One Night
Draco had recovered himself by the time he had to meet Pansy later than afternoon. Keeping himself impassive to having had sex with someone else was easy. Keeping impassive to having made love to someone else was an entirely different thing.
That was the only way he could define what had happened to him - the difference between having sex and making love. Maybe. All he knew for sure what that it didn't matter what he did, he just could not disregard what had happened with Ginny. Why had this affected him so much? He'd never been this affected by one night of sex before in his life.
Actually, it hadn't even been a whole night, had it? How long? Fifteen minutes at most - the rest of it had been sleeping. It had been so hot and fast and inexplicably wonderful - to him at least - that it had seemed to go on for a very long time. Or maybe that was just because whenever he closed his eyes he got flashes of freckled skin, hot salty sweat, and damp, flowing red hair. Why? He couldn't remember doing anything last night that he hadn't done before. In fact, if his memeory served him right, he was sure he'd had sex with Pansy in that exact same place.
As if summoned by his train of thought like some etheral vision, Pansy appeared beside him, sliding into a seat outside a tea shop in Diagon Alley. "Morning, Dracie," she gushed, simpering horribly. "Miss me?" He looked at her. He looked at her plain face, her shallow skin, her too-perfect, production-line body. Not really, he thought.
"Sure," he said, reaching for his coffee. "So, what did you want to do today?"
She smiled in what she probably thought was an attractive manner. He couldn't find anything remotely attractive about her today. "Shopping?" she suggested.
"No. No, Pansy, not again."
Pansy's face fell. "Well, if you're not coming I'll go without you."
"Alright," he said evenly. Pansy fumed.
"Draco!" she snapped. "You will not leave me shopping on my own! You will come with me, you have to."
"And since when have you dictated what I can and cannot do, Parkinson?" he snapped. "When the hell did they make you Supreme Ruler of the Universe? I don't want to go shopping!"
"Well, then, maybe you'd like to come to the Ten Bells with me?" a voice suggested from behind him. Heat engulfed him like someone had lit a fire in his belly. That voice had been the same one that had groaned his name into his ear last night, from the same mouth that had met his in fiery passion, the same lips that had teased his ear lobe hungrily.
He whirled around. Now that was his kind of etheral vision.
Cinnamon hair gloriously curvy, worn-out jeans and a snug red T-shirt. Ginny smiled softly, the sun behind her lighting her hair like a halo.
"Morning, Pansy, didn't see you there."
&
Ginny was more than satisfyed with Pansy's reaction.
"No, I don't think he would, thanks," she spat, grabbing Draco's hand and hearly up-ending his coffee cup.
But Draco snatched it away again.
"Well, I think he would," he said plainly, glaring at Pansy.
She looked ready to explode with anger. She sat there hissing steam for a few moments, then leapt up, jogging the table, and storming off down the street. Draco looked completely unconcerned. In fact, he was looking at Ginny.
"Hello, by the way," she said, smiling.
"Hello," he repeated. "Thanks."
"No problem." They started walking down the street in the opposite direction, heading away from Gringotts. Draco offered her his arm, and after a small hesitation, she threaded hers through it. She bit her lip, knowing she had to say it. It was why she was here, after all.
"Look, Draco, I've got to apologise. I shouldn't have left this morning. Not like that anyway."
Draco shrugged. "It's OK. I hadn't done anything with you that I hadn't done before to someone else anyway."
She swallowed. That hurt.
"So I take it you're feeling better," he asked.
It took her a minute to get herself together, before she smiled happily. "Yes, you could say that," she admitted, as they passed through the door into the Ten Bells, a dark, quiet little pub at the other end of the street from the Leaky Couldron. It was true - she was feeling satiated and satisfyed. More so than she usually did, but that was probably because of the length of her previous dry-spell. Probably.
They ordered drinks, and Ginny took them over to a table in the corner.
"Have you really done what you did with me to loads of other people?" she blurted out suddenly. Draco nearly choked.
"I'm sorry?"
"What you just said. You said 'I hadn't done anything with you that I hadn't done before to someone else anyway'. Well, have you really?"
