lacking the necessary layer of fat in order to properly do so.
"Hold tight, yeah? I'm gonna see how close we can get, but she's awake. Might get a little hairy."
Hermione steeled her jaw and tucked closer into him, wrapping her arms around his impossibly lean waist.
They approached the cave in a slow line, and Hermione saw the first flash of glittering treasure in its mouth moments before a massive flame erupted through the opening. Charlie swerved violently, pulling them vertical, nearly avoiding the fire.
Nearly.
Hermione felt the heat on her back but as they escaped the billowing fire, but it felt too close.
"Charlie! The broom!"
He glanced back to see the back of his broomstick had caught fire and he cursed loudly as the broom began to sputter as he lost control. "It's gonna be a hard landing," he shouted over the dying roar of the flames and leveled the broom as they headed for a ledge on the side of the mountain. "Do you trust me?" he called over his shoulders, his brows low and worried over his blue eyes.
She very quickly surveyed their situation and their impending crash into the rocks. "Do I have a choice?"
"That's my girl," he shouted. "Jump when I say."
"Jump?" she howled. "You're mad!"
"Maybe! But I'm about to save your life. Now, jump!"
Hesitating only briefly, she spied the underbrush he was meaning for her to aim for and lurched from her spot on the broom.
She slammed into the earth with a huff; the air crushed from her as she clawed at her chest, attempting to heave air into her useless lungs. Finally, as if a switch had been flipped, she could breath again and she sucked in greedy lungfuls.
A loud crash sounded and she could hear the moans of her partner nearby. After a quick assessment, she realised she had avoided major injury and her fingers dug into the dirt as she crawled towards Charlie. The branches of the underbrush scratched her skin, and she winced as she felt a few of them draw blood.
"Charlie!" She shouted, only to be met with silence. Her heart hammered in her chest as she waited for any sound to let her know he was okay. "Charlie Weasley! Answer me this minute!"
A faint groan from behind a giant boulder sent hope rippling through her and she rushed towards the noise, limping slightly. "Fuck," Charlie groaned. Rolling onto his side and clutching at his ribs. "Are you okay?"
He had a gash on his brow, fresh blood leaking down the side of his face and several other superficial appearing wounds on his arms.
"You idiot!" Hermione managed through her tears. She slid her arms under his and tried to get him to sit upright, but he hissed at the new position and fell to his side again.
"I'm assuming you mean 'charming hero'?"
"I assure you I mean idiot." Hermione shook her head at the wreckless man before her and knelt at his side, withdrawing her wand. She frowned as she studied the diagnostic charm and she pursed her lips at him. "You've got three broken ribs, idiot."
"You can't call me that." Charlies breath was labored and he relaxed until he was flat on his back and staring up at the angry rain clouds looming overhead.
Hermione hid a smile as she raised a challenging brow at him. "If you can call me 'duckie', I can call you 'idiot'."
"Whatever you say, Duckie." Charlie's eyes fluttered closed, and he coughed, resulting in a visible wince that twisted something inside her.
"I'm going to need to heal you. I'll give you something for the pain and then get camp set up so you can rest and I'll get you healed up. Deal?"
"I'm fine. Nothing for the pain. Just get it over with and I'll help you with camp." Charlie's neck strained as he spoke and Hermione could see the thick tendons going tight under his effort.
She considered his request with a worried brow before shaking her head and waving her wand, summoning the rucksack from his pocket.
"Even after you've been healed, you shouldn't do much strenuous activity, at least for tonight. This storm will be here sooner than I'd like and we need to get some kind of cover in place."
As she spoke, thunder and lightning met dramatically in the sky. She hurried herself in preparing the campsite, focusing on the bare minimum so she could get him in and out of the drizzling rain. The cloud cover stole the light from the afternoon and as she finished getting the first of the tents in place, the heavens opened and a heavy rainfall soaked them through.
Hermione hollered as she hurried her pace, her curls running long lines down her back now that they were drenched. Charlie remained unphased, laying in the mud, watching her move frantically, slicing her wand in the air to expand the sole tent and then turning it on him.
"I'm sorry." Hermione yelled over the steady thrumming of the rain. "This is really going to hurt. Mobilicorpus."
She winced as Charlie growled profanities, and his body hovered through the flap in the tent. Depositing him on the cot she'd transfigured from the table, she stuffed a pillow under his neck hastily. "Sorrysorrysorry," she muttered. "Diffindo." Her wand sliced through the thin, wet cotton of his shirt and exposed the already bruised skin over his ribs.
