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Chapter 21

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Curled back into the warmth of the covers, Ginny found herself feeling slightly uncomfortable at the idea of simply going to sleep again next to Draco, even though, or perhaps simply because the act was so innocent. Part of her was deliriously happy to be with her lover again, but their conversation had covered their past, and part of her was terrified that his feelings might have changed in the months they'd been apart.

Trying to ignore the feelings of uncertainty that suddenly welled up inside of her, she tried to wrap her mind around the fact that Draco was, indeed, the man she'd met in the Muggle pub the previous winter. She once again looked about the room and tried her best to recount the details of that first night weighing her sketchy memories against the mysteries that had surrounded Draco over the past year.

Her heart clenched at the thought of him being so near. She'd missed him terribly, but she suddenly found herself unsure of how to express herself.

She curled up on her side, facing away from him and was pleasantly surprised when he curled up behind her, pulling her close. She sighed at the contact and reveled in the feeling for a long moment, trying to quell what she was certain were imaginary and hormone-induced fears.

Making up her mind to act more like a proper Gryffindor, she turned to him, finally giving into her longing to give him a tentative kiss. It was a relatively innocent gesture, but she was grateful that he returned it. His lips were soft, gentle and reassuring and she relaxed a bit. Before they'd gotten into the bed, he'd mentioned returning to sleep, so, unsure of what to do next, she once again turned on her side, shuffling to get comfortable with her rounded tummy in the way.

Unfortunately, she found it impossible to attempt to go back to sleep because her body was practically humming due to her close proximity to him. This was new to both of them, a night were they could simply sleep in the comfort of each other's arms and she was keenly aware that the both of them were now wide awake as a result of their recent discussion. More importantly, she was intensely conscious of Draco's arm wrapped around her.

He began to lay light kisses on her neck. "I never should have let you leave that night," he said huskily.

It was quite clear to her that he was referring to their first night together, the one that she'd spent in that same room and bed, but had no idea that her lover had been Draco. She stiffened slightly at the remark, for the words brought back uncomfortable memories for her, but he wrapped his arms more tightly around her and placed another kiss on her shoulder.

She responded tentatively. "My family might have agreed with you, despite what would have happened to my brothers."

He gently rested his chin on her shoulder before continuing to speak. "I was hoping that we would wake up the next morning and I would be able to talk with you, maybe even help you, although at the time, I had no idea of what you'd gotten yourself into."

She smiled, the idea warming her heart and she relaxed into his embrace. "It was a nice thought. I had to say that I was tempted to stay, especially after you talked about helping me find work here."

She could feel him smile, "You were?"

"I was. You were so uncharacteristically...sweet," she said, turning to lie on her back so she could see him in the moonlight, the topic of conversation surprisingly calming her.

He was grinning smugly. "I was?"

"Yes. It's no wonder that I had no idea that it was you," she said, giving him a teasing smile.

He rolled on top of her, adjusting his weight on his elbows to avoid her tummy. "The problem was that you left too soon," he said. "Little did you realize that I was far from done with you."

"You were asleep."

"And you were intoxicated."

The words brought back many painful memories about what had brought her to him that night. Looking back, it felt like it had happened a lifetime ago and she felt she needed to explain.

"I was frightened out of my mind. I only wanted to make sure he couldn't use the binding on me." She looked shyly away from his gaze, thinking of how uncharacteristically wanton she must have appeared to be that night. "Besides, I only remember pieces."

Her discomfort seemed to have no effect on him. "And I spent every weekend here since then doing nothing but remember every last detail."

His admission left her stunned speechless for a long moment as she processed his words. Looking for a way to divert the conversation, she asked, "How long have you been living here?"

"I've been here almost every day since Father banished me from the Manor. But, before that, almost every weekend for the past two years."

