(A/N: A short, smutty start...)

Ch 55: Starting the New Year Right

The next morning they'd eventually peeled themselves out of bed and thrown on enough clothing to walk in front of the downstairs windows to make breakfast.

"Can I ask you something?" Hermione asked as she sipped her tea.

"I would hope so considering everything else we've gotten up to in the past twelve hours," Ron chuckled.

Hermione blushed, reaching over to a love bit on his neck. "Right," she laughed. "I was just curious about what you wrote on your paper last night about what you hoped for in this new year. You don't have to tell me, since I know Ginny said they would be sealed, so that's why I prefaced it that way."

"Ahh…got it. Well, I have to say I was a bit intimidated by watching you write such an epistle for that assignment. I wasn't exactly that verbose. But the general theme was that I hoped I didn't fuck it up."

"What? What are you worried you'll mess up?"

"Now come on, I know I heard you say fuck at least once before," he teased.

"Well, yeah, but, wait a minute - now you're avoiding the question," she laughed, trying to hide how flustered she felt.

"I know, I know. But well, it is everything I guess – you, us, Hugo, Rose – new jobs – my whole new life. I just don't want to fuck it up. That was pretty much my New Year's wish or hope or resolution thingy."

"You aren't going to mess anything up, Ron," she said gently as she took his hand.

"I wish I shared your confidence in my relationship skills, Hermione. Now, if we were fighting bad guys – then my confidence would go up drastically. But this – talking about feelings, letting the kids try and fail and building them back up, thinking about others first, trusting feelings over facts and such, it's all, well, it's all new. I wasn't that good at it growing up, and I haven't exactly practiced much. Just not my strength. Doesn't mean I don't love you all more than life, or that I am not trying – just worried I'll trip over my own mouth or screw it up somehow. And I really don't want to."

"Ron, I know I didn't really know you until last year, but every single thing I have heard about your life before we met was that you were always putting others first – Harry, your sister, your parents, Fi, your colleagues, George, your nieces and nephews…you hadn't taken a day off other than sick leave in like a year. So, please don't ever say you aren't good at that. Sometimes I worry you are too good at it."

"What? What does that mean?"

"Don't take it the wrong way. I am just saying that it seems like a lot of time you are taking so much care of everyone else that I worry you aren't taking enough care of yourself or making sure your needs are met."

He looked at her with a smirk and one raised eyebrow. "Trust me, love, you are definitely making sure my needs are met."

"That's not what I…ugh! You are ridiculous. I was talking about other needs, you sex-crazed wizard."

"Uh huh. I do believe that you are the one who has attacked me the past two times we made love if I am not mistaken," he teased. "Not that I mind at all. I love it. But maybe you shouldn't be accusing me of being the sex-crazed one around here." He watched as her face turned red out of a mixture of embarrassment and annoyance. She looked so adorable that he couldn't help but reach up and tuck a stray curl behind her ear. "But don't get all mad. I know you said something similar when we were in Salem. I've been trying to say what I wanted."

"Right – and it's great. All I am saying is that I think you should do more of that when we aren't off on vacation. I worry sometimes you will wake up one day and be annoyed that we never do things your way. Just promise me you'll say what you want every now and then."

He looked at her for a few moments without saying anything. Just as she started to worry she had said the wrong thing he said, "So much of my life is totally new to me. And I think that has put me in a place where I really don't have much of an opinion on things. So, it isn't that things are going in a way I don't like. But, when you asked me about how to organize Christmas Eve – I had no bloody clue of what to do, let alone have an opinion if one idea would be better than another. But the things that are important to me – like Rose not going to Malfoy Manor. I share those. I may not have as many things that I feel that strongly about, but the ones I do – I promise – you'll know."

"Ok," she nodded. "Good – I appreciate that."

"And now, I have something I feel very strongly we need to address."

"Of course – what?" she said, trying to anticipate what he might be talking about.

"You have on far too many clothes."

"Ron! You had me thinking we were having a serious conversation!"

"Oh. I am very serious," he said, trying to maintain a serious expression but failing to completely cover his grin. "In fact, I am thinking I need to take that shirt off of you right now."

"We're right in front of the window, Ron," she said with a nervous giggle.

"Well, good thing I am a sex crazed wizard instead of a sex crazed muggle since I can charm them so no one will see in," he laughed.

"I'm going to regret that one, aren't I?" she asked as he started to work his hand up her bare thigh.

"Couldn't say. But I can tell you I am not going to regret this," and with that, he reached for his wand and vanished both of their clothes with a quick flick of his wrist.

"Ron!" she shrieked with a smile. "We're naked in the kitchen!"

"Very observant, love. Don't worry, I charmed the windows," he said as he gently stroked her cheek, loving the sparkle in her eyes and the pink tinge in her cheek.

"So now you're going to charm me, huh?" she laughed.

"Yeah, that was the general idea," he said as he leaned in, capturing her lips in his. She leaned into his kiss, sighing into his mouth as he moved his hand to her breast. She turned and swiftly shifted to his lap, facing him so their lips never broke contact.

After a while she finally said murmured into his mouth, "I think it's working." She felt him smile against her cheek as she raked her nails through his hair and across his scalp. She leaned into him, rubbing her nipples across his chest, causing him to moan. His hands were soon running up from her bare arse, up over her rounded hips, into her tiny waist and curved up again until they each covered a breast. As he roller her nipples in his fingers, she began to squirm in her lap, which caused just the needed friction between her and his cock to shift them from a slow, sensual pace to a much more frenzied moment. Soon, his mouth was over her breast, dragging his teeth across her now hardened nipple and biting just hard enough to cause her to whimper as she leaned back, arching her back.

Before she knew what had happened, Ron had her on her back on the kitchen table, and he was still sitting in the chair but now perfectly position to cover her now hot core with his mouth, sucking at her nub and gently pulsing his fingers into her as she came undone. He placed her legs over his shoulders, and easily had her screaming and writhing in response to his tongue and hands. As soon as she had climaxed, he stood and slid into her at the edge of the table. The angle worked wonders for both of them, and she gasped and groaned at each thrust, but was already so overcome by the first orgasm that her muscles seemed like jelly, leaving her completely supple and relaxed in his arms. Ron felt the sweat across his brow as he continued plunging into her. His hands held her soft hips as she whimpered and squeaked in pleasure, and he tried desperately to keep his eyes open to take in the sight of her breasts and her curls bouncing with each thrust as he took her on the kitchen table. Before long, her felt her get close to a second orgasm, and as he felt her tighten around him, he too released, spilling into her, and almost falling across her. He managed to wrap his arms around her, and pull her into his lap, where they remained entwined as they both recovered.

Finally, he whispered into her ear, "I love you so much. I don't know if I can ever tell you how much." And with that, he tucked his head into the nook of her neck.

"I know, Ron. I know, and I love you that much as well. You have to know that. Just so much," she whispered back as she clung to him, rubbing her hand across his back. She felt him nodding into her neck, and smiled, thrilled they had the time to linger before they had to fetch the children.