Hope everyone had a great turkey day! Here's part two...go back and read part one...it usually helps. Reviews are the Christmas presents under my tree! Who wants hot cocoa and cookies?
Upon arriving at Lime Street Station in Liverpool, Lucius and Ginny quickly exited the train and retrieved their luggage, not at all surprised when Oscar and Prudence approached them.
"We're heading to the hotel," Prudence announced as the two couples made their way through the noisy station towards one of the exits. "Do you want to come along and see if they have a room?"
Ginny looked at Lucius with a desperate stare, as she didn't have an excuse why they couldn't go, visually begging him to say something.
Lucius was quiet for a few moments, frantically thinking of something to say. "I'm afraid that we have to inquire of where to purchase ferry tickets and exchange our money and other trivial necessities that will keep us here for an extended amount of time. We'd hate to hold you up. Perhaps we'll run into you later at the hotel." He offered the most genuine smile he could muster at the moment.
"Well we hope to see you later," Oscar said cordially. "It's been a pleasure meeting you two."
"Likewise," Ginny told them with a sweet smile.
Lucius and Ginny watched the Berkeleys disappear from the train station and both breathed a sigh of relief.
"You do realize we are not staying at the Marriott tonight," he clarified. "I don't care how large the rooms are." They'd been on edge dealing with the sappy Muggle couple long enough.
Ginny laughed quietly. "You're telling me," she agreed. "We could try the other one they mentioned." After sleeping on the ground in the woods for days, a small room was of no consequence.
"We do need to find out where to purchase ferry tickets and exchange our money," he reminded her, looking around to see where they might go for such things. "Then we can hire a car to the hotel."
"Are we all right with money?" she asked curiously. She didn't find out the exact amount he got for the jewelry nor had he told her the cost of anything. The only time she did know was when they went shopping and had been wondering since then.
Lucius flinched at her question, briefly remembering the numerous times Narcissa had asked about their money. He'd been raised with the attitude that the man of the house handled the financial affairs, but she didn't like that, always questioning him about how much they had and what it was tied up in. Ginny had proven she was extremely different than his wife and, given their situation, her concern was completely understandable, so he resisted his initial reaction.
"Yes we are all right with our money," he answered calmly, but tight lipped. "We should be fine as long as we decide exactly where we're going and determine the most direct route."
"Looking for a job should be fun once there," she muttered. "We'll have to find one fairly quickly."
"We'll figure it out," he encouraged her. "We've come this far, haven't we?"
She couldn't argue that. They'd come a long way in a short time already.
As Ginny sat on a wooden bench and waited for Lucius, she realized she was starving. Glancing at a large clock up on a nearby wall, she saw it was almost two. No wonder.
A few more minutes passed until Lucius finally returned. "We can exchange our money once we arrive at the port in Dublin," he told her as they gathered their things once more. "The Thistle is about a mile away from here and the Liverpool port not much further."
"I'm starving," she told him, as if she'd heard nothing he'd just said while they headed for the exit. "Famished even."
He glanced at her and smiled a little. "I am as well," he agreed. "But let's secure a room first."
After hiring a cab, they rode a short way to the Thistle. The main entrance was quaint with a beautiful wrought iron awning, baskets of brightly colored flowers hanging from the side of the building every few feet, with lamps and flags standing atop pedestals on a balcony above them.
A bellhop immediately unloaded their belongings from the cab onto a trolley and escorted them to the front desk. Ginny stood nearby and listened as Lucius handled arrangements for their room, smiling when he asked what else was available besides a standard room. He is a Malfoy, she thought. He'll always want better than the standard. It was a foreign concept to her, as she'd always had to be frugal, but knew she could get used to nicer things.
Lucius and Ginny headed for their room, taking the elevator to the eleventh floor, pleasantly surprised with their "executive room", as it was called. It was larger than they anticipated, after listening to the Berkeleys and expecting it to be tiny, with pale yellow colored walls, dark wine colored curtains and bedspread and modern furnishings all around. A small bathroom was immediately to the right upon entering across from a large closet. The bed in the main room was on the right flanked on both sides by a nightstand and lamp. There was a bench at the foot of the bed, covered in the same dark wine color as the curtains, and two large plush chairs on either side of a coffee table centered in front of a large panoramic window overlooking the River Mersey. A wood cabinet sat across from the bed complete with a television and small refrigerator full of goodies.