She looked at him in amazement. This was where he'd been coming every weekend, while his father thought he was only off drinking with his friends, or girlfriends. In all the time she'd lived at the manor, she'd never once suspected Draco Malfoy, who'd been known to be an insufferable, pureblood elitist for his entire life, of living among Muggles during his spare time. She suddenly realized that it was the perfect hiding place for him.

"It was shortly after my mother was killed" he continued after seeing the look of shock on her face. "She wanted me to be safe and I wanted that too. I figured the best way was to find a place to hide and wait in case things became dangerous again. After a while, I made a few friends and found that I rather liked it here."

She laughed a bit "Draco Malfoy, living among Muggles?"

He gave a soft snort of laughter in agreement. "Hard to believe, isn't it? But, yes. It's not so bad, really."

She smiled and reached up to gently run her fingers through his hair, as she studied his face in the dim light.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I was just thinking how interesting you turned out to be, and I was wondering what made you talk to me when you saw me in the pub."

His eyes drifted over her features for a long moment before he answered. "Well, besides the fact that my mates were all quite taken with you and practically forced me to talk to you..."

She laughed again, feeling safe and comfortable. It was a welcome feeling, and she had missed it terribly during the past few months. Their conversation was wonderfully distracting from her own dire situation. "You really have Muggle friends?"

"Yes, of course. They've been relentless trying to set me up with girls. Seem to think that if I had a girlfriend I'd be less cranky."

"Well, obviously, they didn't know you when you were younger."

He looked at her in mock hurt. "You wound me, Weasley."

She chuckled softly, but then she paused after his words sunk in. She looked up rather uncertainly, looking slightly away from his eyes. "So...do you have many girlfriends here?"

He shook his head slowly, giving her a smile in return, as he played with a strand of her hair. "Just one girl that I picked up in a pub last year. She rather stuck in my head and I had to kidnap her to get her to come back."

She lifted her head up to kiss him lightly on the lips. When she dropped her head back down, she felt a bit of sadness come over her. "I'm sorry to say that I can't say the same about remembering you that night. What I remember, I've tried not to think about very much. I thought it was for the best if I didn't."

"I've thought of you ever since," he returned as leaned in to give her a light kiss, his smile turning slightly mischievous. "And, if you like, I'll be happy to refresh your memory."

She closed her eyes, feeling herself smiling even as he kissed her, and she tried to compare the Draco she knew to the stranger she'd encountered so long ago. If she had bothered to look, she was certain she would have seen the similarities, but, back then, she'd been unwilling to accept them because the idea of finding Draco Malfoy among Muggles had been completely unthinkable.

As she thought back to their first encounter, she began to vividly recall the feeling of desperation she'd had, and she once again felt a similar sense of urgency, but not quite for the same reasons. She was safe for the moment, but there were no guarantees that Lucius wouldn't find her and reclaim her in the morning. If that was going to happen, she desperately wanted to remember this night.

He kissed her again, in a deliciously long and slow manner and she immediately began allowing her hands to wander over his torso and under the hem of his shirt. He pulled away from the kiss to tug the item off and she took a long moment to admire his muscular form. He truly was a work of art, and she wanted to remember every bit of him.

He paused, waiting for her to finish her visual exploration. When she finally looked back at his silvery eyes, he leaned in to kiss her, but she placed a hand on his chest. He stopped, confused.

She smiled, and reached up to caress his face. "You came back for me."

He nodded, still looking uncertain. "Of course."

A feeling of overwhelming calm came over her as soon as she realized why that meant so much to her. Not only had he returned, but he'd allied himself with Harry and her brother to do so. She felt her eyes watering at the thought, and she needed to let him know that it was worth it.

Failing to find any suitable words that she could use to describe her emotions, she silently reached up and began to play with his hair, then tugged him down toward her so she could kiss him again.

