Chapter 36: Entwined

Rosetta could hear the pounding of her heart in her ears as she watched Severus shift his gaze whilst she her let her robe fall over her shoulders, revealing swathes of luminous dark skin. His glimmering onyx eyes roamed her chest hungrily and her breath caught in her throat as he meticulously appraised her exposed flesh. He reached up to delicately cup one of her breasts and she marvelled at the striking contrast between the cool alabaster hue of his hand against the warm cocoa of her skin, the jarring juxtaposition of white against black.

Slowly, so slowly, he lowered his head and Rosetta could feel the tickle of his hair as he planted a row of kisses from her neck down to her breasts. Once more, her eyes flickered shut as she relented to the sensations.

His kisses, although full of passion, were surprisingly tender and Rosetta thought that maybe she had missed the obvious after all; maybe he had harboured feelings for her all along. Perhaps he had pushed her away precisely because he'd felt attracted to her and had been ashamed of his actions back when they'd been at school together. And then they had been forced into each other's orbits through Dumbledore's insistence and despite his best efforts of trying to quash his feelings, he had discovered they actually got on well which made things even more difficult, and had made him feel even more guilty about his past. So he showed her the memory, not because he despised her, but because he felt she had a right to know what had happened that day and what kind of man he used to be, before they both developed further feelings for each other. And all the while she had thought the worst of him, interpreting his actions as hostile rather than self-preservation.

This would explain his use of Legilimency on her too, Rosetta suddenly realised as his hot breath seemed to scorch her flesh. He was searching for that one memory, to see if it had come back to her, and instead found that it had been worse than he'd expected: that his Obliviation had been too powerful and she did not remember him at all. Was it any wonder he'd wanted to avoid her? He'd felt guilty and angry with himself for the mistakes he'd made in the past.

His kisses continued with increasing urgency and Rosetta thought of all the times he'd touched her before, through the use of Legilimency and stopping her at the statue. He'd never once hurt her, she remembered, even though she had been expecting him to. And now, as his long fingers squeezed and caressed her soft skin, his touch was taking her to new heights of pleasure.

He lifted his head, locking eyes once more as her hands moved to the front of his robes, attempting to unbutton his frock coat with her fingers. It was no easy task; the buttons were small and fussy, and Severus actually smirked as he watched her struggling. Rosetta gave a mock pout in return.

"Call yourself a witch?" he drawled, waving a hand casually, and Rosetta grinned in delight as the little buttons popped open from top to bottom and his frock coat fell open.

Rosetta pulled him towards her, hands now inside his frock coat and feeling the heat of his body through his crisp white shirt as she kissed his mouth. Her tongue flicked over his lips, eliciting a growl of pleasure, as she kissed him deeper.

Severus drew back a little, finding her gaze, and as their eyes locked she felt something brush her mind. It was like Legilimency but softer; not a probe but a mental caress. She understood the action to be a kind of reassurance that she felt the same way as him, and that she wanted this as much as he did. She was touched at the comfort of the gesture. She let her thoughts and emotions surface to the front of her mind, so her intentions could be easily read. He cupped her face, black eyes shining with astonished delight as he absorbed the display of feelings without words. He nodded at her unasked question, reciprocating her feelings right back at her.

And then he swooped back for more, lips entwined whilst she raked her hands across his chest and her tongue darted into his mouth.

This time, her hands made light work of the shirt buttons and she soon felt the smooth milky skin underneath. She could almost feel the magic radiating off him, a soft thrum of the power he held inside. He's so pale, she thought, tracing circles with her dark fingers then lightly dragging her nails down his sides.

His mouth found her neck again and her nails dug lightly into his back as his teeth grazed the soft skin above her collar bone.

"Severus," she moaned, every nerve end on fire as skin met skin, torso to torso, his hot kisses sending shivers of pleasure down her spine. "I want you."

He came up for air, panting slightly, his usual ivory complexion now slightly flushed.

"You know how I feel about you, Rosetta," he whispered. "Stay with me tonight."

Rosetta gazed back into the vertiginous depths of his eyes and knew, then, that this moment would change everything for them. She smiled, stroking his face tenderly and nodded.