"Can we find food now?" Ginny asked once their cases were brought up.
"Of course," Lucius answered, walking over to her. "They have a restaurant a few floors down. Or we could inquire of the local establishments and go for a walk about."
"Maybe we could eat here and go for a walk about anyway," she said with a smile. "We've got the rest of the day." She didn't fancy sitting in their room until dark.
Lucius smiled and reached for her hand, thinking to himself how little he used to hold his wife's hand and how much he enjoyed holding Ginny's. "Come on, Starving Shayla," he teased, winking at her. "Let's get you fed."
Lunch in the Thistle's restaurant was very much like eating in the Imperial's restaurant. Ginny didn't care as long as they had food and was much more at ease with Lucius pulling out her chair and ordering for her. It still made her smile, especially when she saw the envious glances from women sitting nearby.
After talking with the concierge at the front desk, they decided to visit Albert Dock. It was busy with hundreds of people milling about with lots of different things to do.
When they passed a brightly colored sign with four men dressed in identical suits, Lucius turned to Ginny and quietly asked, "Aren't beetles insects?"
Ginny shrugged. "It looks like these guys are in a band," she pointed out. "Their name is spelled differently."
He started to continue walking, but then had a thought. "Perhaps we should go in," he told her, lowering his voice. "Apparently they're rather famous to have a place just about them. It might be helpful in the future."
Ginny considered his statement, staring at the brightly colored sign. "Maybe you're right," she agreed. "Let's go then."
Lucius and Ginny were not at all prepared for their experience and spent the next couple hours in astonished silence. There were visitors dressed in clothing that matched many of the band pictures. Others were sobbing as they walked through. Lucius and Ginny watched the antics in confusion, exchanging looks of wonder, trying to read everything they could to learn the apparent importance of this group. The White Room, Lenses of Lennon, Apple Drum, American Invasion; all of the exhibits provided detailed information and plenty of pictures.
"That was one of the oddest things I've ever seen," Lucius remarked once they'd left, confusion obvious on his face. "I agree it was tragic the way John Lennon, I think was his name, was killed, but you would think they'd never dealt with death before."
"He did try to do great things," Ginny pointed out. "But I agree. They seem to practically worship him. It's quite disturbing really. At least we know about them though, right?" She couldn't help but wonder what else Muggles behaved this way about.
"There are a couple museums here as well," Lucius noticed, looking across the way to read the signs. "Care to go in one and further our education?"
Ginny shrugged. "Might as well," she answered. "Let's check out the maritime one." She was quickly learning that Muggles were a bit scarier than she had originally thought.
A couple hours were spent reliving more Muggle past. Lucius and Ginny read all they could in the hopes they'd be able to use the info later. They studied people's reactions and listened to their comments as they walked through exhibits to gain what little bit of knowledge they could.
When they reached the Titanic gallery and read about what happened, Ginny's eyes began to fill with tears.
"Teague," she whispered. "Can you believe it? That huge boat sank and killed all those people just because of miscommunication about an iceberg. How sad." Muggles really had no idea how much easier magic would make their lives. The few tragedies she knew of so far could have been prevented with it. "All of that suffering for nothing."
"What's worse," Lucius whispered. "Is that we're forced into the same predicaments, having to rely on their pathetic ways to survive. It's absolutely terrifying." He certainly wasn't ready to go to Azkaban, but the Muggle world was equally as frightening, just in a different way.
Ginny glanced at him with a knowing look. "Dreadfully so," she agreed. Her mood all day had been rather somber and now after reading so much negative, she realized she was ready to return to the hotel. "I think I'm ready to go. We've walked about enough for today." She couldn't handle anymore right now.
