Chapter Three

Might I but moor tonight in thee!

Remus crossed the room to sit on the bed next to Tonks. He put his arm around her, as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"You've lost so much more than I have."

"This isn't a contest."

"That's not what I meant, Remus. I'm saying that you have more dignity than I do. I guess that I am embarrassed that I'm such a…" she hesitated, and he looked at her, expectantly, as a tear rolled down her nose. She wiped it away impatiently. "Well...girl! I'm a blubbering mess. I know I can do better than this, damn it!"

He picked up his wand off the nightstand and conjured up a handkerchief.

"There's nothing wrong with you," he said gently, as he wiped the tear away, then handed her the linen square. "You are caring and strong, and I think you are handling this like a trooper."

She turned away and blew her nose, then put her head back on his shoulder. He slid his arm back around her, and kissed the top of her head. She took a deep breath, and he pulled her chin up with his other hand to look in her eyes.

"Better?" he asked, and she nodded, closing her eyes. He dabbed at the remaining tears with his thumb, then kissed her forehead. She wrapped her arms loosely around his waist, taking another deep breath. He bent lower and brushed his lips over her eyelid. She gave a small shiver, and her arms tightened around him. He reached for her face a second time, but this time, carefully cupped her jaw in his hand and brushed his thumb across her cheekbone. Finally, she opened her eyes again and looked up at him.

He inhaled sharply, and she felt her blood race. His usually gentle eyes were ravenous. Her breath hitched, and she thought, Yes, now, he is finally going to kiss me, though she hadn't ever had an inkling of an idea that she wanted him to. She felt her lips part involuntarily, and he bent his face lower, taking both sides of her jaw in his hands now, and tilting her face up slightly. He licked his lips and she closed her eyes, her blood humming in anticipation, but his lips instead brushed the tip of her nose, then across to her cheek. Then he rested his cheek against hers, breathing against her ear.

For a few moments, Remus wrestled against his better judgement. Up until this point, he could fool himself quite easily into thinking that he was just attempting to comfort a friend. But it would probably be a very bad idea to kiss along her jaw to her chin, which had been the very path he had been heading toward when he stopped himself. And above all, it was a very, very bad idea to go anywhere near her mouth. So here he was, afraid to look at her, breathing heavily into her ear, which was undoubtedly just creepy, and she would eventually kick him out of her room, telling anyone who would listen the absurd story about the dirty old man who was into heavy breathing. He had to come up with some way to leave immediately before he embarrassed them both. Unfortunately, she chose that moment to slide her hands, which had been resting on his lower back, around and over his chest, wrapping her arms around his neck as she slid her fingers into his hair. He opened his eyes and inhaled the scent of strawberries coming from her hair, as he turned his mouth to the corner of her jaw and tasted. She gave a little sigh and tightened her fingers in his hair. This was a very bad idea, he thought again. Still remembering that her mouth was something to be avoided at all costs, he moved down her neck, tracing his lips along her skin until he reached the point where her neck met her shoulders, and tasted once more. This time, her whole body shivered and he groaned. He pulled away and risked another look at her face. Her skin was flushed and glowing; her eyes were brighter than he had ever known them to be. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, as she looked at him in wonder. She smiled, shyly, and as he leaned toward her, she closed her eyes.

It was just a feathery brush against her mouth, but it felt like somebody had punched her in the stomach with no warning. He slid his hands up, once again to cup her jaw, and she noticed with surprise that his hands were trembling. He tilted her head slightly and kissed her a second time; this time, she actually tasted him a bit, and her own hands trembled as she pulled him closer, fingers grasping his hair. She turned her head a bit more and the kiss deepened, she shared a breath with him, and he slid his arms around her. She pulled away, gulping air and panicking a little. She needed to look at him and see if this was affecting him as much as it was she. He opened his eyes and they stunned her with their intensity. She let her body fall back onto her bed, pulling him with her. He took a steadying breath, and gave her a third kiss. This time, he pulled her bottom lip into his mouth, while he traced her top lip with the tip of his tongue. She parted her lips, and he slowly slid his tongue inside. She gave a tiny whimper, as she tasted apple, and a hint of the whiskey he had drunk hours before.

He eventually pulled away from her mouth, tracing her jaw with his lips, as he had meant to do earlier. Once again he found himself breathing next to her ear, but this time gently took her earlobe into his mouth. His conscience, the one whose favorite words seemed to be 'very bad idea', was probably still there, screaming, but it was impossible to hear over the blood pounding in his ears. He kissed down her neck again, nibbling on the skin above her collarbone. His conscience seemed to become more audible the lower he kissed, so he worked his way back to her lips, gently nudging them apart until she lost all patience and steadied his face with her hands, exploring his own mouth with her tongue.

She scooted her body forward on the bed, until no part of her was hanging over the side, and he followed, careful not to crush her tiny frame with his lanky one. His irritating conscience hissed that it would be a very good idea to kiss her goodnight right now, before his imagination led him to picture what was concealed beneath the surprisingly feminine lavender cotton camisole she was wearing. He suddenly realised that her mouth might be just the thing to concentrate on in order to prevent his thoughts from venturing lower, so he attacked it with renewed determination. His hands itched to touch more of her skin, but he fought the impulse, hating himself for taking advantage of her vulnerability.

