Chapter 29

The next two weeks passed quickly for Hermione. By unspoken agreement, any serious discussions were put on hold while they simply enjoyed spending time together and getting to know each other better.

They spent the first few days in bed as they attempted to satisfy their seemingly unquenchable thirst for each other. Hermione had never known she could want someone so much. One moment she would be sprawled across the bed in post-coital bliss, too exhausted to move; then with one look at Lucius' glorious body or a glance at the wicked gleam in his eye, and she would get as randy as a teenager, wet and ready for another go.

On the fifth day after Lucius' arrival, she finally put her foot down; she was so sore she wasn't sure she could survive another full day in bed, so they spent the day lounging lazily on the beach. The weather was getting cooler, but it was still significantly warmer than England, so days spent on the beach still felt wonderfully relaxing.

Poppy was beside herself with pleasure at having Lucius to look after again, and she had taken to humming to herself while she cooked or worked in the garden. Hermione had approached Poppy the day after Lucius arrived and hesitantly asked her if it was an issue that she and Lucius were 'intimate.' Poppy quickly assured Hermione that she was incredibly pleased that her Master and new Mistress were doing 'the squeaky' together.

Once Hermione got over her initial embarrassment at Poppy's pronouncement, she listened in surprised disbelief as Poppy whispered to Hermione that she had never thought her old Mistress was a good wife to Master Lucius, and she never screamed like Miss did. Evidently Poppy wasn't treated well by Narcissa; Poppy had known about Narcissa's affair and was angry at Narcissa's cold behavior towards her husband.

Horror at what she had just revealed flooded Poppy's demeanor but Hermione was able to intervene more quickly this time, and restrained Poppy before she could smash her head into the oven. Only after repeatedly swearing that she wouldn't repeat what Poppy had told her, was Hermione able to get the distraught elf to calm down. Hermione had hugged the elf and headed out to the patio to find Lucius.

Hermione had enjoyed watching Lucius shed his uptight persona and relax around her. He had transfigured some of his heavy clothes into light slacks and loose linen shirts, and much to Hermione's surprised pleasure, had even acquiesced to buy a modest swimsuit; she knew he wasn't used to wearing so little in public, even if it was only the two of them on the beach most days.

One day during the second week of their impromptu vacation, Hermione had arranged a tour of the vineyards for she and Lucius, and they spent a lovely afternoon traipsing through aromatic fields learning about the different types of grapes grown on the island.

After the tour, the owners of the vineyard hosted a light lunch and wine tasting and Lucius surprised Hermione once again by conversing quite comfortably with the Muggle family before purchasing 6 cases of their best wine. All in all it was a lovely afternoon, and they returned to the villa relaxed, happy and a little tipsy.

The rest of the week was spent sightseeing along the French coast. They took the ferry to Hyères where they rented a car and drove the 110 km to Nice. There they made their way along the scenic Promenade des Anglais; the boardwalk famed for its blue lounge chairs and scenic views. Even this late in the season, it was bustling with humanity and they happily bypassed it and headed directly to their hotel to check-in.

The nine-story Palais de la Mediterranee was a famed playground for wealthy pleasure-seekers on the French Riviera. Located on the waterfront Promenade des Anglais of Nice's Old City, the hotel featured a towering Art Deco marble façade and large suites with the latest amenities, including flat screen TVs, high speed Internet access, and electric blinds.

Hermione knew that Lucius was overwhelmed by the Muggle amenities, but she wanted to share some of her world with him. They spent the first day getting settled in, ordering room service and making love. Later, Hermione introduced Lucius to his first 'porn' movie which he showed an interest in for about ten minutes then shut off quickly after a close-up of the very, very well-endowed male actor.

Hermione then spent the rest of the night proving to Lucius that he was more than enough man for her… many times and quite loudly. Honestly, what normal woman can actually even handle twelve inches? Hermione thought tiredly as Lucius tried to get her interested in a fourth go-round.

The next morning they woke early and spent the day wandering the outdoor markets along the Cours Saleya Flower Market, where blooms of every color and shape burst to life, and a cornucopia of ripe produce, sidewalk cafés and souvenir shops provided Hermione ample opportunity to purchase gifts for everyone back home.

In the late afternoon, they headed to Old Nice, which was dripping with atmosphere and charm. Its narrow streets held even more shops for Hermione to spend her money on unique gifts from local artisans. Thankfully, Hermione was able to locate a deserted alleyway and reduce all her shopping bags to fit into her pocket or she would have never been able to carry all her purchases.