Hermione summoned her beaded bag to her side next, shoving her arm in until she was elbow deep. She released a string of uncharacteristic curses until her fingers clasped around the familiar vial of Dittany she carried with her everywhere. She tugged the stopper out and dropped a few drops on his brow, jumping slightly when another roll of thunder shook the tent.
"Tergeo."
She watched as the blood syphoned away, pooling in on itself until his skin was unmarked, save for the pink puckered wound slicing through his right eyebrow. "You might have a scar." Her voice was timid and when he barked out a harsh laugh she nearly slapped him.
"I've got more scarred skin than any other kind. Don't worry about that." Charlie shifted his weight uncomfortably and Hermione's eyes travelled along the expanse of his torso, which was quite literally covered in scars. Some were the silvery remnants of a burn while others looked like clean slices through his skin.
"Where are these from?" Her fingers traced one that clearly once been a gash and the muscles in his abdomen flexed under her feather light touch. Hermione gulped, heat rising from her chest to her cheeks.
"The war," Charlie said simply, and Hermione's blush deepened bashfully. She often forget he'd been there too.
"Right. Well, this will hurt. Your sure you don't want any pain potions?" Hermione asked, her brows raised high on her forehead, baring her teeth in uncertainty.
"They'll make me loopy. Just help me take my belt off, I'll need something to bite down on."
With sure fingers, Hermione pulled on the length of his belt and loosened it from his body, sliding it through his belt loops as her fingers brushed the hair under his belly button.
Charlie slid it between his teeth and nodded firmly at her.
With a wrinkle of her nose, she raised her wand. "Episkey"
Crack.
"Episkey."
Crack. This one followed by a guttural groan and Hermione's lips pressed together as she cast the final one. "Episkey!"
Charlie heaved in desperate breaths, ripping the leather from his mouth and clawing at his newly healed ribs.
"Are you okay?" Hermione grimaced.
"I'll be fine, Duckie." His eyes fluttered closed, while hard rain pelted the sides of the tent and she felt herself relax just a little.
Sitting back on her haunches, she watched him with a worried scowl. As much as she was loathed to admit it, he was really quite handsome. He differed so much from Ron and the other Weasley's that had he not claimed the same bright shock of crimson hair and icy blue eyes, she might have thought he was a distant cousin, rather than their brother.
She took the opportunity to let her eyes wander the expanse of his exposed chest in more detail. He wasn't as freckled as she imagined, other than his shoulders, which were dotted like the night sky. His chest was hard, with a downy covering of ruby chest hair spread across the center of his pectorals and disappeared as his ever present abdominals took over her trance.
Further down, a trail of curly hair from his belly disappeared into his thick khaki hiking trousers, along with thick cuts at his hips.
Hermione felt an insatiable longing inside her, something she hadn't allowed herself to feel for quite some time. With his face not screwed up in a cocky smirk, he looked almost… sweet.
She murmured a charm to dim the light from the sole lantern and felt her heart hammering in her ribs. Still drenched from the rainstorm, she shimmied out of her shorts and called on the courage of the lioness that she swore still lived inside her. She slid into the spot next to him, carefully avoiding his bruised ribs and perching on her elbow next to him, ignoring the way he tensed at her sudden proximity.
Her lips found his shoulder, pressing a soft kiss to the first patch of freckles, then again just a little higher up near his clavicle, and her tongue darted out to feel the ridge of a silvery scar that stretched from his jaw to just under his collarbone. Charlie stirred, blinking in the low light of the tent and she peeked up at him, his eyes darkening as her thigh pressed against him.
"Duckie..." He nearly growled his hand coming up to grip the flesh at her hip. "I thought you said no strenuous activity."
Hermione peppered another kiss in the hollow of his throat and swung her leg over his lap, sitting gingerly across his growing erection and hovering over his – now minor – injury.
"Don't worry." She whispered, a fierce blush staining her skin. "I'll do all the strenuous work."
Charlie moaned as his hand dug into her sides, pushing her down on his lap where his member pressed into her. Hermione tried to hide the shaking in her fingers as she worked the buttons of her white button up, letting it slide off her shoulders and tossing it on the ground next to them.
Hermione really wasn't one for fancy underthings; it'd had never been a priority in her life, and as his eyes raked over her simple bralet, she felt no remorse over it. His flat palm slid up the plane of her stomach and through the valley of her breasts, finally landing at the nape of her neck and he tugged her mouth down to his.
