Chapter 11: Better Stay Away From Those, That Carry Around a Fire Hose

"What kind of bogus school for psychiatry did you go to anyway?" House said, a wry sort of smile playing about his lips. "Don't you know better than to say the word 'hang' to a guy who's recently tried to off himself?"

Cate blushed self-consciously as she watched House slowly lick his lips. Gathering herself, she responded, "I had no idea you'd take exception to that. I mean don't your sponge bath nurses discuss how well 'hung' you are? Are you offended by them too?"

A small, decidedly wicked grin crossed his features and Cate felt her cheeks turn an even deeper shade of crimson. Not long ago, this same man had tried to end his life. But right now, with her, he was very reactive and very much alive. House was enticing, teasing her with his clever words, his heady voice, his stunning eyes.

When had he turned the tables on her and taken control of the conversation? Or had she been a fool to think she had ever had the upper hand over their banter or anything else involving House?

"I'm never offended by the truth," he said still looking intensely at her, his expression turning more than slightly predatory which sent shivers down her spine. "But now I really AM going to bring charges against this hospital. Not only have my doctors been telling you the truth about me and how I got my injuries but my sponge bath nurses as well? It's not my fault I'm hung like a six foot, two and a half inch barnacle. Is nothing private any more? Nothing sacred?"

Cate laughed, releasing just a bit of the tension she felt vibrating between them. "Excellent choice from the animal kingdom House. Because as I recall from biology class, for its size, the barnacle has . . ."

"Yeah I know. The biggest penis in the animal kingdom."

"And since you're a six foot, two inch barnacle . . ."

"At your service. And that's six foot, two and a HALF inches of service. Let's stick to the facts shall we?"

Cate placed her hand over her heart in an obvious overdramatization. "But of course. What on earth came over me?"

"Not sure. Just don't ever let it happen again, okay?"

"I'll try," she said humbly. "I must admit however that your animal analogies aside, I really put more faith in the timeless, tried and true method for the accurate measure of a man . . . and his manhood."

House blinked. "Which is?"

"The direct correlation between shoe size and penis . . ."

"Twelve and a half. Oh and that's my shoe size as well."

"Everybody lies House."

"Don't take my word for it. You can take a look for yourself. I'm still tied down. Can't stop you."

Cate leaned forward in her chair. "Is that an invitation?"

"No," he answered a bit too quickly. "But I can't stop you from looking at my feet you perverted foot fetishist you. Gotta warn you first though. It is a little cold in this room so my toes may not be extended to their fullest length."

Cate laughed, a wonderful hearty laugh that suddenly made House wish his arms weren't locked to his bedframe but around her instead.

"Okay," she said. "I'll give you the benefit of the doubt." Then she grinned lecherously at him, "Would you like me to warm you up before I break out my ruler?"

House looked shocked for a moment. But only for a moment. "Wow," he said. "You really missed some key lectures when you were studying for the ethics portion of your psychiatry degree didn't you?"

"How many times do I have to tell you? You're not my patient." She stood up. "And I'm not your doctor. Don't deflect."

Cate noticed House looked a bit anxious, even frightened when she stood up. He quickly composed his features once more however as she stepped closer to the bedside.

"I'm not deflecting. Just stating a point of fact. And what I'm saying is I'm not buying this whole 'visiting a friend so I just happened to drop by' story of yours. You were sent for. Who called you? Foreman?"

"No one 'sent for' me. I told you the truth. Whether you want to believe it or not is entirely up to you. Now," she said, placing her hand palm down on his blanketed stomach. House jerked futilely against his restraints in response. "About that offer of warming you up. Yes? No? Which is it? And no more sidetracks or deflections."

"How long since you and the penguin broke up? God you're desperate. Or horny. Or both."

Cate slid her hand just slightly lower causing House to once again tug against his fetters. "Why desperate? Maybe I'm just . . . curious. Or co-dependent."

House narrowed his eyes. "That's it isn't it? You think if you can get me off, you'll jump-start not only my libido but my will to live?"

"I did say 'curious' first. And there's nothing wrong with a little healthy curiosity." She moved her hand to her objective and saw House make a futile attempt to break his bonds again before he rolled his eyes back into his head and closed them, relaxing into his pillow and letting loose a soft hiss between his lips.

She squeezed him gently and felt him immediately harden beneath her grasp. As long as it had been for her, it had obviously been a lot longer for him. She watched as his hips involuntarily rose to meet her hand as she continued to manipulate him.

House released a breath he hadn't even realized he'd been holding. So many thoughts raced through his brain as he unconsciously yielded to his body's current need.