Lucius noticed she looked a little sad and said, "Very well then. Let's go." Quite honestly, he really didn't want to stay either as the day had been rather trying. They quickly hailed a cab and were silent the whole way back, each lost in their own thoughts, none of which were very happy.
Once they reached their room, Ginny walked over to the window and said, "Well one good thing happened this afternoon."
Lucius joined her. "And what was that?" he inquired, wondering what could be called 'good' about the day except for the fact they were finally in Liverpool.
She offered a small smile and answered, "At least we didn't run into Prudence and Oscar."
Ginny looked so irresistibly cute standing in front of him that Lucius felt compelled to encircle her in his arms, as hers wrapped around his waist, and cradle her head with one hand. He needed it as much as he thought she did. As he held her, he looked out of the window down below to a world that concerned him more than Voldemort ever did and wondered if they'd made the right decision.
Ginny eagerly accepted his comforting embrace that felt only a little strange. She remembered a couple days before when he'd held her for the second time. He'd forced her to admit vocally that he would have killed her during the war and when she'd broken down and finally said it out loud, he'd held her and it had felt wonderful. The first time had been when they were heading for the Burrow. She'd told him about what happened the couple days after the war, only because he'd asked, and he'd reached for her then, consequently helping her to not have another emotional breakdown.
"Today was horrible, Lucius," she told him, cheek resting against his chest. She fought tears, wishing like hell she could return home and get another wand and not have to deal with Muggles ever again.
"I know," he soothed, immediately picturing the young man who resembled his son. "Tomorrow will be better." He paused and pulled away enough to look into her eyes, seeing tears building in them and not wanting her to cry. "Why don't we fix some tea and look at those maps we bought?"
She nodded and released him to fetch their tea and maps of Ireland. Maybe it would make them feel a little better to focus on their future, even if it was among Muggles.
After spending an hour sipping tea and scouring over the map, Lucius and Ginny ended up in bed, propped up on pillows, quietly watching television. They had narrowed it down to three cities and decided once they arrived in Dublin, they'd visit the local library to see if that would help them choose. There wasn't much else for them to do.
Ginny couldn't get the images out of her mind from the devastation she'd read about during the day. Growing up, she'd always defended Muggles like she would the smallest kid in class that was always picked on, but now she questioned what she thought of them. They allowed horrific things to happen simply out of ignorance. Their lives could be a thousand times better, not to mention the millions of lives that could be saved, if they could simply try magic. Originally she hadn't been scared of becoming a Muggle. It had been the possibility of getting caught that frightened her. Now, the more she learned about their history and their ways, the more terrified she became. No longer did they seem like the shy, insecure little kids that got picked on. They were like wounded animals that lashed out and thrashed around while trying to be helped. All of a sudden Voldemort wasn't as scary as he'd once been and it was that conclusion that made her question her sanity.
Lucius had attempted to maintain a brave face all day, but was now fighting depression. He knew there would be rough moments when it came to missing his son, but the boy on that damn train made it ten times worse. He hurt. He physically ached from sadness. The trip to the dock didn't help matters either, confirming that his attitude towards Muggles had always been right. They were a barbaric and inferior people to be avoided at all costs. Now he was one of the very kind he despised. How was he supposed to just accept that? This was the first time he'd seriously thought about returning to their world and trying to strike a deal with the Ministry. It might almost be worth the chance.
After it had been dark for a couple hours, Ginny was ready to go to sleep and put this day behind her. Both of them were melancholy. Lucius had been withdrawn and distant most of the day and into the evening and she understood completely. When he got up to gather his things to shower, she watched him take out and hold Draco's picture for a minute or so before putting it away and knew the sadness was consuming him still. It consumed her too. She had moments where she thought the pain of losing her family would never go away, but then it seemed as if it would lessen just a little at times. It wasn't the first time for either of them nor would it be the last. They still missed their loved ones terribly. Though it seemed like an eternity, it had only been three weeks since that fateful day.
