Chapter 26

They walked around Vienna for a while. Hermione was tucked in under his outer robes, huddled against his body heat. He should have brought her back sooner, but he was enjoying himself too much. Enjoyed having her cling to him, depend on him and then the anticipation of what was to come. The leisurely night they had ahead of them.

There was no question what would happen that night. It was a given and Lucius was basking in its deliciousness. There was no nagging concern that she wouldn't show, that someone would steal her attention away or convince her otherwise. There was nothing to worry about this evening.

Finally he couldn't take it any longer and they returned to the room. They didn't bother turning on the lights. There was sufficient light from the street outside. He played with the straps on her dress, the cool material contrasting the warm skin underneath. He could hear her breathing deepen.

Lucius loved having sex with Hermione. It had evolved over time, at first it was about the sensations his body craved. He still got that satisfaction, but his attention was increasingly on her. He watched, heard and felt how her body responded when he touched her. First stroking her skin, feeling the goosebumps that followed his touch. Bask in her heady scent. Taste her skin.

On some level, she was fighting the sensation. Or fighting their effect on her. Sometimes she would shudder as he stroked her. He knew there on some level was something about their relationship that she found distasteful. He didn't like it, but he also knew that she was compelled to be here. She loved him, or some part of him. It was an odd thing.

He was having her ride him tonight. He liked being able to see her. See the point where her reservations ceased to be, the point where she lost control and ceased to be about anything other than her desire for him. That point where he encompassed her entire world. He couldn't deny that it drove him, as did the knowledge that he could control her through sex.

In those moments were unfolding a deeper desire. The desire to own her completely. True and complete ownership that can only come by him making her breed. But that could not be. They were both protected against that occurrence, but he could not help but let his imagination claim the idea. It feed something in him. He hated that it wasn't true, wasn't authentic, or that he couldn't ignore the deep desire for it. For everyone to know she was his, it being proven by her belly. But he couldn't have that. He saw the truth and the logic of it most of the time, it was just now, when he was insider her with her complete submission that it rubbed against the grain.

She was coming again, he could feel it, feel her body tensing and he went with it. Allowed his own release deep inside her as he felt her tightly to him. Her groans continued for quite some time before things calmed down. The urge to sleep was overwhelming. He wanted her to stay, sleep together like this, but she moved away as sleep claimed him.

He woke a little while later. She was sleeping next to him, with her back to him. He could hear her slow even breathing. He traced the curves of her side with his fingers. Her skin was so smooth, so beautiful. It felt good having her there with him. She smelled so good and her body had the comforting warmth that only sleep can bring.

It had been the perfect evening. And he had tomorrow to look forward to. He was going to have sex with her first thing in the morning, then a relaxed breakfast in the room, before they went out and did something. They would return to England in the evening. He wished morning would come now, but it was still hours away. Eventually he fell asleep.

Hermione returned to the Borrow late Sunday evening. The house was very quiet as Ginny was asleep and Ron was spending the night somewhere. Hermione tried to avoid Molly, who probably knew quite well that she hadn't been visiting with her parents that weekend.

Hermione hated the lying and the hiding. It was exhausting, and she felt drained. The weekend had been wonderful, but she felt drained. Not from physical exhaustion, although she was pretty exhausted, but for emotional exhaustion. She had been working so hard not to be in love with him. It would be so much easier if she could just stop seeing him, but she just couldn't. She just melted when he touched her and her whole body tingled whenever he looked at her.

All this with the inescapable knowledge that this was all going to end very badly. He would tire of her, she would be completely in love with him and everyone would know and think she was the whore of the century. That kind of bad. But being the brightest witch of her age didn't seem to give her the ability to extract herself from this situation. Because give it 24 hours and she craved him so badly she couldn't see straight.

She decided the only thing she could do at this point was to stop thinking about it. That would be a start, if she could stop thinking about it all the time, then maybe she could actually work herself up to doing something about it.

Lucius had a good week. He saw his girl in the evenings although they had to forgo one evening as he had a business dinner he couldn't ignore. Although he was resentful throughout the dinner, he noted. There was an event on tonight. She would be there and he wasn't sure if he would see her after. He hoped so.

It was a Ministry event to celebrate the successes of their world after the difficulties recently. All the Order of the Phoenix members were invited, as was most dignitaries and society stalwarts.

He saw her across the room. She was with people her age, people from her house at school he surmised. She wore a dress, it was not particularly revealing, but he could see the outlines of her body underneath. He was pretty sure that the boy she was talking to could as well. He didn't like it one bit, and it really hit home when the boy touched her arm. Fury was boiling in him at the impertinence of the boy.

He had the inclination to find out who the boy was and ruin his life. But he was staring and he had to stop, or someone would remark.

He kept track of her while keeping his conversation going with the Head of Magical Law. She was still talking to the boy and he was fuming. The boy was making her laugh now.

He excused himself when she was her walk towards the restrooms. He reached her as she walked behind a pillar.

"I don't like you talking to that boy." He said. He was pretty sure that boy had dishonest intentions.

"What?" She said.

"That boy you were talking to, I don't like the look of him."

"Seamus?" Hermione said with astonishment. Then after a few seconds, she said, "No! You do not get to be jealous."

"I am not jealous." He said with indignity.

"I will not tolerate jealousy." She said. "He is my class mate, he is my friend and you do not get a say in who I talk to or what I do." She was angry, she was trying not to yell.

"You do not know what this boy's intentions are." He defended herself. "I am just watching out for you."

"I am perfectly capable of watching out for myself." She said. "Particularly around my friends."

She turned on her heel and walked away. He hated that she had dismissed him. He hated that she had not heeded his well meant advice. He was not jealous.

When she returned to her group of friends she was talking to another boy now. A boy that was very attractive. She shot him an angry look at one point.

Maybe at a stretch he could concede that perhaps he had overreacted slightly. He still didn't like those boys looking at her. He was a boy once, he remembered what went through his mind whenever he looked at her.

It hadn't been how he wanted this next interaction with her to go. He had actually been planning on asking her to come around to the Manor for dinner one night so he could introduce her to Narcissa. He hadn't quite worked out how to phrase that question yet, but he wanted Narcissa to meet the girl.

He didn't think he would get the opportunity to ask later that evening. The girl was angry with him.