Chapter 21. I'd Like To Make It With You

House and Cameron entered the empty room and looked around. One of the beds was a jumble of the comforter, sheets and pillows, Harry's bed. The other hadn't been touched.

Cameron's throat was suddenly dry. This was the moment she'd been waiting for for so long, but she was frozen. Should she strip off her clothes or wait for House to do it? Should she take off his?

As if he sensed her hesitation, House removed his raincoat and reached to unfasten her slicker. She helped him with that, her fingers fumbling with the closures, but finally it was off. House smiled at her as his hands sought the smooth skin under the crop top.

"You're skin is like velvet," he said. "Only much warmer." He smiled at her. "Relax, Cameron," he said, pulling off her top and then rubbing her shoulders. The feel of those hands on her excited and soothed her at the same time.

Somehow her hands were lifting the bottom edge of his T-shirt. She'd seen his bare chest before, but not under these circumstances. She let out a little gasp of approval.

He stopped for a moment to open the snap on his jeans and then hers. His fingers brushed across her naval sending shivers through her entire body.

"House," she sighed. It was becoming easier for her now, more natural, to explore his long lean body. She wanted to touch every inch with her hands and her mouth.

House tried to be gentle with her, to treat Cameron like a princess. But princesses were unapproachable and Cameron was just as eager as he was. She was an awkward mixture of shy and reticent, and wild abandon. The right touch seemed to unleash the pent-up fire inside.

So many times in the past, he'd stifled his urge to kiss her, to make love to her. Now he wondered what had stopped him. It seemed almost natural to caress her, to kiss her, to be completely intimate with her.

Soon the second bed in the room was as much a jumble of quilt and sheets as the other one. Their passion rose, their bodies became sweaty, they both smiled with pleasure. House tried to concentrate on analyzing the changes to his body, to hold on to conscious thought, but it became harder and harder to think logically. Finally he gave up and gave in to what his body was telling him. He refused to think that his heart was involved. But the final release was so glorious, and all the more so because he sensed that Cameron was right there with him.

Afterward, he didn't let go for a few minutes. "We should have done that a long time ago," House whispered into her hair.

"I doubt we were ready," Cameron said. "This was...perfect! Who would believe that two such damaged people could achieve such ecstasy!"

But all good things had to come to an end. "I guess we'd better move on," House said at last. They dressed again hurriedly. Cameron insisted on remaking the bed. Then they donned their raingear and left Room 8, knowing that their relationship had undergone a major shift.

Cameron also knew, of course, that it didn't mean that House would stay. She'd just have to store up memories while he was still there. "Is the rain letting up?" she asked as they walked along the building.

"I think so. The wind's not as strong," House said.

"The storm's ending," Cameron said, sounding disappointed. It meant House would be leaving soon.

They reached Room 10 and walked in to find that they weren't the only ones who'd given in to their urges during the last hour or so.

House looked at the two patients in Vivian's bed. "Guess we should have knocked." He barely suppressed a laugh.

Cameron snickered. "And I guess you're both feeling a whole lot better."

Vivian looked embarrassed, but Harry just smirked at the two doctors. "Maybe you two can resist each other under these circumstances, but I guess we're not so high-minded," Harry said.

Cameron felt her cheeks flush, but it didn't seem that the couple noticed. They were too wrapped up in each other, both literally and figuratively.

"You'll need to untangle so we can give you your second shots," House told them. They reluctantly pulled apart but remained wrapped in the sheets while he prepared their arms for the IVs. He injected each of them, then turned to Cameron. "Guess we should let these two get back to what they were doing." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

She nodded and started to leave, then turned to tell the two patients, "The storm's ending. You should be able to go home by tomorrow morning."

"So make the most of the time you have," House added.

Cameron studied him as he opened the door for them to leave, and decided she'd take his advice, too. She walked out and turned back toward Room 8.

"Now where are you going?" House asked.

"Did you listen to what you just told those two in there?" she countered. "I want to make the most of the time we have."

He smiled and shook his head. Cameron continued to surprise him. "OK. But I told Pete I'd be back. And we need to get new blood samples to see if our patients' cholinesterase activity has improved."

"Now who's being conscientious?" she asked with a smirk.

"Guess you're finally rubbing off on me," he said, still grinning.

Cameron laughed. "OK. We'll stop and get a sample from Pam, then get one from Pete and start the tests. We can do the other three later."

"I like the way you're thinking," he said.

Chrissy and Pam were surprised to see them again, although it had been about an hour and a half since they'd left after giving Pam her second shot.

"We just need a little more blood to run a follow-up test," Cameron explained.

"No more shots?" Pam asked, hopefully.

"Probably not." Cameron found a vial and a fresh needle in their bag of supplies. There was no tourniquet, but they faked it using a head band that Chrissy had with her stuff. "I won't need much," Cameron said. Once she had filled the vial, she smiled at Pam. "We probably won't be back for a while, but you'll be glad to know the rain is letting up. You should be able to go home tomorrow."

The two girls were grinning when House and Cameron left them.