Ginny tried not to stare when Lucius emerged from the bathroom wearing the robe with his hair wet. She knew by the look on his face that he was still troubled and said nothing as she reached for her new chemise and headed for the shower. She'd lost the bet and was ready whenever he was. Sort of. It almost seemed by his mood that he'd forgotten all about it. Or so she hoped. But she would have it on just incase. After all, she did play fair, as she'd told him earlier.
When she came out, Ginny noticed he'd turned off all the lights but one by the bed and saw him sitting in the chair by the large window, practically in the dark, his hands in his lap and leaning the side of his head against the window that provided a beautiful view of brightly lit Liverpool just beyond the river. His gaze, however, was vacant and empty, not noticing the lively city below. She recognized the look on his face, as it was a cross between despair and loneliness, because she'd seen glimpses of it throughout the day.
"Lucius," she said quietly as she padded over to him in bare feet, tightening the sash of her robe. "You've been awfully quiet today." She wasn't sure what else to say really. No gesture or word would take away his pain. Or hers.
He slowly lifted his head, his blond locks falling into place, and met her eyes, grateful for the sympathy and understanding reflected in them, as this day had been one of the more difficult for him. "I have been," he agreed, voice soft. "I miss my son greatly. I miss my home. I miss my life." He knew these waves of grief would crash into him periodically, but it didn't make them any easier to handle. "That boy today just…" He couldn't finish, but knew Ginny understood. Being able to see him and watch his familiar movements was worse than suffering a Crucio at the hands of Voldemort. That was saying something.
"I know," she said sympathetically. They hadn't talked about their families in a couple days or so and the sadness in his voice made her a little sad also. "I miss mine too," she admitted, standing close to where he sat. "I miss the twins and their antics. I miss Mum yelling at everyone. I miss Ron and his constant talk about Quidditch. I miss things I never thought I could miss." There was a time when she'd longed for silence in the Burrow. Now she longed for the noisy chaos that had been her home.
He nodded in understanding and sighed. "As do I," he agreed. "And watching that boy today just got me thinking about my son. Draco was to be what I was not." He reached for her hand to hold in his, lightly rubbing the top with his thumb. "Strong, successful, powerful, brave. He had an incredible future." He would have willingly given his life if Draco's could have been spared.
Ginny was confused at his perceptions. "You don't consider yourself any of those things?" she asked. How could he think so little of himself? He'd commanded a tremendous amount of power and influence. Certainly he'd known that as she remembered how smug he used to be, at least it was how he'd acted.
He smirked, but it quickly vanished. "Not exactly," he answered, staring at her hand as he held it. "Prideful. Overconfident. Arrogant. Narrow minded. Those sound rather accurate I believe. And let's not forget an easily manipulated bauble for Voldemort." He paused and shook his head as if trying to clear away the thoughts. "That's not something we need to discuss though." It felt strange to say his name now, as if Voldemort had been nothing more than a fictional villain from a novel instead of the terror of the wizarding world.
Ginny was glad because she didn't want to discuss him either, especially not after what she went through with Tom, never having told anyone the whole truth about what happened in the chamber at Hogwarts. "I don't know about the last," she said gently. "And I will admit you were prideful, overconfident, arrogant and narrow minded. However, I think you were strong, successful, powerful and brave as well." Two months ago she never would have said that, but now, it was what she truly believed, after spending the last three weeks with him in close quarters.
"Really?" he asked, still rubbing the top of her hand, enjoying the warmth in his. That was just another thing that had been missing from his marriage; true warmth, and not physical warmth, but care, concern and sincere affection. While Narcissa had been an attentive and doting mother to their son and passionate in bed with him, she'd lacked the personal warmth that he'd always longed for. Even when returning from being called to Voldemort, she never bothered checking to see if he was all right. If he'd been injured, which happened quite a few times over the years unfortunately, it was Dobby that tended to him; at least until Potter tricked him and cost him his servant. He'd acquired Kibby afterwards, but it wasn't the same. He'd always resented Narcissa's indifference to him in such matters, always disgusted at the fact he'd had to rely on the fear of the house elf to garner any attention.