He'd underestimated the girl quivering beneath him, however. She had been told before that her goals were impossible: that she was too young to be her house Chaser, that she was too clumsy to be an Auror. Hesitating above her was the man that she had never realised that she always wanted. He was the kindest, most generous person she had ever known; he was dead sexy, and she was sure that he really needed her. She rolled over, pulling him with her. She kissed him deeply, then allowed her fingers to wander under the hem of his faded tee shirt, gliding over his navel, past his abdominal muscles and around to his back. She pressed eager lips to the junction of his ear and jawbone, then kissed lower, pulling away his collar to taste his neck. He ran his fingers down her backbone, bringing them back up to slide under her arms, past her elbows and around her wrists, stopping when his fingers linked with hers. He was looking at her with reverence, and she could see the pulse pounding on the side of his neck. When he released her hands, she sat up on her knees and pulled her camisole over her head, crossing her arms over her chest after she threw it to the floor. His eyes widened then grew darker and he sat up and reached a hand to her furiously blushing face. He traced a line from her cheek, down the side of her neck, past her shoulder and down her arm, which he gently uncrossed, sucking in a breath in wonder as he looked at her. He pressed his lips to her jaw, reaching behind her to run his warm hands up her now bare back. She shivered. He trailed his lips down her neck as she threw her head back, sighing. By the time he reached her collarbone, he had lowered her to the bed once more. Sliding her arms around him, she tugged his shirt over his head and threw it, too, on the floor. She ran her hands up his back, tracing her fingertips along the ridges of scar tissue that covered his skin. The wiry muscles beneath her fingers twitched; he took a ragged breath and crushed his mouth to hers.

His conscience was no match for the sensation of her bare skin pressed against his. As he kissed her hungrily, one of his hands ran up and down her ribs, his thumb brushing the side of her breast. She gasped, he groaned, then he slipped his hand over to cup it gently. He pulled his mouth away from hers to look at her flushed face, then lowered his head to start a path of wet kisses that ended with his lips closing over the other breast. She moaned his name; he growled under his breath. He kissed lower, tracing the underside of her breast with his tongue. His hands roamed her belly, her ribcage, slid over her nipples and up her arms, pinning them above her head with one hand while the other, feather light, teased every sensitive bit of skin he had discovered. His mouth followed, stopping to suck on the inside of her elbows and wrists, then moved to the spot on her neck where her pulse was throbbing madly. The musky scent of desire that emanated from her skin inflamed his senses. He kissed the tiny mole beneath her left breast, ran his tongue over the faint indentations of her abdominal muscles, dipped it briefly in her navel, and then back up to circle the exact spot where her ivory skin turned into rose and puckered. He finally pulled the nipple into his mouth again and she whimpered, throwing her arms around him and digging into his back with her fingers. Eventually, one of his hands began to slide down her hip to seek out the bare skin below her plaid flannel pajama shorts. His fingers glided along her athletic thighs and calves to caress her ankles, then slid around to the soft skin on the inside of her thigh. They rested there for a moment, hovering just under the edge of the fabric. She raised her knees to either side of his waist, and he tore his attention away from the nipple that he had been gently grazing with his teeth. With one hand still resting on her thigh, he propped himself up on his other elbow and gazed at her face. Her expression was fierce and as he bent to kiss her mouth, he slid his body up hers until his pelvis rested between her legs. Her eyes closed as their mouths met, and he slid his fingers under her shorts to glide inside of her. She cried out, he shuddered. Shaking, she slipped her hands down his back and under the waistband of his pants, cupping his buttocks. He rolled over on his side and slid his hands down her body, peeling away her shorts and knickers. He kissed his way back up her legs, giving attention to the arches of her feet and the sensitive skin on the back of her knees. After kissing the inside of her thighs, he lifted his head up to find her watching him, eyes glazed with lust. He slid his fingers up her thighs, pulling them apart and lowered his mouth to her.

She arched her back and bit into her fist to keep from screaming. Eventually, she had the presence of mind to tug his pajamas down impatiently with her toes. He slid up her body, kicking them the rest of the way off. Her body felt like one giant throbbing nerve, radiating out from between her legs, made raw by the friction of his bare skin on hers. She reached down to grasp him in her hands, and as her fingers gently traced the length of him, it was his turn to whimper. He cupped her face with his hands again, kissing her ravenously. Then he pulled back to look into her eyes, and his stare was so piercing, she felt more naked than she ever had in her life. A flood of emotion poured into her and her eyes filled with tears. His body was shuddering, his breath was ragged, and his eyes glittered in the firelight. At last he plunged inside of her. She clung desperately to him as they moved together, eyes locked, their hearts pounding in unison and their mouths so close they seemed to be sharing the same breath. As they shattered, he cried, "Nymphadora!" into her ear, and it was the most beautiful word she had heard in her life.