Draco looked very uncomfortable. As well he should, Ginny thought, after saying something like that. But it was endearing. This wasn't normal Draco behaviour. Where was the arrogance? Where was the condecension?
"I didn't mean it the way it sounded," he said, glaring at the table.
"Then how did you mean it?" she replied.
He shuffled. "Nothing."
"No, Draco," she said, tightening the gap between them. Her leg fell against his, but she didn't move it. She leant it to try and catch his eyes. "Tell me what you mean."
He swallowed several times, then looked at her.
"I meant, that even though I've done that before, even with Pansy, it wasn't the same."
"I should think it wasn't," she said, slightly bitter. Just the next in a long line, eh?
"No I mean, with you it was different. I mean better-different."
And he kissed her. And from the feel of it, it seemed like he'd been wanting to do that for quite some time. He seemed to cling to her, his mouth completely closed, his lips covering hers firmly.
&
What it the name of Merlin are you doing, Draco! Put her down, put her down, now!
But it wasn't Pansy yelling, not even Ginny. It was a little voice inside his head.
You are going to make a fool of yourself, you are going to get hurt.
But he didn't let go. In fact he held her tighter, clamoring to pull her as close as possible, his hands grabbing her waist and back and holding her.
Hello? Anyone still alive in there? LET HER GO YOU IDIOT!
Finally, Draco listened, and pulled away. Ginny was panting. Hang on... so was he.
"Draco," she said softly, and he knew from the tone of her voice that he was not going to like this. "You know I'm flattered but--"
"And there's the 'but'..."
"But," she said firmly. "I'm just not looking to be in a relationship right now."
It was deadly quiet. He couldn't speak. He'd just embarrassed himself more completely than he could ever have imagined, and he didn't like it. Turned down? By a Weasley? By anyone, for that matter...
Slowly, he nodded. "Alright." But his insides were shrivelling up, very slowly.
Sadly, she got up, draining her glass. "I better go. Stiil friends, right?"
He nodded numbly. "OK."
She turned to go, but as she twosting between tables, getting further and further away, his courage was returning to him. He stood up, following.
"Ginny!"
She turned to him just outside the door. Gathering as much raw charm as he could muster, he smirked, and pushed himself against her slightly.
"Hey," he said quietly. "Even if there's no relationship... we can keep shagging, right?" He looked at her, trying to put a fond twinkle in his eye. It must have worked, because she matched his smirk with one of her own and trailed her fingers up the inside of his leg lightly.
"I don't see that that should be a problem," she breathed. "See you, Draco." She let her fingers brush over his groin and kissed him on the cheek, before leaving. He watched her go, not entirely certain why he was feeling weird. No, this is good, he thought. This will give you the perfect chance to see if it was just a fluke. And if not... well, you'll have the perfect opportunity to try and seduce her.
Yes, because I'm not giving her up without one hell of a fight. Slowly, and smiling, he turned around, and came face to face of Pansy Parkinson.
"You can keep what-ing her?" she hissed.
Oh bugger.
&
Ginny took a bath when she got home. She neededone to relax- she wasn't sure what was going on in her head.
She was, apparently, now Draco Malfoy's new sex toy. Fair enough - at least she wouldn't have to deal with the prospect of another six months without action...
But still... what in the name of all that was holy had that kiss been about? It seemed like he was holding her over a waterfall and was trying desperately to stop her falling. She could still feel Draco's hands over her, andnot just from when they'd had sex either - she could feel a tender hand holding her shirt collar in his kitchen, another one at her elbow when they'd walked towards the TenBells.
What was wrong with them? He seemed to have developed some curious attachment to her, and she couldn't help remembering every little detail of what he'd done to quench her thirst. The tiles on her back, his nose at her ear...
The water wasn't the only wetness in her bath now, and she wriggled. How can someone go for six months without sex, and then be hornier than ever afterwards! Still, this was the sort of situation that her and Draco's arrangment was designed for.
She pointed her wand at a table next to the bathtub.