"Yes," she answered nodding. "Merlin knows I don't agree with the choices you made, but that doesn't mean you weren't brave and successful in your own way. Look at the beautiful things that you owned. Look at how many influential connections you had. Look at how people responded to you and the control you had over them with just a gesture or look. You could have been killed at any moment, yet you stayed the course because you believed in what you were doing." She almost couldn't believe she was defending his Death Eater past, but what she said was truth. He'd been under Voldemort's thumb, knowing firsthand what could happen to him and his family, and yet he remained a faithful follower. That took some amount of bravery for sure.
He glanced down and noticed Ginny was wearing her new chemise under her bathrobe, having almost forgotten about their bet and smiled slightly. He was pleased to hear her words, quite surprised she could have that opinion towards him after how he'd treated her family and friends and all the despicable deeds he'd performed. "How do people respond to me?" he asked curiously, lifting his eyes to meet hers in the darkened space around them, suddenly very interested in her opinion.
"It's a mixture really," she answered, enjoying the fact he hadn't let go of her hand. "You have an intense presence. Some people are intimidated. Others are respectful. Everyone listens to you when you speak. And I'm sure you had plenty that would do anything you asked or demanded back in our world."
"And what about you?"
"What about me?"
"Will you do anything I ask or demand?"
Ginny's heart pounded as her eyes widened briefly. He was looking up at her with that piercing stare again and found herself silenced momentarily. There was sadness still in his blue irises, but it was mixed with something else. He was focused on her now whereas when she approached him, his mind had been elsewhere. She didn't know what he meant by his question though, remembering certain looks from earlier in the day that had made her feel weak, as well as the one directed towards her now. "Anything is an awfully broad term," she finally said with a nervous smile.
Squeezing her hand a little tighter in his, Lucius asked, "Do you think there would ever be a time when you'd feel subject to me? Dare I use the term submissive?" He knew he was somewhat vulnerable after an upsetting day, but he didn't feel like playing word games tonight. He needed honesty from her, needed to know how she felt behind closed doors contrary to how she appeared to feel on the outside of them.
Heart check. Still pounding. Ginny bit her lip and felt the pressure of his thumb on the top of her hand, attempting to coax an answer from her. What exactly was he asking? The look in his eyes had changed again. The flames from the embers were a bit brighter than a minute ago while the sadness seemed to be slipping away. His gaze was searching hers for an answer while the tone in his voice seemed to imply something other than missing family. She knew the truthful answer to his question, but wasn't sure she wanted to admit it yet, to herself or to him.
"Would you ever feel subject to me?" she retorted, lifting an eyebrow to feign confidence. "Or submissive?" This worked two ways. She always had been one for equality. If he could ask her, she could ask him, plus it stalled for time.
Lucius stared at Ginny, his eyes locked in a battle of wills with hers, while he caressed her hand in his. He didn't feel like continuing the verbal flirting they'd been engaged in recently. With the forced fictitiousness surrounding them in public, he wanted something real in private. No, he needed something real before the line between the truth and their necessary lies disappeared completely. He stood up before her and reached for her other hand to hold, enjoying the warmth of her skin against his.
With his eyes never leaving hers, he slowly pressed a kiss to the top of each hand, as if trying to imprint his lips onto her skin. "Any man that can not submit to a woman's desire is no true man," he answered her, his voice billowing velvet. "Can you submit to mine?" He hoped this would generate the answer he needed to hear from her. While he enjoyed their banter and light-hearted ways of talking circles around each other in flirtation, as they'd done the past few days, he needed a little more than that tonight.
Ginny stared at Lucius before her in awe, as this was yet another side to him she hadn't seen. She had not been expecting this intensity from him at all and felt her entire body weaken even more, as if every muscle sunk two inches into the plush carpet under her bare feet. Unable to say anything, she remained speechless before him, mesmerized by his unwavering stare. She could still feel a little sadness from the day emanating from him, but there was something else that she could only describe as want; a very intense and focused type of want that seemed to control him now.
"Answer my question," he said quietly as he pulled her hands gently so she'd take a step closer to him. He didn't need much, but he needed her truthful answer.
