Unlikely Partners
Chapter 23
Severus had no time to reply for almost as soon as the words had escaped Hermione's lips, the telephone began to ring.
Severus quickly pushed past her and moved swiftly to answer it.
As Severus had expected, it was Kingsley Shacklebolt.
After talking with the rest of the Order members, Minerva had set the meeting date for Saturday, the day after Bill's wedding.
Severus would have liked for it to have been scheduled sooner, but the entire Weasley family was busy preparing for the big event at the end of the week and Minerva obviously hadn't felt that it was necessary to force the Weasleys to make time for an emergency meeting before the wedding.
Though Severus had said the meeting needed to be set before Tuesday, and as Saturday was well within that time frame, he really couldn't fault Minerva for making the meeting be on Saturday.
Severus replaced the telephone on its cradle and turned around to find Hermione staring at him with a worried look.
Even in distress, her eyes held a power that inflamed his baser instincts.
He remembered the taste of her mouth, the feel of the soft skin of her neck against his lips, and exactly how her body had felt held in place against him.
And as he stared at her, he knew he wanted more of her.
Much more.
He wanted to feel her beneath him as he drove himself into her body. He wanted to feel the delicious friction of his body thrusting against hers. He wanted to hear her cries of pleasure as he stroked her core until she came for him, his name a desperate shout on her lips.
In that moment, his desire for her burned more fiercely than it had during any of the Occlumency lessons. He could already feel his body reacting to the raw fire coursing through his veins.
Hermione took a step toward him, her eyes never leaving his.
If she didn't get away from him in the next few seconds, he would be unable to hold himself back.
But the look in her eyes had changed, it was no longer one of distress.
It was one of intense determination, one of a predator intent on its prey. Hermione came another step closer.
And as the distance between them closed, Severus could keep his lust restrained no longer.
He was on her in an instant, his mouth covering hers in a firm and insistent kiss. Hermione responded instantly, returning his kiss with double the intensity and desperation.
Severus nudged Hermione backwards slowly with his body, pushing her towards the king sized bed behind her. She stepped backwards while sliding her tongue against his in pure hot desire.
Severus made a sound low in his throat and continued to push her backwards. He brought his hands to her waist and pulled her top up, exposing the skin of her stomach and then the pale peach lace of her bra. He raised the garment over her breasts and she helped him remove it from her body before returning her lips to his in a long burning kiss.
Hermione's jeans quickly joined her top on the floor, she and Severus stopping momentarily in their journey to the bed so that Hermione could step out of her clothing and deftly kick it aside.
Standing before him in bra and underwear, Hermione brought Severus's hands to her stomach and then to the clasp at the front of her bra, all the while kissing him with an all consuming hunger.
Severus laughed into her mouth and ran his palms up over the swell of her breasts, the pads of his thumbs finding the peaks of her nipples beneath the fabric of her bra. He ran his thumbs back and forth, his masterful touch teasing the sensitive skin.
He felt her nipples harden and Hermione let out a low sound. They were almost at the bed.
Severus moved his hands to Hermione's sides and guided her to the edge of the mattress. Then, he eased her onto her back with the weight of his body.
Hermione gave a sharp tug on the towel around Severus's hips causing the material to fall away to the floor. She took in the sight of him and offered Severus a darkly alluring smile.
Severus moved on top of her and brought his lips to her throat, raking his teeth across her satiny smooth skin. Hermione's hands came up to fist in Severus's ebony locks, holding his head to her body.
Straddling her hips, Severus leaned down, his questing lips trailing a path from her throat to her shoulder. He placed an open mouthed kiss at the juncture of her neck and shoulder just next to the gold chain of her amulet, his tongue circling her skin.
Severus's hot erection pressed firmly against her abdomen. Hermione moved her right hand from his hair and brought it down to reach between them. She brushed her fingers along the length of his hardened shaft and he let out a dark laugh against her skin.
"Minx," he said in a husky tone of arousal.
Hermione laughed low in her throat and tightened her grip on him, causing Severus to let out a shuddering breath.