For so long now, everyone around him had been treating him with kid gloves, like a leper, like some pathetic animal who'd run out into traffic and been hit by a car. He hated their pity, scorning their vain attempts to help as he wallowed in his own pain.

But here finally was someone who was not afraid to argue with him, who'd called him on every deflection, opposed him and teased him, like he was normal. More than that, she treated him like a man, or more accurately, like the son-of-a-bitch bastard he'd always been.

Now she had even gone so far as to treat him as a sex object.

And House was reveling in it.

He rolled his hips forward again and was immediately rewarded with an increase in pressure from her small hand.

"Please," he whispered, unable to stop himself, his breathing coming out in gasps as he kept his eyes closed.

"Do you want me to stop?" she asked, pausing her activities.

House opened his eyes and saw her looking at him with one eyebrow raised questioningly. Cate felt the same tremble of desire run through her as it had done before. It vibrated from her hips to her knees and back again settling in a warm, fluid pool somewhere lower than her now plummeting stomach.

Did he even know how attractive he was? His eyes large and expressive and dilated with arousal, did he realize how damn sexy he could be?

"No," he answered in almost a whimper. He closed his eyes again and gripped the bed's side railings as he felt her hand slip underneath the bed covers and take hold of him again, this time with no sheets or blankets between them. This time the contact was pure skin on skin.

House moaned, low and quiet as she closed her fingers around him. Just as his body reacted to the overdose of pills, in the same way he once more he had no control over his physical self. His heart pounded deep within his chest and his breathing became more and more ragged as Cate worked him.

His hips took on a life of their own as they rose and fell against the mattress. The cold metal bars between his fingers stood out in stark contrast to the warmth of her soft hand gripping him, moving lower to lovingly cup him and then seizing his erection again as she methodically stroked, pumping him up and down.

Beset with his fears and his ever-present emotional pain, plagued by his past and uncertain about his future, unsure of everything in fact about his life and himself, in this brief moment he felt somehow normal again. Tied down with restraints, he felt free.

He wanted her. For the first time in a long time, he felt excited by a woman. Not just a hooker, but a woman with whom he could experience more than an emotionally detached business transaction. He grunted as he felt her slide along his considerable length, clasping him tenderly yet tightly.

He wanted to be inside her, to feel that other tightness, that other heat. He wanted to move with her, feel her naked body against his own, make her cry out with pleasure again and again until they were both drenched in sweat and her juices. With his eyes closed, he could almost imagine her atop him, riding him down.

House felt the familiar swell and release as Cate deftly brought him to orgasm. He opened his mouth to cry out but he scarcely emitted a sound. Instead, two rapid breaths and a final low moan, barely a vibration of his vocal chords signaled his fall from the edge.

House felt himself wind down, keeping his eyes closed as he regained control of his breath and body, reluctantly allowing the fantasy of being inside her to drift from his mind. By the time he opened his eyes, Cate had already cleaned him and herself up. When he looked over at her, she smiled.

He wanted to thank her. He wanted to tell her how this was the first time, in such a very long time even long before the accident that he'd felt more like a man, more human, more like himself. That even he hadn't realized how much he'd needed this, wanted this, wanted her.

Instead he said softly, "Why?"

Cate chuckled. "You're kidding, right?" When House shook his head no, she continued.

"I don't know," she said, her expression turning serious. "Maybe because I just wanted to. Maybe because you wanted me to. Maybe because it was something we both not only wanted but needed." She smiled again, "Or maybe I just had to take advantage of you right now when you're tied down and totally in my power. Think of it. I just had the sexy, famous Dr. House completely in my grasp. Literally."

She raised her arm to show him her hand. "Well, not completely." Her smile grew wider. "There's no way I was ever going to completely grasp something that huge. You weren't kidding with that twelve and a half business. In fact from what I could feel, I mean tell, you were being overly modest."

House returned her smile. "That's not all I was being modest about," he said, staring at her so boldly she felt herself begin to fidget under his unabashed stare.

He noticed.

"I am capable of low balling my stats to keep the wow factor in tact right up until the big reveal," he said.

A wide smile crossed her face as her cheeks flushed with both embarrassment and excitement. Looking at her, House felt a warm sensation flow over his entire body as if he'd just stepped out into the glare of the noonday sun. He relaxed, letting the feeling extend the mood of afterglow he was still experiencing.

Cate opened her lips for what was sure to be a witty retort when the sound of people opening the door and entering the room broke the strange spell both she and House seemed to be under.