He seemed to match her feelings, and the kiss was slow and languid, as her hands wandered over his bare chest, feeling every contour of him. He was well-toned, just as she remembered, when she'd first made love to him, so very long ago. She traced her fingers along the waistband of his pajama pants, teasingly, and he immediately moved his kisses away from her mouth, along her jaw and down her neck, his tongue tracing the contours of her as he moved down to her collarbone, tugging the material of her shirt aside to nibble lightly at the juncture of her neck.

She giggled, tugging once again at his pants, her hand finally slipping inside as she reached around to cup his bum, pulling him closer. He responded by reaching underneath her shirt and gently maneuvering the material upward as his hands lightly caressed their way up her back.

It was nearly identical to their first encounter, except their actions up to this point had been done while they were still standing. Memories of her first night with him came forward, and for the first time in many months, she made no effort to repress them. Knowing that he truly was intent on recreating that night for her, she realized that she would now always remember that night with feelings of joy instead of guilt. It had been a night that she truly had cherished.

She suddenly came to the conclusion that she'd fallen in love with him that very first night, not even knowing who he was.

As he removed her shirt and began placing tender kisses on her tummy, she was jolted from her happy thoughts and stopped him.

"What?" he said, looking up, worried.

"I'm fat," she replied, trying to move her hands to hide his gaze from the area.

He stopped her, grabbing her hands and giving each one a kiss, then moving to kiss her soundly on the mouth. "You are not fat and I wouldn't care anyway. Now relax. I've been without you for far too long and I intend for you to enjoy this."

She leaned back timidly to allow him to continue his job of refreshing her memory. He moved his way slowly up her body, his work-roughened hands gently tracing up and down her arms, almost innocently at first, then he smiled when he placed a hand on her tummy, caressing the area lightly, almost reverently.

Eventually, his hands began tracing their way up along her sides, coming to rest along the sides of each breast. He cupped each one, running his thumbs lightly over the nipples until they pebbled up to points, and she gave an involuntary, and rather erotic-sounding sigh. Yes, he was refreshing her memory, but she clearly recalled that during their first encounter, he hadn't been quite so... thorough. The small part of her mind that wasn't concentrating on the raw physical pleasure wondered if it was actually her fuzzy memory or if he was simply being particularly enthusiastic in his task of reminding her.

He nibbled and nuzzled at her breasts for a long time, mumbling something about them being a bit larger than he remembered, and she giggled, chastising him for not knowing that pregnancy was known to cause such an effect. His lifted his head, looking at her with an almost innocent, open honesty.

"Really?" The pleased and surprised expression on his face only made her laugh harder.

It was moments like this that reaffirmed her feelings for him with an intensity that warmed her soul. It was the thought of such little slices of joy with him that had kept her sane over the past year. He'd been more than a lover. He'd been her friend, and more importantly, her anchor.

Her laughter faded, leaving her with an affectionate smile. "I love you," she said with every ounce of feeling that was flowing through her in that moment, surprising herself with the spontaneity of the admission.

He paused, clearly stunned, and she sucked in her breath, worried that her words might have ruined the moment. But the tension only lasted for a split-second, because immediately after he processed her words, the smile that brightened his face would have outshone the dawn. She felt a similar smile on her own lips, but only for a moment, because he leaned forward to kiss her with an intensity that she'd never imagined.

Wanting to return the attention, she shifted, tugging him until he moved up alongside her. She mimicked his previous actions, tracing her hands along his neck, shoulders and chest, and then moving lower, her fingers playing lightly along his stomach. She looked up at him, feeling almost shy despite the fact that she was far from being the innocent girl she was the first time she'd been with him. But she'd been away from him for nearly three months, and the idea of becoming reacquainted gave her a thrill that she hadn't expected.

Playing with the light hair on his stomach, she looked at his torso shamelessly, taking in every well-chiseled feature, and she felt the urge to allow her fingers to become more bold.

Without question, she wanted all of him.

Reaching her fingers under the waistband of his pajama bottoms, she tugged at the garment, and he quickly shifted to help her remove them. She smiled at his eagerness, continuing her visual perusal of his body.