"I want to feel you inside of me," Hermione breathed, raising her hips to rub her lower body where her hand was stroking him. "Now."
Severus moved his face further down her body, placing a lustful kiss between her breasts, his tongue darting out to moisten her skin as he moved down to the front of her bra.
Hermione watched his every movement with aroused anticipation.
Severus placed his mouth over the clasp of her bra, and using his teeth he undid the clasp in a matter of seconds.
Hermione removed her hands from his body so that she could take her arms out of the bra and throw it to the side of the bed. Severus immediately brought his mouth down to cover the nipple of her right breast, his hot breath teasing the dark pink flesh.
Hermione gasped and Severus let out a masculine sound of satisfaction. He closed his lips around the taught circle and gently, very gently, tugged at it with his teeth.
Hermione hissed in pleasure. She spread her legs and clamped her thighs around his hips. With both hands she held his head to her chest, taking in a deep breath and letting it out in an uneven sigh of ecstacy.
Her nails raking his scalp, Severus moved his hands to her hips, his tongue swirling over her breast.
Hermione was dimly aware of the sound of ripping fabric. In an instant her lower body was free of the confining material of her panties.
And then . . .
Hermione sucked in a sharp breath as Severus spread the folds of her body and slid one long finger inside of her. She immediately felt an outpour of wetness rush between her legs. Her body throbbed against him.
She heard Severus let out a deep laugh against her breast just before he moved another finger to join the first.
Hermione leaned her head back against the pillows, arching off the mattress slightly at the combined pleasure of Severus's mouth and hand.
Severus moved his fingers a little and found Hermione's sensitive pleasure spot. He rubbed and teased the flesh slowly and deliberately and began to move his mouth to her left breast.
He placed a kiss over her left nipple and moved his middle finger against her core.
Hermione couldn't think straight. Sparks of pleasure ripped through her body and she let out a wordless exclamation.
"Severus, I need to have you, all of you. Please, I don't want to wait any longer."
"Good things come to those who wait," Severus told her in a voice that was definitely not his normal silky baritone. His voice was thick, lust filled and the sound of it alone was nearly enough to make Hermione shudder with arousal.
"But you're–
"Just a bit longer," said Severus, moving his lips down to her rib cage and over to her stomach.
"I can't bear it, Severus!"
Severus actually smirked against her skin.
"You have my sincerest apologies, but I'm afraid you'll have to wait a little more,"
He proceeded to trail his kisses past her navel.
"Severus!" Hermione exclaimed, tensing her muscles and writhing beneath him.
Severus brought his lips lower still, brushing kisses over the dark triangle of hair between Hermione's legs.
"You're . . . wicked!" she squealed.
"But of course, my dear. I've never claimed to be anything different," he said with dark amusement.
He then moved his mouth between her legs and withdrew his hand from her body. His lips then found the spot his fingers had been.
"Ah...you ...evil ...rogue," Hermione exclaimed, her emphasis tripling with each word.
Severus thrust his tongue deep inside of her. Hermione's hips lifted off the mattress as sheer unadulterated pleasure tore through her.Severus's tongue stroked her mercilessly until Hermione cried out, almost driven senseless.
Severus then raised his head and moved up her body, positioning himself above her. He leaned down, claiming her lips in a scorching kiss. Hermione tasted herself on his mouth and let out a feral sound.
Severus covered her body with his, letting his weight rest on her hips.
Hermione maneuvered beneath him until her lower body was touching the part of him she needed most. She pressed her body against his, beginning to take him inside of her.
Her hands came up to splay against Severus's muscular shoulder blades. Then Hermione pushed her breasts against the hard planes of his chest.
"Now. . . please," she said into his ear.
Seconds later, Severus entered her completely and Hermione let out a low laugh of satisfaction.
Severus stilled, letting Hermione adjust to his width. After a short period of time, Hermione tightened her walls around him. Severus tensed at her action, letting out an uneven exhalation.
"Severus," Hermione said breathlessly.