Lucius was gazing at her with a deliberate stare, gently squeezing her hands. What he'd said wasn't a command, but more of a request. With a small smile she couldn't hide, Ginny gave in to her rising emotion and nodded, unable to do anything else physically in response. "Yes," she whispered, her throat dry. Part of her hated to admit it, as it felt like it made her subject to him, but she realized a small part of her did want him to know the effect he had on her.
Satisfied with her answer, Lucius led Ginny to the bed, one hand still holding hers, as he sat on the edge. The room was completely dark except for the one lamp by the bed he'd left on that was emitting a warm glow onto the burgundy colored comforter and both of them.
Ginny watched his hungry gaze travel down the middle of her body that was covered by the tied robe and then back up to her eyes, not even attempting to hide his desire and causing the butterflies in her stomach to swarm around madly. He released her hand and placed his in his lap, fingers interlaced, sitting motionless in front of her.
"Take off your robe," he requested barely above a whisper, deciding to test her responsiveness to him a bit, wanting to know her words were truth. "I believe you have a bet to pay up on." He desperately wished he didn't have the gloominess from the day's events hanging over him so he could fully enjoy this, as she was breathtaking standing before him, but he did have years of practice at pushing aside one emotion for another.
Her eyes widened and couldn't miss the lust that clouded his stare nor the sultry tone to his voice. "I was hoping you'd forgotten about that," she said truthfully with a nervous smile.
"Why?" he asked, an eyebrow rising slightly. "Am I not allowed to appreciate the beauty before me?" He knew she was somewhat shy, but truly had no reason to be. He often forgot her age and how inexperienced she was because she always acted so much older and made a mental note of it, as it wasn't unease he wanted her to feel. "And you did agree to the terms of our wager if you'll remember."
"Yeah, but I thought I'd win," she said simply.
Lucius smiled slightly at her quip. "Take it off, Ginny," he told her, his voice low and even, eyes half lidded as he watched her.
Ginny knew she couldn't deny him and a bet was a bet. He was so much more powerful than he thought he was. Trying to calm her still pounding heart, she nervously untied the terrycloth sash and lifted the robe up and off her shoulders, allowing it to fall down her body to the floor, standing before him in the red chemise he'd picked out for her, apprehensive but more curious as to what his next action would be. Standing barefoot and with only that material covering her body, she was placing a tremendous amount of trust and faith in him to not take advantage. It did scare her just a little, as she felt vulnerable to say the least.
His eyes did not stray from hers until the robe lay crumpled on the floor in a puddle around her feet. She blushed fiercely as she watched his eyes travel the length of her body, unabashedly admiring how the material accented her curves, while she attempted to cross her arms under the scrutiny of his gaze, not used to being viewed so openly. Yes she'd had sex before with the two boys, but both times had been in the dark and under sheets. Though she was clothed now, she felt naked and exposed.
"No," he told her, taking her wrists and putting them down by her side. "Don't hide yourself from me, Ginny." He paused and lifted his eyes to meet hers again. "Unless that's what you truly desire." When she remained quiet, he took her silence as an indicator it was not what she desired and said, "Turn around."
With her stomach doing somersaults, Ginny turned around slowly, feeling his eyes crawl over her body, making a mental note not to bet with him again in the future. His stare made her nervous, but excited her as well. The two classmates she'd been with couldn't hold a candle to Lucius. Sensual didn't even begin to describe this experience with him and it made her immediately wonder how being with him completely would be and found herself hoping she wouldn't disappoint him if such an event actually happened between them.
"You're absolutely beautiful," he told her dreamily, sensing her apprehension and wanting her to feel comfortable with him. "Don't ever be ashamed of that. At least not with me." To level the playing field and ease her anxiety, he stood up and slipped his robe off, standing before her wearing only his boxers. He saw her eyes steal a quick glance and smiled at her. "It's all right. You can look too. If you'd like." She'd seen him in boxers before, of course, but had never had his permission to openly admire him. He thought it only fair.