He lay on his side, naked, and propped his head on one arm, smiling, and allowing her to pull away to unabashedly stare at him just as she'd done during their first night together. Then, she'd been awkward and timid because she'd been unfamiliar with being with a man. This time, the action of looking at him seemed far more intimate.

She drank in the sight of him eagerly, enjoying his slim build, the light dusting of hair on his stomach, and then moved her gaze lower, to see his arousal. She felt shy again, moving her inspection to his legs, well-muscled from hours of riding, then back up to his arms and hands. A memory tugged at her, and she took his free hand and examined it closely.

It was calloused and rough, just like she'd remembered from last winter. She loved his hands.

Placing a kiss on the roughened palm, she looked up into his eyes. "How did I not notice it was you, even after all the time we spent together?"

He traced the back of his fingers along her cheek. "Because you didn't want to see it."

He leaned forward, kissing her sweetly, then placed a hand on her shoulder, pressing her back onto the mattress. As she rolled back, he lay partially on top of her, running his fingers along her face, his expression showing intensity. She smiled, enjoying the feeling of his body pressing against hers.

"We seem to have a problem," he said.

She frowned. "What?"

"You have far too much clothing on."

The absurdity of his statement made her laugh, and he pulled away to tug the loose sweatpants from her lower body, leaving her naked. Mere seconds later, his soft lips once again moved along her cheek and neck, working his way along her collarbone, and she buried her hands in his hair, losing herself in complete bliss as he began to worship her body like never before.

As his mouth moved further down her torso, she realized that she had never felt more comfortable being bared before him, and she felt a sudden need to have him back in her arms. She tried to tug him upward, but he would have none of it, as he moved lower and began to nibble at her core, licking at her with enthusiasm. She moaned in ecstasy. Just as she did the first time they were together, she responded willingly eagerly to his touch. When she finally came, she somehow managed to have both hands in his hair, tugging at him unmercifully.

"Impatient little wench, aren't you?" he joked, kissing his way back up her body and finally ending the long period of rediscovery by settling himself above her. His tone then turned softly serious. "Are you sure about this, Ginny?" he asked, as he gently stroked her cheek. He was asking permission, even after all they'd done. The question was reminiscent of their first time together, and she found the moment achingly sweet.

She nodded. She'd never been more sure. "I love you," she said again, feeling that the words were inadequate for expressing the depth of emotion that she felt for him.

He lowered himself into her with a groan of contentment, and she thought that she would burst from the feeling of him joining with her again. It was just as pleasurable, but this time was different. Something was more permanent, more emotional than she'd felt before. The feeling of him within was almost unbearably beautiful, and she rocked her hips to feel more of him, tears springing to her eyes.

She wanted him to promise that it would be like this always, but a niggling feeling of fear stopped her from saying more. The moment was too perfect to spoil with her worries for tomorrow.

As the unbearable pleasure assaulted her from within, she moaned his name, looking up into his intense gray eyes. He rocked forward again, a drop of sweat slowly dripping along his cheek and his eyes glazed over as he returned her gaze. With one final trust, she felt him fill her even further, and he groaned in release, slowly stopping his movements, but never looking away from her.

After a long moment of silence between them, he rolled to her side, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into a tender embrace. "I love you, too," he said firmly.

The words nearly made her cry, and she buried her face into his chest, praying that the night would never end.

"Promise me you'll still be here when I wake up," he said sleepily, his arms tightening around her protectively.

"I'm not going anywhere," she replied, her voice hoarse with emotion, wrapping her arms around him in return.

"Good. Because tomorrow, I'm going to convince you about what a wonderful life you can have here with me."

Within moments, he was asleep. She'd been in almost this exact position the last time they were here together, the night she kissed him and left. The same feeling of comfort and security surrounded her as she lay in his embrace, but this time, she allowed herself to give into her longing to join him in sleep.