Stripped Bare

Chapter Fourteen

"Turn around," Emily demanded. Hermione spun slightly. They had consented to let her chose her own outfit for the club. The red blouse she wore dipped down between the middle of her breasts. Much to her relief, she could still wear a bra. The fabric was thick enough to cover the checkered pattern, but light enough to not be too hot when in motion. It fell just between the back pockets of her jeans. From the waist downward, the shirt was airy enough to come up slightly if she turned quickly.

"Sexy, but modest," Garcia approved. JJ and Emily nodded.

"The pants aren't too tight," JJ approved. She wore her favorite and possibly her only pair of skinny jeans. The black fabric hugged her upper and lower legs. Hermione felt slightly odd being critiqued by the three women; but she could recall a time when Parvati, Lavender, and Ginny had all gathered in the same dorm: the Yule Ball. She had been critiqued then.

"Just enough to show off the butt," Garcia stated.

"You just love making this awkward, don't you?" Hermione drawled as she turned back around.

"Oh just face it, sweetheart, you're a sex bomb!" Garcia exploded with a sharp giggle. JJ and Emily dissolved into laughter at the shocked look on Hermione's face. "We'll head to the club after we get ready. The boys are supposed to be waiting on us!" Garcia was practically vibrating with excitement.

As the three women moved to get ready, Hermione couldn't help but look in the mirror and wonder if the girl before her was really her. She had only dolled up to this extent once in her life: the Yule Ball. She prayed that this night would end differently than that disastrous night had.

Her wild curls now fell in soft ringlets around her shoulders and flowed gently down the middle of her shoulder blades. With a small smile, she turned away from the mirror and twirled one of the gentle curls with her index finger.

Stripped Bare

"Why do I have to wear this again?" Spencer complained lightly as he stared at the stranger in the mirror. He wore a black button up shirt with the first two buttons undone. The sleeves were rolled up to his elbows and he wore dark wash blue jeans he didn't even know he owned.

"Because the girls and I are getting tired of Granger and you dancing around one another," Morgan paused, "bad terminology."

"I got it," Spencer drawled. "Did you ever stop to think that we would get there on our own?" Spencer returned as he looked up at his friend through the mirror. Morgan tilted his head.

"Something happen last night, Pretty Boy?" Morgan asked. His eyebrows were climbing toward his hairline. "Garcia did say that you didn't eat breakfast until twelve in the afternoon. Which I'll admit is abnormal for you."

"We sat up and talked. When we finally went to bed-" Morgan wiggled his eyebrows. Spencer snorted and shoved his friend, "not like that! I still sleep on the couch! When we finally went to bed, it was one a.m."

"See, the two of you would be around the bush forever if it weren't for-"

"She kissed me last night, Morgan," that statement shut his best friend up quickly, "granted it wasn't anything like how Lilah and I kissed. She was gone before I could even process what happened but-"

"It's progress," Morgan stated. Spencer nodded. Morgan sided and ran a hand over his head. "The girls and I don't mean to seem like we don't think you won't get there yourselves…it's just…we've waited for someone like her to come along, you know? Someone you could relate with." Spencer nodded. The talk was slightly awkward for both men. "And here this intimidating, brave little British woman comes…" Spencer shared a smile with Morgan at the description. "And you're so…attracted to her. We just want to see you happy, man." Spencer smiled. "Now that all of that's out of the way, come on. The girls are waiting for us."

Stripped Bare

Hermione followed behind JJ and Emily when a sharp sting caused her to stumble. Garcia's eyes widened as Hermione grabbed the side of her head with a grimace.

"Are you alright?" Garcia asked. Hermione nodded through it and stood up straight. The pain was over as quickly as it had come. Someone had invaded her mind. Garcia accepted Hermione's reassurances warily as the entered the club.

Someone had invaded her mind and left behind a familiar signature: Draco Malfoy.

"Sorry, Granger," came the after wave. The longer the message tended to be, the pain would reside longer. Hermione nibbled on her bottom lip as she walked followed behind them.

'He was able to break through my mental shields…' Hermione thought worriedly. She had lifted them permanently after the war. 'Am I truly becoming too relaxed?' Her thought process was interrupted as she caught sight of Spencer Reid. 'Oh my…' She thought as she took in what he wore. He dropped his arms from their crossed posture over his chest.

Spencer's eyes roamed her figure with the same intensity her eyes followed his. Morgan covered his mouth to keep his laugh at bay while Garcia pulled JJ and Emily toward the table that Spencer was leaning on.

"Good job," Garcia complimented quietly. Morgan nodded.