Finally, exhausted and starving, they stopped for dinner at a lovely restaurant that boasted the best seafood in the area, but Hermione chose because of its intimate setting and secluded tables. Hermione and Lucius spent the rest of the evening feeding each other succulent tidbits of fresh seafood from each other's plates and washing it down with two excellent bottles of local wine.

Hermione discovered that Lucius had an extensive knowledge of wine as well as different types of food, and to her surprise, spoke French fluently. She also discovered, to her immense pleasure, that he was surprisingly adept at giving her an orgasm under the table while maintaining a polite conversation above it. Needless to say, she paid him back tenfold when they finally got back at the hotel.

After a night of long, slow lovemaking in which Hermione shared some of her talents with Lucius, they lazily spent the morning eating breakfast in bed. After several cups of rich strong coffee and another round of sweaty sex, they headed to the Nice Archaeology Museum and Roman Ruins. There they walked through the ruins of a Roman arena and ancient bathhouses. Inside, the archaeology museum housed an interesting mix of historic and archaeological exhibits from the area, but it wasn't a very extensive collection, so they were only there a few hours before deciding to head home.

They had both had a wonderful time, but missed the quiet and seclusion of the villa. After checking out of their hotel, they drove back to Hyères, dropped off the car and were able to just make the last ferry of the night back to the island.

When they arrived back at the villa, it was late and they were tired so they went to bed after another quick, but passionate coupling. It wasn't until the next morning as she was heading down for breakfast that Hermione noticed the letter propped up on the kitchen table. It was addressed to her and was from the Minister of Magic. Hermione sighed as she opened it. This can't be good news.

The letter was directing Hermione to return immediately as there had been a health emergency with her boss, Amelia Bones and Hermione needed to take over until she was well. Hermione was relieved to read that Amelia wasn't in serious condition, but she was unable to fulfill her obligations at the Ministry so Hermione would have to cover for her.

She really didn't want to leave this idyllic existence she had been enjoying for the last three weeks, but knew she didn't have a choice.

Hermione sent off a quick reply letting the Minister know she would be back to work tomorrow and a note to Amelia with wishes for a quick recovery. After making a breakfast tray of beignet's and fresh coffee, she headed outside to soften up Lucius with sugar and caffeine before breaking the news to him.

Lucius took it well all things considered, but Hermione sensed he wasn't keen on going back yet either. And then there was that three hundred pound gorilla that was sitting between them that they still hadn't acknowledged yet; the big question… what happens now?

There was no denying the fact that the last two weeks had been beyond wonderful. The lovemaking alone had been world class, but Hermione also enjoyed the easy conversation they shared and good natured debates about everything under the sun. Every issue that is, except the one neither wanted to bring up. Could a relationship survive between them back among the judging masses?

Lucius hadn't said much when she showed him the note, he seemed more intent on the coffee and pastry, but Hermione saw that he was wearing 'that face' again; that tight, cold impersonal face he showed the world when he was trying to hide his true feelings.

"So when are you planning to leave?" he asked in a flat voice devoid of any emotion, as he sipped his coffee.

"I need to be at work tomorrow by nine, so I was planning on leaving this evening after dinner," she said carefully, suddenly unsure what would happen next. The last thing she wanted was for this glorious vacation to end on a sour note.

"So what would you like to do on our final day here?" Hermione asked flirtatiously, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"Hermione, what does this mean… for us?" Lucius asked with the same frozen look on his face.

Hermione knew she didn't want to stop spending time with him and she definitely didn't want to give up what they shared in the bedroom. The problem lay with her insecurity about his feelings towards her; he had never actually said what he wanted to happen between them, but then again neither had she.

Hermione knew exactly how she wanted to answer him. What does it mean? It means I want you to come home with me because I can't stand the thought of my life without you in it. It means I need you because you make me feel things that I have never felt before and I'm afraid that without you I may never feel them again. It means that… I love you!

The problem was not what she wanted to say, the problem was what she could say that wouldn't make her sound pathetic and needy and open her up to getting her heart stomped on and left in a pile of dust. Taking a deep breath and clutching her coffee cup to still her shaking hands, she started to speak, but before she could, Lucius stood quickly and looked down at her with that same mask of indifference.

"Please forgive me; it was not my intention to pressure you into anything. I have enjoyed our time together and I…," he faltered before continuing quietly.