She was slightly hesitant, but he'd stared at her body so certainly she could stare at his. While he'd slept in boxers before, she'd never seen him any longer than it took for him to take his robe off and slip under the sheets. His skin was creamy in color and nearly flawless, except for the Mark now black on his right arm. His body was defined and toned, but not overly muscular. The hair on his chest was sparse and short and a trail led from his naval into his boxers. His legs were shapely, the definition of his quads still catching her attention, and even his feet were nice looking, as most guys' were not. She'd been the only sister among brothers; she knew that to be fact. When he turned around, she got a closer view, albeit a covered up view this time, of his backside that was full and round and just begging to be grabbed. She refrained for now and met his eyes when he faced her.
"I do like," she said simply, knowing this was not the time to be funny or cute. His demeanor was quite serious and she tried to be sensitive to that. Maybe losing a bet to Lucius wasn't so bad after all.
He noticed the flush to her cheeks and thought again how beautiful she was, but also forced himself to remember he had to take things slow with her. While she was not a virgin, he could scare her with his ways and knew that. He thought she might eventually learn to appreciate all the facets of the sexual realm with gentle progression, at least those he participated in, but it would take time for her to become accustomed to the darker vices he readily enjoyed. "Well," he said with a small smile. "I think our bet is adequately satisfied now and it looks like we're ready for bed. Shall we?" He could remain depressed all night, but he wished to feel better and knew how to accomplish that.
"By all means," she said with a relieved smile, walking around to the other side of the bed so they could fold the covers down before climbing in. The linens felt cool against her skin and rolled to her side to face Lucius, noticing he hadn't turned off the lamp yet. "Do we need a nightlight?" she asked, tone in her voice barely playful.
Lucius smiled as he lay on his side and faced her, head propped up on one hand. "I'm not ready to go to sleep just yet. There's something I'd like to do first," he said quietly. "Something that would certainly brighten up this dark day." He felt certain she would allow it, but would test the water first.
"And what is that?" she asked curiously, licking her lips and swallowing as her throat felt dry.
"I can't tell you," he teased lightly, one corner of his mouth lifting in a smirk. "But I could show you."
Ginny bit her lip again. She knew. Oh Merlin. At least she thought she knew. Her chest was hurting from her heart pounding against it incessantly, but ignored it because she wanted this moment. "Show me then," she whispered, unable to say the words any louder, as her shaky voice revealed her true emotion.
Her response was exactly what he needed to hear, quickly rolling over to cover her body with his, unable to hide his growing arousal with such thin material between their warm bodies, and not really caring to try. He desired her and wasn't ashamed for her to feel how much. He slid his arms under her body and braced himself up on his elbows as not to crush her, thankful when she reached for his hair to hold up and away from her face, resting her hands behind his neck. He wanted her badly, longed to take her then, but couldn't. It wasn't time for that yet. This was dangerous enough as it was. Her eyes were wide staring up at him expectantly and he remembered, again, that he was the more experienced. Her slight innocence was alluring though. It had been a long time since he'd witnessed that from someone willing and had to keep himself in check. She surfaced feelings in him that he hadn't experienced since his school days at Hogwarts.
Lucius dropped his head to press his lips to her bare skin, slightly dusted with freckles, just above where the chemise material ended, feeling the slightest rise of her chest, before trailing light kisses up to her collarbone and continuing up to her ear, as her head turned to the side to provide him access, rewarded with her hips rising to his and the quietest sigh from her mouth he'd ever heard. When he kissed her soft cheek, she began turning her head back towards him again. He lifted briefly to see her lips parted and eyes closed in pleasure and involuntarily pressed his hips against hers, stifling the groan at being able to feel her heat. He slid his arms further under her, fingers entwining with her damp red tresses and eagerly pressed his lips to hers, the slightest whimper audible in her throat.