"Same."

"Oh no, sweetness, that was all her doing," Garcia deflected. "She put the outfit together and did her hair. We just gave nods of approval."

"You mean she had that in her all along?" Morgan asked, looking the small British woman up and down. He gasped as Garcia's elbow dug into his side. "Aw, don't be jealous, baby." He teased. Garcia rolled her eyes.

"So how long you think this is going to last?" Garcia asked, motioning toward the silent nerds.

"You…uh," Spencer cleared his throat and tried again, "you look good." Morgan felt like smacking him in the back of the head but resisted. Hermione smiled.

"You look good too," she said back teasingly. Spencer smiled back at her and finally the two of them sat down at the black round table.

'You look good?' Spencer mentally berated. He glanced over at Hermione out of the corner of his eyes. Garcia had said something, but it was lost to Spencer's ears in the beat of the music playing around them. The effect of what she said, however, was very rewarding. Hermione lips were curved in laughter that tickled his ears teasingly.

Derek interrupted the conversation suddenly with a "you want to dance, Hermione?" The curly headed beauty looked over at Derek, who was grinning at her. Hermione looked back toward the floor. Derek's smile fell slowly as he received no answer. Garcia and Emily started laughing behind their hands. Hermione, hoping to save his deflated ego, jumped from the chair and grabbed him by the arm. He laughed as she pulled him away.

"None of that, you got it?" Hermione said, pointing toward the girl that was grinding against a random man. Derek nodded. Hermione held up two fingers space two inches apart. "You stay this far away."

"Got it," he confirmed. His ego was slightly bruised, but seducing her wasn't his intention. They were in Spencer's line of sight. Garcia sighed, knowing full well what Morgan was doing. Boy Wonder needed pushing sometimes. Garcia looked over at her friend to see him watching them closely.

'This might just be the push he needs,' Garcia thought.

The beat pumping from the many speakers was slow to infect Hermione, but quick to do so to Morgan. Instantly, he began to dance. Hermione had to choke by laughter as she faced him. Hermione didn't know the song, but admitted to herself that it did have a good beat. Slowly, Hermione began to dance.

Morgan's mouth nearly dropped at the way the small woman was dancing to the beat. Her hips easily began to tick to the beat. Her whole body moved like water as if surfing the beat was something that came just as naturally as her thinking patterns. Easily, she kept up. And then just as easily, she lost him. He laughed as she turned away from him. Her hair danced across his face like the wind would in a caress.

"Holy shit…" Emily gapped.

"May I move an inch closer?" Morgan asked. Hermione laughed and nodded. The infectious beat seemed to momentarily remove her inhibitions. Morgan grinned as he stepped closer. He knew the boundaries that were set. He was not to touch her.

Garcia struggled to keep her jealousy at bay. Morgan was simply doing this to push Reid along, but he looked as though he was enjoying himself a little too much. Garcia quickly looked away from them and caught sight of another observer.

The blonde headed man leaned against the stool of an empty table. On his lips tilted an amused smile. The amused smile suddenly turned one of deviousness as he kicked away from the stool and began to walk toward Morgan and Hermione.

Morgan paused as he heard a voice come from behind him.

"May I cut in?" Hermione's eyes widened at the voice. She stopped dancing and turned quickly. Morgan weighed the ups and downs of a stranger dancing with Hermione. On one hand, it would make him nervous. On the other hand, it would drive Reid crazy. But the closer Morgan looked, the more it was becoming apparent that, for Hermione, the man before them was not a stranger. In both of their eyes, amusement danced the tango. Instantly, Morgan knew Hermione had known what he was trying to do all along.

"Sure," he consented. As he walked away, Draco smirked widely.

"I gotta say, Granger, I didn't know you had it in you," he complimented. "Do I have to obey the same rules?" He asked with a small pout as Hermione's hand touched his chest to keep him at two inches. Hermione nodded. "Bummer."

"Who's that?" Garcia asked as Hermione and the unknown blonde began to dance in tantalizing circles. The blonde would come closer than two inches to Hermione; she would dance away in a fashion that made it look like a dance all on its own.

"I don't know," Morgan answered but hastily added, "it seemed like Hermione knew him." Emily retracted her cat claws and sat back down. Spencer, however, hadn't removed his eyes from the dancing couple. When Morgan had asked her to dance, he hadn't felt as though he was losing anything. Morgan knew how he left about Hermione and knew that Morgan wouldn't attempt to seduce her; but he knew nothing about the man Hermione was currently looking very friendly with.