The kiss was leagues different than what it had been the night before. His lips moved soft and purposefully against hers; his rough touch moving freely over her smooth skin, sending shivers across her body until she whimpered in his open mouth.
Without forethought, her hips began rocking against him, and both of their breathing picked up in unison until they were panting against each other.
She sat tall, her eyes half lidded and glazed in lust and her fingers slid down the taut lines of his torso, fussing with the buttons on his trousers before remembering the spell.
"Evansco." Even though she was the one to cast it, she gasped at sudden feeling of his warm skin against hers, his sex only separated from her by the thin cotton of her knickers.
"Cheeky witch." Charlie smirked up at her and she grinned as he cast it in return.
Hermione panicked briefly, but who wouldn't? She was about to sleep with her ex-boyfriend's older brother and that should at least be met some degree of hesitation she reasoned with herself.
But when his hand palmed at the flesh of her breast and his thumb slid across her pert nipple, the moment passed. The feeling of her crease wetting him, made her mouth fall open. Charlie never paused his fondling of her breast with one hand, while the other groped at the curve of her hip.
She lifted up, poising his cock it at her entrance. Slowly, very slowly, she sank down, letting her eyes flicker closed and her breath pant as she filled herself with all of him. It had been quite some time since she'd done this particular activity and the thickness of him stretched her, the sensation bordering somewhere between pleasure and pain.
When he was hilted inside her, her gaze fell on his face, heated and wanton, and both of his hands gripped her hips and rolled her against his lap while still inside her. Her head fell back, raindrops from her curls still sliding down her spine and she made soft whimpering breaths to the ceiling.
Charlie groaned, digging his fingers into her and rocking her back and forth in time with the rain outside their tent. "Fucking hell. You're gorgeous, do you know that?" Charlie praised her, muttering incoherent nothings about her.
Hermione lifted up once more, dropping down onto him and relishing the delectable moan from the the man underneath her, the man who'd just saved her life. She did it again, although this time her kneecap bumped into the bruise on his side and he winced.
"Oh! I'm sorry!" She rushed, stilling her movements and fussing over him.
"I don't care if bloody kills me, Duckie. Don't stop." With a forceful hand, he pushed her back onto him, tugging her down until he could capture her mouth in his, his teeth grazing her lip as his tongue matched the movements of his hips driving into her again and again.
Hermione felt the walls of her sex quicken around him and his hands moved to cradle her face, catching her by the back of the neck. He pressed her forehead to his as they continued this frenzied rhythm.
"Charlie," she moaned, against his lips. "I'm going to—"
"Say it again," he growled, his thumb brushing along her cheekbone as his mouth trailed hot kisses along her jaw and throat.
"Ch-Charlie," she stuttered, feeling the beginning of her orgasm take over.
He moved quickly, his hands encouraging her to sit up. He took control of her hips until she was riding out her orgasm in time with his thrusts. Her own hands shot up, winding in her curls and covering her mouth as she crested. Simultaneously, his hips drove up into her, and Charlie's mouth fell open as he filled her once more, a hand reaching up to fondle her bouncing breast.
Hermione collapsed on top of him, again knocking into his ribs. She cursed and begrudgingly moved off him, onto the far side away of his injury, muttering a string of apologies.
"Please don't apologise for anything that just happened. You just made one of my biggest fantasies come true. You could stand up and kick me in the ribs and I'd still be a puddle at your feet." Charlie smirked, still panting from their romp, she slapped playfully at his chest, before letting her fingers play with the course curls spread there.
"We probably just made things very complicated by doing that." Hermione frowned in the darkness.
Charlie's fingers traced long, lazy lines down her bare back and she nestled deeper into the crook of his arm, letting herself be lulled to sleep by the warmth of the man next to her and the endless rain outside.
Yes. Very complicated, indeed.
A/N: Biggest of shouts out and bow downs to MHCalamas for being my sweet Alpha/Beta! You're da bessssst!
If you are reading this and also happen to be reading Sweetly Broken, it was nominated for the Granger Enchanted Awards this year for Best Angst! SAY WHAAA! It's been nominated next to some seriously incredible pieces and I have zero intention of walking away with anything other than a "hell yeah, I'm a finalist!"
But, you should head over and vote! Doesn't have to be me for I know I speak for all the authors who have made it to this round when I say it means the world to us!
The final chapter of Duckie will be sent off to beta tonight and as soon as it's returned to me, I will have it to you! Thanks for coming along on this little silly ride with Charmione and me!
Xo - LK