Supporting himself on his hands on either side of her head, Severus began to slowly move against her. He lowered his mouth and gave Hermione a hard kiss, this one more forceful than any of those preceding it.
Hermione didn't mind the roughness of his mouth on hers in the least. His whiskers scraped against the sensitive skin around her lips and she released an exclamation of encouragement.
Severus began to pick up a faster rhythm and Hermione started kneading the flesh of his back with bruising intensity.
Hermione kissed Severus for all she was worth, moving with him in time to his powerful thrusts into her lower body. She could feel his toned muscles flexing beneath her hands as his body moved inside of her.
She was nearly delirious with pleasure. She could smell his sweat on his skin and the scent was incredibly intoxicating.
Severus brought Hermione to the edge, his thrusts coming ever faster, harder, deeper. Hermione was lost in Severus, never imagining that sex could bring such sweet ecstacy.
Never in her wildest dreams had she once entertained the idea that she'd experience anything even remotely like what she experiencing right now.
Hermione cried out wordlessly just as Severus came inside of her.
Severus ran his lips slowly over Hermione's, while the tremors shot through his body and he emptied himself deep inside her.
He raised his head, taking a deep breath and forcing it out slowly. Hermione raised a shaky hand and brushed his hair behind his ear. She too was out of breath.
Then Severus withdrew from her and rolled onto his back. Hermione turned towards him on her side.
And then her hand flew to the crystal around her neck.
It had lost all of its warmth.
Hermione's breath hitched as she realized what must have happened. The amulet's magic must have ceased to exist the minute she'd given her body to Severus.
Well what did you expect? Hermione asked herself sarcastically.
She noticed that Severus was looking at her questioningly.
"It's useless now," she said quietly.
For several seconds Severus didn't reply.
"Weasley's passion can no longer protect you now that you are unable to reciprocate it."
Hermione didn't say anything. Severus observed that there was a slight blush on her cheeks.
God, he'd thought that bedding her would finally get his lust for her out of his system. Instead he found that it had pretty much done the exact opposite.
Just the sight of her naked in his bed made him want to take her again.
"Perhaps I can succeed in finishing the Occlumency lesson now," she muttered. "It shouldn't be as unbearable now, should it? Maybe the induced attraction will even go away completely,"
"It may also be that Voldemort's power is too strong for you to ignore, even with a sufficient amount of training. Which in that case trying to finish the Occlumency lesson would be of no benefit to you at all."
Hermione looked at him.
"But you told me that you were virtually certain that the Occlumency would let me get Voldemort off my mind."
"When I said that to you, I could think of no alternative."
"But then you thought of the amulet,"
"Only after the Occlumency proved not to be an immediate solution,"
"The first night I was here, you did that Chinese relaxation thing with me and that enabled me to relax,"
"No, Hermione. That night you were drugged. It was the pain blocking potion that enabled you to calm down, the relaxation technique was just something to take your mind off of your distress while the potion took effect."
"Oh."
"Here," said Severus, placing his left hand around the crystal. He held the amulet for about ten seconds and when he finally released it, the crystal now had the same fiery glow it had had when Hermione received it from Fred.
"Thank you," Hermione said softly.
Severus was silent for a long time.
"Severus? Is something wrong?"
"Hermione . . . I take it that you still wish to know why Albus trusted me?"
Hermione stilled, astonished that Severus was making a move to open himself up to her about his past.
She hardly knew what to say.
"If you are willing to share the reason, I'm willing to listen,"
"Then you shall hear the answers to the questions that have been on your mind. Just promise me that you won't breathe a word of what I say to anyone. The Order members are aware of some of the truth, but I believe you need to hear certain information beyond what they have been told."
"I won't betray your confidence," Hermione told him seriously.
Severus didn't immediately speak, as if he was gathering his thoughts searching for the proper place to begin his explanation.
"I suppose I'd better start at the beginning," he told her.
A/N: Well, would you look at that? Answers are finally coming! Don't you dare be silent! I really want to hear from all my readers!