Draco had caught her around the waist, electing a small squeal from her lips. Spencer's eyes narrowed. Morgan grinned behind his glass.

"Is there a reason you're here?" Hermione asked as they danced. Draco knew enough about her to keep far enough away from her when they danced. He could be touching her with his hands; any other part of him would be crossing the line.

"Yes, but I'll save that for later. It appears my spot as your dance partner is about to be taken," he motioned toward Spencer Reid as he stood from the table. Hermione blushed as Draco grinned even wider. "My, my, you sure are popular tonight," he teased. Hermione elbowed him sharply in the stomach. He coughed and moved away from her. "Little Miss. Violent here is all yours," Draco stated as Spencer approached. Hermione laughed at the look of momentary shock on Spencer's face. Draco confidently walked away despite the pain in his stomach.

Garcia eager for a little taste of revenge waved to him. Draco smiled and walked on over.

"What's your name, handsome?" She asked. Draco laughed at the shocked look on the other man's face. He raised his eyebrows as he caught onto what she was doing.

"Draco Malfoy, miss." He stated as he slipped into the chair next to Emily.

"How do you know Hermione?" Emily asked, drawing his attention away from Garcia. Morgan smiled over his cup.

"We went to the same boarding school," he supplied. He tried not to let his grey eyes wander to the dance floor.

"Do I have to stay two inches away too?" Spencer asked after the blonde left. Hermione smirked and grabbed his button up shirt. She pulled him closer to her.

"You can be as close as you like," she whispered. Spencer's face darkened along with his eyes. Hermione fought the delicious shiver that rippled down her spine as he came closer.

Morgan raised his eyebrows at Spencer's brave move. Draco whistled.

"They are going to build up some hellious sexual tension…" Morgan commented. Draco nodded his agreement.

"She can be quite the tease," he commented. Every head swiveled toward him. Draco laughed at their shocked expressions. "Her house symbol was a lion. She didn't get put in that house by being afraid to take chances."

"What did her house stand for?" Emily asked. Draco glanced over at her. She elaborated easily, "Usually boarding school houses have some kind of crest." He nodded, reluctantly impressed.

"Bravery and loyalty are two of the characteristics of the house," Draco explained.

"And your house?" Garcia asked. Draco smiled.

"Cunning," he stated.

Spencer fought off a groan as Hermione's hips ground into his to the fast beat of R. Kelly's Bump and Grind. She suddenly pushed away from him and spun around. His arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer. His hands had slipped underneath the flowing shirt. His thumbs caressed the bare skin of her waist above her navel. Hermione's gasp made him smirk slightly. The more assertive Reid had reared his confident head.

"Is this close enough?" He whispered huskily into her ear. Hermione felt her knees go slightly weak. Never one to be outdone, Hermione upped the playing field. She wrapped her arms around his neck and moved her hips in slow circles at each bump and grind from R. Kelly's mouth.

Morgan's mouth fell open along with JJ's, Emily's, and Garcia's.

"Go Reid…" Was all any of them could say. Draco was equally surprised, but not by the man's actions, by Hermione's behavior. While she was secretly very confident with her looks and body, she usually didn't dance so…promiscuously.

"Ron would shit a brick," Draco whistled.

"Ron?" Derek demanded suddenly. The protective side that he had for Reid was rising at the mention of another man in Hermione's life. Draco laughed and shook his head.

"Not like that, man. Ron cheated on her with some bint he had dated in school, but he would sure love to be him right now," Draco said, jerking his thumb toward the seductively dancing couple. "Hermione's as faithful as they come."

Spencer didn't know whether to be sad or thankful that the song was coming to a close. Even though she was slowly torturing him into insanity, he enjoyed the dance they shared. He enjoyed having her so close to him. He did well to hide his disappointment as she stepped away from him gracefully while the last of the notes drifted away.

"How was that for keeping up?" Spencer asked in a low tone as they walked toward the table again. He attempted to ignore his smirking friends and the stranger. Hermione smiled deviously.

"You could have done better."

"There's always the next song," Spencer returned bravely. Hermione blushed but laughed through it.

"So, Reid…" Draco tuned out the future teasing of the man sitting next to Hermione to study his friend's expression. She did look happy and relaxed. Draco Malfoy was perfectly happy to believe that her reddened cheeks came from embarrassment rather than loads of sexual tension pulsing through her tiny body.

Despite her happiness, he knew that he had to tell her tonight before she took the Muggle man home. He shuddered lightly at the thought of virginal Granger taking anyone to bed. He smirked deviously as he thought of Ron.

'How much fun I'm going to have throwing this up in his face…' He thought gleefully.