"… thank you Hermione." Lucius leaned down and placed a lingering kiss on her forehead before turning and quickly walking back into the house to pack what few items he had brought with him.

Hermione suddenly felt the distance opening between them and knew that she couldn't let that happen. It had happened between she and Ron and she couldn't stop it… hadn't wanted to stop it, but Lucius was different… she was different; she was not going to let this go without a fight. If that means making a fool of myself, then so be it.

She threw down her napkin and took the stairs two at a time walking into the bedroom to find Lucius fastening the last strap on his overnight bag. He looked up in surprise as she entered the room and was even more surprised when she threw her arms around him and kissed him hungrily.

Lucius dropped his bag and pulled her close not wanting to miss any opportunity to hold her. Leaving her was one of the hardest things he had ever had to do. These past weeks had shown him what had always been missing with Narcissa. The warmth and playfulness that he shared with Hermione filled an emptiness inside of him that he hadn't known was there.

He loved their conversations and found himself constantly marveling at Hermione's amazing intellect. He even enjoyed their heated debates over a myriad of topics, especially as they usually ended up in bed afterwards. He would also miss the incredible lovemaking… he had always considered himself a good lover, better than good. But Hermione had shown him things and opened up new vistas of pleasure and discovery that he intuitively knew he would never find with anyone else.

He had been holding his tongue for the last two weeks so as not to scare her away. She had children to consider, and Lucius knew that the Wizarding World would not be very accepting of their relationship and he shuddered to think about what her friends and family would think.

When she had told him about the note from the Minister, his only thought had been that it was an excuse for her to end things. Her silence after he had asked her about where their relationship would go from there solidified his belief that she did not want to continue seeing him after tonight.

Lucius couldn't let her see how her words… or lack of words had hurt him. He stood quickly to mask the pain that was tearing through his gut at her obvious indifference, and his only thought was that he needed to get as far away from her as he could before he broke down and his cool façade cracked.

Then suddenly she was there in his arms and she was kissing him, and he wondered if this was her way of saying good-bye… or something else.

But right at that moment he didn't care if this was the end, because right now, this woman… his woman was in his arms again and he could feel the spark that always ignited whenever she touched him. She made him burn for her, burn hotter than he thought was possible.

Hermione could feel his desire pressing insistently against her stomach and she wanted to throw him down and ride him until he screamed out her name. Because when they made love; when he was buried so deep inside of her that she wanted to scream out with the feeling… the completeness… the rightness; for that period of time… he was hers.

Hermione reluctantly pulled out of his embrace knowing she needed to say the words. The actions would be wonderful, but they wouldn't change anything until she said what she needed to say. The rest would be up to him.

"Lucius, I need to talk to you… to tell you…," she began hesitantly as she looked up into the face that had become so vital to her happiness.

Hermione took a fortifying breath as she met his questioning look… and jumped in with both feet.

"I don't know how it happened nor do I care, I just know that I have felt more… alive, more… passion, more… everything, in the past two months than I have felt in my entire life." Hermione thought Lucius looked a bit dumbstruck, but at least his look of cold indifference was gone so she continued, the emotion evident in her breathless voice.

"I… I love you Lucius," she whispered feeling suddenly overcome, "… and I don't know how this will work…," she waved her hands to indicate both of them, "… I just know that I really want to find a way, because I don't want you to walk out of my life… I don't want to lose you."

Lucius felt his heart jump into overdrive and he could feel joy infusing his entire being as he looked into her warm brown eyes, so full of sincerity… and love? She loves me? Lucius suddenly didn't care if this was a fluke or if he was dreaming it, he stepped forward and cradled her beautiful face tenderly between his palms.

"Oh Hermione, I hope for your sake that you mean that, because you are not getting away from me again," Lucius' thumbs caressed her cheeks softly as he searched her face.

"You have brought me back to life and awakened me to a joy and contentment that I never imagined possible, much less ever experienced. You are incredibly beautiful and the warmest, most giving person I have ever known. You are also amazingly, sublimely sexy, and I… I love you… very much."

Lucius gently kissed each of Hermione's tears that glistened on her eyelashes and pulled her into a tight hug. He needed her warmth, he needed to feel her heart beating against his own, he needed to hold her close forever, he needed… her… always.

"Lucius?" Hermione asked as she beamed a radiant smile up at him.

"So...," she asked, her voice still quavering with emotion, "... my place or yours?"