Ginny's body was alive as never before, immediately reminding her it had been too long for such carnal enjoyment. She wrapped her legs around his in an effort to press him harder against the core of her body that was demanding attention, his erection grinding against her while her upper body was crushed against his so tightly she could feel his heartbeat, certain he could feel hers as well. His kiss was an extension of him; demanding and controlling and sensual all at once. He seized her lips briefly before sliding his tongue between them to hungrily search for hers, rubbing and teasing. She followed his lead, opening her mouth, allowing the oral exploration and giving in to him completely, hardly able to believe this was happening. At one point when she'd fantasized about kissing him, she thought it might have felt odd. He was Lucius Malfoy after all. This was anything but odd. This was heaven.
He needed to stop before he passed the point of no return and reluctantly ended their wet kiss with one final pressing of his lips to hers, lifting his head to look into her eyes. Her emeralds sparkled with want and he smiled at her reddened lips now parted and breathing heavily under him. He slid his arms back a bit to raise up from her chest so they could both catch their breath. He could tell much from her kiss and fought against the longing to fully consummate this. She was more passionate than he thought and loved how her entire body had moved under and against his.
"I don't recall that being part of the debt," she whispered, acutely aware of every inch of his body pressing to hers.
"Did you find no pleasure in it?" he whispered, lowering his mouth just before touching hers again, grinding his hips once more, noticing her lips open and no sound coming from them. "Should I refrain from such action?"
"Please don't," she answered, feeling the tickle of his breath on her lips, pressing down lightly on the back of his neck, wanting just one more kiss. She wasn't disappointed as he pressed his lips to hers again, reeling in his taste and warmth, as her body writhed under his, wanting to feel every inch of him she could.
He lifted his head, telling himself he could not do that again without taking things further than either of them were ready for. "Look what you do to me," he sighed as his erection still pressed against her. Merlin how he wanted to ravage her and slide inside her wet heat, imagining how tight she would be around him, but knowing he would not allow it now. He was definitely not the same person he was just a few months ago because he usually never stopped to consider timing. He'd have whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted it.
"I wish I could take care of it for you," she whispered back, but knowing her female time was not over just yet. If he had waited a couple more days to do this, nothing would have held her back from taking care of him completely.
He nodded in understanding of what she was referring to. "I think you know I've dealt with worse," he told her carefully, not wanting to frighten her. There were times that a couple teaspoons of blood would have been a welcome relief in comparison to some of the horrors he'd witnessed and performed over the years. It wasn't pretty, but it was the reality of his past. "Besides, I don't think it prudent to make haste in such matters."
Ginny was relieved he wouldn't push her, but didn't want to think about what 'worse' might include. She'd heard rumors the past couple years of some of the hideous antics of Death Eaters and their meetings and knew Lucius had been in the middle of all the inhuman and monstrous activity, but couldn't allow herself to think on it or she would have locked herself in the bathroom in fear of that side of him resurfacing. "I understand," she said, barely audible. She couldn't say anything else, as she was a mix of emotion. He wanted her, though, and that made her feel incredible.
"We should sleep," he said, wanting to stop her train of thought immediately, as he knew what she was more than likely thinking about, not ready to address those issues with her yet. "We have another big day ahead of us tomorrow and need to rest. If we continued, I'm afraid you might be up most of the night." He paused and smirked. "I know I would be." He placed a chaste kiss on her soft lips and ignored the screaming of his body for more. It wasn't used to being ignored. "Goodnight Ginny. Tonight more than made up for the day."
She immediately missed the warmth of his body on hers, as he rolled over briefly to turn the lamp off, but he was right. They would have to figure out tomorrow where in Ireland to go to, inquire of tickets and such. If his kiss was any indication of what was to come, she couldn't wait until they could officially consummate their fabricated marriage. She rolled to her side, her body still tingling, and faced him, happy he reached for her hand to hold as it lay on the mattress between them. "Indeed it did," she whispered with a smile. "Goodnight Lucius."
It was a few minutes before she could go to sleep though, anxious now for the next bet she could lose to him and anticipating what else he would ask of her, knowing she'd deny him nothing.
Finally! Now we're getting somewhere! With the holidays upon us, it might take me a little longer to update with a new chapter. But have no fear, one IS in the works. Don't forget about me. Have a great season Everyone!!